Lost
Walking through the dark cold night. One girl searches for where she belongs. Her dark exterior hides a terrifying secret and a past that only she knows. Her name is Nicole. This is her story. Can one boy change all that she is and can she heal enough to tell her dark secret before her terrifying past catches up to her? Takes place years after Ultimaecia.
DISCLAIMER: I do not own Final Fantasy 8. Square-Enix does. Sadly. now Daikeru do the rest!
Daikeru:Why should I?
Me: Because if you don't i'll erase you from my mind...
Daikeru:... fine...He doesn't own Final Fantasy. If he did the GFs would be annihilating everything from the face of the earth...there ya happy?
Me:Very. Thank you! Now on with the show! er Story!
Chapter 1 "The Beginning"
Across the barren lands of Esthar a lone figure walks. A shadow, both by name and appearance. Clothed in all black with a faintly glowing jewel around her neck, and her katars and gunblade hanging at her side. Forever searching, for what, even she doesn't know. She entered the city of Esthar slowly the silver buildings reflecting the blinding sun into her dark black eyes. Unfazed by the shining light she walked into the magnificent city. All who saw her quickly scattered not wanting to be near. All who did business with her avoided all eye contact not wanting to look into those dark brooding eyes. Neither speaking nor interacting she pointed to the item she desired and paid quickly moving on her way. She left the beautiful city without a second glance.
A young boy no older than she raced down the winding streets of Esthar. As if fate had brought them together he had been traveling on the same road she had just walked. He did not pay attention as the car sped straight towards her fast enough to break her bones like dropping a vase from a cliff, causing it to shatter her bones as if they were glass.
She had heard the silent roar of the motor before she could even see the car. She continued to walk as if she had heard nothing. Then as the car sped towards her she stopped.
100 feet.
50 feet.
30 feet.
20 feet.
10 feet.
She jumped as the car should have hit her. She landed silently in the back seat of the speeding car. "Stop the car." She said in a dark cold voice.
"Where the hell did you come from!?" he shouted stopping the car with an quick jerk that threw him into the steering wheel making the horn sound.
Chapter 2 "Introductions"
"Now that I stopped the car who the hell are you?" The boy asked with his eyes full of anger.
"My name is Shadow, and yours?"
"Shadow? What kind of a name is that? HAHAHA!" he laughed.
Shadow glared at him with her dark piercing eyes and he froze instantly as if he had looked straight into the eyes of the Medusa.
"And yours?" she repeated.
"M-m-my name is Tommy." he stuttered.
The two were exact oppisites. Tommy was cheerful and fun while Shadow was silent and dark. Tommy had brown hair with scattered blond highlights while Shadow had jet black hair. He also had piercing blue eyes that resembled small sapphires. Shadow on the other hand had obsidian black eyes that could block out any light and make the biggest of men cower in fear. Tommy resembled a semi-dark angel while Shadow resembled pure darkness that could make even devils quake in fear.
No sooner had he said his name there was a loud explosion.
"What was that?!" yelled Tommy.
As if on que Shadow jumped from the car and began to run towards the area of the noise. Running only a short distance she saw a crimson flame sweeping across the ground leaving a charred path in its wake. She stopped only for a moment to check the debris.
"Ruby Dragon..." she said quietly.
Chapter 3 "Hidden Strength"
"Damn girl...how can she run so fast?" he thought to himself as he ran in her direction. No sooner had he reached her, he saw all he needed to.
"A RUBY DRAGON?!?!" he shouted. He stared in thought of how a great challenge this would be. For a local Estharian this would come as a shock due to the fact Ruby Dragons aren't found in this area but for Tommy, being from descent of the ledgendary Squall Leonhart, he saw this as a great challenge.
"Get ready..." Shadow said breaking him out of his thoughts."It comes."
No sooner had she said that the dragon caught sight of them and began to charge in fury. The dragon was 50 feet high and 20 feet across from shoulder to shoulder. It's dark crimson scales reflected a red light onto the silver buildings. The long 20 foot tail swayed back and forth as it sized up it prey. Upon it's head it had 2 sets of 2 obsidian horns each pair was connected making it look like it had 2 large horns on its forehead making a crown-like apperance. It's snout was filled one set of gleaming white teeth as sharp as 50 knives. It's nose had smoke fuming from it and flames licking the edges of its mouth as it prepared to blast a tower of deadly flames. To say the least the dragon was terrifying.
"BLIZZARA!" A trail of ice shot from Tommy's hand to the dragon covering it in a spear of frost and in one moment the ice shattered causing some damage to the crimson dragon.
"That barely did anything!"
"Tch...amature." Shadow said as she drew her katars.
She began to concentrate and soon enough she had summoned one out of her many Guardian Forces(GFs), Shiva. The ice godess began to shimmer and shine in the light as she began her icy assault. First came the full wave of ice covering the field around the dragon and underneath it making it unable to escape. Then in the blink of an eye the ice shattered and the dragon was thrown back 100 feet while suffering heavy damage. She then began to glow with darkness as she began to summon Diablos. The great dark demon came forth from the storm of bats looking down upon the dragon and threw down a huge collection of dark energy before shattering into a mass of bats once again, but Shadow's assault was not done yet. Her blades had a bluish glow as she charged towards the scaly beast and began to slash rapidly deal both physical and ice damage to the great behemoth.
"Stupid...just standing there..." she said as she continued to assault the beast.
"TRIPLE! BLIZZAGA!" Shadow yelled as she casted the devastating ice spell threefold upon her enemy shattering it in a storm of icy shards and killing it for good.
Tommy could only stare dumbfounded as she had almost single-handedly took down a Ruby Dragon. "Hey hey hey! Wait up!" he yelled after her as she began to walk the way she had done before.
"What do you want?" she said coldly.
"Can I come along with you? To where ever you are going? Please?" he asked with a slight tone of begging in his voice
"Why should I let you?"
"I could help I really can. I just need to get out of here."
"Fine but I will give you no more time than 'till sunrise tomorrow morning to be ready. In the mean time I will be on the outskirts of the city in my camp."
"No, you can't stay there, not after letting me come with you. You have to stay at my house." he said.
She could only sigh. "What have I gotten myself into?" she thought on her way to her new "compainion's" home.
Chapter 4 "Compainionship"
The night Shadow stayed at Tommy's home was semi-plesant at least in the mind of Tommy. At sunrise they had set out from Esthar to the city of Balamb. Shadow being silent and dark, as usual offset the cheerful Tommy. At every chance Tommy got he tried to strike up some conversation, but failed miserably everytime. During the time that followed Tommy became more open and Shadow became more bored. Then he found something he could use to talk to her.
"So is Shadow your real name?" Tommy inquired.
"Does it matter?" she said tonlessley
"Actually, it does, to me anyway. So what is it?"
"If I answer you will you stop bugging me?"
"Yes." he said happily.
"Fine, if you must know it, its Nicole."
"Wow thats a beautiful name."
"..." Nicole didn't respond, she had never been complimented like that. Nicole had never taken the time to get to know anybody. She had felt the pain of heartbreak and the hurt of loss. She always knew, or at least thought, that to get to know people was only a way to get held back so she went throughout life with few friends.
"Hey! You still there?" he asked concerned as they continued walking.
"Yes, I'm fine..." she said lifelessly, as she was still in thought.
From then on it was silence until they had found an Aura draw point.
"Hey Nicole? You want this?" he said pointing to the spell spring.
She shrugged and walked over to the blue sphere. As soon as she touched it she felt her spell supply going higher and saw the draw point had turned a darkish purple.
"Hey Tommy?" she asked
"Yeah?"
"...Thank you..."
"No problem thats what friends are for!" he said excitedly from her thanks. So he decided to run ahead.
"Friends..." she said quietly.
"What if I lose him like all the others? I don't want the pain of loss and guilt with me again!" she thought.
"Please!" she begged silently "Someone help me!"
Having lagged behind she thought that she could think, but she couldn't. Once again, adding to the countless times in her life, she felt alone in the darkness. Lonley in the cold while carrying the burden of a dark secret. She felt despair, pain, guilt. She had felt everything. Hurt. Anguish. Despair. She felt it all but one word decribed everything, she felt...Lost.