Maybe I'm a Lion

Squall was experiencing one of those rare, completely peaceful and pleasant moments in his life - a pleasant evening with his friends. It hadn't been planned as it was a complete accident. He had come down to the cafeteria to pick up something to eat. Normally, he'd head straight back to his apartment but he had a nagging feeling that there would be little there. Besides, it had been late and he was very hungry.

The cafeteria had been mostly empty, containing only a few late eaters, but tucked away in one corner was Rinoa. She sat with Irvine and Quistis, engaged in a little bit of small talk. It wasn't long before Zell joined them, slipping in to get some food just before the cafeteria closed up for the evening and left them on their own. After all, who's going to throw out the commander and his friends? As curfew came and went, Selphie appeared, looking for her lost lover. Since then, the gang had sat together, enjoying each other's company as they talked, drinking a little from the bottles that Irvine had produced from nowhere.

Selphie had stolen Squall's phone in order to put her new number in when, to everyone's surprise, it rang. It wasn't so much the fact that it had rang; it was how it had rang. Rather than the usual monotone rings, a happy little tune was heard. Everyone turned to give him the strangest looks while Squall looked blankly at the said phone. Selphie grinned and looked up at him.

"It's Laguna," she announced.

Squall frowned. "How d-"

She flipped the phone round so he, and the rest of the table, could see the screen.

Above the flashing number was Laguna's name in bold. Again, this in itself wasn't so bad — what was happened to be the small dancing cartoon…Laguna? Laguna had somehow downloaded a cartoon version of himself to dance on the screen whenever he rang Squall's phone. The commander stared at the device.

Rinoa giggled and he snapped out of his daze. Reaching over, the commander snatched the phone out of Selphie's hand. He hit the green button and held the phone to his ear.

"When did you put your number on my phone?"

His greeting was met by shakes of heads and frowns from his friends. Laguna, however, was not so put out.

"Last week," he cheerfully stated. "I'm surprised it took you so long to notice." There was a pause. "You're not too mad are you?"

He resisted the urge to sigh. "It's annoying."

He could tell the man had just shrugged. "I thought it was very me."

Squall bit his tongue on the reply, dying to get out, choosing another one instead. "Why did you call?"

"Oh yeah! I can't make it tomorrow. That little thing has turned into a bigger thing, which means that I'm kinda tied down here for the moment."

Squall frowned. "It isn't too big?" He ignored his friends' concerned looks.

"Oh no," Laguna exclaimed, "Just enough to keep me grounded, but thanks for the concern."

Squall paused before saying, "I suppose you'd like to rearrange for another day then?"

"I'm afraid that I don't think that will be possible. We'll just have to wait till next week."

"I see." He was surprised by the slight stirrings of disappointment in him. He never really expected to find himself enjoying these exchanges and little glimpses into the past. He supposed part of it was knowing that he came from somewhere. That he didn't just appear out of thin air at the orphanage one day. He had parents and they had a history, background and memories. It was something that he never really thought he ever cared about, but it was comforting, in a way, to know there was more to him than just the Garden.

"Squall?" Laguna sounded curious, "Are you disappointed?"

He considered denying it, but stopped himself from doing so — it seemed pointless and petty. "A little, I guess."

Dammit, he swore he could hear the man grinning. "Glad to hear I'm being missed," he joked. "I'll do my best not to let you down next week then. Oh, gotta go." And the line went dead.

Squall hit the little red button to hang up on his end as well, still taken aback by how much regret he felt.

"Cancelled your date then?" It was Zell.

Squall looked up, putting the phone down. "Yeah, he's busy in Esthar."

In his defence, the regret may have also have come from a slightly more practical motive. He'd never really tried to actively recall his past, but by talking to Laguna, he was forced to remember and sort them back into place. Of course, some memories were just lost and no amount of trying would change that. However, he was beginning to remember little things that he never thought he would. Little details like Selphie running from the beds shouting, 'mouse!' Come to think about that, he still had no idea what that was about. He didn't even remember anyone being particularly surprised by it. But then, it was Selphie he was thinking about.

"Squall?" He blinked and saw everyone looking out at him in a now familiar fashion and he realised that he'd 'spaced-out,' as Rinoa put it.

"It's nothing," he said, hoping to head them off.

"That makes me more curious," Quistis teased. "What kind of nothing would get you so deep in thought?"

For the second time that evening, he considered brushing the matter to the side but inside decided to be honest. Maybe it was the alcohol putting him more in conversational mood.

"Do you remember trying to build beds at the orphanage?"

Again, he was on the receiving end of several strange looks, no one expecting this turn in the conversation. Soon Irvine and Selphie were grinning, shortly followed by Zell. Quistis took longer to react, and then it was still uncertain, perhaps through the desire to forget how Selphie had destroyed 'her' bed. He took this as an indication to continue.

"Was there any reason for you running from the room shouting 'mouse?'"

Selphie grinned. "Don't you remember that the orphanage had mice…?"

…Edea had kept everyone after dinner, giving out the news that the orphanage had mice. Selphie's hand shot up immediately.

"Yes Selphie?"

"Are we getting a cat?"

There was a whispered excitement that rippled through the room.

"No, we're not getting a cat." Edea ignored the cries of disappointment. "Now, what we will- yes Selphie?"

The girl put her hand down. "Are we getting more than one cat?"

Matron shook her head. "No, we are not getting any cats. As I was saying…Selphie, is it important?"

The upbeat girl nodded. "Please can we get a cat? Pretty Pleeease?"

Her plea was joined by several other orphans.

Edea's smile became more fixed. "We're not getting any cats."

Selphie's hand shot up again but Edea didn't let her speak. "All questions will wait till after I've finished and none are to be about cats."

Selphie only looked mildly put out, frowning slightly, but her hand remained firmly in the air. Edea ignored her.

"I can't have anyone come to deal with them till the end of the month. In the meantime, I'll be putting mouse traps down around the house." she began very seriously, fixing them all with a very stern look. "These mouse traps are VERY dangerous so NO ONE, except me or an assistant are allowed to touch them. No one. I find out anyone has gone near them or touched them, they will be in a lot of trouble. Am I clear?"

The children nodded seriously, accompanied by a chorus of 'Yes Matron.' They all knew that tone of voice and to take it very seriously. Selphie nodded along with the rest, her hand still waving in the air.

"Any questions?"

Selphie shook her hand, stretching it as far as it would go. As no other hands shot into the air, she turned to look at Selphie.

"Does this have anything to do with cats?"

The brunette shook her head before speaking. "Can I keep 'em if I catch 'em?"

Edea looked puzzled, but Seifer cut in. "NO! We're not having mice."

Edea stepped beside the little girl and crouched down to her height. "Selphie, these aren't pet mice, they're wild. You can't just-"

"I'll be the cat!" Selphie interrupted. Edea blinked in confusion and Selphie continued. "I'll be the orphanage cat and I'll catch all the mice."

"A wonderful idea Selphie, but you're not a cat."

"Meow."

The woman gave the girl a very tolerant smile. "Very good."

"Meow, meow, meooooooooooooooow." She lifted her hand in paw like manner, pretended to lick the back and clean an imaginary ear.

"Selphie's a cat!" Irvine cried and started stroking his friend's head.

"Purr purr."

Edea sighed.

(&)

She was a cat- a vicious and dangerous cat, stalking her prey. Selphie made her way around the bedroom on all fours in what her mind's eye saw as a very cat-like manner. She flattened herself face against the floor and peeking under the chest of drawers. No mice there. She moved onto, well under, the bed. Selphie sighed in a very un-catish manner. This was harder that she thought it would be.

"Any mice Selphie-cat?" Irvine asked from where he sat cross-legged on the bed, his roommate Zell beside him.

Selphie crawled back out. Sitting in front of the bed she shook her head, adding a meow for good measure.

"Thank you for checking Selphie-cat."

She nodded. "Meow."

The door suddenly burst open and a flustered Seifer flew into the room. "There's a mouse in my room!"

Zell laughed, singing, "Seifer's afraid of mice! Seifer's afraid of mice!"

"Am not!" Seifer shouted, going red in a way that indicated that he quite clearly was.

Selphie ignored the continuing argument, scrambling out of the room on all fours as quickly as she could. She crawled down the corridor, but it really wasn't very fast. She looked round the hallway to check that it was empty. It was. She stood and ran to the door she knew belonged to Seifer. The door was ajar, so she fell back to her hands and knees, pushing the door wide open with the back of her hand. As it swung open she crawled inside.

It was a three person bedroom. Along one wall was Seifer's bed, the area around it littered with clothes and personal items. The middle bed was empty, the older boy absent from the room. Along the far wall was Squall's bed, the boy in question currently sat on top of it, looking rather miserable.

Selphie's attention was caught by a sudden movement, right under Seifer's bed. She grinned as a white mouse dashed out from underneath. Scuttling forward, she made a grab for the mouse, only to dramatically miss. The mouse vanished under the middle bed and she threw herself after it. Her hand shot out and this time her fingers enclosed around the mouse's tail. The small creature struggled as she pulled it back, backing out from under the bed.

"Don't worry Mr. Mouse. I only eat sugar mice."

She straightened, poking her head over the bed and caught sight of Squall. Holding up the wriggling animal, she cried out, "Look Squall! Selphie-cat caught a mouse."

Squall didn't respond and the girl shrugged; he'd probably just had a fight with sis or something. She opened the pocket in the front of her dungarees and deposited the mouse inside before zipping it closed again, careful to leave a little gap for the mouse to breathe out of. The mouse wriggled inside and climbed up to the hole, pressing its nose against the small gap and trying to escape. Selphie giggled and jogged back to the other boy's room.

The boys stopped arguing when the grinning girl re-entered the room.

"Did you get rid of it?" Seifer automatically demanded.

Selphie nodded, unzipping her pocket and shoving her hand inside. "Say hello to Whitey." She pulled out the just-named-mouse, thrusting it into Seifer's face.

The boy yelped and leapt back, running from the room.

The spunky girl frowned, turning the mouse to face her. "That wasn't very nice, now was it Whitey?"

Zell came bouncing up to her. "Hey Selphie, can I borrow Whitey….?"

…Zell leaned back, resting his hands behind his head and grinned broadly. "I had fun for like a week after that. Felt good to finally get even with Seifer. Then, of course, Matron made Selphie give up the mouse." He sighed heavily at the last part.

"I don't remember Seifer being afraid of mice." Squall mused.

Zell continued to grin. "He was. Man, that was a great month."

The chuckling round the table faded and Rinoa finished her drink of water.

She stood and announced her departure. "I'm tired, so I'll call it night."

Squall rose as well, but as she passed him she rested her hand on his shoulder and pressed him back into his seat. "Stay," she said, "Relax and have fun. I'm fine."

She gave him one last smile before leaving.

"So what's this about building beds," Quistis asked, "I don't remember."

Squall turned back to his friends, smiled and poured himself another drink. This could be a long night.

End of Maybe I'm a Lion