Hi again. The story takes place eighteen years after the game and will be mainly about Squall's and Rinoa's daughter and her friends who also are the kids to the gang. I start two years after just to give some background. Sarah Leonhart will be a bit different than many other ideas. I don't own the Final Fantasy-stuff so please don't sue me. I also want to do an explanation my system with lines. (Thoughts) [Voices like their head like GF and etc.]

An Angelwinged Lioness

Chapter 1: Traumatic memories

"Hurry up Sarah, or we will be late for class. " An anxious Desiree Kinneas said. "Quistis will be furious if we are late."

"Just a minute, I am almost done." Sarah's voice echoed from inside Ragnarok's maintains hatch.

"What are you doing down there?"

"I am trimming the jet engines so we can cram more power out from them and thereby go faster." Sarah said as she peaked up like a mole with some oil on her cheek. "I found a book about it when I visited grandpa last time."

"About how much faster?"

"Well, that is something we will know first when we try it. Let's go to class before Instructor Trepe turns us into tonight's dinner." Sarah said as she climbed up from the maintains hatch and closed it.

"By the way soon it is the fieldexam. You are the one that spends the most time of us in the trainingcenter so you will pass for sure." Desiree said as they walked towards the elevator. "I am quite impressed that you have time to train, stud and working on the engines. I don't know how you do it."

"Well, if you give up a quite portion of sleeping you get the time." Sarah answered as she wiped away the oil on her cheek.

They entered the classroom and had just sat down when Quistis came in and started the lesson.

"God morning class. Today the student are ready to do the fieldexam that follows." Quistis said as she sat down by her desk. "Everybody that isn't applying for this year's exam may have a free day, but I suggest that you use that time to study. And by the way, let me introduce a new student that has transferred from Galbadia Garden. May I welcome Cole Almasy?"

A boy around the same age of the rest Clothed in a pair of black combat pants, boots and a gray trenchcoat with a red cross on the arm entered the classroom and slumped down behind a computer. "Let's get it over. I just transferred because this is my old mans old home. I want to accomplish what he failed to clear the bad taste of the name."

"Well, lets us see wish students that wants to try to become SeeD this year. I guess you Cole is one of them with that ambition." Quistis smirked as she remembered his father. "The rest of you may dismiss while those who is going to take the exam is going to stand in a line by my desk and receive some basic instructions."

Sarah, Desiree and Harley walked to the desk along with eight other students.

"I see that you are planning to become a SeeD this year. Your father will surely be proud." Quistis said as she looked at Sarah.

".I am mostly impressed that he let's me. You know how protective he is."

"Yeah, I know .I wish you good luck" Quistis said as she handed over the folder with the instructions.

"Thank you." Sarah said with a nod of gratitude.

"I didn't know that you needed your old mans permission." She heard Cole voice with a bit mockery.

"Well, usually I don't but my father is the commander and that makes everything a bit more complicated" Sarah turned around and faced the boy.

"So you are the commander's kid huh. I promised my old man to give that Leonhart-kid a real ass whopping, but I didn't expect him or rather her to be that cute."

"Thanks, but I am harder than I look. You could be real cute yourself if it wasn't for that damn arrogant style you have." Sarah said as she looked the man in the eyes.

"Well, you have quite a mouth. But do you have the gut to prove it?"

"I accept your challenge" Sara nodded with fire in her eyes. "Met me after class down in the quad and we will see how good you are."

"See you there sweetie." Cole said as he received the papers and walked back to his place.

("This guy is going to get on my nerves if I don't rip him to shreds first") Sarah thought as she walked to her two friends.

"Who does he think he is?" Desiree said with anguish.

"Well, he might be a bit smoother later after you have kicked his bony little behind." Harley glared at Cole's direction

The class dismissed and Sarah walked to her dorm first to change out from the uniform into her normal clothes wish is a pair of black jeans, black tanktop, a black vest with a couple of pockets and the Griever-symbol on the back, a black cap and combat boots. She sat up her hair in a ponytail and took her pair of sai. ("It is about time that little asshole some manners.")

She walked into the quad ready to duel many of the ones that had heard about the duel had gathered to witness it, and they had brought some friends with them. She walked past the crowd to meet the young blonde. "I was afraid you wouldn't show up." She heard him say with a cocky smile.

"I am here, let's do this." She hissed.

They started fighting. Cole brought his gunblade up and charged at her while she dodged away and brought out her sai and charged back. The fight was getting quite fierce as Cole did a new swing with the gunblade and Sarah blocked with her sai.

("Damn, this guy is almost as good as he looks.")

Cole jumped back to dodge a kick from Sarah and managed with a few inches.

("She fights quite well for being so cute. I may have underestimated this girl.")

The fight had been going on for nearly half an hour when Sarah managed to kick away his legs with a low kick and Cole fell down. When he tried to rise up Sarah knelled quickly down and pointed her sai at his throat.

"You put up with quite a fight." Sarah said with small drops of sweat in her face as she removed the sai from his throat and helped him up and looked at the crowd who had started to leave.

"And what do you think you two are doing?" They heard an angry voice and there stood the SeeD-commander Squall Leonhart with his arms crossed.

"Uh- uh, we were just training sir." Sarah saluted.

"Really. I thought IT just looked like YOU two were FIGHTING a duel." He looked first at his daughter and then at his former rivals son and then back on Sarah again.

"It is totally my fault sir." Cole suddenly opened his mouth and said. "I challenged her and drove her to accept it."

Sarah was speechless. ("Is this arrogant bastard taking the whole blame to protect me?")

"It was not just his fault. I accepted the challenge, so I am guilty too sir" She quickly said.

Squall gave one of his trademark scowls and looked at the two youths. "I let it go for this time, but I hope it doesn't happen again. Have I made myself clear?"

"Yes sir. The two of them answered in unison."

"By the way, I want to see you to in my office in an hour from now to give further instructions about the fieldexam. Don't be late." Squall said as he leaved.

"You seem to be full of surprises. First you do all you can to insult me, and then suddenly you try to protect me. What gives?" She looked at him a bit confused.

"I felt bad for you to get in trouble with your old man. And I owed you that because you beat me." He said as he walked around and turned to face her. "Damn it, here I come and trying to pick up where my old man left (She is actually pretty cute.) But I couldn't do it either"

"Why do we have to be enemies and rivals just because our parents were? Sometime the fighting must stop." She walked towards him. "Actually I think it was kinda sweet of you to take the blame. You are not your father more than I am mine."

"Is that why you didn't choose the gunblade as your weapon?"

"I love my father I really do, but it is hard to be the daughter of two legends. If I had chosen the gunblade the pressure should have been even greater because everybody should have expected me to be naturally good with it. The only ones that don't see me as an extension of my parents are my father and two friends, and of course my mother… at least until she died." She walked towards the railing and looked out at the view and Cole followed her and took the place beside her. "So tell me. Why do you act so damn arrogant towards people, when you in matter of fact are quite nice?"

"Fear. I was afraid that people might think I will wreak the same havoc as my old man did and betray you. Everyone might not share your ideas so I tried to set up a kind of respect by hiding behind a cocky attitude so no body would dare bugging me. You are actually the first who don't care about my bloodline. (What a girl, both have the looks and doesn't care about who your relatives are.)" He said as he looked into her ice blue eyes. "I hope then if we aren't to become enemies, maybe we could be friends?"

"I should love that. Let us go and meet the commander. I am sure both Harley and Dess will be friends with you to if you show them this side."

"I just have to ask, do you see your old man as a hero?" Cole asked as they stepped into the elevator.

"Yes, but not for the same reason the others might think of him as a hero, nor does he want that. He told me that the only thing they were trying under the second sorceress war was to stay alive like anybody else." Sarah answered. "In my eyes he is a hero by being a good father, like when I was three and was sick, he made me a ragdoll for comfort. Also have he been a great support since mom died. That is the reasons why I look at him as a hero, just for those tiny little things."

When they entered the office they saw that both Harley and Desiree who still whore their uniforms stood inside and as soon the she and Cole had joined them Squall started to speak.

"I have summoned you here because of your requests for the fieldexam, and I am happy to tell you that you all have what it requires. We have decided that this year we will tell you wish team you are going with already now so you can get to know each other before. You are team C."

"What? Shall we work together with that arrogant bastard?" Harley burst out as Desiree looked at the commander like he had lost his mind.

"Hey, he isn't that bad." Sarah snapped to her two friends. "Give him a chance."

They all except Squall looked at Sarah with some amazement.

"Well, the commander must have a good reason to put up the teams like this, so let us hear him out." Sarah said to them. "And Cole have a nice side to. Everybody has."

Squall gave a small smile before he continued. "The reason why we in the Garden faculty have made this arrangement up is because you cover each others setbacks pretty good. Harley, in fighting skills you are second only to your father in martial arts. You are a great field medic. The negative side you have is that you have inherited your fathers temper wish may land you in hot water sometimes along with the team. Ask me, I know."

"Desiree, your skills in to lighting up the mood of your team and pick up the positive aspects of a situation is a rare ability and that is something really important at a war scene. You are also the brain in the gang and a master in computers. Your setback is your lack in combat experience."

"Cole, although you are new while the others known each other since childhood you will be a big asset to the team because you are great at holding your stance and have a high stamina. You are also the most experienced fighter, despite that you lost to my daughter. Just drop that cocky attitude, it doesn't suit you and may cause some problems."

"Last Sarah, your mechanical skills can save your ass out there. You are also the one with the greatest leader qualifications because you can keep your head cool in most situations. Your setback is that you seem to analyze everything wish makes you think too much. That is something you have inherited from me and may cause some problems when fast decisions are needed. In both good and bad ways you are also stubborn as a mule. That is a trait from your mother. You are now dismissed and good luck with your fieldexam. Sarah, can you stay for a minute?"

"Sure. I meet up with you later" Sarah said as her friend leaved.

The three of them walked out from the office and stepped into the elevator. Cole was the first one to speak. "I am sorry about earlier, but I was afraid that people might hold it against me that my old man betrayed this garden back then. Sarah was actually the first one to judge me from what she sees and not from my bloodline and made me see that I didn't have to act."

"Apology accepted. Hey do you play any instrument? We three have a band that I play the drums in, Dess is play the guitar and Sarah play violin and sing." Harley said with a bit of enthusiasm.

"She can really sing, but that is surely in her blood. Her grandmother was Julia Heartily after all." Desiree said with a smile.

"I play base guitar." Cole answered. "And I should like to be in your band."

"Great. Then we can play at the Garden festival this year." Desiree nearly yelled happily.

"But let us give you warn you about one thing. Mostly because we can see you two are giving each other that kind of looks that tells everything, even though you known each other such short time." Harley said. "She might act cheerful like nothing bothers her, but we know she is putting up a brave front to hide a great burden. Two years ago she and Rinoa, her mother were in that hostage situation in Esthar."

"Yeah, I heard about it on the radio. All terrorist died and one civilian. Totally eleven dead.

"Actually, that civilian was not a civilian but a SeeD and Sarah's mother. She still wakes up screaming at nights and even if she tries to hide it you can tell that she cries when it happens. She hasn't told anyone what really happened in there. Ever since that she hasn't celebrated one birthday either." Desiree Said as they stepped out from the elevator. "We all fear for the day she will break down under the pressure and the happy façade will crumble. All we can do then is to be there for her and support her as well as we can."

("Wow, she has more skeletons in the closet than I thought.") Cole thought as he followed his new friends

Meanwhile in the office Sarah and Squall talked.

"So, what do you think about Cole? Nice guy huh." Squall said with a crooked smile.

"W-what do you mean?" Sarah felt how her face turned red.

"Well, I recognise those looks from your mother when I started to understand that she had feelings for me so don't try to fool me little lady." Squall said as he saw how his daughter blushed.

"Well, he is kinda nice if you know how to read him. But how come that you takes it with such calm? You and his father were kind of rivals of what I have heard." Sarah said as she looked her father in the eyes.

"To be honest I was worried that our bickering would continue with you two. But after he stood up for you and you tried to ease the blame my worries disappeared. It may be too late for me and Seifer to become friends, but it is not too late for you two. I must meet up with the next squad but we may talk later."

"Ok, see you later dad." She said as she walked out to meet up with her friends for lunch in the cafeteria.

That night the dream once again came to her, and as usual Sarah sat up in the bed screaming. "Not again, not again. I can't take it anymore." She whispered as she buried her face in her hands sobbing. She clothed herself and took her sai and her violin and headed for the trainingcenter.

Cole walked around the trainingcenter with his head full of thoughts. ("She must carry quite a luggage to be that cheerful, despite her experiences. I wish there was a way for me to ease her burden.")

Suddenly his thoughts was interrupted by a melody that was so beautiful but so full of pain and sorrow that even a T-rexaur should start crying. He traced the music to the secret area where he found Sarah standing there playing on her violin. Even if she stood with her back at him he could tell that tears tainted her cheeks. He stood there listening at the melody.

Sarah stood there playing on the violin as the whole tragedy replayed in her head again and again as tears streamed down her cheeks. She had done this so many times before and this was the only place she felt she could let out those emotions that she usually hid behind her cheerful façade. It was normally empty this time so no one could see her crying. As usual it ended with that she could no longer fight it and broke down in tears and sobs as she buried her face in her arms as she leaned against the railing ("Mom, why did you leave me? It is my fault; I should have been the one taking the bullet and not you.")

"Nice melody" she heard someone say from behind and saw Cole standing there.

("Oh shit, how long has he stood there listening? And here I am crying like a baby") She tried to wipe away the tears to try to hide that she had cried just seconds ago.

Cole moved closer. "I heard you playing when I walked around trying to get my mind of things. Your friends told me you have trouble sleeping sometimes. That it has something with your mother and your birthday to do."

"They still worries about me huh. Despite my attempts to make them not to." She said as she looked up at the stars. "You know, sometimes it feels like she is watching me from up there."

"Harley and Dess told me you have never spoken of it to anyone. Maybe that is why it still haunts you."

"Maybe, it couldn't hurt to try, and you have already discovered my secret by finding me here. But you have to promise not to tell anyone, not even my father."

"My lips are sealed Angeleye. So care to tell me?"

She drew a deep breath before she started the whole story.

Flashback: Two years ago

It had been her fourteenth birthday and she had been with her mother and father in Esthar to celebrate together with her grandfather Laguna Loire and aunt Ellone. Her other grandfather Fury Caraway had been there as well. He and her mother had made peace with each other after she had been born. It had been such a happy day; no one could imagine that this day would end in a terrible tragedy.

When the evening came she and Rinoa had decided to have a girls-night-out so they left for the mall, where they looked at clothes and jewellery together while they had the time of their life. Suddenly a group about ten men came in and started to shot in the air and screaming at the people to lie down on the floor, he and her mother had hidden behind a corner.

"We want that invention in about one hour, and then we start to kill people." The men said to the military outside by radio. The minutes ticked away slowly under complete silence.

"The time is out." The leader said trough the radio and picked up a young girl from the floor who started to sob as she realised that she was going to be the first to die.

"I got to do something so wait here." Rinoa told her daughter before she leaped up quickly and sent away a blast of energy at the man holding the girl followed by another blast. She started to send awy energyblast after energyblast as the terrorist took shelter. But somehow had a terrorist succeded in sneaking past her.

Sarah felt a gun against her back as she got drawn up from the floor while the man yelled to her mother. "Stop doing that if you care about this brat's life."

Her mother stoped right in her tracks as she pleaded with tears of fear coming from her eyes as she noticed her daughter was in danger. "I-I wont cause anymore difficoulties, just you let her go."

"You are right, you wont." The man said as he raised the gun and shot.

"MOM." Sarah screamed as she struggled herself free fro ranm the man's grip to her mother as she fell to the floor.

"Mom, are you ok?" She sobbed as she took her mothers hand in her while she tried to stop the blood whit the other.

"Sarah, y-you must move away from me. F-fast before i-it's too late." Rinoa said ash she tried to stay awake. Rinoa continued to plead "I d-don't want you t-to become a sor-ceress."

"NO, I WONT LEAVE YOU. I WILL GET YOU OUT OF HERE, SO DON'T TELL ME YOU ARE GOING TO DIE." She screamed as panic started to grow inside her while tears streamed down her cheeks like a river.

"Please, d-do as I say. I-I will always be with you." Rinoa pleaded as it become harder to stay awake as blood seeped out from the wound.

"NO, you can't die. I need you." Sarah's voice whimpered.

"I-it doesn't matter what…I …want; it is too late for…me…now. For…give…me…Sarah. I… love…you… swee…tie" Her mother said as her eyes started to close and a sudden burst of energy shot out from her body and hit Sarah straight in the chest with a such force she nearly fainted.

When she regained her composure she shook her mother's body while pleading. "Mom? Mom answers me please. Wake up please, mom"

She realised it was too late, her mother was dead. "Mom no please." she wailed.

She looked at the men who stood there planning who was going to die next. They stood with their backs at her so they didn't notice her rising up and pulling out her sai that she had in her boots and started walking towards them with vengeance in mind.

"You will pay." She hissed as she moved closer and closer until they were in her reach while tears streamed from her eyes.

"YOU WILL PAY!!!" she screamed as she stabbed the first one in the back, and chaos broke out as she stabbed the next one in the chest.

She could nearly see anything due to all the tears that flowed from her eyes, and in her rage she didn't hear the screams that was all around her as she continued her dance of death by stabbing the next one trough the neck followed by kicking another in the chest and threw her other sai right in the eye of a third. The men tried to shot at her but she never gave them time to aim before she stabbed them down one by one, and suddenly all terrorist lay dead on the floor. Exhausted she dropped her sai as she walked towards her mother's body and slumped down upon it crying. Suddenly the doors flew up as the military stormed in with her father in tow. He ran to her and embraced her as he kneeled down.

"Mom is dead, she is gone, she is gone." She cried as her father cradled her back and fort while the medics took care of the body.

Present

"That day I didn't lose just my mother, but also my blood innocence. Fourteen years old and already a killer. I am trying to hide it behind a cheerful personality just to not worry them or my father. I couldn't save her. It is my fault my mother is dead. I should have taken the bullet, not her." She said as tears continued to stream down her face.

"Wow that is what I call emotional luggage. But it wasn't your fault, the ones that is to blame is those men."

"And I killed them…in cold blood. Wish makes me as bad as them. Mom killed one to save a girls life while I killed them all for revenge." She said between the sobs.

"You lost it, so what? Anyone should wanted revenge after seeing their mother killed. How many more innocent had died if you hadn't acted but just cried? That girl your mother saved should have been killed wish would have made your mothers sacrifice worthless if it wasn't for you."

"I… never thought about it that way." Sarah said as she wiped away some tears before looking him back in the eyes. "I have been blaming myself for more than two years, so I have never even considered it."

"I am glad if I could be of any help. And one more thing, if you had died then I should never have met you." He said and once again looking into those eyes, suddenly he could no longer fight the urge, so he leaned forward and gave her a deep passionate kiss.

Sarah who was both chocked and surprised felt how her face turned red. ("Oh god, my first kiss. I didn't believe that this duel we had would end up in this. What is the strange feeling I am getting? Love maybe?")

When their lips parted Cole hastily pulled back. "I-I am sorry. I didn't mean to, but I couldn't help it. It is just that…I have started to develop deeper feelings for you."

"W-Well, don't worry. I-I…kinda liked it." She said still a bit chocked and red as a tomato as she smiled. "Thank you." They stayed inside the secret area all night.

Next day Desiree came into the room of Harley and Cole nearly yelling. "Sarah has disappeared. I can't find her anywhere."

"Cole is gone to. Last I heard from him was that he was going to the trainingcenter to fight himself tired, because he had trouble sleeping last night."

"The last thing I heard from Sarah was when she woke up screaming tonight again. Maybe we should start looking for clues in the trainingcenter. After all it is usually the place she goes to. "Desiree said as she tugged on her blue skirt she wore along whit a green sweater and black knee high boots.

"Yeah, just give me a minute." Harley said as he dressed himself and looked just like his father except the tattoo.

As soon they entered the trainingcenter they split up and started to search in different directions.

("Where can she be? I hope that she didn't become a snack for a T-rexaur.") A worried Desiree thought as she looked. Soon she met Harley just at the entrance to the secret area.

"Well, just one more place to look then. If they aren't here, they aren't in the trainingcenter at all." Harley said as he walked into the Secret area.

But they could just not believe their eyes when they entered. They found Cole standing and watching the view with bare upper body and on the floor a sleeping Sarah curled under his coat with clothes spread around almost everywhere.

Sarah woke up and the firs thing she saw when she opened her eyes was an open-mouthed Harley and a Desiree who tried hard to suppress a giggle.

"Uh, hi guys. Do you mind looking away while I get dressed?" Sarah said with her face redder than a ruby dragon as she covered her breast with the coat.

Desiree and Harley turned around fast while trying not to laugh as the heard Sarah searching for her clothes together with an equally red Cole who had noticed that they weren't alone anymore.

"Where the hell are my panties?" They heard a distressed Sarah yelling.

"Don't worry. They will never know it is yours." Cole said as he helped her looking. "Unless you have your name written in them of course."

"Close enough. I am the only one wearing panties with the Griever-motif on the back, special designed. Oh here they are."

After a couple of minutes she was fully dressed and looked quite embarrassed. "Uh, slept well?" She asked.

"Yes, but I think you two didn't get to much sleep." Desiree said as she broke down in a fit of giggles. "You two look so adorable together."

"Hey, who wants breakfast?" Cole hurried up to say before the conversation got to naughty.

"Sounds good with me." Sarah answered relieved for the change of subject and started to walk towards the cafeteria followed by her friends.

Even if they have gotten some traits from their parents I hope I managed to give them personalities of their own. Opinions about the story are welcome. See you in next chapter about Sarah Leonhart and her friends.