Disclaimer: Final Fantasy 8 belongs to Square.

Author's Note:

The summary was horrible, and I hope to write the story better than I wrote the summary. A few things about the story, it is still in the FF8 world, but Rinoa's role has changed (not a sorceress/has no magic). I am trying to keep the characters in character, so you don't have to worry about any major OOC problem. Also, there may be some points in the story which seem confusing, but all will be explained.

Thanks!

----------------------------------------------Beautiful Eyes-------------------------------------------------------------

The sun was setting; the sky had become a mixture of blue and purple. He knew he had to find a safe place before dark. He kept running, breathing heavily, trying to get as much oxygen as he needed to keep going. He saw small specs of lights in the distance, he knew he was near. He kept running, his gunblade hanging at his side. His SeeD army had been fighting the Galbadian army for the past few months. They were holding strong, but neither side seemed to be winning more than the other. He knew that they had to stay strong, to fend off the Galbadian advancement. He was at the entrance of the small town. A small portion of his army was stationed here in Winhill. He quickly walked through the small village until he arrived at a hotel.

Inside the small hotel, he saw his army. They were all sitting in the corner at a table; Zell standing in front of the all, suggesting new tactics for the war. He was cut off in the middle of his sentence when he saw Squall.

"Yo! There you are; you ok?" he asked, shocked at the state of his commander. Squall ignored him, sitting down, wincing at the blood gushing out of his leg. "What the hell did they do to you?"

"An army of them attacked me. I held them off, but they still got a couple of swings at me," he said through clenched teeth, still winching at the pain.

"We need to get you healed, let's get you upstairs," Quistis suggested, standing up. They got squall on his feet, and made their way to the stairs. But they were cut off by the off by the hotel owner. He was a small man running up to them; he was waving a piece of paper.

"YOU! I will not allow you to stay here!" he shouted, pointing to Squall. "The Galbadians sent over a photograph." He waved a photograph of Squall, with a detailed description of him on it. "If they find you anywhere, not only will it be trouble for you, but for me as well. This hotel is all my family has, and I will not allow you to bring destruction upon it. You need to find a different place to stay, there is an old couple down the street, I'm sure they will take you in." And with that he walked away, his sharp tone still ringing in their ears.

"Wait, why do they want only you, and not all of the SeeDs?" Selphie asked.

"Probably because I killed most of their army," he replied trying to give a small smile despite the pain surging through his leg. "I am the Commander after all. They probably think that if they can get me, the rest of the army will be of no trouble. It would give them easy access to expanding their control over the continent."

"Squall, we could probably force the old man to let you stay," Zell suggested swinging a few punches in the air.

"No, I've had enough fighting for one day. I don't want to waste energy on those that try to help me. I'd rather spend it defeating the Galbadians. He didn't say anything about you guys having to leave, so I command you to stay here." A small wave of protest broke out among them. "No, you guys are staying. I received word form Cid earlier; we are to stay here for a month, no military action. Part of come plan that they are trying, a cease fire, or something. I want us split up, that way if the Galbadians find me; you guys can still take over. I want no complaints." A momentary silence broke out among the group. Without another word, he hobbled over to the table and picked up his gunblade. With the help of Zell, he left for the house.

"You need to get that leg taken care of, that makeshift bandage isn't going to last that long," Zell muttered. "You know it's weird, the Galbadians are always the ones to cause trouble. And we're always the ones to clean up their mess. Kind of sick of it, can't live a normal life. Man, I wonder how Ma is doing. She's probably cooking up everything that Balamb has, feeding the SeeDs." He smailed a little at the last though, Squall stayed silent through all of this. "Well, I guess we're here." Zell knocked on the heavy wooden door, and instantly it was opened by a small, old woman. Seeing the state of Squall, and the insignia marked upon their uniforms, she quickly ran out of the house and shut the door being her.

"Let me guess, Commander of Balamb?" she whispered into the cold air. Squall just nodded, still keeping his silence. The old lady adjusted her shawl, shielding herself from the cold air. "Did the hotel owner send you here?" They nodded once more. "I wish I could help you, I really do, but I can't. Not many people know this, but my husband used to command the Galbadian army. There are several soldiers from the Galbadian army in my house right now. The small hospital that we do have in town has overflowed, and my husband has made an agreement with the current Galbadian Commander. And now my own home has turned into an infirmary." She said bitterly, shaking her head in the direction of the house. "I'm sorry, young man, but it wouldn't be safe for you here. I know there is a cease fire a month long, but the Galbadians can't be trusted. We can easily see that from the manhunt, looking for you. Do you have anywhere else to go?"

"No," he simply stated, realizing his leg was now becoming numb.

"I'll tell you what; my niece lives down at the edge of town. It's in a wooded area, far from the eyes of the Galbadians, you will be safe. Hurry, and get over there before it becomes too dark, the Galbadians patrol this time of night. You friend will be safe here in town, but it is risky for you to stay here. Good luck Commander." And with that the old lady walked back into her home, closing the door on them.

"We're close, we better hurry," Zell said looking at the ground. With that they walked as quickly as they could down the cobbled streets of Winhill. Within minutes they noticed the scenery change from small cottage-like buildings, to a wooded area. Far into the woods, they found a small stone cottage. They walked up to the secluded house, and knocked on the door. The door was opened by a young woman. She was dark-haired, with large brown eyes; and her face lit up with a smile as she greeted the two. The words that came out of her mouth were only heard by Zell, as the Commander was lost in the beauty of her eyes.