Sharp-shooter

By: Van Donovan
a Final Fantasy VIII shonen ai
9 - 13 March 2000
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Disclaimer: This is the second in a series of Final Fantasy VIII stories where I write
the characters into shonen ai [and possibly eventually yaoi] positions.  The story is
based off my actual game, and so the battles are "Real".  I'm writing them as I see fit,
and as I play, so I personally don't know what is going to happen next with each character,
but I'll try to make it intersting. ^^;; As always, if you don't know what shonen ai and/or
yaoi is before reading this . . . then be warned, you might not like it [although most 
likely, if you ARE reading this, you will like it]. Anyway, enjoy.
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**You don't mind going alone with him do you?** Selphie.
**Ha! Of course not!  I'm the sharpshooter, remember?  You guys gotta worry about that
tower.  Squall and I'll handle eveeeerything else.**
**Alright.**  Pause.  **Take care! Do your best!**
	She'd run off then to join Zell and Quistis, the latter looking at Squall, the 
former idly punching in place, keeping himself toned and ready.  
	That was before the parade.
	Before he'd messed up royally.

**What's wrong?** Squall.
**I can't do it.  I always get like this, when it comes down to it.  I get all shaky.*
**Do your best. Everyone is counting on you.** 
My best?  
**I missed. I'm sorry Squall.**
**I'll take care of this.**
	Then he'd run off to leap down and take on Edea and Seifer alone.  By the time he 
and Rinoa had gotten recovered and descended to help him, it was too late.  It would have
always been too late.  Edea's limit break was murder.
	One final attack before she vanished, and that was an attack to kill.  If he hadn't 
died from the initial thrust of ice? through his chest in the beginning, the fall off the 
float would've done it. God, if he hadn't grabbed Rinoa right afterwards, she'd've 
definitely jumped after him.

	He buried his head in his arms.  Now because of him Squall was dead, Zell, Selphie
and Quistis were captured -- possibly dead too, and he didn't have a clue on where to go
look for them or to rescue them.  What -could- he do?  His best bet was to return to his
Garden and report the incident.  They'd send someone else more . . . qualified than him to
rescue them.  It . . . it wasn't in his contract.  He couldn't afford to fail them again.
	Forcing himself to his feet he readjusted his hat and walked to the wall where his
rifle rested.  He'd been unable to secure a hotel room, he'd not really wanted to try, and 
now that the police search had died down, he wanted to try to get out of here.  If he was
caught, then all hell would break loose.  He at least had to get back to Trabia to report
the incident.  With a heavy heart he slung the rifle in its place and concealed it with his
trenchcoat afterwards.  He dipped his head down and slunk out of the alleyway, his feet
padding like a cats, his form sticking to the shadows for maximum concealment.
	At first the gates had been sealed, but before long they reopened.  He'd caught 
notice that all the rebels against the sorceress had been captured.  He knew Squall had been
killed.  That just left the other three.  Rinoa too, he supposed. He'd not seen her since
then, either.  She'd refused to stay hidden when he tried to hide from the search parties.
	He slunk against a wall as a patrol unit passed by and held his breath, waiting for
them to go.  He tried to force the feelings of dread out of his heart.  He barely knew
Squall, and he really knew Zell, Selphie and Quistis less, but they had all accepted him
into their group and not only had he let them down, he'd let them get captured.  What more
could he do?  It would figure no mere bullet would work on a sorceress.
	The patrol unit passed and he was off again, weaving through town, heading for the 
exit.    He should've done better.  If he hadn't hesitated, then perhaps the bullet would
have worked, or if he'd recovered faster they could have helped Squall sooner and taken 
out Edea before she killed him.  He could've forced Rinoa to stay, or he could have tried
to help the other three from getting captured.  If, if, if.
	"Dammit." he whispered and ducked a fence-line seeing the gates to the city open to 
the plains beyond.  Sneakiness now would just get someone suspicious, so he emerged from
the shadows and casually sauntered towards the gates.
	In no time long he was though the gates, out of the city and back into the 
grassland area before.  Now he just had to trek to the nearest train station and head for
Trabia . . . there was one not far from where he was, and so Irvine Kinneas, set out on
his own.

	He reached the train station without incident, actually avoiding having to fight any 
enemy monsters lurking in the fields, too.
	"Last call for passengers to Fishermans Horizon and beyond!" came a bellowing man
dressed in a nice blue suit.  Irvine cursed and started towards the line to get a ticket.
The woman in front of him was pleading with the clerk.  She was trying to get a ticket out
of here, and apparently she didn't have enough money for the transaction and the clerk 
wasn't about to let her go for anything less.
	"The train is leaving!" she pleaded.  She knew if she walked the distance, she'd 
never get to where she needed to be in time.  Irvine allow a wide grin to spread over his
lips and dipped his hat down, sliding an arm around the cloaked woman's waist and shelling
out enough gil to pay for both her passage and his.  "One to Trabia, to get me outta this
hell-hole, and wherever the misses wants to go." he mused, hugging her.
	"This little lady is with me." he added, eyeing the clerk and squeezing the woman to
him.  She let out a yelp, turned, and clawed at his face.
	Nails raked his cheeks and he released her, jumping back in shock, his hand going to
his face in astonishment, blue eyes wide.  "Irvine?!" she then called, startled.
	"Rinoa!" he bellowed back, brows drawing into a point.  "That hurt!"
	The teller tugged her sleeve, offering her the ticket to Trabia.  She took it, then 
looked down to the destination.  Her eyes widen and she glared back up at Irvine. "Trabia!?"
she exclaimed.  "How DARE you!" she shrieked, and attempted to get her claws at him again.
Irvine was fast enough to back down and grab her wrists, to restrain her. She was a wreck.
"How can you THINK of leaving them?!" she beat on his chest, her hits not hurting. 
	Was she crying?  "We have to save them!" she whimpered.  He pulled her straight, 
looking down into her eyes, his own serious.  His lips were pursed tightly, in thought. He
felt like he was running away.  It was to get help though, wasn't it?  It wasn't because
he didn't care.  He just couldn't fail them again.  
	"Rinoa, I . . ." she rammed her head into his gut and he grimaced.
	"No! We are their only hope." she growled and pushed the man who was in line behind
them out of line to return her tickets and get them redone.
	Then she grabbed his sleeve and took off, hauling him through the station as the
train whistle gave its final whistle and the pistons started to move.  "It's too late!"
Irvine yelled over the loudness of the trains gears but Rinoa didn't slow, she just kept
charging the train, dragging him behind.  She obviously intended to grab on as it sped off.
"We'll never make it!" he shouted and yanked his arm from her grip.  She snarled, clutching 
both their tickets in her hands and used his release to pick her speed up.
	He seemed to fall further and further behind as she kept beating against the ground, 
trying to catch up with the locomotive and get in time to grab a handle bar and pull herself
onto the moving train.  The problem was, it was picking up speed and she was already growing
so tired from running.  She shed her cloak and it flitted away in the wind as she took off
even faster, actually seeming to gain on the train.
	The train shifted gears though and picked up speed, and before long it was far to 
ahead of Rinoa for her to ever hope to catch up to.  She stumbled, her freehand reaching
towards the railing of the train as it zoomed away in a futile effort. "NO!!" she screamed,
still running, despite the fact that she had no hope.
	Suddenly the sound of galloping feet rushing up from behind made her whirl around.
Irvine straddled a mad-running Chocobo, half-standing in his stirrups, leaning into the bird
to get more speed.  He was at least matching the rate of the train if not going faster.  Her
eyes widened in shock and amusement.  He leaned over the side of the bird, arm extended, to
scoop her up.  He clutched her with a powerful arm and hauled her onto the bird.  It 
protested a little against the added weight but he still was able to coax more speed out of 
it.  Catching the train now was becoming more and more of a reality.
	Before long the bird was stumbling on the tracks right behind the train and Rinoa 
was leaning dangerously close over the edge of the bird, the tickets clamped between her
lips, hands grasping for the railings on the last car.  She finally got hold and swung her 
legs off the chocobo and hoisted herself onto the small observation desk on the back of the
train.  The chocobo slowed some as the weight was distributed but then with encouragement
from Irvine it boosted again and he was able to clutch the railings, swing his leg off the 
bird and step-pull himself onto the speeding train.  
	Without a rider, the chocobo only ran a little longer before slowing down all the
way and ambling off.
	Irvine doubled over, hands just above his knees, panting. Rinoa leaned against the 
door to the inside of the last car, staring up at the ceiling, heavily breathing as well.
	"That . . . was awesome." she breathed.  He just smirked at her and opened the door
to the inside of the train, waltzing through.

	"Shit! the alarms are going off!" he whined, pressed against a wall, his rifle drawn
to bear, Rinoa sneaking a long a corridor even as the sirens wailed.
	"They're probably trying to escape themselves.  C'mon, we can find them." she urged.
He wanted to just leave.  The alarms were most likely from -them- and chances were that
Zell and the others were dead.  Dead.  Dead.  Dead.  Just like they were gonna be in awhile.
	"Irvine!" she scolded in a whisper.  He resigned himself and took off after her.
She was pressed against a door, and it was easy to hear gun fire coming from the other side.
Whoever they were shooting was -right- there.  Rinoa tested the door and found it unlocked.
The sound intensified as soon as the steel door was cracked.  He heard Squall shout 
something and the sound of Zells voice in reply, and that was all he needed.  With a surge
of energy he kicked the door down, rifle bearing to the front and let loose volley after
volley of bullets at the guards shooting up at Squall and everyone.
	"Rinoa, take two more party members and get going. I'll hold them off here." Irvine
commanded, taking careful aim as he stood in the hallway.
	Rinoa ran down the stairs as he commanded, arriving just in time to see Squall 
literally fly out of no where to save Zell.  

	Their escape together was next most important, and they were able to make it out 
onto the dune hills outside of the fortress, the screw-like center of the building not
only impressing, but frightening, them all.
	One the danger had passed, there was a little more time for catching up again.
	"Squall! you're alive." shouted Irvine grinning, slapping a hand against the quiet 
boys back.  The blue-eyed brunette just glared at the contact.
	"You sound almost disappointed." he mused.  Irvine just grinned.
	They'd come to a cross-roads in the desert and Selphie was pretty much a wreck,
trying to decide what to do.
	Irvine started over towards Zell, who he'd wanted to see since they'd been separated,
but was stopped when Selphie interjected herself. "Irvine!  Rinoa told me you rode a 
chocobo to catch the train to get here!  I'm really impressed!  How did you get a chocobo
on such short notice!?" she pipped up.  He paused in midstride, looking from Zell down to
her.  He glanced back up at Zell and met the other boy's gaze.  The blonde glanced to the
bubbling girl in front of Irvine, flashed a cute peace/victory sign, and went off towards
one of the transports they'd acquired.  Irvine sighed and directed his attention back to the 
bubbling Selphie, who was just now turning her thoughts back to Trabia.
	Quistis just leaning back, her arms crossed, watching everything going on.  Squall
wasted no time in re-equipping everyone and Irvine just -knew- since Rinoa had told everyone 
that he was gonna run off back to Trabia, that that was why he stuck him with Selphie and
Quistis to go and try to disarm the missiles while he got off with Rinoa and Zell.  That 
little gunblade wielding kid was getting on his nerves.  He was a commander, but Irvine 
hated taking the commands.  At least with the two girls, he could probably usurp the 
command.  Selphie was annoying, with her fierce dedication, even if he was from there too.
	Wrong. Too dedicated.
	Worst of all, his party would have to steal a train to Balamb to get where they 
needed to get to.  "Trains. Why's it always gotta be trains?" he moped.

	That missile mission had almost killed them all, too, and the missiles had still been
launched, and Trabia . . . destroyed.  Selphie took it a lot better than he thought she 
would.  Meeting back up with the others at Fisherman's Horizon was a welcomed relief.
Squall was off being himself and the five of them got together to plan a little party to
please not only Rinoa and Selphie but themselves as well.  She said they could assemble a 
band, too.
	Selphie arrived looking a little flustered.  "Well, I was supposed to only have four
scores of music, but somehow I ended up with eight."  she looked at them all wide-eyed.
"So . . . um, just each pick an instrument and  . . . lets see how they sound together?"
	Irvine and Zell exchanged glanced.
	Quistis crossed her arms.  "I don't have an ounce of talent; I can't play a musical
instrument." she announced. Irvine seconded her.
	Zell hopped to his feet, offering to go first.  "I'll play 'em each for ya'll, so
you can get an idea of what they all sound like." he said, picking up the bass guitar first.
Irvine raise an eyebrow at the boys proclamation.  Could he really play all eight of those
instruments well enough to demonstrate?
	Demonstrate he did.  From strumming a soft country-song tune on the guitar that
he really liked to wailing away on the saxophone, Zell played them all.  He was least best
at the piano.  Irvine enjoyed him on the saxophone best.  Boy could he blow that thing.
He realized his cheeks were a little red when Selphie elbowed his side and giggled at him.
Fortunately Zell finished his last piece before he had to face Selphie.
	"Wow Zell, I'm impressed." Quistis said, standing up and walking to the piano.  "I
think I could only possibly hope to play this at all."
	Selphie bounced right up and grabbed the country-playing guitar. "This is soooo me."
she cooed starting to strum.  Irvine make a wry face and then looked up as Zell came over
to him and handed him the saxophone.  He accepted it, trying not to look too shocked, or
pleased.  He really didn't know what to think.  Part of him wanted to scream.  Part of him
wanted to play that saxophone for Zell just as well as he had played it for the rest of 
them.  Zell slung the bass guitar over his shoulder and propped his knee up, letting out a
few deep chords.  
	Irvine sat with the saxophone in his lap and listened to everyone try to play some. 
He found himself looking down at the instrument in his lap, and shrugged. How hard was it to
play a horn?  He wet his lips and moved to raise it to his mouth to try, but paused, his
cobalt blue eyes fixed on the reed-mouth piece.  He swallowed tightly, the image of Zell
wailing away on the saxophone coming back to his mind.  Was this an indirect kiss?  
	He laughed at himself; such silly thoughts, and pressed his lips over the piece,
eyes closing, telling himself that he was being very-very-very stupid.  This was Zell, after
all.  Indirect kisses didn't count between guys, right?  He sat there a moment, lips to the
horn before letting out several long sweet notes, playing his fingers over the keys.
	He hadn't happened to notice Zell leaning against the wall, watching him the whole
time, his face set with no expression, but his cheeks tinged a faint rouge.

	Night had fallen and it was time for their debut performance.  Irvine was stalking
back and forth back stage, eyeing the saxophone sitting forlornly on a chair, near his
cowboy hat.  He ran his fingers through his bangs, frustrated.  "I can NOT be having 
these thoughts about Zell." he growled to himself.  "Can not can not can not." he hissed,
stamping his foot. He stalked to the horn, picked it up, wiped the mouth piece off and 
sighed.  "Damn you, Irvine."
	"Talking to yourself?" came a soft familiar voice.
	He grabbed her shoulders and hugged her, rejoicing in the feel of a woman against
him.  Selphie flushed brightly at the action.  "You'll come with me after the dance, won't
you, Selphie?" he whispered into her ear.  He felt her stiffen visibly and nod a bit,
before pulling away.  He sighed.  She got her guitar and headed out for the stage.  He 
adjusted his pants, grinning.  He completely was able to ignore Zell for the whole 
performance, and played his best to let the bitch and the brat have a little romantic moment
together, whether Squall wanted it or not.  He had to admit though, that Rinoa really
turned out when she put on that white little dress.  She and Squall really were perfect
for one another.  He wanted to see them get together.  That was why he left that little
magazine there for the brat.
	When they finished playing, he made his way over to Selphie, leaving Zell and 
Quistis to their own devices.  He completely ignored them all, moving Selphie to the edge of
the platform and nestling down with her.  Yeah: SCORE!!!
	Neither of the two couples noticed Quistis sitting alone on the piano bench on stage,
watching the two figures of Squall and Rinoa below, sighing occasionally, nor the form of 
Zell lurking in the shadows back stage, trying to ignoring the giggles from Selphie and the
deep seductive laugh that once in a while wafted to where he stood, fists clenched, staring
at the wall.

	But the night hadn't gone how he'd wanted it to.  Rinoa and Squall had gotten into
a fight -- of course, put two cats in a cage together, they'll tear one another apart. Worst
of all, Selphie'd resisted his charm and he wasn't able to put any moves on her.  He wasn't
tired either, because he'd planned on being up most of the night flirting.  He sat on the
edge of the stage, everyone else having gone to bed already, or at least wandered off.  The
saxophone rested in his lap with his cleaning rag partially still up the horn's opening,
his efforts in cleaning it much more than that given up.
	"Stop looking s'down Irvine.  She'll come around, eventually."
	He stiffened and then turned to look over his shoulder at Zell.  The martial artist
flashed his pearly whites at him and picked up his discarded cowboy hat, playing with the 
lip of it as he walked over.  Irvine let his lips curl into a grin.  He was relieved to
hear Zell say that.  He rubbed the back of his neck, stretching.  "Ah well, they always do.
Selphie won't be hard.   She's jes' had a hard few weeks." he agreed, and then frowned as
he watched Zell put his hat on.
	The other boy suddenly cocked his hips forward, clicked his tongue like he had a 
piece of hay sticking out of his teeth, bend his head down so the rim covered his eyes and
swaggered like he'd been on a chocobo for the past three weeks.  "Ya'lls'll be gettun' sum
good lovin' ina few weeks Ah do so reckon." he called out, heavily accented.  Irvine stared
at him several long moments, then just burst out laughing.
	"Dammit Zell," he complained getting to his feet. "take that thing off your head."
and he reached up to snatch his cowboy hat off of the other boys head, shaking his own.
	Zell protested some, whining a bit and then crossed his arms, huffing.
	Irvine eyed him skeptically.  He knew the boy was mocking hurt but gave a reason to
make him feel better anyway.  "It looks terrible on you, anyway."
	Zell moved to him and plopped the hat down on Irvine's head and then leaned back,
appraisingly.  "Well, I think I'm just used to you wearing it.  I don't think I've seen you in
anything but that coat and hat yet." he mused, his mouth in a sly grin.
	Irvine poked him in the chest, readjusting his hat. "Well I ain't seen you in 
anything but that weird get-up you're wearing now, either."
	"It's not weird!" he protested and Irvine just chuckled.
	When his laughter died down, a moment of silence came between the two.  Zell fiddled
with the metal piece on his gloves while Irvine spun the medallion on his necklace around
on the chain.  Both seemed to be waiting for the other to say or do something.
	Irvine had a feeling of why Zell was out here.  He hoped he was wrong.  He knew he
was.  There was no way Zell had taken one small little half-embrace to mean anything at all.
Gods, he hoped he hadn't.  Even so, even if he was just paranoid, he didn't want to chance
anything.  He shrugged and leaned back onto a cocked hip.  "Well, we'd better get to sleep
now, I guess.  Gotta get to Balamb in the morning, after all."  Zell flushed red and shied
away at that remark, and Irvine gritted his teeth. Okay.  Bad.
	"In separate beds, in our own separate rooms." he added, eyeing the boy, who visibly
relaxed at the clarification.
	Then they both froze.
	Irvine had just made verbal that he had been thinking a long the same lines as Zell,
and Zell's face showed he was thinking just the same.  They looked at each other, Zell
wide-eyed and rather scared looking, Irvine with his eyes wide, his lips taunt like he was 
about to burst.
	"Oh nooo, NOT like THAT!" he shouted quickly and then stalked off in a hurry, his 
face burning.
	Zell just stood there after Irvine had run off, his heart slamming against his rib-
cage.  He looked down at the saxophone Irvine'd left, and bent to pick it up.  What did he
think he was doing?  What was all that about?  He had a girlfriend back home, didn't he?
And Irvine was such a flirt, even with Selphie. "Dammit!" he cursed, throwing the horn
across the room.  It clattered noisily when it impacted, no doubt ruined now.  "Damn!"
he screamed again, standing up and pacing.  "I don't LIKE men!" he cursed and threw a punch 
into the wall.  Plaster broke around his metal knuckles.  "Fuck you, Irvine.  Fuck you for
making me feel this way." He cried and bowed his head, tightly clenching his eyes shut,
fighting back the tears threatening to spring forth, ignoring the blood trickling down
his knuckles from beneath his gloves.
	"I hate you."