Disclaimers: I don't own anything Final Fantasy VII/VIII but this story.

A/N: Okay so I figured I shouldn't be making promises I can't keep. TT_TT Sorry about that... I guess I'll just try to update whenever I can. Please don't hate me! The story WILL go on!

So yeah… A chapter I figure is a bit out there and a little boring. Can't write anything action-y worth crap, but I tried and to be honest, this was plausibly the only way I can see these two meeting. XD LOL
I still wanted to incorporate the whole "fightin' with pointy sticks," but I also didn't want to overdo it by adding random weapons! O_o Believe me, I tried researching on different sword practices allowed in schools, but none of them really fit what I was going for…so I fused a few of them together. Haha. XD

As always, thanks so much to my readers! :) I checked the viewing stats on this and was glad to see a leap from before! I'm so happy people are finding this interesting! LOL And of course, my lovely reviewers: Scribbleness, saya, Freyjadour, Tiny Cherie, and Rusts! Thanks for taking the time to comment!

"Together forever
Those words are just temporarily sweet at that moment
Why are you not affected, while I'm hurting so much?"
~ GDragon: Heartbreaker

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"You're…what…?" Squall let out blankly. Did he hear her right? Rinoa. His Rinoa…in love? With Cloud?

Rinoa covered her face with her hands as she turned away embarrassingly, "Squall! Don't make me repeat it! That was my first time admitting it to someone else too! And it's hard!"

Squall tried to rid himself of the thought by shaking his head, but it never left, "But…he's…Cloud's…" What was he?

"I know, I know…" Rinoa waved with a hand, "He's someone you never knew about until today I guess; but Cloud's really, REALLY amazing!"

"How so?" he challenged with a tiny scoff. His response was in the spur of the moment as Squall was too caught up with how Rinoa described the blond as "amazing."

"Well, Cloud's the mysterious type: quiet, cool, and oh so calm! But! Cloud is also kind and caring; although he has a hard time showing it I'll admit. He helped me one time last semester when I was stuck with class duty by myself," Rinoa began. She stood in place as she blushed slightly.

Squall could only look at her with curiosity, but at the same time with underlying resentment. He couldn't fathom that the girl before him was truly stuck on someone of the opposite sex when she had dated countless others without actually being "too attached." He couldn't help but think that maybe Rinoa was deluding herself in some fantasy she read in a book and then placed all expectations on this one guy.

Rinoa placed both hands to her chest as she affectionately whispered, "We didn't talk much and I don't think he remembers me from that one time, but he smiled at me! It was a genuine smile too; his first one that entire semester. I think that's when I… began to notice him a lot."

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"Glad to have you back on the team, Squall! We can always use that quick play of yours!" exclaimed the spiky haired young man. He grinned happily as he pointed down the hallway with his thumb, "C'mon! Training hasn't changed much since last year."

"Whatever," Squall mumbled as he followed the older man. It had been almost three days since Rinoa's open confession and he had been crabby as of late. Although Squall promised Rinoa he'd listen to anything she would tell him, it hurt when she had admitted to loving someone. And it was someone Squall had no solid information on.

In the past, he was able to keep tabs on Rinoa's crushes including Seifer. For Squall, knowing who she was infatuated with gave him the chance to evaluate whether or not they passed Squall's criteria as "date-worthy." Even though he knew it was impossible to be her boyfriend, he still wanted to make sure that whoever dared date Rinoa would be one to treat her right and make her happy. Of course, the many boys Rinoa dated didn't last long in the relationship because they were too intimidated by her "older brother." Everyone misinterpreted his actions as being that of an overprotective brother, but Squall knew otherwise. Although he did want someone who could cherish Rinoa, Squall couldn't think of anyone better for the role than himself. It was a selfish thought, but how was he ever suppose to see her with someone else? If Squall wasn't in love with Rinoa, then yes, his actions would only go on the borders of a doting brother.

Squall couldn't help but feel happy ever time Rinoa ended a relationship. He was guilty of scaring away some of the young woman's suitors, but in the end, Rinoa would ultimately state that it was nothing serious and move on. It was like that for as long as the brunette could remember. Seifer was the only person Squall would admit to be a threat, but even then the fireworks faded in time. All Seifer could hold with Rinoa was having the record for dating her the longest. Squall had honestly believed things to be in the clear until Cloud showed up. This newfound interest Rinoa took in a guy Squall had just learned about worried him.

Whenever he saw the blond in the hallway, Squall would physically analyze him and wonder what it was that made Rinoa fall for him. Unfortunately, his evaluation only lasted for mere seconds at a time and he never shared classes with Cloud to do a thorough assessment. He was attentive to conversations between Rinoa and the others if Cloud was ever mentioned. Squall would examine Rinoa for any reactions to the keyword and sometimes he would notice the tiniest changes in her body expression. However, the conversations were of a teasing nature and weren't meant to be taken seriously; they never went so far as to explain why Rinoa was so fond of Cloud. Squall couldn't understand how Rinoa could like the guy if the only true contact they had was from last semester and their one-time encounter in the music room days ago. It confused Squall to no end that he began showing his irritation every so often.

"You okay Squall?" asked the veteran sword player, Zack, in curiosity. He had graduated from Esthar High the year before, but stuck around to help coach his old team. Squall would be a liar if he said Zack was a slacker because the black haired man was far from it.

Zack was well respected by many of his peers; students and teammates alike. He was funny in and out of classes, but when it came to swordplay, Zack was serious and played with a passion. Squall heard from Selphie that Zack placed 1st in the Nationals back when he entered high school. It was an impressive feat, and many strived to reach Zack's level of professionalism in the sport.

Running a hand through his hair nonchalantly, Squall replied coolly, "Yeah."

Zack smirked with a hum, "You never change."

Opening the door to the training room, Squall could see the club members practicing. Although the club was about swordplay, the art itself was practiced with wooden swords; of which all members were using. Everyone wore the appropriate equipment: body amour, protective gloves, appropriate pants, and the protective mask. It shielded the player's entire face with a semi-translucent mesh, but it was lightweight and the player could easily see through it. The helmet also gave each player a sense of mysterious as it was almost impossible for a player to view his opponent's face. It added to the challenge of trying to read your opponent for his next move during a match.

Watching people training gave Squall the itch to practice as well. While in Deling City, he never had time to do anything sports related; so falling back into his old club habits was a welcoming thought. Some people were training against practice dummies, others fought with live opponents, and a few just sat around and slacked off. A prominent occurrence Squall saw was that some members didn't wear the protective helmet. Although it was a requirement due to safety reasons, there was an unofficial "rule" that went on in the club about wearing the mask. First years and newer members of the club usually wore the helmet because they lacked experience in the rather aggressive sport and opted to protect themselves. However, those with previous experience preferred training without the helmet. The mask distinguished the rookies from the pros.

Zack shouted with playfulness in his voice, "Alright guys! Let's gather 'round and make it quick!"

The members listened to their mentor and everyone gathered in the middle of the training hall near Zack and Squall. Crossing his arms and acting seriously, Zack explained, "I'd like you guys to meet one of the best swordsmen I know! He was studying abroad until recently, so some of you may or may not have known him before joining the team last semester. This here is Squall Loire: AKA the Sleeping Lion!"

A lot of whispers were spoken among the members of the team:

"There were rumors of someone named 'Sleeping Lion,' but I always thought it was a myth…"

"Sweet! With Loire back, we might make it to the finals yet again this year!"

"I heard the guy was legendary for finishing off his opponent with eight quick slashes when he's reached his 'limit' in a match…"

"He's doesn't look very threatening for a guy named after a lion…

"With a name like 'Sleeping Lion,' I was expecting someone a lot more…hairier?"

Squall tried as much as he could to ignore the comments. He honestly didn't need to hear the opinions of others on how they viewed him. He was good at what he did, that's all. He never once let comments like that inflate his ego. He turned his head away as he crossed his arms and sighed quietly to himself.

"If he's so special," started one of the team members unimpressed, "then I want to see just how special his skills are!"

The brunette wanted to roll his eyes at the ignorance of that comment, but held back. Looking at the commenter, Squall assumed he was a 1st year that had just started. His form and posture were too laidback and he didn't hold his weapon with a proper grasp from what Squall saw earlier. From the corner of his eye, he saw the amateur smirking with arrogance. Squall's pride wouldn't let him back out of the challenge.

Zack declined with a shake of his head, "He just got ba—"

"Arrange a match," Squall cut in calmly.

"Huh!" Zack replied in surprise as he stared at his underclassmen.

Squall shrugged slightly, "I don't mind. I just need to borrow the equipment for today."

The violet eyed man was going to refuse, but after seeing the determination on Squall's face, he gave in. "Alright, alright," Zack sighed exasperated. He ran a hand through his hair as he decided on Squall's opponent, "Then your sparring partner will be…him!" Zack pointed to a member sitting in the back behind the many other members.

The selected person was still wearing his helmet and looked around the members, making sure Zack was picking him. As a double-check, he pointed to himself confusedly, "Me?"

Zack laughed as he nodded, "Yes you! C'mon, Hazy Wolf! Up and front!"

Squall was puzzled as to who the masked person was, 'Hazy Wolf?' Why does Fair feel the need to affectionately give everyone a name?

It took the brunette a few minutes to pick equipment that fit him before he went to the change room. Squall had switched into the appropriate pants which gave players more flexibility and mobility when playing and also into a more breathable under-amour shirt. He then proceeded to put on the padded body amour and protective gloves. Feeling adequate and ready, Squall left the change room as he made his way into the designated "battleground," facing his opponent.

They got into position, wooden swords forward and anticipation running through their blood. Although Squall was experienced in swordplay, he had decided to mimic his opponent in wearing the helmet. He really didn't want to, but Squall didn't want to look like a show-off for not wearing the protective mask as well. If anything, Squall wanted the match to look fair in front of his peers. But then he started to wonder… Why in the world did Zack pick this guy as Squall's challenger? The blue eyed teen was sure Zack knew the unofficial rule that if you wore a helmet during practice, you were still a learner. So why did he pit Squall against a supposed newbie? Or could it be that the "newbie" only hid his talents under a mask as well?

"And…START!" Zack initiated, acting as mediator for the match.

Squall put his thoughts on hold as he decided to draw first blood by swinging his wooden weapon horizontally, aiming to hit his opponent's side. The opponent was quick to notice and guarded his side before swinging forward. Squall blocked it and continued to swing the wooden sword towards his opponent. Surprisingly, Wolf was quite skilled, blocking every one of Squall's advances before trying to sneak in an attack of his own. Squall had to be honest, he hadn't spared with someone this good since Seifer, and that was when Squall had been in a foul mood.

When both players clashed for a moment, face to face with each other, Squall couldn't help but interject tauntingly, "You're pretty good for someone I just met."

"Likewise. Give me all you got," his opponent replied back in a smooth voice and Squall could've sworn there was a smirking intention in Wolf's statement. The brunette found himself smirking as well and decided to respect his opponent's request. Amidst the hollering and cheering from the other club members, Squall threw all the skills he knew against Wolf.

Time flew as Squall realized the difference between himself and Wolf's skills. Squall considered himself to be quicker, more fluent sword user. He made sure that when he struck at his opponent, he tried to induce rapid strikes at one time in quick succession. The damage was light, but because Squall utilized multiple slashes in a single go, the damage would be substantially by lather, rinse, repeat.

The Hazy Wolf was quite the opposite. He never attacked as fast as Squall, but the power he packed with each swing was heavy and, if misjudged, produced devastating results. Wolf even incorporated feints during his offense. He would pretend to swing on one side, but then changed to slash in the other direction. Squall was caught off-guard a few times, but he was able to find a pattern to block his opponent's moves.

The Sleeping Lion and the Hazy Wolf balanced each other in areas the other could not perform in.

As the match drew close to an end, Squall decided it was time to pull out his secret technique: the Renzokuken. Taking a step back from Wolf, Squall took hold of his sword using only his right hand. Hazy Wolf was slightly surprised, but Squall didn't give him much time to think. Rushing forward, the brunette began his technique with a vertical slash. Once again, his opponent blocked it successfully, but was unable to recover his stance to defend against Squall's quicker horizontal swing. Squall took advantage of Wolf's openings and continued to swing for another five times, all hitting the mark. Smirking to himself, Squall prepared to deliver blow number eight.

Swinging his weapon for his last powerful dive, Zack interrupted, "That's enough!" Squall stopped short of his opponent in confusion. It was then he realized Wolf was positioned in an offensive mode; his wooden sword placed just below Squall's left hip. It left the brunette wondering how his opponent managed that.

Seeing his confusion, Zack explained, "While you were busy performing your Renzokuken, Wolf here adapted to your style. I guess he found an opening as you were going to perform your last swing." Zack demonstrated the motion Hazy Wolf would've taken, swinging an invisible sword diagonally upward from Squall's left hip, "See? If I let it continue, you would've hit, but you'd also be forfeited of a weapon… Pretty good, huh?"

Squall was trapped in bewilderment. It was the first time anyone quickly found a way to disable Squall after performing Renzokuken. From Hazy Wolf's perspective, he had figured that since Squall ignored the use of his left hand, he was sacrificing hit count over weapon grip. Thus by swinging his sword diagonally upward from the left, Wolf would've knocked Squall's weapon out of his hands. The Lion had to admit he was impressed.

"Wow! That was so intense!"

"I can't believe we have people like that on the team…!"

"Great; not only do I have to reach Zack's level, I have to surpass those two!"

The other members excitingly discussed the demonstration match with much fervor. Squall himself was glad to have had such a partner. He hadn't felt the rush of adrenaline in a long time.

Hazy Wolf is definitely someone to watch for, Squall praised as he removed his head gear.

Zack grinned as he smacked the backs of both Squall and Hazy Wolf, "Man, you guys are for kicks! Squall's Sleeping Lion really does hold up its name right? Always pouncing on your prey when you think you've got the momentum, huh?"

Rolling his eyes before wiping the sweat off his brow, Squall replied, "It's best to go on the offensive when the timing's right."

"Yeah, I knew you'd say that," Zack grinned cheekily. He then turned his attention to Hazy Wolf, praising him also, "And you! Great job, buddy! Adapting to the situation quickly, throwing out unpredictable actions; you have to admit, 'Hazy Wolf' is a perfect name for you, Cloud."

Squall's head snapped up, Cloud?

The masked member sighed as he too removed his helmet, finally revealing his identity. Squall stiffened at the sight of him. Eerie, light blue eyes, spiky blond hair, and a determined look on his face… It was the guy Rinoa had set her eyes on. Squall had been sparring with the girl's love interest for the past few minutes and he was praising him just moments before! At least the brunette found out one thing, Cloud wasn't weak.

Frowning slightly, Cloud replied to Zack, "It's more of a mouthful than 'Spiky.'"

Zack laughed out heartily, "'Hazy Wolf' is only for club! 'Spiky' is for everyday use!"

Cloud shook his head with a knowing smirk. He made his way to Squall, offering a hand, "That was a good match. I'm Cloud Strife by the way, 3rd year."

Squall looked at Cloud's hand before reluctantly taking it, "…Squall Loire. 3rd year as well."

The blond nodded and then tilted his head in thought. As he released Squall's hand, Cloud asked, "Loire… I'm pretty sure I've heard that name before. Do you have relatives in the school by any chance?"

Irritated by the question, Squall snapped, "I don't remember wanting to explain my private life to you."

Taken aback, Cloud apologized, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean any harm."

"Whatever," Squall finalized, picking up his helmet and headed for the change room. He coldly stated to Zack, "I'll be returning the club next week after adjusting to my other responsibilities."

The black haired young man could only nod as he and his blond friend watched the brunette storm off, looking to each other in perplexity.

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Once in the change room, no one dared to step in the room with Squall in a foul mood. He stood there for a moment before slamming the borrowed helmet into one of the lockers in frustration. Taking a few minutes to breathe, he sat down on one of the benches and began removing the equipment from his body. Squall didn't know why he left the training room so abruptly. He was fine up until he found out that it was Cloud he was sparring with.

Cloud… Somehow, every time Squall heard that name, something inside of him snapped. He couldn't help but feel that the blond had somehow invaded his personal boundaries not physically, but mentally. Everything about the blond annoyed him to no end; Squall just couldn't understand why. He had only met Cloud formally today and he was already shrugging him off without reason… And that wasn't like Squall at all.

Sure he never got to know anyone unless he really wanted to, but with Cloud, he had already labeled him into his "People to Avoid" list. As Squall continued change back into his school uniform, he thought of everything Cloud could possibly have that he himself already didn't possess.

Was it the leaner, more solid body frame? No, Squall never believed in "muscle makes the man." As long as he was physical fit and capable of lifting things within the limits of his body, then he was fine. Was it Cloud's communication skills to joke freely? No, Squall didn't really care if he got his point across verbally. He was able to use his nonverbal actions to speak for himself and his friends and family were the only ones he felt obliged to communicate comfortably with. Was it Cloud's ability to manipulate or adapt to a situation quickly? No, Squall believed in learning at his own pace. Not only was Squall more the type to follow the book, he was inclined to go analyze the many outcomes of a situation instead of impulsively picking one and sticking with it.

So if it wasn't Cloud's body build, communication skills, or adaptation that made Squall mad, then what was it?

"I'm in love with Cloud Strife!"

He stopped putting on his shirt as Rinoa's confession ran through his head. Squall thought about everything Rinoa mentioned about Cloud as he sat in the empty room. Cloud was amazing; he was mysterious; he was caring; he could smile genuinely; he was everything Rinoa envisioned as perfection. Her every word bounced off the walls of the change room and rebounded back to Squall with as much force and pain as when he first heard them.

Looking down, Squall frowned in realizing what it was that caused him to lash out at Cloud's guiltless question. It was jealousy that triggered his rash outburst. The one thing that Cloud possessed (although he didn't know it) was the one thing Squall had longed to gain for years.

Squall was jealous because Cloud had truly won Rinoa's heart.