“Eyes on Me”
- Part 1
“Life will never be the same again”
By Angelwing
1999, 2000 (c) FantasySquare
This fanfiction is protected by FantasySquare and remains the property of the 
author as well as ourselves. Permission is required from the author, AngelWing
to reproduce this fanfiction. All character names are copyright to Squaresoft. No
copyright infringment intended.


DISCLAIMER: Final Fantasy VIII, Headmaster Cid, Squall Leonhart, Rinoa Heartilly, 
Selphie Tilmit, Irvine Kinneas, Zell Dincht and Quistis Trepe, sadly all belong to 
Squaresoft Inc. I would love them to be mine but they aren’t. Any other characters that 
appear within the following story are copyright of me and me only. (They’re MINE, 
ALL MINE!!) 

NOTE: This story is my first Final Fantasy VIII story and it’s mainly just to establish 
each of the characters I will be using in my future stories.  It’s set in Balamb Garden 
and after the events in Final Fantasy VIII. This is their current situation and how they 
are before the events that will follow…

Irvine Kinneas gazed out of his window. It had been two weeks now since she went 
away and he couldn’t help but be surprised at his feelings. You see, he didn’t really miss her. 
The break –up hadn’t been messy and they’d gone their separate ways without much fuss. 
Selphie had realised that it wasn’t working and Irvine was bored, there was only so much 
incessant giggling and chirpy optimism he could take. Selphie would always be a good friend 
but Irvine couldn’t take it anymore. He realised that it was unfair to string her along; he liked 
her but even he couldn’t fool her into thinking he really loved her. He wanted so much 
more…
	You’re getting old Kinneas, he breathed. Irvine’s only real consolation was that he 
wasn’t the only single one on the team. Quistis sadly seemed destined to be alone, Zell 
couldn’t stay serious enough to even talk to a girl and Selphie was now landed in the same 
situation as he was. At least Selphie landed on her feet though. She’d gone away a fortnight 
ago on a training mission and liked the ‘guys’ there so much that she wanted to stay in 
Galbadia for a while. She said that she wouldn’t though, but she was sorely tempted. Irvine 
suspected she was lying and that it may be just an attempt to stir up jealousy but it wasn’t 
working.
	With a sigh and a sad smile, Irvine got up off his bed ready for the SeeD induction 
day.


	“You’re CHEATING!” screamed Rinoa. Squall Leonhart concealed a grin and 
holding his hands up in the air with mock surrender, put on his best innocent expression. 
	“Just coz you’re losing, don’t take it out on me. You should just learn how to play the 
game properly!” Squall ducked just as a half-eaten hot dog came hurtling towards his head.
	“I AM a good sport, I just wish some people would play the game FAIRLY!” Rinoa 
threw her hand of cards onto the floor and stood up, her hands on her hips. She grabbed 
Squall’s neck.
	“Well?” she demanded as her delicate lily-white hands holding Squall menacingly by 
the throat.
	“Ugh…I’m sorry…dear…” Rinoa tightened her grip.
	“So watcha gonna do ‘bout it, eh?” Squall’s face turned an unhealthy shade of blue as 
Rinoa displayed an evil grin on her usually innocent features.
	Squall smiled. “This,” he grinned, as he caught hold of Rinoa’s slim wrist and pulled 
her down onto his lap. Rinoa’s struggles soon ceased as Squall silenced her with a kiss.

	“Oh please, you two disgust me!” The couple turned their heads to see Quistis 
striding down the Cafeteria towards them. 

	“As your superior I order you to stop being so lovey-dovey in public as some of the 
other students are complaining of jealousy." 
Rinoa giggled, “Sorry Miss, but I couldn’t control myself.” She glanced sideways at 
Squall, “He’s just too gorgeous to resist!”
Squall tossed his head back and poked his nose in the air. “Can you blame her?” he 
said, standing up to allow the girls to admire his physique. 
“Sit down, pretty boy!” laughed Quistis, grabbing hold of Squall’s shoulders and 
forcing him down into his seat. She straightened her blouse and changed her tone to official 
mode.
“I trust you both haven’t forgotten?” She placed her hands on her hips and bent down 
slightly to look at the two accusingly. The blank expressions on Squall and Rinoa’s face told 
Quistis that they had indeed forgotten. Quistis rolled her eyes.
“The induction…you know, you guys volunteered to show some of the new cadets 
around and introduce the SeeDs that are transferring….please don’t tell me you haven’t 
prepared?!”
Squall and Rinoa exchanged uneasy glances at one another and looked guiltily up to 
Quistis. Squall cleared his throat.
“Ah...s…sorry Instructor…I guess we…er…forgot…but don’t worry, we’ll still do 
it.” Quistis narrowed her eyes slightly. 
“You do realise how important this is and the need for a good first impression, don’t 
you?” Rinoa jumped up eagerly.
“Sure, we just look cute and they’ll do anything for us, right?”
“Not quite but close enough.” Quistis’ serious expression relaxed and she smiled at 
her comrades. “Just make sure you show them the basics. Give them a tour, ask them if they 
have any questions and then direct them to their dormitories. Don’t forget to tell them where 
to meet in the morning for their first day in Balamb. They must be assembled in the Quad at 
0700 hours. Got it?”
Squall saluted, “Gotcha Quisty…er…I mean, Instructor Trepe.” Quistis smiled.
“Thanks you two, I really appreciate this. There’ll be five SeeD cadets and three 
SeeDs in your group. Go and meet them at the fountain in an hour. Make sure you’re there, 
some of the students get a little freaked out if there’s no-one there to meet them right away.” 
Squall and Rinoa nodded in unison.
“I’ll see you both later.” With that Quistis turned around and started to walk out of 
the cafeteria. Squall and Rinoa proceeded into another kiss.
“And STOP that!!” Quistis was still walking out of the cafeteria and hadn’t even 
looked around once. 
Squall smiled. “I guess she knows us too well, huh?” With a mischievous smile Rinoa 
settled her head into Squall’s chest and closed her eyes.






“C’mon Grats…show me what ya got!” The long, green stem of a Grat came down 
with full force on Zell’s head causing him to stagger and nearly fall. Slightly dazed but 
angrier than ever Zell unleashed a devastating combo on the creature resulting in it’s 
immediate demise. 
	“YEAH BABY!! You still got it!!” Zell punched the air in a heightened state of 
victory and scoured the area of the Training Centre for his next victim. Seeing no Grats in 
sight, he decided to walk further into the foliage. Spying movement in a nearby bush, Zell 
leapt over in its direction. What he found was something long and scaly and…it seemed to go 
further into the bushes…it was attached to something…
	“T-REXAUR!!!!” The enormous frame of this reptile beast loomed over the martial 
arts expert. Zell couldn’t believe his luck, T-Rexaur, this was going to be one hell of a fight. 
Zell back-flipped into combat.
	“LETS…GET…IT…ON, BABY!!” Zell managed to unleash several damaging punch attacks 
before T-Rexaur finally got his bearings and swept his mighty tail towards the vulnerable fighter. Zell 
reeled from the attack.
“Ah…now THAT was uncalled for!” he scowled, slightly bewildered. 
“Try this one on for size!” T-Rexaur was instantly struck with a potent fire attack and 
it gained enough composure to growl viciously at Zell, certain of its next attack. Sure enough 
the T-Rexaur lunged forward and grabbed Zell between his teeth and used a bite attack to 
severely wound him.
“It ain’t over yet, baby!” Zell used his final combo attack and launched several 
Booyas, Mach kicks, Heel drops and Meteor Strikes before he eventually couldn’t go on.
“ZELL!! Exit now!” The sound of Quistis’ urgent voice pierced the humid 
atmosphere of the Training Centre. She ran towards the battle, seeing that Zell would soon no 
longer be able to fight.
“Aww Instructor, I was just getting into it…j…just let me finish him…”
“Zell don’t be stupid, look at you, get out of there while you still can, don’t be a 
fool!” Zell’s head dropped, he’d waited so long to encounter T-Rexaur in the Training Centre 
and now he had to run from him. He straightened himself up and turned to run from the 
towering beast. He kept running and dropped at Quistis’ feet.
“Y’know I could have beat him…” he whispered sadly as he buried his face in the 
dust. Quistis smiled affectionately.
“I know that Zell, but there are times when you have to run regardless of what it’ll do 
to your pride.” She bent down to him. “Don’t worry about it, T-Rexaur isn’t going anywhere. 
He’ll still be here next time you come to the centre, you just gotta find him, that’s all!” Zell 
smiled weakly, “I guess so,” he managed. Quistis stood up.
“Anyway, you don’t have time at the moment. You promised to help me out today 
and show some new SeeD cadets round, remember?”
“Yeah I remember, I’ll do it don’t worry. I won’t let you down Instructor.”
“Zell, it’s Quistis to you. Think of what we’ve all been through, it seems 
slightly…inappropriate for you to be calling me that. You saved my butt more times than I 
care to remember. I should be addressing you with a title!” Zell managed a laugh despite 
himself. He got up, brushed the dust of his shorts and breathed deeply.
“Well I guess I’m ready to show them around. I’d better be going then, don’t wanna 
leave them standing y’know.” He saluted Quistis and ran off towards the exit of the Training 
Centre. Quistis smiled. Despite the times they’d been through and the moments they’d shared 
Zell was still Zell. He seemed the only one who hadn’t changed. Oh yeah, Rinoa was still her 
happy self and Selphie was bubbly as ever but certain things seemed different. Squall was 
practically unrecognisable to what he was before Rinoa came onto the scene. He laughed 
more and he just seemed happier all round. Of course this wasn’t a bad thing but certain 
members of the group had changed in different ways. Irvine was starting to worry her. He’d 
been acting strangely even before the break-up with Selphie; he was more detached and quiet. 
Rather like what Squall had been like formerly. Selphie had of course taken an extended 
vacation and had told Irvine it was to check out the guys there. For some reason, Quistis 
didn’t believe that. Did she still like Irvine? Why did Irvine break up with Selphie? She 
sighed, Oh well, whatever it is I haven’t the time to worry about it now. Today was a very 
important day for Balamb Garden. The induction of new SeeD cadets was top of the list since 
they were, as Cid put it, “the fighters of the future.” It was also interesting to see the 
experienced SeeDs that were transferring, there was often the odd person who struck a chord 
with Quistis and she eagerly awaited the bi-annual induction as a way of making new friends.
“Time to go,” breathed Quistis and at that, she walked solemnly to the exit.


Headmaster Cid patrolled the lines of fresh-faced cadets and smiled. 
“The Fighters of the future,” he beamed. Many there were bright and eager, some a 
little too eager as they strove to have the straightest back in the line and salute the most 
dramatically. Zell smiled at them as he remembered that enthusiasm which fired his emotions 
and his combat. That’s not to say that his combat was no longer fired, but perhaps now by 
something else, although he didn’t exactly know what it was. Some kind of deep passion was 
spurring him on as if someone else’s fiery spirit lived on in his soul, taking control of his 
body. Aspiring to be like his grandfather had once been his ultimate ambition but now some 
other form inhabited him. Perhaps it was his grandfather. Perhaps his grandfather’s powerful 
spirit was pushing him and forcing him to become the most revered fighter of his generation. 
He wanted something else, what was this he was feeling. Could it be loneliness? But he 
wasn’t lonely, he had loads of friends and he always drew huge, admiring crowds when he 
visited the All You Can Eat restaurants. What was missing? Maybe it was…
“Mr Dincht?” Zell’s mind came crashing back down and he blinked in the face of 
Instructor Trepe.
“Ah, sorry Quistis, what were you saying?” Quistis frowned.
“I was just informing your group of the proceedings. You are to take these five SeeD 
candidates and these two SeeDs to see the sights of Balamb and Balamb Garden. Don’t miss 
anything out of your tour and be sure to have them back here by 1630 hours for some food in 
the Cafeteria. I hear there’s going to be double the amount of hotdogs being served today.” 
She said this last statement menacingly, as if holding a bone in front of a dog.
“Cool, I wouldn’t miss it for the world,” grinned Zell, he turned to his group. “Okay 
you lot. I’m your tour guide for today. My name’s Zell Dincht and I will be introducing you 
to our wonderful Garden. How’s about we all introduce ourselves then?” The group members 
shifted uneasily, they hated being put on the spot.
“We’ll start with you then.” He pointed to a shy-looking SeeD cadet. “Tell us your 
name and where you’ve come from.” The cadet stepped forward and cleared her throat.
“Er, my name’s Tasmin and I ah, come from Timber.” She stepped back immediately 
and smiled shyly. Zell gave a friendly smile.
“Thanks Tasmin. You know, I know a girl from Timber, we’ll have to get you to have 
a bit talk with her later. How about you, what’s your name?” He pointed to a SeeD. She 
looked the same age as Zell and also slightly bored in his classroom game. She stepped 
forward.
“I’m Mishka and I come from Trabia Garden. Can I go now?” Zell looked slightly 
surprised.
“Are you okay?” 
“Not really.”
“Is something bothering you? Would you like to be transferred to another group?”
“Nah, I’ve just heard this all before. I was in Trabia Garden before this so I don’t 
think there’s a great deal you can tell me that I don’t already know.” She smiled sweetly. Zell 
paused, slightly taken aback.
“Well, if you’d rather just take a look around by yourself, you can do that. Just make 
sure you’re in the Cafeteria by 1630 hours or you’ll go hungry.”    
“Gotcha cap’n!” With a salute and a secret wink she walked briskly away. Zell 
watched her for a moment. He would never have dared say that to anyone; this girl didn’t 
mind what she said or whom she said it to. You gotta admire that in a person, Zell thought. 
He glanced over in the direction she had walked in only to see her long black hair tumbling at 
her waist as she turned the corner out of sight.


“Oh brother,” sighed Irvine as the argument erupted for the third time in the last five 
minutes.
“I was here before you got here! You pushed me!”
“You walked into me! You’re in my space!” The two young SeeD cadets showed the 
signs of being a typical brother and sister team, their ceaseless bickering had given Irvine the 
biggest headache he’d ever had.
“Listen you two, I don’t care which one was here first but you’ll both be going to the 
back of the line if you don’t shut up!” The two young cadets gazed up at Irvine, their big blue 
eyes filling with tears. Irvine slapped his forehead. Oh great, now I’ve gone and upset them. 
He bent down.
“It’s okay, don’t cry, I didn’t mean to shout, but you’re gonna have to help me out 
here, I can’t be heard over your shouting.” The young girl sniffed.
“I’m sorry Mr Irvine,” she mumbled quietly. Irvine smiled and ruffled her hair.
“That’s okay, now you and your brother get back in line NEXT to each other and 
we’ll carry on, okay?” The girl nodded and went to stand next to her brother.
“Aww, now ain’t that sweet?” Irvine spun around at the sound of that unfamiliar 
voice. He was faced with a girl about his own age, her long black her flowed effortlessly at 
her waist and her striking aqua-blue eyes boring into Irvine, as if they could read his very 
soul. He raised his hand and started holding his neck uncomfortably.
“I er, don’t believe we’ve had the pleasure. My name’s Irvine, Irvine Kinneas.” Irvine 
held out his hand awaiting a handshake.
“Mishka, just Mishka.” Instead of accepting his hand as a handshake, she grabbed 
hold of it and pulled herself up to his cheek before planting a soft kiss there. Irvine blushed 
fiercely.
“I er…em…pleased to meet you Miss,” was all he could manage. She wrinkled her 
nose up and then narrowed here eyes to look at him. Irvine gazed back, unconscious of the 
fact that his mouth was in fact hanging open. Mishka giggled slightly.
“Catching flies?” she asked. Irvine shut his mouth instantly.
“Sorry,” she said playfully, “were you expecting a good-old masculine handshake?” 
With that she grabbed hold of his hand and held it there for a moment.
Those few moments felt like forever to Irvine and he indeed wished it would last 
forever. That touch, it was like soft velvet against his skin. It was warm and reassuring and 
her eyes sparkled like sunlight on a plunge pool. She withdrew her hand much to Irvine’s 
dismay and turned her head towards another group of eager young students.
“I’ll catch you later Irvy! Gotta go!” Irvine knew he couldn’t just let her wander out 
of his life. He grabbed her arm awkwardly.
“I er, ah, will you be training tomorrow?” She smiled.
“Maybe. If I do I’ll be in the training centre at 0600 hours.” She flounced away, her 
hair billowing behind her as she disappeared out of Irvine’s sight. Was that an invitation or 
am I just translating that in too much of a self-referent way? His eyes dropped to the ground. 
Should he even be thinking this so soon after Selphie? Selphie seemed to have moved on so 
why couldn’t he? So many questions…but he had to concentrate on the job in hand. He turned 
to his group who all seemed to be staring at him with a knowing gaze and smiling. Irvine 
looked slightly embarrassed back at them but quickly regained his composure. Come on cool 
exterior, don’t fail me now!
“Okay people, let’s move out!”
“Er, Mr Kinneas?” Irvine turned round to see a young man, also about the same age 
as himself walking timidly towards him.
“I, er…well, I’m supposed to be in your group but I got lost and…well…I’m here 
now. Sorry sir.” Irvine smiled reassuringly.
“That’s okay, what’s your name? I take it you’re a SeeD then, not a cadet.” The 
soldier nodded.
“Yeah, I’ve transferred here from Galbadia Garden, the name’s Gabriel Sakura.” 
Irvine steeped back.
“Galbadia? That’s where I’m from, maybe we know each other. I remember a Gabriel 
in my class but he was always very shy and never said much but he was one hell of a fighter!”
Gabriel blushed. “Yeah, I think that was me. I remember you Irvine although I never 
got to talk to you mainly because of the crowds of girls around you.” It was Irvine’s turn to 
blush.
“Ah, yeah, that was me. Anyway, it’s good to meet you again Gabriel.” Irvine shook 
Gabriel’s hand. “Why don’t you join me for something to eat at 1630 hours. I’d love to 
introduce you to my friends.” Gabriel looked slightly worried. 
“Is there many? It’s just that…ah…I mean….well, I don’t like crowds very much.”
“Relax, there’s only six of us, well, five of us at the moment. Don’t worry, they won’t 
bite your head off or anything.” Gabriel nodded reluctantly.
“Okay then, we’re on!”


Squall stretched out his weary legs and gazed up at his ceiling. Thank Goodness that 
was over. It had been a tiring day but thankfully it was over and all those little bratty SeeD 
cadets were now tucked up nicely in their beds asleep. Which is what I should be doing really, 
thought Squall.  With a content smile on his face he shut his eyes and dreamt the sweetest 
dreams he’d ever had. He dreamt of Rinoa’s playful stature, Selphie’s bubbly nature, Zell 
with his fists poised for battle, Quistis with her mature, loving temperament and 
Irvine…actually, Irvine was acting pretty strangely. Squall had noticed that earlier when he 
refused his food in the cafeteria and then retired early to bed, ignoring the crowds of women 
trying to catch his warm, hazel eyes. Even Zell noticed. He kept stopping after every five 
hotdogs and saying, “What’s with Casanova?” Nobody knew. Irvine made his way back to his 
dormitory with a single word. The guy, Gabriel, he’d brought with him disappeared earlier. 
Boy was he a laugh a minute. He’d barely said a word all night. Only to answer “yes” and 
“no” to questions directed at him. Irvine had assured them that he was a great fighter but the 
group was far from impressed by him. Nevertheless, they’d been courteous until he took his 
leave after about an hour and returned to his dormitory. Nobody knew what was wrong with 
Irvine though.
“Probably missing Selphie,” commented Rinoa. Quistis shook her head.
“Nah, I don’t think so. He got over her straight away, but I think there was something 
bothering him before the break-up. He just seems so detached.” Zell nodded his head in 
agreement.
“Yeah, he said to me that he was thinking of leaving for a while. Dunno why, he just 
said he needed to ‘find himself’. Must have thought he’d find himself on the desert plains.” 
Squall chuckled slightly.
“Poor guy, I think he’s just a little lost at the moment. Him and Selphie seemed good 
together at first but well, he matured and Selphie…didn’t. I think he’s ready to move on in his 
life and in his relationships.” Zell laughed, grabbing hold of Squall’s head and scrubbing it 
roughly.
“Check out Dr Psychiatric here!” he laughed. Squall pulled away playfully.
“Hey, can I help it if I’m brilliant?” Quistis rolled her eyes.
“Oh please, Rinoa sort him out will you? Start by deflating his ego a little.” Rinoa 
smiled and held her hands up in the air.
“He’s nothing to do with me!” Zell suddenly remembered something and interrupted 
the squabble.
“Hey did anyone check out that new SeeD just transferred here from Trabia? Boy was 
she cute!” Quistis raised her eyebrows.
“I’m surprised you noticed, Zell,” she teased, “didn’t think you went in for all that 
lovey stuff!”
“Who said anything about ‘love’?” cried Zell defensively. Rinoa and Squall leaned 
forward.
“What’s this?” chirped Rinoa. “Is there love and passion on the horizon for Zelly-
baby?!” Zell folded his arms sulkily.
“I ain’t gonna bother trying to talk to you guys anymore.”
“Oh Zell, we were only teasing. We know what comes first in your life. The old 
martial arts-thing.” Zell looked slightly more pleased with himself and nodded his head.
“That’s right and don’t you forget it! I ain’t going in for that stoopid love-thing. It just 
holds you back from being the greatest there is and I’m not going to get caught up in it.” The 
companions nodded their heads as seriously as they could and Zell, seeming to be convinced 
they’d accepted his word, relaxed his arms.
Squall tossed a peanut into his mouth. “So when’s the big day, Zell?” Rinoa laughed 
and nudged her boyfriend. 
“Stop teasing him, meanie!”  Zell jumped up and went to sulk in the corner of the 
cafeteria. 

I wonder where Irvine went after that? Thought Squall as he turned over in his bed. 


Irvine turned his back on the rabble of the cafeteria and walked slowly towards his 
dormitory. What was wrong with him? Could he really be missing Selphie? But no, he 
couldn’t have been. If he was missing her he wouldn’t have got so nervous when he met 
Mishka. His head was full of questions and discontent when suddenly he noticed a petite little 
figure hurtling towards him.
“Look out!” he screamed as Selphie ran straight into Irvine’s chest sending herself 
flying backwards onto the floor.
“Selphie? I can’t believe it! When did you get back?” Selphie accepted Irvine’s hand 
to help her up and giggled as she straightened her dress.
“Hi-ya! I got back about five minutes ago. I was on my way to the cafeteria to say 
‘hi’ to you guys, is dinner over already?” Irvine shook his head. 
“Nah, I just came away early, I got a bit of a headache and it’s totally noisy in there. 
It’s SeeD induction day today, so it’s swarming with SeeD cadets.”
“Oh right.” There was an uneasy silence and the two stood there for several moments 
looking at the walls uncomfortably. Irvine broke the silence.
“Selphie…” he began. Selphie looked up at him inquisitively. “There’s no hard 
feelings is there? About the break-up I mean.” Selphie smiled.
“No, it’s okay Irvine. I guess we’ve established that we weren’t going anywhere. I 
really REALLY hope it doesn’t interfere with our friendship though. I’d hate to think that 
every time one of us walked in the room, the other got uneasy and had to leave. We’re friends 
and we always will be, right? Let’s just forget about it and move on.” Irvine was slightly 
taken aback by Selphie’s coolness when talking about the split. She seemed to have got over 
it very well. Forget about it Irvine, she moved on, you can too. 
“That’s great Selph, I’m glad we can get back to normal. Listen, we’re thinking of 
going out tomorrow night for a drink in Deling City. You see, it’s Rinoa’s 18th and we 
promised not to go out drinking without her until she was 18 too. So tomorrow night’s going 
to be the first time we all get to go out as legal drinkers, you wanna come?” Selphie jumped 
enthusiastically.
“Do I ever!!” 
“I’ve invited someone I used to know from Galbadia who’s just transferred here. His 
name’s Gabriel and he’s really shy, I thought he could do with the company to bring him out 
of his shell.” Selphie nodded in agreement.
“Oh yeah and if I find her I’m thinking of inviting someone from your old garden, 
Mishka I think her name is. I met her today, she’s just transferred too.” Selphie frowned at the 
mention of the name.
“Mishka? Oh please not her! She was always so…so…good at everything but she 
was never happy with it. The rest of us tried so hard and we never got good grades but we 
appreciated it when we got one. And,” Selphie paused momentarily,  “She always had a group 
of guys hovering around her.” Irvine raised his eyebrows.
“So…she had a lot of boyfriends?” he said this trying to seem uninterested and calm 
while inside he was burning with jealousy.
“No,” replied Selphie bluntly, “she never paid any attention to them. If she said 
“hello” to a guy it was considered a privilege but she’d never have much to do with anyone.” 
Irvine’s heart speeded up dramatically, he couldn’t believe it. Mishka had said more than just 
“hello” to him, she’d flirted, kissed his cheek and half-invited him to join her training the next 
morning. He mustn’t tell Selphie that though. 
“Oh right…well, I’m off to bed now I’m really tired. The guys are all in the cafeteria, 
you can’t miss them. So, er, don’t forget about tomorrow night, we’ve got a lot to catch up on. 
Catch you later Selph!” Selphie smiled and waved as he walked away. YES!! I’m over him! I 
didn’t felt anything as we talked; I must be over him!  She headed towards the Cafeteria with 
blissful memories of cute Galbadian SeeDs…


Irvine opened his eyes and looked at his clock. 
“Argh!  I slept in!” It was 0700 hours and he was intending to meet Mishka at 0600 
hours. Leaping out of his bed, he ran straight into the shower. Two minutes passed and Irvine 
was out of the shower and desperately climbing into his clothes. Irvine’s roommate Leon 
walked in and grinned.
“Er excuse me sir but I think you’ll find that you’re up out of bed and it’s not dinner-
time yet.” Irvine scowled at him and zipped up his flies.
“Actually I thought I’d get up a bit earlier and do a bit of training.” Leon nodded his 
head.
“Uh-huh, and that’s why you just had a shower right? Correct me if I’m wrong but I 
thought it was custom to shower AFTER you trained.” Irvine tried to ignore him as he 
brushed his long hair and tied it back. He placed his cowboy-style hat on his head and 
grabbed his gun. He turned to his roommate.
“I feel more comfortable like this,” he said bluntly and walked towards the door.
“Say “hi” to her from me will ya?” Irvine swung around and glared at Leon who just 
laughed.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I have to go before breakfast. Tidy your side 
of the room up aswell before I get back.” With that he headed towards the Training Centre.
He entered the Training centre and wandered aimlessly among the foliage. He 
stopped short. Through the calm, humid atmosphere he thought he could here the sound of a 
girl’s voice and the repeated thud of what sounded like hand-to-hand combat. Curious as to 
whom, it was and if it was Mishka, Irvine followed the sound. Then he saw her. Her dark hair 
was tinged with brilliant purple and her delicate form dealt serious blows to the target. His 
eyes rested on her, mesmerised.
With a final blow, the Grat flopped on the floor and disappeared. Suddenly aware of 
an alien presence she spun round to face Irvine.
“Hi there,” he managed, his voice wavering slightly under the pressure.
“Ah, erm, hi. It’s er, Irvine right?” Irvine, gentlemanly as ever, tilted his hat in her 
direction.
“I’m flattered you remember my name.”
“I never forget a cute guy…” Mishka smiled, slightly embarrassed by what she’d just 
said.
“S..sorry I er, my mind’s on other things.” Irvine smiled as if he understood. Mishka 
shifted uneasily.
“So…do you wear that head in bed then? You always seem to have it on.” Irvine 
laughed and did her the honour of taking it off and doing a twirl. Mishka nodded.
“You know, you don’t have to wear that, you look great without it.” Irvine placed it 
back on his head.
“I like it, it’s a part of me now.” Mishka looked at him, waiting for him to say 
something else. Irvine’s mind raced for something to say and then he remembered the 
invitation.
“Oh yeah, I almost forgot. Are you busy tonight? It’s just that a few of us were 
thinking of going to Deling City for a drink. I just wondered if you’d like to join us.” Irvine 
purposely made no mention of Selphie, frightened of putting her off. 
Mishka thought for a moment and finally smiled. “Sure, I’d love to. It’s about time I 
got to know some people here, I think I’ll be hanging around for a while.”
“Oh good…” said Irvine before wondering why the hell he said it. 
“So” began Mishka, “shall we get down to some training?” Irvine grinned and spied a 
Grat in the distance.
“I’ll race you to it!” shouted Mishka as she disappeared in pursuit of the plant.


“This is the one,” said Zell as the group stopped outside a pub in Deling City. Squall 
rolled his eyes.
“Zell, are you sure, you said that about the last two.” Rinoa snuggled into Squall’s 
arm.
“I’m cold…” she mumbled.
“Let’s just do it,” said Mishka and she pushed open the door. Several people turned to 
look at the unfamiliar group but soon lost interest and returned to their ‘interesting’ 
conversations. Irvine couldn’t take his eyes of Mishka, she looked great in that dress, her hair 
was arranged beautifully and she wore the most heart-melting smile. Selphie only looked at 
Mishka to scowl every now and again but Mishka ignored it and tried to smile back, not 
interested in starting a ‘bitch-fight’. Irvine was wearing a neater version of his usual clothes, 
Rinoa was wearing THAT dress, the one she wore when she met Squall, Zell wasn’t one to 
make much of an effort but he would have if he’d known Mishka would be here and Gabriel 
looked pretty good, if only he’d speak a little…
Zell selected a table in the corner and everyone sat down around it. Selphie sat next to 
Gabriel unwittingly and Irvine was sure to sit next to Mishka. Unfortunately, Zell sat the other 
side, completely unaware of Irvine’s intentions. The eight friends sat around and looked at 
each other before Squall eventually spoke.
“Okay, I’ll get the first round in, what’s everyone drinking?” Everyone gave their 
orders and Squall repeated them to make sure.
“I’ll help you,” said Rinoa, getting up out of her seat.
“No you won’t,” replied Quistis, “this is your night, I’ll do it now sit down.” Rinoa 
sat back down as Quistis walked over to the bar with Squall. Rinoa couldn’t help but feel a 
slight tinge of jealousy. She was aware of Quistis’ feelings before, she just hoped and prayed 
they’d changed.
“A lady of leisure now are you?” laughed Mishka. Rinoa smiled back.
“Looks like it, I could get used to this!” Everyone sat around quietly and looked at 
each other again. Irvine was desperate to bring Gabriel into the conversation, seeing how 
bored he looked.
“So, Gabriel…what do you think of Balamb, it ain’t too bad is it?” 
“No, not really.”
“Better than Galbadia do you think?”
“The people are a bit friendlier here.”
“What do you think of Squall and Quistis?”
“They seem nice.”
“What you drinking then?”
“Vodka.” That was the end of that conversation. Irvine felt mentally exhausted trying 
to bring him out and finally gave up. This guy was totally sheltered and it showed. He 
probably wasn’t that good a fighter anyway.
“Here we go guys!” Squall placed four drinks on the table and Quistis followed suit. 
And so this is how the night went. Each person took it in turns to replenish the drinks which 
was quite a regular occurrence. Irvine continually attempted to talk to Gabriel and incorporate 
him into the group, with little success. He also kept half an eye on Mishka all night as did 
Zell. Selphie took a few moments every now and again to direct a filthy look in Mishka’s 
direction, while, Mishka enjoyed the company of her new friends, mainly chatting to Quistis. 
Squall and Rinoa were wrapped up in each other and barely noticed anyone else was around 
them, until it was time to give the order for drinks. Six rounds of alcohol later and everyone 
was pretty much loosened up and some like Zell and Selphie, couldn’t lift their heads off the 
table.
“C’mon guys let’s dance!” Mishka jumped up, followed by Irvine, Quistis, Zell and 
Selphie while Squall, Rinoa and the ever-serious Gabriel remained sat at the table. The five 
danced drunkenly, mindless of the fact that there was no dance floor and that the regulars 
were staring at them in disbelief. Mishka giggled wildly and tripped almost falling to the floor 
but being heroically rescued by Irvine who was also losing his balance. Zell was either totally 
lost in the music or in the alcohol as he ignored his surroundings and punched the air madly. 
Selphie stood giggling hysterically at Zell while Quistis danced alongside Mishka and Irvine, 
unable to focus and smiling at anyone she didn’t know.  Mishka staggered over to Quistis and 
fell onto her.
“I..ah think am a teensy bit dwunk!” she giggled and both her and Quistis cracked up 
laughing. Irvine looked on and shook his head.
	“Don’t be so shtupid,” slurred Irvine and he grabbed hold of Mishka, forcing her to 
dance with him. Mishka put her head on his chest, unwittingly and started to go to sleep.
	“Zell, you’re maad!” laughed a dazed Selphie. Zell turned round aggressively and 
shouted at the rest of the pub.
	“Hey! Who wants a fight then, eh? I’ll take you all on, C’MON!!” Before he could 
finish issuing the rest of his challenge, he tripped and landed on his face causing Selphie to 
fall down after him purely from laughing so hard.
	Quistis grabbed Irvine’s shoulders and shouted down Mishka’s ear. “Ha ha! Look at 
them two!” She pointed towards Rinoa and Squall and then to Gabriel who looked more than 
slightly embarrassed by it all. 
	“Hey! Gabrielle!” shouted Irvine, resulting in endless laughter on the part of Quistis 
and Mishka. “Show us wot ya got!” Gabriel stood up, not outwardly affected by the alcohol, 
but minus several inhibitions and fired with the incentive to impress. He picked up Irvine’s 
gun and aimed at the glass Selphie was holding. With a swift pull of the trigger, the glass was 
shattered into pieces and Selphie was left staggering. The group was left gawking at this feat 
of accuracy and Selphie turned around and looked at him, spell-bound. 
	“HEY! You’d better pay for that!” shouted an angry barman. Irvine made his way to 
the bar and dumped 1,000 gil on the counter. 
	“Sorry about that my good man, he’s mad you know.” The man, satisfied by the 
payment, allowed the group to stay, hoping more glasses would be broken if this was the 
result. Irvine wandered back to the dancing to see Gabriel apologising to Selphie and offering 
her another drink. Who does he think he is? Thought Irvine and then realised Selphie was free 
to do as she will.  He glanced at Mishka who was now being clinged to by a very drunken 
Quistis. He smiled and ran back to them.
	Squall stood up and looked at the time.
	“Oh man,” he breathed, “it’s 0200 hours, we can’t get back into the Garden now, they 
won’t let us.” Rinoa opened her eyes and grinned at Squall, swaying slightly. 
	Well,” she began, prodding Squall roughly and not realising it. 
“I…suppose…we’ll…have…to…get…a…room…tonight!” Squall thought for a moment and 
through his alcohol-infected mind, he decided this would be best. Wandering over to the pub 
phone, he called the local hotel and arranged for four double rooms to be booked.
	“There,” he said as he returned to Rinoa, “all sorted and paid for, we’ll head back in a 
short while.”
	“C’mon,” said Rinoa, tugging at Squall’s sleeve, “LET’S…DANCE!” The dancing 
group emitted a cheer as Squall and Rinoa made their way to the self-made dance floor. 
Selphie and Gabriel were laughing at giggling at one end of the room, Squall and Rinoa were 
attempting a slow dance in the heat of the heavy rock music and Zell, Quistis, Mishka and 
Irvine stood in a circle, taking it in turns to do their thing in the centre of the circle. Mishka 
swayed into the centre and imitated Zell’s punches and kicks, accompanied by Zell himself. 
Quistis grabbed hold of Zell’s shoulders from behind, attempting to start a conga. Mishka 
noted this and grabbed hold of Quistis’ waist, followed by Irvine. The four made it round the 
room, kicking in the appropriate places and trying to convince Selphie and Gabriel to join. 
Selphie screamed and grabbed hold of Irvine, followed by a reluctant Gabriel. Squall and 
Rinoa were the last to join and followed the group around the room. Pretty soon, the line was 
20 strong as all the regulars forgot themselves and joined the ever-increasing line. The 
bartender put his head in his hands after taking a look round his usually quaint and quiet pub. 
These kids were a bad influence, but he WAS making a lot more gil than usual, so he said 
nothing and allowed the customers to engage in their drunken celebrations.
	Oh boy,” breather Mishka to no-one in particular, “am I going to regret this in the…” 
She stopped short, totally forgetting the words she was going to say.
	“Morning,” finished Irvine, attempting to hold onto Mishka but being roughly tugged 
by Selphie’s delicate hands.
	The rest of the night was spent with similar activities until Squall, ever the sensible 
one, suggested that they made their way back to the hotel. With several protests, the group 
finally agreed and made their way through the streets. Several people stopped to stare at the 
drunken posse and they took advantage of this and began to sing. Squall stopped outside the 
hotel.
	“Sleeping arrangements,” he said, slowly and simply to allow the less-conscious 
members of the party to comprehend what he was saying.
	“Rinoa, you’ll be with Selphie. Quistis, you’re with Mishka, Gabriel you come with 
me, and Zell, you’re with Irvine.” Rinoa clung to Squall.
	“But…I…want…to...be…with...yooo!” she moaned. Irvine piped up.
	“Can I not go with Mishka, I’ll be good, I pwomise.” Mishka laughed.
	“No way! You never know, you and Zelly-baby might get on a little better than you 
ever thought possible..” Quistis and Mishka fell about laughing leaving Zell shaking with 
anger from this challenge to his masculinity. 
	“Oh, chill out Zell,” laughed Selphie and ruffled his perfectly-formed quiff. Squall 
led the way into the hotel reception area and collected the keys, handing them to the 
appropriate people.
	“Let’s go baaby!” shouted Zell as the party of eight make their way up the escalator 
and to their rooms. 

And so it was that Mishka and Gabriel entered the group of friends. While Squall and 
Rinoa remain their usual selves with seemingly no outward signs of a change of heart, the 
others face a tough time in their relationships and interactions. Gabriel and Selphie get on 
well, but she feels that she may be on the rebound from Irvine and sleeps little that night. 
Irvine pines after Mishka, but she doesn’t know what to make of it all, after all she’s just here 
for a good time, right? Zell contemplates his feelings and continues to be fired by his 
mysterious ambition, causing little sleep to ensue for the duration of that night. Quistis goes to 
sleep after a short while, not realising the disciplinary consequences she must face as the 
result of her example as an Instructor, when she returns to garden the next day. But, in the 
corner of her mind is Squall, maybe it was just the alcohol but her feelings were escalating 
and spiralling out of her control. There was a lot the group would have to think about the next 
day…

TO BE CONTINUED…


Well, there’s chapter 1 for ya! Chapter 2 will follow shortly, in the meantime, let 
me know what you thought. Constructive criticism is always welcome, so feel free to e-
mail me with any comments and suggestions.
rinoa@angelic.com