Disclaimer - Squaresoft characters belong to Square etc. But the children belong to their respective owners. This disclaimer will cover the whole story, I really don't like adding it to the top of every chapter.
~Prologue - Sixteen years earlier~
Rinoa strapped her eighteen-month-old daughter, Fureya, into the baby capsule in
the back of the car. After double-checking everything was safe and secure, she
shut the door firmly and turned to face her husband, her brown eyes sparkling.
"Let me drive, Squall?" She pleaded with a sunny smile. Squall shrugged and
tossed her the keys, a small smile playing across his lips.
They were going to pick up five-year-old Kaddar from his first day of school. Squall
Leonhart was still the commanding officer of Balamb Garden, which situated the
nearest primary school at Balamb Town, thirty minutes drive away.
The drive was a quiet one, soft pop music coming from the radio and baby Fureya
gurgling to herself in the backseat.
The screeching of tyres sliced through the silence as a larger automobile careened
straight for them, wildly out of control.
Panicking Rinoa wrenched the steering whee across and stomped down hard on
the pedal. But to her dismay, she found she had been thrown off by jolt of the
sudden turn and had effectively stomped the accelerator pedal.
Propelling forward, the car bounced and slid over uneven gravel and grazed past a
tree, which buckled the driver's side door and sent the car flying even more off
course. Rinoa let out a strained yelp as fiery pain shot up one of her legs following
a snap. With a painful struggle, Rinoa forced the brake pedal down with her good
leg.
The car slid across the terrain and came to a halt, teetering over the sharp edge
of a cliff. The car was so silent that the waves could be heard slapping the cliff
face below.
"Oh Hyne." Rinoa whispered hoarsely as Fureya started to cry.
"Rinny?" Rinoa turned to look at Squall as he spoke, noting the iron set calm on
his face. "We've got to get out of here. I'm going to slide out and get Fureya, and
then I want you to carefully get out. It's going to be okay, Angel? I promise."
Rinoa nodded numbly and undid her seat belt, gasping softly as the car slid
forward a little. The movement had jolted her injured leg and as she looked down
noting its strange angle, she realized it was broken.
"Squall." Rinoa rasped, tears pricking her dark eyes. "I can't." Squall looked across
at her, his face still calm.
"Please don't be afraid, Rinny." He murmured soothingly. "It's going to be okay
Angel." Rinoa shook her head, wincing as the car slid even further over the edge.
"My legs broken. I can't move." She whispered softly. Hearing her, even over the
screaming infant in the backseat, Squall sharply drew in a breath.
"I'll get Fureya and then help you. Don't worry Rinny Angel, all will be okay, I
promise." Although Squall's tone was firm, his voice shook as a wave of rising fear
overtook him.
Slowly and ever so carefully, Squall climbed out of the car and pried the back door
open and removed his daughter from the car. Without thinking, he raced around
the side, his infant daughter still cradled in his arms. Yanking on the door handle in
a futile attempt to open the door, he noticed the tree had buckled it. Looking
down at Fureya, he bit his lip and moved a few metres away from the car and cliff
face and set her down gently on a patch of grass. Turning to go help Rinoa, he
heard the car groan as it pitched forward over the edge of the cliff and into the
waiting ocean.
Squall let out a cry of anguish as he crumpled to his knees, ignoring the insistent
cries of his daughter.
~Prologue - Sixteen years earlier~
Rinoa strapped her eighteen-month-old daughter, Fureya, into the baby capsule in
the back of the car. After double-checking everything was safe and secure, she
shut the door firmly and turned to face her husband, her brown eyes sparkling.
"Let me drive, Squall?" She pleaded with a sunny smile. Squall shrugged and
tossed her the keys, a small smile playing across his lips.
They were going to pick up five-year-old Kaddar from his first day of school. Squall
Leonhart was still the commanding officer of Balamb Garden, which situated the
nearest primary school at Balamb Town, thirty minutes drive away.
The drive was a quiet one, soft pop music coming from the radio and baby Fureya
gurgling to herself in the backseat.
The screeching of tyres sliced through the silence as a larger automobile careened
straight for them, wildly out of control.
Panicking Rinoa wrenched the steering whee across and stomped down hard on
the pedal. But to her dismay, she found she had been thrown off by jolt of the
sudden turn and had effectively stomped the accelerator pedal.
Propelling forward, the car bounced and slid over uneven gravel and grazed past a
tree, which buckled the driver's side door and sent the car flying even more off
course. Rinoa let out a strained yelp as fiery pain shot up one of her legs following
a snap. With a painful struggle, Rinoa forced the brake pedal down with her good
leg.
The car slid across the terrain and came to a halt, teetering over the sharp edge
of a cliff. The car was so silent that the waves could be heard slapping the cliff
face below.
"Oh Hyne." Rinoa whispered hoarsely as Fureya started to cry.
"Rinny?" Rinoa turned to look at Squall as he spoke, noting the iron set calm on
his face. "We've got to get out of here. I'm going to slide out and get Fureya, and
then I want you to carefully get out. It's going to be okay, Angel? I promise."
Rinoa nodded numbly and undid her seat belt, gasping softly as the car slid
forward a little. The movement had jolted her injured leg and as she looked down
noting its strange angle, she realized it was broken.
"Squall." Rinoa rasped, tears pricking her dark eyes. "I can't." Squall looked across
at her, his face still calm.
"Please don't be afraid, Rinny." He murmured soothingly. "It's going to be okay
Angel." Rinoa shook her head, wincing as the car slid even further over the edge.
"My legs broken. I can't move." She whispered softly. Hearing her, even over the
screaming infant in the backseat, Squall sharply drew in a breath.
"I'll get Fureya and then help you. Don't worry Rinny Angel, all will be okay, I
promise." Although Squall's tone was firm, his voice shook as a wave of rising fear
overtook him.
Slowly and ever so carefully, Squall climbed out of the car and pried the back door
open and removed his daughter from the car. Without thinking, he raced around
the side, his infant daughter still cradled in his arms. Yanking on the door handle in
a futile attempt to open the door, he noticed the tree had buckled it. Looking
down at Fureya, he bit his lip and moved a few metres away from the car and cliff
face and set her down gently on a patch of grass. Turning to go help Rinoa, he
heard the car groan as it pitched forward over the edge of the cliff and into the
waiting ocean.
Squall let out a cry of anguish as he crumpled to his knees, ignoring the insistent
cries of his daughter.