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At an Arm's Length
A Final Fantasy VIII Story
by Aligator

Romance, angst and a Quistis/Seifer story about the reality that some people take a little longer than others to find the one person who can love them.
[Rated R - Language, Kids will find it boring]
*UPDATE: Chapter 26: No Good Deed Goes Unpunished

Author's Notes:

- Prologue:
I’ve been inspired by the awesome Quistis/Seifer pieces on Fanfiction.net, and I couldn’t resist. Just about every possible plot point imaginable can be found in the fics already here, so I’m not necessarily aiming for incredible originality – just a semi-realistic portrayal of the characters and how two, in particular, deal with life after the end of the game. (I haven’t played it all the way through, so don’t expect a lot of technical details in this piece. They’re really irrelevant in the great scheme of things for the story I’d like to tell.)

This is my first multi-part endeavor, so please let me know what ya’ll think. The R-rating is just a precaution for potential bad language.

- Chapter 1:
A HUGE “thank you” goes out to everyone who reviewed this story’s Prologue. I’ve just finished committing its outline to paper, and your support gives me a *real* incentive to keep on going. It’s going to be a long one, but we like that sort of stuff, right? (I do. . . especially when the prologue *guarantees* a happy ending.)

- Chapter 2:
Have any of you seen either Neon Genesis Evangelion or Serial Experiments: lain? I’ve always found their ideas of “different selves,” i.e. how you see yourself vs. how other people see you, to be very interesting. I also think it is very apropos to show how the characters see one another, especially in the case of our heroine, Quistis.

OK, I’ll fess up: In addition to an extreme soft spot for blond, gunblade-wielding antiheroes, I also have a weakness for a certain gunslinger. (It’s fun writing from his perspective.) Besides, our hero and heroine are going to need some allies, since both of them have it in their nature to be rather difficult.

- Chapter 3:
Part of what’s been published so far may seem like filler. (I know some of you out there are like, “C’mon, get to Seifer already.” ^_^) Everything at this stage is fairly important and will make sense later. I promise.

A quick note to the Irvine fans: You’re going to like what I’ve got planned for him. Even though Seifer and Quistis are the focus, he is a rather important person in this fic.

Sounds like Edea has quite a task on her hands, eh?

- Chapter 4:
I love getting into these characters’ heads. Edea and Cid are fun to write. ^_^

Aww. What a nice little married couple. Things should be nice for them post-game. After all, Cid is *Edea’s* knight.

- Chapter 5:
Like I said before, each chapter has something important that advances the plot along. This story – fortunately and unfortunately – takes place over a pretty good amount of time because I don’t feel that people change overnight. Some of our favorite characters have a lot of growing up to do.

The next chapter’s title gives you a REALLY big hint about its content. (Let the speculation begin.)

- Chapter 6

- Chapter 7:
First off, a continuation of the disclaimer – the song lyrics are borrowed from the classic Eagles’ song “Take It to the Limit.” (Written by Randy Meisner, Don Henley and Glen Frey.) Go out and listen to it for the full effect. Doesn’t it seem like the kind of song Irvine might apply to this situation?

- Chapter 8:
A baby cliffhanger. Every long story is required to have at least a few, right?

- Chapter 9:
Oh, God. I am so sorry about the cliffhanger… it’s just a baby one, and I restrained myself for almost 10 whole chapters!! (But I didn't know ff.net would go down.) ^_^

To those concerned, I haven’t forgotten about Seifer. He’s going to rear his rather handsome head. . . sooner or later. (This whole story is an exercise in patience and anticipation. It IS going somewhere, so pay attention to the clues.)

- Chapter 10:

- Chapter 11:
Oh, my goodness. What an outpouring of support. Thank you! (And I promise never to whine like that again.) ^_^

A few people expressed concern that I might not continue the story. Don’t worry about it: when I start stuff, it takes almost an act of God to keep me from finishing. Plus, if I wasn’t continuing, I wouldn’t go through the trouble of setting up my own archive.

- Chapter 12:
I’m glad people are following the little clues I’ve been scattering throughout the chapters. Part of the fun with stories like this is seeing if you’re right in the end.

- Chapter 13:
Hmmmm. Who do you think the little boy was? (Just kidding.) ;-)

- Chapter 14:
Mirrors? Dark hair? The color blue? Hmmmm. ;-)

Thanks so much for the kind reviews… It’s nice to know that ya’ll feel the story is maintaining its sense of mystery. (You know, this is quite a feat since I gave away the ending in the prologue. It’s all about the process.)

- Chapter 15:
Thanks to konton and Quistis88 for reviewing last chapter. (Quistis88: You’re one of the ones who’s been leaving reviews since the beginning, so I am especially honored that you are still sticking with this not-so-short little endeavor.)

- Chapter 16:
This week we have some individual notes to the *awesome* people who reviewed the last chapter: - sabacat & seyenaidni: A huge thanks to two more members of the frequent reviewers club. Your encouragement, especially this far along into the story, really means a lot to me. (Plus it practically guarantees that future chapters will appear – for the most part – speedily.) - Quistis88: You are *way* too kind. Thank you, again. - konton: Thanks for a second review in two weeks/chapters. Patience, grasshopper! It’s going someplace good. I promise. (But then, the prologue gives away that it will be a happy ending for us Quistis/Seifer fans.)

- Chapter 17:
Yay! An update! I didn’t initially intend for this to be a two-parter, but I wanted to make this week’s update. Thanks, as always for your encouragement and wonderful reviews. (You know who you are!)

The last couple of chapters have been everyone sneaking around behind Quistis’ back. Don’t worry: our girl’s going to come out whip a’crackin’ in the *very* near future. I promise the little details are the important ones.

- Chapter 18:
Another shortie, but the next chapter covers a lot of ground, so be prepared.

A big thanks to those who reviewed last chapter, including the awesome Quistis88 and setaobsessed. AW, your review eased my mind: I was starting to wonder if maybe I was pacing it a little too slowly. (But, as a reader, I hate it when I can figure everything out right away and when characters’ personalities change overnight without a good reason.)

Expect a lot of Quistis-angst in the next chapter, and don’t worry, our favorite blond anti-hero is not being neglected.

- Chapter 19:
The song lyrics opening and closing this chapter were written by Neil Peart of the band Rush, who featured this song, “Ghost of a Chance” on their 1991 album Roll the Bones. (Good album. Pick it up if you like good rock.)

I’m not sure when I’ll be posting next week, so I made this chapter good and long!

A massive thanks to those who reviewed the last round: star112, setaobsessed, AWf4tf and Quistis88. It means so much to me that ya’ll are still around and reviewing. (This is the longest fictional work I’ve *ever* written. . . I am amazed that people have liked it enough to read so many chapters. . . and there are so many to go! ;-) )

- Chapter 20:
I know it's been quite a while but paying the bills had to take priority, so that's what I've been writing for the last couple of months. (Yikes! Sorry! ;-) You can read the gory details from the month of October at absolute-0.com

This chapter is just a brief interlude to reassure the very nice people who have left reviews and e-mailed me that I'm ramping up another nice fat chapter like "Ghost of a Chance" to restart the weekly updates.

- Chapter 21:
Was that enough action for you? (Or more specifically, was that enough “Seifer” action for you?)

Some additional credits for this chapter: The song “Black” was recorded by Pearl Jam and is on their debut album Ten, circa 1991. It’s one of the great angsty rock songs of all time, so crank it up.

Thanks for sticking with me and my little story for so long. This baby is well on track to reach its finish, but your reviews give me even more incentive to keep up with the planned, weekly release schedule. Especially during the holidays. ;-)

- Chapter 23:
I know this chapter is short, but this was a logical place to break. Seifer’s on the move … ;-)

Also, my birthday – ick, another decade – is on Friday, and I’m heading out of town, so time was a little shorter than I would have personally liked. Thanks for sticking around so long. I’ve got a couple of days off over the next few weeks, so the next few chapters should be fairly long. I didn’t want to leave ya’ll *totally* hanging in the meantime.

- Chapter 24:
We're back on schedule!

- Chapter 25:
I took an incredibly long hiatus. (It's been hard getting back into this.) I know I suck. But you rock for taking time to read this. ^_^

- Chapter 26:
Hi, again! The updates might be few and far between, but I will NEVER abandon this baby. (The entire story is plotted out. It's just hard finding the time to write it.) ^_^'

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