Disclaimer: I'm several stories on from were I started and I still don't own Final fantasy 8. Is there no justice in the world?

A/N: Ho hum, another story. I was going to wait a bit longer to post this, but had a day off so decided to do it today. This is just the introduction and I will wait a little to do anymore to see what kind of response I get. My past stories are always very Squinoa, and this one has squinoa too, but I have decided to try and include some other elements in this too, so I hope it works out ok. Thoughts and flashbacks are in italics. Ok this story takes place after the game by the way, about 1 1/2 years on and this chapter is just kind of an introduction to the situation and relationships, the story obviously gets more interesting. Well please read and let me know if you're interested in seeing more. Peace and light xx

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Rinoa sat in the class room tapping her pen between her teeth as the New Instructor went on and on at the front of the class.

Man was this boring.

She had thought training as a SeeD would be interesting, although given the experience she had gone through, fighting Ultemicia and Edea and everything else, she didn't actually think the training course was necessary.

But apparently according to Cid and everyone else regardless of the fact of what she'd gone through and regardless of the fact that the Commander of Garden was her boyfriend she could not be a SeeD without taking the same course as everyone else. Of course neither of those two factors were actually relevant anymore.Rinoa hadn't seen a proper fight in a long time, there was no fights to be fought anymore. Since the defeat of Ultemicia a year and a half ago the world had been cradled with a sense of peace and harmony. The only battles she ever saw were training battles, and they were relatively easy to her. As for the other issue, well it wasn't so much an issue anymore.

Rinoa and Squall had been split up for about 4 months now. They had got together almost immediately after the Final fight with Ultemicia and they were together for about a year. And they were in love. Deeply in love. That fact couldn't be denied by anyone, even now Rinoa knew she still felt something for Squall. Feelings like the ones they had shared don't just go away, and sometimes she wondered if Squall ever thought about her.

But it hadn't worked out for them. Towards the end of the year they were together, they started to drive each other insane, they argued over everything. But Rinoa knew that wasn't really what had split them up, at least not totally. It was what she had done that struck the final blow to their relationship, the stupidest mistake she ever made. It was after one particularly bad argument she'd had with Squall that she'd sought comfort from a few of her friends. Of course, with one of her friends, Jack, that comfort went a little far.

It was one kiss. Just one kiss. But to Squall, who just happened to catch her, it was a huge deal. Rinoa could still remember exactly, word for word, what had happened that night, what was said by Squall after he'd unceremoniously punched this Jack guy in the face and then dragged Rinoa to their room to basically yell at her.

"How could you even do this to me?" Squall kept yelling

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry" was all Rinoa could manage to say through her tears.

"How long has that being going on. How many others have there been Rinoa?"

"None, there's never been anyone else. It was just that one kiss and it was a mistake, I was upset and it was stupid and it meant nothing" Rinoa cried with complete honesty. It was a mistake and she regretted it with all her heart and soul. She loved Squall, she dint want to be the reason they ended.

Squall was just pacing the room, back and forwards constantly, trying desperately to control his temper. "maybe it meant nothing to you, but it means something to me. I can't trust you Rinoa. I can't be with someone I can't trust."

"Are you…breaking up with me. Over this? Can't I even have a chance to explain myself?"

"No"

"Don't you think your being unfair?" Rinoa cried to him. But he didn't seem to care too much. He was cold and distant now. And angry.

"I'm unfair? You're actually going to try and blame this on me? Don't even think about it, this was your fault. Completely your fault."

"like you never did anything wrong.." Rinoa snapped

"Maybe I did, but I never went behind your back sticking my tongue down other peoples throats, did I? But you did. Well Rinoa, you want that life, you want to be free, to have these other guys, then FINE. Consider yourself single". After that he turned his back on her, walked out the door and slammed it. Loudly.

And after that she didn't see him for a long time. She opted to stay in Selphies dorm room for a few days and the next time she saw him was when he knocked on the door, having brought everything of hers from his dorm room. That had hurt. She had ran after him down the hall begging him to forgive her but he had refused to even listen to her…

"Miss Heartilly would you care to actually pay attention". The stern voice of the instructor roused Rinoa from her own thoughts, which she had become deeply involved in

"huh, um… what sorry?" she stuttered, feeling a little bit daze. This new instructor already didn't like Rinoa and she knew it. She didn't want to give this guy another reason to hate her, but she sensed she just had.

"This isn't the first time I've had to talk to you about paying attention. Even if you think you know all this it is still respectful to listen, no matter how good you think you are."

That was something that Rinoa knew a lot of people in Garden assumed about her, that she thought that she was too good to take this course with everyone else. A lot of people resented her for that, and a lot of people had actually resented her relationship with Squall. The instructors were especially bothered by this, especially this particular one. Deep down this instructor probably resented that Rinoa was a better fighter than them, which she certainly was. During the whole Edea, Ultemicia ordeal she had been a good fighter, but her style had been a little messy. But since then she had been personally trained by Squall, who was by long and far the best Fighter in Garden and the instructor hated the upper hand this gave her. She had actually been personally trained by Squall in a lot of ways, which explained why a lot of the other students, particularly the girls, in Garden hated her too.

"um, it's not that, I just…"

"don't answer me back Heartilly. I'm fed up of this. Go and see the Commander" he wrote something on a little white piece of paper and said "well go on then…don't just sit there."

"But I didn't do anything wrong" Rinoa protested

"DON"T ANSWER ME BACK!!" the instructor repeated angrily. He wrote something else on the piece of paper and shoved it in to her hand "go, now!"

Rinoa walked out of the room as all the other students started to whisper and laugh.

She made her way to the office, very very nervously.

She wondered if there was actually anything in the world more awkward than your Commander being your Ex-boyfriend. Because of course, they knew almost everything about you, things you ordinarily wouldn't want a member of senior staff to know about you. And this of course gave Squall the advantage over Rinoa, given that in one sense he had complete control over her life, he could have her thrown out of garden if it struck him to do so. Plus it was incredibly demoralising, Rinoa thought, to be told off by someone who used to be your equal, your partner. Rinoa had been sent to Squall once before, seeing as how part of his job now was to deal with all the students who apparently needed disciplining, and it was the most awkward thing shed ever been through. It's always awkward seeing an Ex, but seeing them so they can discipline you. Rinoa's idea of hell.

"yes?" Squalls assistant who had a desk just outside Squalls office asked her, looking up from whatever he was typing.

" I got sent to see Commander Leonhart" she mumbled

"follow me then" the young guy said. He stood up, walked over to the door to Squalls office and knocked.

"Yeh" Squalls voice came through the door

"Got another one, another troublemaker"

"Great" came the sarcastic response, "Send them in"

The assistant opened the door, gestured for Rinoa to go in, and then shut the door behind her.

It was a few seconds before Squall looked up from his desk. "Rinoa" he sighed when he saw her ."why are you here"

Rinoa handed Squall the little piece of paper the instructor had written on. She had no idea what it said. She was tempted to read it on the way to the office, but was ever so slightly too scared to.

"Sit down please" Squall said starting to read what was on the note. His tone was just so formal, it was like he wasn't even acknowledging in his mind that he had ever been involved with Rinoa in anyway. He was treating her like just another troublesome student, and Rinoa wondered if that was all she was to him now.

"this isn't good Rinoa. I'll tell you this is not the first complaint I've dealt with about you. Apparently you do have a tendency decide not to pay attention in class."

"I just…"

"Attitude problems too" Squall continued reading from the note "problem with authority..," he said a slight sarcastic smile starting on his face "that's a strange one, far as I recall you used to like being told what to do… what else… no respect for authority" Squall shook his head "I'm not impressed"

"it's not as bad as it's made out to be. I wasn't that bad. All I said was I didn't think I had to be sent here as I didn't really do anything. I mean sure…I wasn't exactly paying attention but, it was just so boring, I mean I think I've been through enough to know about the danger of not co-operating with…"

Squall raised his hand to silence Rinoa "That's enough thank you" he said. "there's nothing too serious on here, but this isn't the first time you've been in here. Straighten up Rinoa. If I have to see you again this month, I'll suspend you. Clear?"

"All right" Rinoa nodded before standing up and leaving the room.

The moment Rinoa shut the door to his office, Squalls thoughts became instantly muddled. He still had feelings for Rinoa, how could he not. She was still pretty as hell, great figure, great personality. Even if he hadn't of been in love with her before, he figured he would have probably like her now, for all those things. There was definitely still something there, some kind of spark. The past few times he'd seen her over the last few months there was always this tension, and all this chemistry between them. Squall couldn't deny that part of it was physical, sexual tension that was always there. But there was something else, maybe it was the tension that came from knowing that given the chance, he'd take her back in a second. He was obviously still mad at her, and even now, he could find the forceful, openness of her personality to be very infuriating. Yet he was fascinated by her, like he had always been.

Thankfully for Squall, who was confusing himself with his own thoughts, the phone in his office rang.

"commander Leonhart" he said professionally

He then listened as the voice on the other end of the phone explained something to him.

"Okay" he said when the other person was done "I'll start putting together a team and then I'll contact you. Ok. Goodbye"

'A mission' Squall thought to himself a little excitedly. This would be his first mission since the Ultemicia fight. Given how much of a headache his personal life gave him, he was glad to be getting back into the game of work.

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Well, as I said, just an introduction. Would love any response to this. Let me know if anyone would like to read more. (just if you do, in the next chapter when we find out about the mission is when the real plot kind of starts).if noone reviews or likes it i wont continue, but if a few people do and i get a few reviews then i'll post some more soon. Thanks xx