Time for part two!

I finally decided that this is going to be in three parts – because, in my mind, it'll be a little more… rousing… if I drag out the ending (where you find out what the song is). And because I've been slacking considerably since I got out of school. It's a lot shorter that the first chapter, but I'm having an off period. My brain is lost somewhere in the starry skies o'er Deling City…

I've considered so many songs to use in the next part… But I could only use one, and I ended up narrowing it down to one of three by ABBA. Yeah, going a little old school, but I think this'll work well. I didn't put a lot of thought into the actual video part at this point, since I've been distracted by the original Medal of Honor…Which inspired me for another story – a really bizarre one…

Ugh… It's so late, and I'm having a caffeine crash. All I can think about is coffee and orange juice (I've been craving chocolate and oranges lately… Oo)

Eh, better get to work. I haven't even written any shorts in the past few days.

By the way, if you're actually reading this, please post a review – it'll help me get through the ending without ditching this story, since I've been super-unmotivated to do anything lately… Thanks!

Part Two: Eat Your Heart Out!

"WHAT FIGHTING FOR?"

"No, no – you have to enunciate more. 'What are you fighting for?'"

"RAGE," Fujin protested, and Vee decided to back off. She'd been informed by Raijin what that word usually meant when she said it.

"Okay, let's try something that may be easier. Repeat after me – 'For glory, God and gold and the Virginia Company'!"

"GLORY, GOD, GOLD. VIRGINIA COMPANY."

"Well, close enough," Vee said, "Care to follow me? We can offer some constructive review of the others performances."

Fujin responded with a sharp nod, and trailed alongside of her silently.

Vee had arrived earlier (as in, shortly after the break of dawn) to sit on the stairs to the elevator and listen to CDs, nearly hidden behind a stack of books on the subject of celebrations. She'd gotten lost in studying dances related to the practice of sacrifices, when the Garden had started to wake up and come alive.

So as not to be in the way, she'd gone into the cafeteria to scribble down notes, which is where Selphie found her. Crouched over a sketchbook laid out in front of her on the ivory-white surface of a table by a large plant, she was choppily drawing detailed stick figure-like people.

"Whatcha doin'?" Selphie sat down next to her, and Vee looked up briefly from her work.

"Sketching out plans for how the routine should go… And occasionally working on another drawing."

"Can I see?" Selphie smiled, and Vee flipped the page and observed it with contempt.

"I don't really like it so far… This style is normally how I do practice sketches, and bad cartoons, not much else."

On the page before them, stood a rather menacing sketchily-drawn man in military attire, holding a submachine gun close to his heart as he leaned against the wall of a dark tunnel.

"Eerie," Selphie commented, and Vee just grinned good-naturedly.

"Yup. It's concept art based on a game I play about World War II. I'm a history fanatic, so I like to capture those things on paper. Reminds people that it happened…"

"Reverence," Selphie suggested.

"Exactly." She picked up a Styrofoam cup to her left, and took a sip of the hot coffee gingerly.

"So, how is it coming?"

"The music video? Well, I've got a plan. I just need everyone to practice singing… I figured I'd have them sing songs that would be easy for them based on voice structure and all that. Then, we'll move on to the actual song."

"What song are you using?" she asked excitedly, but Vee only smiled and shook her head.

"You'll see."

"Oh, come on," Selphie goaded, "You can trust me! I won't tell anyone if you let me listen to it!"

Vee looked at her deeply, and then sighed. "Ok, it's…"

So here it was in the early afternoon hours, and Fujin was following Vee on her rounds, as she checked on everyone to see how they were coming along. Zell had been doing quite all right in his rendition of "A Pirate's Life for Me", Rinoa, Selphie, and Quistis (although not as enthusiastic as the latter two) were singing like angels, Irvine had resorted to practicing for random girls throughout the Garden, Seifer had the chorus of "Super Trouper" down to a science, and Squall had locked himself in his dorm room, where it sounded like he was muttering to himself. Raijin was the last to be checked on.

They found him in the quad; near where Vee had spent some time the previous day setting up, uttering the lyrics to… whatever he was singing now… in a less-than-perfect manner.

"QUIET!" Fujin shouted in a disgusted tone. "HORRIBLE!"

"It's not that bad…," Vee said quietly with uncertainty, receiving an insidious look from Fujin.

"I've never been much for singing, ya know," Raijin explained, and Vee had to keep from rolling her eyes.

"That's quite obvious," she muttered to herself, and then gathering her composure, gave him a nice smile. "It's okay, though; I have the perfect part for you."

"SINGING?" Fujin seemed a little concerned.

"No – Something he'll be super good at. And you can back him up."

"Hey, that's great, ya know!" Raijin said happily, and the now stiff Fujin angrily marched over there and kicked him in the shin.

Vee laughed a bit. "I used to be like that with my boyfriend…"

"Uh, we're not a couple, ya know."

"I know that. Just saying…"

The two looked at each other uncomfortably, and then looked in opposite directions, apparently sulking.

Squall had finally gotten up the bravado to creep out of the dorm when he was certain that everyone else would be too busy to notice that he was around, although he wouldn't admit to himself that that was the case. He sauntered along the path in silence, while he ran over the song Vee had assigned him in his head.

Words are meaningless and forgettable

All I ever wanted, all I ever needed

Is him in my arms

Words are very unnecessary

They can only do harm…

His stream of thought was interrupted when an ecstatic Selphie came running up to him outside of the Training Center. He looked around, trying to gather himself after just realizing where he'd ended up in the absence of his attention.

"Squall! Vee let me listen to the song earlier! It's so cute, you're gonna love it!"

She skipped off in the direction of the cafeteria, leaving the bewildered Squall all by himself.

"I don't like the sound of that…" He murmured to himself, heading off in the opposite direction. He walked around the circle a few times, before deciding to stop in the Quad and orient himself before he ended up walking out of the Garden without knowing it.

It was quiet, so he assumed that there was probably no one around to bother him.

Heading down the stairs and around the corner, he found that Vee had been decorating in her spare time. There were strobe lights scattered about a makeshift platform made to look like a beach, where a log was positioned a foot or two away from a fire pit, and hanging from the wall in the background was a banner (that needed to be smoothed out terribly) that had the beginning of a starry night scene.

"Squall."

Startled by hearing his name suddenly, he turned with a jerk to spot Seifer stepping out from behind the opposite side of the stage, where he'd apparently been sitting down.

"Daydreaming?" He asked with a laugh, and Squall just ignored him, and pretended to be looking at something on the other side of the quad.

Seifer strolled over to him.

"Squall, yoo hoo… You in there?" He waved his hand in Squall's face playfully.

"What?" Squall said sharply, pushing Seifer's had away.

"Just wanted to know why you're staring at that tree like it's the Mona Lisa."

"…" Squall glared at him, but Seifer didn't seem to notice. He was looking at Squall deeply.

"So why are you staring at me?" He questioned gruffly, and Seifer looked towards the tree himself.

"I'm not staring at you."

"I'm convinced otherwise."

"Well, I wasn't." Seifer said calmly, fighting off the annoyance. "Since you're out here, why don't we practice together? Since we're going to be singing together, anyway…"

"We are? How do you know that?"

"Vee told me so. You and me are going to be the stars."

"We are?" This time Squall choked. He didn't care to be in the spotlight in the first place, but he sure as hell didn't want to be opposite Seifer either.

Seifer just laughed, and put his hand on Squall's shoulder. "It's okay, Squall! I've got enough talent for both of us!"

Squall just muttered to himself about how now would be a good time to die, and let Seifer usher him over to where he'd been resting.

Well, that's it for part two. I'll try to have 3 up within the week, as well as other tidbits.

I've been writing this so far with just hints of Seifer x Squall, but the next chapter will be a little more… Forthcoming. You'll see how when you find out what song I'm using.

Let me know what ya think, and I'll try to improve it! Thanks for reading!