[Disclaimer: Final Fantasy, Final Fantasy VIII, All Final Fantasy
characters belong to Square/Squaresoft.]
(Authors Notes: This story takes place exactly where the game cuts off, and this is going to be an extremely long fan fiction. At least that's what I have planned for it. I hope you enjoy, please review it, if you could. Please enjoy!)
*
Chapter I: Enigma
The party was slowing down, as students retreated back to the comfort of their dorms. No longer could one hear Zell's cracks of laughter, or the high pitched squeals of glee from Selphie.
He really didn't care, though; all he could think about was the sweet taste of his lover's kiss. He knew that he would never forget this night.
Squall opened his eyes as Rinoa pulled away from him. He gazed into her beautiful eyes, spheres as blue as the ocean. Her auburn hair cascaded over her face. An image of perfection. A small smile crossed his face at the thought. He loved her so much.
They gazed at each other, a moment that could not be described with words alone. Emotions pent up since the first time they'd met swelled inside of them, and finally burst freely out. The night breeze swept past them, and their hair danced together in the wind. It was if time had frozen for them, and the air about them was thick with emotion.
A slow, soft melody began to play. Rinoa looked up at him; he realized her intentions, and was a bit nervous, but all in all it felt right. Surprisingly, he took her by the hand, and gracefully led her to the dance floor. A few couples were still around; balloons and streamers had been strewn about everywhere. Not wanting to be the center of attention, Squall casually stopped midway from the middle of the room.
They fell into dance, it was so natural; their bodies fit together as they smoothly glided across the dance floor, in perfect synchronization.
The slow song came gradually to a halt, and they found themselves in the middle of the dance floor, gazing into one another's eyes. Squall softly whispered three words, words she would never forget--and would cherish for eternity. "I love you."
Rinoa looked down, tears of love streaming freely; but inside, her heart was wretched. Try as he might, Squall could not see her eyes behind the curtain of chocolate hair; all he saw was a single tear, which dropped down to scatter upon his newly polished dress boot.
Suddenly, she turned and ran, hardly knowing why; she loved him so, and he loved her, but was she worth it? "I'm a sorceress; no one will ever understand... they'll hate Squall for it," she thought. She didn't know where she was running, until she had reached her destination: the dormitory.
Squall stood and stared after her, the perfect warrior, alone, scared. Without her, he was nothing. And she just rejected me. A deep anguish welling up inside him, he walked dazedly off the platform and over to the balcony, gazing up at the stars. The pain was unbearable.
He could not release the anguish that began to swell up inside of him, when just a moment ago he'd had her love, and now he had nothing. His pain was torturous, like a knife sinking slowly into his heart; the only thing that kept his agony from turning into rage was the fact that the pain ensnared him, paralyzed him, confused him; and he had no idea what to do. He could feel a strange pricking at the corners of his eyes. For the first time, in all the years he could remember, he didn't know what to do. Quietly, Squall cried.
His eyes refocused after a moment as he noticed something approaching. Several large, narrow silhouettes were making their way across the ocean, aligning with the Garden. For a moment, he couldn't quite process what was happening; but it sunk in as soon as the objects began their voyage across the beach. He quickly turned around and ran into the ballroom. "Go to your dorms and tell everyone to assemble in the cafeteria, now!" he bellowed, loudly enough for everyone left in the room to hear him.
They all scrambled out the door to pass along the order, unsure of Squall's reasons, but following the legendary SeeD's directive. After a moment, Squall himself took off for the top office, in order to speak with Nida about evasive movements, and to warn the rest of the crew what was going on.
*
"Missiles?!" Cid shouted in an outraged tone.
"Yes. Nida is making evasive movements as we speak," Squall replied, more or less calmly. He had clearly regained some of his composure. It's not over yet, though, he scolded himself.
But his heart sunk abruptly as he realized-- "Rinoa..." he whispered under his breath. He dashed down the hall towards the elevator.
"Squall! Wait!" Quistis shouted hurriedly, but it was too late. "Rinoa!" he whispered as the elevator shaft opened and he exited onto the main floor. No one was in sight, which was good, but he cursed under his breath--he had no idea where Rinoa had gone. He thought for a moment, weighing possibilities, and finally decided to check the dormitories. He quickly made his way down the corridor. "She has to be here!" he said aloud, voice full of anticipation. Hastily he entered his security code into the door computer.
The dormitory doors opened as he finished placing the code in. He quickly searched through her dorm, but found nothing. "Rinoa!" he shouted, but there was no reply--he frantically searched through the little apartment once again, but found nothing. "Dammit! This is all my fault, my fault!"
Squall left the dormitory room, spirits crushed. I need to pick up my gunblade... he thought wearily to himself. He knew deep inside he couldn't just turn his back on the situation, and forsake everyone. He spun around and sprinted over to the SeeD dorm area.
Arriving at his own room, he typed in his pass code. "You have now been verified. Please remember to lock up." The door opened and he made his way inside, picking up the dark silver-trimmed case that held his gunblade. He unlatched the locks on each side of the carrier, and took out the pulsating blue sword. In the past, he had usually stopped to admire the blade, but this time he quickly fastened it to his belt and made his way into his sleeping area.
And it was there he stopped cold--because on his bed lay the one he'd been searching for. It looked as though she had cried herself to sleep. She lay there on her stomach, arms stretched out above her head. She looked so very vulnerable.
The Garden shook violently, causing Squall to stumble. Although his composure still remained after the tremors, Rinoa had slumped and fallen off the bed. He quickly bent over and picked her up, pulling her onto his back, wrapping her arms over his shoulders, and pulling her feet up around his waist; securing them with his hands, he leaned forward slightly so she would not fall. She was still asleep; perhaps she had been knocked unconscious from hitting her head when she had toppled off the bed. He had very little time to worry, though; and with that thought, he rushed toward the elevator. Now that Rinoa was secure on his back, he wished to find out where the tremors had come from, see some damage assessments, and overall, find out the current status of the Garden.
He reached the top floor and, exiting the elevator, Squall darted into the control room of the Garden. As he walked in, he noticed Nida was wearing a headset with a microphone, and everyone's heads were downcast. He set Rinoa on the couch and glanced around, suddenly noticing a missing face.
"Where's Zell?!" Squall questioned.
"He..." Quistis began, but burst into tears before she could finish.
"..What?" Squall felt a tingle of apprehension, and suddenly feared for his friend's life. He had never openly admitted that he cared for anyone, besides Rinoa, of course; but he did.
"Is he...?" Squall trailed off lamely.
"Not yet." Irvine's voice was unsure, but steady as he spoke.
"What do you mean? I don't understand what you're saying!" Squall was almost frantic now.
"He had this crazy idea... We couldn't stop him..." Selphie volunteered, her voice breaking.
"What idea?! Come on, out with it already!" shouted Squall.
Everyone cowered back; they'd never seen Squall display such emotion before. He cursed himself bitterly for being so rude with them, but given the current situation, he thought he had a right to be angry.
There was a soft groan from the couch, and he turned to face the hazy eyed Rinoa. She looked up, and gave him a small smile before passing out again. Selphie ran over and knelt by her side; unsure what was wrong, she comforted the other girl as best she could.
"Zell decided to cliff ride on his T-board to intercept and disarm the threat." Squall heard the familiar voice of Cid Kramer behind him.
"He...what?" Squall's tone was confused. Zell was sacrificing himself for the group... the immortal group of friends that had never once wavered, and had trusted each other in the Sorceress Wars. Why, Zell? was all Squall could think before he heard Nida shout over the microphone. "Get serious, Dincht!" Despite his concern, Squall fought to suppress a smile. That's Zell for you.
Squall ran up to the top platform, pushing Nida out of the way and taking the headset.
"Zell, this is Squall, can you hear me?" The SeeD commander's voice was firm, but at the same time worried.
"Loud and clear!" Zell shouted, apparently having fun. But Squall knew better; he knew Zell was afraid. Anyone would be.
Squall covered the microphone and glanced toward Nida.
"What's the current status?" he questioned hastily.
"Xu is in the cafeteria briefing everyone on our situation. The Garden has survived a wave of three projectiles, and mainly it's the training facility that's been damaged; other than that we're still operational. Zell has one shot to jump onto the projectile and disarm it... but after that, we don't know what he has planned." Nida's response sounded nervous.
Squall looked away, and peered over the image before him; he saw the quickly approaching projectiles, and Zell racing for them. There were two side by side, which would mean there would be a split second after the deactivation of the first missile for Zell to jump to the next one.
"Zell, do you have the target in your sights?"
"Yup! I'll see ya soon, Squall my man." Zell's voice shook slightly, but his tone was cheerful.
With that, Zell cut the connection. Squall heard static, and then nothing.
(Authors Notes: This story takes place exactly where the game cuts off, and this is going to be an extremely long fan fiction. At least that's what I have planned for it. I hope you enjoy, please review it, if you could. Please enjoy!)
*
Chapter I: Enigma
The party was slowing down, as students retreated back to the comfort of their dorms. No longer could one hear Zell's cracks of laughter, or the high pitched squeals of glee from Selphie.
He really didn't care, though; all he could think about was the sweet taste of his lover's kiss. He knew that he would never forget this night.
Squall opened his eyes as Rinoa pulled away from him. He gazed into her beautiful eyes, spheres as blue as the ocean. Her auburn hair cascaded over her face. An image of perfection. A small smile crossed his face at the thought. He loved her so much.
They gazed at each other, a moment that could not be described with words alone. Emotions pent up since the first time they'd met swelled inside of them, and finally burst freely out. The night breeze swept past them, and their hair danced together in the wind. It was if time had frozen for them, and the air about them was thick with emotion.
A slow, soft melody began to play. Rinoa looked up at him; he realized her intentions, and was a bit nervous, but all in all it felt right. Surprisingly, he took her by the hand, and gracefully led her to the dance floor. A few couples were still around; balloons and streamers had been strewn about everywhere. Not wanting to be the center of attention, Squall casually stopped midway from the middle of the room.
They fell into dance, it was so natural; their bodies fit together as they smoothly glided across the dance floor, in perfect synchronization.
The slow song came gradually to a halt, and they found themselves in the middle of the dance floor, gazing into one another's eyes. Squall softly whispered three words, words she would never forget--and would cherish for eternity. "I love you."
Rinoa looked down, tears of love streaming freely; but inside, her heart was wretched. Try as he might, Squall could not see her eyes behind the curtain of chocolate hair; all he saw was a single tear, which dropped down to scatter upon his newly polished dress boot.
Suddenly, she turned and ran, hardly knowing why; she loved him so, and he loved her, but was she worth it? "I'm a sorceress; no one will ever understand... they'll hate Squall for it," she thought. She didn't know where she was running, until she had reached her destination: the dormitory.
Squall stood and stared after her, the perfect warrior, alone, scared. Without her, he was nothing. And she just rejected me. A deep anguish welling up inside him, he walked dazedly off the platform and over to the balcony, gazing up at the stars. The pain was unbearable.
He could not release the anguish that began to swell up inside of him, when just a moment ago he'd had her love, and now he had nothing. His pain was torturous, like a knife sinking slowly into his heart; the only thing that kept his agony from turning into rage was the fact that the pain ensnared him, paralyzed him, confused him; and he had no idea what to do. He could feel a strange pricking at the corners of his eyes. For the first time, in all the years he could remember, he didn't know what to do. Quietly, Squall cried.
His eyes refocused after a moment as he noticed something approaching. Several large, narrow silhouettes were making their way across the ocean, aligning with the Garden. For a moment, he couldn't quite process what was happening; but it sunk in as soon as the objects began their voyage across the beach. He quickly turned around and ran into the ballroom. "Go to your dorms and tell everyone to assemble in the cafeteria, now!" he bellowed, loudly enough for everyone left in the room to hear him.
They all scrambled out the door to pass along the order, unsure of Squall's reasons, but following the legendary SeeD's directive. After a moment, Squall himself took off for the top office, in order to speak with Nida about evasive movements, and to warn the rest of the crew what was going on.
*
"Missiles?!" Cid shouted in an outraged tone.
"Yes. Nida is making evasive movements as we speak," Squall replied, more or less calmly. He had clearly regained some of his composure. It's not over yet, though, he scolded himself.
But his heart sunk abruptly as he realized-- "Rinoa..." he whispered under his breath. He dashed down the hall towards the elevator.
"Squall! Wait!" Quistis shouted hurriedly, but it was too late. "Rinoa!" he whispered as the elevator shaft opened and he exited onto the main floor. No one was in sight, which was good, but he cursed under his breath--he had no idea where Rinoa had gone. He thought for a moment, weighing possibilities, and finally decided to check the dormitories. He quickly made his way down the corridor. "She has to be here!" he said aloud, voice full of anticipation. Hastily he entered his security code into the door computer.
The dormitory doors opened as he finished placing the code in. He quickly searched through her dorm, but found nothing. "Rinoa!" he shouted, but there was no reply--he frantically searched through the little apartment once again, but found nothing. "Dammit! This is all my fault, my fault!"
Squall left the dormitory room, spirits crushed. I need to pick up my gunblade... he thought wearily to himself. He knew deep inside he couldn't just turn his back on the situation, and forsake everyone. He spun around and sprinted over to the SeeD dorm area.
Arriving at his own room, he typed in his pass code. "You have now been verified. Please remember to lock up." The door opened and he made his way inside, picking up the dark silver-trimmed case that held his gunblade. He unlatched the locks on each side of the carrier, and took out the pulsating blue sword. In the past, he had usually stopped to admire the blade, but this time he quickly fastened it to his belt and made his way into his sleeping area.
And it was there he stopped cold--because on his bed lay the one he'd been searching for. It looked as though she had cried herself to sleep. She lay there on her stomach, arms stretched out above her head. She looked so very vulnerable.
The Garden shook violently, causing Squall to stumble. Although his composure still remained after the tremors, Rinoa had slumped and fallen off the bed. He quickly bent over and picked her up, pulling her onto his back, wrapping her arms over his shoulders, and pulling her feet up around his waist; securing them with his hands, he leaned forward slightly so she would not fall. She was still asleep; perhaps she had been knocked unconscious from hitting her head when she had toppled off the bed. He had very little time to worry, though; and with that thought, he rushed toward the elevator. Now that Rinoa was secure on his back, he wished to find out where the tremors had come from, see some damage assessments, and overall, find out the current status of the Garden.
He reached the top floor and, exiting the elevator, Squall darted into the control room of the Garden. As he walked in, he noticed Nida was wearing a headset with a microphone, and everyone's heads were downcast. He set Rinoa on the couch and glanced around, suddenly noticing a missing face.
"Where's Zell?!" Squall questioned.
"He..." Quistis began, but burst into tears before she could finish.
"..What?" Squall felt a tingle of apprehension, and suddenly feared for his friend's life. He had never openly admitted that he cared for anyone, besides Rinoa, of course; but he did.
"Is he...?" Squall trailed off lamely.
"Not yet." Irvine's voice was unsure, but steady as he spoke.
"What do you mean? I don't understand what you're saying!" Squall was almost frantic now.
"He had this crazy idea... We couldn't stop him..." Selphie volunteered, her voice breaking.
"What idea?! Come on, out with it already!" shouted Squall.
Everyone cowered back; they'd never seen Squall display such emotion before. He cursed himself bitterly for being so rude with them, but given the current situation, he thought he had a right to be angry.
There was a soft groan from the couch, and he turned to face the hazy eyed Rinoa. She looked up, and gave him a small smile before passing out again. Selphie ran over and knelt by her side; unsure what was wrong, she comforted the other girl as best she could.
"Zell decided to cliff ride on his T-board to intercept and disarm the threat." Squall heard the familiar voice of Cid Kramer behind him.
"He...what?" Squall's tone was confused. Zell was sacrificing himself for the group... the immortal group of friends that had never once wavered, and had trusted each other in the Sorceress Wars. Why, Zell? was all Squall could think before he heard Nida shout over the microphone. "Get serious, Dincht!" Despite his concern, Squall fought to suppress a smile. That's Zell for you.
Squall ran up to the top platform, pushing Nida out of the way and taking the headset.
"Zell, this is Squall, can you hear me?" The SeeD commander's voice was firm, but at the same time worried.
"Loud and clear!" Zell shouted, apparently having fun. But Squall knew better; he knew Zell was afraid. Anyone would be.
Squall covered the microphone and glanced toward Nida.
"What's the current status?" he questioned hastily.
"Xu is in the cafeteria briefing everyone on our situation. The Garden has survived a wave of three projectiles, and mainly it's the training facility that's been damaged; other than that we're still operational. Zell has one shot to jump onto the projectile and disarm it... but after that, we don't know what he has planned." Nida's response sounded nervous.
Squall looked away, and peered over the image before him; he saw the quickly approaching projectiles, and Zell racing for them. There were two side by side, which would mean there would be a split second after the deactivation of the first missile for Zell to jump to the next one.
"Zell, do you have the target in your sights?"
"Yup! I'll see ya soon, Squall my man." Zell's voice shook slightly, but his tone was cheerful.
With that, Zell cut the connection. Squall heard static, and then nothing.