Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy 8...

~*Where Life Begins*~

~*Chapter 2: Streaming the Soul*~

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"Hey new kid!" A deep voice screamed as Squall walked outside into the brilliant blazing sun.

"Irvine, he has a name!" The brunette wailed to him as she stood next to him.

"Shud up, Rinoa!" Irvine wailed back, Rinoa backed off from him. A bit worry flooding in her eyes.

"I don't care what you call me, as long as it is something I am not." Squall told them. Rinoa looked on in wonder. He obviously wanted to act as humbly as possible around his adversary.

"How 'bout I don't call you nuttin' and just give you a hard punch in the face!" Irvine threatened as he clenched is hand into a fist.

"What the hell is wrong with you Irvine!?" Rinoa screamed. Irvine turned to her, annoyance written all over him.

"I'm just teachin' him his proper in this place. An' not ta mess with my chick!" Irvine told her, turning back to Squall. "You pushed her over, no one does dat to my girl!" Irvine wailed, a rare spark of anger in him. Squall hesitated.

"Uhh.. Sorry?" Squall questioned. Getting no answer just a dumbfounded look from Irvine, he turned away from the two. Irvine snarled and grabbed Squall's shoulder and threw him around and smashed his knuckles into the side of Squall's face. Squall flew fell backwards and landed on his back. He grunted in pain and rubbed his cheek with the back of his hand, attempting to rid him of the pain.

"And if you ever touch my girl 'gain I sware, these two fists here are gonna find two real nice punching bags for the rest of the year." Irvine threatened as he turned away, leading Rinoa with him. Rinoa looked over Irvine's arm that had just been placed around her shoulders. She could see Squall getting up and walking away as if nothing ever happened, it didn't even seem like he was hurt except for the bruise that rested on the other side of his face. She looked to Irvine's face and saw it proud, like a lion after a kill. But she could already tell that his prey was soon about to strike the him with as much force as the lion had attacked.

*****

Day 2: Problems

*****

"Students of Garden," Cid began as he stood behind the podium, speaking into the microphone. "The city of Balamb has been issued into a state of emergency, thus, for your safety you are not aloud to breach Garden's walls." The crowd sighed in annoyance. Most of the time, the students favorite part of the day was getting out of the building and walking to town to eat. But now with the city under 'State of Emergency' once again, there was no hope of that anytime soon. When Balamb was issued this state it would take days to get whatever it was under control. Most of the students thought it was just simple riots.

"There goes my day." Zell sighed in disappointment.

"Where's dat perfect boy goin'?" Irvine asked looking behind him.

"That's your new name for him?" Rinoa questioned.

"I'll call him whatever I damn well want!" Irvine wailed again.

*****

"Prepare for level one combat, Squall." Xu told him as she handed him the gun blade. "Remember, when you need more ammo or a different weapon return here and you will be supplied them." Xu reminded him. Squall nodded his head. "Also, remember to concentrate your thoughts on fighting, not what happened in school." Xu reminded him once more as she looked to the dark bruise that rested on his right cheek. Squall scowled, remembering what that 'Irvine' kid had done to him. "Understand?" Xu asked.

"Understood." Squall said standing up as straight as possible.

"Good." Xu commented. "Now go." She told him. And with that Squall turned around and began to run for the light decorated exit to the building. Xu watched him leave with a small smile. It was his first battle, and her first time being his battle instructor. It was like a mother watching her child leave on the first day of school. As the silhouette image of Squall faded in the light, Xu turned and began to run for the Command Deck where everyone was waiting for her to arrive. She stepped into the dark command room. She looked about and saw Cid, Nida and Matron, standing over a map with a birds eye view of Balamb. Xu walked up to join the trio of them.

"Glad you are here." Cid said as he looked to Xu.

"How many monsters are on scope?" Xu asked, wanting to skip the introductions quickly.

"At the moment, 2. But more are bound to show up." Matron told her.

"So this time it won't take weeks to rid them off the streets, correct?" Nida asked.

"His hit ratio is superb and his stamina is not crumbling anytime soon." Xu told him with confidence.

"What about his emotions?" Cid asked, wanting to halt Xu's bragging for the new boy. Xu looked solemnly to her right.

"Unbalanced." She told him. "But he should keep cool in this fight." Xu assured everyone.

"You should hope so, for his sake." Cid told her. Xu gulped lightly. An officer a few feet away turned in his chair and yelled.

"Monsters are in range!"

'C'mon Squall.' Thought Xu.

"DIE!" Squall screamed as he dashed forward, gunblade raised high over his head. The monster pulled it's armored arm up over it's head and blocked the incoming attack. The gunblade bounced off and Squall attempted it again. Again the gunblade bounced off the arm of the monster. He dragged the blade under, slicing it up the chest all the way to the head. Blood flew off the tip of blade high up into the air. The monster collapsed to the ground.

"That seemed like nothing to him." Xu said with a smile. "How are his brain wave patterns?" Xu asked turning to one of the operators.

"Almost stable." The operator told her.

"Good for his first time, no anxiety at all." Cid noted.

"Xu, he is coming up on Admantoise." Matron told her.

"Squall, do you copy?" Xu asked.

"Yeah, what?" Squall asked in a hurry as the Admantoise came into view.

"Swap the gunblade for the machine gun, the Admantoise are dangerous in close range combat." Xu warned.

"Okay." Squall said with a nod as he turned down the block. Garden loomed high over head, casting a shadow on everything in front of it. Squall jumped down the steps to the weapons chamber and quickly tossed the gunblade to the floor and loaded the machine gun. Examining it loosly he ran back outside. He saw the Admantoise making it's way towards Garden. Squall scowled and raised the gun to eye level. As he began to pull the trigger back thoughts and memories of the fight between him and Irvine flashed through his mind. His eyes filled with rage and he pulled the rigger back sending a volley of bullets for the Admantoise.

"Emotional pattern rapidly becoming unstable." Screamed an operator.

"Dammit Squall." Xu cursed quietly. "Don't let your emotions take you away. Focus!" Screamed Xu.

"I know, I know." Repeated Squall in annoyance. As more anger filled him, the faster he shot. As bullets clashed against the hard skin of the Admantoise, explosions of smoke began to surround it. The target quickly became invisible by the thick curtain of smoke. Just about as he was to unload more bullets into the monster, the gun ran out of ammo. "Out of ammo?" Squall questioned in disbelief as he looked to the gun. Just as Squall was looking at the gun, a bright white beam shot from the curtain of smoke, ripping the thick smoke to shreds around it. It slammed into Squall with all it's might. Squall skidded along the ground under the beam. He lifted himself uncomfortable and pressed his hand to his head, blood smeared his hand.

"You idiot!" Screamed Xu.

"D-DAMMIT!" Screamed Squall. Thinking irrationally, Squall quickly dove back into the weapons room, grabbed the gunblade and leapt out to find the Admantoise just a few feet away. But that didn't stop him as he kept running forward. "DIE DAMN YOU!" Screamed Squall as he shoved the blade through the monsters neck. The Admantoise dropped flat to the ground. Squall began to sway side to side as he felt a sharp pain rip through his head. His eyes flashed open and closed, then he collapsed to the ground.

****

Day 3: Comfort

****

Squall awoke to find the same brunette haired girl staring down at him.

"Finally you are awake." She said with a sigh.

"Rinoa, right?" Squall asked attempting to sit up but Rinoa pushed him down.

"You might not wanna sit up, for one your head has been cracked and two you are in your boxers." Rinoa said with a laugh. Squall blushed lightly and looked away from her. "And yeah, it's Rinoa." She confirmed. "But what happened to you?" Rinoa asked in a worried tone.

"I'm not supposed to talk about it." Squall told her.

"Well, if you wanna talk about it, I'm here." Rinoa told him.

"I don't talk much." Squall told her.

"Well, when you want to I'll be happy to listen." Rinoa told him with a smile as she patted his hand....

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A/N: I hope you mortals like this... My eyes burn so badly... I need to look away from the screen...

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