One With You

A FFVIII Fanfiction by: Kayla Martin A.K.A Kei A.K.A Re-Fantasy-Goddess
I do not own any of these characters, only the storyline. Review and such. I would appreciate no Rinoa bashing. It seriously annoys me.

Chapter 3: Empty

Squall stepped through the doorway and spotted Zell immediately. Resisting the urge to turn around and walk right back out, he forced himself to go over to him. Zell was speaking to Selphie Tilmitt, an irritating young woman that Squall tended to avoid. Oh, she was nice but awfully rambunctious. He came to stand behind Zell and, after a moment, sighed. 'This boy needs to pay more attention in his martial arts class…' After all, martial artists were never caught off guard. The blonde froze and turned slowly, his face tattoo coming into view. When he saw that it was Squall he turned fully and grinned like an idiot. In Squall's opinion anyway.

"Heya, buddy!" He greeted, making Selphie giggle. Squall glared at the man before chucking his bag at him.

"Stop leaving your stuff in my apartment, Zell." Squall warned, his face slightly irritated. The blonde laughed sheepishly as he lifted his mistreated bag.

"And stop eating all of my food." He added. Whenever Zell decided to pop in, he tended to eat everything in sight, making Squall go to the grocery store immediately after. 'Why do I even bother? I know he won't listen. I could always toss him out my apartment window while he's unconscious. Sleeps like a rock anyway…' Squall thought to himself, all the while staring at him with a bored expression on his face.

"Well, sooorryy." The blonde mocked, pouting like a child. Squall rolled his eyes as he placed a hand on his hip impatiently. Part of him may have liked Zell, but only a small part, and only because he'd known him since they had both been fourteen.

"Oh!" The boy perked up and smiled deviously at Squall, who stared uninterestedly back at him.

"Hey, you never started dating, right? Y'know, after I set you up with Selphie?" He asked. '…Oh no…' Squall almost groaned, immediately knowing where he was going with it. The date with Selphie had been horrible for both of them. She talked too much and he didn't talk at all. 'Never going to open that drawer again…' Squall hesitantly shook his head and watched in chagrin as an even bigger smile broke out of Zell.

"Well, I wanna set you up with someone! You'll like her; she's super sweet, totally cute." He said. 'Then why are you pitching her to me?' The brunette wandered.

"Why don't you date her, Zell?" He asked, watching as Zell fidgeted.

"Well, I can't... You see, she's kind of my brothers ex." He explained. 'Seifer…' Squall scoffed and turned to leave the cafeteria of Trabia University, one of the many colleges in Deling City. The college that Zell went to, of course.

"H-hey, c'mon, I'm just trying to help." Zell called after him. Squall waved a hand dismissively.

"Not interested." He said, leaving the building.

Zell sighed and gazed at Selphie.

"Think I shouldn't have mentioned that she was Seifer's ex?" He asked. Selphie giggled.

"Definitely not." She stated, taking his hand. Zell thought that Seifer had been a complete ass towards Rinoa. She had always been there for him, understanding him, even going places she didn't like to make him happy. What more could he have wanted. Zell glared at the floor at that. 'Of course,' he thought. 'He'd wanted sex. Just because Rinoa wanted to stay a virgin till she got married, too. Whatever, she was too good for him.'

Squall stepped into his apartment, laying the paper bag on the counter to his left that framed the edge of the kitchen. He glanced to the couch and glared at the blanket Zell hadn't put back up. 'I'm not some type of clean-freak but he could at least straighten up a little…' He thought to himself, something he did a lot, probably too much. After his sister, Ellone had been in the car wreck with his mother, Raine; both dying on the scene, Squall had retreated into his own mind. He barely ever conversed with anyone unless he'd known them for an extended period of time.

Of course, Zell had been an exception. He'd known him before and after the death of his two family members. When they were younger, his mother had forced them together because she thought that her son was too unsociable. Squall rolled his eyes at the thought, putting away the random food he'd just bought, along with the sodas that only Zell would drink.

After a moment, his thoughts strayed back to Ellone, his best friend, his only sister. 'My dead sister…' With the memory of her came the memory of Seifer. Squall would forever hate him. Seifer had dated Ellone and had been her boyfriend the time of her death. 'The bastard… He didn't even go to her funeral.' Resentment washed over the man and he sighed, pulling out a chair at the little table in his kitchen and sat before burying his face in his hands. 'Ellone… Raine…'

She flipped her hair over her shoulder and looked away from the man in front of her. Rinoa had just come to Starbucks to grab a coffee and head off to the library but, as usual, her luck had bit in the ass. Seifer had walked in, looking incredibly nervous the moment his eyes found her. Rinoa crossed her arms as he fidgeted.

"Well? Is there anything you would like to say to me?" She asked, or rather demanded considering the tone of voice she used. Seifer sighed. 'Is it just me or does he look guilty…?'

"I'm not here for you, Rinoa." He stated. The pang that hit her heart was fierce but she remained composed, not letting him know.

"Then why are you here? You don't even like coffee." Rinoa kept the some-what conversation going, secretly wanting him to take her back, to say he was there for her and to say he loved her. 'And actually mean it…'

Before he could answer, the doors behind him opened, letting in a fresh gust of frigid air, and a woman walked in. Rinoa couldn't see who since Seifer damn near towered of her but she did see the thin arms wrap around his waist. She did see how Seifer looked; not particularly surprised, like he knew who it was, and a little mortified.

'He's here to meet someone… But it's only been three days…' She thought, wanting to look down but not being able to turn her face or her gaze away. Seifer turned immediately and gently pushed the woman back a few steps, whispering to her indistinctly.

"What-" Rinoa started, grabbing his shoulder and pulling him away. She wouldn't admit it but she was desperate to see. When she did, when Seifer stumbled out of the way, she felt her stomach drop, her face contort in pain and betrayal. She stepped back, stumbling herself, and stared at Quistis in shock. The blonde's face mirrored her own. Beneath that, Rinoa could see one thing for sure. Bitterness… dislike for her, for Rinoa.

"Q-Quistis?" She asked. It was as if she wasn't sure of what she was seeing, like a mirage. Seifer stood to the side, his face wary. Quistis said nothing. Rinoa looked at Seifer after a moment, noticing she was crying by the blurry look of him.

"Rinoa-' He started but she didn't let him finish. The brunette turned and walked right passed the two and through the doors, out into the wintery afternoon. She had heard everything she'd needed to from the tone of his voice. The absolute pity he held for her made her so angry and hurt. She tried to keep her mind from asking herself how long they'd been doing this.

Had the two begun dating as soon as they'd broken up? Had he… left her for Quistis? The questions continued as she walked down the street to her original destination, the library, with her hands clenched and her face clearly showing her pain. She wanted to rip her heart out and throw it down the street for how much good it was doing her. She felt her tears pooling but they never fell, she wouldn't allow it. She'd told herself she wouldn't cry for him anymore when he so obviously cared so little for her.

Squall flipped through the magazine section of the Deling Community Library. He'd come here for a weapons magazine, seeing as he had exhausted his own supply. He lifted a new issue, beginning his reading. What could he say? It was a hobby. As he read, the doors opened and a slight breeze brushed by him.

He glanced up in time to see a young woman brush passed him and seat herself at a table in the far corner, away from everyone. Squall focused more on her after a moment, noticing how her hands were clenched. Her face was turned away from him but he figured that, considering her body language, she would look angry.

And then he started to grasp that she looked familiar. 'Who…?' He thought for a moment before finally realized that she was the girl who had smacked right into him yesterday. He pondered for a moment, not remembering her name. 'Renee? No… Rinoa. That's it.' Squall concluded. He shook his head and was about to return his attention to his magazine when the doors opened again and a man stormed by him. He stiffened, hoping his peripheral vision was defective.

Squall looked up again, feeling like a sniper would. 'If only I had a gun…' He thought when he saw the man who was unmistakable. Seifer. Seifer Almasy. The man walked right up to her, to Rinoa, and sat across from her. His expression was pleading. He said something and Rinoa shook her head in a jerking motion. Seifer winced.

Squall, curious for once, walked forward and leaned against the book shelf near them. He couldn't see the tow but he could hear them.

"Please, Rinoa-" He started but her voice cut him off.

"How long did you wait? An hour? And why her? She's supposed to be my best friend." She said. Squall thought that she wanted to yell, to scream, from the way her voice cracked.

"I… I didn't wait… at all." He said.

"W-what?" Rinoa asked, sniffling lightly.

"What I mean is, Quistis and I… We've been dating for… for about a week and a half, Rinoa." He finished. Squall heard an intake of air, probably by Rinoa.

"You… cheated on me?" She whispered. 'Now I get it…' Squall thought angrily. He hadn't really understood what their conversation was about until she'd said that. 'So, Seifer cheated with her best friend? Of course…'

"Rinoa, I'm sorry, I didn't want to tell you because I didn't want to hurt you. I care about you, really." Seifer pleaded, making Rinoa laugh dryly. Neither said anything for a moment and Squall was about to walk away when Seifer sighed.

"Rinoa-" He began, but her broken whisper cut him off.

"Just stay away from me." She said with finality. After a moment, Squall heard a chair move and then the blonde trudged by him, not even noticing the brunette. Squall didn't even notice the crinkled magazine in his fist until he looked down. With a sigh, he unclenched his fist and galred at the floor. A sob sounded from the table behind the bookshelf, making Squall turn slightly and spy around the corner.

Rinoa sat, face in her hands, crying her heart out. If only she could.

Author's notes: Alrighty, I hope you guys enjoyed it. Next chapter might be longer… *shrugs* Andway, review and tell me what ya thought.