Disclaimer: My boyfriend wont buy me the rights to FF8, so...I don't own it.

Remember the Nights
Chapter 1: Light on the Horizon

The sun made its way through the drab windows and found its landing on the young fairy's face, softening her features and giving her a warm glow. Her lithe body was wrapped in a cotton-knit blue dress that ended just above her knees and scalloped in a v below her collarbone. Dainty bell-sleeved arm warmers clad her thin arms from the bottom of her shoulders to her wrists, and sleek, black boots shod her petite feet.

The light sparkled more in her dark brown eyes than on her iridescent wings, carrying a sort of playful quality in them that would never hope to back down. But what caught the commander's breath the most was the brilliant smile that shone behind the fair complexion and dark fringe. It never let up, not even for a moment, like the bright sun hanging in the blue sky.

Rinoa the Sun Fairy was a very pretty girl, Squall's mind decided. And because of that, she was automatically against SeeD regulation. Article 74, Section 1: No pretty girls in the commander's office. They are a distraction and will keep the commander from work. Granted, it wasn't an official decree, but he could never be too careful; the press would have a field day if word ever got out that the all-powerful Squall Leonhart could not keep up social graces in front of an attractive woman.

"Do you have an appointment?" Squall asked, his voice as callous as the hide of an anacondaur. "I don't recall my secretary ever scheduling me a meeting with crazies from the left-wing Amorist party."

It seemed that under pressure of a pretty girl, the big and scary lion of Balamb Garden would opt for the tried and true be-mean-and-aloof-until-she-leaves method.

Rinoa scowled at him, hands on hips and eyes narrowed. "I'm sorry, I didn't realize I needed an appointment to tell you about your duty to save Gaia."

The commander took a deep breath and rubbed at his temples, hoping to prevent the headache that he already knew was coming. "Was it Nida who put you up to this? He's always saying that I need a distraction from work or something so I don't work too hard. Look, whatever he's paying you, I'll double it to make you leave."

This time, the reliable political tactic deny, deny, deny had been implemented. Would the small, spunky one fall to the big and scary one this way?

"I'm not being paid and I don't even know who this Nida person is," Rinoa huffed, arms now folded at her chest. "You can even call him to ask, if you want," she added with a knowing smirk.

"I think I just might," Squall shot back, challenging her by looking her straight in the eyes as he picked up the receiver.

When in doubt, call for backup. That's the SeeD way.

"Hello, Operator? Get Nida on the line for me. And while you're at it, call the security detail up to my office." Squall continued to stare back at his "guest" with one of his most intimidating stares as he waited for Karen the Operator's usual, "One moment please, Commander Leonhart." One, two, three, four, five seconds and still no reply. "Karen? Karen, patch me through to Nida! Are you even listening?"

To his dismay, the fairy in front of him poorly stifled a giggle with her hand. "She can't hear you."

Squall snapped his head to face her and let out an almost lethal growl. "And why is that?"

"Because there's a selective stop spell on all of Balamb Garden, silly." Rinoa looked back at the semi-homicidal young man as if the information was common knowledge. "Everyone in Balamb Garden is frozen in time, save for just me and you."

And when there's no one to call for backup, perhaps it's time for negotiation.

Fists clenched, Squall stole a quick peak at the window. Outside, he could see a bird stopped mid-air just within the reaches of Garden's perimeter. The room was silent, completely lacking the comforting tick of the wall clock and the drone of the computer. His icy blue eyes widened ever so slightly. "But…para-magic isn't capable of such a large-range spell…"

The fairy rolled her eyes. "It's not para-magic, you big meanie, it's fairy magic." She turned her back to face him and fluttered her shining wings for illustration. "Haven't you gotten that yet? I'm a fairy. Duh."

Squall took a deep breath and sunk into his plush leather seat. He gripped one of his wrists with the opposite hand and evened his breathing to calm his tensed nerves. "You have five minutes. Talk."

"Glad you finally see it my way." Rinoa took a seat in one of the guest chairs conveniently placed in front of Squall's desk and crossed one leg over the other.

"For one, there's a slight flaw in what you said in your earlier lecture—" the brunette in front of her irked an eyebrow curiously at this "—Yes, I was listening in. Yeesh, sorry, I guess that's not regulation, is it?"

Her voice dripped poison over the word that had come to exemplify Squall's entire being. The commander gave an indignant huff and said nothing, letting the stillness of the air speak for him.

"Anyway, each sorceress had a fairy in their court to act as their royal advisor. They provided insight as to the general well-being of Gaia, as well as magical support in contrast to the knight's physical support." Rinoa's eyes suddenly drooped to her knees and her wings, which had earlier been fluttering unconsciously, now slowed to a halt. "And umm…I'm the reincarnation of Lady Amora's royal advisor."

The fairy's eyes perked up slightly to see if the new information would break through the skeptical brick wall that was Squall Leonhart. His eyes dodged hers for an uncertain moment, then returned with the same unbridled sternness.

"You have three minutes left."

It was then that she realized that he hadn't been paying attention at all; he was too busy keeping time by watching his pulse.

Rinoa winced. How was it that anyone could remain so cold? She shifted uncomfortably in her seat, and the new position allowed the sun's rays to blindside her momentarily. And then it hit her like a smack to the face: Lady Amora's greatest power was the ability to find common ground. That was how she quelled arguments and settled debates. And that would be how she would convince Squall to accept his duty.

She took a deep breath before starting to speak again. "The Lunar Cry is going to happen within a few months. Signs are starting to show up on the moon, and everyone—fairy and human alike—is getting worried. If you're still doubtful after I'm done talking, call the moon base and see for yourself. I'll even dispel the stop spell so that you can place the call. Gaia's in danger of monster invasion, and that's fact. But if you're wondering how you're involved with all of this, well…before her death, Lady Amora instilled a sort of tracking device within each of the souls of the fairies. That way, when the Lunar Cry occurred again, each fairy would be able to regain their memories of the past and find the sorceresses and knights. And you, well, you happen to be a knight."

Rinoa bit her lip worriedly, hoping that her words were starting to sink in. She procured a faded piece of rolled up parchment from the inside of her sleeve and fidgeted with it in her lap.

"But that's just what they told me in training back home. See…I still haven't regained all of my memories yet. They're supposed to come flooding back to the both of us while we search for a way to reawaken Lady Amora. That way, we'd know exactly what to do when she arrives and the great love that you two shared in the past would be capable of stopping the Lunar Cry. So basically, I don't really have any solid proof that you're Knight Stormwind's reincarnation except for this nagging feeling inside of me and the fact that the entire world dependent on it. But I'm absolutely certain that this feeling is right. Don't you want to know if it is?"

Squall glimpsed at the clock on his desk once more and released a wry smirk. "Your time's up."

The fairy grimaced, pursing her lips in a way that obviously showed her distress. "Alright. I've said my piece. But maybe this will do a better job of convincing you than I could."

She stood up and handed over the brittle piece of parchment. She took the time to smooth out the miniscule wrinkles that had settled in her dress, then slowly walked to the door. "I have no idea what she saw in you," the fairy quipped disdainfully, refusing to even turn her head to him as she spoke. "See you are, Knight Leonhart."

And with that, she was gone. The door shut behind her, leaving a few sparkles from the tips of her wings floating in the air.

Suddenly, the still air in Squall's office began to hum again, and he heard the shuffling of footsteps and files outside his door. The drone of his computer returned and he caught the bird finally continuing it's flight just outside his window. It was as if Balamb Garden had awoken from a deep sleep and Rinoa the Sun Fairy had only been a strange dream.

He tried to shift his thoughts back to his overwhelming load of paperwork, but the roll of parchment continued to catch his eye. It sat on his granite-surfaced desk like an imperfection, and a voice in his head persisted, begging him to open it.

He ran his hands through his hair and quietly succumbed to his curiosity. Carefully, he untied the thin piece of black twine that held the parchment in a tight spiral and smoothed it out onto his desk.

There, immortalized in canvas and ink after so many years, was a painting. An elegant woman, undoubtedly the Lady Amora, turned her face away from view, leaving only the imprint of her smile to be seen. At her flanks were two other figures. To her right, a young man knelt in full regalia and looked up with piercing blue eyes. Squall ran his fingers across the young man's image in shock. Held fast in the man's hand was the artist's rendition of a gunblade with a fierce lion etched into it's blade. And to the Sorceress' left, a young girl clad in sky blue floated effortlessly in the air by use of her shining wings.

He found her twenty minutes later sitting in the grassy plains outside Garden and basking in the sun's warm rays. He sat beside her, setting Lionheart down and wrapping his arms around his knees. Neither one said anything for a few painstaking moments, giving themselves time to get used to each others company. It was going to be a long road, after all.

"So…where do we go first?" he asked finally, looking out to the horizon.

She let out a soft chuckle. "I was hoping you had an idea."

Author's Note: Alright, I got the first chapter done! Go me! I do hope you liked it. Rinny and Squally are so fun to play with. So, where is our favorite duo off to first, hmm? Here's a hint: where would a sun-powered sorceress hide a fragment of her soul? And on another note, how are the other two fairies doing? We'll see next chapter!

Oh, and of course, much much much much love to the reviewers! You guys made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside, so thank you so much! Remember to keep reviewing though; I really appreciate constructive criticism, and it also gives me motivation to write the next chapter.