Best Laid Plans

By Selphie Leonhart

Rated : 15 for adult situations, language and violence

All comments to : Selphie_Leonhart@day-dream.co.uk

This story is set in an alternate universe to FF8, and asks the question – 'what would have happened had Rinoa not made it to the SeeD graduation ball? How would it have affected the course of FF8?' Read and find out…=)

Everything in is Ellone-type....um..*interference*

The night of the SeeD inauguration dance had been planned for months. Exams were held only once every two years, which effectively gave the students only four shots at the exam, before they were excluded from Garden at the age of twenty-one if they failed to become a SeeD. Luckily for Zell, Squall and Selphie, they had all become SeeD's at their first attempt. Not many took the exam at fifteen, only those who were exceptionally intelligent. Quistis, for one.

Squall held a certain ambivalence about becoming a SeeD. Sometimes he felt as if his whole life had been pre-determined, that he was just reading a script, written by others in the background. He had never actually made any decisions about what he was going to do with his life. He didn't think about the past often, but when he did, he wondered why he was in Garden in the first place, instead of going to a regular school, with a normal home and going into a normal job at the end of it.

So he leant against the wall, staring out at the beautifully decorated ballroom, his eyes distracted by the silk and gauze covered bodies, drifting across the marble floor in intricate patterns, like butterflies in summer. He had no wish to join them however. They were aesthetically pleasing, but held no real attraction for him. They were just faceless dancers, there to celebrate the rise of an army of children. It was no surprise most of the children at Garden were orphans. What loving parent would condone sending their child off to become a trained killer? A mercenary no less, not exactly a noble profession.

This dance...to Squall it only signified coming a step closer to his own death. Now he was a SeeD, he was just one of many who could be sent off to fight another man's war, sent to fight for people who had the right money. How the people who ran this Garden could agree with such a thing, accepting cold Gil in exchange for children, was beyond him. Like the other students, he too had heard tales of the hopeless causes SeeD had been dispatched to in the past, fighting whole armies, even taking on terrible fleets of monsters. When they were killed, Garden sent more, for the right price. Not one of the current SeeD's was over the age of twenty two.

With these thoughts, Squall gazed up as a shooting star streaked across the sky, leaving a milky trail of stardust. He looked down again, his eyes settling on the dancers as they whirled, oblivious to the gift Hyne had just sent from the stars. Sighing, he put down his champagne glass and walked out onto the balcony.

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Fujin stepped in front of the girl as she attempted to enter the ballroom.

"SeeD. Only." she said in a slightly subdued voice. The raven haired girl pouted.

"But I'm looking for someone," she said in a haughty voice, gazing at Fujin. The other girl stared back at her, a smirk on her face.

"No." she stated simply. Rinoa hissed in annoyance.

"I must see Seifer! Fujin, let me in. You know he'll be pleased to see me." she said, feeling something bordering on hatred for her old acquaintance. Fujin sighed.

"No." she said, narrowing her eye at Rinoa. Rinoa almost stamped her foot in annoyance. Fujin smirked.

"Go away, Rinoa. Seifer didn't make it to SeeD. He wont want to see you." she said quietly. Rinoa sighed impatiently, looking longingly at the closed door, hearing the familiar strains of Waltz For The Moon coming through from the ballroom. Smoothing her ivory dress, she turned and left the Garden, annoyed that Fujin had returned to her post just before Rinoa could sneak in.

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Quistis watched him as he walked out onto the balcony. Her heart leapt at the sight of him, even after so many classes with him, he still took her breath away. And she had good cause to be shocked by his attractiveness, in his SeeD uniform he looked dashing to say the least. But Quistis wasn't looking at his body, it was his face, specifically his eyes which captured her attention. They were a soft blue-grey, unlike her own cornflower blue ones. They were eyes which betrayed his coldness, revealing an inner vulnerability which drew the motherly Quistis to him like a moth to an ice-cold flame.

His eyes, although constantly reflecting indifference, often showed a hint of inner turmoil, as if Squall was really aching inside, but didn't want to talk about it. In fact, Quistis could never remember Squall actually instigating a conversation before. Certainly not with her. She often tried to speak with him, asked him what was on his mind, asked whether he ever wanted to talk with someone. At first, it was because she was concerned about his welfare. He was, after all, her student. Her duty was to care for him. But, not long after their first painfully one-sided conversation, she had begun to feel butterflies in her stomach whenever she saw him. He was mysterious, he seemed in pain. Quistis wanted to share it with him.

But he had brushed her off. Not openly, but he refused to elaborate on answers, replying to her probing questions with trite retorts and single-syllable answers. Quistis had pretty much given up, only occasionally dropping a hint to him that she was still there, and she was still interested. That morning, when Squall had been injured by Seifer, Quistis had felt a cold shock when she had been called by Dr Kadowaki. She had been so worried, as she knew Seifer was unpredictable. She had actually laughed in relief when Dr Kadowaki had told her it would only leave a scar. She was grateful for the opportunity to be alone with him though.

Quistis had actually dressed up for that night. Shedding her peach wool skirt and top for a more flattering floor length gown of blue, matching her eyes perfectly. It was strapless, hugging her chest and waist before flaring out slightly over her hips. It was embroidered with tiny white flowers, and had a very revealing slit up the side of one leg, reaching almost to her waist. Her golden hair was piled on her head in intricate coils, threaded with white flowers. Around her neck was the only piece of jewellery she owned, a silver chain with a small light blue sapphire on it. A teardrop shaped gem, forming a simple pendant. This she clutched anxiously as she took a few tentative steps out onto the balcony. Squall appeared to hear her coming, her high heeled shoes clicking on the stone floor of the balcony. He didn't turn, but she saw him tense. That gesture made her heart ache, he still wasn't comfortable in her presence. She leant on the balcony next to him, looking out to the rest of the Garden complex, shimmering blue-gold in the late night moonshine.

"What?" he asked flatly. Quistis forced a smile to her face even though inside he was hurting her.

"I just wanted to talk." she said in a low voice. Squall sighed.

"You're my instructor." he said. It was almost a warning. Quistis ignored him.

"Squall, I can't pretend anymore." she said, her voice trembling. Now she had his attention. Squall glanced to the side, to where she stood only a few feet away. To Quistis, the distance seemed miles.

"I've tried so hard...." she whispered to no-one in particular. Squall frowned.

"Instructor Trepe, are you alright?" he asked, but the question was rhetorical. She shrugged, stepping onto the stone railing, so she was a few inches off the ground. Squall began to feel alarmed. Was she going to jump?

"What do you want to talk about?" he asked quickly. Quistis felt a flicker of joy run through her, he was actually asking her something.

"You." she whispered, barely hoping to get a reply. He looked out towards Garden. The deceptively beautiful mercenary school. The place where children as young as seven killed, the place where Squall had seen several students breakdown because they couldn't cope with the violence, with the death they were brainwashed into believing was normal. Garden tried to keep it quiet, but not all the deaths in the Training Centre were down to lack of experience. Facing a T-Rexaur alone, unarmed, was suicide. And it happened quite a few times. Squall had never imagined his instructor to be suicidal though, or have any mental problems. She always seemed cheerful, radiant even, and was adored by so many students, male and female alike.

"Instructor, come inside and talk." he offered. Quistis shut her eyes, the words ringing in her ears.

"You really want to?" she asked him, looking away, not daring to see a contradiction in his eyes. He hesitated.

"Yes. I don't want you to do anything stupid." he warned her. Quistis smiled tightly, and stepped down.

"Squall, I guess...you know how I feel about you." she said gently. Squall felt a blush creeping to his cheeks. Swallowing hard, he straightened the chain on his uniform anxiously.

"Er...I don't know what you mean," he said, colouring hotly. Quistis smiled to herself. Was it true he didn't realize she was in love with him? Squall looked down.

"Squall...I..." the words stuck in her throat. All the times she had rehearsed this, all the scenarios she had played out in her head, nothing came close to the tension she felt now. The air around them almost crackled with it.

"I...I...have feelings for you," she blurted out, her heart thudding. He surprised her by looking straight into her eyes, and taking a step closer.

"Are you serious? Do you really mean this?" he asked her darkly. Feeling nervous, Quistis nodded. Squall sighed.

"You're my instructor..." he murmured. Quistis felt angry tears force themselves to her eyes.

"No! I'm not anymore!" she said fiercely. Squall looked at her in surprise.

"Would I be saying this if I was still an instructor? They fired me, I don't care though, because it means I can finally tell you that I'm in love with you. I needed to tell you, Squall, and I hope you can understand," she choked out, turning and running back into the ballroom before he could react.

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That night, Quistis laid on her hard, narrow bed staring at the ceiling. Her beautiful sky-blue gown was slung over the back of the only chair in the tiny room. She was dressed in her nightgown, a long white cotton dress which was sleeveless, and quite low cut. Her hair tumbling down around her shoulders in waving locks of gold, here and there a flower petal still clung to the strands. She clutched her tear-drop pendant, staring dry eyed at the cracks in her roof. Sighing, she reached out to switch off the lamp, but there was a soft knock on her door. Surprised, she stood up and opened it.

"Squall?!" she whispered in astonishment. He put a finger to his lips and took a step inside the room. Glancing outside to make sure no-one was watching, Quistis shut the door. Squall was still in his uniform, and Quistis felt slightly self conscious in her revealing attire. He didn't appear to notice though, but gazed at her face. She was a little disturbed by how intense his expression was, and removing her gown from the chair, motioned for him to sit down.

"Is something wrong?" she asked him softly. Squall shook his head. Quistis sat on the bed, her hands clasped in her lap. She gazed at Squall, uncertain as to why he was here. He appeared to feel the same

"I had to see you," he said in a low voice. Quistis smiled tightly.

"Why? I thought I offended you," she said, looking down. Squall shook his head.

"No! Of course not. Instructor..." he began, feeling awkward calling her that. Quistis laughed.

"My name is Quistis. You know that, Squall." she said with a low laugh. He shifted uncomfortably.

"Quistis. I wanted to apologise. I don't know why I was so...well, anyway, what I wanted to tell you is that I would like to get to know you better. Now that we are both just SeeD's." he said, not looking at her. Quistis smiled.

"Really? My confession of love didn't scare you?" she said lightly. Squall felt a blush creeping over him. He hated scenes like this.

"Um, no," he said, feeling dumb. Quistis smiled. Squall looked up at her, seeing the tiny smile on her face as she looked down at the floor. Suddenly, he realised that he was acting like a child, flitting away from the real issue.

"Quistis, I've wanted you since last year. This is something I've dreamed of." he blurted out. Quistis looked up sharply, staring into his aquamarine eyes. Squall took her hand, holding it between his.

"Quistis...please. Try to understand how hard this is for me to say." he pleaded. Quistis looked shocked.

"I never....why didn't you say something," she asked him, incredulously. Squall sighed.

"And let you think I was just like those other 'Trepies'? You must get twenty proposals a day, I didn't want to be just another teen fan." he said. Quistis felt hot tears springing to her eyes.

"Really? You mean that?" she whispered. Squall nodded. He leant towards her, pushing the golden strands of hair out of her eyes. She closed them, her lashes just touching her cheeks. She felt his breath on her mouth, before his lips brushed hers. She felt a shock of emotion as they touched, something she had dreamed of.

Squall moved onto the bed beside her, supporting her chin with one hand, the other holding her hand, their fingers entwined. Quistis didn't want to break the moment, but she wondered what had caused this sudden change of heart. He was so cold, so merciless usually. What had made him into this sensitive guy suddenly? But she didn't care all that much right now, this situation was far too dreamlike. Sighing happily, she allowed him to pull her down onto the bed.

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Rinoa walked away from Garden angrily. She was annoyed that she hadn't been able to see Seifer, or the headmaster like she had planned. Seifer had promised he'd let her in, as long as she kept quiet about it. He had told her that Fujin, Raijin and himself were the ones guarding the door to the ballroom, to prevent any cadets or non-SeeD members sneaking in as it was after hours. Just her luck, that it would be that bitch Fujin's shift as soon as she got there. Rinoa and Fujin had never got on. Rinoa suspected she was jealous, because she wanted Seifer to herself. Raijin had liked Rinoa, even though she mocked him behind his back when alone with Seifer. Raijin would have let her in, she would only have needed to smile at him. He was too stupid to think of the consequences.

Seifer. She wished she had been able to see him that night. They had parted on friendly terms since last summer, she went off to lead her resistance group, he strived to become a SeeD. They knew they would meet again, it was destiny. Seifer had assured her of that. She believed him. He was always so sure of himself, always cocky, and confident. She loved him for that. She herself wasn't openly as arrogant as he was, she preferred to arrange things from behind the scenes, and wait for the right moment before making others do as she pleased. He just seemed to expect others to comply with his wishes, and mostly they did.

Rinoa kicked a stone out of the way, shivering in the cold night air. She wished she was in there, among the dancers. It had sounded so fun. But instead here she was, trudging back to her room in the Balamb Hotel, walking along the lonely beach path. In the dark. Alone. Of course, she had her Shooting Star with her for protection, but in the dark the projectile weapon was of limited use as her vision was impaired. She stroked the razor sharp blade lovingly, it had been a gift from Seifer from last year. He had taught her to fight, and when she reached level 20, he rewarded her with this very expensive weapon.

Even in the night gloom, the angel wing motif glowed in her hands. Ultimate weapons were special, they grew to know their owner, and your affinity with them increased the more battles you won. The glow, only visible to the owner of the weapon outside of battle, also increased the closer you came to the weapon. Rinoa's weapon only had a faint glow, living in Timber didn't call for many battles, but subterfuge and low key chicanery. These were the arts she practised in her resistance faction, which left little time for combat training.

Eventually, Rinoa saw the glowing lights of Balamb Town in the distance. She groaned inwardly as she saw a group of drunk, very loud youths weaving their way towards her on the path. She clutched her Shooting Star closer to her, ensuring her arm-trigger was prepared. They passed her, calling out obscene comments, but Rinoa ignored them. Then one of them called her name.

"Rinoa! Princess Heartilly!" called a familiar voice. Rinoa smiled, and turned to see a welcome sight. Seifer broke away from the others, and strolled over to her. She waited for him with a little smile on her face.

"Celebrating failure, Seifer?" she asked, folding her arms across her chest. Seifer grinned lazily.

"I never wanted to be a SeeD anyway." he slurred. Rinoa sighed.

"You're not going back to Garden in this state, are you? You'll be killed!" she said with a giggle. Seifer waved a hand. Rinoa noticed under his white trench coat a highly polished gunblade lurked. That was reassuring.

"They wont touch me..." he said, glancing down the long road to Garden. Rinoa sighed, remembering her previous annoyance.

"Your one-eyed friend refused to let me in to the inauguration dance. I had to walk back. Alone." she said, stressing the word 'friend'. Seifer frowned.

"Fujin-chan wouldn't do that. She's too sweet..." he said with a smile. Rinoa suppressed a snort of outrage.

"Sweet? 'Fujin-chan'? Seifer, you're drunk." she reminded him dryly. Seifer threw an arm around her bare shoulders, leaning on her heavily. Rinoa laughed as she stumbled under his weight.

"Get off me! Seifer, come back to the hotel with me. You can't get caught pissed. You'll get expelled." she said, taking a step down the path. Seifer sighed.

"But...if I don't turn up..." he protested. Rinoa shook herself free from him.

"They wont miss you. Sneak in early tomorrow morning." she told him sternly. Seifer reluctantly agreed and followed her down the road, beginning to enjoy the thought of spending the night with Rinoa.

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Zell was getting fed up of waiting. He had been requested to tell Squall about the new bedroom arrangements, but how was he meant to deliver the message when Squall had completely disappeared? The only place Zell hadn't checked was the Instructors quarters, and Squall definitely wouldn't be there. It wasn't off limits to students, but Squall hated all the instructors. Anyway, the only people who went there were Trepies, hoping to catch Instructor Trepe in her pajamas. Zell sniggered at the thought of Squall sitting there with the other geeks who adored her, waiting for the Instructor to appear like a vision from her tiny room. It rarely ever happened, if they were seen, the punishment was severe. The only legitimate reason for being there was a medical emergency.

Zell paced up and down, wishing his SeeD uniform was a little looser. Better cut down on the hotdogs, he thought with a grimace. Shouldn't be hard, there were hardly any left by the time he woke up anyway. He couldn't help it if he was a heavy sleeper, anyway, it was unnatural to wake at seven in the morning like Squall and Selphie did. Zell shuddered at the thought. Especially since lessons didn't begin until nine thirty, it was abnormal.

"Where the hell is he?!" muttered Zell under his breath, scanning the corridor for any sign of the slightly younger student. There was no sign of him. Zell gave up. "Fine. Sleep in the corridor for all I care," he muttered to no-one in particular, turning and walking to his own new, single room.

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That morning, Quistis was woken by the sunshine streaming in through the small window in her room. Smiling to herself, she turned and put her arm out, expecting to feel the warmth of Squall's body next to her. Instead, her hand met with an empty space. Quistis opened her eyes, and looking to her side, saw he wasn't there. The smile left her face. Sitting up in bed, she let her mind drift back to last night, when her dreams had come true, when she had finally been with Squall. Now, in the cold light of day, a horrible sinking feeling was creeping over her. He had left her.

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Squall was alone in the showers, as it was early morning. He let the hot water rain down on him, plastering his long hair to his face. He was grateful for the relative silence here, and the fact that *she* wouldn't come in here. He didn't feel like having the inevitable confrontation so early in the morning. Well, maybe she wouldn't care. He knew she was only trying to get him into bed with all that crap about her being in love with him, so maybe he just gave her what she wanted.

Turning off the faucet, Squall wrapped the towel around his waist and walked over to the lockers, where he had left his clothes. Thoughts of last night flitted through his mind, and he smirked. She had been good, the virginal instructor she made herself out to be was easily forgotten once she wanted something. Not that he had objected.

Squall shoved his shower stuff in his locker and got dressed rapidly. If he was lucky, he could get half an hour in at the training centre before the cafeteria opened. Throwing his wet towel in the laundry basket, he walked out of the locker room, shaking his damp hair out of his eyes.

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Selphie sat on the chair in Squall's room, absently twirling round and round in boredom as she waited for her classmate to return. As she spun around, she noticed how neat his room was. His bed hardly looked as if it had been slept in at all, and his desk was spotless. Selphie stopped spinning as she noticed an interesting black leather case. Shaking her head to clear it of dizziness, she stood up and took a few steps towards the small desk which the leather case was laying on. It was big, almost as tall as she was. Selphie touched the cold metal motif with her index finger, her vivid green eyes wide with awe.

"Cool!" she breathed as she flipped open the case, seeing the three foot long weapon inside. The highly polished steel of the gunblade caught the light coming through the window, highlighting the lion etching on it. Longingly, she stroked the leather handle, her eyes glowing in rapture. Tentatively, she wrapped her slender fingers around the handle, lifting it a few inches. She was surprised at how heavy it was. Giggling slightly, she grasped it with both hands, and was about to lift it out of the box completely when someone grabbed it out of her hands, whipping the blade away from her and effortlessly holding it with one hand. Selphie bit her lip, squinting slightly as she looked up at Squall.

"Sorry," she said apologetically. Then she smiled warmly. "Cool gunblade! What's it like to fight with? I always wanted to use a katana, but my instructor wouldn't let me. I love swords though, they're really cool." she chattered, oblivious to how he coldly regarded her. Squall replaced the gunblade in the box, shutting it and pointedly putting a small padlock on it. Selphie shut up. She shifted from foot to foot anxiously, not sure whether she had his attention or not.

"Um, anyway, I had to tell you about our new mission! We've been hired as bodyguards, by the president of Deling City! Isn't that cool! We're going to meet the President of Galbadia! It's gonna be me, and you, and Zell, and Instructor Trepe, since this is our first real mission and all, so we've gotta try and impress her to boost our SeeD levels and...."

"Instructor Trepe? When did you hear that?" he asked sharply. Selphie paused, twirling a lock of her bouncy hair between two fingers.

"Um, this morning. I went to the library, and one of the Garden Masters told me to go to the Headmasters Office, so I did, and he told me there was an important mission, and..."

"When do we have our briefing?" he asked her, beginning to get fed up of the girl's chattering. She sighed, thinking how cute he would be if he didn't frown so much. The thought made her giggle, and he looked at her oddly. She waved her hand.

"Front gate, 9:30." she said, answering succinctly for once. He nodded in gratitude, and pushed open the door for her. Selphie looked at him blankly, then realised what he was hinting.

"Oh, hey, you wanna go to the Training Centre? I thought we could, you know, get used to each other's fighting styles, so we'd be better in battle." she suggested brightly. Squall looked at her, unsmiling.

"I don't train with others." he said flatly. Selphie sighed.

"Whatever. Well, I'll see you later then." she said, waving at him as she walked out of the room. Squall shut the door behind her.

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Quistis yelled in rage as she attacked the Grat, her whip cracking loudly the small monster fell easily under the force of her chain whip. Angrily, she turned to the other, bringing the whip down hard on it's already withering form. She was furious, and this was the only possible release. The stood there as the two died, breathing hard, feeling a dull ache in her stomach from the adrenaline rush. She sat against a flat rock, brushing away the spores the plant-monsters left on her clothing. Breathing deeply, she felt her anger begin to subside at last.

She hadn't allowed herself to feel sad after she realised what had happened, instead it was easier to just give into the hot anger which swept over her. She felt humiliated, naive, and incredibly stupid. Folding her arms tightly across her chest, she stood up and walked back towards the entrance, beginning to feel a little more normal. She was still angry, but not as intensely as before. She refused to shed any tears for him, that would only make her feel worse, it would be like admitting that he had hurt her, and there was no way she was ever going to show emotion in front of Squall Leonhart again.

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Squall glanced away as he saw Selphie waving excitedly at him. She looked intensely happy, all the time, which was very strange to him. Maybe the girl's got some kind of mental condition, he thought in all seriousness. There was no other explanation why such a carefree girl would be a SeeD. Surely she knew she could die at any time. Squall took his place by her side, and awaited the others. Meanwhile, Selphie chattered to him light-heartedly, annoying him very much. But he didn't say anything to stem the flow of trivia from the girl, instead trying his best to ignore her.

Eventually, another girl appeared. Squall groaned inwardly. He knew this encounter would be sooner rather than later, but he didn't want any heart-rending pleas from his former instructor about how he had broken her heart. To his relief, and surprise, she stood next to him stiffly, not saying a word. He glanced at her, but she appeared to be fine, not looking upset in the least. He turned his attention to Selphie, pretending to be interested in what she was saying, but remaining silent. At length, Cid turned up with two Garden Masters. Closely following was Zell Dincht, running as fast as he could behind the Garden masters. He took his place on the other side of Quistis.

"SeeD's. This mission should be a piece of cake for you. Protecting the President of Galbadia from any terrorists as he makes his appearance in Deling City. Your job is to remain with then President at all times, ensuring his safety and neutralizing any threat. You will be met at Deling City station by an aide of the President. As you will be in SeeD uniform, he will approach you, and give you further instructions." Cid said. The four SeeD's saluted him, and nodding, he turned away.

"Squall Leonhart will be your leader. Quistis Trepe will be second in command. Dismissed." he said, walking away. Squall raised an eyebrow, slightly surprised that he hadn't appointed Quistis leader. After all, she was the most experienced SeeD. He turned to the others, irritated that he had been giving a position where he actually had to be responsible.

"Ok. We'll go to Balamb Town to catch a train to Deling City. My party will be Selphie and...Quistis." he said, thinking rapidly. He couldn't leave Quistis out, she was obviously the best fighter out of all of all of them, and it would look strange if he didn't choose her. Selphie appeared delighted at the arrangement.

"Okie! Let's go!" she yelled, clapping her hands. Squall handed her the Ifrit GF orb, keeping Quezacotle and handing Shiva to Quistis. She accepted the icy globe wordlessly, not meeting his eyes. Zell sulked behind them as they began the walk to Balamb Town.

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Rinoa smiled as she came out of the small bathroom in the hotel room, seeing Seifer sitting up on the bed, the sheets rumpled around his waist. He grinned at her, them frowned, rubbing his head. She giggled and went over to him, sitting next to him on the bed.

"Oh, poor baby has a hangover," she said with a warm smile. Seifer smirked and grabbed her around her waist, pulling her fully onto the bed and beside him. Rinoa smiled at him, resting her head against his shoulder.

"You should get back to Garden unless you want to get noticed." she said reluctantly. Seifer touched her cheek, putting his arm around her.

"I know. But I don't want to. I'd much rather stay here with you." he said, closing his eyes. Rinoa trailed her hand down his naked chest, making him smile.

"Would you now," she said softly, a playful smile on her face. Suddenly, she sat up, freeing herself from his loose embrace.

"Get dressed. I don't want to have to explain to Fujin why her idol is suspended from Garden. She'd kill me." Rinoa said, turning away from him. Seifer frowned.

"Fujin?" he asked. Rinoa laughed quietly. He obviously didn't remember much from last night.

"Never mind." she said, throwing him his shirt over his shoulder. Reluctantly, Seifer began to get dressed.

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On arrival in Deling, Quistis walked close to Selphie, delighting the younger girl by actually engaging her in conversation. Squall meanwhile, attempted to ignore Zell, who was chattering meaninglessly about something which was of no interest to Squall. He was annoyed, because for some reason he could not stop thinking of Quistis, and felt something close to guilt, an emotion foreign to his granite heart. Zell was beginning to seriously get on his nerves.

It was dark by now, and the streets were full of young people, their age, going up town. They eyed the SeeD's with wonder, several girls giggling as they passed. Even if they weren't in uniform, the sight of their weapons would be enough to suggest they were no ordinary teenagers. But in the intricate dark blue and black SeeD uniforms, they looked like high-ranking soldiers. Professionals. Squall re-read the instructions. He scanned the platform, searching for any sign that the presidential aide was waiting for them. At length, a small woman wearing a forest green suit approached them.

"Squall Leonhart?" she said in a clear voice. Squall nodded. She didn't smile, but handed him a formal looking envelope.

"Here are your instructions. Please follow me, there is a car waiting for you." she said curtly, turning and walking away towards the exit. Squall and the others followed her. Outside, a black limousine was ready. Squall raised an eyebrow. He knew SeeD were held in high regard, but this? Zell seemed shocked too.

"Whoa! They really lay it all on for SeeD!" he cried. Squall couldn't help thinking that whenever he opened his mouth, he completely ruined the sophisticated image the SeeD uniform gave him. If he shut up, then maybe people would take him seriously. The woman opened the car door, and stood to the side while the SeeD's entered. Once inside, the car began to slowly drive off.

"We appreciate Garden's help. We are afraid our soldiers aren't....efficient enough for such a delicate task." she said unsmiling. Squall frowned.

"Why not? What's so special about this task that ordinary Galbadians couldn't do it?" he asked suspiciously. The woman glared at him, but in the gloom of the car's interior her annoyance was masked.

"SeeD are considered more efficient for the guarding of such an important person. Our soldiers haven't had the kind of training you have had, they don't have the ability to identify potential threats like you do." she said shortly. Squall nodded, and remained silent. Quistis stared at him, slightly irritated. Selphie yawned.

"I am so tired. will we be allowed to rest before meeting the President?" she asked. The woman nodded.

"Yes. We have provided a room for you. Your services will not be required until tomorrow morning." she said. Quistis glanced at her watch. It was almost midnight, they had been travelling all day. Momentarily, thoughts of what she had been doing this time last night flitted through her mind, but she dismissed then immediately. She couldn't allow herself to think like that, or she wouldn't be able to control herself.

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Selphie threw herself onto the middle bed in the room, sighing contentedly. Squall watched her and suppressing a yawn, took the bed next to her, dumping his bag and sheath on the covers. Quistis folded her arms and stood in the doorway.

"You'd have thought they'd have given us two rooms." she said frostily. Squall ignored her, but Selphie murmured a reply.

"Maybe they figured since we're only teenagers we wouldn't mind." she said lightly. Quistis shrugged and walked to the other side of the room, taking the bed by the window, on the other side of Selphie.

"We should all get some rest. Tomorrow is our first chance to prove that we aren't just kids, but SeeD's." he said, taking off his SeeD jacket. Selphie jumped up, and walked to the huge mirror which sat on the desk.

"SeeD's...this is so cool!" she sighed happily. She frowned as she saw Quistis looking at Squall. Turning around quickly, she saw Quistis look down rapidly. Selphie smiled.

"What's going on?" she said brightly. Quistis looked up innocently. Squall didn't react. Zell, who was having an intense air-battle looked at her.

"What's up, Selph?" he asked her. Selphie smiled at Quistis.

"Nothing," she said with a smirk, assuming the reason Quistis was blushing was because she had a crush on Squall. Selphie wouldn't say anything though, she wasn't completely tactless. She laid down on her bed, shutting her eyes. Beside her, Squall was already resting, although she could tell by his slightly irregular breathing that he wasn't asleep. Slowly, Selphie drifted off to sleep.

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It was dark in the room, but Squall could almost feel the daggers Quistis' eyes were shooting at him. He knew she wasn't asleep, and it disturbed him. Sighing, he rolled over. On his other side was Zell, who was snoring loudly. Selphie was curled up in a little ball, and he couldn't see Quistis as she was on the other side of Selphie. Not able to bear it anymore, he sat up in bed, pushing the thin covers off his almost fully-clothed body and pulling his leather jacket on, walked to the door.

"Practice this, do you?" Quistis hissed from the other side of the room. Squall froze, shutting his eyes briefly. Her words stung. He paused with his outstretched hand on the door handle and turned to see her standing, illuminated by the glow from the streetlamp outside the window. She took a step towards him, silently. He was amazed at how she was able to move in complete silence, like a cat. At the moment, he felt like a trapped mouse.

"De ja vu from last night perhaps?" she whispered, her voice dripping with venom. Squall breathed out, parting his lips, unsure of what to say. She didn't give him the chance to retort.

"What was I? Just an easy lay? Maybe you should have left some money by the bed," she spat at him. Squall turned to the door. No way was he going to listen to this.

"This isn't the place to discuss this, Quistis." he said quietly. She stared at him, her eyes piercing even in the gloom. She let out a low laugh.

"Where is the place? Garden? When we were alone on the train? Last night after you decided to leave with no explanation?" she said, her voice raised in anger. He sighed, opening the door.

"Come with me." he said calmly. Furious, she walked through the open door. Squall shut it behind her. Silently, they walked to the small briefing rom provided for them. Squall unlocked it and switched on the light. Quistis stepped into the room, shaking her loose hair from her shoulders, her crystalline eyes flashing dangerously. Squall followed her, walking to the window.

"So? Why did you leave?" she said, then laughed bitterly. "In fact, why did you come after me in the first place?" she asked. Squall frowned.

"I...meant what I said about....liking you." he said awkwardly.

"You said you loved me." she said hardly. Squall ran a hand through his hair, trying to make the tousled strands look a little normal. Quistis just glared at him.

"I know. Quistis, look, I didn't mean to hurt you. If I had stayed...things would have got too complicated. I had to leave. What would people think if I was seen coming out of your room first thing in the morning?" he asked her. Quistis sighed in despair.

"You could have woken me up! Explained, anything! Not just ignored me the next time we met." she said angrily. Squall looked down.

"I'm sorry." he said. Quistis looked away.

"I know you don't mean that. You made me feel...used, naive. I felt awful, Squall, when I woke up alone. Whatever I feel about you now, then I truly loved you. You've hurt me. Was it worth it? Did it make you feel good, Squall? Or was I just some slut you thought you'd be able to get into bed without paying? You make me sick." she said, giving him a look of contempt. Squall didn't know what to say. Quistis shook her head sadly.

"I was wrong to tell you what I did that night. You aren't mature enough to understand what I feel. What I felt. Just forget it Squall." she said, and walked from the room. Squall watched her leave, feeling as if he had made a big mistake.

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Rinoa shut her eyes as Seifer kissed her roughly, his lips almost bruising hers. He was aggressive about everything, and even tender moments like goodbye and even goodnights had to be sealed with a reminder of his masculinity, and dominance. Rinoa didn't complain though, he was, after all, a very useful friend to have. He pulled away finally, her lips buzzing from the intensity of the kiss. He cupped her cheek with one hand, grinning, then turned away from her, walking confidently into the Garden. Rinoa watched him leave, a slight smile on her face. She hoisted herself up onto the wall she was leaning against, sitting with her legs swinging below her. She took out her cell phone and dialled a number. She smiled sweetly at a passing male cadet, who eyed her approvingly. She pressed her lips together, thinking of Seifer as the other person answered the phone.

"Zone? Are you still in Timber?" she asked. Zone answered the affirmative and Rinoa smiled.

"Good. I'll be there in a couple of hours. Wait for me, okay? I know we weren't able to get SeeD support, but I know we'll do fine by ourselves." she said. Zone said something more, and laughing, Rinoa put her phone away. Sighing, she squinted against the sunshine and walked back to the waiting taxi. Somehow she knew her plans were all going to work out.

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"I had such a weird dream last night," Selphie said with a yawn, brushing her hair as she sat on the side of her bed. Quistis, who had only just woken up, frowned and reluctantly pushed aside the covers.

"Really?" she said sleepily. Selphie nodded, her hair bouncing.

"Uh huh. I dreamt I was this man called Kiros, and it was really weird...there was this really hot guy called Laguna, and we were soldiers..." she began. Quistis stared at her.

"Was there someone called Ward in your dream?" she asked curiously. Selphie nodded.

"Hey! How did you know? Did I talk in my sleep?" she asked, her green eyes huge. Quistis shook her head.

"No. I heard Zell yelling out to Squall about the weird dream he had. Strange." she said, stretching. Selphie looked thoughtful. She turned to Squall.

"Hey! Squall! Did you have a dream last night?" she asked. Squall sighed slightly.

"Yes." he answered tritely. Selphie grinned at him.

"Well, tell me what you dreamt about! Unless it's private, of course..." she said with a giggle. Squall shot her a menacing look.

"I dreamt I was a moron." he said in a low voice. Selphie laughed.

"Well, that's a new one. Was he called Ward, or Laguna, or Kiros?" she asked seriously. Squall frowned.

"You too? Zell had the same dream." he said, looking concerned. Quistis began to get fed up.

"Does it matter? We have a job to do, lets go," she said, collecting her whip from the side, checking it for any damage before winding it around her waist. Squall and Selphie also stood up, and followed their former instructor out of the room. Zell was waiting for them outside.

The four walked down the corridor, to the room they had been told to meet in. There was the aide they had met the previous night, and she looked in a slightly better mood this morning.

"Sleep well?" she asked as they filed into the room. Squall nodded and the others murmured replies. She nodded and motioned for them to sit down. They did, and she rolled out a map.

"The President is currently in Deling City. He is intending to travel to Timber later this afternoon to make a television broadcast." she said. Selphie spoke up.

"Hey, um, isn't that impossible? I mean, radio and TV signals haven't been received in more than 17 years," she said doubtfully. The woman gazed at her.

"Well, they are now. Like I said, the President is travelling to Timber to make this TV broadcast. You will escort him, to protect the president from the numerous resistance groups in Timber, which as you know is under martial law. You will meet the President shortly. This task is simple, but you will need to be on the lookout for any signs of danger, for example bombs or traps." she said. Squall nodded.

"I'll take you to your carriage on the presidential train now. Await there for further orders." she said.

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Rinoa jumped across the train carriage to the other side. "Urgh!" cried Zone behind her. Rinoa laughed, turning her head, her long raven hair whipping around her face.

"Don't be such a wimp!" she yelled. Zone looked terrified, but eventually jumped across, where he clung to Rinoa for all he was worth. She shook him off angrily.

"Get off me!" Where's Watts?" she asked, looking behind her. Zone clung to the roof of the train.

"Behind...urgh...me," he said, looking very sick. Rinoa sighed in annoyance, and leapt onto the roof of the other carriage with no effort whatsoever. Zone frowned at her agility, knowing it was much harder than it looked. She crouched down on the roof, waiting for the two men to join her. Eventually they did.

"Rinoa! I don't think this is going to work!" yelled Watts. She scowled.

"Of course it is! You can't back out now!" she yelled back at him, her black eyes flashing dangerously. Watts looked away. Rinoa handed him a rope she had secured to the top of the train.

"Here. Climb down and enter the codes." she said to him. Turning her face to Zone, she gave him his orders.

"Watch out for the guards. Tell us if they come here." she said. Zone smiled weakly and settled down to his task. Watts gingerly tugged on the rope, but a warning look from Rinoa prevented him from protesting as she 'helped' (pushed) him down the side of the train. She shouted the codes down to him, and he entered them with trembling fingers. Finally he was done, and he jumped up just before the train uncoupled from the other carriages. Rinoa laughed joyously as she saw her plan sliding into place. Smiling happily, she jumped down the hatch of the presidential car, and with Watts and Zone beside her confronted President Deling.

"Do not put up a fight. You are in the hands of the Timber Owls. We just want to ask you some questions, there is no need for violence." Rinoa said calmly, but trembling with excitement. The President made a low noise, which sounded something like a growl, but Rinoa realised it was a laugh.

"Foolish child," he hissed. Rinoa frowned, the hard expression on her face going to a more uncertain one. She took a step back as the President stood, noticing that there was something terribly wrong here. She glanced quickly to Watts and Zone who were both holding their weapons, Watts a staff, Zone a gun. The President laughed again.

"I am NOT Vinzer Deling..." he cackled. Rinoa gasped, stumbling backwards as she tripped over the carpet. The figure loomed over her.

"Pesky little resistance group..." he laughed, preparing to strike Rinoa. Before he could, Zone shot his hand. The creature screamed in pain, blood and flesh shooting from the out-stretched limb. Rinoa's eyes were open wide in shock, and she scrambled to her feet, throwing a Phoenix Down on the thing. It stopped screaming, and began to shake slowly, before fading into nothingness. Zone and Watts stared at her. She smiled, her eyes wild with the adrenaline rush.

"It was already dead! Didn't you notice?! I managed to get rid of it with one shot!" she said in delight, stepping away from the corpse. Then her expression turned dark.

"We were tricked." she said darkly. Watts gulped.

"Princess..." he started, but Rinoa gave him a look of contempt.

"Useless fool. What are we, a group of amateurs? Damn Fujin..." she muttered, folding her arms across her chest. Watts and Zone looked at each other, knowing that Rinoa was in a dangerous mood.

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"Wait here. The broadcast should begin soon. The President is already inside." the woman said, ushering them inside the TV tower. Squall led his SeeD's inside, and they waited formally in a straight line, silently preparing for their employer to appear. The train journey had been uneventful, with the apparent success of the campaign of disinformation the President's followers had spread. Squall was fed up. If all SeeD missions were to be this boring, he doubted this was what he really wanted from life. And besides, he had really messed up. He couldn't rid himself of the nagging guilt he felt over Quistis. His former instructor had been giving him the cold shoulder ever since the graduation night, and although he knew he deserved it, he wished he hadn't done what he did.

That kind of thing went on all the time in SeeD. Students...instructors. It was common place. The fact that the students and instructors were mostly the same age made it easy for relationships to start, but they were of course forbidden. Instructors were not allowed to have relationships with pupils, no matter how small the age difference. With Quistis, the difference was barely months. She was eighteen, he was seventeen. For a year, they had even been in the same class, before she became an instructor.

One night stands were all the relationships could possibly be. If they got found out...it meant expulsion for the student, and severe discipline for the instructor. So the time they spent together was short, usually just hours spent in the wrong dormitory, or visits to the secret area in the training centre. Squall had really been quite sensible, if he hadn't left during the night, they would surely have been found out. Quistis too knew this, but she was hurt. Sighing inwardly, he promised to resolve this as soon as he could. This atmosphere couldn't carry on, especially since they were working together.

Squall straightened up as the President entered the room, two Galbadian soldiers by his side. The SeeD's bowed to him, but didn't salute. That was reserved only for SeeD officials. The President nodded, and took his place on the small dais in front of the microphone and cameras. Suddenly, there was a loud bang and instantly the SeeD's drew their weapons. Squall stepped in front of the President, pushing him down from the dais as a woman entered the room, shoving a Galbadian soldier out of the way, blood flying from his slit throat. She was dark haired, and had a wild look in her eye as she faced the SeeDs. Squall stared at her, levelling his gunblade in an attack position. She was followed by about four or five men, all with weapons.

"Give us the President!" Rinoa said calmly. She appeared out of breath, but excited. Squall regarded her coolly.

"We are SeeD's, and are protecting the President." he said. Rinoa frowned, and hesitated. Something about him stirred her, and made her reluctant to fight him. Her mouth dropped open as she stared at the SeeD, feeling strange emotions surging in her chest. He frowned at her, and she wondered if he was feeling the same. Shaking her head, she focussed on the task at hand. She must fight the SeeD's.

Rinoa released the trigger on her Shooting Star, sending the missile in a deadly arch towards Squall's throat. He brought his gunblade up, and the steel hit against the platinum of her missile, causing a shower of sparks. Rinoa narrowed her eyes, she had never met her equal in battle since Seifer, and he had trained her so well even he struggled against her. But this mysterious boy....he was able to stop her attacks. Rinoa caught the blade as it deflected back to her off his gunblade, snatching the weapon effortlessly out of the air. Shutting her eyes, she cast magic, sending Holy over towards the SeeD's. She smiled as all but two of then fell unconscious, Squall and Quistis.

Quistis stepped forward, swinging her whip above her head twice before bringing it sharply down on Rinoa's shoulder with a crack. Rinoa cast Cure on herself, the blue light numbing the pain. A flower of blood blossomed on her lip, dripping onto her pale skin where she bit her lip to stop herself screaming in agony. Furious, she sent her weapon at lightning speed towards Quistis' stomach, slashing the Instructor's midriff open. Quistis doubled up in pain. Squall glanced at her, and cast Cura on her, helping her to her feet. Rinoa frowned, and took the opportunity to attack him while he attended to her. She slashed through his sleeve, causing him to jerk upwards in pain. Then she saw the fury in his eyes as he charged towards her, gunblade raised.

He slashed her once, across the chest, but it was enough. Rinoa fell, her legs collapsing under her, blood pouring from the diagonal cut, almost vertically down the middle of her chest. Her eyes flickered shut, but before they did, she saw the slightly confused gaze of Squall on her, his stone blue eyes misted with something akin to recognition.

Seeing their leader fall, the others in the Timber Owls ran away, chased by the Galbadian soldiers. Rinoa lay on the floor, in a pool of her own blood, her life ebbing away. Squall frowned as he looked at her. He felt a desperation inside him, she was dying, but that was right, because she had attacked, what was he meant to do?

it wasn't meant to be this way...

"What?" said Squall, turning distractedly to Quistis. She looked blank, pressing a wad of tissues to her stomach. Squall turned back to Rinoa. Suddenly, he felt compelled to save her.

"Full Life," he whispered, lifting his hand to his forehead, pushing his palm outwards to her. Quistis grabbed his arm.

"What are you doing?" she hissed at him. Squall ignored her. Rinoa sat up, her light blue gown drenched in blood. She gazed at Squall, silently taking him in. He stared into her onyx eyes, but they were too dark to read. Squall knelt beside her, ignoring the SeeD's behind him.

"Who are you?" he whispered. She stared back at him. Just then, the President re-entered. Rinoa got to her feet. Squall stood, and frowned as he saw the President. The older man's eyes were wide with shock, and Squall recognised the Hyperion pressed against his throat.

"Seifer." he said darkly.

End Of Part One