Source Of Light

Chapter I

By Drifting Moomba

" How long is Irvine gonna make us wait while he mucks around in the shower? I don't wanna stay here any longer!" Selphie whined. Quistis, Irvine, Squall, Rinoa, Selphie and Zell had been waiting in their dorm for nearly half an hour now, waiting for Headmaster Cid to come and give them the new orders.

Squall sat on the bed quietly while the rest of the group walked around pouting at the fact that Cid hadn't come yet. He was always quiet now, like he had been for a year now. It was beginning to get dark, but it didn't matter to him, it was always dark for him.

" Squall, are you okay, you seem so sad today?" It was Rinoa's sweet voice. Squall just looked up at her with a bright smile and mouthed the words; " I'm fine, really".

Squall was blind and mute.For a year now, he had tried to make his life as happy as it was, but with not being able to speak with his friends properly or see them, it was difficult.   But yet he still couldn't quite believe how it had happened.

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The car stopped outside the caraway mansion. Selphie was the first to get in the car, in the front seat, while Quistis, Rinoa, Irvine and Zell got in the back. Squall drove. It was about 10:00 at night and the 6 of them had been at the caraway mansion for a celebration of the 20th year that the mansion had been built.

"You know Squall I wish we hadn't come so early, you know, that way we wouldn't have to wait for everyone" Selphie implied. " Yeah Irvine" Squall said sarcastically.

Quistis, Rinoa and Selphie giggled at Squall's comment while Irvine had a 'yeah yeah' look on his face before pulling his tongue at Squall.

After driving through Delling City for another half an hour, everyone in the car was silent. Squall could see something coming towards them on the road. He could tell it was a car or a truck because it was swerving slightly and had its headlights on way too bright. Squall realised that whoever was driving this car was not going to pull up and swerved the car out of the way.

Then it happened.

The vehicle in front was a truck. With a very drunk driver. Squall's car collided with the side of the truck. The small car flew out of control and fell down the side the road tumbling a few times, before hitting a lamppost.

******

Bright blurry lights were all Squall could see. He could hear people talking and yelling. Then he remembered. The car crash. He then figured that he was in the hospital. Rinoa, Quistis, Selphie, Zell and Irvine were all in the car with him. He hoped they were ok. The lights began to fade and he slipped into darkness.

The next time he woke up, he was lying on what he thought was a bed. Everything was blurred. He could just make out a white room. A hospital.

Someone was in the room. "He's just woken up now, do you want me to go and get her now...ok, I'll send her in" There was the sound of a phone receiver being put down, then a door opening and closing. He looked around. He was dressed in his usual black pants and t-shirt and he felt better than he had. His throat and eyesight were the only things that were wrong.

The door opened again and someone dressed in white hospital clothes walked in. Squall recognised it was Rinoa. He felt an overwhelming relief that she was ok. "Squall...I'm so glad you're awake" Rinoa bent down against the bed and hugged him. "Listen I know you can't see very well right now and your throat must be really sore...but I need you too listen to me carefully right now Squall." Squall noticed that Rinoa was having a hard time talking to him, she was choking on her voice through sobs. " Squall...the doctor said that...you're blind...and you won't be able to speak ever again..." She started to sob loudly and fell down next to him crying. He didn't know if the pain from the accident was worse or the pain he was feeling at the moment.

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That was three years ago…

"Squall, are you ready, we're going now" Rinoa's voice woke him from his daydream. He nodded his head and followed her and the rest of the group out of the dorms. They walked through the Garden and into the ship bay, where their ship, The Ragnarok, was docked, ready to be flown.

Squall had learnt to find his way around the Garden and the ship. He quickly grabbed his bag from Rinoa and got into the ship while the rest of the group stayed and talked with Cid.

After takeoff, the whole group had resided to sitting in the cockpit of the ship and talking, strangely, about bacon. "Oh come off it Irvine, e-v-e-r-y-b-o-d-y knows that the bits on the outside of the bacon is the best, cos it's crunchy!"

Selphie made a happy squealing noise at her last sentence. Irvine replied briskly, "Selphie darling, I know that your mind may have been a little on the slow side for the past month, but that is no reason to say the outside of bacon is the best. Truly, the middle bit is the b-e-s-t" Selphie poked her tongue out at Irvine. Quistis smiled to herself and decided that the talk about bacon was making her hungry. "Ok you two, that's enough about bacon, your making me hungry...and sorry Irvine but, t-r-u-l-y, the outside part of the bacon is the best"

Even after an hour, the group continued to sit in the cockpit. But for half an hour, no one had spoken. The only noise heard was the constant tapping of the pen Squall slowly tapped on the windscreen.

The engines on the ragnarok began to make strange noises. Selphie quickly got up and went to the control panel. " Um, guys...the engines are having a few problems..." Selphie said with a quavering voice. The right engine began to shake violently. "Um, guys, I think we should land and find out-" BOOM!

The engine exploded. The side of Ragnarok burst into flames and the ship began to fall. The left engine blew and the whole ship began to nose dive. "AAAAAAAHHH!" They all flew backwards with their seats and hit the wall behind them. "Prepare for the impact!" Screamed Selphie. Squall and Rinoa flew backwards and fell into the open elevator. The ship hit the hard ground and skidded on the nose. It flipped upwards, hitting the side of a rocky cliff and turned over onto its back.

Darkness. Squall couldn't hear anything. Everything had gone quiet and everything was a mess. He felt around. His hand brushed across a piece of metal and sliced his palm. He cringed pain and held his hand. His head felt dizzy and he slowly drifted off into a deep sleep.

Authors Scribbles: So what do you think? Please please please review!!!!!!!