Disclaimer: I do not own FF VIII It is a fact I finally accept... but honostly, how much cooler would it be if they let me write a sequal? anywho...

Squall sat at his Desk and contemplated the events unfolding in his mind presently. He had begun to consider the facts lain before him. It seems that the last person any of them had expected to succeed or even to survive her first class was repeatedly distinguishing herself as one of the best teachers in the Garden this was an unprecedented event, and indeed there weren't any protocols to fall back on, she was a globally recognized criminal and she was also a former student of this very garden that she helped to attack not all too long ago and though all physical signs of the Occupation of Balamb were gone along with the damage dealt to the Garden the wounds were still felt by the people. And chances are they would leave scars which were unlikely to heal. Well he had to think of something some of his less open minded instructors were complaining that students wanted transfers into Fujin's class because those students seemed to always score higher on exams. Not to mention that the thrill of being taught to use magic by someone who had worked under the Knight of the Sorceress of Galbania.

She was swiftly earning the respect of many of the Instructors who had heard and believed the rumors early on, but this entire affair, while certainly good for Fujin, was more of a nightmare for Squall as an administrator. It was around this time he became fed up with thinking. Squall stood, his chair rolling back violently as he walked right out the door instructing the secretary to hold all his calls. He wasn't sure when he would be back. Chances are the answer was "Tomorrow" he wqalked back to his dorm and changed into his civilian clothes and waked down, it was amazeing how easily he was recognized now where before he had simply been a face in the crowd. Some of the students waved, he ignored them. They expected as much but knew he had seen them. Some people tried to ignore him as well. He rather liked those people right now. However he'd be damned if he didn't hear one voice in particular he knew wouldn't just buzz off.

"Hey Squall!" Came the voice of the rather distinctive martial artist. Squall visibly sighed and kept walking. "Hey! Wait up! I need to talk to you about something!" ::just keep walking, maybe he will get the idea…. No such luck. Within moments the jumpy hyperactive man was following him right next to him, Classes being over meant he didn't have t do anything officially until tomorrow. What a Drag…

The distinguished pair slowly made their way to the Quad, in it's modified form, where Squall sat himself beneath a tree…. Looked like a maple from here, he wasn't sure. Zell sat Right. Next. To. Him. It was amazeing how he didn't get a point. Squall finally decided to lend an ear to whatever Zell was talking about, off coarse he had to do it his way.

"Shut Up." Causing the mouth of his friend to silence itself immediately. "Now, what are you bothering me about?" Turning to look at the man who looked a little off put, and a tad frustrated.

"Well dude, like I was saying. We havn't really been talking, I mean since you picked up your new position and all. I wanted to find out how you are." Okay, simple question. Simple answer.

"I'm Fine." Squall stated with all the enthusiasm of a rather tired turtle. Zell didn't look satisfied with that. "What? We practically stop speaking for something like months and all you can tell me is 'I'm Fine'? sheesh…. That's what I get for expecting you to change…. Anything new in the big chair? Juicy gossip, anything at all?"

"….. Fujin is the third top instructor in the Garden." He stated calmly. Leaning back on the bench tilting his head up looking into the tree… yeah it was maple.. How about that. He lifted a hand to pluck a leaf off the tree and rip off the stem putting the end in his mouth. It had always been interesting to him that maple syrup was maple sap. He looked over at Zell and almost did a double take. Zell's face had contorted into the most weird looking mask of surprise and disbelief he had ever laid eyes upon.

"That has Got to be Bull! You are in me aren't you? Tell me you're in me!" Looking more than surprised he was somewhere in the neighborhood of dumbfounded one would venture.

"No. Her students are scoring higher in her specific subject than any group anywhere else in the school, save the honors and Leadership classes. Stats don't lie." Squall fought to maintain stoicism as Zell's face went from disconcerting to downright funny as his jaw dropped open and he glared hard as though his mind had suddenly escaped out his mouth.

"You're serious? Wow…. Um…. Wow…." Squall cracked a smile, "Yeah… you said that."

A long moment of silence came between the two as something unstated passed with a few covert glanses over to squall from the blond martial artist. And he finally broke it.

"so…. What ever happened with…… the person." Squall said leaning his hea back again in thought it wasn't hard to remember the big fuss Zell had made over it not long past.

"Oh. OH. Um, things are… going well. Nothing important happening there." Zell sad with a degree of unusually well disguised happiness, but he was conscious of a cetain restraint on the part of his friend and it took squall a few moments to work out why. Had he been any less in control of himself he would probably smacked himself in the forehead and ranted about it. Rinoa. He hadn't even thought about her in months, he was suddenly ashamed of himself. All the work and planning had caused him to completely forget about the woman who had literally picked up and left him behind. It was sobering. Someone who he had thought himself so in love with could simply slip his mind.

"Ahem" Zell cleared his throat, Squall had been quiet for almost two solid minutes and had barely blinked, it was getting unnerving, fast. "have you heard from her? Any chance of her coming back?"

"No. not a peep since she left… nothing except the original letter." He brooded for a few more moments and the more he thought about it, the mre he realized that things had never been all that close between them, she was a completely opposite personality, outgoing, boisterious, making friends with people at the drop of a hat. It almost seemed doomed to fail looking back. He looked over at zell and was about to open his mouth but something seemed to have caught his eye, Squall followed the gaze to see someone he would never have expected to see, it was Fujn, she was sitting in her usual blue outfit pouring over a book entitled "Zodiac Braves Story" she seemed quite enthralled by it and hadn't even noticed them. He took the opportunity to really look at her, and it was like regarding her for the first time. It's funny how a few years and a couple weeks of war can change a person… Her legs were crossed one bobbing occasionally as her good eye roamed down the page. She was a quick reader, he could tell even at this distance. It was a trait not many people in Garden wrapped their heads around, reading, most of the students despised it and many of the teachers were "too busy" to bother either. He "hmmed" quietly and Zell glanced over at him. He was too busy watching her tounge dart out to lick the tip of her finger to turn a stubborn page it was one fluid motion and quite interesting to watch.

"Dude…. Dude…" ::Zell nudged him with an elbow rocketing him from his reverie as his head snapped to his friend and compatriot just in time for Fujin to look up and catch the entire sequence. "What?" "Stop Staring dude." Squall felt his cheeks flush a bit as his head turned down in his traditional 'thinking' look until the heat passed and he sat up. He looked over at Zell, who had a grin as wide as he'd ever seen. "You were checkin' her out" He stated with a tint of mirth. "I didn't know you went for cold and gruesome, not that I should be surprised 'er nothing considering who I'm talking to.

Squall's eyes went wide for a moment at the accusation. "No I wasn't. I was just thinking" Zell raised his hands into the air in the universal symbol of surrender but that grin stayed plastered right where it was. "Hey, man. Whatever you say. I trust my eyes not to lie." Squall was strongly considering clocking the man but let it drop and went back to thinking position to continue a casual observation of the newest instructor. She had shifted a bit showing a bit more leg and lowered the book a tad giving one a rather good view, if he were inclined to look. Squall however did his damnedest to keep his eyes on her red orb as it danced down the page. He considered that for a few moments before movement caught his eye and he got a very nice shot of her uncrossing and recrossing her legs, good and slow. He thought for a moment he may break out into a cold sweat, he decided to talk to Zell to cover, he couldn't have the man assumeing the worst. "Zell, what do you think of the new tailoring on the SeeD official's?"

Zell had zoned out but in normal Zell fascion jumped right back onto the ball. "What? Oh, I think they are kinda more comfortable, and definitely tear less…. Why you thinking of going back? Cause if you are, don't. I like the style." Squall was silent for a few moments feigning thought. "Okay. I'll consider that… I have to be going, I have things to do." Of coarse he left out the bit about the more than uncomfortable feeling that was beginning to make itself known, he stood cautiously and walked away carefully. Zell was left to consider, he glansed at Squall, who was trying very hard to look nonchalant and Fujin who looked for a moment like she was smiling. He blinked anddecided hi eyes were playing tricks on him. Leaning his head back he let out a deep breath. Hey look, Maple.

&8&

She almost laughed. That had been almost too easy. Men and their wandering eyes. It was all to easy, she turned the page it was almost as much fun to read about Ramza as play with the Boys. Just because she acts tough doesn't mean she can't whip out sausy once in a while, watch out male denomination.

She let out a chuckle, and sombered a bit. as the faces of two rather familier boys shot across her mind. People she hadn't thought of since months ago... and that was like a stab to her guts. she closed the book and walked along a similar path right past the chickenwuss toward her room. she had some things to consider... Strongly.

A/N: I know this was a really fast chapter but it was at school almost finished so I just had to get it home, Are you happy? I'm actually getting off my ass on the Romance part! YAHOO! and for the poeple reading Darkness in your Eyes, I think that story may be on perminant hiatus, lacking a final Vote. so yeah. anyway I hope you enjoy this. Signing out.