Wounded Hearts : Mending Souls

Prologue

"It's the same thing. We can't stop it." Kadowaki turned from the pale form lying on the sickbed towards Quistis, shaking her head. "She doesn't have much time left." The SeeD nodded, casting a glance past Kadowaki to the dying.

"I'll tell Squall." She said softly as she walked out of the room. Outside she could see Squall sitting on one of the chairs, face in hand as though he was thinking. It was a familiar gesture, one that Quistis had become accustomed to in all the years she had known Squall. Always carrying that brooding-depressed look when he was thinking. Yet this time, unlike others, she understood why he seemed so sad. "Squall... There's nothing we can do." She watched his reaction, a slight clenching of the fist. It made her heart twist in pain for him. "You-" she stuttered. "You should go see her." Her eyes followed him as he walked past into the sickroom allowing Dr. Kadowaki to leave, head hung low so she couldn't see his face. "I'm sorry Squall." Quistis let the tears fall, covering her face with her hands. "I'm so sorry."

Inside the sickroom, Squall walked in to see a smiling face. *Rinoa...*

"Hi." Rinoa beamed cheerfully at him as he sat down on the stool beside her. Somehow through this whole ordeal she managed to keep a smile on her face when she was with him. He attempted a smile back as he grasped one of her hands between his. Her touch was so cold, even through the animal skinned gloves he could feel it.

"Hi." He couldn't manage much beyond that. Everything had just gone downhill so rapidly he felt like he was drowning. It all started about a month ago when Edea had passed away, whispering something on her deathbed about someone who was seeking the powers of the sorceress by killing them. Noone had understood what she meant by it until Rinoa took ill and began to show similar signs that Edea had shortly before her death. They had tried everything they could to stop the virus, even enlisting Odine's help in Esthar, but he couldn't find out what was wrong either. And now here she was, lying in her own deathbed, saying her own last words.

Life was just so damned unfair. They had only been together for barely a year.

Squall looked down at Rinoa. Her face was sheet white, almost transparent, as he could see the underlying veins ever so lightly beneath her skin. There were bags beneath her eyes, casting shadow on her normally vibrant brown eyes. She'd also dropped a lot of weight as well, her bones stretching out her skin as though it was nothing more than a barely satisfactory covering. Even her smile was tainted, by specks of blood that he knew much have come from her when she fell into a coughing fit. He reached out with one of his gloved hands and stroked her hair, taking care to be gentle. "You look great." he lied, getting a tongue stuck out at him for his effort.

"Don't lie." Rinoa whispered. "But thanks for trying." She closed her eyes, breathing slowly as though trying to concentrate. "How much longer did they say?" She asked. Squall winced at the question, his throat constricting to bite back what was sure to become a sob if he let it.

"I'm not sure." he answered honestly. Noone was sure of how long it would take, whether it would be fast or slow. All he knew was that after she was gone he would be all alone again. Just like his time with Sis except, Rinoa was never going to come back.

"I'm sorry." Rinoa stretched out her hand to run her fingers through his hair and pulling him closer to her. And just like that he found his arms around her frail body, hugging her tightly to him yet taking care not to hurt her.

"Don't leave me." The words came out almost like a strangled cry. "I can't lose you."

"Squall?" Rinoa asked, feeling his pain.

"I just barely found you." Squall continued, holding onto Rinoa with all his hopes and dreams as though he could make them come true. "I love you. Please, don't go." The tears came spilling over his cheeks soaking into Rinoa's hair. The dark haired girl closed her eyes, her own tears coming forth.

"I'm so sorry. I don't want to leave, but this is the way things have to be." She placed her hands on his shoulders, pushing him up so that they were looking eachother face to face, her expression that of silent pleading. "Please Squall, when I'm gone, don't hurt yourself. Promise me that you won't. It'd hurt me too much, and everyone else would be sad too." She looked at the conflict flashing in his eyes as he nodded once.

"I promise." Rinoa smiled as his arms came around her again, this time pulling them both together into a kiss.

*Don't leave me.* Squall begged to whatever Gods may be out there listening. Already he could feel the cold on Rinoa's lips and her weakening pulse as her hand fell away from stroking his hair. *I don't want to be alone again.* The kiss deepened, even though he could feel her slipping away. *Please.* He pulled away slowly, looking at her closed eyes and the soft smile displayed on her lips.

She was gone.



* * *



The clouds were dark, as though a storm was about to come as the figure of a young woman walked down the stone pebbled path towards the Graveyard in the town of Winhill. The figure was garbed in all black, a trenchcoat draping across her shoulders while long black hair whipped around her face with the wind. It had been a year since the last time she had been here to bury the last person she had ever cared about. She stepped onto the Graveyard grounds and knelt before one of the headstones.

"I'm all alone, but it's okay." She began. "I've always been the strong one right? That's why I'm alive and you're dead." There was a pause and she struggled for words to say, unable to smile. "That's not true. I don't know what I'm saying." She stopped once again, this time to the sound of leaves moving around on the ground. She turned around, hand reaching inside the trenchcoat for her weapon when she caught site of a transparent figure walking towards her. It was another girl with long black hair with golden streaks, wearing a light blue outfit over a black leotard and darker blue skirt. The young woman retracted her hand from grabbing her weapon and forced herself to relax as the apparition came face to face with her.

"So, you're the other one." The ghost held out a hand for the other girl to shake. "My name's Rinoa. What's yours?"

"My name's Shi."

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*Authors Notes: First off I'd like to say that, no, I don't hate Rinoa. As a matter of fact I don't hate anyone from the FF8 universe. So don't send me mail asking me why I did it. This story just sorta popped into my head at night and I had to write it until it was finished. I'm guessing that it's a result from the extreme stress I've been feeling lately. I haven't edited it, much less spell checked it. As a matter of fact, at this point I don't even care if it's good or not. Maybe I'll fix it in the future. ::shrugs:: I'm usually a parody writer. Therefore I have only this to say:

Wahahahahahahaha!! Foul demons I shall smite thee and then I shall put you into my Seifer-Quistis fic! Bwahahahahahaha!!

Quistis: Hear that Seifer? ::cracks Save the Queen over Seifer's leather clad body:: Seems I get to teach you a few things.

Seifer: And people wonder *how* you lost your Instructor's license?! ::gets struck again::

Quistis: Naughty-naughty...

C-ya! Dark Mousy