Disclaimer: We get so tired of writing these, so this one is going to last the duration of this fic.  We do not, nor will we ever, own Final Fantasy.  It belongs to Squaresoft.

A/N: BreeAnne and I wanted to do a spin off of things.  While we were writing Swapping Souls, we realized that most of the humor we were coming up with wouldn't fit in the story because it had nothing to do with the storyline.  So we figured, why not make a completely different fanfiction all together?  And make it a Squelphie!! 

The author Battle Angel Ren is Beta-Reading this for us.  Make sure you check out her stories! She's awesome!!!

The Taming of the Lion

            The clicking of the clock's second hand was slowly driving Selphie insane.  "What is wrong with him?" she exclaimed as she looked at that annoying clock for the millionth time.  It was now seven thirty, and Irvine had promised to eat dinner with her in the cafeteria at seven.  Where was he?  Surely to Hyne it wouldn't take him that long to get out of his Magic class?  Sighing, she started to absentmindedly drop her fingertips against the tabletop. 

"Selph, what are you doing?" came a familiar voice.  Looking up, Selphie recognized the person to be Quistis.  Her blond hair was disheveled and her orange top had some mud on it.  From the looks of it, she had been training.

"Hey Quisty!" she exclaimed, "Have you seen Irvine?"

The instructor placed her hand against her chin in thought.  "Actually I did just a while ago, he was in the Training Center..."

Selphie closed her eyes and shook her head.  "What's wrong?" Quistis asked.

"He probably forgot…" the normally perky teen said solemnly. 

"Why don't you go find him?  I'll help you look…"

"Alright.  Thanks Quisty!"

"No problem.  Just let me grab a quick snack."  Quistis smiled warmly and stood in the line as Selphie busied herself with watching the door, just in case Irvine decided to show.  He didn't.

"C'mon Sefie," Quistis brought the younger SeeD out of her own little world.  In one hand she was holding a bagel and in the other some cream cheese to go on it.  "We better hurry if you want to catch him while he's still there.  If I know Irvine, and I do, he doesn't like to train long."

"Okay," she smiled and started out of the cafeteria, with Quistis following in a brisk walk. 

"So, what's the deal?  Isn't today your guys' six month anniversary?" the instructor asked through a mouth full of bagel.

"Yeah, so I can't really imagine why he would forget…"

"No kidding.  That's half of a year…"

"Hmm.  I don't know.  He's had an awful lot on his mind lately.  He just passed the SeeD exam last week, so Cid's had him busy with a bunch of missions."

"Yeah, but it's pretty sad that it's taken him this long to pass it…" Quistis giggled and tore off another piece of her bagel.

"He claimed that he wasn't trying hard enough.  But I know better," she winked.  "We all know that Irvy can't take orders to save his life."

"That's very true…"

The two girls rounded a corner and found themselves standing in front of the Training Center.  "Look Sefie, I'm not in the mood to train anymore.  You wont mind if we just kind of slip through, not fighting anything unless it's a threat?"

"Don't worry Quisty.  I was hoping to do the same!"

It was silent as the two walked through the humid room.  "I hope he's alright," was all Selphie could manage to say.  There had to be a perfectly good reason that he wasn't at the cafeteria, right?  That's what she was hoping, but hopes can be misleading.

Leaves crunched under her boots as she edged her way through the facility, trying to keep out of the sight of the Grats.  Far off in the distance, she heard the roar of a beast and a battle cry.  It sounded as if a T-Rexaur was close by.

"Hurry Selph, I'm not in the mood to be something's dinner."  Quistis said, tugging on Selphie's arm. 

"I haven't seen Irvy yet, do you think that he was dinner?" the SeeD whispered, her eyes widening.

"I doubt it…" Quistis started looking around desperately.  "Let's go there, I don't think it can get us in there!" she pointed to the 'secret spot'.  Nodding, Selphie ran to the small room crowded with couples.  Peeking out of the door, she noticed that someone was already fighting the monster, and from the looks of it, it was Squall.

"Then, we won't have to worry…" Quistis mumbled, then changing subjects completely she continued,  "Jesus, if he trains here every day we won't have any more monsters!"

Selphie giggled and watched as Squall took the beast down with Renzokuken.  No one else in the room seemed as enthusiastic about it than the tiny SeeD.  Right when she was getting ready to cheer she felt someone grab her shoulder.  When she turned around she came face-to-face with Quistis again.

"What is it?"

Without answering, the blond pointed a single finger at one of the many couples.  It took a while for Selphie's brain to process it, but once she did, she could have screamed.  Irvine was there, kissing a red headed girl and holding onto her hips.

Not knowing quite what to do, the poor girl stood there for a while, opening and closing her mouth.  She wanted to scream, but couldn't.  Her brain seemed to be short wiring.  She did the only thing she could think of-run.

Tears streamed down her cheeks as she tore past everyone.  Automatically, Quistis followed behind, shouting, "Wait up!  Selphie!"

Upon hearing the name, Irvine turned around just in time to catch a glimpse of her back.  "Crap," he murmured under his breath.

 "What's wrong?" the red head asked, looking up at him with her green eyes.

"Sorry sweetie.  I just remembered something…" he said smoothly.  Then, after pecking her on the cheek, took off after them.

Selphie hid her face in her hands and continued to run, finally making her way out of the Training Center, and passing Squall on the way out.

"What's wrong with them?" he asked himself as he watched Quistis and Irvine zip by after the tiny brunette.  Casually he put his gunblade back in its sheath, shoved his hands in his pockets and walked after the crazy procession.

*     *     *

"Leave me alone!" Selphie screamed, slamming the door in Quistis' face.

"C'mon Selph!  Let me in!  I just want to talk to you!" her friend pleaded from the other side of the door.  There was no response.  "Come on Selphie!  You can't stay in there forever!"

"I can sure try!" came the muffled reply.

"Open up!  Please!" the instructor continued banging on the door.

"No!"

The sound of boots came their way.  Irvine rounded a corner looking out of breath.  "Where's Selphie?" he managed.

Quistis glared daggers at him, but held her tongue.

"She's in her dorm, isn't she?" he asked, putting his hand on the doorknob.

"It's locked…" the blond warned.  Irvine however attempted to open it anyway.

"Sefie, honey, let me in."

"Get the hell away, Irvine!"  The cowboy's eyes widened.  Selphie hardly ever swore!

"I can explain everything!"

"What's the point?" she countered venomously.  "Go have a good time with what's-her-name."

For this, Irvine had no comeback.  Uneasily, he removed his hat and scratched his head.  Eagerly he searched for something to throw back at her.  "Well…I-uh, can't help I'm so popular with the ladies!" he blurted out.  Immediately after the words escaped his lips he covered his mouth with his hand.

Quistis' jaw dropped and she stared at him in pure hatred.  "I can't believe you!" she roared.  Then, before stomping off, she brought her hand across the cowboy's face.

Irvine stood in shock, touching his check that he was sure was already turned bright red.  Shaking his head, he turned back to the door.  "Are you going to let me in?"

"No!"

"Can someone tell me what's happening?" a monotonous voice asked.  Squall stood a few feet away, his face stoic and arms crossed.

"Nothing…" Irvine replied nervously.

"You liar!" Selphie yelled from within her room.

Squall stared at Irvine expectantly, but said nothing.

"Alright…" he began slowly, and his voice dropped.  "Selphie saw me…uh…kissing another girl…"

"You were all over her!" she retorted.

"You know what!?  Maybe I can't help the fact that you just don't satisfy enough!"

Squall's eyes narrowed and he scowled at Irvine.  "You know what I can't stand!?  Two-timers like yourself!" the commander spat, punching him in the same cheek Quistis had slapped him.  "Now leave her alone!"

Irvine looked around, bewildered before actually listening.  Squall's cold gaze followed him until he was gone completely.  "He shouldn't bother you anymore," he said through Selphie's door, then he walked off.

*     *     *

Selphie abandoned her post by her door and ran to her bed.  She let herself fall face first into the sheets, then hugged the pillow against her face.  "Thanks, Squall," she mumbled into it.

Then the tears came like never before.  Her breathing was ragged and long black streams of mascara were winding down her face.  She did the first thing that came to mind-pick up the phone and dial her friends' number.

"Hello?" the voice on the other line asked.

"Sae?  Is that you?" she asked shakily.

"Selph?  What's wrong?"

"Sae?  Who is it?" someone in the background questioned.

"It's Selphie!"

"Oh! Tell her I said 'hi'!"

"Arisu says hi!"

"You guys…" Selphie couldn't help but chuckle a little through her tears.

"Hey!  Put it on speakerphone!" Arisu suggested.

"Good idea.  Hold on Selph!" There was a clicking sound, then the SeeD became aware of all the noise in their dorm.  The radio was blaring some rock music and the television was turned up full blast.  A cry of 'turn down the radio!' was heard, then the dorm got a bit quieter, except for the faint murmur of the television.

"Alright!" Arisu exclaimed, "How's it goin'?"

Selphie was silent for a while, wondering how she could word her problem.  "I'm transferring back to Trabia," she finally blurted.  On the other line, everything was quiet besides laughter coming from the TV. 

"Y-You're leaving Balamb?" Sae eventually spoke up.

"But why?"

"Because I can't face him anymore."

"Who?" both girls asked at the same time.

"Irvine…"

"I warned you about him!  You deserved better!" Arisu declared loudly.

"Yeah, he was a jerk.  Forget about him!"

"He said he couldn't be satisfied with just me.  Maybe it's my fault…" Selphie cried into the phone.

"No, listen to me Sefie…" Arisu began, "It was not your fault.  You can't change him!  It can't be done!"

"In the words of my dad, 'he's a putz'," Sae laughed.

"Or a shmuck," Selphie added, smiling.

"Your dad is so weird, Sae!" Arisu managed between giggling.

"Yeah, but you've gotta love him!"

Selphie cringed upon hearing 'love'.  Had she really loved Irvine?  She thought she did, but he obviously didn't feel the same about her.  "I just wanted to say goodbye.  I'm leaving for my transfer papers now.  Sorry guys…"

"But-" the two squealed, but Selphie clicked the phone off before they finished.  She placed the phone back on the fluffy pink receiver.  Sighing she got up and looked at her reflection.  After rubbing as much of the mascara off as she possibly could, she opened her door.

"I knew you couldn't stay in there forever," Quistis said standing away from the wall she was previously leaning against.  She wasn't alone, Rinoa was there as well.

"I thought you left…" Selphie said, looking at the instructor.

"I came back after Irvine left."

"And I followed," Rinoa smiled, "I heard about what happened.  Do you want me to beat him up?"

"Would you?"

Rinoa laughed and hugged her friend.  "Sure I would.  Actually, I would probably pay Zell to." Everyone laughed.

"Well, I've got to get going…" the small SeeD said, walking past her friends.

"Where ya goin'?" Rinoa asked as she and Quistis followed.

"Umm…" Selphie looked down at her feet so as not to make eye contact.  "Cid's office."

"What for?" Quistis arched an eyebrow.  "What'd you do?"

For a second, she almost told them what she was really doing, but she didn't want them stopping her.  It could be a while before she would be able to transfer anyway.  "He wants to see me about the Garden Festival," she lied.

"But it was just a few weeks ago…" Rinoa pointed out, narrowing her eyes suspiciously.

"I know, he says he already has ideas for next year…"

"Oh, well have fun!  I have to go come up with tomorrow's lesson plans." Quistis waved goodbye, then headed in the direction of her dorm.'

"I'll go with you if you want…" the obsidian haired girl offered just as the SeeD was approaching the elevator.  While Selphie desperately searched for a polite way to say 'no', the sound of footsteps came their way.  Both girls spun around to see Zell looking immensely troubled.

"Hiya, Zell.  What's wrong?"  Selphie asked, forcing a smile.

Momentarily, he glanced between the friends.  "I really need to talk to someone.  I don't care who.  I saw you both first."

"Oh, that's nice!" Rinoa said sarcastically, yet her face still seemed friendly.  "Well, Selphie has to see the Headmaster, we can talk when we get back…"

"Don't worry 'bout me Rinny.  I can handle it myself."

"You sure?"

"It's not the first time I've been called to his office," Selphie grinned somewhat.

"Thanks Sefie!" Zell said.

"No problem, just clue me in when I get back," she winked.

"Alright!" Rinoa agreed, then all of a sudden she was aware that Zell had grabbed her wrist.

"C'mon, I'll tell you when we get to the Quad…" he said, dragging her away.

Thankful to be alone, Selphie boarded the elevator and pressed the 3F button.  A few minutes passed and then a dinging sound resonated.  The doors opened and she got off.

"Hello Selphie, what brings you here?" Xu asked, looking up from her desk.

"I need to see the Headmaster," the younger SeeD replied bluntly.

"Well, he's meeting with someone right now.  What do you need to see him for?"

"I need some transfer papers," she mumbled, eyes fixated on the floor.

"What for?" Xu asked, pulling some papers out of one her desk drawers.

"…Transferring…"

"I think I figured that much out," she rolled her eyes and handed Selphie the papers.  "Alright.  Fill these out and give them back to me when you're done."

Nodding, Selphie sat down in an unoccupied chair.  "Can I bum a pen off you?" she asked.

"Yup," Xu said, throwing one at her.

*     *     *

What's wrong, Zell?" Rinoa asked the troubled looking blond as she took a seat on one of the Quad's stairs.

"It's…uh, well…" he rubbed the back of his head, "Amy was just sent to work at Esthar Garden."

"Oh, Zell.  I'm sorry!  But I'm sure you'll still be able to see her!"

"No, I won't…" he slouched forward, and it seemed that he became immensely interested in the tree.  It got quiet, so Rinoa decided to break the silence.

"How come?" she nudged him in the side with her elbow.

The martial artist took a deep breath, "Okay, I went to see her off this morning, right?  Before she boarded, she looked at me and said, 'Sorry Zell, but long distance relationships never work out.' I told her that we could still try, but she just shook her head saying that it would be too difficult and we might as well break up now."

Rinoa wasn't sure of what to say, so she was grateful when Zell continued to speak.

"I couldn't believe it!  My mouth seemed to have stopped working, so I nodded and watched as she boarded the airship.  When she got on, I saw her look out the window and wave.  I waved back.  As soon as the ship took off, I wandered aimlessly around."

"Sorry, I'm rambling.  But it felt good just to get it off of my chest."

At last!  Something she knew how to respond to!  "Don't worry about it, what're friends for?" she smiled.  His ice-blue eyes averted from the tree and looked at her.

"Thanks for listening, Rin."

"No problem," she put her arm around his shoulder in a comforting manner.  "Squall never voices his problems, so it feels good to actually listen to someone once in a while."

"You're the greatest," he said kissing her on the cheek, then he stood up.  "I'm going back to the dorms.  See you tomorrow."

"A-Alrighty, good night!" she called after him.  After he left she brought her hand up to her cheek.  Why would he do that?  To him, it was probably nothing more than just a friendly peck, and that's all it should have been for her.  But why was her heart pounding so hard?

*          *          *

We hope you enjoyed the first chapter!  The second will be up pretty soon…hopefully.