The previous day

Squall emerged from his bathroom to find everyone camped out in his bedroom.

"Awww," Selphie pouted, "he put his clothes on."

Squall glared at her. She just giggled.

"It's a shame to cover up such a fine body," Irvine added. "Don't you agree, Quisty?"

"Oh, yes." Quistis smirked. "I think we should hide his jacket for a few weeks."

Setting his jaw, Squall looked to Zell for support.

"Nuh-uh," Zell said, catching the unspoken question. "If I can let my hair down, you can take off a heavy jacket in this heat."

"Come on, Squall," Rinoa chirped. "Live a little!"

When a glower didn't affect their entreaties, Squall decided on a different tactic. "You all want me to lose the jacket?" he asked.

"And the gloves," Zell piped up. "You've got nice hands."

"Fine." The chorus of delighted cheers and laughter was cut off by his next words. "But only if each of you changes something, too. Zell—you're off the hook. You did change your hair."

Squall let the fur-trimmed leather drop from his shoulders and pulled off his gloves, laying them on his bed. "Irvine, lose the coat and hat."

"Wha'?" Irvine dragged lavender eyes from Squall's exposed shoulders.

"You heard me. Off with them."

"But—"

"A deal's a deal, Irvy," Selphie admonished.

Grumbling fiercely, Irvine complied.

Quistis hid a smile. "Early morning hat hair, hmmm?"

"Speaking of hair…" Squall reached up and pulled the clip from Quistis' yellow tresses. Her hair tumbled down around her shoulders, slightly crinkled where the barrette had held it.

While everyone was staring, Squall walked behind Selphie, gathered up her hair from its usual flip, and pinned it neatly at the nape of her neck with Quistis' clip.

The five of them looked at each other's new looks, then, as one, turned to Rinoa.

"What does she have to do?" Irvine was the first to put voice to the question.

Squall smiled slightly, leaned into Rinoa, and whispered in her ear. She gasped and turned a murderous look on him.

"Fine," she said waspishly. "But I'm not used to this yet, so you're solely responsible for anything that might happen." Rinoa closed her eyes. A moment later a suggestion of ethereal wings sprouted from her back as she concentrated on using her sorcery. Unsure of what was supposed to happen, they all stared at her.

It was hard to see anything at first, but Selphie suddenly pointed and shrieked, "Look at her hair!"

The pale streaks in her black hair were darkening, looking as though the lighter colors were bleeding out through the tips, being replaced by glossy, raven's wing black.

Squall nodded approvingly as her hair settled on a solid color. "Much better," he commented as she opened her eyes. "What?"

Eyes bulging, Rinoa covered her mouth with one hand. "Uh-oh," she said, her voice strained high and thin.

Looking around in panic, Squall quickly saw the source of her upset. Quistis and Zell looked normal, but Selphie and Irvine had both undergone a profound change. The former now had metallic gold hair, and the latter was sporting a platinum blond ponytail.

"Ah." Squall blinked in surprise. "Looks good," he finally managed. "Suits your eyes."

Looking around for confirmation, he noticed that everyone was staring at him. Zell was slack-jawed in astonishment and… was that a hint of drool at the corner of Quistis' mouth?

"I warned you!" Rinoa declared as he reached a hesitant hand up to tug a lock of hair into his field of vision. He didn't believe what he saw.

In a daze, Squall pivoted on his heel and walked into the bathroom. He flicked on the light and stared into the mirror, practically daring his reflection to contradict his expectations.

It did.

A newly blond Irvine loomed behind him. "Looks good," he parroted, then bit his lip to keep from laughing.

Selphie appeared at his elbow. "Suits your eyes." She blinked rapidly then darted out to throw herself into his bed and laugh hysterically into his discarded jacket.

Zell and Quistis peered around the doorframe, their heads stacked atop each other like a child's building blocks.

"I like it," they said in unison.

"It's you," Quistis told him.

"Very sexy," Zell added suggestively.

Squall blinked, hoping it would change things.

It didn't.

"Where's Rinoa?" he whispered.

"She went to ask Matron how to fix it," Zell informed him.

"Oh, good." He ran a hand through his hair then looked down at it, checking to see if the color had come off.

It hadn't.

It did suit his eyes, he had to admit, because right now they were the same color: silver-blue with hints of violet.