I Believe in Ghosts
Based on the songs I Believe in Ghosts and Haunted Heart
Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VIII, the characters, or the songs used herein, they are simply being used for entertainment purposes.
Xu reeled back against the wall of the corridor, one hand going to her breast, where her heart was beating out of control. The woman she first took to be Quistis turned out to just be one of her Trepe's with a startling resemblance. Even after five years of Quistis not remembering what they once meant to each other, the memory wouldn't leave her. It happened one day after Quistis had been gone on a month-long training mission. She had come back and didn't even recognize Xu, much less remember that they had been in love. It had devastated the older woman. As she leaned back fully against the wall to let her heart settle, she whispered under her breath, "I've never been superstitious, I've never feared the unknown. But ever since you left me, I've believed in ghosts. I'm haunted by a memory that won't leave or let me go. Call me crazy, but I believe in ghosts. I swear I keep seeing shadows," the thought of the young look-alike popping into her mind again. "I know that I'm not alone. I feel the temperature dropping and it chills me to the bone. Should I be afraid? Should I be scared? You follow me everywhere. I'm haunted. Call me crazy and I may be, but I believe in ghosts. Girl, I believe in ghosts. I've never been superstitious, I've never feared the unknown, but ever since you left me, baby, I've believed in ghosts." Finally, she collected herself and continued her walk back to her rooms, shaking her head. She couldn't believe that a mere look-alike had affected her the same way that the real deal had all those years ago, and still would today. She was amazed that a younger look-alike had caught her so completely off guard as to cause that kind of reaction. When she reached her rooms, finally, she sat down at her desk and started writing, something she did occasionally to help clear her mind. This time, she put down her thoughts and feelings, trying to make sense of everything, just like she had millions of times before over the last five years.
She began to sing to herself, a fairly recent song that had been playing on the radio. "Go down the road called yesterday. Take a left on a lost highway, and make a right on memory lane. Drive until you feel the pain. And at the river of tears, take one last turn and cross the bridge that just won't burn. A run-down house is love's graveyard. That's where you'll find my haunted heart. Well, my haunted heart can't rest in peace. It's buried with her memory. And it's a living hell here after dark, all alone with a haunted heart. Late at night a slammin' door, shadows move across the floor, footsteps fall on silent stairs. I hear her call, but no one's there. Her photograph hangs by the bed. A grim reminder love is dead. A love I killed just won't depart. It's living with my haunted heart. Well, my haunted heart can't rest in peace. It's buried with her memory. And it's a living hell here after dark. All alone with a haunted heart. I said I'm all alone with a haunted heart." Xu sighed. Her heart had been broken for the last five years, an ache in her chest every waking moment. She wrote down the lyrics she had just sung to herself before closing her notebook and putting it away, getting ready for bed. Once again, she slipped into a cold, empty bed, all alone.