Disclaimer: I'm tired of typing these, so this disclaimer will apply to the rest of the story: I DO NOT OWN FFVIII OR SQUARESOFT! I AM MERELY BORROWING THE CHARACTERS!
Squall strode across the grass towards the landing dock for the Ragnarok. Laguna Loire, Squall's estranged father and the president of Esthar gave the ship to the SeeDs as a gift of gratitude for defeating Ultimecia. The sun glinted off the ship's gleaming chrome and high-color red paint. The ship had the appearance of a large red dragon, and Selphie always looked forward to flying it. Today, however, she was not glad for and excuse to fly the Ragnarok. She could only imagine what Squall was feeling as the young woman watched him come near the great red ship. Selphie and the others were already waiting to begin the search, packing only what was necessary. Just then, she heard the door slam loudly as Squall entered the Ragnarok in a foul temper. He stormed up to the cockpit where Selphie was already seated.
"Squall-" she began, but the angry young man cut her off.
"Just get this thing flying." Selphie sighed shakily and started the engines and began to head south once the Ragnarok was airborne.
Once Selphie had the ship flying, Squall walked off toward the ship's cabins. Without bothering to turn on the lights, he entered one of the rooms and felt his way toward the bunks. He lay down in one and covered his face in his hands. Rinoa. He missed her so much. Squall wondered if she was unhurt and worried that they wouldn't find her in time.
Suddenly, without warning, a searing pain lanced through his navel. Squall yelled in a mixture of surprise and pain. The ache began to creep throughout his body, still sharp. He moaned in agony as his muscles flexed and contracted. His head felt as though it would split in two.
Then it stopped. As suddenly as it came, the pain ceased. Breathing heavily, Squall slowly sat up. The throbbing behind his eyes proved to be too much and he fell back once again. What the h*** was that for? he wondered in confusion. Eventually, strength drain, Squall fell into a deep and dreamless slumber.
***
"Yo, Squall! There you are! We've been looking all over for you!"
Squall awoke to Zell's loud relieved voice.
"I...I didn't feel well so I fell asleep," Squall replied. "How long was I missing?"
"Believe it or not, four days. We figured you were stressed out, so the first day we didn't look for you. When you didn't show up for breakfast the other day, we got worried so Quistis and I looked all over for you. You wouldn't BELIEVE how huge this ship is!"
"Any word on Rinoa?" Squall asked groggily.
"Well, you'll be glad to hear you're not the only missing person we found!" Squall's eyes widened hopefully.
"You mean you guys found her?" He asked impatiently.
"Not exactly, but we did find a trail that lion monster left!"
"Let's see it."
***
The group stood outside on a cobblestone pathway on a large deserted island. All around them were high, craggy rocks and misty forests that consisted of gnarled trees. Dusty bare spots showed were grass was absent. Broken and decaying wooden fences stretched across hills and plains. However, the most omnimous feature of the place was a great gaping hole in the ground. Some of the rotten fencing partially surrounded the dark pit. Small hairs on the back of Squall's neck raised and he shivered. It wasn't due to the cool autumn-like air.
"Is this the trail?" He asked, pointing to huge pawprints leading to the hole. No blood. That was a good sign.
"Yeah," Quistis replied.
Squall froze. Something moved from the corner of his eye.
"Did you see that?" he whispered to the others. They shook their heads. Squall scanned the landscape. *Rustle* There! He clearly heard movement. It came from the left.
Just then Selphie caught his attention.
"Um...guys...what's that?" she squeaked, shakily pointing towards the pit.
A small, shriveled hand found its way out of the hole. Its thin fingers wrapped around a clump of grass as another hand surfaced. A mummified looking head appeared. Its orange, catlike eyes peered at them, mucus emanating from the corners of the creature's eyes. The demon's straggly black hair was patchy and hung over it's face as the creature crawled from the hole. Its body was small, gray, and shriveled, yet water oozed from its pores. The creature hissed at them feebly, revealing blackened stumps of teeth.
Fortunatly, Irvine regained his senses, drew his gun, and blasted off the little monster's head. The skull split in two, lumpy gray sludge pouring out.
"Urg..." said Irvine. The womens' faces were white and Zell was retching in the grass. Squall was horrified.
"W-what the h** was that?!" Irvine shrugged.
"No clue. Let's just hope we don't see anymore when we go in there to find Rinoa." Squall privately agreed.
***
"Let me go!" Deep inside the pit, Rinoa screamed in frustration. The great lion had its paw on her back, pinning her so she couldn't move. A figure in the shadows chuckled.
"It's no use struggling, dear," a woman's voice sounded from the darkness. "Griever won't let you up until I tell him to." A tall, graceful woman dressed in a long black dress stepped out of the shadows. Her long, shining, raven black hair reached to the ground. Her pale orange eyes glinted in anticipation as she kneeled down next to the struggling Rinoa.
"Your brave, handsome knight will be with us shortly," the woman continued. "Unfortunatly for you, he will soon be unable to rescue you. My wolf-demon I sent to find your knight did his job well. He was able to bite Squall before he died, and Squall doesn't have much time left by now. He has probably already experienced some of the side effects of the bite and has been lured here by you, thanks to my Griever." The wicked woman ran her purple nails along Rinoa's cheek, drawing blood.
The woman stood and retreated back to the shadows.
"All we have to do now is wait..."
A/N: The plot thickens...Writing this chapter gave me the willies! Anyway, please review and thank you very much to those that do. Squall Lionhart, thank you for your support!