Day One: Manifestation Destiny


You will be the one to guide him. . .

Are you ready to face your destiny . . .?


A strangled cry escaped Squall's chapped lips as he thrust himself forward from his lying position. His hand unconsciously clutched his chest. Squall's heart throbbed hard against his hand. His heart rate was erratic indicating the ordeal he went though. The sunlight burned bright through the curtains of his bedroom bringing him out of his half-dazed state. His chest heaved heavily as he pulled himself out from underneath the sheets. As his feet touched the ground he noted his arms and legs still felt weak, Squall looked about his bedroom to make sure he wasn't still dreaming. His undershirt and boxers stuck to his skin, it was the first time he realized he was drenched in his own sweat. Squall groaned placing a hand on his head, a dizzy spell coming upon him.

The door of his bedroom opened slowly, a head of brunette poked into the room. 19-year-old Ellone Leonhart was unaware of her brother standing next to his bed as she stepped inside the room. In her hands she balanced a tray of food meant to be Squall's breakfast if his stomach allowed it. He had come down with a nasty fever after staying out in the rain two weeks ago (According to Cloud). Cloud had brought him to their home ----in the third district of the Garden--- equally soaked from the storm as his friend since childhood.

When Laguna wanted explanation as to how Squall had ended up in such a state Cloud was unable to give them the answer they sought. He left quicker than Laguna could react to his retreat. And so Squall had been confined to his bedroom until the fever was gone from his body, which was difficult given his state. But now he was getting over his illness and Ellone couldn't be more happier for her brother. The look of resentment toward his own bedroom and the house was becoming more and more noticeable.

Ellone was thrown out of her thoughts when the tray collided with the chest of her fifteen year old brother, she let out a yelp of surprise. Squall watched motionlessly as the tray clattered to the floor spraying his breakfast across the floor and on his feet. The dinnerware laid broken on the floor next to the tray. Ellone's hair prickled, ashamed to be caught off guard. And by her brother off people. "Squall, what are doing out of bed! You should know better!" Ellone chided. Squall blinked wearily at his sister, he couldn't begin to count how many times he had been told to 'stay in bed' now. Squall crouched down to his sister's level preparing to help her pick up the broken dishes but his hand was swatted away. "Sis I'm fine. I've been over my cold for weeks now," Squall answered monotonously. Ellone met her brother's fierce blue gaze, they held a flicker of something different in them.

An unbidden sort of strength almost. Without thinking her hand pressed itself against his forehead to check for a fever, his skin was cool on contact. She held her hand under his nose, Squall purposely huffed at her. So he wasn't lying when he said he was over his fever. Just when I was getting used to caring for him too, Ellone removed her hand from under his nose. "All right fine. Get yourself washed up, I'll take care of this mess," Ellone grumbled dejectedly.

Squall gave her a curt nod of his head then leaned over to give her a kiss on the cheek, he grinned in satisfaction when she jumped. "Thanks, I'll see you later Elle," Squall rushed past his sister, in a series of movements he had grabbed his clothes, boots, and jacket and was down the hall. Ellone continued to pick up the shattered pieces of glass, in the corner of the room the sunlight reflected strong off a pendant swinging patently back and forth.


Squall straightened the collar of his jacket as he stepped out of the bathroom, his legs were steadily getting used to being used again. It had only been three weeks since he had fallen ill, but to Squall it might as well have been a lifetime ago. He strode through the living room sensing not a soul inside, the aroma of food being cooked reached his nose. Squall stepped into the kitchen spotting a familiar body hunched over the sink scrubbing furiously at a saucer. Raine Leonhart was oblivious to her son's presence in the kitchen as she placed the wet dish into the dish rack next to her, a sigh escaped her lips as she reached into the soapy water for the next dirty plate.

"Okassan," Raine turned abruptly brandishing her wet rag like a weapon. She stopped in mid-toss realizing it was own son that had called her. When had his voice become so unfamiliar to her ears? "Squall," Raine let the dish rag fall from her fingers, she rushed over to her son and enveloped him in the strongest hug she could muster. Squall welcomed his mother's embrace in spite of the fact that he could not move his arms to return the gesture, Raine pulled back to examine his face. The color had returned to his face, he looked stronger than before and he obviously had grown since the last time he stood next to her. "Squall, are you feeling all right?" She asked, her hand running across his face.

Squall nodded quickly, the image of his mother's sullen face on the painted glass platform flashed before his eyes sending a chill through his spine. He stared down at Raine a little longer before a voice called to him. "Squall, good to see you on your feet!" Laguna Loire's voice made Squall go rigid in the body with acrimony. Laguna stood in the back door dressed in a short sleeved light button down shirt and khaki pants. His long hair pulled back in a pony tail with only a few loose strains of hair hanging limply in the front. Raine smiled at her husband to let him know he was welcome. Squall twitched when another rapidly flashing image of his sister and father's face on the blue painted glass appeared before his eyes again. "Good to be on my feet. Laguna," Squall answered robotically.

Laguna continued smiled in spite of his son's cold demeanor toward him, he stepped aside when Squall headed in his direction. Squall made brief eye contact, Laguna grunted slightly when his shoulder brushed against Squall's. The young man pretended not to notice as he jogged down the path, he leapt over the fence. He strolled down the mildly busy sidewalk until he was out of sight. "He called me Laguna," Laguna said rather disheartened. Raine nodded in affirmative. Laguna looked to his wife, concerned. "He is still mad at me?" Laguna scratched the side of his head wearily. Even before he fell sick, Squall was sore at his father's long absences from home (for reasons he never disclosed to his son or Ellone), his mother's workload, and not being able to follow like he did done as a boy in one point of his life. Or so it seemed to Laguna. Raine placed a reassuring hand on her husband's shoulder. "He'll come around Laguna, he always does," Raine said softly. Laguna was still feeling uncertain, glad that Raine wasn't holding anything against him. Squall had been angry at him any times for many reasons, but he had never stayed as angry for this long. "Maybe," Was all he could muster to say.


Mi fili, veni, veni, veni, mi fili

Mi fili, veni, veni, veni, mi fili

Mi fili, veni, veni, veni, mi fili

Mi fili, veni, veni, veni, mi fili


Squall traveled through the narrow streets of the third district toward the lifts, his lungs steadily welcoming the fresh air. He hardly realized how stuffy it was in his house until he breathed the outside air. Wisps of his hair brushed against his forehead tickling him as they went back and forth in the process. Above the crowded buildings the blue sky and greeted him as he stepped out of the shadows of the buildings. He stopped for a moment to gaze upon the large structure in the distance.

Divided from the city by the stretch of water and the waterfall that rushed below the base of the castle (Squall remembered traveling down in a lift to the cavern below the castle), the home of their ruler Ansem and his students among other local residents. Respectfully the entire town surrounded the massive castle that rested on a slab of land ---big enough to be a single island. Squall had never really met Ansem with his own two eyes, he had just seen pictures of the man in magazine and books. He didn't need to know how their ruler looked like to know that he commanded a great army that protected this peaceful world they lived in. An army Squall imagined being apart of.

He didn't know why, but he had never told his family that he applied hopping to be recruited. A good thing he thought, pulling his jacket up on his shoulders. He didn't get accepted anyhow. Didn't even have to read the entire letter to find out, the apologetic looks from Cloud and Yuffie that day when he went to see them were evidence enough. Maybe he was overacting. Squall shook his head, no that wasn't possible. He continued through the streets until he reached the first district, from there he followed the street signs to the neighborhood the Heartilly's lived.

He ignored the snooty looks shot in his direction by keeping his eyes forward on the cobblestone sidewalk ahead of him until he reached the end of the block. He stopped before a lavishly decorated lane that lead to the largest --and most possibly--- grandest looking house in the neighborhood. The Heartilly household, Squall thought feeling on edge. Rinoa's parents were a big to do in Radiant Garden, only second to Ansem himself.

Julia Heartilly was a famous performer (singer/song writer) and her husband was a general for Ansem's army. Rinoa herself was something of an spoiled army brat, though she rarely showed any kind of behavior that honored the title. At least not to her friends. Squall wondered why they had to have such a eye-catching house to live in, they were only three people! The house was big enough for six people to live in it. Leonhart knocked three times on the oak door and awaited for a response. A moment later the door cracked open revealing Julia. Squall bowed immediately then resumed his stance. "Mrs. Heartilly, how are you?" Squall said as politely as he could. Julia stepped out of the house with a smile that seemed to make her glow. "Hello Squall. Are you here to pick up Rinoa?" She inquired casually. Squall nodded stiffly looking away for a minute. He wondered if she remembered the silly crush he had on at thirteen. "She'll be down in a minute. I don't know how, but she said any minute you would be knocking on the door. And lo' and behold. Here you are," Julia said.

Squall looked genuinely curious as to how Rinoa would even know how he'd come to see her. He meant for his presence to be a surprise. So much for that. "Maybe she saw me -" Julia waved her hand causing Squall to close his mouth, his response to her comment swallowed. She studied him intently, her head tilting slightly to the side before a smile graced her features. By now Squall thought he would be used to the Heartilly's intense staring sessions, save it made him feel like he was supposed to confess to something. "How are your dreams? Any better?" Julia's question came out of nowhere startling the young man. His placid expression faltered slightly. "I--- no, not really," He answered quietly. Julia nodded her heard understandingly. Ever since his fourteenth birthday Squall had been plagued a dream much like he had recently experienced. Only the first time he had hardly touched the surface of the ocean he fell into. As the months rolled by his dream began to reveal more and more of itself but stop at a certain point, he never told anyone about them.

At some point or another, Julia had come to visit his parents. When he was left alone with the woman he found himself describing his dream to her. Whenever he got the chance he would tell Julia about the new part of his dream and had been doing so ever since. "I saw it. The entire thing. . . I think. I was swallowed by this darkness," Squall said, quietly. Julia wanted to ask him to describe more of his dream, truly interested. Before she had the chance Rinoa came bounding down the stairs toward the door. Julia released the door knob when she felt the door being pulled away from her. "Good morning mother," Rinoa kissed her mother on the cheek. Julia gave her daughter a genuine smile as Rinoa grabbed Squall's hand.

"Have fun you two," She said stepping back into the house. Squall nodded his quickly to the woman as he was dragged down the lane by Rinoa. Once Julia closed the door he allowed himself to be lead by his friend. "I'm sorry if mother talked your ears off. She's been so lonely with father gone away from home," Rinoa apologized. Squall shook his head falling in stride with her. "Its not a problem. I didn't mind her talking," Squall answered. Rinoa smiled slyly at the boy beside her tucking her hair behind her ear. "Is that because you had a crush on her?" Rinoa said jokingly. Squall knew better than to look even the least bit bothered by her question, he shook his head his face impassive. Rinoa shrugged her shoulders afterward and soon let him lead the way.

The two conversed about various things happening in their own lives, Rinoa brought up his illness once or twice ---how he got sick, or why Cloud never came to visit him--- Squall dismissed the questions with quick answers. Soon they arrived at the lift station which would take them to the castle. Squall watched the various people ---singles, groups, families, or just rambunctious children--- climb on several of the four lifts available for use. The fifth one, oddly enough, the one to lead to the underground cavern below the castle was out of order and been like that eight months.

Yuffie had said that Ansem was up to something he didn't want the people to know about. That's why the fifth lift was out, he was creating a weapon of mass destruction. Cloud had dismissed her conspiracy theory as childish over imaginative rambling. Firmly stating she was a little girl with nothing better to do but make up stories. While Squall's good sense and better judgement agreed with Cloud, his instincts said otherwise. Something was amiss, including the strange behavior of their leader as of a late. Squall just couldn't put his finger on it. "Squall?" Rinoa's voice brought him out of his train of thought. "What is it Rinoa?" He said testily.

Rinoa grinned and pointed to the third vacant lift. "Oh. Excuse me," Squall said, almost bowing. Rinoa stopped him before he could get low enough and pulled him onto the lift, the machine shuddered to life and began to move at a steady pace. Squall was intent on staring out at the scenery until Rinoa's hand cupped his face and forced him to face her. "Squall, we're friends right?" She asked. Squall nodded his head slowly not sure what she was getting at. Rinoa's eyes fell downcast examining her feet. "Can you keep a promise?" She continued. Squall again, nodded his head. Rinoa became chipper again removing her hand from his face, she placed her hands on her hips. Squall's blue eyes shifted off in the distance, they were almost at the garden, Rinoa better hurry up with whatever she had to say. "Okay! You have to promise not to bow to me or address me as Ms. Heartilly. I'm not your superior, I'm your friend, okay?" Rinoa said.

Squall stared into her almond shaped eyes as though to question her, Rinoa's fierce gaze told him to do otherwise. A small smile graced his lips for the first time in her presence. He raised his hand and pressed all his fingers save his pinky against the palm of his hand. "Okay, I promise," Squall said. Rinoa smiled more broadly wrapping her pinky finger around Squall's gloved one. As the lift came to a stop the two nodded to each other then stepped off. Squall lead the way through the lush floral path way to the place where they always met the others. Rinoa had always been dazzled by the number of flowers the Garden managed to keep, let alone keep them all from wilting.

The guards paid them little attention beyond a nod of recognition, the large doors opened and let them inside the castle. They traveled through the massive hallways full of people, mostly officials of Ansem. They passed through the large hall where two sets of stairs separated by a fountain resided. Rinoa raced Squall up the stairs on the right, Squall obliged taking the left. In the end Rinoa was the first to the top (she had a head start after all). They traveled another hall until they found the large double doors to the library. Squall released Rinoa's hand to open the doors, Rinoa stepped past him and ventured past the first bookcase toward the reading table.

Squall followed after her, his hands at his side. "Hello madame. How are you and Kairi?" He heard Rinoa greet the old woman that always sat at the table. Squall leaned against the railing of stairs watching the girl interact with the elderly woman. "Oh, hello Rinoa. Kairi and I are doing fine. How are you today?" Madame responded. Rinoa nodded her head enthusiastically, the two began to talk. As usual Squall would be ignored until they were done. Squall blinked when he noticed the little redhead girl staring at him with her large blue eyes.

He nodded his head to the side curious to know why she felt the need to stare at him whenever he came to this place. The redhead girl (Kairi) placed her hands over her face pretending to hide, a moment later she came out from behind her hands and stuck her tongue out playfully at him. Squall kept his arms folded across his chest, closing his own blue eyes he reopened them again and they were cross eyed. He also stuck his tongue out at her, but only for a second. Kairi giggled at his funny face and proceeded to make another one.

She pulled at her face and stuck her tongue out at him. Squall chuckled quietly. Pressing his thumb against his nose he twiddled his fingers and wagged his tongue at her. This time Kairi laughed aloud causing Rinoa and the elderly woman to turn. Squall resumed his impassive expression and normal position before they had a chance to see what he was doing. Rinoa smiled secretly then returned her attention to the elderly woman. Without being noticed Kairi removed herself from her seat, Squall watched her walk pass Rinoa toward the other side of the book shelf the table sat next to. She waved goodbye and proceeded to look for books, Squall did the same before his hand was caught in Rinoa's grasp again. "Have a good day, Madame," Squall said as he was lead away again. The elderly woman did not move though that was not to say that she did not hear the young man.

Rinoa and Squall made their way up the stairs, passing the large sunlit window they spotted Cloud, Yuffie, Aerith, and another teenager with long hair among them. Yuffie was the first to acknowledge their approach waving excitedly. "Hi, Squall, Rinoa!" Yuffie cried grinned from ear to ear. Rinoa waved to the younger girl and ran ahead of Leonhart who kept his pace at a minimum. Rinoa hugged the girl. When he reached the others he gave a curt nod to his head. Yuffie leapt from the edge of the rail where she sat to scold Squall for being such a slowpoke but the raven haired girl placed a hand over her mouth, Yuffie never had chance to get a word out. Squall titled his head to examine the young woman that faintly resembled Rinoa. Her attire was all black, a pair of pants underneath a short skirt. She wore a open vest that revealed a white sleeveless shirt and suspenders.

Two silver earnings hung from her ears and glittered in the sunlight. A smile spread on her lips, Squall's heart skipped a beat. The other woman beside his mother from his dream! ". . . Tifa Lockheart," He said as-a-matter-of-factly. Tifa's lips parted revealing her teeth which were graced by braces. "Hi, Squall, I didn't think you'd forget me," Tifa giggled, her hair bouncing with every move she made. Squall almost had. Tifa was last of his friends he had befriended during elementary school. She left after graduation because of "family issues." They hadn't seen her since. Her reappearance was certainly a shock to his system. Tifa released Yuffie's mouth from captivity. Yuffie stepped out from between the two teenagers grumbling something as she walked away.

Tifa embraced Squall tightly, Squall felt awkward in her arms at first then returned the hug with equal strength. He stepped out of her arms to examine her face one more time to verify. "Its been awhile Tifa. What happened?" He asked. Yuffie jumped up between the two again only further indicating that she was baby of the group. "Yeah, how come you didn't come back to see us?!" She inquired loudly. Tifa looked to Cloud and Aerith who were interested as well to know of her absence. Tifa sighed admitting defeat. "My father passed away after graduation. I had to take care of my mother and sister until things were settled. It took awhile but we managed to straighten things out. I'm back now. I don't have to take care of them all the time," Tifa explained running her hand across her face. Aerith came forward she placed a hand on Tifa's shoulder, Tifa smiled sadly. "We're here for you if need to talk," Aerith said. Tifa nodded her head quickly replacing her sad face with a more upbeat expression. "Thanks. Now what are we gonna do? We can't mope around here," Tifa said.

Squall nodded his head in silent agreement, he hardly wanted to grieve over someone he didn't even know. Rinoa joined Squall at his side sending another reassuring smile in his direction. Yuffie was the first to offer an idea. "Hey, I know, why don't go searching for ruins in the castle. Like we used to?" The five older teenagers looked at each other deliberating whether or not that was the best thing to do with their time. It wasn't like they had come with any stellar ideas themselves beyond hanging in the library (which was something they had been doing for a while now).

Cloud stepped forward extending his hand forward. "I'm in. Anything's better than standing around there," He grumbled. Aerith was second to extend her hand, she placed it atop of Cloud's, Tifa was third, Yuffie was fourth followed by Rinoa. "I'll come too. I wanna be teamed with Squall," Rinoa chimed. Squall walked forward placing his hand atop Rinoa's. "That's fine with me. I wouldn't mind looking around this place again," He said, blue eyes brightening. Cloud Strife nodded his head to signify their mutual agreement. His mako-blue eyes shifted to Squall who kept his focus on their hands. They broke their formation and the other began to choose whom they wanted to be paired with. "Squall," Cloud's voice rang over the chatter of their friends. Squall shifted his gaze from the sun lit window to Cloud. Cloud pointed to the first floor. "We need to talk."


Squall followed Cloud into a more secluded place of the library. Kairi peered over the side of the bookshelf as the two made themselves comfortable against its structure. Squall's blue eyes shifted to Kairi and waved a hand at her. Cloud also took notice of the young girl and did the same. Kairi knew better than to stick around when she wasn't wanted, waving to the two boys she ran off to meet up with her grandmother. Squall waited until he heard the scratchy voice of the old woman to say anything. His eyes focused on Cloud. "So, what did you want talk about?" Squall asked uneasily.

Cloud folded his arms across his chest as opposed to Squall who had his arms hanging at his side. "Did you find out what kind of weapon you were getting?" Cloud asked first. Squall's slouched at the mention of choosing a weapon of his very own. The two had been eyeing certain weapons in Cid Highwind's shop in the first district. Cloud had found the exact weapon he wanted; A sword called the Buster Sword, a legendary weapon said to give its rightful wielder tremendous strength and overall advantage in any battle. Cloud had been saving up for the weapon which cost over a 1000,000 worth in munny. Squall on the other hand had a harder time searching for the perfect weapon for himself.

Cloud said it was because he was too picky. Squall didn't think so: For him, choosing that special weapon that would forever replace their wooden long swords was not a task to be taken lightly. "No. But I did have a dream about a Gunblade. Its suppose to be a weapon a great and terrible destruction," Squall said dryly, mocking the voice in his dream. Cloud rolled his eyes shrugging his shoulders. Squall had a thing of ancient weapons. Ever since he heard of Laguna's 'machine gun' Squall was curious to know what other weapons existed before his time. "You of all people should know Gunblade's have been defunct for over a thousand years. The last person to ever wield such a antique was the fallen God Hyne, who in turn is a myth, so it doesn't exist," He grumbled annoyed. Squall stared at Cloud for a moment taking notice of agitated expression on his face, his steadily creasing brow and tapping foot.

There was something else bothering him besides his obsession with ancient weapons. "Cloud," Squall said, his voice stern. "What did you really want to talk about. I rather not spend all day beating around the bush." Cloud stared up at Squall through his spiked bangs that hung over his face, the angry look in Squall's eyes told him it was not wise to stall, get to the reason he brought him down here. Cloud hunched his shoulders mentally preparing himself for what was to come. "Do you remember the fight we had---" He inquired. Squall rolled his eyes. "How could forget? You thought I was making eyes at Aerith, of all people," Squall answered tersely. "You never did apologize for that."

Cloud tried not to look too irritated by the tone Squall had taken, the way he mentioned Aerith's name and so forth. He continued. "Sorry," He stated quickly, meaning it. He continued on with his original subject. "Remember we decided to have that sparring match in the rain?" Cloud uttered. Squall again nodded, this time his face contorted with a sort of uneasiness Cloud caught right away. The spiky-blond stepped forward, his resolve firm. "I wanted to know what made you sick? Why'd you collapse like you did when I hit you in the chest?" Cloud said. Squall's eyebrows raised in surprise. Why would Cloud want to know to what made him sick? Even he didn't know why he had collapsed during their sparring match in the rain. He figured it was just exhaustion.

You know the real reason Leonhart. Stop lying to yourself. Squall grunted in mild surprise at the sound of the voice from his dream. His heart burned as though saying it recognized the voice as well. Squall resisted the urge to clutch his chest and opted to scratch it instead. "I don't know ---" Immediately Cloud cut him off. "That's a lie, Squall. You know it. That kick the least bit strong enough to knock you down like it did," Cloud retorted. Squall narrowed his eyes at his friend, what gave him the right to call him a lair even if he was doing just that? Lying.

"Tell me the truth," Cloud insisted. Squall looked away his hair falling in his face, he brushed them back against his head. "I told you I don't know," Squall answered rather harshly. He pushed away from the shelf proceeding to walk away from Cloud, hoping he would get the message and drop the subject. Cloud caught his friend by the arm stopping him in his tracks. "You were never good at lying, Squall. Tell me what happened. I have a right to know," Cloud said, losing his patience. Squall's arm flexed against Cloud's hand indicating the older teen had balled his hand into a fist, Cloud kept his grip firm on Squall's arm. If Leonhart was going punch him over something like this then their friendship meant nothing to them.

Squall's blue eyes met Cloud's mako-blue ones, both were firm and determined in what he was trying to obtain. They stood like that for a little longer. In the end it was Squall who gave in, with a long agitated sigh escaping his lips. "I don't know the actual reason I collapsed, Cloud. I just knew after you kicked me in the chest --- I started feeling dizzy. I my heart started to ache. I couldn't focus, I couldn't see anything. The next thing I know I'm waking up in my bed feeling sick and weak," Squall finished. He yanked his arm out of his friend's grasp which had become considerably looser, Squall fixed himself so that he was leaning against the edge of the bookshelf. Cloud stared down at his feet guiltily.

"So I was the cause of your illness?" Cloud murmured. Squall shook his head. "No, I've had that kind of feeling in my chest before, just not as potent as that. It had been building up in my chest since before we started sparring. Probably because of our fight. I hoped it would go away." Squall paused to meet the solemn eyes of his friend. Squall stepped away from the shelf and began to walk away. "Its not your fault at all Cloud. Don't blame yourself," He finished walking away. Cloud remained where he was wondering. Was he better off not knowing what Squall had just revealed to him or the opposite? He couldn't make up his mind on this subject so he followed after his friend.


His discussion with Cloud had killed all hope of enjoying his first day of freedom of his hosue. Squall strode silently next to Rinoa down the dim halls of the castles, never bothering to hide the small frown on his lips. Rinoa did her best to ignore his fouling mood and tried to keep her own positive. There was no point in both of them feeling down. She attempted to grab his hand but Squall bent down to inspect of pile of plaster which had fallen from the ceiling. Rinoa sighed unhappily and headed over to a dusty table resting against the wall. He shifted through the dusty material for any kind of item that would be consider ruin-material, he found nothing besides rat terds. "Find anything?" Rinoa asked. Squall shook his head joining her at the table, he glanced up at the painting hanging on the wall.

A woman and man stood on a balcony star gazing. Squall assumed they were really looking at the shooting star which was painted flying past the full moon. "Romantic, isn't it?" Rinoa inquired pointing up at the painting. Squall shrugged his shoulders like any boy in his position would do. "Killjoy," Rinoa chuckled walking further down the hall. Squall went after her after taking one last look at the painting. They rounded the corner of the hall entering yet another section, this hall was full of doorways unopened. He shoved his hands into his pockets casually looking about him while Rinoa peered into the rooms sounding off with the occasional "Hello!" Rinoa looked up at him from closing another door, she gestured him to follow her. Squall shook his head amused by her behavior, picking up his pace he followed after her. Instead of lingering behind he helped her search the rooms. He took the ones on the left she took the ones on the right. Most of them were completely vacant, full of dust.

Others had furniture covered in white sheets. It didn't take a genius to figure out no had lived in this area for a good while. Rinoa found a few items worth their weight in trading. "I'm going to show these to the others. Don't go anywhere," Rinoa called over her shoulder as she took off. Squall nodded knowing Rinoa would not hear him by the time he forced his mouth open to speak. He looked around the dusty hallway. It was the first time he realized the air was thick with dust. He coughed to clear his throat which felt tight. Time to seemed to drag on forever as Squall waited for Rinoa to return. The silence clouded his senses as he tired to focus on something other than his dream. A shrill scream off in the distance startled him out of his thoughts, frantically he gazed around the corridor for the origin of the scream.

Squall ventured down the hall upon hearing the scream again, this time much weaker than the first time. "Hello? Is anybody there?" Squall called. He stood in the middle of the floor glancing down both halls, the left and right paths were darker the corridor behind him. Unusually so. Automatically he found himself reaching for the knob of a door that resided in the middle of the wall. The pounding of his own heart grew loud in his ears, like a warning sign tripped too early. Squall breathed shakily he opened the door. A small beam of light shone through the crack of the door, Squall felt a hitch in his breath. A small part of the room was becoming clear to him when a hand pressed down on his wrist pushing forward. The door slammed loudly back into place.

The 15-year-old's head shot up in surprise. Xehanort glared down at the boy, his squinted eyes making the scar traveling down the left side of his face seem more intimidating. "What are you doing here?" Xehanort asked curtly. Squall grunted when his hand was pushed away from the door knob. "This place is off limits, you know that." He continued to give Squall a disapproving glare. Squall did not back down from his place feeling challenged by Ansem's student. He remembered when rumors of a wanderer being found by Ansem when he was just a child. The man was said to have no memory of life before Ansem rescued him.

Squall figured the man in front of him was the very wanderer Ansem rescued, not that he believed the gossip. "I don't mean to intrude. I thought I heard someone screaming ---" He pointed to the door. "It came from behind here." Xehanort scowled still at Squall briefly glancing at the door then back at Squall. Silence lingered uncomfortably between the two men, Squall remained steadfast in his resolve staring the scarred man square in the eyes. Xehanort blinked finally. "I don't hear anything, your obviously making it up. Get out of here before I report you to Ansem," Xehanort sneered. However, Squall did not move his place. At least, not as quick as Xehanort wanted him. The silver haired man opened his mouth to say something again, Leonhart nodded his head stiffly then made his way down the corridor, never looking back.


Squall lazily made his way out of the musty hall back tracking through the corridors he and Rinoa had traveled through searching for ruins. Finally he found himself in the grand hall again. Walking past the elaborate fountain he ventured up the stairs down the hall into the library, he walked across the smooth tile floor he looked toward the table. The old woman was gone and so was Kairi. Above him he could hear the excited voices of his friends, turning on one heel he found himself facing the stairway.

Squall jogged up the stairs with little effort, he waved shortly to his friends who had caught notice of his approaching figure. Squall spotted several old items on the table they stood around, including the ruins Rinoa found in the rooms of the corridor. Tifa picked up two rusty parts and placed them together; the broken edges fitted perfectly against each other. Rinoa rushed over to meet him, she looked hurt and guilty he noted. She squeezed his arm warmly as he brought himself to a halt. "Squall, what are you doing here? I was coming back," Rinoa insisted nervously.

Squall shook his head at his friend with a small frown playing on his lips. "It wasn't you, I had a run in with one of Ansem's students. Xehanort," Squall answered bluntly. Cloud's eyes narrowed curiously. "What did he want?" He asked. Squall shrugged explaining in little detail the events that took place in the hall up to encountering Xehanort. Everyone was quiet, taking in the story Squall had just told them, only Cloud seemed the most unnerved by the news. Why, was beyond Squall, maybe his friend was still reeling from their previous conversation. "I told you Ansem is up to something," Yuffie declared proudly, shifting her lollipop to the right side of her mouth. "Especially if he stopped Squall from investigating that scream he heard." Tifa, who stood next to the youngest member sitting on the railing, nodded in mild agreement.

While the encounter with Xehanort hardly stunk beyond a student of Ansem dismissing a third district civilian, the dismissive manner in which Xehanort told Squall off that made him sound "suspicious," for lack of a better word. "I for one, don't think its something we should worry over," Aerith spoke finally. Cloud looked from his shoes in question, Aerith in turn gave him her trademark smile and a tilt of her head. "Whatever it was, it must've been important to Ansem -- or classified. In truth it probably isn't anything dangerous, just something Ansem doesn't want to reveal to the public as of now. Honestly Yuffie, not everything is a conspiracy to destroy mankind," Aerith finished firmly, sounding more like a mother an a friend. Yuffie folded her arms and huffed in objection. Tifa suppressed a bout of laughter coming on. Cloud shook his head, he couldn't understand what was so funny about Aerith's comment.

Aerith looked to the spiky haired through worriedly upon noticing perplexed expression on his face. She placed a hand on his arm causing the young man to turn in her direction. "Are you all right?" Aerith asked. "No. I need to think," He answered bluntly, walking off. Squall watched the spiky haired youth make his way past him, his eyes staring forward never once glancing at him. Squall's fixed his gaze focused on the retreating back of Strife. "What's Cloud's problem?" Yuffie asked unkindly. Tifa looked to Squall for answers, Leonhart was already trailing down the stairs with Rinoa in tow this time. "I'll see you guys later!" Rinoa called over her shoulder. Aerith and Yuffie nodded, Lockheart's eyes narrowed dangerously. Thunder rumbled in the distance signaling the first rain in weeks. All three remaining friends glanced at each other befuddled.


Cloud strode begrudgingly through the crowded garden of the castle, he bumped anyone in his way in no mood to be courteous. He jumped on the nearest lift he could find, he leaned against the neon railing and watched the water swaying underneath him. The wind blew against his face in an attempt to calm his chaotic emotions, Cloud obliged to the caressing hand of nature and titled his head back. He almost wished he hadn't left so hastily, the astonished look on Aerith's face was reason enough not to have done what he had did.

Cloud needed time to think and Aerith would've only pestered him with questions about his behavior, not something he wanted to discuss at the moment. His mind constantly wandered back to his conversation with Squall. It wasn't his fault, Squall had told him. Why did he feel so guilty about it? Cloud sighed brushing his thumb across his forehead feeling a headache coming on. The lift jerked to a stop once at the bottom, Cloud briskly walked off the lift onto the solid ground across the gap, he exhaled in relief. Grateful for their service or not he couldn't shake the uncomfortable feeling he got whenever he climbed aboard a lift.

Shoving his hands into his pockets he made his way down the street toward his home, the castle lingered behind him like a great and terrible beast. He was more than glad to be away from it once he was out of the first district. Instead of going straight home he cut through the trees, a trail he ventured down quite often. The surrounding trees further into the shrubbery until he reached a large clearing.

Cloud and Squall's secret place for swordplay and sparring. Cloud strode over to the large trunk of the tree, he sat himself upon it and proceeded to stare into space. His elbow resided firmly on his leg, he rested his chin on the palm of his hand his fingers pressed against the side of his face. The sky was growing darker with each passing minute and the air was becoming damp. A storm was brewing. However, Cloud did not concern himself with this. A soft sheet of rain began to fall from the sky into the clearing, Cloud shifted a little at the cold drops of water on his bare arms, thunder rumbled in the distance. Ironically the sound of wet wood clanging together echoed in the deepest corners of his mind.


"Your getting better Cloud. Soon you'll be as good as me!" Squall jested whipping his wet bangs away from his eyes.

Cloud scoffed hardly amused. His spiked hair hung limp around his head. "I am better you, Leonhart," Cloud retorted. Squall was quiet for a moment simple satisfied with glaring down at his comrade, his sword rested on his shoulder for a moment before he brought it down. "We'll see about that, won't we?" He stated monotonously. The two stood facing each other their wooden long swords crossed.

The rain came down hard around them splashing into muddy puddles and the surrounding trees and foliage, the two watched each other through the rain that resided on their eye lashes. Thunder rumbled violently overhead, the vibrations serving as measurement of its power. Squall's eyes were downcast when he noticed Cloud's foot twist sideways in the mud, he glanced upward just as Cloud sprung forward.

Squall brought his sword in front of him blocking Cloud's first attack, he shoved the younger man aside and rolled to the side. Cloud charged again swinging his sword like a wild man, Squall parried each of his attacks without breaking a sweat. Squall hit Cloud in the face with the flat side of his sword, Cloud stumbled backward in utter surprise. Squall brought his fist down on Cloud's face and watched as the blonde crashed to the ground. This reprieve was short-lived; Cloud pushed himself off the ground and resumed attacking Squall with his sword.

Squall dodged his attacks easily, but always felt the stinging sensation of splinters lodging themselves in his skin the closer Cloud's sword became. "Hiya!" Cloud's leg rose from the ground, Squall watched wide-eyed as Cloud boot came at him. He brought his sword up to block his attack, Cloud's foot broke the sword in half and collided hard against Squall's chest. Squall felt the wind knocked out of his chest when he hit the ground spread eagle.

"Who's better now?" Cloud proclaimed panting heavily. He watched Squall push himself up from the ground and stand up, he seemed dazed as if he were unsure of what happened. Squall stumbled back slightly feeling lightheaded. Cloud waited for Squall's answer but never got one, Cloud's mind was thrown into high alert when he saw his friend's body go rigid and fall to his knees. The anger fled from his mind as he realized his friend was wheezing loudly.

Cloud rushed over to Squall's side falling to his knees. "Squall, are you okay?!" He cried grabbing his friend's arm. Squall now hitched breathing was in his only response, Leonhart gritted his teeth in a way to strangle his cry of distress. His arms wrapped his chest and his head was bowed, the pain in his chest seemed to increase the tighter he curled himself up. "Squall. Squall!" Cloud shouted grabbing him by the shoulders. Squall shook his head as though he were objecting to Cloud's frantic calls. Black filled his vision, the feeling in his body left him. Cloud felt Squall go limp in his grasp. Without hesitance he hauled Squall off the ground. Throwing his comrade over his shoulder Cloud hurried out of their secret place.


Cloud looked up from his feet fully feeling the cold for the first time. His spiky blonde locks hung limply against his face now, his limbs were stiff. Slowly he rose from off the tree trunk feeling his bones pop from being immobile for so long (and in the freezing rain). Cloud looked about him wondering where he had put the wooden long swords. There was probably no point in looking for them now. Sighing he headed toward the exit when a familiar chill ran up his spine, the hair on Cloud's neck stood up. Stifle turned abruptly his fists raised ready for combat. Across from him stood a shadowed figure, large and looming.

His hair long, and flowing laid against his black leather attire, on his chest resided a black heart traced with a maroon outline underneath two crossed pieces of leather that held the stranger's jacket close together. His blue eyes examined Cloud curiously, knowingly. Cloud kept his guard up as he stepped back toward the exit. The man's head titled to the side. "Who are you?" Cloud said coarsely. The man repeated his previous motion tilting his head to the left this time. "Do you not know yourself?" He asked, his voice soft yet deep. Cloud's eyes glared at the man through the rain that steadily picking up in strength. "What do you mean?" Cloud snapped. The man did not answer him at first, he continued to stare at Cloud with his blank expression a little longer. "You do not yet understand. . . . the darkness inside of you," The man answered. Cloud scoffed lowering his arms for a moment. "There's no darkness inside me," He retorted.

"You understand so little. The darkness is approaching, you cannot stop it," The man persisted. Cloud's scowl grew deeper. "I don't know what you mean, pal. Start making some sense," Cloud growled. There was a flash a lightening that illuminated the surrounding area. Cloud shied away from the intensity of the light raising his hand to shield his eyes. When the lightening subsided Cloud lowered his hand away from his eyes. The man standing in the shadows was gone. Cloud stood where he was for the longest time, puzzled by the man's sudden disappearance. His head shifted from side to side confusingly. What did he mean by the darkness inside himself, let alone approaching? He gave the empty spot a lingering look before briskly walking back out onto the sidewalk that would take him to his home. It was best not to dwell on it he told himself.


Rinoa and Squall traveled silently through the streets of Radiant Garden side by side, above them the sky was growing dimmer as the fall of rain grew in strength, the sunlight was now gone from the sky. In its place lightening illuminated the dark clouds. The soft sounds of birds cawing above them could be heard over the receding sounds of the city before nightfall. Rinoa, for lack of a better word, was worried about Squall ever since he dragged her out of the castle. When she questioned why he was so eager to leave without an explanation, Squall remained steadfast in his silence and thus Rinoa gave up for the time being.

Now they were close to his home, Squall remained silent still and Rinoa was losing her patience. She picked up her pace coming up beside the stoic young man, Squall kept his hands in his pockets his blue eyes stared straight ahead of him so as to avoid looking at Rinoa. "Talk to me Squall, what's the matter?" Rinoa pleaded gently. Trying to keep up with the long strides Squall's legs space was becoming quiet the task for Rinoa, her calves were aching with the familiar pain of overexertion.

The two continued to walk in such a manner, Squall walking too fast for Rinoa's slender legs which were now hurting. "Squall, please don't walk so fast," Rinoa exclaimed. Squall stopped as if finally hearing Rinoa's voice for the first time. Rinoa fell against Squall's arm clutching it for dear life, Squall placed his hand on both her arms supporting her weight. "Sorry, I've got a lot on my mind," Squall said sheepishly. Rinoa looked up at him, her almond brown eyes showed a glint of humor and thanks.

"I'll say. Would you tell me what's bothering you?" She asked. Squall lowered his head his hair falling forward around his face, he raised his head and examined their surroundings. He was surprised to find himself standing in the middle of his neighborhood. His eyes shifted back down to Rinoa who was still awaiting his answer. ". . . Maybe later. Right now I'm not comfortable about speaking about it," Squall answered. Rinoa bit her bottom lip in disappointment, she nodded her head a few seconds later.

She gripped the fabric of his jacket for more support. "How are your legs?" Squall decided to inquire. Rinoa shrugged her shoulders with a smile. "A little achy, you know I can't walk as fast as you," Rinoa said in mock-pout. Squall raised one lazy eyebrow at her, he knew that for a fact. He just didn't think Rinoa would be silly enough to try and keep up like she did. "C'mon, let's get out of this rain. I don't wanna catch another cold," He joked. Rinoa nodded in agreement allowing Squall to shield her from the rain with his jacket. They rushed down the sidewalk now feeling the cold sting of the rain. When they arrived at his home the two rushed over to the front door. Squall unlocked the door ushering Rinoa inside, he followed after her closing the door behind him.

He shrugged his wet jacket off his shoulders placing it on the hanging on the hangar just as the sound of footfalls became aware to him. He spotted Raine standing at the end of the hall with a look of pure worry on her face. Rinoa bowed hastily out of respect to Raine as Squall pushed past her and ventured down to the hall toward his mother. He stopped mere inches away from his mother a look of guilt spread across his face. "Okassan, I'm sorry I got in so late," He apologized.

Raine stared up at her son with a hard expression. "You should be. Its starts raining and I can only think the worst has happened!" She exclaimed angrily. Squall's head turned to the side his lips pursed in mild frustration. "It wasn't like I was going to fall ill from a simple drop of a water," He shot back. Raine's lips were pressed firmly against each other, she glared up at of her son's profile. "Sigh. . . just try to come home a little earlier, especially when it rains," She said. Squall nodded his head and attempted go past his mother, Raine placed a firm hand on his chest. "Rinoa, would like to join us?" Raine asked.

Rinoa's head raised a little more. "If its not too much trouble ---" Raine shook her head motioning for Rinoa to follow after her. Rinoa followed after Raine and Squall into the living room. It wasn't as extravagant as her parent's living room; It was more welcoming than Rinoa remembered it. She remember calling Squall's home her second home when things were turbulent between her mother and father at home. "Squall's house was a haven," Rinoa remembered telling her mother. Julia just smiled at the comment. Rinoa followed Squall past the couch into the middle of the living room, he stopped next to the coffee table.

"Ellone and your father are in the bar playing cards," Raine explained heading down the dark corridor that lead to the bar. Rinoa looked to Squall in question. "Your parents still own a bar?" She inquired. Squall nodded. "Yeah. My mother used to work the bar before and while she was pregnant with me. Its where she met my father the journalist, and monster hunter. Around that time --- before she became pregnant --- she adopted Ellone who was under temporary custody of my mother (her parents disappeared), until Laguna proposed to her. She legally adopted Sis and they've been married ever since. After she had me she closed the bar to take of her kids, and Laguna went back to work as journalist," Squall sighed scratching back of his head.

Rinoa smiled. "Sounds romantic," Her head tilted the side as her smile widened. Squall rolled his eyes with a shrug. Rinoa and Romance. "Whatever," He answered walking off. Rinoa followed him down the adjacent hall to the one Raine had ventured down, she watched him enter his bedroom, shoulders slouched. She stopped at the entrance just as he rested himself on the bed pressing his face against the palm of his right hand. The room was dark save for the small light given off by the lamp hanging over the bed next to the window. "You know, I think Tifa still has a crush on you," Rinoa said in hopes to lighten the mood. Squall looked at his friend with bleary blue eyes. "Rinoa, she doesn't have a crush on me," He groaned. This caused the brunette haired girl to giggle. "I was just kidding Squall, lighten up," She waved her at the young man.

Squall raised his eyebrow at the girl suspiciously, Rinoa kept the unreadable smile on her face before entering the room. She looked down at the floor, several belts laid strewn on the floor all of them of bore a mildly different design in terms of appearance. Two were embodied with several silver studs while the other two were left plain. There were others but Rinoa recognized them either was copies or belts she had never seen before. Squall rubbed the left side of his chest which was radiating with a dull ache, he bit the side of his lip fearing the worst. His blue eyes ventured downward where he found Rinoa crouched examining a piece of discarded jewelry she had found on the floor; A pendant in the shape of a half cross beneath the profile of a lion's face. "What's this?" She asked raising the necklace.

Squall shrugged taking the necklace from her grasp placing it around his neck. "Its Griever. Sis gave it to me for my birthday to match the ring," Squall raised his left hand showcasing the silver band around his finger which also bore the face of the lion. Rinoa had no idea Squall was such a fan of Hyne's legendary beast. "Its nice," Rinoa whispered. The young man shrugged falling back on the bed, he stared up at the ceiling no thought entering his mind, his eyes just stared blankly at the ceiling until Rinoa's head peered into view. His brow furrowed when he felt his arm being pulled on, he sat up a bit to get a look at his friend. When he didn't budge Rinoa decided it was better to just sit down next to him, so she did. She placed her hands on her lap. She stared thoughtfully into space.

"Hey Squall, did you ever wanna do something more with your life?" Rinoa inquired. "I mean, beyond this place?"

Squall shrugged his fingers messaging the back of his aching head. "Sure. I wanted to the join Ansem's army, I even applied hopping they would accept me." He paused pushing himself up into a sitting position. "I received a letter in the mail a few weeks later. I didn't get excepted."

"Squall, I meant away from Radiant Garden!" Rinoa huffed folding her arms across her chest. Squall raised an eyebrow at her once more. As far as he was concerned there was nothing for him beyond Radiant Garden. This place was all he knew. All he would ever know. Rinoa continued to stare him down awaiting an answer. After a moment Squall's shoulders slouched, he shook his head a second later. "No. The army was the only thing I had actually had planned. I suppose if that failed, mother's bar was the next best thing for me. Either that or become journalist or monster hunter like Laguna," He finished.

"But there haven't been monsters in the Garden in decades. Your father was, what, 24 the last time there were monsters around?" Rinoa asked skeptically. "The only monsters in the place are Moogles and they're harmless." Again, Squall resorted to shrugging as an answer. He never said he would actually take up Monster Hunting in reality, it was a nice thought in his head to be completely honest with himself.

"Shouldn't you be going home?" Squall inquired. This time Rinoa allowed herself to laugh at him, she stifled her laughter mere moments later when she saw the scowl on his face. "I don't mean to laugh its just ----- I can't go out in this weather! Mother and father would kill me," Rinoa chortled lightly. Leonhart could certainly understand what she meant, the moment the words left his mouth he remembered the look his mother gave him for coming home late. If he had sent Rinoa out in the rain then she would defiantly get the same scolding he got and Raine would be on his case again. Scratching the back of his head he stood up. "I suppose I better ask Mother to get you a room then. Stay here," Rinoa nodded and Squall exited his bedroom venturing down the hall at quick pace.

In mere moments Squall returned with news of an available room for Rinoa. Granted it was one of the rooms connected to the bar for overnighters. Rinoa wasn't complaining. Raine made sure that the girl was comfortable in the room, Rinoa thanked the woman graciously. Squall stayed behind until he knew Rinoa was comfortable in the room. He then proceeded to his own bedroom where he hoped to get some sleep. Pulling off his boots he tossed them aside, shrugging his jacket off he laid himself on the bed awaiting the moment when sleep would claim him. Throwing his arm over his eyes he began to relax, his hand scratched at his chest. Of course he didn't bank on Ellone coming to visit. He had barely became drowsy when she ventured into his bedroom. "Squall," Ellone whispered into the darkness. Squall lifted his head from the bed, he squinted at his sister through the darkness, an irritated expression etched across his face. "What do you want, Sis?" He grumbled.

Ellone stepped into the room slowly stepping over the fallen items on the floor. Why couldn't he ever clean up his room like a normal person? She sat on the edge of the bed without bothering to get permission from her brother. Outside the storm raged on stronger than ever. Ellone cast her gaze at the window overhead for a brief second then refocused her attention back on her brother. "I wanted to know how you were feeling," Ellone answered firmly.

Squall sat up a little more now, he supported himself on his elbows to get a better look at his sister in the dark. He stared down at his chest, the throbbing feeling remained, weaker than it was but still prominent. "Better than I've felt in weeks," Was his only reply. Ellone huffed in frustration folding her hands on her lap, she knew he was lying. Squall never told the truth when it came to his own well being. He expected it from everyone else, but gave none in return when people inquired. The unbending fool. "Fine, I'll have to take that answer for now," Ellone said stiffly.

"It's the only answer your getting," Squall rebuked.

"Squall Leonhart!" Ellone cried in aghast.

"You heard me. I'm serious," Squall said defiantly.

"Squall, you can't shut yourself up like this. There are people here that still care about you, people you can talk to," Ellone attempted. Squall laid back down on the bed draping his arm over his eye. Ellone twisted her index finger over her middle finger, her hair cascaded forward blocking her face from Squall's line of sight from underneath his arm. Ellone was strange sometimes, especially when it came to him. The two sat in an uncomfortable silence, the sound of their father and mother's voice traveled up the hall, they were approaching their bedroom. Ellone looked down at Squall. The rise and fall of his chest was comforting to a point, the hitch in his breath was the only that kept it from becoming completely relaxing. Apparently the remnant of his illness decided to stick around in his chest.

His chest hurting wasn't the only thing that was bothering him. Squall had been uneasy during his illness. He barely slept, even when overcome with fever strong enough to render any normal unconscious for a few days. He spoke in garbled patterns, they could barely make out words like 'darkness', 'sword', and 'door'. Nightmares plagued his mind leaving him "delirious" (as Laguna would put it mildly). Ellone would've believed that to be the case herself if it hadn't been for strange looks on Julia Heartilly's face whenever she brought Rinoa over to visit. It was as if Julia knew otherwise and when Ellone confronted the woman about it her reply was, "I don't know what your talking about. Even if I did know something, it isn't my place to tell you." Ellone didn't mind, she knew Squall would tell her if it was important. She had hoped he would anyway.

Ellone placed a soft hand on Squall's arm her thumb rubbing his skin in a circular motion. Squall peered from under his arm with a look of irritation. Ellone smiled back completely unmoved by his silent threats. Rising from the bed Ellone started across the room, Squall rolled onto his side and propped himself up, rather taken aback by her sudden retreat. "Where are you going?" He asked. Ellone turned smoothly to stare at the form of her brother a teasing smile on her face. "To bed, I know when I'm not wanted around," Ellone answered plainly.

Squall's brow furrowed at the response, he sat upright this time. "I didn't say I didn't want you around," Squall argued. His sister plastered a smile on her face, her hand gripped the door knob of his door as she stepped out. "You didn't have to say it Squall," Ellone said. Her head lowered slowly. "Goodnight." Squall felt his mouth move but he produced no sound to answer his sister, he listened to the small click of the door locking itself then laid back down. The silence was soothing to his frayed nerves. Squall pressed his hand against his forehead, why it decided to hurt now was beyond him. Squeezing his eyes shut Squall curled up on the bed. Moments later the sound of his sister's melodic humming in his head lulled him to sleep.


Outside the door Ellone ceased her humming as soon as she knew her brother was sleeping. Her brown eyes fell downcast on the silver ring resting in her palm. There was an almost guilty feeling floating around in her head but Ellone did her best to ignore it as she ventured down the hall toward her bedroom. It may not be her place to pry, but Squall sure wasn't going to tell her and neither was Julia. She'd find out the hard way.
. . .The shadow bellowed in pain dropping Squall, the young man landed on his feet in spite of his own pain. The sword dislodged itself from the shadow's hand and landed in Squall's grasp. For the first time he noticed how different the sword had become. The hilt was that of a handle of a gun but instead of a barrel there was a long shimmering blade in its place. On the end of the gun handle resided a chain and pendant the shape of the lion's face. The very same face he stood upon.

The Gunblade. . . .

A weapon of great and terrible destruction . . .

It will protect your heart and others . . .

Squall grimaced in pain as the darkness swirled around his legs pulling him downward. He plunged the sword down hard into the ground in hopes that the Gunblade would repel the darkness. The darkness snaked around the blade sucking the light out its being. Squall watched in horror as the blade turned a dull shade of gray, it began to fracture the harder he stared at it. The darkness traveled up his arm seeping through his skin forcing its way into his veins, he cried out in pain. His heart pounded wildly in his chest as if trying to break free of him. He could his stomach twisting in on itself, the acid eating a hole through his skin. The last bit of strength in Squall's body vanished and he was pulled down into the void beneath him with very little trouble.

Squall!

His eyes grew foggy as he looked around for the owner of the voice.

Squall wake up!

"Ellone?" Squall's gaze shifted from the left to the world facing him. Standing across from him was indeed his sister, Ellone Leonhart. He extended a hand in hopes that she would grab it, Ellone leapt forward in slow motion her hand extended as well. Squall's vision changed suddenly, the world around him vanished taking his sister with it; Through the darkness he could see only one thing.

The strength of Ellone's heart. Her light. His large golden orbs closed and the darkness enveloped him. His heart was theirs now.


Squall's blue eyes shot open, he could feel himself pressing himself against the mattress for comfort, clutching onto his Griever pendant for dear life. Above him he was barely aware of the brilliant flashing lights of the storm until a thunderous boom shook him out of his petrified state. Squall set upright quickly a wave of nausea coming over him, he swallowed against the bile in his throat as he pushed himself out of the bed. His chest burned horribly with anguish with every move he took. Throwing on his jacket Squall dashed out of his bedroom down the hall, his destination was the kitchen. The alarmed voices of his Ellone, his parents, and Rinoa were of little concern to him, he blew through the living room into the kitchen. The vibrations of storm made the structure of his house shudder. Squall's fingers fumbled shakily with the locks on the door.

When he got them all unlocked, he threw the door open and he rushed out into the harsh rain of the storm. His gaze focused on the spectacle above him. Burning chunks of rock plummeted from the heavens to the earth, Squall stood awe-shocked. The stars were falling from the sky! Squall was shaken out of his frozen state when something hot landed next to him, Squall jumped back in surprise looking down at fallen object. It was hardly very big, Squall stepped forward a little to get a better look at the thing. A moderately sized piece of green 'star' laid at his feet. The teenager scratch his head in bewilderment. Picking it up he pocketed the object, it was cool to the touch. Squall's eyes returned to the sky in time to see a larger object farther off in the distance fall from the sky toward the castle. If his eyes didn't betray him, it looked like a ship. A very strange ship.

Thunder and lightening raged on in the sky, the feeling rushed back to Squall's being; His hand clutched his chest he fell to his knees in agony, the cold seeped into his bones, his body ached as if he ran a mile. Give us your heart - surrender to darkness! Your heart belongs to - us! Heartless being! The voices in his head clamored together to confuse him, Squall squeezed his eyes shut praying they would go away.

"Squall! Squall --- oh my --!" Squall's eyes shot open at the sound of his mother's voice calling to him. The voices in his head vanished. Raine was at his side instantly her arms around his waist, pulling him up from the ground. Raine hurried her son into the house she sat him on the couch. Through his pain he felt his mother's soft hands on his face, Squall forced himself to focus on her and not the pain. "Mom, I'm -- I'm okay," He grunted trying to sit up. Raine pushed him back against the couch shaking her head furiously.

Laguna hurried into the living room with Ellone and Rinoa following close behind, he looked to Raine for an explanation but his wife could give him none. Breaking away from his daughter who now clutched his arm Laguna went into the kitchen to close the back door. He stared up at the sky, his gaze heavy with disbelief as he watched the so-called shooting stars fall from the sky amongst the storm. Closing the door Laguna took the time calm himself, there was no need to get so worked up something like this.

Granted it was first time a meteor shower actually occurred here in Radiant Garden, Laguna figured it wasn't too abnormal. At least he hoped it wasn't. When he returned he found Squall trying to rise from the couch against his mother's pleads. Rinoa stood behind the couch her hand clutching the robe wrapped around her small body, Ellone stood next to Raine with a cadaverous pallor to her skin. "Squall, sit down," He ordered. All eyes fell on him displaying the same puzzled expression Squall wore. The young man recovered quickly replacing his confusion with hardened resentment and decisiveness. "I don't have to---" Laguna shot the boy a forewarning look. "Sit down, Squall. I don't care if you're angry at me, I'm still your father and you'll do as I say," He snapped.

Squall behaved as though he were going to retaliate but instead sank down into the cushions of the couch dejectedly. Laguna nodded his head in satisfaction. Raine focused her attention on her husband while keeping a firm hand on Squall's arm. "Laguna, what's happening out there?" She asked. Laguna shook his head. They awakened to the sound ferocity of the storm mere minutes before Squall's footfalls alerted them. Laguna had been thrown for a loop when the house began to tremble. This kind of thing never happened before --- not even during the worst storms. He explained what he had seen outside, watching his wife's complexion blanch at his description made him wonder if he should be more worried about the entire ordeal. He locked gazes with his fuming son. "What happened to you Squall? Did you see something? Did something hurt you?" Laguna inquired.

Squall shook his head stiffly at question and concern, he had no intentions of telling him that a nightmare propelled him out of the bed or out into the storm for that matter. "Nothing happened to me, Laguna. I fell short of breath, that's how Okassan found me. I saw what you saw," Squall half-lied. Laguna titled his head to the side, a look of obvious disbelief contorted his features. Squall's lips were pressed against each other creating thin line, no intentions of speaking anymore. Laguna folded his arms across his chest his gaze downcast. He focused attentively at his toes. Raine sighed in dismay at both her husband and son, reaching up she brushed Squall's damp locks out of his face. "Its too late to be discussing this right now. What everyone needs right now is some sleep, Squall you go change into some dryer clothes," Raine said. "We'll deal with this tomorrow." Everyone nodded in agreement. Raine assisted Squall in standing up, he thanked her out of hesitance. Without a second glance at his sister or father he stomped out of the room, Rinoa followed after him.

"What did you see?" Rinoa asked anxiously. Squall shook his head slowly stopping at his door. His brow furrowed increasingly. "I'm not sure Rinoa. It was like the stars were falling from the sky, only it wasn't stars," Reaching into his pocket he revealed the green object that had fallen from the sky. Rinoa stared at his hand in amazement --- her fingers reached to touch the object but the drew them back. Her brown eyes met his blue ones as she tried to form the words in her mouth. "H-how, where did this come from?" She whispered stepping into his room. Squall shrugged following after her, his legs felt like led now the adrenaline was gone from his body.

He sat himself on the bed with a tired sigh. Rinoa closed the bedroom door then proceeded to pace excitedly across the room. "I dunno, but from what I could tell, it isn't from the Garden. I saw something bigger fall over the castle. A ship, I think," Squall explained, messaging his aching chest. Not matter how much he did it this it never seemed to relieve the pain, he frowned in irritation. Rinoa stopped pacing suddenly a big grin on her lips. "You know what this means don't you?!" She proclaimed as quietly as she could. Squall rested his hand on his thigh slouching forward a bit, he tilted his head a little as he pondered on her question.

Rinoa raised a finger to the ceiling her grin transforming into a smile. "Its from another place. Squall, someone has come from another world!" She cried excitedly. Squall could only look on in docile shock. Another world? Squall arched an eyebrow as to maintain his skepticism. "How do you figure that?" He inquired monotonously. Rinoa's brown eyes seemed to smile along with her lips, she placed her hand on her chest. "Because I . . . I just felt it," Rinoa answered truthfully. Squall watched her curiously. Feelings aside, whatever this green object was Squall hoped the rest of the falling debris were just meteors. Turning his head he focused his eyes on the dark world outside, his gaze wary.


The door is opened.

Are you ready?


(TBC)
Authors Note: As you can see, this based heavily off the first few minutes of Kingdom Hearts. I basically tired to characterize the shadow as best I could, without making sound completely cheesy or redundant. I cannot remember if I've proofread this or not (my mind says I have, but I doubt still). I hope you like the first two chapters.