Disclaimer: I hold no claim to the characters of FF8 or any of SquareSoft/Enix's creations.

Like That
Chapter 2 - Rumor Has It
by Seigh

I can't believe how gross I feel right now. There is nothing sexy about being so totally wasted that I can't even see my own fingers typing on this thing. So why is everyone so into this dismal way of existence? Why am I falling into the stupid mold of social stereotyping by being an irresponsible teenager? You know what, never mind. I know why. I'm just a bit too dazed to realize it.

Or to be bluntly honest, I just don't want to accept it.

I don't want to accept the fact that everyone at Garden wants to side with their all mighty commander. I don't want to accept the horrible rumors floating from ear to ear. Why does everyone think they have the true story when everything's still right here, bottled up inside of me and even I don't know what really happened? I'm not that much of an idiot- I know he had nothing to do with the silly stories. He would never tell, never say...he probably doesn't even hear the stories. The stories of Rinoa Heartilly, the girl who always wanted her way and her boyfriend just couldn't put up with her behavior. Or Rinoa Heartilly, the girl who was secretly seeing two other junior cadets behind the commander's back and he had finally found out and had a fit. Or Rinoa Heartilly, the girl who secretly hid in her dorm room making up voodoo spells to try and woo the whole male population of Garden.

No one wanted their commander to be the one in blame.

So what's the real story? The truth behind the many tales, farfetched and fantastical as they are? What I want to say is that we broke up because we realized we would be better off that way. Actually, that's true, but why doesn't it feel as simple? And I don't feel any better either. Or maybe what I want to say is that I found another gorgeous, handsome darling to hook up with and he's currently in Trabia trying to catch me my very own Chocobo. But that's not the case either. In my dreams, maybe.

You know, I had a dream last night, somehow. I don't really know. Maybe it wasn't a dream but actually Seifer doing his drunk dance in front of me and just me thinking it was a dream and twisted it all over. I really don't know. But anyway, if I did have a dream, it went along the lines of him and me, again, but this time we're holding hands and we're smiling, imagine that. This time it's raining, but it's alright because we love running in the rain together. But maybe he really didn't. Maybe he just put up with it for me because I always need to get my way. Or else I pout. Or else I pull out the most dreaded weapon of all.

Manicured, sharp finger nails.

And I scratch.

Right, and I wonder why he dumped me. Please, even I can't stand the intolerable mess that is me, myself, and me all alone in this dingy small dorm room. Angelo is whining. Silly dog. I bet she hates how I smell right now. I think it's an improvement from that shampoo though... he wouldn't have cared though. Maybe. At least that's what I remember. He never really cared. That was the problem...but it was such a good problem. He didn't care if I had bags underneath my eyes. He didn't care if I had mud on my cheeks or twigs in my hair. He didn't even care if I smelt like mothballs or liquor or anything.

At least, that's what I remembered. That's what I perceived from his indifferent attitude. Maybe when I was in his arms, face buried in his strong chest, he was wrinkling his nose up in disgust. Maybe he just couldn't stand the very scent of me. And I was just a little girl having a perpetual fantasy in her own little world.

I don't want to be stupid anymore, but stupid seems to be a neon sign glittering above my head. I was stupid enough to believe we would last, stupid enough to believe I had found my prince charming. I was so happy. I was so content. But reality was sort of different, you know? I was a bit too silly, a bit too outgoing for his taste.

I don't want to be stupid anymore.

xox Girl in Blue

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Squall Leonhart looked hot, but of course he didn't notice that. It was an accepted norm amongst the female population of Garden though, and when everyone was whispering about his oh so tight arse, he would rather think they were muttering about his antisocial nature. Or maybe perhaps the latest gossip between the supposed love triangle that was composed of three distinct figures in Balamb Garden.

There was ,of course, the gleaming trophy prize, Squall Leonhart himself, who had been reluctantly thrown into centre stage with the blazing spotlight hovering right above his head. To his right was gorgeous, young, eighteen year old instructor Quistis Trepe who everyone knew was the epitome of poise and grace, even if she was a licensed SeeD and a killer test giver. To his left was passionate and carefree Rinoa Heartilly, whose beauty was mysterious and absolutely charming. Rumor has it that her daddy was some scary army persona who totally controlled his own underground regime. But those were just rumours, just as everything about the love triangle was a fabricated piece of shit.

And that was the only thing Squall could believe as he ran a hand through his tousled hair and wondered why it was midnight already. Poor Squall, would be the common thought held between students, though people who knew the commander well enough knew that he was addicted to his work. It was his version of intoxication. Be drugged with work; his slogan. He knew his eyes were starting to droop but he couldn't bear the thought of leaving a pile of unattended SeeD application forms on his desk. And maybe because all he thought about in his room was her.

Which 'her' Squall? Which one?

He rubbed his forehead tiredly as he scanned the top of one form. A girl named Emilia Strange. The picture to the right hand corner of the page made him recall an incident earlier in the day, during his field training class when a female cadet had simply come onto him with some very alluring perfume drenched all over her petite body.

She never did that.

And he flinched as he confessed mentally that this time a certain raven haired girl had popped into his mind, smiling that beautiful smile that he had learnt to love and cherish.

He rubbed the bridge of his nose and paused, remembering the soft touch of her lips on that exact spot, the warmth, the velvety feel of those perfect lips...he shut his eyes and groaned. Why on earth was he thinking about someone who obviously wasn't a part of his life anymore? Then again, why was he feeling so antsy, so emotional about something that he had brought upon himself? He knew this would happen. He knew they wouldn't be able to have one of those 'couple turned best friends' sort of relationships. She was too stubborn for that. Too prideful.

And he was too.

He sighed rather loudly and slouched even more heavily in his leather seat, skimming over the form of a cadet named Raijin...which unfortunately brought his mind back to her again. Her. Walking down the hallways, books in hand, looking completely peaceful and beautiful. With him. That damn man that made him seethe with anger. And this guy, Raijin or whatever his name was, was always with them. He remembered that. He was Commander Leonhart anyways. He was suppose to know all the happenings around Garden. Even the scandalous stuff that he preferred not to know.

Like that time Xu had reported to him that Zell, a personal friend of his, had been making out with some girl in the library and it was starting to become a major distraction to other students actually trying to work there. Or that time Quistis had run into the office looking thoroughly frazzled and, against his own intelligence he, had asked her why. In which case she had replied that she had just had a run in with Rinoa and Seifer Almasy getting it on in the elevator.

...Now could that really be true?

Who knows.

He paused and rested his forehead against the fist of his hand, elbow propped up on the oak table and eyes weary with sleep. He could not help but be reminded of her. He could not help but think about her. He wondered how she was, why she had so abruptly left history class, knowing it was probably a blow to her grades. He wondered why she was with Seifer of all people, but somehow, he felt like a coward, not being able to ask about it. But then again, who she wanted to date was none of his business. She wasn't his business.

He had to admit that he was worried though. Worried about a girl who shouldn't be part of his agenda anymore. After all, he had told her, some weeks ago, that it wasn't working out. She had nodded, she had known, she knew he was a bastard of a boyfriend. But she had wanted it to work out, she had persisted, with those passionate eyes of hers that opened for his every perusal, that let him see every single piece of her soul. He was the coward though, the one who didn't want to fight another fight, an impossible fight. He had given up. And he had turned away.

But all that thought still didn't erase the fact that his fingers were itching to pull up her files, to check if her studies were going alright or if she was seriously harming her academic life because of her life with that boyfriend of hers. He felt subconsciously guilty, like he was eavesdropping on a very private conversation as he turned on his computer screen and slowly punched in her cadet number. Why was that still engrained in his mind anyway?

His finger hovered above the enter key when his office door clicked open. He immediately looked up, shutting off the screen with a jab of his finger and looking almost wildly towards the double doors.

"Oh, you," he felt the words leave his mouth before he even processed what he was saying. He instantly regretted how tired he sounded, how unexcited he was to see his supposed new girlfriend. Any other young man his age would probably be jumping out of his seat, glad to have some sort of an excuse to focus on a beautiful woman instead of bland paperwork. Strangely, he felt like he wanted to be alone again.

"Hey," she whispered, looking worried, always worried, her blue eyes trying to catch his gaze. He cleared his throat uncomfortably and looked down at Raijin's picture again.

"I looked for you...in your room," she began hesitantly. Quistis was starting to worry again. He wasn't looking at her. Didn't she look glamorous enough? Was her hair too untidy? Why was she so hesitant? Squall frowned. Rinoa was never hesitant, always ready to bound into his office like it was sunshine everyday. However, the blonde woman before him seemed like she was frightened almost, unsure if she was suppose to be here, wary of her role in his life. Or maybe he was just thinking too much again. "I didn't find you in there, so I just guessed you were still working, just like you always are," she smiled now, finally, pushing her glasses up her pretty nose and coming to stand behind him, massaging his tense shoulders.

"Whatever." They both muttered, and she laughed.

Squall Leonhart scowled, not really understanding why he was feeling so agitated. He slowly placed a gloved hand over one of her own and she stopped, almost as if he had shocked her with a Thundaga spell. He didn't know what he was doing but finally looked around and caught her gaze. She was still looking worried.

"I'm going to bed," he mumbled, standing up and giving her hand the slightest squeeze. She might have even imagined it, that light, soft pressure on her hand.

She watched him go, his presence leaving her feeling strangely alone. The doors shut and she glanced at the file on his desk. Raijin. Her eyes narrowed slightly. Wasn't he part of the Disciplinary Committee? With Seifer Almasy and a strange looking female? Quistis Trepe didn't know why but she suddenly felt the sour tang of jealousy clawing at her form. She found herself sitting down in his leather seat that squeaked as she leant back.

She blinked, once, twice, and shifted her gaze to the computer that was still humming. He had forgotten to shut it off. She let out a sigh of exasperation and decided to do what a good secretary and girlfriend would do and turned on the screen. She was half conscious of what she was doing until the screen flickered and focused on the grey box opened smack dab in the centre, with seven digits glaring back at her, unchanging, unwavering.

0303817

Weird, how she knew whose number that was. She was almost tempted to hit the enter key but decided against it. She wasn't going to be petty, she wasn't going to stick her nose into someone else's business. Quistis shut her eyes quickly and decided to push out all her thoughts, all her doubts. Squall wasn't dating Rinoa Heartilly anymore. She was being too sensitive.

But she was just sooooo curious. A peek wouldn't hurt, would it?

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Rinoa Heartilly could not help but wrinkle up her nose as she distinctly smelt the waft of grat guts as it spilled across the training centre floor. It looked exactly like the vomit she had puked up earlier in the day because of her upset stomach. She stepped back slightly in her boot clad feet and crossed her arms tightly across her skinny waist and frowned, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear as she glanced at Seifer.

Seifer and Rinoa, the newest and hottest couple of garden. Sort of.

People just couldn't stop talking about them. It was the enticing idea that the ex-girlfriend of Commander Leonhart was going out with his long time rival Seifer Almasy. It was way too juicy for people to simply ignore, just like the big, ugly grat who was flailing its feelers at Seifer and he just couldn't ignore it and hacked it up into pieces in a matter of seconds. A few younger cadets slid by them, but one girl dropped a potion and pretended to be retrieving it.

Rinoa rolled her eyes, knowing better. Why did people want to listen in on her and Seifer any way? It wasn't like they ever spoke of anything scandalous and gossip worthy. They were just your average teenagers who were currently dating and would probably expire, relationship wise, some time before the new year hit.

"Damnit, he's going to fail me."

"You're going to do absolutely great!" Rinoa Heartilly insisted eagerly as she clapped her hands together, hoping that her boyfriend would finally get over his own big head and see that he was really quite stunning with a gunblade. Especially when he was somber. And sane. And collected.

Which, sadly, was not Seifer Almasy's usual state of mind.

"No, Rin, I'm going to fucking do something 'irrational' again, or whatever the hell that word Cid uses!" The blonde swung his weapon dangerously around, smoothly beheading another nearby grat that instantly fell into a heap of green, shriveling mucus. "And then, Commander Puberty will insist that they fail me, again, mind you, and I'll still be stuck here in this hell hole."

Rinoa scrunched up her nose in distaste as she stepped away from the remains of the twitching bug and perched herself on one of the many rocks in the training center. She tilted her head slightly, trying to catch Seifer's gaze, but he was stubbornly looking anywhere but at her. "Well if you keep thinking that way, you might as well fail way before the exam even begins," she mumbled calmly and glanced around at the currently empty center. "Besides, you've still got two weeks. Plenty of time--"

"Hey Rin," Seifer abruptly cut in, finally turning to look at her with a curious gaze. "Why aren't you trying out?"

"What?"

"The SeeD exam. You know, the only reason why any one comes to Garden?" Seifer rolled his eyes in exasperation at his girlfriend's obvious confusion. "I really don't get why you're here and not training to become a SeeD. What's the point of putting up with all this shit if you don't? What's it that you do?" He paused to think, plopping himself down beside the raven haired girl. "History classes? Art classes? Hyne, I didn't even know Garden had art classes!"

Rinoa raised a perfectly shaped eyebrow, just waiting for her boyfriend to snort in laughter. Fortunately for Seifer, he managed to hold it in and merely stared at his girlfriend with an amused look in his blue eyes. Rinoa sighed and looked at her fingernails, grimacing at their untrimmed appearance. "I thought we went over this. I don't like the idea of killing for no reason--"

"Why? Scared you'll break a nail?" Seifer smirked, sounding quite proud about his remark.

Rinoa stuck out her lower lip, running her tongue against the drier areas and picking up the sweet aftertaste of lip gloss as she did so. "No, I just don't think there's ever a reason to kill. And if there ever is, it's never...a reason that...you know, corresponds to my values...or morals...you know?" She sounded doubtful, but somewhere inside, she was so sure of her words. Why didn't she sound that way then? She mulled over this as Seifer processed her words.

And this time, he snorted.

Rinoa snapped out of her daze and sent a glare towards him, looking quite childish.

"Don't you think it sounds great though? Romantic even," Seifer continued, his voice picking up pace as Rinoa stared at him.

"Romantic?" Rinoa held the urge to laugh as she crossed her arms in front of her chest. "Great, now I know what to expect for my Valentine's gift. A dead grat and some oh-so yummy caterchipillar intestines from my mighty, mighty SeeD boyfriend."

Seifer scowled, "No way. My girl gets special treatment."

"Oh really?" Rinoa prompted, edging closer to the young man beside her.

"Yeah," he mirrored her movements until his lips were just above her ear, his hot breath sending such nerve racking tremors through her petite frame. He paused and took in her scent, a smell he had slowly become so accustomed to. A mix of enticing tropical fruits and calming vanilla. "And if I'm feeling extra generous, I'll even give your dog a T-Rexaur bone. Oh, and I can't forget," he ducked underneath her curtain of hair and landed his lips against her cheek. "Something like this too," he whispered the last part, causing her stomach to flip and churn.

In a bad way. And Rinoa didn't know why. She knew she was suppose to be thrilled, giggling even, which she was. Seifer smiled at that, but strangely, she felt like a slab of stone on the inside. She held her sides as she giggled, tears forming in her almond shaped eyes, but something kept on biting, kept on slicing at her insides. It felt like a punch to the gut every time Seifer did something nice for her, even if it was rare and far in between.

She never felt like she was reflecting the reality she felt. The thoughts and dreams she envisioned. She wondered if Seifer was in any of it. Her dreams, her visions, her future...maybe she was taking everything too seriously.

"Why the hell are you here?"

The sharp tone in Seifer's voice brought her out of her reverie as she looked from Seifer to the person he was now glaring at. She felt someone knocking the wind out of her as her toes clenched underneath her boots and her blood run slightly colder than before. Why was he everywhere? It was a stupid question, but she found herself asking it every time. Why was he everywhere.

"...Because this is a public place."

His voice. She savored it. She hated it. She wanted to look away from those eyes but she couldn't, and when he finally seemed to catch her staring, she felt like hiding, or getting Seifer to reenact the whole grat-beheading thing but with her instead. She just didn't want to be here at all. She hadn't even properly brushed her hair. She must've looked so dazed, so ugly and trashy. She swallowed tightly.

Seifer laughed. "Why, decided to come and let us bask in your wonderfulness? Thanks, but no thanks."

She watched him. Watched his shoulders tense underneath that leather jacket, watched his eyebrows knit in frustration at Seifer's pettiness. At times like this, she wondered why she was with Seifer. He was so childish. But she was too. She supposed they were a perfect match then, doomed to failure, doomed to nothingness. She hated these situations. She was constantly being thrown into no man's land and present to open fire from both sides. But in reality, it wasn't suppose to be like that.

She stood up, standing beside Seifer who was sending the other young man taunting stares. "Seifer, weren't we just leaving?" She started, hoping that she looked collected and calm, hoping that the sadness and the uncontrollable nerves running in her would not show as she leveled her gaze with his stormy eyes.

"What?" Seifer blinked.

Rinoa wanted to smack him but mentally cursed. Sometimes she wondered why she had no connection with him. Squall always seemed to understand her little movements, her subtle signals...or not. Never mind. She had only recently accused him of not connecting with her, another stab to their growing pile of problems that had eventually broken them apart. She sighed. Maybe she should have just stayed single and enjoyed the high life alone.

"You know what, I meant I was just leaving," Rinoa corrected herself stiffly and started to leave.

"It's okay, I was just passing by."

She stopped and wish he hadn't spoken at all. It made him sound so heroic, so high and mighty while she sounded like a little mouse trapped in between two ranging cats. She frowned and sent him a side glance, hoping she didn't look as childish as he accused her of once. That's right. Squall Leonhart had called her a child. Thought she had a child's temper and was too stubborn for her own good and always wanted her way. He had also said she was weak, unable to take care of herself and always needing him to lean on.

Whatever. She felt the anger tingling again as that conversation filtered through her head and this time, she fully turned towards Squall who was still standing there, looking indifferent and utterly calm. And she had accused him right back and said he didn't care enough and was never there to lean on anyways even if she did need him.

"Oh, but I was just leaving too," she started, not caring if her hair was a mess. He had seen her in worse care, but then again she must've had horrible bags underneath her eyes from her lack of sleep for the past week. "I was just going to go leave my application form at your office," she smiled. She was shocked to the core that she was smiling but that thought thankfully did not register on her composed facial features. In fact, to Squall Leonhart right then and there, he thought she looked beautiful.

And he had to mentally slap himself.

"Application form?" He managed to say without tripping on his words, forgetting Seifer was even there, still holding his gunblade dangerously at his side and sending him spiteful glares.

"Yeah," she clasped her hands together, a strange habit she had picked up ever since leaving her hometown of Galbadia to venture the solo life in Balamb. "My SeeD application form," she elaborated slowly, pleased to see a glimpse of emotion pass through Squall's usually unreadable eyes. "I was just practicing for the exam with Seifer, wasn't I?" She glanced at her boyfriend sweetly, who this time looked at her in confusion and surprise.

Rinoa stared at the blonde boy hard. He better get her signals this time, she was practically oozing 'get with my story' and she could have burnt a hole right through him with the intensity of her stare.

"Right," Seifer slowly began, much to the relief of Rinoa who visibly relaxed. "Yeah, Rin, let's go and drop that off." He smirked and walked towards her, taking her hand in his.

Rinoa smiled slightly, unsure why she felt a sudden thrill of joy at the confusion written on Squall's face. She knew he knew that she wasn't the type to join SeeD, and maybe that was why she had some twisted satisfaction in surprising him. Maybe she would finally show him that she could take care of herself fine. Squall use to tell her that she lived her life as if it were a game, and right now, she felt it was exactly like that, and she didn't care.

She only wanted to win that game.

When they were far away enough, Seifer suddenly applied pressure to her arm and told her to stop walking. She hadn't realized she was walking so quickly, and suddenly she felt like she was short of breath and lightheaded.

"What?" She immediately asked, turning to glance at Seifer. She wondered why her voice held a tone of defense and tried to relax her nerves.

"What just happened Rin?" Seifer muttered, nodding his head behind his shoulder to where they had just come from. "One minute you're all anti-SeeD and the next you're all into it. Does this have anything at all to do with--"

"My secret ambition to take over the world?" Rinoa cut in light heartedly and smiled brightly, hoping she was pulling off a convincing act of cheerfulness. She watched Seifer carefully and notice his lips twitch slightly. "Definitely," Rinoa answered before Seifer could reply. "I always wanted to have my own little patch of forest and my own little piece of the ocean, and joining SeeD is just the first step!"

Seifer laughed and shook his blonde head, throwing an arm around his girlfriend's shoulders and steering her towards the exit again. "You feisty little girl. You surprise me you know, all the time."

She merely smiled again and skipped out of Seifer's grasp, teasing him slightly by escaping him once again when he tried to hold onto her arm. "Okay, training part one! Try and catch me! It'll definitely help your lack of agility!" She giggled and turned on her heels, waiting for Seifer to process her words.

"What! Lack of agility? What the hell Rin! Come back right now and--" his voice trailed off when he realized Rinoa was not going to stop and growled in annoyance, deciding that he had to play her little game after all. "When I catch you--"

"When you catch me!" Rinoa called back and smiled slightly, wondering if she really knew what she was doing. That smile, as familiar as it was to anyone else in Garden, felt utterly alien and unnatural to her as she rounded a corner, nearly knocking over a few students. The smile slipped off completely as the full impact of what her choice would imply, and she suddenly wanted to keep running, no matter what student she knocked over or what rules she broke.

She didn't want to stop.

If she stopped, she would feel reality come crashing up right behind her and she wouldn't be able to take the blow of it.

AN: Oh gosh, sorry for the late update but it's a busy time of the year. Thank you so much guys for the thoughtful and helpful reviews! Some of you have wondered about Rinoa and why she may seem so utterly spiteful and bitter, but I will dwell into this deeper. I want to go for the slow approach in giving pieces of the background story chapter to chapter, but I'm pretty sure everything will be quite clear by Ch.3. I also don't like to write Rinoa as the happy-go-lucky girl who doesn't take things too seriously, because I think she's deeper then that and I want to touch on the more human aspects of her rather than only the surface aspect of her character. Thank you once again for the support!