Disclaimer: I don't own FFVIII, Square does.

Infatuated Souls

A muscular figure stalked the quiet halls of Balamb Garden, before him was the SeeD commander and the princess of the now defunct Forest Owls. He had been following them for what seemed like hours now.

         "Where the hell are they going now?" he growled in his thoughts.

         They were heading towards the Quad. The silence was deafening and awkward. Gone were the effervescent students, dancing the night away during those majestic seed balls. The Quad looked rather dull, free from the fancy decorations the Garden Festival Committee was known for. The soothing music such as the infamous Waltz for the Moon, missing. Only the soft footsteps of the couple with clasped hands could be heard.

         Panic hit him as he saw them heading towards his direction.

         "Oh! Fuck!" Seifer cussed. He didn't have time to think. He clumsily dived into the nearby bushes.

         The fact that he didn't feel a thing after his gawky feat surprised Seifer. He suddenly realized that he actually landed on something, something that broke his fall.

         The scent of lavender emancipated his senses. Golden streaks shone brightly amongst the darkness.

         It wasn't a something. It was a someone.

He was on top of Quistis Trepe.

"What the… mph!" Before Quistis could react, a large gloved hand covered her mouth completely. A pair of aquamarine orbs glared furiously at the hand's owner.

          "Shh… pipe down Instructor! They might hear us." Seifer spoke in a hushed tone. She angrily nodded, fierce eyes never leaving his. He removed his palm from her soft lips. "What the hell were you doing here anyway? Hiding in bushes is very unbecoming of you, Instructor!" he spoke in a mocking tone.

          "Get the hell off me, Almasy!" she barked.

          A mischievous grin spread across Seifer's face.

          "Getting jumpy aren't we, Instructor? Don't deny it. I know that you're enjoying this."

          With amazing strength, Quistis shoved Seifer off her.

          "Oww! What was that for?" he growled. He was beginning to lose his temper.

          "What was that, Squall?" a small feminine voice inquired.

          "Oh Hyne! It's Rinoa! Its all your fault Almasy!"

          "Shh!" Seifer scowled. "Stay low! They might notice us."

          Quistis nodded and huddled beside him on the ground. Never in their entire lives had they been so close to each other. Sure he was once her student and she, his instructor, but the spacious 2F classroom was much different from the cramped greenery they were hiding at.

          "It's nothing, Rin." Squall assured while placing his arms around her tiny waist.

          "I'm sure I heard someone out there."

          "It was probably just the wind. Don't worry about it."

          "Yeah… I guess so."

          "So… we're finally alone."  The brown-haired man whispered while holding the raven-haired girl closer to him, a genuine smile forming in his face.

          Seifer narrowed his eyes. He couldn't stand seeing his rival with the woman of his dreams.

          The woman of his dreams or the woman that he lost because of his foolish dreams?

          "Damned dreams!" he muttered under his breath. He was supposed to be her knight, keeping her safe from harm. Instead he became the evil dragon who almost killed the beautiful princess for his selfish desires.

          His emerald eyes averted its gaze towards the all of a sudden silent form beside him.

          "Out of words, Trepe? It's not like you." He taunted.

          Silence. No fiery glares, no sarcastic remarks, no relentless disciplining. Nothing. Only silence. It was supposed to be music to his strained ears but it wasn't. He somehow missed Quistis' constant nagging.

          Her cerulean eyes, once flaming with anger, were misty.

          That was when realization hit him. She was still in love with Squall. He remembered back then when he was still her student. Quistis always admired Squall's every move. He caught her once, staring dreamily at his rival during an examination about junctioning GFs. She even expressed her innermost feelings to him, only to be told to talk to a fucking wall.

          He almost felt sorry for her. Almost.

          "Still fawning over Puberty boy, eh? That explains your being here. You were spying on him weren't you?"  he said rather teasingly as he smirked.

          "How did he know about Squall? Was it that obvious?" A thousand thoughts ran through Quistis' head. She couldn't stand the fact that despite the icy walls she had built around herself, he could see through her. Seifer Almasy, the cocky rebellious student, of all people. No, she couldn't let him see that he was right. Her icy façade took over as she said, "Speak for yourself, Almasy. I see you still can't accept the fact that you lost your ex-girlfriend to your rival. Well, the truth hurts, Seifer."

          The conceited smile on his face quickly disappeared, his emerald eyes narrowed into slits. "You bitch!" he hissed.

          Anger broke Quistis' composure. "Nobody calls Quistis Trepe a bitch and gets away with it!" she swore in her thoughts. She was one of the highly respected SeeDs in the garden. Students regarded her as the Almighty Trepe even after her instructor's license was taken away. No longer able to control her temper, the infuriated SeeD slapped Seifer's face. Her body trembled in rage.

"DON'T YOU EVER FUCKING CALL ME A BITCH, ALMASY!" an enraged voice shrieked.

          The man clad in a gray trench coat placed his hand on his red and burning cheek. Seifer was angry. He raised his right hand, preparing to strike her. "WHY YOU LITTLE WHO—"

          "Marry me Rinoa."

          The bickering couple froze as they heard the softly spoken statement of the commander of the Garden.

          "Yes, Squall, Yes!" The overjoyed raven-haired girl exclaimed as she threw herself into Squall's arms. Their lips met as they exchanged their passion and bliss.

          Two lonely souls stared at them with pure disbelief and grief.

          The infamous Ice Queen began to sob uncontrollably, the icy walls around her, shattering into a million pieces. Squall, the only man she had ever loved in her entire life, proposed to her bestfriend. And Rinoa said yes.

          His mind couldn't believe what his eyes were seeing.

 His dear Instructor was breaking down, crying unshed tears, tears for Squall Leonhart, his ex-girlfriend's fiancée. The heartless man felt her pain as well. Yet, he couldn't show her he was hurting. He wouldn't want anyone to see his weakness. Still the same arrogant bastard, he was.

"Stop it Quistis!" he fiercely demanded, trying to cover up the pain that was killing him inside.

"No… It can't be… it just can't… Squall… Rinoa…" Her sobs getting louder and louder.

"Squall, did you hear something? Someone's out there!"

"Yeah, I heard it too. Let's look around. Who could possibly be here! It's 2am in the morning for Hyne's sake!"

"The bush! It's moving!"

"Oh Shit!" Seifer cussed. Quistis was still crying. They were coming. He wasn't a good thinker when under time pressure. He had only one option left. He pinned a shocked Quistis on the ground. "Work with me, okay?" he whispered to her ear. Quistis, who looked quite uncomfortable, nodded. They had no choice. They wouldn't want Squall and Rinoa to find out that they were spying on them.

Rinoa moved closer to Squall as they approached the moving bush. The sound of hustling leaves filled the air. She heard muffled voices as they went nearer and nearer to the bush. The voices sounded very familiar to her.

Squall unsheathed his gunblade and sliced the plant expertly, leaves flying everywhere and revealing a blond towering form hungrily kissing a slim figure beneath him. The woman, who had her arms around the man's body, was barely visible thanks to the man's muscular build. The man however, was easily identified by Squall and Rinoa. Gray was his trademark color.

"Seifer?" Squall gasped. The blonde-haired man lifted his head towards the gawking couple. He smirked as he saw the couples' shocked faces.

They were even more surprised when they saw the figure lying beneath.

"OH MY GOD!" Rinoa shrieked.

~To Be Continued~ (That is, if I get a lot of reviews!)

A/N: Yeah… I know… This chapter is much different from what the summary states. I just wanted to show how it all began. Anyway, thanks for reading! Don't forget to review! Reviews are much appreciated.