Disclaimers: I don't own ANY of the characters from FF8...However, I do have rights to my plot and story...

Note: Being the lazy little bastard I am, I have decided to NOT make my own characters and just use the FF8 ones...MWHAHAHAHA!! I'm so evil....

Summary: An AU... I hope this to be the start of my EPIC adventure... and well, after reading so many good LONG fics and books I was inspired to make my own.. hehe... Moogle hope good... Oh right! It has a very religious theme to it...

Basically Squall is sent on a mission from 'Them' to stop a girl named Rinoa from continuing her life any further. What starts out as a simple mission quickly turns into a question of life, a question of life after death, and a question of ones true soul... and their adventure will lead them to the edge of the world and farther.

Note (again): I seriously hope this is good... for it is the first time that I have actually created something this (hopefully) action packed and (hopefully) this long...

VERY IMPORTANT:: Their adventures does not take place on their planet. It takes place on entirely different one... I shall not name it for the expense of giggles....Also for the sake of description the Cross will just be Hyne's holy symbol....

Well, enough of your time.. You may proceed to read..... The first chapter of these types of stories always has to be filled with this type of stuff....

~*Celtic Moon*~

~*Chapter 1: The Prayers of a Girl (Prologue)*~

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Kill her

Do it

There is no one stopping you

It's so easy

She is so pathetic

Look at her

Your sword has the power of a thousand men while her body has the power of one.

Pathetic mortal

END HER LIFE!!

Squall awoke with a sweat drenched face. His breathing was heavier than the dark atmosphere of the night. His eyes bulged as the words repeated themselves over and over. Voices, if that's what they were, frequently entered his dreams. They commanded him to their ruthless deeds. And ruthless they were. Killing a women, preposterous. The very idea of ending ones life at an age of so young never even touched Squall's mind. Though as the voices words rang through his head once more his thoughts became pointed in one direction: End her life. Though knowing himself he would do it to get one good nights rest. But who knows what kind of man slaughter they would have him do next.

More thoughts of death and killing entered his mind through out the rest of his weary sleep. He tossed and turned all through the night. The voices were only heard in his dreams, there were no visuals to aid him through his 'mission'.

Morning came slowly to Squall. For no night sleep is a tough thing on ones body. He placed his feet to the wooden floor of his small bedroom. He rose and stretched with a loud yawn. He threw some apparel on and headed out the door to suck in the sweet fresh air. He looked about the small square of the town. There were few people about for it was the early hour of the morning. He stepped down the wooden steps that lead to his house. He stopped as he reached the end of the short series of steps. He looked ahead of him and found two of his comrades fighting over a coin of Gil.

"You still owe me the money from when you took that apple, Zell Dintch!" A high pitched rang out.

"I paid you back!" the lower voice insisted.

"Did not!" The high pitched voice yelled. Squall rolled his eyes and walked forward to where the two were arguing.

"Just give her the Gil, Zell." Squall instructed Zell standing to the side of the two. "You have plenty." Squall added. Zell sighed in defeat and relinquished his vice grip on the coin.

Selphie smiled to Squall. "Now, what brings you up at this hour of the morning?" Selphie asked as she pocketed her new Gil coin.

"Couldn't sleep." Squall simply responded.

"What are you? An insomniac now or somethin'?" Zell asked still annoyed at his lost coin. Squall paid no attention to him, nor did Selphie.

"What an apple to rid your hunger?" Selphie asked holding an apple in front of Squall. Squall smiled happily as he laid eyes upon the red apple. His on impulse reached forward for it, but Selphie quickly recoiled the apple. "Four Gil first." she said with a mischievous smile on her face. Squall rolled his eyes and dove his hand into his pocket. He quickly pulled out four Gil and handed it to her. "Thank you." she said happily as she handed him the apple and took the Gil greedily. Squall tossed the apple around in his hands.

"Why didn't you get much sleep?" Zell abruptly asked.

"Fucking dream voices." Squall simply replied as he examined the apple further.

"Sounds interesting!" Selphie yelled with delight. "I'll get three chairs." she told them as she ran off.

"Dream voices?" Zell questioned looking at Squall with questionable eyes. Selphie quickly came running back, one chair in her left hand, one in her right hand and one she was kicking along. She quickly ran to their side and dropped the chairs and the sandy ground.

"Pick one boys." she instructed as she took one and placed it on it's legs. Squall quickly grabbed a chair and placed it properly on the ground, as did Zell. "Now talk." Selphie commanded as she leaned towards him, very interested.

She kneeled before the greenish blue statue of Hyne. She bowed her head low to the ground, causing her brunet hair to fall past her shoulders, hiding her face. Her cross necklace laid on her lap as she stayed in that position.

"Myusoto Kaykybu." She chanted quietly. She lifted her head to the statue. Her brown eyes searched the statue of the holy Hyne. "Hyutko Mitekin." She chanted quietly as she placed her head back to her knees.

"You are getting better at your Yotekin." A gruff voice came from behind her. Her head immediately lifted and she looked behind her.

"I'm praying, Seifer." She told him as she placed her head back down for prayer.

"You pray to much, Rinoa" told her as he sat down, cross legged, beside her. This caught Rinoa's attention. She swiftly whipped her head to face him. Seifer gulped loudly as her eyes showed death all over them.

"You can never pray to much!" She whispered to him harshly. Seifer lifted up his hands, signaling he didn't want any type of trouble between her and him.

"Do you even know why or who you even are praying to?" Seifer asked her a bit hesitantly, afraid of her reaction or response. Her response? She looked to him then seemingly guided his eyes to the statue of Hyne. "Well, that answers one question." He said with a roll of the eyes.

"I have my needs and wants." She told him with a smirk on her face as she stood. Seifer stood as well.

"Back to the village?" Seifer asked.

"Back to the village." She complied with him as she walked to the large wooden double doors. Their feet clicked lightly against the wood of the Church as they made their way out. The sound was quiet from their position, but from the top of the dome it was as loud as hundreds of Chocobos crashing into four floors. The Church was perfectly designed, acoustically wise. In any other way it was just another typical Church found through out.

The walk to the village was fairly quiet until Seifer spoke up.

"What did you pray for?" Seifer abruptly asked.

"I can't tell you." Rinoa told him as her hands found her cross the hung just below her bust line.

"It's not like it's a birthday wish." Seifer reminded her.

"Fine. I wished to get out of this village." She told him with a smile on her face as her hands began to play with the cross.

Seifer's eyes bulged. "Why!?" He asked exasperated. He stopped turned to her. "Why?" He asked again, concern in his eyes.

"I want to see the world." she told him with a smile. She turned away from him and looked out at the endless grass plains. "See all that?" she asked as she waved her hand over it. "I want to walk every inch of that." She told him.

"It's to dangerous. Just stay in the village." Seifer pleaded, more concern entering him.

"You are much older than I. You have seen it, you take it for granted." She told him as she looked to him. He sighed heavily.

"Not that much older." He said shyly.

"You are of five more ages." She reminded him. "You are the age of 22." She reminded him.

"I know my own age!" He told her harshly as he threw a hand up in the air.

"And I know I take the world for granted, and I have good reasons." He told her.

"What are your reasons?" She asked curiously. He slowly took a seat down on one of the marble steps that lead down to the village and up to the Church.

"The world just gives you more questions then answers." Seifer told her as he ran a hand through his hair. "And some of those questions you don't want to be answered, but they are answered anyway. Each day was like a new hell for me. Every morning I woke up wondering. 'What does Hyne have planned for me?'." Rinoa looked down to her feet, not wanting to make eye contact with him at that moment.

"I'm sorry." she said quietly.

"At least I earned the job of being your protector." Seifer said with a smile. Rinoa sighed happily.

"You are probably the best knight out there." She told him with a smile as she leaned back and propped herself up with her hands.

"Knight? Best?" He questioned with a laugh.

"You are kinda my knight. You protect me no?" She told him. Seifer smiled and nodded lightly. "And yes, you are the best." Rinoa told him as she punched him in the arm lightly.

"Well, I wouldn't be so thankful of me. I do get paid." Seifer told her as he looked to her.

"I don't care." She told him quietly as she rested her head on his shoulder. "You're still a frickin' good protector of me." She told him with a laugh. Seifer smiled lightly and rested his head atop hers......

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A/N: Well??? I hope this is a good start... I know right now this is basically just introducing the characters, and to all you Quistis fans out there, she will probably come in in the next chapter... I really hope all you readers out there liked it....

REVIEW PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!