I'm Gonna Miss Her, a final fantasy viii fanfic

I'm telling you, I love this place. Raijin and Fuujin and I have come here, to this campground, every summer since…well, since before I can remember. The fishing is great, and that's what the three of love to do most, besides giving junior classmen detention; go fishing. Even though I never catch much.

But there's a problem. See, there's this girl named Rinoa- it's always a girl, huh? Well, her name is Rinoa, and… I really think I love her. I mean, I don't know, but… this is beside the point anyway. She doesn't like me fishing so much. I can't understand why. I mean, getting up at five and coming in at six is reasonable, right? Only thirteen hours a day…and it is the summer after all…

So I'm up this morning, staying as quiet as I can so Rinoa won't hear me. If she sees me leaving to go fishing with Raijin and Fuujin, she'll get really mad. And I don't want that. One thing about that girl, when she gets mad she gets REALLY mad. As in… T-Rexaur mad. It's actually really scary sometimes.

I glance over at her. Sound asleep. Good. I ease myself out of bed as quickly and quietly as I can, careful not to wake her. I get dressed and head downstairs. "Hey, Raijin," I whisper as I watch my friend wolf down his cereal. "Hey, Seifer! Fuujin's already done, ya know? She said she'd meet us out there," he managed to say between bites. I nodded.

Raijin belched and set his empty cereal bowl in the sink. "You go on out. I have to get my fishing pole," I told him. Raijin nodded and left as I headed for the closet where I kept my rod. Grabbing it and my bait box, I headed once again toward the front door.

(Well I love her
But I love to fish
I spend all day out on this lake
And hell is all I catch.)

Dammit! I think to myself. There's Rinoa in her pajamas, standing at the bottom of the steps near the door. She must've known I was going out fishing today. How did she know? And more importantly… how am I gonna get out now?

But before I cold move, Rinoa spotted me and strode angrily up to me. "What are you doing up at five?" she asks. Aw, shit. She KNOWS I'm up early to go fishing. She just wants to hear me say it. Well, I'll be damned if she's gonna get it outta me that easily.

"What're YOU doing up at five?" I shot back arrogantly. Rinoa's eyes narrowed.

"You're going fishing again, aren't you?" the girl accused. I sighed. Seeing that she had caught me, Rinoa continued her wailing. "Seifer, this is getting ridiculous! You're out every other morning to go fishing! And you stay out there for thirteen hours! THIRTEEN HOURS! That's more than half a day!" she said pleadingly. "And," she added. "The days you don't get up that early, you head out at noon anyways!"

I gave her a disgusted look. "And you're telling me this why?" I asked. Her eyes widened.

"Seifer!" she started. I never took my eyes off of her.

"I know how long I'm gone. You don't have to remind me."

Rinoa shook her head and continued, her voice softening. "And you don't care about leaving me here, do you?" she asked rhetorically. I smiled lightly in an attempt to lighten the mood. "Well, if you'd just come fishing with us, you're more than welcome…" I said, letting my voice trail off. Rinoa's anger returned.

"Sometimes it seems like you love fishing more!" she shouted.

I winced. "You know that's not tr-" I began to say. But I was silenced by a death stare.

"Seifer," Rinoa said, taking a deep breath. "Prove you care about me more than you care about fishing. Today, you choose. Me, or fishing," she said. Dammit, she was really mad.

I hope she didn't mean it.

"If you go fishing today…I'm leaving. I'll go back to Timber," Rinoa said. Hyne, she wasn't joking!

"But Rin…!" I called as I watched her march up the stairs. I sighed as I watched her. I stood there for a while, glancing up the stairs, then out the door in the direction of the camp's lake. Where Fuujin and Raijin were waiting for me. I crossed my arms and sighed in frustration.

(Today she met me at the door

Said I'd have to choose.

If I hit that fishing hole today,

She'd be packing all her things

And she'd be gone by noon.)

"Hey, Seifer! What took you so long?" Raijin's familiar voice inquired cheerfully as I stomped through the bushes toward the docks. "Oh…nothing. The hook got stuck in the TV again," I said, looking over at the catch bucket. Damn, they had three fish already!

Raijin's eyes suddenly glued themselves to his bobber on the lake's surface. "I, uh…heard Rinoa yelling at you, ya know?" he said lightly. I didn't look over at him, but I'm sure my face paled.

"Yeah?" I asked once I was sure I could trust my voice again.

"You should go back, ya know?" he commented. Dammit, that was the wisest thing I had ever heard come out of the big buffoon's mouth.

"Nah," I said, casting my line into the water. Raijin shrugged as if to say I'd be sorry later. And he was probably right, too. But…I dunno…"Hey! Fuujin! Raijin! I've gotta bite!"

(Well I'm gonna miss her
When I get home
But right now I'm on this lakeshore
And I'm sittin' in the sun
I'm sure it'll hit me
When I walk through that door tonight
That I'm gonna miss her
Oh, lookie there, I've got a bite.)

After catching that fish, no one said anything for a couple minutes, and the silence could only be described as extremely tense. It was obvious that Raijin wanted me to stay, but he knew that I should go. I looked over at him, and he looked as if he were lost deep in thought. But that's always how he looks when he's watching the bobber, fascinated. His mouth hung open stupidly a bit, and I couldn't help but smirk.

"Y'know…if I left right now…" I started. "I could probably get her to stay…" I finished, looking at my friends for their opinions. They looked up at me, then at each other. They nodded and then both turned their gazes back to me at the same time. I hate it when they do that.

"GO," advised Fuujin.

Raijin shrugged. "I dunno…go if you want…" he said. I looked back in the direction of the cabin. Then I looked back at the lake.

What was more important, Rinoa who could possibly be the love of my life… or some fish I could catch anytime? I sighed and stood up. "I'm gonna go…" I said. Fuujin nodded as if I had finally come to my senses and Raijin shrugged again. I set my rod down and Raijin jumped to his feet.

"I've gotta bite!" he yelled. And after a short while, he reeled in the biggest trout I've ever seen in my life. I stared open-mouthed as Raijin took the wriggling thing off of the hook and tossed it into the bucket triumphantly.

"…get some more bait," I commanded as I attached a worm to my fishing pole. I mean, if I could catch fish that big, to Hell with Rinoa!

(Now there's a chance that if I hurry
I could beg her to stay
But that water's right
And the weather's perfect
No tellin' what I might catch today.)

It was late, very late. Later than usual even, and when Fuujin, Raijin and I entered the cabin I wasn't surprised- though a little disappointed- to discover that Rinoa had really left. But I was unfazed, for the most part. I put my fishing rod and my bait box into the closet where they belong.

Then I made my way into the living room of the cabin. Taking my large brown paper bag from Raijin, who had been carrying it for me, I set it on the couch near the fireplace. I lifted out a huge stuffed trout we had had made tonight, the reason we were so late.

I hung it above the fireplace, than stepped back to admire it. Yup, it was a beaut, alright. Even bigger than any of Raijin's catches, and Raijin is the best fisher among us. I couldn't have been more proud. I stepped forward to adjust it- I had to make sure it wasn't lopsided- and stepped back again. Yup, I'd choose this fish over Rinoa any day.

Yeah, I'm gonna miss her
Oh, lookie there, I've got a bite.)