Chapter 2: A Nasty Confrontation, Out of Desperation

His stare went through her, a little less tense. "Who are you?" he asked the female stranger, who was a few inches shorter, and had a little more bulk than he did.

Marianne took a shaky breath as she whispered that peculiar young man's name. "Squall…?" Now his eyes had grown wide in surprise. Whoa… How does she know my name? Squall asked himself in shock, after jolting back a step.

They both had the same reaction. The shocked feelings were being passed and forth. "I asked for your name…" Squall told her firmly, his blue eyes of steel gazing into her like an eagle toward a mouse. Marianne let out a gasp as she managed to say with her shaky voice, "M-Marianne… A-Are you Squall Leonhart?" "How do you know my name?" Squall asked suspiciously. Marianne took a breath, through her choked up voice. "It's c-complicated. Hang on a second…" she said in a tiny squeak.

A tear came down her face, showing signs of fear to one of her all time favorite video game characters. "Can you help me please?" she pleaded. "I'm lost and I don't know where I am." Squall looked at her blankly. "I'm lost too," he admitted, and seemed a little concerned about why she was crying. "…Are you alright?" Marianne had to sit down on this one, in the soft grass by the pond. She suddenly wasn't so desperate of food and water now. "This is too weird…" she whispered, oblivious of Squall's presence for a second. Squall knelt down in front of her, raising an eyebrow. He wanted to know what the hell was going on. "What is it?" Marianne looked at him and wiped some tears from her face. "Alright, okay…" she sobbed, trying to gain self control, her blue greenish eyes watering in fear. "I was at work, see? And I was about to cross the street for a refreshment when some bastard…" she paused, hugging her knees. "I'm…confused." Squall said, trying to figure out what she was trying to tell him. "Some bastard was racing this gray car past the speed limit and hit me…" Marianne sobbed, recalling what happened. Trying to figure out this mess.

"You don't seem hurt to me," Squall observed. "I know, and I can't really explain, but…" Marianne began, and tried to think. "Before I came here, I was a little awake from unconsciousness, but I couldn't move and my eyes were closed… And I think it was a doctor that said I was in a coma, and I heard someone crying… I don't know who… And I woke up, standing around in this creepy place." she explained, and in the best way she could. "Wait…" Marianne said, holding up a hand to prevent Squall from saying anything. "How did you get here anyway?"

"I don't know… I was about to battle one of my archenemies when I ended up here." Squall told her, in his own words. Marianne then got back to his question. "I know you because, a company from my world created you. A lot of people from my world, Earth, know about you and your adventures…" Marianne said, closing her eyes and opening them. "On a separate continent called Japan, there is a company called Squaresoft. Those guys created you, and everyone else in your world. It was all created as…" Squall urged, "Created as…?" "A game…" she said. "I'm only one of the people who has a copy of Squaresoft's product. They created a series of games called Final Fantasy… And you're from number eight."

Squall was taken back by shock as he sat down in front of her. Staring in horror. "What…?" he said, in disbelief. "I'm not involved with the company at all. I'm originally from another country, miles and miles away from Japan…" Marianne took a shaky breath and said, "I'm getting out what I know first, because I think I'm onto something that's just really bogusly strange…"

Squall listened attentively, his eyes narrowing. Marianne wiped more tears from her face. "Maybe…" she started and cut herself off in crying. "Okay, I know I've been…playing the game recently, and I do apologize because I never knew you and your world was real… and maybe you're here because of that…?" Squall held his head in his hands, frustrated. "Maybe I'm stuck here because I'm in a coma…" she continued, crying.

The young man stood up. "Are you saying you brought me here?" Squall asked. "And are you saying I was just made up by this Squaresoft company? My life, friends, all of my world?!" Marianne just looked up at him, and nodded, and tried to explain the best she could. "I guess I sort of did bring you here, because maybe this is a dimension or something… I don't know!" Squall sighed heavily. What did I do to deserve this? He gazed down at her, with that cold hard stare again. "Maybe I'm here because of my coma… I don't know about you." Marianne said through her tears. She was shaking, really afraid. She suddenly didn't have the courage to say anything to him now.

"This is creepy…really creepy. It's getting on my nerves." Squall said, not happy at all with this situation. "So, how do we get out of here?" Marianne didn't reply, burying her head in her arms and knees. She was curled up into a ball where she was sitting. Shaking uncontrollably. Squall didn't know what to do. He never been around a crying girl before. He could understand that she was afraid and all alone. Just what the hell do I do?! he wondered. Marianne seemed to ignore his presence, feeling vulnerable, and so terrified of being stuck here forever. She then released from her ball like position, looking up at Squall. "Please, you have to help me. I know you're feeling pissed off over the whole Squaresoft issue, but I can return the favor in helping you! I'd owe you my life on that." Marianne cried out, in desperation. "Isn't that what you're supposed to do as a SeeD?! Helping those in need?" She gasped another breath of air as Squall gave her that cold stare, which made her cringe a little. His predatory eyes showed little mercy.

"Squall…" she called, as he turned his back on her from where he stood. He seemed to be in thought or just about to think to himself. "Tell me what you're thinking. I know you…" Marianne added, standing up slowly. "I know you keep your feelings to yourself. I know you don't like to meddle into the business of others." Squall turned angrily. His look was life threatening towards her. "That is NONE of your damn business!!" he fumed. "I know. No one in your world may know, but those in my world do, who are familiar with your world. And I know I gotten in pretty deep shit when I told you all I know. But what else could I do?! Lie?!" "Fuck that!!" he yelled, moving his arm across from him to the side. The usual thing Squall does almost all the time when he gets mad. "You know, your world's a big mess. How can anyone live like that in creating lives, and worlds like that?!" "I don't believe Squaresoft figured you were real!" Marianne argued, just blowing her lid on the sanity scale. "If they did realize, then the whole ongoing series would be at a freaking halt!! You know what? Maybe you're right! I think this WHOLE FREAKIN' UNIVERSE is messed up!!! From GODDAMN speedy drivers to virtual worlds being real to being trapped in this HELLHOLE!!"

Squall didn't say anything in reply. Marianne just broke down and was bawling. He seemed to be taken back by shock by her sudden outburst. "Whoa…" was all he could say. He didn't expect it to get this bad. Maybe a little less… Marianne didn't say anything more, and kept on crying, feeling much worse than she was to start with.

This is crazy! Never in my wildest dreams have I come close to this… he thought to himself. My whole life being made up as some stupid game by a company in her world… Being summoned into this forest which Marianne believes to be within her coma… He looked down at her again. Marianne still remained the same, scared out of her wits. She's pretty upset there… She sounded pretty serious when she told me her story. Squall looked down, shaking his head in guilt. We can't possibly help each other out by being at each other's throats… I don't even have a clue, when she does.

With that, Squall knelt down in front of her again. Marianne heard him, but didn't look up. He didn't say anything for two minutes, trying to come up with something to say. Just apologize. "…I'm sorry." Squall said and looked down, for starters. Marianne just whimpered in response. She didn't even look at him. Aw c'mon… Squall mentally groaned to himself. "I…think I believe what you've tried to explain, Marianne." he said. "I haven't come even close to a clue as you do." His new, but very sad ally blinked out a few stray tears. Marianne knew Squall had feelings, but didn't often show them with another person.

"S-So…you'll help me?" she asked him in a soft, and weak voice. "We'll help each other… That's what you said before." Squall told her as she nodded. "I'll try if you will." she managed to say as he nodded. Instinctively, she wrapped her arms around Squall , who didn't know how to react to this situation at hand. He nervously placed a comforting hand on her back and slid it up and down, patting lightly every now and then. She shook in his arms, not helping but to be afraid. She sniffled as a tear fell on his jacket. Marianne took Squall again by shock as he felt her shaking. It scared him.

She then released from the hug, and apologized through her crying, "Sorry… It was a reflex thing…" "…Don't worry about it." Squall said, to try to be comforting. The shaken up twenty year old just remained where she sat. "You know, all my life, until today, I've never been hit by a car. That's never happened to me before." she said. "And I was careful, but I just couldn't avoid it…" "How fast was the driver going?" Squall asked, wanting to know. "…Really fast. Way above 30 miles per hour, which is the speed limit on the roads around where I work…" she sobbed in reply. "He was either drunk or had some freakin' speeding issues…" "…You're very lucky to be alive," Squall said, in being as comforting as he could by talking to her. "I know, or I would have been road kill, just like the animals I sometimes see out there around my neighborhood…" she agreed.

Squall sat beside Marianne, who was letting out a good cry. "I don't know the way out of here, but we gotta try." she managed to say. Squall didn't reply as she let the tears flow. "Hey, it's good we understand each other now. I think we wouldn't be any better by ourselves." "That's right…" Squall answered her, slowly. He decided to try to be comforting to help Marianne calm down a little.

"You do know that I owe you with my own life, which is all I can offer to help you in return…" Marianne told Squall through her own despair. Squall was sitting in front of her. "I know. And that's fine. As long as you help me in return." Squall said. "But, how do I get you to wake up from your coma? What am I talking to exactly? If you're in a coma, how am I talking to you? I… I'm confused…" "Maybe… this is sort of half and half. Maybe half of myself is at a hospital, while the other half is here with you." Squall raised an eyebrow, confusion never fading. "Whatever…" he said, dropping the issue.