Chapter I

1. Village in Time

"Balamb...a town lost in time or a myth? The answer is now revealed here on Centra Continent, the spot believed to have once held the small village." The short, blonde news reporter smiled at the audience professionally, beginning to interrogate a man.

A young, raven-haired woman shook her head as she sat at the counter. Her hazel eyes traveled from the small television set to her cup. Static filled her ears as the reception failed for the umpteenth time in the past hour, the woman's irritating voice ceasing. A slight smile played on her lips before fading yet again.

"...Haunted town..."

Her eyes shot open as she searched for the two women, gossiping about the town of Balamb. It was said to have disappeared in a massacre years ago, but lately people have been reported missing when nearing it. Personally, she thought it was a bunch of hogwash. What ignorant women.

"...Brutally murdered and left alone..."

The dark haired woman clicked her tongue as she could only hear bits and pieces of the conversation. Letting a sigh roll over her soft lips, she laid her money onto the counter and ordered another coffee to go. Gratefully taking the cup, she stepped out into the commencing storm.

"...Squall promised he'd save her..."

"Curse it!"

She was running low on gas. Mumbling under her breath, she squinted her dark brown eyes as she peered through the rain-coated window. No, today was most definitely not a good day to be stranded in the middle of some hick town. Her eyes struggled to see her surroundings again, realizing she was in the middle of nowhere.

"Okay, Rinoa, you've gotten yourself in a nice mess...must be your good karma paying off."

The woman continued to shoot sarcastic insults at herself, resting her chin on the roughly padded steering wheel. Running her fingers through her slightly wet hair, she leaned back in her seat, frowning. As if on cue, her engine gave out, causing her to groan loudly. She let her hands remain clenched on the steering wheel for some time before deciding to finish her coffee. Finally, she stepped out of the vehicle into the rainy evening.

About ten minutes later, she realized how much she cherished hoods. They were quite convenient. A smile played on her lips as she looked up at the smoky grey sky, watching the crystalline drops fall to cleanse the Earth. She really did love storms...actually...more like rain in general. Pulling her hood farther over her eyes, she looked ahead to see a town.

"Where...?"

Her right eyebrow quirked towards her bangs, a confused look graced upon her face. Sighing for the millionth time that night, she entered the village, realizing how un-industrialized it looked. "Weird." The mumble died quickly as she glanced towards a wrecked door.

Big, green, innocent eyes were staring at her through the gaping hole.

Rinoa staggered back slightly, her gaze meeting the emerald one. Icy whispers pierced her ears, causing slight shivers to run up her spine. Her bangs fell into her eyes as she stepped back again, the shining eyes finally disappearing.

Hyne, how she needed assistance! Hesitantly, she reached the wrecked door, knocking on it lightly. No answer was granted, as if she were in some clichéd horror movie. Grumbling, she knocked louder, chewing her lower lip in impatience. Receiving no reply, she pushed open the door without welcome, frowning at the condition of the interior.

The furniture was knocked over, drawers pulled out and thrown aside as if the home had been ransacked. A basket that she figured once held shoes lay in splinters before her. She bit on her lower lip mercilessly -nearly drawing blood- as she edged towards an undamaged end table. Before she realized what she was doing, a loud, feminine shriek rang in her ears.

"MURDER! MURDER AT THE TILMITTS!"

Her heart pounded in her ears as she whipped around, her dark hair blinding her sight. A faint figure of a chestnut haired girl darted across the entrance room, tears glistening in her pea green eyes. Rinoa nearly gasped as the girl looked over at her, recognizing the jade orbs. The girl cowered in a corner behind an end table; a man with a knife entered the room before Rinoa could question the girl.

Rinoa screamed at the sight of the scalpel.

Realizing what she had done, she covered her mouth, but the fatally armed man and the girl didn't seem to notice. Noticing the tables and drawers were correctly arranged, she watched the man knock everything over to find the girl. Her empty eyes watched the man cower over the correct table with his blade raised, the girl shrieking.

She couldn't watch this. Without a second thought, she darted out of the home, finding herself stuck at the entrance gates of the town--the locked gates. They were way too tall to climb and much too stiff to break. Her hood fell over her eyes for the billionth time that night as she leaned against the rough material.

Where in Gaia was she? She played with the end of her hooded sweatshirt as she leaned against the entry, her gaze fixed upon the damp dirt. What was she supposed to do? A sigh played on her lips as she decided to return to the house with the girl with beautiful eyes.

Rinoa thought she had never been so hesitant in her life. Upon entering, she held her breath, deciding she wanted her lower lip and didn't want to grind it to bits quite yet. The entrance room was empty. Everything looked as if it were rummaged through again and there was no sign of the girl.

Silently, Rinoa edged down the hallway.

Her eyes narrowed into squinted slits as she traveled the narrow passageway, glancing at the doors as she passed. Most were wrecked and immovable, cutting her variety of doors very short. Coming upon an unflawed door, she paused, her hands pressed lightly on the cherry wood access. Her sleeves shielded her hands as she rested her forehead against the hard wood. Cherry wood...must've been a rich family.

Finally shoving the door open, she jumped back lightly in defense. The room was a fading yellow, paint chipping and peeling off the ancient walls. It smelt of an old man, but she realized it belonged to a young girl...

The green-eyed girl.

Approaching a mint colored desk, she slowly sat in the small orange chair, her hands resting upon the desktop. A small green journal with pink smiley-faced flowers sat on the pencil board, a tiny matching pencil beside it. The midnight haired woman picked up the little diary with pale, shaky hands, opening it to the first entry.

Squall is locked in the town shed! They locked him in the shed! They locked Squall in the shed! OH MY DEAR HYNE! It was scary...

Zell told me about it.

He said that Squall was put in there a week ago.

Zell knew.

Zell never told me until now?!

We went to visit Squall. He doesn't look scared. I would have been. We brought him some bread from Quisty's mom...but...he wouldn't eat it. He won't tell us why he got locked up.

I'm scared for Squall.

Rinoa paused, grimacing at the smell of the book. Scrunching up her nose, she turned to the fifth entry.

Squall looks so sick! What are they doing to him?! His eyes look so empty...They aren't that stormy blue anymore. They turned grey! His hair is longer now...a little past his earlobes. He's so thin! We went to visit him again today...even Seifer.

Irvine brought him some chicken his dad made. Squall wouldn't take it. Squall won't talk to us.

We asked him where the key was to get him out.

He didn't reply...he just stared at his feet.

I'm so scared...what did you do, Squall? What did you do?

Two pictures were taped to the bottom right corner with lots of scotch tape. The first was an old shed Rinoa recalled seeing, and the other was a close-up of the lock that fastened the double doors together. Twin snakes were engraved around the keyholes, one with a halo, the other with an extra tail. Mentally shrugging, Rinoa turned the page.

Something is wrong.

It's not right.

Squall was calling me when I was playing by the bank.

He told me to get everyone out of the village by tonight.

I asked him why.

He wouldn't tell me, only 'Just go'.
It sounds important! Worry was in his voice.

I'm really, really scared.

It was the last entry. Rinoa quirked her eyebrow inquisitively at the periodical, as if it would speak to her...

...And it did.

Slowly sloppy, curved letters formed upon the blank page before her.

Save Squall.



A/N: Yay. Please excuse the poor sentence structure and grammar in the diary...it belongs to a young girl, you know? Brownie points to those who know...though it's not too hard.

I want to thank our fellow FFVIII writers Bianka-Chan and Rinoa4321 for beta-reading for me! Go read their stories! If anyone else is interested in Beta-Reading, feel free to E-mail/IM.

I'm not going to beg you to review, nor will I threaten to not update if I don't get reviews. I write for my own enjoyment and fun, not to get reviews. RR does stand for Read and Review, but Read and Run is fine for me...as long as you read =)

Hopefully, the next chapter will be longer than 4 pages...more like six pages. I hope my Fanfiction piqued your interest =) Thanks for reading.