I don't own FF8 or any of the characters. Squaresoft are the ones who
created it all!!!
A New Mission
That night, Squall dreamt of something he dreaded to think about.
He had to take matters into his own hands now. If he was going to save Rinoa, he had to go out into space and bring her back. But he couldn't. He just couldn't seem to find her. But then he did see her. She was far away from him, struggling to stay alive in her spacesuit. And then he saw it. The memory of Rinoa in space had jumbled up and now he was experiencing something different. The glass of the spacesuit, which was in front of Rinoa's face, smashed.
Squall sat up abruptly in the middle of the night, wide-eyed and on the verge of screaming.
"Rinoa!" he yelled. Squall clutched at the person lying next to him who had woken up at the sound of Squall's awakening.
"Squall it's alright!" Rinoa took Squall's hand in hers and forced him to calm down.
"You had a bad dream didn't you?" asked Rinoa, still holding onto Squall's hand.
"Rinoa, you.I." stuttered Squall, trying to forget about the dream.
"It's ok Squall. Whatever happened in the dream wasn't real. Because I'm here with you now, aren't I?" said Rinoa in a quiet voice.
"Y-yeah. Guess I shouldn't overreact like that," mumbled Squall.
"No no, Squall. It's alright to get scared in a dream. Dreams are really weird. They're much scarier than real life if you have a bad one," said Rinoa holding Squall's arm tight and smiling at him to make him feel better.
Squall gave a small smile. "Thanks Rinoa,"
Rinoa's smile broadened. "I'll always be here for you Squall. Don't forget that. Now go back to sleep and if you have any more frights, then just wake me up, ok?"
"Ok." said Squall. He didn't really like the sound of waking her up. She could get dangerous when she was in a grumpy mood.
Squall lay back down again and Rinoa held onto his arm again. When she lay down, she didn't let go but continued to cling to him all through the night. Squall didn't mind a bit. In fact, it helped him to get to sleep and her arms around his arm made sure that he had no more dreams that night.
The next morning, Squall awoke for the first time with someone beside him. The little angelic figure was sleeping like an angel with her arm still clinging onto Squall's.
Squall debated whether or not he should wake her, for it was 7:45 and she looked so peaceful tucked under the covers.
But Squall had to go and have breakfast, so he would have to wake her because she was holding his arm.
".Rinoa," whispered Squall.
"Mmm." said Rinoa, obviously not fully awake yet.
"Rinoa," Squall tried again. "Rin, I'm going now. Are you going to come with me or stay here?"
Rinoa opened one eye and said sleepily, "Squall I want to come with you. Carry me to the bathroom?"
"Yeah whatever," said Squall, taking off the blankets and lifting Rinoa off the bed.
He carried her into the bathroom and stood her up so she could have a shower and get changed.
Squall waited for the water in the bathroom to stop.
Finally Rinoa came out dressed in blue as usual, and Squall stepped in.
When Squall came out of the bathroom, Rinoa was holding out his black jacket and she put it on him.
"Squall, I was just thinking, I haven't seen Quistis since the party," said Rinoa.
"Yeah she had to go on a special mission that involves killing all the monsters near Balamb. The monsters there are coming in slowly, but once she and the other SeeDs dispose of them, they won't be coming back," said Squall, folding his arms.
Rinoa asked again, "And what about Zell?"
"Probably sleeps in the Cafeteria now that they've got an extra supply of hotdogs," said Squall, putting one hand on his forehead and shaking his head at Zell's crazy antics.
Rinoa put her hands behind her back and said, "You're definitely not crazy like Zell, Squall. Although you could try to be a bit more sociable to other people," said Rinoa, turning her head on one side and leaning it towards him.
"I talk to you," said Squall, feeling slightly uncomfortable on the subject of him.
"Yeah, you do now. But what about other people?" asked Rinoa.
"Don't you like having the privilege of being the only one I talk to the most?" asked Squall, looking away.
"Yep, I love it," giggled Rinoa. She kissed Squall's lips softly.
"Then don't tell me to talk to other people. I don't feel like it," said Squall.
"Alright, let's go have breakfast. Oh and um.could you give me a piggy- back? I like it," said Rinoa, blushing.
Squall smiled. "You know, when you were in a coma, I had to piggy-back you all the way to Esthar."
"Really? Wow that must have been hard work. I bet I was enjoying it all the way," said Rinoa.
Squall put one hand on his hip. "It wasn't hard work. You're light so I could carry you anywhere. And besides, you couldn't have been enjoying it if you were in a coma."
"Oh yeah.anyway let's get going," said Rinoa. And she got on the bed, letting Squall take her on his back, and hold her there.
Squall walked to the cafeteria with Rinoa on his back. On the way, a girl who was flirting with a SeeD member stopped and giggled at the pair. Some card-lovers stopped to look at this new amusement. One of the SeeD members who knew Squall, said in surprise, "Hey Commander Leonhart! Since when did you become the new ladies man?"
Squall ignored this comment, but Rinoa stuck her tongue out at him and said crossly, "Squall isn't a ladies man; he's only doing this for me!"
And so the couple made their way to the cafeteria, took a seat, and ordered breakfast.
While they were eating, a girl behind them said, "Squall, you did well carrying Rinoa up here. Irvine didn't do as well with Selphie."
Turning around, Squall never expected to find a smiling Ellone sitting at the table behind him.
"Hello Squall," she said, waving her hand. She got up and came to sit down next to Squall and Rinoa.
"What are you doing in Balamb?" asked Squall, ignoring Ellone's greeting.
"Before I tell you that, I want to ask you how you've been," said Ellone.
".Fine I guess," mumbled Squall.
"Great. Oh sorry Rinoa, how are you?" smiled Ellone, turning her head to the girl beside Squall.
"I'm great!" answered Rinoa.
"Good I'm glad that you're all well. Anyway, here's why I'm here: I was staying with Laguna before I came to see you. Everyone in Esthar is ecstatic about Sorceress Ultimecia's defeat. We can't thank you enough for defeating her," Ellone stopped her speech and looked at Squall's reaction. Of course, it was expressionless.
"Yes?" said Squall.
"Ok well, just recently I was talking to Kiros and Ward in Esthar. Well it was mostly Kiros doing the talking if you know what I mean. Anyway, they were telling me that the Galbadians are planning an attack on Winhill. Why they choose to attack Winhill is anyone's guess. Kiros and Ward had been informed this by Laguna. Of course, he and I are frantic to make sure that nothing ever happens to Winhill. It was where we both grew up; for a time anyway." On saying this, Ellone looked down.
Rinoa touched Ellone's arm and said reassuringly, "Don't worry Ellone. I'm sure Winhill will be alright if someone helps."
"Yes that's just what I was about to say Rinoa," said Ellone. She turned to Squall. "I need your help Squall. If you will accept, your objective will be to stand alongside Laguna, Kiros, Ward, and 4 of your comrades whom you fought with at the battle with Ultimecia. We only need 8 fighters, because the Galbadians have produced a unique way of battle. They have created a system that will injure you and the others badly if there is an odd amount of fighters. And of course, we need as much help as we can get. You are the only ones strong enough to take on this mission. So please Squall, this is the last favour I am asking of you." There was something in Ellone's eyes that helped Squall to accept.
At first though, he was unsure. "What do you think Rinoa?" asked Squall.
"I say yes! Of course we will help you! I want to help fight too," said Rinoa excitedly.
Ellone sighed and said quietly, "I was afraid of that. You see Rinoa, I have a hunch that the Galbadian Army is attacking Winhill because they know that if they do, all of you will come to stop them. And of course, one of the fighters who they think will be coming is the sorceress." Ellone trailed off.
Rinoa looked puzzled. "A-are you saying that I can't fight with everyone else?"
"If you come and fight with everyone, the Galbadians would kidnap you, threaten to kill you, and hold you hostage. I'm sorry, but I can't risk you coming. I hope you understand," said Ellone.
Rinoa's mouth dropped open. Before she could say anything, Squall said quickly, "But you said it was just a hunch, right?"
Ellone shook her head sadly. "I'm afraid that it is more than just a hunch Squall. Remember, I have special powers that can always come in handy."
Squall frowned and said, "If you're right about all this then what will the ransom price be for the freedom of Rinoa?"
Ellone closed her eyes. "I fear that the price will be.Balamb Garden."
There was complete silence between the three sitting at the table. Rinoa was the one who broke the silence.
"What?! No, they can't! What do they want Balamb Garden for anyway?"
"The Galbadians have always had a plan to steal Balamb Garden from Cid Kramer," said Ellone.
"Wait a minute." said Squall. "Why didn't you go and tell Headmaster Cid all of this instead of coming straight to us?"
"I thought it best to inform you before I told the Headmaster, because he would probably explain it all to you very briefly. It is compulsory that you know exactly what to do in this situation.if you don't want to lose Balamb Garden," said Ellone. "So now you know what this is all about."
Rinoa's face went from anxious back to miserable. "But.I really want to help out. Anyway Ellone, Squall would make sure that I don't get kidnapped."
"I can't risk it. I'm telling you all of this because I know how much the Garden means to everyone," said Ellone.
"Squall." said Rinoa, turning to Squall.
But he had the same expression Ellone had on. "I'm sorry Rinoa, but I have to agree with Ellone. I can't risk you getting hurt and I know that they would hurt you if they had to."
Rinoa pouted.
Just then, Zell came jogging up to them.
"Yo, guys! Hey, Ellone, what brings you to Garden?" said Zell, while punching an invisible punching-bag.
"Hello. It's quite a long story why I'm here, but let's just say that I need your help," said Ellone.
Zell stopped punching the air and looked at Ellone with a puzzled expression.
Squall looked at Zell and said, "I'll explain it to you later, but Quistis, Irvine and Selphie will need to know as well."
".Right. Then we'll wait for them to come. Oh yeah, Quistis'll be here in about half an hour," said Zell, scratching the back of his head.
Ellone said, "I'm sorry, I didn't give you the chance to finish your breakfast."
So Squall and Rinoa continued to eat their breakfast, while Zell said triumphantly, "I got to eat 7 hotdogs today! Boy was I bloated. YEAH!!!" And Zell patted his stomach as if it was a pet.
When they finished breakfast, Ellone got up. "I'll come with you to speak to the Headmaster. We'll need to contact Quistis, Irvine and Selphie somehow."
"Loudspeaker!" said Zell.
"Right then. Let's go," said Ellone.
The four set off towards the elevator, before pressing the button that lead to the third floor.
When they arrived in Cid's office, he was sitting in his brown chair.
"Why hello Squall, Rinoa, young Zell and.Ellone?" said Cid.
Everyone saluted except Rinoa and Ellone.
Squall stepped forward. "Sir, before we tell you why we're here, we will need Quistis, Irvine and Selphie up here too." (Half an hour had already passed.)
Cid nodded slowly. "Very well. Oh by the way, in case you were wondering, Edea is at the orphanage cleaning it up. She'll be back this afternoon."
He stepped over to the microphone, turned it on and said very clearly, "Attention! This is Headmaster Cid. Could Quistis Trepe, Irvine Kinneas and Selphie Tilmitt please report to my office on the [third floor]!
I repeat:
Could Quistis Trepe, Irvine Kinneas and Selphie Tilmitt please report to my office on the [third floor]! Thankyou."
Everyone waited, and presently, in came Irvine and Selphie, followed by Quistis.
"What's going on?" asked Selphie.
"Yeah, shoot!" said Irvine in surprise, as he looked around at all the serious faces.
"It seems as though there's something important going on," said Quistis intelligently.
"Ah yes, Quistis. Was the mission successful?" asked Cid.
Quistis saluted. "Yes sir. We all agree that Balamb is no longer in danger of too many monsters coming in, although we still can't work out why the monsters decided to swarm in."
"Yes good, good. Now Ellone, I believe you have something important to tell everyone?" said the Headmaster, raising both his eyebrows.
Ellone nodded then started to repeat her long speech. Every now and again, there came a gasp from Selphie, or a "you serious?" from Zell, or a "no way!" from Irvine. Quistis remained silent, obviously taking in the information calmly.
Rinoa was still disappointed about not being able to fight. She clung to Squall and hugged him tightly while Ellone was speaking. Squall whispered a "sorry" to Rinoa, and she managed to force out a smile.
When Ellone finished talking, the room was quite quiet. Everyone was shocked at the thought of losing Balamb Garden, especially Headmaster Cid.
Of course, Selphie was always in high spirits and she jumped up into the air saying, "Hey guys! Don't be so down in the dumps! We've got a mission to complete!"
Finally I did Ch. 4! This is the longest chapter so far, and I'm really, really sorry for the super long wait. I've been so busy playing FF8 that I forgot all about my story! ( Plz R+R and then I will write Ch.5, (but only if I get some reviews!) :P
A New Mission
That night, Squall dreamt of something he dreaded to think about.
He had to take matters into his own hands now. If he was going to save Rinoa, he had to go out into space and bring her back. But he couldn't. He just couldn't seem to find her. But then he did see her. She was far away from him, struggling to stay alive in her spacesuit. And then he saw it. The memory of Rinoa in space had jumbled up and now he was experiencing something different. The glass of the spacesuit, which was in front of Rinoa's face, smashed.
Squall sat up abruptly in the middle of the night, wide-eyed and on the verge of screaming.
"Rinoa!" he yelled. Squall clutched at the person lying next to him who had woken up at the sound of Squall's awakening.
"Squall it's alright!" Rinoa took Squall's hand in hers and forced him to calm down.
"You had a bad dream didn't you?" asked Rinoa, still holding onto Squall's hand.
"Rinoa, you.I." stuttered Squall, trying to forget about the dream.
"It's ok Squall. Whatever happened in the dream wasn't real. Because I'm here with you now, aren't I?" said Rinoa in a quiet voice.
"Y-yeah. Guess I shouldn't overreact like that," mumbled Squall.
"No no, Squall. It's alright to get scared in a dream. Dreams are really weird. They're much scarier than real life if you have a bad one," said Rinoa holding Squall's arm tight and smiling at him to make him feel better.
Squall gave a small smile. "Thanks Rinoa,"
Rinoa's smile broadened. "I'll always be here for you Squall. Don't forget that. Now go back to sleep and if you have any more frights, then just wake me up, ok?"
"Ok." said Squall. He didn't really like the sound of waking her up. She could get dangerous when she was in a grumpy mood.
Squall lay back down again and Rinoa held onto his arm again. When she lay down, she didn't let go but continued to cling to him all through the night. Squall didn't mind a bit. In fact, it helped him to get to sleep and her arms around his arm made sure that he had no more dreams that night.
The next morning, Squall awoke for the first time with someone beside him. The little angelic figure was sleeping like an angel with her arm still clinging onto Squall's.
Squall debated whether or not he should wake her, for it was 7:45 and she looked so peaceful tucked under the covers.
But Squall had to go and have breakfast, so he would have to wake her because she was holding his arm.
".Rinoa," whispered Squall.
"Mmm." said Rinoa, obviously not fully awake yet.
"Rinoa," Squall tried again. "Rin, I'm going now. Are you going to come with me or stay here?"
Rinoa opened one eye and said sleepily, "Squall I want to come with you. Carry me to the bathroom?"
"Yeah whatever," said Squall, taking off the blankets and lifting Rinoa off the bed.
He carried her into the bathroom and stood her up so she could have a shower and get changed.
Squall waited for the water in the bathroom to stop.
Finally Rinoa came out dressed in blue as usual, and Squall stepped in.
When Squall came out of the bathroom, Rinoa was holding out his black jacket and she put it on him.
"Squall, I was just thinking, I haven't seen Quistis since the party," said Rinoa.
"Yeah she had to go on a special mission that involves killing all the monsters near Balamb. The monsters there are coming in slowly, but once she and the other SeeDs dispose of them, they won't be coming back," said Squall, folding his arms.
Rinoa asked again, "And what about Zell?"
"Probably sleeps in the Cafeteria now that they've got an extra supply of hotdogs," said Squall, putting one hand on his forehead and shaking his head at Zell's crazy antics.
Rinoa put her hands behind her back and said, "You're definitely not crazy like Zell, Squall. Although you could try to be a bit more sociable to other people," said Rinoa, turning her head on one side and leaning it towards him.
"I talk to you," said Squall, feeling slightly uncomfortable on the subject of him.
"Yeah, you do now. But what about other people?" asked Rinoa.
"Don't you like having the privilege of being the only one I talk to the most?" asked Squall, looking away.
"Yep, I love it," giggled Rinoa. She kissed Squall's lips softly.
"Then don't tell me to talk to other people. I don't feel like it," said Squall.
"Alright, let's go have breakfast. Oh and um.could you give me a piggy- back? I like it," said Rinoa, blushing.
Squall smiled. "You know, when you were in a coma, I had to piggy-back you all the way to Esthar."
"Really? Wow that must have been hard work. I bet I was enjoying it all the way," said Rinoa.
Squall put one hand on his hip. "It wasn't hard work. You're light so I could carry you anywhere. And besides, you couldn't have been enjoying it if you were in a coma."
"Oh yeah.anyway let's get going," said Rinoa. And she got on the bed, letting Squall take her on his back, and hold her there.
Squall walked to the cafeteria with Rinoa on his back. On the way, a girl who was flirting with a SeeD member stopped and giggled at the pair. Some card-lovers stopped to look at this new amusement. One of the SeeD members who knew Squall, said in surprise, "Hey Commander Leonhart! Since when did you become the new ladies man?"
Squall ignored this comment, but Rinoa stuck her tongue out at him and said crossly, "Squall isn't a ladies man; he's only doing this for me!"
And so the couple made their way to the cafeteria, took a seat, and ordered breakfast.
While they were eating, a girl behind them said, "Squall, you did well carrying Rinoa up here. Irvine didn't do as well with Selphie."
Turning around, Squall never expected to find a smiling Ellone sitting at the table behind him.
"Hello Squall," she said, waving her hand. She got up and came to sit down next to Squall and Rinoa.
"What are you doing in Balamb?" asked Squall, ignoring Ellone's greeting.
"Before I tell you that, I want to ask you how you've been," said Ellone.
".Fine I guess," mumbled Squall.
"Great. Oh sorry Rinoa, how are you?" smiled Ellone, turning her head to the girl beside Squall.
"I'm great!" answered Rinoa.
"Good I'm glad that you're all well. Anyway, here's why I'm here: I was staying with Laguna before I came to see you. Everyone in Esthar is ecstatic about Sorceress Ultimecia's defeat. We can't thank you enough for defeating her," Ellone stopped her speech and looked at Squall's reaction. Of course, it was expressionless.
"Yes?" said Squall.
"Ok well, just recently I was talking to Kiros and Ward in Esthar. Well it was mostly Kiros doing the talking if you know what I mean. Anyway, they were telling me that the Galbadians are planning an attack on Winhill. Why they choose to attack Winhill is anyone's guess. Kiros and Ward had been informed this by Laguna. Of course, he and I are frantic to make sure that nothing ever happens to Winhill. It was where we both grew up; for a time anyway." On saying this, Ellone looked down.
Rinoa touched Ellone's arm and said reassuringly, "Don't worry Ellone. I'm sure Winhill will be alright if someone helps."
"Yes that's just what I was about to say Rinoa," said Ellone. She turned to Squall. "I need your help Squall. If you will accept, your objective will be to stand alongside Laguna, Kiros, Ward, and 4 of your comrades whom you fought with at the battle with Ultimecia. We only need 8 fighters, because the Galbadians have produced a unique way of battle. They have created a system that will injure you and the others badly if there is an odd amount of fighters. And of course, we need as much help as we can get. You are the only ones strong enough to take on this mission. So please Squall, this is the last favour I am asking of you." There was something in Ellone's eyes that helped Squall to accept.
At first though, he was unsure. "What do you think Rinoa?" asked Squall.
"I say yes! Of course we will help you! I want to help fight too," said Rinoa excitedly.
Ellone sighed and said quietly, "I was afraid of that. You see Rinoa, I have a hunch that the Galbadian Army is attacking Winhill because they know that if they do, all of you will come to stop them. And of course, one of the fighters who they think will be coming is the sorceress." Ellone trailed off.
Rinoa looked puzzled. "A-are you saying that I can't fight with everyone else?"
"If you come and fight with everyone, the Galbadians would kidnap you, threaten to kill you, and hold you hostage. I'm sorry, but I can't risk you coming. I hope you understand," said Ellone.
Rinoa's mouth dropped open. Before she could say anything, Squall said quickly, "But you said it was just a hunch, right?"
Ellone shook her head sadly. "I'm afraid that it is more than just a hunch Squall. Remember, I have special powers that can always come in handy."
Squall frowned and said, "If you're right about all this then what will the ransom price be for the freedom of Rinoa?"
Ellone closed her eyes. "I fear that the price will be.Balamb Garden."
There was complete silence between the three sitting at the table. Rinoa was the one who broke the silence.
"What?! No, they can't! What do they want Balamb Garden for anyway?"
"The Galbadians have always had a plan to steal Balamb Garden from Cid Kramer," said Ellone.
"Wait a minute." said Squall. "Why didn't you go and tell Headmaster Cid all of this instead of coming straight to us?"
"I thought it best to inform you before I told the Headmaster, because he would probably explain it all to you very briefly. It is compulsory that you know exactly what to do in this situation.if you don't want to lose Balamb Garden," said Ellone. "So now you know what this is all about."
Rinoa's face went from anxious back to miserable. "But.I really want to help out. Anyway Ellone, Squall would make sure that I don't get kidnapped."
"I can't risk it. I'm telling you all of this because I know how much the Garden means to everyone," said Ellone.
"Squall." said Rinoa, turning to Squall.
But he had the same expression Ellone had on. "I'm sorry Rinoa, but I have to agree with Ellone. I can't risk you getting hurt and I know that they would hurt you if they had to."
Rinoa pouted.
Just then, Zell came jogging up to them.
"Yo, guys! Hey, Ellone, what brings you to Garden?" said Zell, while punching an invisible punching-bag.
"Hello. It's quite a long story why I'm here, but let's just say that I need your help," said Ellone.
Zell stopped punching the air and looked at Ellone with a puzzled expression.
Squall looked at Zell and said, "I'll explain it to you later, but Quistis, Irvine and Selphie will need to know as well."
".Right. Then we'll wait for them to come. Oh yeah, Quistis'll be here in about half an hour," said Zell, scratching the back of his head.
Ellone said, "I'm sorry, I didn't give you the chance to finish your breakfast."
So Squall and Rinoa continued to eat their breakfast, while Zell said triumphantly, "I got to eat 7 hotdogs today! Boy was I bloated. YEAH!!!" And Zell patted his stomach as if it was a pet.
When they finished breakfast, Ellone got up. "I'll come with you to speak to the Headmaster. We'll need to contact Quistis, Irvine and Selphie somehow."
"Loudspeaker!" said Zell.
"Right then. Let's go," said Ellone.
The four set off towards the elevator, before pressing the button that lead to the third floor.
When they arrived in Cid's office, he was sitting in his brown chair.
"Why hello Squall, Rinoa, young Zell and.Ellone?" said Cid.
Everyone saluted except Rinoa and Ellone.
Squall stepped forward. "Sir, before we tell you why we're here, we will need Quistis, Irvine and Selphie up here too." (Half an hour had already passed.)
Cid nodded slowly. "Very well. Oh by the way, in case you were wondering, Edea is at the orphanage cleaning it up. She'll be back this afternoon."
He stepped over to the microphone, turned it on and said very clearly, "Attention! This is Headmaster Cid. Could Quistis Trepe, Irvine Kinneas and Selphie Tilmitt please report to my office on the [third floor]!
I repeat:
Could Quistis Trepe, Irvine Kinneas and Selphie Tilmitt please report to my office on the [third floor]! Thankyou."
Everyone waited, and presently, in came Irvine and Selphie, followed by Quistis.
"What's going on?" asked Selphie.
"Yeah, shoot!" said Irvine in surprise, as he looked around at all the serious faces.
"It seems as though there's something important going on," said Quistis intelligently.
"Ah yes, Quistis. Was the mission successful?" asked Cid.
Quistis saluted. "Yes sir. We all agree that Balamb is no longer in danger of too many monsters coming in, although we still can't work out why the monsters decided to swarm in."
"Yes good, good. Now Ellone, I believe you have something important to tell everyone?" said the Headmaster, raising both his eyebrows.
Ellone nodded then started to repeat her long speech. Every now and again, there came a gasp from Selphie, or a "you serious?" from Zell, or a "no way!" from Irvine. Quistis remained silent, obviously taking in the information calmly.
Rinoa was still disappointed about not being able to fight. She clung to Squall and hugged him tightly while Ellone was speaking. Squall whispered a "sorry" to Rinoa, and she managed to force out a smile.
When Ellone finished talking, the room was quite quiet. Everyone was shocked at the thought of losing Balamb Garden, especially Headmaster Cid.
Of course, Selphie was always in high spirits and she jumped up into the air saying, "Hey guys! Don't be so down in the dumps! We've got a mission to complete!"
Finally I did Ch. 4! This is the longest chapter so far, and I'm really, really sorry for the super long wait. I've been so busy playing FF8 that I forgot all about my story! ( Plz R+R and then I will write Ch.5, (but only if I get some reviews!) :P