DISCLAIMER: The characters contained within are the intellectual property
of Squaresoft.
Author's note: This is my first fan fic; I would appreciate and be grateful for any comments, reviews, constructive criticism, etc. I will have more chapters posted soon. Thanks in advance!
Chapter One
Squall lay very still, fully dressed, on top of his made bed. Last night after the party at Garden celebrating the defeat of Ultimecia, he had stumbled back to his room and fell into a dreamless sleep. He awoke early the next morning to the sound of raucous laughter outside his door.
"Man, you shoulda seen it! I kicked some ass out there... it was great!" The sound of feet moving and squeaking against the marble floor caused Squall to sigh noisily. Zell. It figured.
He rose from the bed, rubbing his eyes. They burned from fatigue. He opened the door to find Zell punching and kicking the air, much to the delight of two young female onlookers.
Zell turned around to face him. "Hey, Squall! What're you doing up? I figured you'd be out till at least, like, noon or something."
Squall met his friend's eyes. "It's kind of hard to sleep when someone's doing calisthenics outside your door."
Zell blushed. "Oh, man, I'm sorry. I just wasn't thinking, I guess... I'm just so pumped about everything that's happened, and things getting back to normal..." His weight shifted from foot to foot as he fidgeted. Squall felt a pang of sympathy for Ma Dincht; Zell must have been a handful as a child.
"It's okay. Look, I'll see you later," Squall said, turning back towards the privacy of his bedroom.
"Hey, again, I'm real sorry 'bout waking you up," Zell said, as he and his admirers headed down the hall toward the cafeteria.
Squall closed the door securely behind him and sat down on the edge of his bed. He cast his gaze at his gunblade in its case, leaning against the wall. Things getting back to normal, he mused. What is normal? he wondered. Squall had a suspicion that things were about to become more complicated than they were before.
**********
"Come on, come on... you're all going to be late for breakfast!" Quistis herded a group of excited children out of the dorm area and towards the cafeteria. As soon as they came to the loop circling the great lobby, they tore away from her and raced toward the cafeteria, screaming with laughter. Quistis sat down on a bench and sighed.
Her eyes fell to her lap, then to her hands that were resting there. They were a mess following the battles in Ultimecia's castle. Her fingers were covered in slowly healing cuts and her nails were ragged from her habit of biting them when she was nervous. There were so many times when she was afraid they weren't going to make it through, make it back home, but they did.
And here they were, back at Garden, which had made a triumphant return to Balamb. The townspeople, headed up by Ma Dincht, had organized a parade attended by people from all over the world to greet the SeeDs upon their return home. Quistis smiled as she remembered the joyous reunion between Zell and his mother. He, not Ma Dincht, was the one who cried like a baby as he flung himself into her arms.
Quistis smoothed an imaginary wrinkle out of her skirt and stood up. She had promised to meet Irvine and Selphie for breakfast. At the thought of food, her empty stomach churned as if on cue. I'm going to have pancakes, she thought. Pancakes and eggs... and bacon too. She needed to eat to gain her energy and strength back; she knew that things wouldn't remain on such a high much longer.
**********
Irvine cracked his knuckles impatiently as he waited for the elevator doors to open. He was almost ten minutes late; it wasn't exactly the good impression he was hoping to foster with Selphie.
He was still unused to Balamb Garden; Galbadia had been his home for so long and Irvine often found himself having to scan the map in the front lobby of the Garden to double-check that he was going to the right place. He certainly wasn't going to ask some little kid where things were. Now that he, Selphie, and Rinoa had generously been given rooms by Cid, he supposed he would get the lay of the land soon.
Selphie. He smiled in anticipation of the tiny brunette dynamo. She was 5'1" to his 6'0", but more often than not, she overpowered him with her captivating personality. They had been inseparable lately
Irvine was aware of his reputation of a ladies' man. It was an image he fostered as much as possible. He enjoyed playing the Big Man on Campus. In actuality, however, nothing could be further from the truth. Irvine had never had a serious girlfriend because he was unable to confess his true feelings. He knew he was his own worst enemy in overcompensating for fear with bravado. "Hey, are you gonna go?" A small hand tugging on his coat snapped Irvine back to attention. He looked down to see a boy in a blue shirt staring up at him with enormous brown eyes.
"Oh, yeah. Sorry. Just woke up," Irvine replied.
"Me too," said the little boy. He smiled, displaying a missing front tooth.
"Hey, did you just lose your tooth?" Irvine asked, kneeling down to the boy's level.
The boy smiled his Jack-'o-Lantern grin proudly. "Yup. Mum says I'm gonna lose 'em all before I get to be big like you."
Irvine smiled back. "Go show Dr. Kadowaki. I bet she'll give you something special," he said as he strolled out the open doors of the elevator.
"'Kay. Bye!" The boy waved as the doors closed.
Selphie was sitting on the rim of a giant potted plant in the lobby. The plant was almost as tall as she was. She smiled as he approached her.
"Good morning," she chirped. She waved his cowboy hat at him. "You left this with me last night. Thought you might feel naked without it." She stood on tiptoe to place it on his head, and he leaned down so she could complete the act, laughing gently.
His hand drifted to his head. Last night when they were goofing around with the video camera, he had taken off his hat and plopped it on her head. She had looked so adorable in it that he smiled at the memory. "Thanks, Sefie. Ready to eat?"
"Yeah, I'm ready to go. We'll probably have to eat pretty quickly 'cause you know Cid's gonna call us all up for a chat." Her green eyes fixed on his face. He was so hot! She longed to tell all her friends at Trabia about this guy.
They entered the cafeteria and were greeting by the sounds of happy chatter. Selphie internally groaned at the sight of the long lines. Intuitively, Irvine turned to her and asked, "What do you want? I'll stand in line and get it. See if you can find Quistis."
She smiled. "Pancakes. They're the best... well, next to the hot dogs, as Zell would say." Irvine returned her grin.
She skipped off, weaving her way though the tables until she found Quistis. "Hey, you!" She unceremoniously dumped herself into the chair next to her friend.
Quistis smiled calmly. It was impossible to not be in a good mood when Selphie was around. It was hard to remember what it was like before she showed up at Balamb Garden. "Hello yourself. Where's your other half?"
"Other half?" Selphie giggled nervously. "I wish."
Quistis raised an eyebrow. "You two have been very close lately, and last night, well..." Her voice trailed off. Perhaps it wasn't her place to get involved in other people's business.
Selphie wrinkled her nose. "Well, I don't know. He's such a flirt; you know how he is. I can never tell if he's being serious or not." She neglected to mention to Quistis how attracted she felt to him.
Quistis sensed her hesitance and changed the topic. "Are you ready to talk to Cid later?"
The petite brunette nodded, but paused before replying. "Everyone around here seems so happy, don't they? It's so weird, though, 'cause you know that it's obviously not gonna be like this forever. This glow is gonna fade off and we'll have the clean up all the mess."
Quistis was surprised that Selphie could put what she herself was feeling into words. "I agree. I'm sure the others do, too."
Irvine sidled up next to them. "Hello, ladies." He placed a steaming plate of pancakes in front of Selphie and took a seat at the table.
"Hi, Irvine. Hungry?" Quistis couldn't help but laugh at the enormous pile of food on Irvine's plate.
"Looks like you had a bite to eat yourself there, toots." He pointed at the remains of her breakfast with a fork speared through a piece of sausage.
"This is true... hey, there's Zell. I'll be right back." Quistis pushed back her chair and gave Selphie an almost imperceptible wink before she left the table. Selphie blushed and quickly checked that Irvine had not noticed. Judging by the size of the stack of pancakes he was plowing through, she figured she was safe.
**********
Quistis caught up with Zell just as he was leaving the cafeteria. "Hey," she said breathlessly.
He smiled broadly at her. "Hey! Did ya eat breakfast?"
"Yes, I did. I just left Selphie and Irvine in there. Have you seen Squall or Rinoa this morning? What time are we supposed to see Cid?"
"I saw Squall this morning. I, ah, actually woke him up. By accident, ya know." He ran a hand through his spiky blond hair. "Rinoa, though, I dunno. I'm sure she's probably sleeping or something."
The two entered the main lobby and strolled toward the front entrance. "The two of them must be exhausted, more so than the rest of us. It seems like we haven't had a moment's rest since we got back here," Quistis commented.
"Word on the street is that Squall finally got the balls to kiss her last night," Zell said, the corners of his eyes crinkling as he smiled.
Quistis rolled her eyes heavenward. "Is that really necessary? That's a private thing between the two of them." She was going to become a crusader about keeping one's nose out of others' relationships.
Zell poked her gently in the side. "Lighten up, Quisty. I didn't mean anything by it."
Quistis stopped dead in her tracks. "Zell, look over there."
Zell looked behind her. "What?"
"Over there! At the entrance." She used her hand to tilt his head in the right direction.
"Hot damn! That's Seifer! What the hell is he doing here?" Zell couldn't believe it. "He's got some nerve..." He started to yell. "You! What do you think you're doing?"
"Zell! Shut up! The kids are around," Quistis protested, but Zell was already storming over toward the door.
Seifer stood in the doorway, flanked by Fujin and Raijin. He scowled at the sight of Zell coming toward him. "Hey, chickenwuss. Miss me?"
Zell was so close to Seifer now that he was practically standing on top of him. He shook his fist at Seifer. "Why are you here? Haven't you done enough already? You're not welcome here!"
"Why don't we ask him how he feels about the whole situation?" Seifer tossed his chin in the direction of the library, where Squall was rounding the corner.
All eyes turned to Squall, who paused to take in the scene. Zell, trembling with anger; Quistis, looking worried; Fujin and Raijin, looking as blank as ever. It was Seifer that he locked eyes with; it was Seifer who made Squall's blood stop coursing for a slight moment. What was he doing here? Squall was unsure if he wanted to find out.
Author's note: This is my first fan fic; I would appreciate and be grateful for any comments, reviews, constructive criticism, etc. I will have more chapters posted soon. Thanks in advance!
Chapter One
Squall lay very still, fully dressed, on top of his made bed. Last night after the party at Garden celebrating the defeat of Ultimecia, he had stumbled back to his room and fell into a dreamless sleep. He awoke early the next morning to the sound of raucous laughter outside his door.
"Man, you shoulda seen it! I kicked some ass out there... it was great!" The sound of feet moving and squeaking against the marble floor caused Squall to sigh noisily. Zell. It figured.
He rose from the bed, rubbing his eyes. They burned from fatigue. He opened the door to find Zell punching and kicking the air, much to the delight of two young female onlookers.
Zell turned around to face him. "Hey, Squall! What're you doing up? I figured you'd be out till at least, like, noon or something."
Squall met his friend's eyes. "It's kind of hard to sleep when someone's doing calisthenics outside your door."
Zell blushed. "Oh, man, I'm sorry. I just wasn't thinking, I guess... I'm just so pumped about everything that's happened, and things getting back to normal..." His weight shifted from foot to foot as he fidgeted. Squall felt a pang of sympathy for Ma Dincht; Zell must have been a handful as a child.
"It's okay. Look, I'll see you later," Squall said, turning back towards the privacy of his bedroom.
"Hey, again, I'm real sorry 'bout waking you up," Zell said, as he and his admirers headed down the hall toward the cafeteria.
Squall closed the door securely behind him and sat down on the edge of his bed. He cast his gaze at his gunblade in its case, leaning against the wall. Things getting back to normal, he mused. What is normal? he wondered. Squall had a suspicion that things were about to become more complicated than they were before.
**********
"Come on, come on... you're all going to be late for breakfast!" Quistis herded a group of excited children out of the dorm area and towards the cafeteria. As soon as they came to the loop circling the great lobby, they tore away from her and raced toward the cafeteria, screaming with laughter. Quistis sat down on a bench and sighed.
Her eyes fell to her lap, then to her hands that were resting there. They were a mess following the battles in Ultimecia's castle. Her fingers were covered in slowly healing cuts and her nails were ragged from her habit of biting them when she was nervous. There were so many times when she was afraid they weren't going to make it through, make it back home, but they did.
And here they were, back at Garden, which had made a triumphant return to Balamb. The townspeople, headed up by Ma Dincht, had organized a parade attended by people from all over the world to greet the SeeDs upon their return home. Quistis smiled as she remembered the joyous reunion between Zell and his mother. He, not Ma Dincht, was the one who cried like a baby as he flung himself into her arms.
Quistis smoothed an imaginary wrinkle out of her skirt and stood up. She had promised to meet Irvine and Selphie for breakfast. At the thought of food, her empty stomach churned as if on cue. I'm going to have pancakes, she thought. Pancakes and eggs... and bacon too. She needed to eat to gain her energy and strength back; she knew that things wouldn't remain on such a high much longer.
**********
Irvine cracked his knuckles impatiently as he waited for the elevator doors to open. He was almost ten minutes late; it wasn't exactly the good impression he was hoping to foster with Selphie.
He was still unused to Balamb Garden; Galbadia had been his home for so long and Irvine often found himself having to scan the map in the front lobby of the Garden to double-check that he was going to the right place. He certainly wasn't going to ask some little kid where things were. Now that he, Selphie, and Rinoa had generously been given rooms by Cid, he supposed he would get the lay of the land soon.
Selphie. He smiled in anticipation of the tiny brunette dynamo. She was 5'1" to his 6'0", but more often than not, she overpowered him with her captivating personality. They had been inseparable lately
Irvine was aware of his reputation of a ladies' man. It was an image he fostered as much as possible. He enjoyed playing the Big Man on Campus. In actuality, however, nothing could be further from the truth. Irvine had never had a serious girlfriend because he was unable to confess his true feelings. He knew he was his own worst enemy in overcompensating for fear with bravado. "Hey, are you gonna go?" A small hand tugging on his coat snapped Irvine back to attention. He looked down to see a boy in a blue shirt staring up at him with enormous brown eyes.
"Oh, yeah. Sorry. Just woke up," Irvine replied.
"Me too," said the little boy. He smiled, displaying a missing front tooth.
"Hey, did you just lose your tooth?" Irvine asked, kneeling down to the boy's level.
The boy smiled his Jack-'o-Lantern grin proudly. "Yup. Mum says I'm gonna lose 'em all before I get to be big like you."
Irvine smiled back. "Go show Dr. Kadowaki. I bet she'll give you something special," he said as he strolled out the open doors of the elevator.
"'Kay. Bye!" The boy waved as the doors closed.
Selphie was sitting on the rim of a giant potted plant in the lobby. The plant was almost as tall as she was. She smiled as he approached her.
"Good morning," she chirped. She waved his cowboy hat at him. "You left this with me last night. Thought you might feel naked without it." She stood on tiptoe to place it on his head, and he leaned down so she could complete the act, laughing gently.
His hand drifted to his head. Last night when they were goofing around with the video camera, he had taken off his hat and plopped it on her head. She had looked so adorable in it that he smiled at the memory. "Thanks, Sefie. Ready to eat?"
"Yeah, I'm ready to go. We'll probably have to eat pretty quickly 'cause you know Cid's gonna call us all up for a chat." Her green eyes fixed on his face. He was so hot! She longed to tell all her friends at Trabia about this guy.
They entered the cafeteria and were greeting by the sounds of happy chatter. Selphie internally groaned at the sight of the long lines. Intuitively, Irvine turned to her and asked, "What do you want? I'll stand in line and get it. See if you can find Quistis."
She smiled. "Pancakes. They're the best... well, next to the hot dogs, as Zell would say." Irvine returned her grin.
She skipped off, weaving her way though the tables until she found Quistis. "Hey, you!" She unceremoniously dumped herself into the chair next to her friend.
Quistis smiled calmly. It was impossible to not be in a good mood when Selphie was around. It was hard to remember what it was like before she showed up at Balamb Garden. "Hello yourself. Where's your other half?"
"Other half?" Selphie giggled nervously. "I wish."
Quistis raised an eyebrow. "You two have been very close lately, and last night, well..." Her voice trailed off. Perhaps it wasn't her place to get involved in other people's business.
Selphie wrinkled her nose. "Well, I don't know. He's such a flirt; you know how he is. I can never tell if he's being serious or not." She neglected to mention to Quistis how attracted she felt to him.
Quistis sensed her hesitance and changed the topic. "Are you ready to talk to Cid later?"
The petite brunette nodded, but paused before replying. "Everyone around here seems so happy, don't they? It's so weird, though, 'cause you know that it's obviously not gonna be like this forever. This glow is gonna fade off and we'll have the clean up all the mess."
Quistis was surprised that Selphie could put what she herself was feeling into words. "I agree. I'm sure the others do, too."
Irvine sidled up next to them. "Hello, ladies." He placed a steaming plate of pancakes in front of Selphie and took a seat at the table.
"Hi, Irvine. Hungry?" Quistis couldn't help but laugh at the enormous pile of food on Irvine's plate.
"Looks like you had a bite to eat yourself there, toots." He pointed at the remains of her breakfast with a fork speared through a piece of sausage.
"This is true... hey, there's Zell. I'll be right back." Quistis pushed back her chair and gave Selphie an almost imperceptible wink before she left the table. Selphie blushed and quickly checked that Irvine had not noticed. Judging by the size of the stack of pancakes he was plowing through, she figured she was safe.
**********
Quistis caught up with Zell just as he was leaving the cafeteria. "Hey," she said breathlessly.
He smiled broadly at her. "Hey! Did ya eat breakfast?"
"Yes, I did. I just left Selphie and Irvine in there. Have you seen Squall or Rinoa this morning? What time are we supposed to see Cid?"
"I saw Squall this morning. I, ah, actually woke him up. By accident, ya know." He ran a hand through his spiky blond hair. "Rinoa, though, I dunno. I'm sure she's probably sleeping or something."
The two entered the main lobby and strolled toward the front entrance. "The two of them must be exhausted, more so than the rest of us. It seems like we haven't had a moment's rest since we got back here," Quistis commented.
"Word on the street is that Squall finally got the balls to kiss her last night," Zell said, the corners of his eyes crinkling as he smiled.
Quistis rolled her eyes heavenward. "Is that really necessary? That's a private thing between the two of them." She was going to become a crusader about keeping one's nose out of others' relationships.
Zell poked her gently in the side. "Lighten up, Quisty. I didn't mean anything by it."
Quistis stopped dead in her tracks. "Zell, look over there."
Zell looked behind her. "What?"
"Over there! At the entrance." She used her hand to tilt his head in the right direction.
"Hot damn! That's Seifer! What the hell is he doing here?" Zell couldn't believe it. "He's got some nerve..." He started to yell. "You! What do you think you're doing?"
"Zell! Shut up! The kids are around," Quistis protested, but Zell was already storming over toward the door.
Seifer stood in the doorway, flanked by Fujin and Raijin. He scowled at the sight of Zell coming toward him. "Hey, chickenwuss. Miss me?"
Zell was so close to Seifer now that he was practically standing on top of him. He shook his fist at Seifer. "Why are you here? Haven't you done enough already? You're not welcome here!"
"Why don't we ask him how he feels about the whole situation?" Seifer tossed his chin in the direction of the library, where Squall was rounding the corner.
All eyes turned to Squall, who paused to take in the scene. Zell, trembling with anger; Quistis, looking worried; Fujin and Raijin, looking as blank as ever. It was Seifer that he locked eyes with; it was Seifer who made Squall's blood stop coursing for a slight moment. What was he doing here? Squall was unsure if he wanted to find out.