Final Fantasy VIII: Snowflake (or, 'till Death do us Part)
I don't pretend to own anything of this series. I don't actually own anything of it either.
This fic was (re)written by me for fun, not for profit.
Author's Notes:
I wrote this story six years ago. I believe it was actually my first attempt at writing fan-fiction. Now, I hope to have learned a thing or two about how a story progresses and I'd like to attempt a complete re-write of the story. That means, however, that the story will change significantly; really, the only thing that remains the same is the fact that Selphie fell in love with Shiva.
I hope you enjoy it, regardless.
Chapter 1: Helping Hands
The bell rang elaborately, signifying the end of a long school day. The sun had been shining all day and it had every student and SeeD alike yearn for some fresh air. It was nearing the end of fall, which meant it was not too cold, but still time for jackets. Everywhere around Balamb Garden's premises it smelled like wet leaves and hot cocoa.
From the stream of students funneling their way through the classroom doorpost, Quistis seemed to notice one particularly energetic young girl emerging. She wondered what in heaven's name was so important for her to go through the trouble of beating the odds and actually getting to a different classroom from her own through a sea of students who were all impatiently ushering their way toward the cantina.
Quistis looked up with honest surprise. "Selphie?"
"Quisty!" Selphie parked herself hastily in front of the teacher, bowing deeply and apologized in advance, her hands together. "I'm sorry! But, I really need a favor!"
The sounds of chatting students and stomping feet gradually died out as Quistis tapped a stack of papers so the pages were aligned with oneanother and shoved them neatly into a clipboard. "Of course, what do you need?"
"I know it's a hassle, but I really need you to take over the festival planning for a bit," she said. "I really like organizing everything, but it's just getting a little too much and I need some time of my own!"
The instructor rolled her eyes, patiently listening to her explanation. Of course, she had already seen this coming. It was no wonder Selphie became overworked with the festival, and schoolwork, and becoming a SeeD, and keeping her social network up and running, and fending off Trepies for Quistis. Not that she ever asked for it, but Selphie seemed to think of it as her duty as her friend.
"Will you please consider everything you have to do before you take on a project like this, next time?" It was her silent yes.
Selphie jumped up and down with excitement. "Yes! Thank you!" She held out a can for the instructor.
Quistis blinked in surprise. "What's this?" She said as she reached out for the mystery can. Immediately she began tossing it around between her two hands. "Ah, ah!"
"Hot cocoa!" Selphie said, "It's my thank you, because you're the best!"
In the ball wing, where most of the preparations for the festival were taking place, Zell and Irvine were already done building the set and had already begun doing the minor decorations: plants, ribbons, and posters, et cetera. Quistis didn't know half of the students working together with her two friends. Quistis' eyes roamed the room, inspecting their handiwork. Everything seemed fine, until she noticed something peculiar about the banner hanging over the stage; it was as if there were bullets where the nails should be. Zell's trademark was all over the stage's foundation. Fist-marks on every metal surface. At the time, he was just drinking his juice and idly staring at the stage as some students moved some sundries.
"Irvine," she began, "did you nail that banner to the poles with your rifle?"
Irvine, who was just starting on his sandwich, looked up and in her direction. "Oh, hey babe," he said, "I didn't hear you come in."
"Selphie asked me to step in for a bit," she said, before placing her hand at her thigh and changing her expression to a rather stoic one. "And, never call me 'babe' again."
Irvine shrugged and smirked at her charmingly, as if saying 'have it your way, babe'. It visibly annoyed her and it looked as if Irvine enjoyed pestering her.
"Zell! Irvine!" She snapped.
Zell startled, nearly toppling himself over. "What did I do?"
"You're both making 10 gallons of dip! No buts!" She turned around briskly and held her hand over her whip, in case either of them protested. "I'm going to get supplies."
Irvine didn't seem to mind the 'punishment' too much, rather, he seemed to enjoy Trepe's angry face; much more so, he enjoyed watching her walk when she was upset. She always ended up unintentionally making it look more attractive. Zell was just completely confused at what had just happened, repeating more timidly what he had said before. "What did I do ... ?"