[A/N: Thank you all for your kind words. I can't express how much gratitude I hold in my heart for your consolations and words of comfort. I know things like this happen, but I would never think it'd happen to me. Though I know Raine is in a better place, it doesn't make up for the thirteen years of friendship we had.

Anyhow, before I start a eulogy, I'm gonna recap what's going on. Yuffie's paired up with the person she'd been trying to avoid for chemistry. More Yuffie/Squall interaction, we find out a bit of Squall's past, and the plot thickens…muhahaha! It's practically two in the morning as I finish this, so I'd better get some reviews…*grumbles*]

"speech"

thoughts/emphasis

flashback/dream

[Author's Notes]

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Life, or Something Like It

Chapter Seven: Survival of the Fittest Part (con.)

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            Yuffie doodled in her notebook, still silently fuming over her lab partner. She was sick of the sympathy looks people gave her. Maybe deep down, Akurei, or Rae, as the teacher called her, was a good person. Yuffie glanced at the girl beside her. Yeah right. Akurei seemed to give off a prestigious, snotty arrogance. She had a notebook and pen laid out before her, but she didn't touch either one. She listened intently and sat up straight, unlike the rest of the class. Everyone seemed to be staring at the clock. Even the boys weren't staring at their teacher anymore.

            "Well, since we have a little time left, why don't you start on your assignment?" Tifa suggested. The class was getting restless, and to tell the truth, so was she. And to think it was only first period…

            A frustrated growl escaped Yuffie's lips. Chemistry was for a bunch of nerds who spent their Friday nights watching documentaries on the Discovery Channel. "The least you could do is help out," Yuffie stated flatly, shooting Akurei annoyed glances. She gave up after ten minutes of trying to find the correct chemicals. "Especially if you plan on passing this class."

            Akurei didn't respond immediately. After what sounded like a mixture of a groan and a sigh, she picked up a vial with an amber colored substance. Carefully, she poured a small amount into the beaker over the Bunsen burner. With a small poof, the contents of the beaker turned a soft shade of blue. "Hand me the sulfuric acid," Akurei said quietly, yet assertively.

            Yuffie was surprised. So she can talk, Yuffie thought as she looked at the two vials on her left. Both held a liquid of the same color. Thinking that both vials held the same chemicals, Yuffie took the one on the right and gave it to Akurei. If only she'd read the label…

            A single drop was all it took to have the chemicals burst into flames. Yuffie stumbled backwards and tripped over her chair. She sat on her butt on the floor staring blankly, unable to comprehend what had gone wrong. Oh shit, she realized. Wrong chemical.

            Very good! she immediately chided herself. What was your first clue?

            Tifa wanted to burst into tears. Why did this have to happen while she was teaching? Thinking quickly, she cupped her hands around her mouth and called loudly, "Everybody, out!" While her class made a beeline for the door, Tifa hurried over to the fire extinguisher and broke the glass.

            Yuffie scrambled to her feet and grabbed her bag. She slung it over her shoulder before following the rest of her classmates out the door. Deidros pushed his way through the crowd of students to Yuffie. "What'd you do?" he asked incredulously.

            "I don't know!" Yuffie said, beginning to panic. "It's not like I even meant to set the lab on fire! I mean, one minute the whole experiment was going fine, and the next, ka-boom!"

            "If this isn't going to go down in school history, I don't know what will. Blowing up the chemistry lab on your first day is an awesome welcome, don't you think?"

            Yuffie's stomach churned. "I can't get in trouble, not on my first day! Aerith's gonna kill me…"

            "Don't worry about it," he said, running his fingers through his hair. "I bet you they won't even find out who did it."

            "I guess you're right."

            "Of course I am."

            She wouldn't get in trouble. They'd take it easy on her, since it was her first day, after all. There's no way she'd end up in detention for an accident…

            A firm hand gripped her shoulder and spun her around. "Of course," Deidros added sheepishly before blending into the crowd, "there's a first time for everything, right?"

Yuffie found herself staring into an angry Tifa's blazing eyes. "I, uh, didn't mean to. It was an accident."

            "What were you thinking, adding this," Tifa held up the now empty vial, "with carbon dioxide?"

            "Um…I wasn't?" Yuffie could almost already hear the words that were about to come out of her teacher's mouth.

            "Principal's office, now!"

            "It wasn't even all my fault! If my partner had just done her share of the work--"

            "Fine, so the both of you can speak with the principal."

            "But it's my first day," Yuffie argued. She could already hear the lecture Aerith would be giving her, and she could almost see the look of annoyance in Cloud's eyes. "There has to be some rule that I don't get suspended for an accident."

            Tifa gave her a look that plainly said, "I don't know, I just substitute here." After Tifa pointed vigorously in the direction of the principal's office, Akurei admitted defeat and began walking. "But I'm innocent!" Yuffie protested. For once, she added mentally. Great. Now that she actually was innocent, no one believed her.

            "Dammit," Yuffie muttered, stomping down the hall after Akurei. It was a harmless mistake anyone could have made. Correction, she thought miserably. It's a mistake only I would make.

            The B Lunch bell rang and Yuffie couldn't be any happier to make a dash for the lunchroom. Her English and Contemporary Politics classes had been bearable; though they could've been much more pleasant if people hadn't kept asking her about the lab incident. She paid for her lunch and sat at an empty table. Now that she thought about it, she wasn't all that hungry anymore.

            "Yuffie!"

            She lifted her head wearily to see Kairi marching over to her. As soon as Kairi reached the table, she started firing questions. Yuffie opened her mouth to fend the questions off, but Kairi spoke first.

            "What the hell have you done to get yourself into trouble before B Lunch?"

            Yuffie smiled. It was funny to see people's reactions to the mischief she had accidentally caused. Some laughed, others shook their heads in awe. Kairi was somewhere in between the two. "Blew up the chemistry lab and managed to land myself with three days of detention."

            "You are definitely something else."

            "That's one way of putting it."

            "Well, at least everyone knows who you are now. You're the talk of the school."

            Yuffie resisted the urge to roll her eyes. She wasn't here to become popular. She was only here because she'd rather stay in the United States. "Rumors galore."

            "Well, at least they're talking." Kairi shrugged and unwrapped the sandwich she bought earlier.

            Yuffie poked at her food. She took a small bight and grimaced. This was supposed to be edible? Maybe she was better off at the orphanage…she put down her fork and asked, "So when do I get to meet those friends of yours who happened to leave you behind in Brooklyn?"

            Kairi stopped in mid-bite and put her sandwich down. Her smile faltered then faded. "There was an accident that night. They'd been drunk after the party. Deidros was the only one wearing his seatbelt."

            "Oh, I'm so sorry," Yuffie said, cringing at the uselessness of her words. She knew pity was something Kairi didn't need nor want right now.

            "Don't be. I'll be fine."

            Even though she knew Kairi wouldn't ever be truly fine, Yuffie accepted the answer and continued to poke at her lunch. I wonder what else I'll mess up before the last bell, she wondered.

            3:30 couldn't come soon enough. She was out of the gym in a split second. Detention was agonizingly slow and painful. Scrubbing the gym floor with a toothbrush was the kind of thing that you only saw on TV, or so she thought. Her back ached from being hunched over, her fingers were sore from gripping the toothbrush so tightly, she smelled like Lysol, and to top it off, that Akurei girl just wasn't getting the hint. Yuffie was not a happy camper. When was the last time I was? she thought as Akurei continued to call her name, trying to get her to stop.

            "Yuffie!"

            Yuffie stopped and slowly turned around. "Whaaaat?!" she exclaimed exasperatedly. "So now you want to talk? You could've helped me out instead of acting like a snot and letting me do all the work when I obviously didn't have a single clue about what we were doing! But no, after detention, when I'm trying to get away from yo--"

            Akurei seemed unfazed at her words. She interrupted Yuffie and pushed something into her hands. "You forgot this. Thought you'd want it back."

            Great, now she thinks I'm an ass, Yuffie thought with a sigh. "Look, I'm sor--"

            But Akurei had already brushed passed, hugging her books to her chest. When she wasn't reading some text, Yuffie noticed, Akurei could be classified as a normal teen. One might even say she was pretty. Before she could catch herself, Yuffie blurted, "Do you worship the devil?" Even better, first you make an ass of yourself, and then you sound stupid.

            Akurei paused. "Buddhism is a religion, just like Catholicism."

            Yuffie blinked. "Buddhism?"

             "My step father got me and my mother to convert when I was seven."

            "Why don't you go to a school--"

            "They've been shut down. No one wants their kids to attend Buddhist schools anymore, not after 9/11." With that, she disappeared down the hall.

            Yuffie sighed. If she was going to be attending school here, she'd make it bearable. First by apologizing to Akurei and coming to a truce with her so they didn't botch another experiment.

            "What happened to you?" Squall asked as Yuffie climbed into the car. "I've been waiting for an hour."

            "I really, really, really don't wanna talk about it," Yuffie muttered, slamming the door.

            "Detention?"

            "For a simple mistake anyone could've made," Yuffie said defensively.

            "And that mistake would be…?"

            "Accidentally setting the lab on fire."

            "How--"

            "Chemistry."

            Squall backed out of the parking lot and put the car into drive. "Ah. You know, I don't think mankind and chemicals should ever join forces. I mean look what happened with the atomic bomb."

            Yuffie looked at him with a coy grin. "So you failed Chemistry too in high school?"

            "Scraped by with a C. But things will get better."

            "How can you be so optimistic?"

            "How can you be so pessimistic?"

            "I'd like to see you live in my shoes and not be pessimistic. It isn't possible."

            "With your attitude it isn't."

            Yuffie fell silent and rest her head against the window. Out of the corner of her eye she studied the man sitting beside her. He was much younger than she'd suspected. He appeared to be in his mid twenties. His sapphire eyes were content, but held a guarded expression, as if they were hiding some dark past within them. Longish brown hair framed his face and touched his broad shoulders. The most intriguing feature was the thin scar that started just below his hairline. It darted diagonally towards his eye and stopped just as abruptly as it'd started.

            "Like what you see?"

            He'd been aware of her staring, she realized. Her face colored and darkened her cheeks. "Not particularly," she answered nonchalantly, turning her face to the window once more.

            Squall cast a curious glance at Yuffie. He could've sworn he'd known the girl from somewhere else. Her petite frame and her eyes struck a sense of familiarity within him. "How's living with Aerith and Cloud?"

            "Fine, I guess."

            "Anyone ever tell you that you're quiet?"

            "Actually, no. I usually can't shut up."

            "So why the long face?"

            Yuffie hesitated. "You're a shrink, right?"

            "Yep."

            "So you can't tell anyone what I tell you, right?"

            "That's right."

            "Otherwise I can come after you with the intention of killing you?"

            "Yes."

            "School sucks." The words came tumbling out of her mouth. To her surprise, she began going into detail about her day at school. From the explosion to Kairi to detention, she found that a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. What more, Squall actually listen to her, occasionally asking a few concerned questions, which made her feel cared for. Cared for…wanted…trust. Yuffie found that trust could be made as easily as is could be broken.

            "Right. Stay out of trouble and in the waiting room or cafeteria. Please try not to come in, my patients are entitled to their right of privacy," Squall instructed as he shuffled some papers on his desk. "Got it?"

            "Crystal." Yuffie looked around his office. It was simple, neat, and annoyingly organized, she noticed. A photo caught her eye. A beautiful girl with shiny ebony chair and sparkling eyes stood beside a younger Squall. She also noticed that Squall was smiling and didn't have his trademark scar. "Why don't you smile anymore?" Yuffie wondered aloud. "You don't look half as ugly in this picture."

            Ignoring the insult veiled by a question, Squall shrugged. "I've found other ways of expressing my happiness." Yuffie frowned and understood the true meaning of his words, "I've found other masks to wear."        

            "So who's the girl?" Yuffie pressed, winking at him. "Were you guys serious?"

            Squall stiffened ever so slightly, Yuffie didn't catch it. "Rinoa, once my girlfriend."

            "What happened?"

            "We don't talk anymore."

            "Why not?"

            "I don't know, we drifted apart."

            Yuffie could tell that he was becoming annoyed, though he hid it very well. She could also tell that he was lying. "Anyways, I've got homework to get started on." She turned and walked to the door. "Sorry if those questions made you uncomfortable. You could've told me and refused to answer them."

            Squall watched as the door shut. That line sounded awfully familiar, he noted. With a good education, the girl could become a psychiatrist herself. She was much more perceptive than he'd thought.

            Yuffie ran. Again. She honestly didn't mean to steal from the gift shop. It was a habit she'd picked up from the orphanage. So she ran, thinking it'd be easier than to explain the truth. But the truth was that she didn't know that this guy could keep up with her. Yuffie rounded a corner and slipped into an empty room. She shut the door and let out a sigh of relief as she heard the man's footsteps fade away. Safe, for now. Yuffie walked forward to further examine the room. She pulled back a curtain and gasped. "I'm sorry! I didn't know there was anyone in here…"

            No answer, just a blink of acknowledgement of Yuffie's presence. The woman lay sprawled across the hospital bed, staring back at Yuffie.

            "Sorry. Um, I guess I'll go now…"

            Another blink. Yuffie thought hard for a moment. These eyes are familiar she realized. Where had she seen them?

         The boy rushed forward to help the child, but a scream from behind him caused him to whip his head around. A female his age, was cowering in a corner. Her eyes were wide with shock and terror. She desperately fought to slow her pounding heart, but to no avail.

         "Run!" he instructed, turning back to the little girl. "I'll take care of the monster."

         The little girl looked up at him through her tearful eyes. "I don't want to be alone again," she whispered.

         "Go!" he insisted. "If you don't, they'll get you too. Head down to the Waterway. There are some Gummi ships waiting to take off. Hurry or they'll leave without you."

            The girl whimpered softly as she watched him start over to save the other girl, wishing the older boy would come to her rescue instead.

            "You!" Yuffie realized. "You were the girl in my dreams!" Yuffie thought for a moment before realizing the stupidity of her words. "I mean, you were the one that was saved instead of me when Hollow Bastion was taken…why were you saved instead of me?" Unless…then it dawned on her. "The boy from my dreams is Squall."

TBC

A/N: Finally, Yuffie is starting to get a clue of what's going on here. Next chapter, Yuffie will finally end up living with Squall. How you ask? It's all apart of my master plan…I've got practically the rest of the story outlined. cheers But outlined and written are two very different things…shouldn't be anymore than 10 chapters. I know I'd said 12, but I decided to give you guys longer chapters to make up for my absence.