Ok before this fic starts, I would just like to say that it has nothing to do with the Hidden Pasts trilogy so please read it, even if you've read Hidden Pasts and didn't like it.
Eternity
By Katie Herdman
Prologue
The silence in the great hall was eternal. Nothing had disturbed the ruins in a long time, Odin was no longer there to rule and his followers were lost souls with no leader to guide them.
Great warriors had come and conquered some of them. Others had fled from fear of the heavy settling of evil in the hallways.
Darkness descended from nowhere. A mist floated along the floor of the ruins, coming from Odin's throne. It suddenly started to glow brightly white with energy, as if it had a life of its own.
The mist floated together and formed a shape. When it moved away again and dispersed, a man slowly got to his feet. Pain erupted through his naked body. Slowly, he limped away from where he had arrived mysteriously.
Chapter 1A tall man with a long coat, brown hair in a ponytail and a cowboy hat, quickly rushed in to the Quad. In his arms he held a large package, neatly wrapped in brown paper.
"Hey Selph, it's arrived," he cried to a short, petit, brown haired girl now balanced precariously on a ladder, trying to take down some decorations from the last Garden Festival.
"Oh great," said Selphie, climbing down from the ladder, "you'd better hide it from Squall, or else he'll realise what we're up to."
Irvine nodded then walked away. He stopped for a moment and thought and then turned back to Selphie.
"So, where exactly do I hide it," he asked her.
Selphie rolled her eyes towards the ceiling, it was going to be hard keeping the birthday plans from Squall, but everything was hard with Squall, he always seemed to know what was going on.
"Anywhere where he won't look for it, try Zell's room, no one would dare go in there," she said laughing, her eyes shining like the sun. It was why Irvine loved her; her zest for life was unrivalled.
"Put it in your room, in your closet. Squall will never look in there."
"Hey," cried Irvine, "my closet isn't untidy, I keep it clean."
"Really," said Rinoa, coming up behind him. Irvine jumped in the air, for a second he had thought that Squall was there.
"You'd better be careful, I could have been Squall," said Rinoa as she laughed at Irvine's serious face, it was hard not to.
***
Squall sat alone in the cafeteria. People around him avoided him; it had always been that way. Although everyone thought he was alone, to Squall, it did not seem that way. He had his thoughts, and that was important. Right now all he had on his mind was his impending birthday. He knew that something was going on with his friends and that it had something to do with his impending birthday. However, no one was saying anything about it to him.
People started to disappear to their classrooms; lessons were about to start. Squall decided that it would be better if he found his friends, if they weren't planning his surprise party. He would still act surprised when it happened, but they weren't good at keeping it a surprise.
Coming out of the cafeteria, Squall spotted Irvine walking along with a package under his arm. His present, probably. Squall was toying with the idea of scaring Irvine by walking over and talking to him, when someone pressed their cool hands over his eyes and whispered in his ear.
"Guess who," the soft voice whispered.
Squall turned around slowly and there stood Rinoa. Beautiful Rinoa. His Rinoa.
"Hi sweetheart," she said, hugging him. "What are you looking at?"
"Just you," said Squall, a hint of mischief in his voice. Squall hugged her back, pulling her in close so that he could breathe her in. It felt wonderful holding her in his arms, so right.
"Come on," Rinoa said, pulling Squall in the opposite direction to Irvine. "Let's go for a walk."
***
Quistis watched them go. Jealousy poured into her veins. She knew that it shouldn't, but still it did. Sure she was happy that Squall was happier these days and less introvert, but Quistis was upset that it had to be Rinoa that brought it out of him and not her.
"Why couldn't it be me there right now, laughing and joking with you. Why does it have to be her? I could have been just as right for you."
Quistis, however, knew the answer to that question. Deep down she knew that Rinoa would have been better. If she and Squall had gotten together, then they would have drowned together in their sorrows. Quistis would never have been able to bring out Squall's better side.
One of the Trepies went past her, distracting her attention on Squall and Rinoa. He smiled shyly at her and produced some sheets of work that they obviously wanted her to go over. Quistis obliged to their request even though she was no longer an instructor. It would help her keep her mind off Squall. When she had finished checking his work (which actually didn't need checking at all), shyly smiled again, whilst gurgling some incoherent words and left. Quistis shook her head in exasperation. When would they leave her alone?
Zell went past her, but she didn't notice him, which was okay because he didn't see Quistis either. Zell was looking for Headmaster Cid and his wife Edea Krammer who were around the Garden somewhere. He had been instructed by Selphie on official party business about whether they should dock in FH so that Laguna could come to his son's birthday party. A better question was; would Squall want his father there?
Life seemed perfect for these six people, however that is only the surface. Underneath their happy life something festers. Someone wishes for something that one of these six might have. Power is an alluring thing, and to posses it is a great desire of most. It can tear apart even the most unlikely of people.