Hi All,

Here is the start of my new Squinoa fanfiction. Sort of scared since this is my first that I'm writing alone. I decided to finally write it in honor of Rinoa's birthday, and will hopefully be updating soon. I am very bad with starting stories, and this idea sort of just popped into my head after months of writer's block. It is an alternate universe fanfiction, and please read and review...it's what inspires me. :)
Anyway, enjoy! (I know it's short...there will be longer chapters in the future.)
-Yuna Leonhart 3

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the mentioned characters, locations, and other elements in this story. They belong to Square Enix, formerly Squaresoft, and I am writing this purely for the fun of it.

"I'll be here...
...Why...?
I'll be 'waiting' here...
For what?
I'll be waiting here...for you...so...
If you come here...
You'll find me.
I promise."

Dust swirled in the blazing summer heat, coating his sweaty skin in a layer of grit that pulled the moisture out of and stung his eyes and nose. His mouth was about as wet as sandpaper, and his hands were sweating under his protective leather gloves. The fur collar of his jacket did little to mop up the salty liquid that constantly formed at the nape of his neck as he ran along, making sure to keep himself low to the ground. Even with the sun gone at this time of night, the night did little to suppress the heat wave that seemed endless.

Crouching cautiously behind a boulder, he could spot his comrades by the glow his gunblade gave off. The two blondes fell into place beside him, their eyes darting around the enemy territory. They had just received the order to retreat, having successfully completed the first part of the mission. One of his comrades swore under his breath, punching the ground. The metal spikes did little to make grooves in the cracked earth, once again reminding the trio of their dehydrated bodies.

"…Tch." The martial artist muttered, shaking his sweaty hands. The brunette glared at him for making noise, causing the blonde to start to open his mouth, but then he shut it. He could be stupid, but thankfully, now was not one of those times. They both turned to the female of the group; she had been scanning the landscape, searching for some sort of route. The exit was about a hundred meters away, and was stationed with dozens of guards. The rest of the area they were trapped in was surrounded by an electrical fence. The mission had been going well; they had disguised themselves as some of the soldiers on their way in, but after finishing their goal, their cover had been blown. Now they were alone in enemy territory, and there was no doubt that security had at least tripled.

It wasn't really a surprise…their lives were filled with danger, and any mistake could leave them for dead. And truthfully, it wasn't a horrid situation.

Shaking himself out of his thoughts, the brunette brushed some sweat-soaked hair out of his eyes and started to help the female in finding a way out. He took off his signature jacket and tied it around his waist, being sure to resist the urge to take his gloves off. The pulse ammo that vibrated within his gunblade was too dangerous to leave his bare hands unprotected. Glancing up again, he stared blankly at a part of the fence. Twilight had settled, but the lights had been turned on, and his gaze found a point that revealed a path. A large sloped boulder stood in front of the fence, just high enough that with some momentum, they could leap over. Some yards down from that, some vehicles stood parked.

Shaking his head at the stupidity of the security here, the brunette motioned to his two partners and pointed to the route. They nodded, but before any of them could stand up, a most unwelcome sound met their ears. Dogs that had been tracking them had finally found a scent, and now were barking. They sounded dangerously close, and the roar of an engine seemed to come from every direction.

Their eyes met, urgency reflecting in each, and they all rolled out from the hiding spot, catching the attention of a stampede of soldiers. Adrenaline pumping through his blood and clearing his head, the brunette started to sprint. His breathing, which had been short before, now grew rhythmic, keeping in time with the steady thumps of his footsteps. His comrades were hot on his heels, but soon they saw soldiers arriving along the side of them, slowly closing in. The brunette prepared his gunblade for battle, the blue hue bouncing in and out of his line of sight as he pumped his arms.

A pair of soldiers suddenly jumped in front of him, and he slashed his weapon, and they silently fell, dust swirling around them as he left them in the dust. Then the rest of them began to attack, and the brunette dropped his speed, letting his partners go ahead. All of the soldiers in front of him seemed to blur together, his footing light as he ducked and slashed, trying to hack through the wall of people before him. He seemed unaffected at the wounds he sustained, stopping at nothing to reach the boulder that would grant him freedom and the success of the mission. His blade shook as he fired the bullets into the fray, his eyes darting away for a moment to motion for his comrades to jump. They leapt over without a second glance, hopping into a truck. They roared over the sound of gunfire as the engines came to life, and the brunette made one final desperate attempt to flee. He barreled through the mass, destroying anything that came across his path.

Finally, success greeted him, and he dashed up the boulder, springing off the rock. The force of it catapulted him into a flip, and everything seemed to slow down. A split second glance at the fence revealed a small gray box that was connected to the wires, and he looked over at his gunblade to see that one bullet lay remaining. He aimed, and there was a loud crack as the bullet flew away from him as his feet hit something. The brunette didn't even bother to check what it was.

His aim was perfect; he watched with ringing ears as the bullet tore through the plastic of the box, and he turned away just as the fence ignited, listening to the sound of the shouts of the soldiers as they were blocked by the wall of flame. He looked down to see that he was in the back of a pickup truck, being carried away safely by his comrades. Staggering unsteadily, he barely noticed the thumbs up from the blonde male before falling over in the back, closing his eyes as he welcomed the calming blackness that washed over him as they sped away to safety.

Review! I'd like to know what you think!