In the Memory

By Soulbade Dark Knight

Disclaimer: well you know the drill, I do not own final Fantasy 8 or their characters I just got bored and wrote….. Lots. Any characters that are added, I do own and I wish to keep that way unless you ask me really nicely.

Summary: What happens when Squall loses the ability to think in his own head? (Thanks to Rinoa.) The secrets of the 'Commander' are coming out, but are some too late to tell now. A new power is rising 'the Leonhart's', and they want their revenge for a forgotten promise.

Chapter one: Lost Memories

"Rinoa Heartilly, please report to the Headmasters office immediately. I repeat. Rinoa Heartilly please report to the Headmasters office immediately"

Rinoa looked at her watch, she was supposed to meet Squall in 20 minutes in hopes of having a lunch with just the two of them. She hoped that this was going to take less than 20 minutes, but some how knew it wouldn't. Sighing to herself, she comforted herself a little by knowing that at least he'd know where she'd gone. Rinoa headed for the Headmasters office, while she caught many people's attention. She still wore her blue normal suit, so it wasn't that hard to notice her. She arrived in Cid's office, she noticed how the office had been extended, as there would have been no room since the Garden had started flying. She also realised that Edea was also in the room, which was extremely odd as she was hidden for her protection.

"Ah Rinoa… Please sit" Cid said. Rinoa sat in the chair in front of the Headmasters desk, wondering what was going on. Cid looked over his glasses at Rinoa, his blue eyes telling her this was important. "Rinoa how are you, are you finding your classes okay?" Cid asked her, Rinoa frowned. He was avoiding the question; it had to be really important for him to do that.

"Sir… sorry to be rude, I am enjoying myself. But… it seems like I was ordered to come here for a different reason, than just to talk about how I am." Rinoa said, a little to seriously sounding a lot like someone else.

"Squall's rubbing off on you" Cid chuckled; Rinoa's face broke out into a sheepish grin.

"Yeah, let's just hope it works in reverse" Rinoa cheekily replied, Cid nodded. He cleaned his glasses, Rinoa knew that movement all too well he did that when he was nervous, especially when it was his third time in the last minute.

"Now Rinoa…. Back to business, you remember Matron" Cid stumbled pointing to Matron's direction, Rinoa nodded. "As you may know Rinoa being possessed by Ultimecia, she gives the host some information on her plan and thoughts. Well recently Edea has been remembering more and more and well… please try and answer this… but… has Squall ever mentioned that he was well… depressed… like he wanted to kill himself." Rinoa was trying to take in the words he had just said; sure Squall hadn't always been the happiest person. But kill himself, Rinoa refused to believe that she'd heard correct.

"I don't understand" Rinoa said.

"Rinoa when you found him in time compression, was Squall alive?" Edea asked. She was very sure that Rinoa was very confused, and this was a painful subject for her.

"…No… he was dead, but somehow he sort of came back alive" Rinoa painfully admitted. It still hurt her just thinking about that day, he had died and come back to her. Surprisingly she never questioned how it happened, to her it just did, but now she found thousands of questions piling up. What had happened on that fateful day?

"See Rinoa I learnt that no body can die willingly in time compression, unless they give up living" Edea said. Edea bent down to Rinoa's side and touched her arm, Rinoa couldn't believe what she was hearing. What would have made Squall give up living, him of all people? He wasn't the type to give up fighting he refused too; he had too much pride to do that. "Rinoa when we were all in time compression something happened to him, he gave up. Did he ever mention this to you, anything at all?" Rinoa was suddenly angry at Squall why hadn't he told her what happened, didn't he trust her?

"Rinoa I'm sure if he kept this from you, it was for a good reason" Cid suddenly said knowing that Rinoa knew no information on this subject.

"It have goddamn better be" Rinoa thought.

"Rinoa…" Edea said, sensing the young sorceress' anger growing. "He may not also remember what has happened"

"How can he not remember, why he wanted to die?" Rinoa bitterly snapped back.

"The pain would still be there, but maybe not the memory" Edea whispered in a soothing voice, calming down Rinoa a bit.

"I think I need to go talk to Squall" Rinoa said getting up.

"Rinoa…" Cid stopped Rinoa from leaving "don't push him too much." Rinoa nodded with out saying a word and left quickly to find Squall.

"Was that really a good idea to tell her?" Cid asked, worried for Squall's safety of his emotions and the power of a young sorceress.

"It would have been worse, not to tell her" Edea said

Rinoa didn't care what Matron and Cid had said, he should have mentioned something to her. She went to the second floor where the commanders quarters now where. The Garden had been growing quickly extending dramatically, as they were getting more funding from Esthar; this was still a mystery to Rinoa. She knocked on his door angrily, Squall opened the door instantly. Rinoa forgot why she was angry; he stood there in the door way without his black jacket. Rinoa started planning on ways to steal it, all of them more evil than the last. All because he smiled when he saw her, she forgave him. That made her angry that she'd just do that instantly, he hadn't even said a word. Rinoa tried to look angry at him, his smile faded and he tilted his head to one side.

"Is something wrong?" Squall asked.

"Damn you" Rinoa thought, "Now he's being sensitive."

"Why can't I stay angry at you for more than 10 seconds when I see you" Rinoa angrily throwing her hands in the air and inviting herself in.

"You know… In many ways that can be a good" Squall closed the door behind Rinoa. Rinoa stood there and just basically staring at Squall, which seemed to scare him a bit. "Hello Rinoa" Squall said, Rinoa jumped out of her trance.

"Squall, you remember how we went into time compression?" Rinoa asked.

"……Yeah I was there," Squall confusedly stated.

"You know when we were separated do you remember what happened to you" Rinoa asked. Squall frowned slightly, he couldn't seem to remember what exactly had happened, just he didn't like the feeling at all.

"Strangely enough, I don't recall… Never mind enough talk of the past, now I hear it's somebody's special day tomorrow" Squall said

"Who's" Rinoa asked. Squall buried his head in his hand and muttered something that sounded like 'Rinoa…' "What?" Rinoa asked innocently.

"Tomorrow, Rinoa, is the 3rd of March… your birthday!" Squall said. Rinoa hit her hand on her head.

"I forgot it was my birthday HOW?!?!?!"

"I was gonna ask you, the same question"

"Oh ha, ha Squall… wait how do you know when my birthday is?" Rinoa asked suddenly smiling cheekily at Squall. Squall had become the shade of deep red, and still going redder as Rinoa seemed to be closing the distance in between them.

"Well as acting commander, I have a responsibility of knowing about everyone in the Garden in case of any emergency." He talked turning his back to put on his jacket, then turning around to find Rinoa.

"Oh Really? Well then, I guess you wouldn't mind telling me everyone's birthdays as you would know them too?" Rinoa playfully pulling, at Squall's fluffy jacket and stiffening the 'Commander.'

"I can't its classified information, I can only release personal information on SeeD's if the SeeD's in question approve."

"Right…. 'Classified information'" Rinoa curiously said; wanting to know more about the mysterious Squall. "So Mr. Squall, when is your birthday?"

"I can't its classified too"

"How come this time?" Rinoa stared evilly at Squall, hoping that he'd give in.

"The Commander doesn't approve for this information to be released" Squall quietly whispered, with a sort of satisfied smile.

"Oh and does the 'Commander', have anything else he is hiding from his 'cadet' friend."

"Oh so now you're my friend?" Squall asked, trying to get Rinoa to act up and follow his game.

"No Squall, I'm the 'Commander'."

"I think you got it wrong"

"Oh no I haven't my little 'Cadet'" Rinoa said, patting him on the head.

"Oh really, then what is the regulation 4 paragraph 8" Squall asked.

"You read that thing too much" Rinoa said not able to answer.

"Just answer the question"

"I can't."

"Why not, my 'Commander'"

"Because it's classified information, that only SeeD's can know my little 'Cadet'"

"Then how do I know it?" Squall said grabbing her hands after so much thought on them and pulling her slightly more forward.

"Fine you can be the commander, but I'm still the 'Commander's'…" Rinoa said, excepting Squall to finish the line.

"Friend?" Squall questioned.

"No"

"Best friend"

"Closer, you got half right" Rinoa said.

"How about the 'Commander's… Girl friend'" Squall said. Instead of backing away, he stepped forward to meet her.

"Only if he asks"

"Well then, he's asking. But then the question is, will his little 'cadet friend' give him the answer he wants."

"It's 'commander' again now"

"Okay then 'Commander' will you answer what your little 'Cadet friend' wants to hear" Squall said

"Yes, my answer is yes" Rinoa said. Squall smiled and brought a closer to their lips. Rinoa was instantly reminded of the balcony, before Selphie came out and ruined it all by saying that they had got some new batteries. Now it they could do that again, it would be great. Talk about complete mood killers, though Squall was much more embarrassed than her. This was shocking, because Squall would always say he never cared what anybody else thought about him. But Rinoa thought differently, she thought that maybe Squall did care about what other people thought about him. In fact she knew he thought too much than was healthy, and didn't need Quistis to point that out for her. Just like it was on cue, as the passion seemed to mounting, Selphie dragging an annoyed Zell came in.

"Commander! We have a big-… oh… guess I should have knocked first," Selphie said. Zell on the other hand seemed to be taking to just staring at the two wide eyed and mouth open.

Squall signed, placed his hand on his hip and buried his head in his hand.

"Can't I get any time alone with Rinoa," Squall thought.

"What is it Selphie?" Squall asked. Rinoa was pleased to the note of annoyance; this meant she wasn't the only one upset about the interruption of their friends.

"Oh nothing… never mind I'm sure it's nothing, just continue with… Yeah!" Selphie said. "We're leaving now. Come on Zell… ZELL!"

Zell woke up from his trance, shakily.

"Yeah… we need to go make some hotdogs," Zell said, but he didn't move. Selphie sighed, hit his head and pulled him out by the ear.

"I better go before something happens, and we all die caused by Selphie driving the Garden by herself" Squall said. "I promise I'll be back as soon as I can"

"Yeah, but you own me dinner" Rinoa called after Squall.

"Oh gee I don't think I'll be able to live with myself, by the way for the record it's the August the 23rd," Squall said poking his head around the door, before vanishing from sight. It took Rinoa 5 seconds to realise he'd just told her his birthday, smiling to her self she left Squall's room, and locked it behind her. She met Irvine running down the hall, who then stopped at the sight of Rinoa.

"Hey Rinoa didn't ya hear? We've all be asked to go see Cid" Irvine said. "I just met Zell but he seemed sort of shocked, you got any idea to why?"

"None at all" Rinoa said walking to Headmaster Cid's office.

"I better escort you, don't want Squall get all hysterical" Irvine said following her into the elevator.

"Squall hysterical" Rinoa laughed.

"Hey it could happen," Irvine said.

Author's notes: Okay so how was that. Not too boring I hope, and not too out of character please tell me I need insight.