Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy 8 or its characters. They are ALL copyrighted by Squaresoft. ALL the chapters in this fic follow the same disclaimer!!!! I just own my created characters.

************************

Chapter 1 – Little Lioness

************************

Rinoa woke up with a jolt from her nightly slumber. It had happened once again. For the past several weeks, sleep had been a blessing for her, if she had gotten any at all. It was always because of that dream.

The dream she looked forward to and dreaded at the same time. She wanted so badly to see his gorgeous face once again; to lock eyes with his breathtaking stare. But at the same time, she knew it wouldn't last, for he would always vanish from her sight, leaving those words she had grown to love and hate all at once. She just did not want to hear them anymore, but actually see him as well.

"Get a hold of yourself Rinoa. It's been over two years since it happened. Face reality, he's NOT coming back." her mind would always tell her.

"He promised me. He's coming back to me, because I need him." was always the reply from her heart.

Taking the blanket, she slowly wiped the apprehension that had appeared on her face, away and took a glance at the bright clock.

"Three-o-clock in the morning. Just great! Now I'm not going to get any sleep tonight." Despite the fact, Rinoa tried to force sleep upon herself, but only to find the attempt to prove fruitless. Putting her hand to her forehead, just like her love would have done whenever something annoyed him, she finally admitted to herself sleep was not arriving and rose out bed.

By now, she had gotten used to her new dorm room at Balamb Garden and did not need to have the lights on in order to navigate the area. Slowly but safely, Rinoa found her way to the bathroom in the mediocre sized dormitory and quickly turned on the light. Her pupils dilated instantly as they struggled to become adjusted to the new source of bright light.

After a minute of just standing there, her eyes finally adjusted to the brightness, so she walked up to the sink. Turning on the water, she found it to be quite cold, so let it run for a couple of minutes on the warm end of the knob. In the meantime, Rinoa took this time to study herself in the mirror – something she hadn't done for Hyne knew how long.

What she saw was a beautiful nineteen-year old woman that still held all the fruits of her beauty. Her skin was a nice shade of cream white as loosely, raven colored hair fell a bit beyond her shoulders. She also noticed that instead of her "cutesy-child" like charm she once had a few years ago, was replaced by a beautiful woman façade, however, still retaining a hint of child-like look. The only imperfection she could notice were the slight dark circles around her mystic brown eyes, signaling a lost of sleep.

Feeling the water once again, Rinoa still found it to be quite cold. Shrugging, she splashed some water onto her face before drying herself off with the nearby towel.

Exiting the bathroom rather slowly, Rinoa grabbed her baby blue cotton sweater and buttoned it on, leaving the last few buttons, unbuttoned. She made her way to the balcony that was part of her dorm and entered it. Closing her eyes, she happily let the light breeze hit her on the face as she enjoyed the perfect weather present at that time of year.

Sighing sadly, Rinoa leaned against the railing at looked up upon the stars. "They are glowing brightly tonight." she murmured as she found herself gazing to the new source of light situated in the dark sky.

The animals could clearly tell the difference. They knew all too well that it was a replica. Still, Rinoa had previously doubted that scientists would actually accomplish the feat of replicating the moon and its cycles around the world. So when they successfully completed the experiment, Rinoa was totally shocked. Nevertheless, it would never replace the real one.


Finally finding herself yawning, Rinoa returned to her untidy bed and fell onto it, eventually drifting off to sleep, with no doubt in her mind that the dream would most likely show itself again.

-----*****-----

"What do you mean you don't serve hotdogs at this hour?!" a young man of age twenty yelled out.

"I'm sorry, the hotdogs are only served during lunch and dinner hours. I'm terribly sorry." was the reply heard.

Zell slouched in rejection as he casually looked upon the menu in the cafeteria. "Tch, fine! I guess that I'll have the bacon and eggs then." After receiving a nod from the cook, he slowly walked over to the table where his friends awaited him.

"You know! I still do NOT believe they are not selling hotdogs during breakfast hours. It's ridiculous I tell you!" Zell stammered as he slammed his fist onto the table, rattling the food laid upon it.

"Zell! Chill out! Eating hotdogs every hour of the day is not good for you." Quistis replied dryly as she took another bite out of her waffles. "Before you know it, you might just get a heart attack from eating too many."

"She's right, you know." Selphie added. Irvine tirelessly put her arm around Selphie as he nodded in agreement at Zell.

Before anyone knew it, Irvine was decked to the ground. Everyone in the room turned their attention towards the two in amusement. "Irvine, how many times do I have to tell you – it's NO!" The crowd returned their attention to whatever they were doing, since the quarrel between the two lovebirds had been a regular event lately.

"C'mon Sefie………pleeeeeasssse?" Irvine begged as he clapped his hands together, as if he was begging for mercy.

Selphie merely rolled her eyes and tried to stifle the smile that was forming on her lips. As much as she hated the cowboy, there was a side of her that just loved him. "We'll see Irvy………we'll see."

At this Irvine smiled while he found his way back to his chair next to Selphie. This time, he didn't dare touch the girl. 'Better not push my luck.' he silently thought to himself.

Zell rolled his eyes as well as he watched the antics between Selphie and Zell. "Yeah, whatever. I think I'll take my chances with my beloved hotdogs." he stated rather dreamily.

Now it was Quistis turn to roll her eyes at Zell's pathetic love for hotdogs. "I suppose it's your health Zell. Just don't expect me to pull a rescue when you start choking on your hotdogs."

Zell gave a low growl at her as he went to pick up his food from the counter.

As Zell went to get his food, Rinoa walked into the cafeteria at the same moment. With her head hung low and her arms loosely at her side, she wearily took a seat with her friends at their usual table located at the back of the room. To anyone else, Rinoa could be seen as a girl who just didn't get enough sleep last night. She would usually cover up her emotions by putting on a cheerful smile, but to her four best friends – Irvine, Selphie, Quistis and Zell – they all knew the real reason.

"That dream again?" Selphie asked in a low whisper.

Rinoa nodded slowly as she meekly played with her food that Irvine graciously had gotten for her. A low sigh could be heard out of Rinoa as she slowly took bits out of the cold toast and cereal. "I just don't know what to do anymore. I'm afraid to go to sleep. Its just……it feels like I've let him down."

Selphie furiously shook her head. "No you didn't Rinny. He just wanted you safe." Selphie hesitated before she continued. "He would NOT want you to live your life like this, after all he's done to make sure your safe. Am I right?"

Rinoa shrugged at the question as she took another bite out of her food. "I suppose so, but still, I just can't shake this feeling he's still alive."

Quistis grabbed Rinoa's hand, and at this, the young angel looked up at her. "Look Rinoa. We all loved him. But you have to face the facts. You have to understand that what I'm about to say is for your own good." Taking a deep breath, "He's gone. We all must move on. It's almost been three years, and your still living in the past. And plus, you have another life that completely relies upon you now." she stated in a matter-of-factly tone of voice.

By this, Rinoa started to get a bit angry, but quickly calmed herself down before she made any rash actions. 'Quistis is right. I shouldn't dwell on the past. And if I do, I'm just going to remember the good events about him.' she silently rationalized in her mind. "Yeah, your right Quistis……" she regrettably accepted. "But! He stole a piece of my heart when he went, and without him, I will never be complete again."

The rest of them hesitated nervously at Rinoa's sudden outburst. They all knew the two shared a strong bond, but nevertheless, they also hoped that Rinoa would hopefully stop living in the past, and start anew again.

Changing the subject, "Speaking of which, where is my favorite little angel anyway?" Irvine asked. Selphie, however, playfully hit Irvine in his arm.

"Hey, I thought you said I was your favorite little angel!?"

The cowboy thought about it for a minute. "Umm……sorry Selph. You're in second place now." he replied, grinning from ear to ear.

Selphie put on a fake angry look as she again, playfully hit Irvine in the gut. "You better not push your luck with me, mister!" Irvine rolled his eyes, muttering something under his breath about not having any luck to begin with.

Selphie eyed him accusingly. "What was that?"

"Uh, your gorgeous." the cowboy answered quickly.

"I see………"


Rinoa smiled a little. "Anyway, she's with Edea and Cid right now. I was hoping to get some sleep last night so they volunteered to baby-sit. But here I am, still tired as hell."

"Have you tried casting a Sleep spell on yourself." Zell asked as he finally returned with his food, taking a seat at the table.

She nodded. "Hey Zell, and yes, I've tried that countless numbers of times. It doesn't work – at least with me anyway."

"Well then, I'm all out of ideas." he replied back with a mouthful of food.

The rest of them just rolled their eyes at Zell's lack of intelligence and quietly ate their breakfast for the remainder of the hour – with altercations every now and then between Selphie and Irvine.

As the five of them were finishing up their meals, a cute squeal could be heard from the distance. Almost immediately, Rinoa turned around, and in open arms, welcomed a small, two-year old child into her embrace.


"Did you have fun last night?"

The spunky child nodded her head vigorously. "Yep mommy. Uncy Cid was boooring, but Auntie Edea was sooo much fun!"

Quistis, Irvine, Selphie and Zell looked over at the two with bright smiles on their faces. It still astonished them at how much the little child knew, despite her very young age. At the age of one, she had started to walk and before all of them knew it, she was talking sweet conversations with all of them. But what shocked them the most was how much the little child resembled her parents. Her shining raven hair, with the same blond highlights as her mother, flowed down almost to the top of her shoulders. Her creamy white baby skin could be compared very easily to her mother too. She simply wore a baby blue shirt with a small, black skirt that would go past her knees. She was already reaching two and a half feet in height as well. However, her most stunning features were her eyes – those same icy, blue eyes – that resembled him so much.

Edea shortly after, walked in and after a minute of looking around, finally spotted the group of five. "Greetings, my children." she waved as she took the final available chair at the table next to Rinoa, which was usually taken up by someone from the past.

"I hope she didn't cause you too much trouble." the mother asked. "She can be very mischievous at times."

"Not at all Rinoa. Actually, it was fun to have children her age around again. It was, well, very entertaining." the elderly woman replied with a laugh.

"Yeppers! And guess what?! Never mind, I'll tell you. Edea gave me something-super cool. Wanna see? Huh huh? Wanna?" the small child asked, rather excitedly.

"Sure, show us what you got?" Irvine asked in an eager tone as he leaned in, followed by Selphie, Quistis, and finally Zell.

The girl sitting in Rinoa's lap pulled something out of her pocket and held it within her palm in a fist, so no one could see.

"Well, hurry up. I wanna see!" Selphie squealed out rather childishly, which caused a few stares from nearby students.

"TADA!" she said as she opened her hand, revealing a ring. Rinoa caught a glimpse of the small metallic band in her daughter's hand, and realized exactly what it was. She quickly turned to Edea, giving her a look that she didn't have to do that. Edea, however smiled, and waved her arm, signaling it was no big deal.

"She has to know sometime, my child." was all she said.

Rinoa hesitantly agreed as she unknowingly reached up for one of her rings clasped in her necklace.

Zell carefully studied the ring in the child's hand. Still not believing his eyes, he slowly took it out of her hand to study it more closely. Selphie was peering in from his right while Quistis from his left. At the exact same time, their eyes went wide in shock as they realized exactly what it resembled.

"Gimme back, gimme back!" Rinoa's daughter wailed as she desperately tried to snatch it back from Zell's hand. The martial artist reluctantly tossed it back to the child as she greedily snatched it from the table. "Its miiiiiiine" she emphasized.

"Here, let me put the ring on your necklace, so you won't lose it." her mother uttered out as she unhooked the small necklace around the girl's neck, looping it into the ring. 'Yep, it's exactly what I thought.' she reassured in her mind.

"Aunty Edea………do you know what this thing is on the ring?" the child asked curiously, toying with it about her fingers. "Looks like some kind of a-ni-mal."

"I'm pretty sure your mother could tell you, little child."

The child hopefully looked up upon her mother. "Mommy, do you knooow?"

Rinoa smiled warmly, for the first time in weeks, at the child as she brushed away strands of hair that fell over the lovely girl's face. "How about I'll tell you what it means on your birthday, got that?"

The girl pouted at first, but then celebrated. "Kay mommy. An-y-waaay, my birthday is only a little while longer! So I get to know soon." she sung out.

The others smiled, and quickly shook off the surprised look still retained on their faces as they gradually cleaned up the table. Selphie looked over at Rinoa, and could easily tell she was still pretty depressed.

"Hey Rinny! The guys and I are going to Balamb for some shopping. You wanna come?" Selphie asked.

"I don't know Selph………"

"OH come on Rinny! You always say that. This time, I'm am not taking no for an answer. You need some time off away from this place." the bouncy girl reprimanded.

Rinoa still was not in the mood, but as she glanced down to her daughter, her spirits became slightly lifted as the girl was looking up hopefully to her mother. "Pweease Mommy!"

She had no other choice. "Oh, ok Selph. Count me in. Just let me get my purse."


"YAY!" the brunette wailed as she pumped her fists into the air in victory. "It's about time you went on a major shopping spree, teehee. Here, let me take this little angel off of your lap so you can run to your dorm room and get ready." Selphie spun the child in the air playfully as she headed for the front gates. "Meet you there Rinoa."

"Yeah! Meet you there mommy!"

The mother gave out an exasperated sigh as she waved to her daughter and retreated back to her dorm room.

The trip to her room was a lonely one. She passed many couples in the halls and waved to them happily, hiding her true feelings from them. Reaching her room, she slid in her door key and entered the two-room dormitory, not including the bathroom. All normal dorms had only one room, but however, Rinoa was an exception, considering she was the only female in the whole Garden with a child.

Wasting no time, she quickly grabbed her purse and started to walk out of the room, when something caught her eye. She looked at it as if it was never there before, when in reality, it was there everyday she walked into this room. Only this time, the early sun was glimmering onto it, so it stood out clearly.

Hesitantly, she walked over to it and slowly picked it up. It was the ring: the ring which he used to propose to her, in his own peculiar way though. She examined it closely one more time, looking at it from different angles. She always managed to find something new every time she looked at it. This time, however, seemed to be the exception. Furiously, she started to stuff the ring into her dresser when something she saw something odd. Under the crest of the ring, stood a carving. Rinoa could barely read it out, but when she did, her heart skipped a beat.

"I love you."

Rinoa threw the ring into the dresser immediately, smashing it shut, grabbed her purse and exited the room all too quickly.

"I have other things to worry about, like Kari."