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

Dedication: This chapter and the chapters beyond are dedicated to my girl who has been injured in a car crash... I haven't been able to see her and today is valentines day. I'm a bit depressed and forlorn at the moment so this chapter might be short (haven't started writing yet)...

Note: This chapter deals with drug abuse... I decided to put that in to say one thing: Drugs can royally screw your life... It happened to my friend, but his wasn't just screwed, it was taken away from him......

~*Where Life Begins*~

~*Chapter 3: Where the Side Walk Ends*~

**********************************

"I thought I told you to leave him alone!" A stern voice yelled. Rinoa spun around to find Doctor Kadowaki leaning against the door frame. Noticing that Rinoa had given her attention to her, she began to walk forward into the room. "He has training to do." The doctor told her.

"Training!?" Rinoa questioned in shock. "That's insane! Not in his condition!" Rinoa wailed.

"Be quiet, Rinoa!" A husky deep voice yelled from behind her. She knew who it was. She hesitantly turned her head to the door behind her and found Irvine's image silhouetted with the light from the hall. "Why are you here?" Irvine asked, annoyance in his voice. "With him." Irvine whispered harshly as he looked to the bandaged Squall. Rinoa opened her mouth and began to answer but Irvine silenced her with another comment. "You are supposed to be with me." Irvine reminded her harshly.

"I can be wherever I want." Rinoa told him with a glare as rage sparked in her eyes.

"No you can't!" Irvine screamed. Squall and Dr. Kadowaki looked to Irvine. Anger flashed in Squall's eyes, but he wasn't going to unleash his pain on him. Kadowaki stared on in disbelief at the fact the he even screamed that. Irvine might have been good at getting girls and getting them in bed with him but not keeping them for more than a week. Rinoa just held on, believing that they were in love. They had been together for a month and nothing sparked them. Rinoa wanted to be in love so badly, she turned to Irvine. A foolish mistake that would be deleted from her mind in a matter of seconds.

The palm of her hand flew for his face, smacking him hard. He stumbled to the side a bit, holding his cheek.

"Stupid bitch! You weren't even good in bed!" Irvine screamed.

"I'm surprised you have something to compare me to!" Rinoa screamed back. Irvine snarled.

"Get out!" Squall screamed to Irvine. A strong pain slammed into his head and he brought his hand up to the back of his head in a vain attempt to stop the pain from continuing. Rinoa turned to him in shock. He hadn't said much, but that was probably the most courageous and the best words that had slipped from his mouth. Rinoa smiled in thanks. Squall gave a quick glance to her but brought his eyes back to Irvine's and a stern and angry look crossed his features.

"Littl' shit!" Irvine cursed loudly. "I'll fuckin' get you!" He screamed.

"Get the hell out, Irvine." Rinoa commanded, looking at him with annoyance. Irvine snarled back but did as told and backed out of the room. Rinoa looked down solemnly. She had never had a fight with any of her boyfriends, she was always the good girl. She looked to the injured Squall and a small smile appeared as he clenched his fist in pain. 'Something about him.' Rinoa thought happily....

*****

Day 4: Depression

*****

"That little bitch and that goddamn perfect boy!" Irvine screamed as he pulled the cigarette from his mouth and raked a hand through his hair. As more thoughts of them continued to fill his mind he slammed a fist down onto the dirt. Selphie looked down at him. Her hands on her elbows.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" She asked in disbelief.

"Dumb bitch dumped me." Irvine said quietly. A small unnoticeable smirk appeared on Selphie's lips....

****

Day 5: Rain

*****

Rain pelted against the cement of the sidewalk. There were no feet pressing against the hard material. A strong wind blew across the street and the wind changed it's course of direction. The one pair of feet on the edge of the sidewalk flinched lightly. Squall leaned against the wall of a brick building. He took a deep intake of air and discovered the smell of smoke filtering up through his nose. He looked to the possible cause of the smell, his cigarette. It lay between his index and middle finger. Sizzling with a light fire.

"A poor way of destroying my anger." Squall said to no one in particular. He examined the white stick as his hand shifted and changed positions. "Why do I even do this to myself?" He asked himself. "Oh right, almost forgot!" Squall mused. "'Cause my life is a shit anyway. We all end up dead, what's the point of keeping my body healthy? This Garden only wants my fighting ability, not who I am. No one loves me." Squall confessed to himself. "I didn't even know anyone who was related to me. I didn't even know anyone who actually gave a shit about me." Squall told himself, as painful memories of living on the streets slashed through his mind. I give my life, and I get nothing in return. I almost died for Garden, and yet, the don't even provide a dorm room for me. They throw some money my way and tell me to go to find a hotel. I know dorm space is limited but, I saved all of the students lives." Squall said. He felt something wet smash against his arm.

Is This a Tear?

**

"Did you hear what happened to Irvine?" Selphie whispered to Zell in the cafeteria.

"Wah?" Zell asked, wanting to know badly. He was always a sucker for gossip.

"Rinoa slapped him and broke up with him." She told him with a laugh. Zell began to laugh loudly. Irvine was always the one to brake up with girls when he saw that they were not hanging around him enough, and obvious sign he was just to boring.

"Well, I think Irvine's gonna need some of the white stuff, if you know what I mean?" Zell asked with a laugh.

"Don't Zell," Selphie pleaded, "He is so depressed, this is gonna make it worse." She told him.

"Nah it won't, besides, good profit." Zell said with a wink as he stood from his chair and began to walk for the exit to the cafeteria.

*****

Day 6: Kindness

*****

"Prepare for level 4 combat Squall." Xu told him.

"Level 4!?" Squall yelled in astonishment.

"Yes, level 4." Xu told him calmly.

"Why?" Squall asked, still shocked.

"There is only one enemy, but that one enemy is, in it's natural state, invisible." Xu told him.

"Then how am I going to kill it?" Squall asked. He slightly flinched as the word kill slipped from his mouth.

"Due to it's large size, it will surely leave large enough foot prints for you to follow." Xu said with a laugh. "And it has no partical beam. So take the machine gun with you and fight from a distance." Xu told him as she handed him the machine gun. "Now go." She commanded. Squall nodded and ran out into the sunny day.

"Xu, students have been told to stay in Garden." Matron told her.

"But on the subject of the monster, it seems to be the fastest we have seen since 'Weapon'." Nida told her.

"Shit." Xu cursed.

Squall looked down the street and found large foot prints in the street. His eyes widened at the size, but kept his cool and began to follow them cautiously. Hearing no sign of the monster near he began to run down the street in search of it.

"Squall, behind you!" Xu screamed.

Squall whirled behind to find an extra set of foot prints straddled over the ones that had already been created. Squall snarled and began to fire while running backwards. He heard grunts of pain, but they stopped quickly.

"What the..." Squall trailed off.

"OH MY GOD!!" An operator screamed. "THERE ARE 12 MORE OF THEM SURROUNDING HIM!!" He screamed.

"It duplicated itself." Xu said in disbelief. "Squall, DUCK!" She screamed.

Squall ducked and felt a wave of air rush around him, he had just missed their claw swipe for him.

"Shit." Squall cursed quietly. Feeling desperate, Squall rushed forward, attempting to get by one. He ended passing right through where large foot prints were. He eyed the other foot prints carefully and smirked. He pulled the machine gun to eye level and began to rapid fire at where the legs should be. As his gun passed by more, he heard a grunt of pain. He smirked even more and began to fire in the same spot. The beast suddenly ran off, trailing foot steps with him. Squall followed them closely.

The foot prints lead him to Garden where they stopped. He began to fire at where the foot prints ended, but no sound was made and the bullets just flew to the sky.

"Weir-" He began to say but didn't finish as he was slammed from behind. Squall flew forward and crashed into Garden.

**

"Where did Rinoa go?" Zell asked Selphie.

"She was here a second ago." She told him.

Rinoa peered out the door way that lead to the street and out of Garden. Rinoa saw in shock as Squall was flung into Garden. She gasped and ran out into the street for Squall. She bent down near him and found his head and chest bleeding.

"Oh God, your bleeding, Squall." Rinoa told him as she gingerly touched him.

"Rinoa, get out of here." He weakly told her.

"What the hell is going on though?" Rinoa asked.

"Abnormalities in his emotional status!" An operator screamed. Xu gave the operator a questionable look.

"Turn visual camera on for the security camera outside of Garden." Xu commanded. A screen flashed over the arial map of Balamb and replaced it with a picture of Rinoa and Squall. "Dammit Squall!" Xu screamed.

Squall flinched as she screamed.

"Get the hell back in Garden!" Squall commanded.

"No! You're hurt!" She wailed. A deafening boom rattled their ears and they both looked to the cement to find another pair of foot prints.

"Shit." Squall quietly cursed in a horse voice. "It's coming for me, get away!" Squall commanded shoving Rinoa off of him. But she dove back ont him, covering his body with hers. As a strong claw was about to come crashing down on both of them. A strange bright white shield appeared, blocking the attack but faded. The monster tried again, the shield appeared. It began to furiously slash at the shield.

"What the heck is that?" Nida asked.

"Emotional status is completely balanced." An operator stated in shock. "And his harmonics is 100." The operator added.

"Amazing." Xu said quietly.

"Move now!" Squall screamed as he pulled his machine gun out and pushed Rinoa out of the way. He pulled the trigger back and launched a volley of bullets to the invisible creature. A grunt of pain was heard, and then silence. Squall sighed in relief as all of the foot prints the monster had left disappeared into thin air.

"Squall!" Rinoa cheered in happiness. She flung her arms around him. "Congratulations." She told him. Squall was shocked at that one word. Never had praise been given to him. Squall's eyes felt heavy and the dropped shut. "Squall?" Rinoa said as she looked to him. "Squall?" She called for him again....

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A/d: How did you people like this!?!?!?!?!??!?!?!?!?!?!?!? I hope it was good... but now I'm really tired... So I'm gonna go to bed now.. goo' night!!! My eyes hurt to...

REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!