Author's Note: Hi ya! Wuzzup?! I know I'm currently working on the 'Disturbed' poems right now, but I just wanted to start another fanfic to keep myself occupied. Okay…so… now I'm pretty much occupied. ^^'' I hope you guys like this story and if you do (or even if you don't), please tell me your comments (likes, dislikes, improvements, yaddy yaddy yada…) by reviewing! Thank you!

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy VIII, my dad does. Just kidding. Final Fantasy VIII belongs to Squaresoft.

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:: Quarrels ::

"The moment we want to believe something, we suddenly see all the arguments for it, and become blind to the arguments against it."

                                                                   -George Bernard Shaw

Quistis glared at the sun from her bedroom window as it slowly climbed over the roof of Deling's dark buildings, now swathed by yellow rays. Grabbing her glasses and wincing as the sun reflected a blinding light, she groggily called to the small figure still dozing across from her.

          "Rin…hey…"  The form stirred lightly, seemingly unaffected by the call. "Rin! You pig! Wake up!" A pillow found itself being thrown across the room. The bundle of bed covers immediately sat up.

          "What the heck did you do that for, Quis? Can't you see I'm trying to sleep?" The covers, now lifted, revealed a messy, raven-haired girl around the age of sixteen who rubbed her eyes tiredly.

          "Time to get up, silly." Quistis smirked at Rin while getting up from her bed and folding the covers neatly. "I'm gonna go ahead and take a shower first, then you, 'kay?"

          "Whatever." Rin yawned and fell back onto her pillow, one leg on the floor, eyes closed. "Just remember to save some hot water for me. And wake me up when you're done."

          "Yeah, sure…piggy." She muttered under her breath and walked towards the bathroom.

          "I heard that!" Rin called after her. Smiling, she dozed off again.

          The hot water scalded Quistis' back but she didn't care. It felt nice, the water, compared to the freezing weather outside. Just because the sun's shining doesn't mean it's warm. She grabbed the shampoo and applying a wad of the soap on her hand, started to wash her hair.

Rin, you weirdo, she thought, grinning, I guess you'll never change.

Rin, whose real name was Rinoa, is Quistis' younger stepsister by a year. They weren't related by blood, but rather by their parents' marriage. Rinoa's father, General James Caraway, had had Rinoa from his first marriage with Julia Heartilly, the famous singer of the song Eyes on Me. Quistis knew that Julia had been a pianist in a Deling Hotel back during the Galbaldian War, and according to many people, had been a beautiful and open-minded young woman. Unfortunately, her career ended when she died in a car crash when Rinoa was only three years old.

About two years later, James Caraway remarried to Quistis' mother, Catherine Trepe, who was a widow, having lost her husband to the Galbaldian War. Quistis was six by then, and Rinoa five. The two girls developed a quick sisterly bond with each other, due to the small gap in their age difference. Nevertheless, as the two stepsisters grew, Rinoa had been proven to be truly an offspring of James Caraway and Julia Heartilly. Pale and silky skin was surrounded by a head full of ebony hair, and her large chocolate-almond eyes only made her look prettier. A small, delicate nose and pouty lips, as well as a tiny, slim figure and round, child-like face marked the works of a true Piscean.

Quistis, on the other hand, was also very much attractive, although on a more mature sense. Her long, wavy golden hair was usually clipped back behind her head with two fair tresses hanging down by her oval face, and her smooth, light skin, often tarnished with rosy cheeks, looked like a blush that never went away. High, finely defined cheekbones and deep cerulean eyes decorated her features, and a sharp, straight, but fairly dainty nose as well as trim and full lips decorated her features.

Quistis quickly washed the rest of her body, dried herself, and then threw on her clothes, which consisted of a white and red hooded sweater and blue bellbottom jeans. She stepped out from the bathroom.

"My Hyne, Rin!" She exclaimed, brushing her fingers through her wet hair. She walked over to Rinoa and bringing up her leg, gently nudged her back with her knee.

"Just five more minutes, Quis! It's Saturday today, for goodness sakes! Can't a person sleep in peace?!" Rinoa turned towards Quistis, and shielded her eyes from the sun.

"Don't you remember that we're supposed to go with Dad to Balamb Garden today?" Quistis sat down on her stepsister's bed. "He told us that he had some business there to deal with and said we might as well go over and take a look at the place…see if we like it or something."

"Oh noooo…not again." Rinoa groaned and slapped her forehead with her hands. "How many times do we have to tell him that we have absolutely no interest whatsoever in joining a frickin' military academy?! They teach kids how to kill people, for Hyne's sake!" She got up from the bed and went to get clothes for a shower.

"Ahem." Quistis cleared her throat. "You've made a mistake somewhere, Rin. You should say 'How many times do you have to tell him that you have absolutely no interest whatsoever in joining a' group of people who fights for our country and protects us everyday. Right?"

"What? But they have kids our age who are taught to kill others, Quis…"

"They're called SeeDs, okay? The elite mercenary who battle forces of evil or whatnot and who are worshipped like anything."

Rinoa glared at Quistis with a determined look. "I really don't understand you sometimes, Quistis. You're weird, if not crazy." She started walking towards the bathroom.

"I don't think you're getting my point here, Rin. I have every intention of going into a military academy as Dad wants us to and I'm going to get in there and become a SeeD." Quistis called to her sister's back, glaring fiercely.

Rinoa stopped and turned, staring at Quistis for a moment as the silence hung between them. "…for Dad?" She finally spoke, her face softening a bit.

Quistis opened her mouth, as if in a small yet inaudible gasp. "Yes, Rin." She smiled reassuringly and walked over to Rinoa, placing her hands on her sister's shoulders. "For Dad, for me, for Mom, for the sake of the world…and for you, too." Quistis pulled Rinoa into a tight hug. Having a petite figure, Rinoa only came up to around her shoulders.

"I'm sorry, Quis." She mumbled into Quistis' sweater.

Quistis smiled gently. "I'm sorry, too, Rinny." After a short moment, she pulled Rinoa away, still holding onto her shoulders. "Now…are you going to take that shower or not? We're leaving soon, you know."

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AN2: HAHA!!! I think I might have the start of a new sequel here! ^^ I wanna make this fanfic into two different parts, but we'll have to see if my brain decides to function properly or not, that is. And, yes, I know that Quistis got her instructor's license at the age of fifteen, and in this fanfic, she's already seventeen and w/out her license, but this is the way it's gonna be in order for the story to work. Some other extra changes and additions will be made to the original storyline of FFVIII too…also for certain reasons. Oh well! I'm so proud of me! And I'll be even prouder of all you readers out there who read and review this! ^^ Thank you!