A/N: I wrote this quite a while ago... maybe back in september or octobersometime. This COULD stand alone, but I'm not to certain about leaving it like that... cuz I mean I actually starting the planning and everything but I never really got anywhere with it so I'm not sure if I'll continue it or not. And since I don't have any REAL ideas on it, people everywhere drop me some ideas and maybe I'll see if they can lead me to a plot with this. And I'll take any suggestions on pairings as well though I'm leaning towards Squffie since there aren't enough out there these days that don't have like six other pairings with Yuffie in them. Alright, I"ve chattered your ears (or eyes in this case) off long enough so get to the story!

Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or Final Fantasy 8.

He walked down the hall, boots clanging against the floor, their sound lost amongst the scrabbling of students moving about their daily routine. They didn't recognize him. None of them did. For this, he was glad. He wanted to blend in, not be noticed. He brushed a stray strand of choppy brown hair behind his ear. It was long. So much longer than when he had left. It was shoulder-length now with rugged, uneven ends.

He had had to sneak in, past the security and the watchful eyes of his former friends, the friends whom he had watched die one after the other.

Lionheart clanked against his thigh in its sheath and in his fist were two sharp, solid gold shuriken. She had given them to him as a parting gift when the worlds became truly separated. They were her favourite shuriken. She had gotten them made in Hollow Bastion by the gold smith that worked there and had the man inscribe The Great Ninja Yuffie on them. It was what made them so special to him now. He missed her silly, annoying antics, her extreme selfishness, and her thieving nature. A tear tried to escape the confinements of his eye, but he squeezed the golden blades into his hand and willed the tear to stop in its tracks.

A pink ribbon was tied around his upper arm. The ever-sweet woman had given it to him right before the end as well. He missed her mother-like concern for him, her motherly smile, and her tendency to always be there when things were just wrong. He wondered how she would fare without the ribbon to keep her hair in that weird twist that she always had it in.

In one ear was a wolf-shaped earring. Fenerir. The spiky blonde had given this to him the last time he had seen him at the coliseum. "This is Fenerir Squall. It may look like it's only an earring, but thanks to this I've been able to survive lots of tough shit," he had said. Cloud had been one of his best friends. One that he could truly say was his best friend. He had been able to talk to Cloud about almost anything. Whether it be stuff like if there were any girls for him out there or about serious things that were far too personal to talk to anyone else about. When Hollow Bastion had been taken over, Cloud had been left behind and was presumed dead, but he had come back after Ansem had been destroyed only to be hunted down by Hades and forced back into servitude.

A pair of flight goggles hung from his belt. The crude old man had given these to him before he died of lung cancer two years previous. Cid had been a disgusting man truly, smoking like a freight train and cussing worse than the crudest of sailors, but he had been one damn good ship builder and an even better pilot. Things never were the same after he had died.

Two things were missing from his person however. His pendant and his ring. Griever. He had given those to Yuffie and Aerith as they had parted. Yuffie had looked up at him with tears in her eyes as he placed the thick chain around her neck and allowed her to call him Squall for the first time without correcting her. Aerith had placed the ring on a thin, silver chain and smiled that motherly smile at him. Then a blinding light had consumed them all. When the light cleared he had been standing outside the gates of Balamb Garden, looking his full 30 years of age, every item from his friends and his travels still on his person.

It had looked exactly the same as he had left it. It was even in the same place that Nida had parked it before the heartless came. He had headed towards the gate, but at the instant that he was about to enter, they came out, looking exactly as they had when they had been killed by the heartless. He had ducked behind a corner of the main gate hoping that he wouldn't be seen. They had walked past him in a hurry to get to the city of Esthar. Why he had no idea, but at least they hadn't seen him.

It had been easy to get in unnoticed then. Just sneak past the sleeping guard at the entrance gate and avoid anybody he knew while making his way to the commander's suite.

He reached the elevator and pulled his worn, but still useable keycard out of his short-sleeved jacket. After swiping it, he pressed the button for the third floor and climbed in. He exited and quietly made his way past the headmaster's office to a door on the left, the commander's suite.

He was about to swipe the card, but a voice stopped him in his tracks.

"Hey! Who do you think you are? That's the commander's room! No one's allowed in there but the commander!"

It was Nida.

"Nida," he sighed, his voice gravelly, "I am the commander. It's me. Squall."

Nida blinked. "Squall…? But… that's impossible. You're far too old to be Squall."

"Just trust me Nida. I'm Squall."

He slid the keycard through the lock and entered the room, slamming the door shut behind him. Moving like an old man, Squall unhooked Lionheart from his waist and set it on the floor. Then he flopped onto his bed and let the tears fall.

He was home.

A/N: Erm... so how was it? I want your opinions people! Tell me if you liked it, hated it, thought it was okay, want me to totally scrap it, anything. Before anybody comments, Squall is not OOC. For any of those who have actually played Final Fantasy 8 you should remember that he constantly has like this... inner monologue almost that has normal feelings and everything else. And for those of you who have played Kingdom Hearts (which should be everybody reading thisI would think...) you should remember that Squallsays what needs to be said. He's not always quiet. Yes... well... anyways... Review and tell me your ideas.

Ja ne

Mizuki Kurenaida