A/N:  Well… how do I explain this…  Originally, I considered this a failed fic, one that would never see the light of day….however… now I realize that it's not that bad.  So I present it to you readers, hopefully so that no one notices the lack of updates on my WA3 fics….

Trina:  Ugh…. Don't you know how to lie?  Don't tell them that it's a last resort to stall your readers!

A/N:  Oh!  In that case, here's a wonderful Final Fantasy 8 story, which is not in anyway an attempt to make it look like I update!

Trina:  Meteor….shut up….    Well, anyway, the fic isn't as bad as he thinks.  Well, that's up to you to judge, isn't it?  Who knows, he might even finish it if someone likes it!

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The Roaming Sea

Chapter 1

                The waters east of Timber sparkled under the early sun.  Not a cloud hung in the sky, and even the breeze felt stilled.  The only disturbances on the waters today were caused by the fisher birds from up north.   A little girl and her mother stood on the beach, observing this perfect moment.

            "Isn't this nice, sweetie?"

            "I still think a kitty would be better."

            Count to ten and breath.  1, 2, 3…

            "Mommy, please?  Can I please have one?"

            The young mother lost count.

            "How many times do I have to tell you that I am allergic to cats?  I can't breathe around them!  Why can't I take you anywhere without hearing about those cats?"

            "But Mommy!"

            "NO!!!  No, no, no, no!  That's final!"

            "…"

            "Whew.  Let's get back home, dear, so we can calm down."

            "How 'bout a puppy?"

            "WHAT?!"

            A clear and serene morning, if there ever was one.

            The halls were empty in Balamb Garden, which gave her plenty of opportunity to run like her hair was on fire. 

            Sure the halls are clear, but that's because I'm late!  

            Carrying all of her books against her chest, she dashed around the corner at full speed, and one of her textbooks shot out of her grip in the process.  She looked back at it and moaned, but kept on running all the same.  Actually, she never turned her head forward again, which explained why she was having a hard time understanding why she and all of her belongings were on the floor.   Her head hurt, so she must have run into something.  She hastily began to gather her books, and in her frantic search she grabbed a leather boot.  Now she had deduced that it was a person she had just collided with.

            "You're a little late for class, aren't you?"

            She recognized the voice, but she couldn't quite identify who it belonged to.  So she merely replied, "Yeah…"

            Only then did she notice the black-gloved hands helping to gather her things.

            Who wears black gloves?

            "Are you new to this garden?  I don't think I've ever seen you before." 

            "Huh?  I've been here for years.  Why do you…"   She looked up and saw his face.   Or rather, she saw the scar.  Finally it hit her.  "Oh Hyne, Commander!  I'm so sorry!"

            He just laughed and said, "Come on, I've been hit with much worse.  Ever hear of Pillar of Light?"

            No, she hadn't.  But she assumed it was something one of those powerful monsters would use on him.  "I guess you're right, Commander."

            "Call me Squall.  I'm still not too comfortable being called 'Commander'.  Anyway, like I said, I've never seen you before.  What's your name?"

            "My name is Wimbly Donner, Comm… Squall." 

           He looked inattentive for a moment, snapping his fingers, when suddenly a bolt of recognition flashed across his eyes.  "You were in charge of the Garden Festival before Selphie Tilmitt was!  Right?  I saw your web message before my field exam."

Wow, someone actually read it! 

While she was off in her thoughts, he seemed to remember something else.  "I thought it said you were transferring, though."

            "I was supposed to leave later that week.  But that week was a bad time, wasn't it?"

            "What, do you mean the missiles, and the garden's transformation?  I see your point."

            She gathered her things to her torso again, and they stood up. 

            "Thank you, sir."

            "Whatever.  This isn't the first time this happened to me."

She wondered who else would have done this, but then decided she should apologize once more.  "I really am sorry, sir."

"Don't mention it.  The last time I had to give her a tour, too." 

            She waved to him and took off again.

            "Wait a minute, Wimbly."

            Abruptly she stopped and spun around.  "Sir?"

            He took out a pen and a little pad, scribbled something, and then tore off the page.  "You're very late.  You'll need this pass to get away with it." 

She ran up to him and took it, and then ran off again.  "Thank you, sir!"

            He looked down the hall until she was out of vision, and then clutched his head in pain.  "Pillar of Light, my ass!   That really hurt!"

            "You make chicken-wuss look manly sometimes.  It's pathetic."  Seifer Almasy, the only other gunblade wielder in the school, had come out of nowhere.

            "I wouldn't talk, Seifer.  How many times did we beat you back then?  Four?"

            "Three against one is hardly a fair fight, Mr. Commander."

            "The first time was fair.  Remember the parade in Deling?  Just you and me."

            "And your GFs.  Keep talking, Leonheart.  You'll just dig yourself a deeper hole."

            Squall was evidently aggravated now.  He was seconds away to challenging him to another duel when his thoughts were interrupted by the intercom.

            "COMMANDER LEONHEART, REPORT TO THE BRIDGE."  Very arrogant, very demanding.  Xu was getting a bit snotty over that intercom lately.

            "Saved by the bell, Squall.  See ya!"  With that he turned and left, grey trench coat billowing behind him.  Squall merely stood and watched him leave. 

            Sometimes I don't understand why I vouched for him at that conference.  I don't even remember what I said, or why I said it.  All I know is that whatever it was, it worked.  He was allowed to reenter Garden, right back where he was when he left.

He laughed, and said, "Still not a SeeD."

  And it's been nearly a month since that happened. 

            "Which means it's been two months since the Sorceress conflict."  It took Squall a minute to realize he had been talking aloud, and seeing as he had been paged, he decided to take no further delay.  He walked down the hall and turned toward the elevator, when abruptly he stopped.  "And that means it's been a month since I last saw her…"  She was also at the conference, also on Seifer's behalf.  Though he had treated her so terribly in Esthar, her earlier feelings for him prevailed and she decided to rise in his defense.  It was this event, though, that had triggered Squall's doubt about her love towards him.  Since then, he hadn't contacted her, by phone, by e-mail, by telegram, or anything.  He wanted to, but his doubt kept him from acting.  In many ways, the old Squall was returning.

            In Timber, two months of celebration and chaos were beginning to fade.  After the fall of Vinzer Deling, and then the disappearance of Sorceress Edea, Galbadian control had been temporarily disbanded, and all of its acquired territories declared their independence from the nation.   Timber was the first to declare self-government, followed by Dollet, and then Winhill, even though there was little to no Galbadian presence in that particular area.  None of this was officially recognized by the Galbadian government, but no one really bothered to stop it.  Soon afterward, many resistance groups began to squabble over rights to power.  These conflicts were especially bad in Timber, where the resistance was a part of life.  Every three or four people claimed they were a resistance group, and each claimed a major role in the downfall of Galbadia.  Only a few groups avoided confrontation, among them were the Forest Owls.  The group consisted of a main group of around six members, including their current leader, the 'Princess' Rinoa Heartilly.  Though she herself had one of the most significant roles in the entire Sorceress Conflict, she did not believe that she should therefore organize Timber.  The whole purpose of Forest Owls was to liberate Timber, not to claim it.

The most prevalent of the combating resistance groups were the Land Hawks and the Timber Liberation Alliance.  Not only did these two bodies claim more members than the rest, they were also the most outspoken on who should control Timber.  Regrettably, they did not share the same answers to the matter.  After two months, both parties seemed to just fade into the background of the liberated city, and no clear idea of leadership had been determined.  About one month ago, the Forest Owls had been prepared to take power, but the return of Rinoa Heartilly from her stay at Balamb had quickly stifled that conquest.  For Timber, things just carried out like they always did, and no one seemed to mind.