Author's Notes: I do not own the content within. All copyrights belong to SQUARE ENIX CO., LTD.
I. Dreams and Reality
Waves lap at a distant shore, a far off memory from a time forgotten, as words echo from the distant blackness. I'll be here… Why? I'll be 'waiting' here… Behind the beach lay a field of flowers, and in that flowery patch a distant figure. Its form masked in a shadow, trapped in a distant memory. For what?, the voices continue. I'll be waiting… for you… so… If you come here… You'll find me. I promise. A feather flies from the field of flowers as the skies blacken and a heavy rain begins to fall.
Squall woke up from his dream, shook of the last vestiges of sleep, and glanced at his clock. The time read five oh nine. He shook his head and wiped his eyes, climbing out his bed. What a weird dream, he thought as he dressed in his usual outfit of a white t-shirt, black pants and his black jacket. The last thing he slipped on was his necklace with a lion pendant. Griever was its name, a gift to Squall long before he could remember. He had a training match with another student in several hours, so he decided it would be best to get ready now instead of waiting. A heavy rain fell outside his window, the dark and dreary skies a reminder of the end of his dream. He hefted his gunblade from its perch on his desk and started out of his room. He took one more bewildered glance out of his window at the pouring rain and dreary skies, then closed his door and headed out for his training session.
As Squall approached the plateau where he was supposed to meet his training partner, he stopped. He considered turning back and returning to the Garden, considered heading to Balamb and catching a train to anywhere else but here. He turned around to leave when he heard a shout from the plateau.
"Hey chicken shit, you givin' up already?"
Squall turned his head. Apparently, Seifer, his training partner, had already arrived. Seifer stood about Squall's height, with blond hair and blue eyes. His signature outfit consisted of a blue shirt and brown pants, topped off with a white duster. He was also a gunblade wielder, which he currently held over his shoulder. Seifer and Squall were both orphans and had arrived at the Garden at the same time, and so they had become rivals. With a heavy sigh, Squall climbed the last few steps onto the plateau and stuck his sword into the ground.
When he was ready, he gripped the hilt of his sword and pulled it from the ground, then began to charge at Seifer. Seifer raised his sword and pointed it at Squall, a cocky smirk showing wide on his face. Their blades clashed with a loud clank, sparks screaming from the swords as the metal met. Seifer spun to block against Squall's next attack, effortlessly smacking his sword away. Squall struck again, and this time, Seifer ducked under his blade. Seifer raised his hand and made a "come and get me" gesture, taunting Squall into attacking him. As Squall charged, Seifer struck at him. Squall ducked under his attack then blocked his follow-up attack. They exchanged several blows with each other, fighting all over the plateau. Seifer swung at Squall's head again, and again Squall ducked under the blow. The smile on Seifer's face showed that he seemed to be enjoying himself, while Squall's face showed determination to defeat his rival.
Squall charged Seifer again and swung wide, missing his target. His return attack was blocked by Seifer, who seemed surprised at the fury with which Squall attacked. He was forced to hold the back of his sword against a flurry of attacks from Squall. Seifer's attack pushed back Squall's sword, and to avoid his second attack, Squall leaped from his spot.
As Squall began to charge, Seifer raised his hand and began to conjure up the magic spell Fire. Squall was forced to abandon his charge and block as the Fire spell hit him. He was knocked off his feet by the powerful burst of magic, and he landed on his back, kicking up dust. As he was getting to his feet, Seifer raised his gunblade to strike at his weakened foe.
The blade came down and blood splattered to the ground as a gapping wound opened on Squall's face, stretching from his forehead to his cheek under his right eye. Furious, Squall jumped up and struck Seifer, dragging his blade along the ground. He struck Seifer's face, renting a wound from under his left eye to the middle of his forehead. With a severe amount of blood pouring from the gash in his face, Squall collapsed after striking Seifer.