To Mend a Bleeding Heart
Chapter 1
Lili-chan: Ok pplz... the following fanfiction is a MAJOR crack couple. If you're too closed-minded to read this, then either press the back button or exit this page. This is a story of Zack Fair from FFVII and Rinoa from FFVIII. I've seen vids of them on youtube, and thought "wow, they'd make a good couple". I am not hating on SquallXRinoa or ZackXAerith, Cloud, TIfa, whoever! This is for fun.
Disclaimer: I don't own ANY of the characters of Final Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts, or the animes I mention in these chapters.
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My alarm blared beside my bed; stirring me from the darkness they called "sleep". I slammed the "stop" button, the blaring siren cutting off. I sighed, stretching into the darkness of my room.
Another day at that fucking school.
Why did winter break have to end so quickly?
I groaned, getting up and grabbing my bathroom stuff and slumped to the bathroom.
I walked in, locking the door behind me as I entered.
The routine was the same…
Wash my face, brush my teeth, brush my hair, and clean my piercings.
I put my black nose ring back in. I had seen someone with a bullring the other day and rolled my eyes.
Those looked disgusting.
Why would anyone want a nose ring that made him or her look like a fucking cow?
That's why I pierced my nostril.
I placed my black lip ring in too, the metal resting on the middle of my lip.
Everything on me was black practically.
My hair was black, despite the little blonde streaks on the side of my head.
Even my eyes looked as black as ebony.
My skin was a stark contrast to that. It was pale white.
There was an impatient knock on the door.
"Hold on. I'm coming out now. Shit." I replied to the knock. I opened the door, only to see Squall standing there.
His brown hair was messy, as usual, and his blue-gray eyes were half-lidded with sleep. I rolled my eyes and shoved past him.
Stupid prick has been so blah for the past few months.
I slammed my door closed and headed to my closet.
It was still colder than shit outside, so I'd have to wear something heavy.
I finally settled for a red shirt that said "F**k You" across it in black letters, some black jeans, an over-sized black hoodie, and my black combat boots.
I grabbed my necklace with my mother's wedding band on it and clasped it behind my neck, letting it fall on my chest before I zipped up the hoodie. A pair of white angel wings graced the back of the hoodie, and I couldn't help but laugh.
How ironic…
I grabbed my iPod and my book bag before heading downstairs.
"Morning Rinoa!" my wanna-be father called from the kitchen.
I just stayed quiet, chugging the glass of juice on the kitchen table and nibbling at the toast.
Laguna had taken me in when I ran away from home several years ago.
Been here ever since.
"Morning Squall! Breakfast is almost ready you two!" Laguna stated from the kitchen with his carefree tone.
Squall trudged down the stairs, with the same non-existent reply as mine.
He wore torn jeans with at least four belts, a white shirt, and a leather jacket with a lion stitched on the back in black thread. His scar was as visible as ever, lancing from his brow down and across his nose.
"I'm not hungry. I'll see you guys later." I said quickly, heading towards the door before Laguna could stop me.
The morning air was bitter cold, and snow had fallen last night. Small flakes were beginning to float down as well. As if we needed more snow.
I plugged one headphone into my left ear and tossed my hood up as I walked down the path to the gate of the front yard.
I heard some yells and laughs from the yard next to us and looked over to the neighbors yard.
Two guys I knew from school were running around the yard, covered in snow. A younger boy was running along with them as they all pelted snowballs at each other.
I just looked down at the sidewalk and walked towards school, which meant walking in front of that yard.
It was going smooth, until something hit the side of my head.
The surprise threw me off balance and I began to tumble off the sidewalk…
...and into oncoming traffic.
Great. Maybe a car would hit me and put me out of my misery.
There was a honk and tires screeching until something pulled me away from the street.
Whatever it was lost balance and fell backwards onto the sidewalk with me in its lap.
"Stupid bitch! Watch it!" an angry driver yelled at my savior and me.
"Go fuck yourself!" yelled back, throwing him the bird with my middle finger.
I felt the hard chest of someone breathing harshly behind me, and the strong arms that encircled me in a protective cage.
I turned and met the bright blue eyes of my neighbor.
"Sorry about that! My aim sucks!" He laughed, his warm breath tickling my cold skin.
I shot up, removing his arms from my body.
"Is she ok Zack?" Another voice called. I looked over to the blonde who I recognized from a few of my classes at school.
"Yeah Cloud. She's ok!"
I saw the brown haired boy sigh with relief before the hero of them stood up.
I'd never really paid attention to him before. He was a senior and hung out with the jocks, my mortal enemies.
He was at least 6'4" and built nicely. His hair was jet black and his eyes stood out with their unusually bright color.
"Thanks." I mumbled before speeding down the sidewalk.
Why did he save me? It would've been better to get hit by the freaking car!
A little girl, crying under a streetlight, interrupted my fuming.
Her hair was bloody, and her clothes were torn badly.
Her small, choking sobs tore at my heartstrings. I ran forward, kneeling down in front of her as time froze, the snowflakes frozen in their descent. She shrank away, hiding her face with her hands. I saw that her feet were almost completely see-through.
She was a ghost…
"Are you lost?" I asked quietly.
The little ghost looked at me with bloodshot green eyes.
"I can't find my mommy…" She sobbed.
I bit my lip in concern and placed my hands on her shaky shoulders. I then looked skyward as rustling feathers sounded from behind me. The little girl looked at me and gasped.
"Are you an angel?" she choked, staring in wonder.
Psh, I wish.
"Look over there." I said, pointing towards the cloudy sky.
She looked at the spot of light that had begun to appear through the snow clouds. A woman stood in the light, smiling and holding out her hand.
"M-Mommy?" the little girl awed as the blood disappeared and her clothes repaired themselves. I smirked as the little girl reached up towards her mother before disappearing in a flash of soft blue light.
I stood as the feathers on my back disappeared. I began walking down the sidewalk and continuing my trek to school.
When I arrived, chaos greeted me. The students were milling about, throwing snowballs and tackling each other into the snow.
I avoided all that, walking into the cafeteria where my friends usually hung out.
"Hey Rin!" I looked over at a table where a friend of mine was waving.
"Over here!" she called. I walked over and sat down, looking at the familiar faces.
Tifa was my best friend, even though I never really talked to anyone or anything like that. People said we looked alike, with dark hair and dark eyes, but I honestly though they were wrong.
Tifa was WAY prettier than me, with dark brown hair and wine-toned eyes. Her body was to die for, with long legs, a small waist, big hips, big butt, and a full bust.
She was our resident female Goth, and was one of the only ones who believed I saw ghosts. After talking with her father and helping him cross over, I'd believe me too.
Vincent was another friend. He was another Goth with long black hair and brown eyes. He always liked wearing red contacts to freak people out. He never really talked much, but when he did, it was to make a point or voice his opinion. He believed in evil spirits, but not ghosts for some weird reason. He knew I saw them though.
"How was your vacation Rinoa?" Tifa asked sweetly.
"Dead. There was nothing to do, and Squall likes making me feel like shit, so you can guess what happened." I replied, scrolling through my iPod for a good song or playlist.
"He's still being a dick?" she asked, raising her brows.
I nodded, rolling my eyes as I saw the Devil walk in himself. Calling Squall the Devil was a new habit of mine.
"God, he needs to get on with life and get laid. Shit." Tifa rolled her eyes.
"Who needs to get laid?" Squall's monotonous voice sounded from behind me.
"You do, dickhead." I answered.
"Fuck you." He replied.
"You tried, remember?" I shot back.
Squall and me had been EXTREMELY close after my mother killed herself. He helped me with my little, ahem, HABIT, and many other things. He even convinced his mom and dad to take me in when I was 11. When I turned 16, he finally asked me out. It was great, until his mom died. He pushed me away and broke my heart. I've hated him for it ever since. And he just loves making my life hell.
Especially when he found out I couldn't see his mom. She had crossed over I guess, but Squall blamed it on me and said I was trying to make him forget his mom and pay more attention to me. Like I'd do that. I loved Raine too. I'd never want him to forget her.
But try and get that through his thick skull.
He mumbled something and sat down by Vincent, who just folded his arms.
The cheerleaders had migrated closer, bringing the noise to a louder level. Didn't help that the jocks were making their way over.
I thanked god that the bell had rang. I hated jocks. They thought I was a freak who craved attention. And the cheerleaders were just as bad. Except for a few of them.
I made my way to homeroom and sat down, turning my iPod up as Nirvana blared into my ears.
I loved Nirvana. Their songs never made sense, just like my life.
My homeroom teacher was a nice, older woman named Edea Kramer. She got along with me and usually let me do whatever the hell I wanted. My life may suck, but my grades don't. As long as I did well in her Latin class, I was safe.
Vincent sat beside me, doodling on a notebook. He was already fluent in Latin, so he never really paid attention. Mrs. Kramer never bothered us.
Then the local snob walked in. Aerith Gainsborough was the cheer captain, and one of the most desired girls at school. She flipped her long, auburn hair and batted her green eyes as she walked in.
But, she was dense. She'd failed Latin last year, and was forced to take it again.
So much for being intelligent.
The only reason she was still cheer captain was because her daddy was the one financing the school.
I rolled my eyes as she walked by.
Class was uneventful, as always. Homeroom didn't last very long and Latin was my first class, so I just listened to my iPod and doodled in my notebook, answering the occasional question Mrs. Kramer asked or when a student couldn't.
The bell rang, sending everyone into a flurry as they left class. I was making my way out the door when Aerith shoved past me, knocking me into the doorframe.
"Hey babe!" she called, and I recognized Zack as he turned towards her. He smiled, kissing her before slinging an arm over her shoulder and walking off.
I just walked to my literature class and sat in the back, taking out my copy of "Loveless" and placing it my desk.
Mr. Rhapsodus had assigned it over the break. I read it one night and typed my essay on it the same night. I pulled said essay out of my binder and placed it over my book before scribbling a few things onto a piece of paper.
The bell rang, and everyone filed into class, including Cloud, Tifa, and this other girl I knew as Yuna.
She was a nice, quiet girl who hung out with us every now and then. Her eyes were mismatched; one eyes was blue while the other was green. Her brown hair was cut short with a section of it braided down to her ankles.
Mr. Rhapsodus walked in, holding a copy of "Loveless" in his hand. You could see about 85% of the class stiffen as they realized what they had failed to do over the break.
I smirked as Mr. Rhapsodus asked the class to turn in their books and papers in. I handed mine over to him before walking back to my desk. Tifa, Yuna, Cloud, and one other girl I didn't know turned theirs in as well.
Tifa winked at me, giving me the thumbs up. I returned the thumbs up as Mr. Rhapsodus commented on the lack of essays. I couldn't help but snort to myself.
The day was uneventful, as always, until after school.
I was making my way through the side doors by my science class, which meant passing by the parking lot. I sighed, turning up my iPod before walking through. I could see everyone looking at me, some pointing and making comments I couldn't hear.
I blew them off until my back began to ache.
That only happened when a VERY pissed off ghost was around.
I looked around, and spotted it by a fancy, bright blue Corvette.
Then I saw Zack, completely oblivious to the spirit targeting him.
I ran towards him as time froze; students now immobile, and snowballs stopped in mid-air.
I saw him look around in awe at the people as still as statues.
"Get down!" I screamed, grabbing his attention.
I tackled him onto the sidewalk behind the car, rolling several times into the field.
I stood up as feathers rustled behind me, forming my wings.
"What the fuck is going on?" Zack yelled, standing up.
"Just shut up and stay behind me!" I yelled back, walking forward as the spirit came into view.
It looked like a bear that had been skinned alive, its flesh rotting and hanging like a curtain.
It was an EXTREMELY evil spirit.
I'd only encountered these a few times before.
It roared at me, charging in my direction.
I placed a hand in front of me, forming a shield of blue light as I chanted a Latin incantation used for exorcisms.
I don't know if the chant ever works, but hell, it reassured me.
The bear slammed into the shield, the force of the explosion throwing both of us back.
A somewhat familiar pair of arms caught me. I looked up at Zack, whose face was stricken with terror.
I got back up, and lifted my arm.
Snow began to fly as it compacted and melted before freezing again, forming a spear of ice.
The bear roared, charging again in desperation. I glared at it before dropping my arm and letting the spear fly.
It pierced through the skull of the bear, sending green "blood" everywhere.
The bear was still roaring as I walked forward and kneeled in front of it.
It thrashed about until I touched a hand on its slimy paw.
"Whatever horrors you knew in life are gone. Rest now… Your woes have been erased. Sleep now." I said quietly, and the rotting corpse disappeared, and was replaced by a man.
The man smiled at me, mouthing the words "thank you' before disappearing in a flash of light.
I looked back at Zack who stood in awe.
Aw shit…