So, I took down the story to edit from chapter 2 on and renamed it. I'm sorry if anyone feels like I'm subjecting them to the same crap again.

Anywho... Disclaimer: I don't own or claim to own anything FFVIII related, just these ideas.

Chapter 1 ~ Rocket

"I mean, I just think I need to get on with my own life, ya know what I mean?" said the typically perky brunette from her blonde friend's bed. Selphie was lying there with the upper half of her torso just kind of dangling off Quistis' bed.

It was getting pretty late, and Quistis sighed as she kind of wanted to be the one making use of her plush queen size mattress. Instead, she sat in her desk chair and quietly listened to her friend go on about her sudden decision to leave Balamb. Quistis didn't exactly know what to make of this, mostly because it was damn near 2 in the morning and she couldn't think of anything other than sleep right now, but also because this was the first time Selphie ever wanted to be on her own.

Selphie was the kind of person that wanted to always be the center of attention. She always enjoyed the company of others. For her to have the desire to be alone was just highly uncharacteristic of her. "Don't get me wrong, I love you guys to death," she started up again, "but I think it's time to explore the world by myself. Time to be my own superhero for once." She smiled widely and closed her eyes. "Hey Quisty..."

Quistis heard her name and finally snapped back to reality after drifting in and out of sleep for about fifteen minutes. "Yeah, Selph?"

"Can I stay here with you tonight? I know you're all sleepy and junk." She popped open one eye at the exhausted blonde, smile still plastered on her face. "I kinda just don't wanna be alone tonight."

Quistis scoffed a bit. "Didn't you just get done saying you were ready to be on your own?"

Selphie twisted a finger in her hair and bit her lip. "Yeah... But... I didn't really mean I was ready ready. Know what I mean?"

"Not a bit," and she meant that. Quistis was too damn tired to even comprehend the meaning behind what she just said. "But I guess you can stay. Only if you promise me you'll go straight to sleep. I'm beat..."

Selphie quickly sat herself up on the bed and turned to grin at Quistis. "Of course!" she giggled. With that, she quickly stripped herself down to her bra and panties and hopped under the blankets. Quistis followed her lead, except throwing a large tank top over her body. She lied down and faced away from her counterpart.

As Quistis began to drift into the sleep she was so desperately wanting a few moments ago, the brunette peeped, "Hey..."

"You promised..."

"I know, but can you roll over?"

Quistis opened her eyes slightly. "Why?"

"Um... You remember when we were little..."

She shut her eyes again. "Yeah, sure..." With that, Quistis did as she was asked and rolled over. Both girls took their right arms and bent them in front of their faces. Then, they took each other's hands and intertwined their fingers. Quistis then took her left hand and placed it over Selphie's right hand.

"Thanks, Quisty..." Selphie smiled sweetly as the hyper gal began to drift away to her dream world.

"Anytime, Sefie." Quistis smiled also, "Sleep tight. I love you," and then finally fell into the sleep she so desperately seeked.

The following morning, Selphie decided to inform the rest of her friends of her choice to leave. Quistis chose to stay behind and let the reality of their discussion the evening before sink in. Quite frankly, it hurt her. Quistis hurt to know that the only person she could even consider to be her little sister was spreading her wings and flying away, alone. What hurt even worse was knowing that Selphie was ready to do this. She no longer needed to be protected by anyone, including Quistis.

Everything they had talked about last night sank into Quistis' mind, and her heart ached. She remained in her bed after Selphie left, in the exact position the two of them had fallen asleep in, without the other half of the puzzle. Tears began to silently roll down her face as she continued to lay her head against the pillow. She hadn't felt this lonely in a long time. Sure, she still had Rinoa for those "girl talks" she needed to have here and there, but the relationship she had with Rinoa didn't compare to the bond she and Selphie had. The two of them were raised in the same orphanage together. They always laughed and played together, and since regaining their memories, they had become extremely close. Polar opposites attracted to one another, and now about to be separated.

A loud pound against the door of her room made Quistis temporarily break out of her depressed thoughts. Another pound urged her to get out of the bed and pull on a pair of yoga pants. Several pounds followed as she approached to answer her now abused door. She started to turn the knob when she was almost knocked on her ass by a large man bursting into her dorm.

The man in a long coat and a cowboy hat glared at her and demanded, "Why didn't you say anything?! You knew and you didn't say shit!"

"Irvine, seriously..." Quistis placed a hand on her forehead and shook her head. "I just found out last night at like 11. If I knew sooner, I would have told you..."

"Oh really? Then why did she tell you and not me, huh? I'm her fucking boyfriend and she's fucking leaving me!" Irvine clenched his fists at his sides. His eyes were seething, but behind all that anger, Quistis could see how deeply hurt he was.

She sighed and gestured him to sit on the sofa in the area of her dorm she converted into somewhat of a living room. Irvine followed her gesture, and they both sat down together.

"Well, to put in bluntly, because you're a man," Quistis said.

"But I'm her boyfriend! She can tell me anything! She knows that... Doesn't she?" Irvine began to question himself. Then he turned back over to Quistis and hissed, "Another thing, why would she tell you and not Rinoa, huh? The two of them are way more chatty than you are."

Quistis shook her head. "Rinoa isn't like us. Selphie and I, we..." She began to choke up again. She wasn't sure if she could hold it together.

It took the tears to swell up in her eyes for Irvine to understand why Selphie came to her first. He hunched over the edge of the sofa and stared solemnly at the ground, resting his arms lazily on his knees. "Sorry... I know it's rough on you, too..." he apologized.

"It's okay."

The two sat in a grim silence for a little while. They both had very similar thoughts, such as how would they continue on without Selphie or when would they see her again after she had gone. The thoughts tore each of them up inside until Irvine finally broke the silence.

"Guess this means I'm available, eh?" he joked, trying to crack a smile on not only Quistis' face, but his own as well. It didn't exactly work for either of them. It actually had quite the opposite effect on Quistis, as the tears she fought to keep from falling from her eyes streamed slowly down her face.

Irvine sighed apologetically and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "It'll be okay, hun. I know it hurts right now, but it'll ease up eventually. As they say, time heals all wounds, am I right?" He sighed again. Not only was he trying to console her, he was also trying to convince himself that these words were true.

A/N: Please read and review! I've had this in my mind for a little while after reading another's fanfic about Quistis. I've also gotten a lot of inspiration from a lot of songs and therefore, I'm probably going to name most of the chapters after a song that kind of inspired the chapter to be what it is. The main inspiration for this chapter was a Smashing Pumpkins song called "Rocket". If you're interested, listen to it or at least read the lyrics. Anywho, I hope you enjoy, and please review! 3 I need inspiration to keep going with this, and reading + reviewing would certainly help that!