Hello my dear, dear readers! This is a shot at actual, dum dum dum GOOD WRITING. Let's see how I do? . Anyways, to all those who read this I want to thank you. To those who review I want to thank you more! Yes, there are nearly all couples mentioned in this story, focus in this order, Selvine, Quifer, Squinoa, Zell x Library Girl.

Rated mature for sexual content, language, and violence

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters or settings of Final Fantasy VIII

(All formalities out of the way, no reporting me I hope . Enjoy the story!)

This prelude isn't really terribly important. A historical rundown if you'd like. Please enjoy my tale!

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"It's only love"

Beautiful World
Prelude

The world was in ultimate terror when Sorceresses Ultemecia and her apprentice Adel took over. The first Sorceress war took many generations to end, all armies united as one to destroy the dictator Ultemecia. Adel stood behind her in every way. Many men lost their lives in attempt to stop her; it was in this time the first Lunar Cry occurred destroying all human civilization in the Centra.

The Centra continent however was one of the main places for orphanage keepers. After the cities fell to the monsters that overran them, the orphanages too stopped. The first war killed hundreds of thousands of men around the world, but there were few orphans since the battles never took place in towns. The war was ending when a young Galbadian soldier named Laguna Loire and his friends joined the army. They joined part when Ultmecia found herself finally conquered by the help of a young girl named Ellone.

During this time of the war, that Laguna made it his solemn duty to protect the young girl who he came to love deeply. When Ultemecia fell she tried desperately to destroy Ellone with her, and her protector took the harsh assault. Ellone wept dearly and refused to leave Laguna's side as he recovered, her adopted mother in Winhill, Raine, grew impatient and pleaded for her child to return. The Galbadian army general, Fury Caraway, that Laguna be further stationed in Winhill so that young Ellone would cooperate, decided it.

In Winhill, Laguna recovered in a few years doing his best to protect people while doing so. During this time, Ellone made her responsibility to ensure her adopted mother and her 'Uncle Laguna' fell in love. It was fate waiting to happen even without Ellone's help, after months and even a year of childish arguments the two fell deeply in love and married.

Citizens all over the world had already begun repairing from the Sorceress War. What many people neglected was that Adel was still alive, just in hiding. After a good amount of peace, Adel came to power with the added magic from her master Ultemecia. Adel wanted to use Ellone as a source of power that Ultemecia herself was never able to get. She first conquered Esther by threatening a Lunar Cry upon their nation if she was not announced Queen. The people obeyed fearing the same fate as the Centra.

When news reached Winhill Adel was out to find 'Ellone', Laguna rejoined the army to stop whom it was threatening his Ellone. Ellone was a merely seven years old and Laguna had not spent more than a year married in peace.

Adel in power was far worse than Ultemecia. She burned cities killing countless families and destroyed uncountable units of armies. With Esther and Ultemecia's past power connected with her own, she was unstoppable.

Laguna had returned. He arrived to Esthar with his regiment for the war. A former soldier from the first Sorceress War recognized Laguna at once as the man who protected Ellone. He pleaded him to rebel in secret against Adel and put him in replacement.

After years of war, Laguna enjoyed that idea and planned for months with a small group rebelling against the Queen. The rebels tried their best to keep themselves hidden, but Adel soon discovered them and punished the entire nation by summoning the Lunar Cry onto Esther.

For a year, people in Esther suffered more than any other nation. Finally, Laguna found a way to stop the evil monarch in her thrown. He set a trap and had her caught in a small sealing cage using a hologram of Ellone as bait. Once sealed, Laguna led an attack on her while she was defenseless. Once dead, Adel left her powers to the young girl she hunted, Ellone.

After the death of the Sorceress and end of the second Sorceress War, Laguna was presented title of President of Esther. He was overcome by joy and wished to fetch his wife and Ellone from Winhill as soon as he could.

When Laguna arrived to the quiet town, he discovered Raine had fallen ill a few months after his leave. She grew worse with each day and when she had learned news that she was pregnant, she was happy but ill. As she became weaker and weaker, Esther soldiers penetrated the town's small defense and held everyone within it captive. During this hostage, Raine gave birth and died. Ellone and a young florist helped raise the child for the years that they were locked in. With Adel vanquished, the soldiers sent all mother-less children to orphanages.

With the Centra destroyed only a few orphanages remained around the world. Laguna searched long and hard for his Ellone and child but was unsuccessful. In his failure, Laguna gave all his time and effort to take command of reconstruction. For half a decade, he devised smart plans to have all nations back on their feet.

Donations to each nation were made and the Lunar Cry's damage was being taken care of. After the five years were over Laguna became busy with matters dealing only with Esther, and all rulers acted the same. It was in this time small matters such as orphans were forgotten.

At the beginning of the five years of reconstruction a living Sorceress named Edea took children in and founded a new home she and her husband called, "Garden." They decided to train children to grow up and protect the world from evil Sorceresses, for sorcery never dies. Galbadia and Trabia followed Edea's idea.

Orphans, such as a young boy named Squall Leonhart found places to call home in Gardens. On a visit to Balamb Garden Laguna found his long lost Ellone as a student. He celebrated and begged Edea and her husband to allow him to take her, and they had only one objection. Apparently, Ellone had a younger brother who was overprotective and refused her to leave. It was that day that Laguna Loire found his son.

The idea of Garden was a sufficient replacement for orphanages until parents began sending children to Gardens as a form of boarding school. When being paid to take in a child, Gardens began having less room for orphans and more for paid students. Galbadia Garden was the largest one housing the most orphans, after awhile the orphans were transferred to Balamb, or Edea's Garden. These two being the largest Gardens they maintained their nation's orphans and were able to keep it stable. Further north in an already poor nation, Trabia suffered terribly. Their Garden had few paying students, and their nation had far too many orphans, and they had lost too much in the passed wars to regain their strength. After the other rulers forgot about helping each other out Trabia could only keep the Garden open for as many students as there was room for, and that was not many.

After the second war orphans were distributed evenly throughout the nations, all nations were able to accept and take care of the children except Trabia. The generation grew up ill educated with beggars and other street jobs. There were little careers to be found, and both men and women made abhorrent choices to stay alive.

Through this all a young girl named Selphie Tilmitt, who lost her parents a few weeks after birth, was sent under the care of Trabia. While reconstruction she was taken good care of and was taught to read and write. Afterwards at age six, she was left to live on the streets with other beggars praying that someday things would turn up.

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Poverty is the parent of revolution and crime.

--Aristotle

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