Authors Note. I don't own any of the characters. Started a new story. Also working on my others. My computer passed away quite a while back and I had to save for a new one. I plan on posting regularly again. I hope you like this. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.

Exiled Mind

Chapter Two

"Rinoa, are you ready?" Squall asked as the pair stood waiting to exit the train from Balamb to Timber. After Squall's surprise party they had quickly packed and headed for Balamb Town. After enjoying a peaceful meal they had made there way to the station and bought tickets for the trip. But now Rinoa seemed intent on getting the two of them stuck on the train as she darted around trying to collect all her luggage. Squall, on the other hand shifted his single backpack onto his shoulder and helped her to scoop up the remainder of her luggage.

"Yup, now I am." She replied with a giggle, and followed Squall out of the room.

As they left the station Squall glanced up at the setting sun and then turned back to Rinoa. "We should check into a hotel tonight. We can rent a car in the morning and head for Winhill. Zell and Selphie said they would meet us there in the Ragnarok and fly us to Edea's Orphanage." Rinoa nodded her agreement to Squall and they soon arrived at the hotel.

'Squall….'

"Huh? What did you say Rinoa?" Squall, who had been in the process of renting a room turned to Rinoa. As he started to turn towards her Squall saw a flash of light and felt a quesiness in his stomach.

"I didn't say anything Squall." She said as she stepped to his side.

"Ok, sorry I thought I heard something just a second ago." He replied as he tried to shake the strange feeling away.

'My time is near…'

This time Squall was certain he was hearing someone, but he could see no one around except for Rinoa. "Squall, are you ok? You look flushed?"

"Yeah, just a little tired I guess. Now come on, lets get some sleep. We have a big day tomorrow." Squall answered but still couldn't shake the strange feeling and the light headed feeling he was getting.

After the couple dropped their bags on the couch of the rented room Squall walked unsteadily towards the bed. "I just need to rest a minute. Must be tired" he mumbled to Rinoa. Rinoa walked towards him and placed a hand on his forehead.

"Hyne, Squall, your burning up."

At the same moment as Rinoa began speaking Squall heard another voice, filled with malice, speaking but it seemed to him as if the voice was in his own head.

'And now your time ends…' Squall collapsed to the bed and grabbed his head as a whistling sound filled the room. It grew in pitch until he felt as if his head would explode.

Rinoa was crouched above and Squall could see her lips moving but was unable to hear what she said over the whistling nose. As he looked up at her and tried to speak he heard a thunderous clap and slumped to the floor.

His last view was of Rinoa screaming.

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Squall found himself standing in a field. Or at least what used to be a field. Now all that could be seen was barren land, scorched of all life. All that remained were small clumps of burnt grass and tree stumps. The sky overhead churned with clouds and lightning. It moved almost as if it were being seen through a time lapsed video. Though the strangest thing of all was the sound. Or, he noted, the lack of sound. Not a crack of thunder or even a whisper of the wind he felt whipping around his head.

For as far as the eye could see, there was nothing but this destroyed landscape. Looking around for some clue as to what could have caused such damage he began moving forwards.

For how long he walked he wasn't sure, though it had felt like days. Still, the landscape around him never changed. If not for the trail of dusty footprints behind him, Squall would have thought that he was standing in the same spot as when he had arrived in this cursed place.

'When I arrived? When did I arrive here?' He realized that he had no memory of how he had ended up in his current situation. No matter how hard he tried he found he couldn't remember anything that had happened prior to ending up here.

Squall looked around once again, everything was still the same as before. For some reason he found his vision fixed on a distant speck on the horizon. As he stared, the spot seemed to waver and gain substance. Slowly at first but quickly gaining solidity it formed into the shape of a dome shaped building. Smoke poured out of it from every direction and rose into the sky to be swept away with the clouds above.

Picking up his pace, Squall charged towards the building, a sudden fear beginning to grow inside his chest. Drawing near, his fears were confirmed. The building was close enough now that he could pick out individual features and markings. The balcony, The Quad with its damaged side, even the crumbled front gate.

It was his home, Balamb Garden, and it was destroyed! Approaching the front gate, he realized that what he had thought to be rubble was something else entirely. They weren't chunks of the building, they were bodies. Moving amongst them, he began recognizing most of them. Squall crouched in front of a female SeeD and pulled her hair out of her face, it was one of his instructors from when he was a child.

Moving to other bodies he checked for signs of life but found none. Everyone was dead and the looks on their face choked Squall to the core. They all seemed to be looking at him as if he was to blame for all that happened. Unable to stand anymore he stood and began making his way deeper into Garden.

As he moved towards the Quad he found he was unable to shake a feeling of being watched and followed. Squall was just stepping into the Quad entrance when he heard a clunking noise from somewhere behind his position. It was the first sound he had heard in what felt like days. It seemed impossibly loud and almost caused him to jump in fright. Years of training kicked in however and he immediately dropped his hand to his weapon and spun even as the Lionheart cleared its sheath.

He found himself confronted by nothing.

Then he heard the same clunking noise again but this time it came from the vicinity of the Quad. Even as Squall spun about he heard a deep rumbling laugh that seemed to surround his whole being.

And with it Squall felt a pain more intense than any magic spell he had ever been hit with. His vision dimmed to a point as he felt Lionheart slip from his fingers. As the pain continued to wash over him and blanket his body Squall felt something seem to tear through his mind.

With that sensation he slipped out of consciousness. The whole time he felt more than heard the rumbling laughter as it followed him into oblivion.

To be continued…