Hi!! Uhm... I´m new in this kind of stuff, I mean I like reading fanfics, but writing one... well it´s a whole different thing. Sorry if my English is not perfect, but it´s not my mother-tongue, so if you find any grammatical or vocabulary mistakes, please let me know, that way I can improve my English and you will enjoy a less mistaked story.

I would really appreciate if you would review, especially if the critics are constructive.

Hope you like it!!

Disclaimer: Okay,we all know how it works, but: I don´t own any of the characters, places, and other stuff of Final Fantasy VIII... yet.

Unexpected Destiny

Chapter 1: Dreaming of you

By CelestialRage

Damn! My head really hurts...

I can´t open my eyes...

Am I dead?

I´m numb, can´t feel anything at all...

What happened to me?

ooo ooo

Another boring day out of my boring life.

Attending classes at high school is not what I would call exciting, unless of course if you have a very important exam, and you haven´t studied at all... but that´s not the case.

At least not today.

Sighing, she raised her head, shifting her attention from her lap, where the notebook she used as diary rested, to gaze at her surroundings. From her position in one of the small tables located just between the basketball court and the main building, Rossane Bennett glanced leisurely at the numerous teenagers roaming around the place.

God, she was bored outta her mind!

Having just finished the few math excercises she´d missed yesterday (and was about to deliver as soon as the break concluded), the raven-haired found herself with nothing more to do. Usually that led her to either write her thoughts inside the precious notebook held on her thighs or doodling random things, most of which casually ended in a rather poor portrait of a young man dressed with a white fur-lined collar, black jacket.

Resting her left elbow on the table, the raven haired settled her chin on her hand´s palm as she returned her dark chocolate eyes to the notebook in front of her. Glancing at the half-written page, her pen made its way towards the right corner in order to shade what she considered was the best drawing of Squall Leonhart she´d made so far.

Though to the critic eye, it needed serious improvement.

"I tell ya, it´s not that hard."

Hearing a voice she knew too well, her gaze left the semi-shaded doodle in order to scan the corner leading to the cafeteria, her bored expression turning brighter as she spotted a pair of familiar frames: a tall, skinny boy with auburn hair and a slim, medium sized brunette.

"Hey, Rosie!" What´cha doing?" asked the boy, taking a seat at her side. Noticing the notebook, he grinned "Still, dreaming about meeting him someday?"

Smiling, she closed the notebook, a light shade of pink coloring her cheeks. "Well, I can dream, right?"

"Yeah, but try with something real... like me" He said smiling and placing an arm around her shoulders.

"Not even in your dreams, Al" Rosie said as she shoved his arm away.

"Why do you like him, anyway?" asked the other girl, rasing an eyebrow in clear disapproval "You know he isn´t real, it´s just a videogame character."

Rosie shrugged as a slight pink hue tinted her cheeks "I know that. It´s just... well... I just like him. Not just his phisique - which is splendid, by the way - but, everything he is: the way he thinks and acts. He is so caring, and kind but he hides it behind his cold behaviour..." her voice faltered there, she couldn´t describe what a wonderful person he was. They couldn´t understand her...

In fact, no one could.

The truth was, Rosie had fallen for him, even when he wasn´t real.

"Hmm, you describe him as though you have known him for a long time..." muttered Al, frowning slightly. He didn´t like the way Rosie talked about him. Squall Leonhart had become a presence that stood between him and his years-old friend. A man Al couldn´t compete with, for how could anyone contend with someone that´s not even real? Someone that only existed in a fantasy world?

"Well, I think she has." replied the brunette smiling "How long have you been playing that game anyway?"

"I´ve played it whole around 3 or 4 times... only, Mary" Rosie giggled nervously before bitting her lower lip in shame. "I really need to get out a little more."

"On that, we can agree, darling" Mary said as she opened a bag of chips. Deciding to change the topic for something more important, she made a pause before asking "So, what are we going to do tomorrow?"

Al smiled "Well, how ´bout we go to the movies? I want to see The Perfume"

Rosie´s dark eyes widened in surprise. Hell, for all she knew, the guy was only into either action or XXX movies...

Seemed there was a side of her friend she hadn´t seen before.

"Al, I didn´t know you were into that kind of movies!" exclaimed Mary, her voice showing the raven-haired wasn´t the only one surprised at the boy´s statement.

"Of course I am. Some pals told me there were lots of cute naked girls!" he said as he cast a sly grin at his companions.

... Okay, maybe there wasn´t such a side.

"Figures..." Rosie rolled her eyes "I think I gave you too much credit, my mistake" She put her notebook inside her bag and looking at her watch, raised. Just one more class to go and she was home free. "Well guys, whatever you decide is cool with me, just give me a call today around 8, ok? I have to go, but I´ll see you tomorrow."

Mary smiled and nodded "Ok, take care." Her tone became mock-serious as she pointed an accusatory finger in the raven-haired´s direction "And don´t just feign you listen to your teacher. Use that notebook for something else than making 'Squally-doodles'."

Rosie smiled and rolled her eyes "I will, mom."

"I can walk you home, if you want to" Al said as he raised to meet her level. He was taller than Rosie by a couple of inches, being her 5´6", slender, jet black hair and light cinammon-tanned skin. But what he liked the more about her, was her eyes: brown orbs were able to pierce you with their gaze.

And right now, he was completely lost in them. "Come on, what´cha say?"

The raven-haired shook her head "Don´t worry about me. I´ll be alright" she smiled and took a step back "But thanks, anyway. I´ll see you tomorrow." Without another word, she quickly placed as much distance as she could between the auburn-haired boy and herself.

Rosie knew what Al felt for her, but she couldn´t reciprocate the feeling. The three of them had been good friends since her family had moved to the house next to his 10 years ago. They had practically grown together, thus she cared for him like a brother.

But lately, he´d given her more and more hints that he wanted to be more than just good friends with her. It was an awkward and saddening situation because the least Rosie wanted was to hurt Al´s feelings... but – by no means – could she see him like anything else than one of her dearest friends.

That´s why the raven-haired had decided to put some distance between them, so he wouldn´t get his expectancies too high.

As he watched her go, Al couldn´t help but think that maybe he had already lost Rosie... and the worst part was, his rival wasn´t even real.

"Hey, don´t give up" the auburn-haired boy turned to see Mary at his side. The brunette smiled widely while giving her distraught friend a light hug "Someday she´ll see what you´re worth, and the two of you will live happily ever after."

ooo ooo

"And they lived happily ever after..." Rosie sighed as she looked at the screen which displayed the last FMV sequence of Final Fantasy VIII. She turned off the console just before Squall kissed Rinoa.

That was a sight she still had trouble stomaching...

"Damn! I wished I was her. Just to be with him... to feel him by my side... to smell his cologne, and gaze into his eyes."

Dropping backwards from her sitting position on the bed, Rosie stared at the white ceiling. The low music in the background didn´t register in her mind as this wandered through the same scenarios she´d imagined time and again. Closing her eyes, she could feel the familiar ache again. A tear rolled down her cheek as her heart burned in her chest.

Why?

Why do I feel this?

He is not even real, but... I can´t help it...

A sudden knock on her door made her nearly jump out of her skin. Drying her tears with the back of her hand, she sat up once more and as calmly as possible said "Come in, it´s open".

A slender, raven-haired woman opened the door and smiled gently at her. Glancing at the 40 year-old woman, Rosie couldn´t help but hope again that she was able to age as well as her mother.

"Hey, sweetie! Supper is ready, come down and have some. You haven´t eaten anything since this morning."

Shaking her head slightly, Rosie returned her mother´s smile "Thanks, mom. But I´m not hungry." Slidding off the bed to sit on the floor where her bag was, she unzipped it and retrieved her math notebook "Besides, I´ve got lots of homework to do."

"Honey, you have to eat something." She watched her daughter with concern. Rosie hadn´t been eating well lately, and she was worried about her health. Walking towards the bed, the older woman took a seat next to her daughter and offering her best smile, said "Look, I´ll bring you a sandwich, that way you won´t have to stop working and you can eat. How does that sound?"

Knowing arguing with her mother was a losing battle – since Mrs. Elizabeth Bennett would eventually get her way with her charming smiles and logical arguments (not minding to add a little guilty trip once in a while) – Rosie nodded "Sounds great, mom. Thanks."

"Good, I´ll be right back." Kissing her daughter on the forehead, the older woman stood from the comfortable mattress and started her way towards the door.

After her mother had left the room, Rosie sighed and went about her homework.

Frowning at the excercises her - very pregnant and therefore, moody - calculus teacher had given them, the raven-haired tossed the notebook aside, deciding to start with a less irritating subject: history. She´d always liked to know about ancient civilizations such as Rome, Egypt or Grece, always wondering how they managed to build their large temples and monuments without the aid of heavy machinery.

A thunder boomed in the distance, breaking her reverie briefly as she glanced at the already clustering dark clouds through the nearby window.

Seemed a hell of a storm was coming...

ooo ooo

A couple of sandwiches and hours later, Rosie had – incredibly enough – finished her calculus homework and was now moving towards chemistry, when the phone rang. Blessing the interruption, the raven-haired rolled on her bed to grab the inalambric device.

"Hello?"

"Hey, little darling! How are you doing on this rainy night?"

She rolled her eyes "Hi, Al. I´m fine... doing some homework, though."

"That sucks."

"Yeah, kind of does. Anyway, what can I do for you?"

"Many things, darling" He said seductively

She sneered "Cut it out. It´s getting really anoying, you know?"

"Sorry... I was trying to joke, guess you´re not in the mood."

Rosie sighed, instantly regreting her outburst at his hurt voice. She had been rude to him lately, especially when he acted like...

Irvine.

She couldn´t help but giggle at the comparison.

"What? What´s so funny?"

"Sorry, I..." Quick think of something! "... guess I left that statement too open-ended." Yeah, that should do.

"Yeah, you did..." a beeping noise interrupted their conversation "Damn! The battery of my phone is getting low, I´ll call you later, ok?

"Ok, later then."

Hanging up, she sighed again.

Irvine... Al sure acts like him sometimes. I guess that´s one of the things that makes me feel like I know the cast of that game.

Coming to think of it, Mary acts a lot like Quistis too. I wonder who gives the worst lectures?

Rosie giggled and looked at her console. She still had some homework to do, but... what the hell! Sliding off the bed, she opened her PS and retrieved her Disc 4 from Final Fantasy VIII, before placing Disc 1 inside.

Her favorite part had always been the beginning of the game: Balamb Garden, and all its educational system. She really liked it and always imagined how her life would be if she were attending classes at Garden instead of that boring highschool.

"Here we go... again!" She held the control pad and selected New Game, then the intro FMV started to play.

Suddenly, she was blinded by a powerful light and felt her body tremble with a jolt of electricity. The pain was sharp and quickly extending through her body. A loud sound boomed somewhere in the background, but she was growing number by the second to accurately pin-point it´s source.

Then darkness...

ooo ooo ooo ooo O ooo ooo ooo ooo

Author´s note:

Well, what do you think?

As you may have realised, I rewrote this and the next 5 chapters, adding more detail and a little background info (it was not much, so don´t get excited :D)

Anyway, thanks for reading the first chapter. Hope you enjoyed it and please, stick around.

Reviews are always welcome!!