Authors Notes: Ahhh.. Back to the beginning. I just love changing this story, fixing it up, making it what I want it to be. I urge you to read it! It's better than ever, I think. Read and Review. Please and thank you!

Some of my life has been forgotten. New problems arise and push older worries away, eroding them into nothing. My life up to this point hasn't been an easy one and as constant reminders I left scars. They won't heal, but I learned to let go.

I'm not proud of the way I lived, pretending not to care. I was so young, I didn't understand.. I still wonder why you would do such a thing or what made it so easy. But the more I wonder, the more confused I become. One day, I know you'll tell me.

Yeah.. You'll tell me, right?

My life was a lonely existance, company was something I had difficulty charishing. It wasn't important to me, nor even a necessity. Until you came.. You changed everything.

You felt the same, too. You said you did..

My guardian wasn't Griever, rather he was a tyrant. But she came.. as much as she could. And every moment alone I shared with her, away from golden eyes, she protected me. Relieved me.

Loved me.

I feel the same. I'll always feel the same.

Until the end of our story, my life went unnoticed. To escape, I lived in my own world.. I hoped it would keep me sane.

Thing is..

No matter how hard you hold on, it escapes you.

And..

Everything compresses. The world stops.

That's what you said, right mom?

Yeah, they said you did.

Vincent's POV

It was a sunny day, much like every other. Just about every person alive knew that Balamb had the best weather, it hardly ever rained. The people living here were never sad or grumpy because of it, we were the lucky ones.

I'm fortunate to have grown up in such a city, rather than struggling in a place torn apart by an unjustified war. And my family wasn't too shabby either, other than the unmistakable absence of a mother. She died early on in my life, cancer took her while she still had plenty of years to go. And although I miss her, or what I remember of her, I turned out fine. My father is a good man. Not much of a hero, but not a hell raiser either. Everyone has to have their stories, its what makes each of us feel distinctly important. It's just a shame that no one told his story the way they should. After all, he still has plenty of time to redeem himself.

"Come on you guys, we've gotta get going here. Princess or no princess.."

I motioned towards Dan.. Blonde, aggressive, brave, and funny. The son of Zell and Amy, the library girl. Dan has been my best friend since I can remember, and I'm glad to have him on my team. Rae was one of my closest friends, too. Selphie and Irvine got engaged after saving the world and shortly after a baby was on the way. Well.. Make that two. Rae and Brad are twins, but are nothing at all alike. Brad is the updated version of Irvine and Rae is a beam of sunshine just like her mother. Finally, there's Kate. And you guessed right, it's the only daughter of Quistis Trepe. Not much I can say about her.. I've wasted enough time already.

"You're so right Vince, let's get outta here. We don't need her!" Kate giggled in my ear, biting her lip in way that disgusted me more than anything you could imagine. I snarled silently to myself and walked off, shrugging her arm away from around my shoulders. Kate always finds a way to crawl under my skin and make my goal that much harder to reach. It's a talent, I guess. But I could do without the distractions.

"Hey, you two. Wait up!" Dan called out to us, saving me momentarily.

Squall's only daughter walked towards us, stopping a fair distance away.

"I'm Kit."

We turned to face her in unison, taking her in.

She wasn't frightening like I'd imagined, not like the students made her out to be. Hell, their descriptions couldn't have been farther from the truth.

A tight navy blue tank, black tulle skirt, dark suede boots with two silver buckles and arms covered in plenty of wooden bangles. There Kit stood in all her glory with her bright green eyes staring us down, her rose stained lips forming a frown, dainty nose in the air and long brown hair cascading down her back.

"You gonna say 'hi' or just stand there with your jaw to the floor?" Dan's voice made me snap back to reality.

"Hey Kit. I'm Vincent, and this is Dan, Rae, Brad and.. Kate." I said while pointing carelessly to each of them. Scanning her up and down, I found nothing out of place at first. I'd heard some pretty terrible things about her, new rumors popped up everyday. All of Garden had immense respect for Squall, even after the Rinoa ordeal. But no one much cared for his 'crazy' daughter. Come to think of it, I don't think they've ever met her. Did they even give her a chance?

The sun peaked out of the few clouds sitting in the sky and I finally noticed something odd just behind her. A glint from something metal, almost like a sword. I squinted my eyes a bit, hoping to get a better look at whatever it was. It wasn't her weapon of choice but something completely different. Handcuffs held her stiff, making indents in her milky skin.

Maybe the rumors are true..

Kit looked a little unaffected by this affliction, as if it were an every day occurrence. This only freaked me out further and I took a step backwards, hoping I wouldn't look too painfully obvious.

She was too pale, too thin, too short and too fragile. I won't deny that she is a beautiful girl, stealing the best features from her mom and dad but.. something isn't right. Walking back with the others, I was lost in thought again. Putting the pieces of the puzzle together would prove more difficult than I thought. How could they do that to her? Even animals are treated better and they seem to have no place in our society. Does Squall know?

I looked back and saw Kit walking a large distance behind the others, all alone. And it seemed to fit.. like this was her decision. As if she truly believed that was her place in the world.

Maybe it was me, but the sky seemed to darken for a time. Shadows crept around more and less of the sun shined down on her porcelain skin. And with that, I noticed something terribly wrong. Bruises, dark bags and plum tinged lips came out from hiding. She didn't seem to have enough strength to hold her head up, and walking looked like a chore. I was worried about her, scared for her.

I walked closer to Kit, noticing the extent of her injuries. "Were you training earlier today?"

"No.. Why?" Her light voice cracked a little, proving that she wasn't much of a talker.

"Never mind.." So that answers one question, and opens a whole new box of possibilities. It wasn't as if her father could be the one behind it, being as highly respected as he is. Maybe a boyfriend? Seems unlikely, though." Welcome to garden. We're happy to have you."Kit's POV

"Do I scare you?" I pushed myself to speak again, this time acting more assertive. "It's not a choice."

"I'm not scared. Just confused.." Vince answered, shrugging his shoulders.

"Confused about what? These..?" I rubbed my hand over my battered arm, letting out a little laugh.

He stopped walking and looked back at me, searching my eyes for answers. I knew he went through hell as a kid, too. The Almasy name doesn't exactly excite people, especially around these parts. A kindred spirit? Hardly. Though it made me feel a little better about my situation.

"I said I'm not scared, so drop it. I just don't know anything about you yet and I'm the only one to notice those markings so far. And the handcuffs, well, I don't know what to make of those either." He walked closer to me, staring more deeply into my eyes. "What's the story behind them?"

I took a moment, racking my brain. "My dad doesn't trust me, this school doesn't trust me, and I doubt any of you do either. I can take on anything, any one." I wasn't about to spill my life story out to him right away, especially when we'd be parting so soon. But as much as I hate to admit it, there's something endearing about him. A quality that frightens me, something I know will get in the way.

"I don't like them.. I don't feel human." Tears flooded my eyes, blinding me for a moment. "I know I should be used to it by now."

He walked behind me, pulling his gunblade from the sheath. A quick slice through the linked chains, and I was free again, able to move as I wish. "Don't do anything stupid."

The handcuffs fell to the ground and a soft clink echoed through the hall. Blood fell next to where they lay, creating a puddle around them. I won't lie, I'm used to blood. The smell, the color, everything. But this time, it wasn't self inflicted. It was forced on me, something that happened far too often. Something I knew I couldn't control.

"Here." Vince pulled a cloth from his pocket, placing it around my injured wrists. "It's not much, but it'll have to do for now."

I grimaced, feeling his hands around my wrists. I didn't ask to be touched.. bleeding wasn't an invitation.

"Go see the doctor. Keep walking then turn left, you'll find her there." He jogged off ahead, playfully ramming into Dan. I could tell that they were close friends and that their flawless team was already filled. A bit of a let down for me, but nothing out of the ordinary.

I'm used to it. I was always too fat, too dark, too ugly, too nothing.

I've always been nothing.

I quickened my pace and found myself next to Kate. She was a beautiful girl, much like Quistis and seemed to be on the ever popular bulimia diet. Kate reminded me so much of the girls I've always hated, the ones that were so cruel to me growing up. And it bothered me, I thought I had escaped the Barbie dolls.

"Oh.. Kit. Vincent and I go way back, darling. So don't get any ideas in your fucked up head, little girl. Or else." She pushed me lightly, catching me off guard. It wasn't as if he was all over me and I hadn't even been kind to him. Deep down I sensed insecurity in her, the only thing we had in common. I looked up only to find her cooing at Vince, putting a boney arm around his shoulder and forcing his body closer to hers. Vincent looked entirely disgusted, and I can't say that I blame him. He looked back at me, sighed, and quickly brushed off her horny attempts, moving more quickly now.

"Sorry about her. They went out once for a few months. It wasn't a serious relationship, I doubt that Vince cared for her at all. But he's popular, she's popular and that's the way it had to be. Vince is a simple guy, though, and doesn't need a trophy girlfriend. He quickly called it off and Kate never really understood. She's just an idiot." Rae let out a nervous laugh,

"Sorry, I really, really talk too much." I looked at her and let out a little smile, the first smile in a long time.

"Don't be sorry, you didn't do anything. But thanks."

Rae continued talking, kindly changing the subject. "So.. Anyway.. I was wondering, wanna come hang out with me tonight? It's hard being the new kid, after all."