A/n: Welcome to Chapter Eleven. In this chapter, we don't own Final Fantasy VIII or any of it's happenings, and we don't own Elle, Laguna, Raine, or Squall, or the Ragnarok, or GFs, or Gilgamesh, or Martine, or Quetzalcoatl. We do own Sayaki, even though her name is only mentioned once. We also own the annoying little girl sitting in the front seat named Mana, and the basic idea. Kudos to Squenix for everything else.
You might be saying, this chapter came out fast! It hasn't even been a week yet! Xifa is feeling rather guilty for breaking both deadlines she promised, so she's putting out the next chapter. Go Xifa.
…however, there is no chapter twelve! O.O But I'll see Sefie tomorrow…maybe we'll throw something together. I mean, we're kind of distracted right now, working on those random stories we started…so…yeah. If it takes awhile, blame Animal Crossing. .
…okay, sorry…here's the chapter now…
((these are Raine's journals, if you didn't know))
ALSO, THIS ENTIRE CHAPTER IS DONE BY SEFIE LYNNE TILMITT! Go her! I did nothing for this chapter 'cept the disclaimer and the boring junk. Yay!
Chapter XI
September 1st
Today, well, I should have changed the date. It is now 1:31 a.m. on September 2nd. Today was so…frustrating. Amazing. Intriguing. All at once. It's all because of a man that entered my life unexpectedly. Laguna Loire was engraved on his nametag.
IT all started when I was washing dishes and Ellone was upstairs coloring. I was halfway through washing a plate when the door of the old restaurant I ran burst open. I dropped the plate, shattering it, shocked and terrified at what I saw. Two men carrying in a bedraggled man in a uniform, beat up beyond human recognition. I did all I could for him.
He's asleep right now, and I can't clean at the moment, because I would wake up Elle and/or Laguna. I can't sleep. So I'm writing in this journal that I had intended to write my first book in. I've always had a passion for writing, but I never have enough time for it.
My book was going to be a romance story. I had my characters planned out and knew them inside out as if they were real. I've never told anyone that I love to write. Fiction is the best, because I have enough of real life every day.
But in any case, it was going to go like this. Alexandria (Alex) was 27, alone and working, but happy that way. She worked as a waitress and had long since abandoned her dreams. But then one night she met Zachariah. Zach fascinated her, and they became good friends. But Zach moved away, and went to fight in the war. Alex sent him letters every day, and soon, much to Alex's surprise, he sent back an engagement ring. But Zach never returned. Morbid ending, but that was okay, because this story was made out of my hopes, dreams, fears, future, and most of all, it was made out of my heart.
Well, enough ranting about my stories. It's late and I'm going to bed.
--Raine Leonhart
September 6th
Laguna is doing better. He is so…oh, I don't know! He is so frustrating! Yet…somehow I find him quite amusing, funny, exciting…and I've figured out my favorite name. Squall. Isn't that sweet? Squall, like a storm, yet calm and somewhat mysterious. In any case, back to Laguna. He could even be considered a friend, but he is driving me up the wall. But that's okay, because he's so incredible. I just don't know about him. He is cute, I have to admit. He has long dark hair (well, I don't really dig the length, but that's okay.) and he has the most brilliant eyes. He has the most adorable smile and he's really handsome. But you know what? That still doesn't stop him from driving me up the wall! Oh well. He's still an amazing person. I think. I'll write more later.
--Raine Leonhart
September 10th
Elle calls Laguna "Uncle Laguna" and she has taken a great liking to him. I have to say I'm quite fond of him too. But I don't want to get too close to him, because I'm afraid. He'll go back to the army sooner or later. Then I'll just be hurt. To be honest, while in school, I never really had a crush. But I figured something out. It is absolutely ridiculous, but I think I like Laguna. I'm terrified of getting close to him, though…so for now I'll remain silent, hold my tongue and pretend that he is annoying.
--Raine Leonhart
September 15th
Elle is hell-bent on the idea that I like Laguna. Sadly, she's right. Laguna is invading my heart, even though I haven't known him for long. It's scary. I don't want to lose him.
--Raine Leonhart
September 18th
Laguna goes out on a patrol of sorts…there are monsters everywhere. I'm worried about Elle. The interest in time has grown again, and Elle's powers are so dangerous for her. Why am I so scared of everything? I'm afraid for Elle, afraid that Laguna will break my heart…why is it that I feel this way?
--Raine Leonhart
September 24th
Oh my God. This is so draining. Elle is gone. Laguna is going after her. Now all I have to do is wait. Wait and pray that everything will be okay. I am alone, and I hate it. I've gotten so used to Elle's laughter, Laguna's comforting voice, something to distract me from the truth. From the truth that I'm going to die. It might be in ten minutes, it might be in ten years, who knows, but someday I'm going to die because of this. You see, I've got some disease (I can't spell the name of it), but it's going to kill me. It's killing me even though I can't feel it. But it's going to kill me, and everyone says basically that they give me two years at the most. I am not ready to leave Laguna and Elle. I'm so afraid. I don't want to die. And I can't tell anyone. If I did…in any case, all anyone knows of me is that I own a little restaurant and that I have an adopted daughter. I've never really had someone to tell. But I can't tell Laguna. I want to, and I know he'd listen to me. But I am absolutely petrified that he'll want nothing to do with me if I tell him. I'm trapped in a corner with nowhere to run. What now?
October 7th
Elle is back and okay. She keeps begging me to sew her a princess dress for Halloween. She'll die when she sees it. I'm glad I learned how to sew for once. This is the first dress I've made. Usually I just sew to fix clothes. In any case, Elle's dress is bright pink with little rhinestones all around the collar and frills and lace at the bottom. I bought a plastic tiara from the store and she squealed when I bought it. She chattered about how perfect Halloween would be. She wants Laguna and I to dress up as the King and Queen. For a little girl she catches on quickly. I'm trying to worm out of being a queen, but if I have to, I'll wear the one dress I own; it's blue and strapless, which very much leads to my discomfort. It's annoyingly…puffy. Yes, puffy and fanned out. But my high school friends had said it looked okay when I wore it to senior prom. I took it out and washed it. There had been practically an inch of dust on it!
Laguna is my hero. Despite all my attempts not to, I think I've fallen in love with Laguna.
--Raine Leonhart
October 31st
We just got back from trick-or-treating. Elle made out like a bandit and Laguna made me blush more than once. He asked me out on a date, and yes, we were the king and queen and Elle was the princess. I've never seen her so excited as when she saw the dress. But I feel really bad tonight, so I'm going to bed.
--Raine Leonhart
November 12th
A week and a half ago I went on a date with Laguna, and wince then have been out on two more. He is so great. But I find the terrifying reality looming nearer. This is going just like my story. The girl, working at the restaurant, meets the man of her dreams and they're happy together. Next? Will reality follow suit? I am so confused I don't know which way is up. I'm in love. It feels so strange. IT feels right, but as I've said so many times before…I am so afraid.
I had to stop there because the Ragnarok had stopped. I noted how the page I was on was tear-stained. The ink was smudged with my mother's tears. My own were still hot on my cheeks. I wiped them away before Sayaki could see, and used a small piece of paper to mark my place. I didn't want to dog-ear this record, this precious piece of my mother. It was all that was left to me, because I had no memories of her. I hoped I didn't look like I had been crying. I tucked the book gingerly into the safety of my bag. In the future that book would be my source of solace, comfort, and truth in good times and bad. I would read it in every spare second I could at any time. Sometimes in the future, I would stay up all night reading it. But that's another story.
Now I had to fight Gilgamesh, and I felt a strange anger towards him suddenly. He was the cause of all this; of losing Quetzalcoatl, of Martine's death, the revolt of the GFs…I had business to take care of.
Go Sefie for writing that, go me for staying up until 11 o'clock writing it. (Yes, this is late for me. And annoying when I have manga to be reading!!) I had to type this off of a printed out version of this story from a word processor, and I think I'll include Sefie's notes just for fun.
Sefie's Notes:
(written beside some smudged words) stupid eraser. DIE PENCIL
(written on margin sides of paper or whatever) I'm sorry. The stupid word processor kept deleting lines that didn't show up till I printed. Many apologies. I also apologize for the smudged writing. Look at that line! It says when the door of the in the huge smudge, I hate this eraser.
(final note) Stupid word processor =P
Interesting fact number one: In the original version of 'Ghost', the letters that Squall wrote to Laguna were included right after the chapter that ends 'I sat down to write a letter to Laguna'. In the redraft, they're posted as a bonus chapter.
Interesting fact number two: In the original version of 'Ghost', Quetzalcoatl is actually rejunctioned to Squall immediately after the battle with Griever. Obviously not in this draft.
Love and peace,
Xifa and Sefie