~*~*~*~ II – Fraternizing ~*~*~*~

One week later

A warm camaraderie began to color the exchanges between the two Gardens, as quite predictably all wanted to meet their counterparts. It had become evident that both Universes were identical except for one thing, the gender of their inhabitants. Of course, not all of Garden's members had their reverse-gender double. It was either because that person either didn't exist or had not decided to become a SeeD in one of the two plans of reality – that was anyone's guess.

The only regrettable incident –or rather incidents- happened when Zell and Zelda Dincht met. The young woman also had a tattoo on the side of her face, but it looked like artful arabesques instead of flames. The two energetic martial artists immediately challenged each other to a hot-dog eating contest, taking advantage of the fact that a fresh supply of said delicacy had arrived to the cafeteria that day. They ingurgitated their meal under the enthusiastic cheers of their respective teammates, and then had to be rushed to the infirmary for a serious case of indigestion.

"I win!" exclaimed Zelda.

"No way!" disagreed Zell, "You cheated!"

"Hey, I had a large soda with my hot-dogs, so I ate more than you."

"It doesn't count, it is a well known fact that soda helps dissolve hot-dogs in the stomach." Stated the blond guy stubbornly.

"Want to start again?" She challenged him.

"Choose your time and your place." Started saying Zell, and then remembered Squall and Qualla's visit, "But we have to think of something else, our two party-hater commanders banned all eating contests for all SeeDs. Bummer!"

Zelda grinned mischievously, "Yes, they banned 'eating contests' but they said nothing about…"

The next day they had a soda-drinking match in Zelda's Garden's cafeteria, were both sick as hell, and rushed to the infirmary there. Squall and Qualla then banned all contests involving eating, drinking, swallowing through your nose, or otherwise ingesting anything –edible or not- and warned of severe consequences in case of non-compliance. This didn't faze our two resourceful friends, as they went back to Zell's Garden and had a back-flipping competition in the main hall. It ended with a broken directory board, both of them in the infirmary with minor concussions, and an all-ban on any contest of any type unless specifically authorized by the proper authorities. Needless to say, Zell and Zelda were not happy about it but decided to remain quiet for the time being.

And that was the only real headache that the Commanders had to deal with. In general, the event had a really positive effect on everybody, as all understood the importance of appropriate behavior and maintaining proper protocol. And so people learned new things about themselves, strong friendships blossomed, and old ones gained in strength, in a beautiful display of fraternization, closeness, tenderness and…

"I HATE YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

"But Selphie…"

"Don't 'but Selphie' me! You… you… you…"

"Take it easy, Baby," pleaded Irvine, "Yer hyperventilating…"

"I'LL TAKE IT AS I FEEL! YOU CHEATING LOW-LIFE POOPOO-PANTS LYING DICKHEAD!!!!"

"He! That's unfair!" complained the cowboy.

"YOU ALWAYS THINK WITH YOUR WEINER INSTEAD OF YOUR BRAIN –THAT IS IF YOU HAVE ONE- AND I'M SICK AND TIRED OF IT!!!"

"Selphie, you're overreacting," said Irvine in an attempt to calm his angry girlfriend – it didn't work.

"Overreacting?" stated Selphie, then exploded waving her arms madly, "ME overreacting? I am NOT overreacting! I NEVER OVERREACT!!!!"

"Please, let me explain," implored our friend.

"Explain that you were giving a tonsil cleaning with your tongue to, of all people, Rica Barjan?!" ~_~ [~ is Selphie's hairdo]

"I… I was just fraternizing," explained the sharpshooter, "Just like Squall instructed us to do."

"Fraternizing???" replied the angry brunette, "You call that FRATERNIZING???!!! Do you even now what the f*ck 'fraternizing' means??? It means treating people like siblings, you gross ignoramus! And siblings do NOT make out in the disgusting and revolting way you two were engaging in!!!!!!!!!!!!"

"I… I am so, so sorry," he apologized, but thought, 'Well, not THAT sorry. Rica knows a thing or two.'        ^_^\     [\ is Irvine's ponytail]

"Sorry?!" yelled Selphie, "SORRY???!!! I'LL MAKE YOU SORRY TO HAVE EVER BEEN BORN YOU [censored]!!!!!" – all of the mirrors and glasses in the vicinity cracked.

It took a moment for the cowboy's ears to stop ringing after that shout, and then he had the really bad, poorly though, ill-fated idea of offering, "Selphie, honey, you know that I always come back to you…"

"AND THAT'S SUPPOSED TO MAKE ME FEEL BETTER YOU DOOFUS?!!!"

"Huh, Baby," inquired a scared Irvine, "Why are you taking your boot off?"       O_o\

"TAKE THIS!" exploded the infuriated brunette, "AND YOU CAN GO F*CK YOURSELF FOR ALL I CARE!!!" ~O~

Irvine made it out of the room just in time before the enraged woman threw one of her boots at him. The damn thing would have most certainly bashed his skull in – well, it would have crushed 'something' but not his skull really, as Selphie had been aiming a lot lower. Fortunately for him, his long legs allowed him to escape in record time [too bad they don't have Olympic games over there, he would have set a record for the 100m sprint].

Once the cowboy had made his escape, Selphie sat on the side of her bed and cried her heart out. Not 30 minutes ago she had gone to Irvine's room, opened the door and found him with Rica Barjan –Raijin Barjan's counterpart- and what they had been doing couldn't be termed, by any stretch of the imagination,  'fraternizing'.

Stephen Tilmitt found Selphie's door opened, he heard the sobs and came in. They hadn't had much time to talk, and so he had come to see her. He sat beside his counterpart and put his arms around her in a soothing embrace, "What is it, little sister? Want to talk about it?" He offered in a hushed tone of voice.

The crying girl returned the embrace, and replied between sobs, "Irvine…"

"Why do you put up with him?" asked Stephen softly, "From what I've heard he constantly hurts you, and you deserve better."

"I *sniff* he's the first boyfriend I've ever had, and I don't know…"

"It is just infatuation, little Sis," continued the emerald-eyed man, "You'll get over it."

"You're so nice, Stephen *sniff*, but don't you have the same problem with Irma?" asked the brunette.

"Hum, Irma and I have never dated…" answered the spirited guy. Irma Kinneas was Irvine's counterpart, and she was responsible for 'distracting' Xi Lee, Xu Lee's corresponding person, from his piloting duty, thus causing the present situation.

Selphie looked up, suddenly interested. She had assumed that everything, including relationships, was mirrored in the Universe from where their counterparts came. This made for some interesting developments, and it made her forgot what she was crying for (Selphie IS Selphie after all). "Oh? And who are you dating then?"

"Nobody at the moment," replied Stephen, "I just haven't found the right person yet."

"I hope I'll find the right man one day," said Selphie.

"Me too…" added her companion.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Later that day in the cafeteria…

"Zell, hombre, tenemos que hablar seriamente." Said Cristina Monica Reina Ema Antonia Maria Juanita Dolores Conchita Milagros Renata Francesca Manuela Angelica Veronica Marisol Consuelo, the library girl, to our tattooed friend. [Zell, man, we have to have a serious talk]

[A/N: It took a long time to come up with the pigtail/library girl's name in my last fanfic, and so from now on that will be her name in each and every one of my future stories – I'm just way too lazy to come up with another one, so thank you for your understanding]

"What about, Cristina Monica Reina Ema Antonia Maria Juanita Dolores Conchita Milagros Renata Francesca Manuela Angelica Veronica Marisol Consuelo?" Inquired the blond guy innocently.

The library girl stated, "Bueno, we have been dating for two años now, and I want our relationship to go to the next level, si sabes lo que quiero decir." [Bueno = well; años = years; si sabes lo que quiero decir = if yah know what I mean] – this last sentence was accompanied by a wink.

Zell fidgeted in a really uncomfortable manner, he thought he could go along with this but realized that things were a little more complicated than that. "Listen, Cristina Monica Reina Ema Antonia Maria Juanita Dolores Conchita Milagros Renata Francesca Manuela Angelica Veronica Marisol Consuelo, I really like you and I think we should take things slow. After all we don't want to rush into anything…"

"Zell, escucha!" exclaimed the annoyed Latina, "We haven't even kissed yet!" she stated, "¡Una mujer tiene deseos también!" [Escucha= listen; A woman has desires too]

"Huh, I just respect you a lot…" explained the martial artist. [He just respects her a lot… A/N: huh, sorry, guess I don't have to translate that, I just got carried away ^_^]

Cristina Monica Reina Ema Antonia Maria Juanita Dolores Conchita Milagros Renata Francesca Manuela Angelica Veronica Marisol Consuelo had quite enough, "Maybe you should respect me a little less!" she exploded, "¿Quiero saber, me amas o no me amas?" [Do you love me or not?]

Zell really liked Cristina Monica Reina Ema Antonia Maria Juanita Dolores Conchita Milagros Renata Francesca Manuela Angelica Veronica Marisol Consuelo, but for some reason he couldn't get intimate with her and he didn't want to hurt her feelings. "Listen, I just think that some things are worth waiting for."

"¡Ya estoy harta de esperarte!" she yelled, "You either kiss me right now, and I don't mean those brotherly pecks you always give me, O ME PIERDES!" [I am sick & tired of waiting for you. – O me pierdes = or you'll lose me]

"Hum… all right," answered our friend, and then leaned over to kiss the Latin woman full on the lips. But –because there is a 'but', as if you weren't expecting it- he pulled back. "I… I am not ready for this."

Cristina Monica Reina Ema Antonia Maria Juanita Dolores Conchita Milagros Renata Francesca Manuela Angelica Veronica Marisol Consuelo did NOT take it well at all, "¡Pero que te pasa, acaso te gustan los hombres?!" [What's wrong with you, do you like men or something?"]

This did catch Zell off guard, as he had been considering many things lately, but he didn't have the time to think of a proper reply. The library girl stood up and addressed him one last time, in a shaky voice, before walking away.

"Mira, I really like you but this is going nowhere. Adiós, espero que encuentres a alguien especial." And with that she left, with deep sorrow in her Latin heart. [Mira = see here; Good bye, I hope the you'll meet someone special]

Zell stared at the table for a long moment, and was brought out of his reverie by a familiar voice, "You all right?"

"Oh, Selphie," he replied, "Yeah, I'm fine."

"I just met Cristina Monica Reina Ema Antonia Maria Juanita Dolores Conchita Milagros Renata Francesca Manuela Angelica Veronica Marisol Consuelo," – the brunette took a moment to catch her breath before resuming, "She looked really upset, and I was wondering if it is again because her name won't fit on her ID tag."

"Huh, no…" said Zell, "We kind of broke up."

Selphie gently prodded him, "Zelly, we've been friends for a long time, and you know that I like you."

"I like you too, Sephy."

"That is why I have something to tell you," she said hesitantly, "Well, are you sure you shouldn't reconsider your huh… preferences?"

"Preferences?" asked the blond guy.

"Yes," replied the spunky girl, "Like, isn't your favorite magazine 'Boy Next Door'?"

"Yeah, it's a culturist's mag," answered Zell, "You know that I take working-out really seriously. Why do you ask?"

"Zelly, have you ever noticed all the homoerotic pictures in those magazines?"

"It's normal that they show well-built guys, it gives an incentive to work harder to get results."

Selphie sighed, "It is the only culturist's publication where the guys are shown, yah know, being really friendly towards each other."

"That's simple sociable behavior in the gym."

A sudden idea hit Ms.Tilmitt's pretty head, "Say, my counterpart wants to visit Balamb, but I'm busy with stuff. Would you show him around?"

Always the helpful one, our energetic friend agreed to take Stephen on a tour, "Sure, anything for you, Sephy."

"You're a darling!" she exclaimed and kissed him on his tattoo before skipping away, for she had a few things to take care of. Zell then went to get ready to met Stephen, thinking of how nice Selphie was and how well they got along.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"So, you're supposed to be a male me, huh?" said the blonde woman.

"Or rather, YOU are supposed to be ME." Answered Seifer.

Sofie just smirked in a way that made the tall man want to strangle her. 'Man, am I that annoying when I do that? That would explain a lot.' He thought, and then asked, "How come you're chief of security at your garden?"

"Qualla and Headmistress Cydalia gave me a second chance, and I worked hard at earning their trust." Replied the ex-knightess.

Quistis, Rinoa and her counterpart Reno were also present. The five of them were in the blonde instructor's dorm now, getting better acquainted. The raven-haired woman inquired, "Sofie, I thought that our Universes were similar in all things, but Seifer here is dating Quistis and you are not dating his counterpart, Quisto."

"He's not my type." Said the tall blonde woman matter-of-factly.

Seifer added his two cents "I heard that he's dating Chicken-Wuss's counterpart, Zelda, now that would be something to see! Zell and Quistis!" – *OOOOF!*

Quistis had just jabbed her lover in the ribs, "Sweetie, what did I say about calling people names?"

"Sorry, Instructor." Apologized the tall guy.

"I'll deal with you later," warned the blonde instructor, "Tell me Sophie, how did you get back to your Garden? My boyfriend might learn something out of it." – Seifer glared at his girlfriend, but wisely kept his peace.

The tall woman's eyes clouded, it was obvious that the memories were painful to her. It was Reno Heartilly who answered the question in her place, "When Adel demanded that I be sacrificed Sofie broke Ultros's control. She helped us afterwards, and made SeeD about six months after the Sorcerer's Battle."

Rinoa turned to her ex-boyfriend, "Well Seifer, you were more than ready to sacrifice me if I remember correctly."

"Huh, I wouldn't have in the end you know, hee hee…"

"By the way," asked Quistis, "Was Adel a man in your world? She... he... it… whatever had the same name here, not like your sorcerer named 'Ultros' whereas we fought a sorceress named 'Ultimecia', and we always wondered what gender Adel was."

"Well," answered Sofie, "We are not sure about it either, that was one ugly woman or man for sure."

"Or a botched Marilyn Manson cosplay! Haw Haw!" said Seifer, and then grinned at an annoyed Quistis.

Reno suddenly stood up and announced, "Sorry guys, we have to go meet Qualla and Squall."

Quistis rose too, "I have a class in five minutes, so Seifer I'll trust you to stay here and behave."
"Sure thing, Baby." Replied our blond friend angelically. After he was alone with his counterpart, he asked, "Say, what is a 'Ginger Hen'? I heard you call Zelda that."

"Oh, it's an old animated movie about chickens trying to escape, so they wouldn't be turned into pies. There's a chicken there named Ginger, and she reminded me of Zelda."

"Must drive her nuts!" laughed Seifer.

"It does." Said Sofie with another of her smirks.

The blond man looked away, for he found those smirks really aggravating. It was then that noticed something on his girlfriend's dresser. "Well, well, well, what do we have here?"

"Seifer, that's Quistis's journal," remarked Sofie, "You better leave that alone."

"Yeah, you're right…" he said, and then opened the little book, flipped to the lasts few entries and started reading aloud. His sea-green eyes widened noticeably, as did Sofie's.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Fujo Kazeno was waiting for Stephen Tilmitt in the Quad of his Garden, as he had joined the Festival Committee and was eager to help. The spirited emerald-eyed guy had befriended him, which hadn't been easy but had filled the lonely guy's heart with gratitude. He didn't have many friends, apart from Sofie and Rica, and that Stephen was so nice to him in such a disinterested manner really touched his bruised soul.

"Hiya!" exclaimed a female voice behind him, "You must be Fujo, pleased to meet you and Stephen said not to wait for him so you can do whatever else you have to do."

The muscular albino turned, and saw a pretty woman in a yellow dress. He knew that this was Selphie, for Stephen had told him about her, but he didn't expect her to be so attractive. "HELLO" he said as a greeting.

"Boy! You are so much like Fujin!"

"I KNOW" – he did as he had met his own counterpart a few times.

"Stephen his busy, well actually he has date. Tee Hee!" explained the brunette, "And so he asked me to come and tell you."

"DATE?" inquired Fujo.

"Well, yes a date like in two people getting together and yah know get to know each other better in the hopes to establish a long term relationship or just have some fun but to me a date is to find your soul mate don't you agree?"

Fujo actually smiled [A/N: a rare happening so enjoy it while it lasts], for she was so much like his own spirited friend. He suddenly wanted to spend more time with her, and at first hesitated about asking her to go eat with him, but as Rica always said: 'Yah have to take chances if yah want something, yah know?' and so he offered, "HUNGRY?"

"YUP! You want to go and get some grub?"

"SURE" he replied, and then Selphie hooked her arm in his and dragged him towards the cafeteria.

"Say," asked the diminutive woman, "At our Garden we're always out of hot-dogs, so it's sure they'll be out of them here too. What's for lunch today anyway?"

"PIZZA"

"Pidsa?"

"PIZZA"

"What's that?"

"YUMMY"

"All right, I'll trust you –Tee Hee!"

Selphie loved the pizza and they had a good time. Her companion offered that they have dinner together that night, as lasagna was on the menu and the brunette didn't know what it was [they miss on a lot of great things in the FF8 world]. She agreed gratefully, as she was trying to keep herself busy and –following Stephen's advice- forget about Irvine. Little did she know that Fujo Kazeno had developed a huge crush on… guess who?

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

To Be Continued