Disclaimer: don't own FF8
Chapter 2
Blue gray eyes flickered open slowly. He could feel something laying on his chest and a plush thing under his entire body. He glanced around and found himself to be in a small cozy bed room. The walls were painted a soft orange color and the door was a few yards away from the bed he was laying on. The window beside him let in the soft light of dawn and the sound of birds chirping. The room was unfamiliar to him but it gave him a warm sense of peace to be laying there in someone else's bed. A warm feeling crept into his chest as a green light spread over his vision like a thin veil. He glanced around again and saw a woman in her early to mid twenties sitting on the edge of the bed next to him. Her warm gray eyes glinted behind thin framed glasses and her long black hair was pulled into a bun. Her golden tan features were drawn into a soft smile as she stared down at him.
He felt the thing on his chest move and a pair of emerald eyes peered at him sleepily from an orange furred face. It let out a bit of a squeal and jumped off of him and ran out of the slightly opened door. He watched the creature's departure and turned his attention slowly back to the woman. She brushed some hair out of his eyes and cupped his cheek gently.
"You seem to be alright for now," her voice was soft and it slithered warmly through his mind. His eyes lids became heavy as the thin green veil made its appearance again. Slowly, he felt the warm, comforting clutches of sleep embrace him and he fell into the blissful darkness of a dreamless sleep.
Balamb Garden
The Garden was silent in the early morning hours. The medical cadets filled the cafeteria, getting coffee or food, as they waited for the shifts to change. Everything was still so hectic. The infirmary was a torrent of activity. Cure, Cura, and Curaga spells were flying everywhere. The classes for the next few days were cancelled in light of the results of the previous mission. Warm chocolate colored eyes took in all of the activity as their owner moved about the Garden towards the Dorms. She chewed on her lower lip as she heard some anguished cries erupt from the infirmary. She approached his dorm and punched in the access code.
The door slid open with a soft whir and she stepped in. Rinoa Heartly smiled to herself and made her way to Squall's bedroom. The living area was neat a tidy as was the kitchen. Slowly, she took hold of the door knob and turned it so as not to make a lot of noise. She stepped into the room and stopped. He wasn't there. She looked around the cozy apartment and found that his gunblade was missing also. She bit her lip to keep the terrifying thoughts from entering her mind. Despite her wishes, her mind betrayed her and conjured up images of Squall in the infirmary severely injured and possibly dieing. Her body moved of its own accord and flew down the hall towards where the anguished cries and the dark, cold feeling of pain came from. She gripped the copy of the griever ring on the chain around her neck tightly as she searched frantically for Doctor Kadowaki.
"Doctor!" she called once the Asian woman entered her line of sight. She made her way closer and cast a few Curaga spells of her own on the injured cadets.
"Rinoa!" the doctor exclaimed.
"Where's Squall?" her grip on the ring tightened as more possibilities ran a marathon through her head. The doctor stared down at the girl and pulled her a side gently. Rinoa's eyes widened as the thought of Squall dead made a shroud of ice fall over her.
"He's missing," Rinoa's heart leapt into her throat and tried to choke her. "Irvine and the others know more then I do." Rinoa hardly heard her as her feet grew wings and she ran back to the dorms to find Irvine.
Irvine groaned as the sun's fingers tapped over his eyes lids. His muscles still ached and protested when he moved. He was dimly aware of something trying to wake him. There was a cold, icy feeling raking through him. His entire body began to freeze and he heard venomous laughter shatter his now aching ears. He tried to pry his eyes open to see what was wrong but a burning started deep in his throat. His lungs were screaming for the air that they had been deprived of for Hyne only knew how long. He could feel something tearing at the skin of his back and arms, felt something wrap around his neck tightly. Panic swelled in his chest like a snake and slowly started to slither up his throat.
Irvine shot up in bed, the blankets tangled around his long legs and a panicked cry fled from his lips. His mind still held the images that he could barely see and his body retained the feelings of being torn. Cold sweat glimmered on his skin as the sun began to drench the land in a shower of light. His breath came in heavy gasps as his ears forced him to hear that horrid laughter over and over again. He felt restricting fingers around his throat and an icyness began to sink into the pit of his stomach. He stumbled from his bedroom and into the bathroom. Cold water fell over his fingertips from the silver spout and was splashed on his face. His skin slowly began to release the dream as did his mind. He stared into the mirror as sunlight began to pour through his window. The laughter began to flow from his ears.
"Irvine?" someone called. "Irvine, are you here?!" Rinoa. Irvine sighed shakily and brushed his hair back. Slowly, he made his way to the "front room", pulling on a pair of jeans along the way.
"I'm right here, Rinoa." He half sighed. Rinoa's eyes were shining with worry as she faced him. His muscles protested the act of moving as he sank into an arm chair.
"Doctor Kadowaki said that Squall was missing," Irvine groaned inwardly.
"He is," He felt Rinoa still more then saw it. He rubbed his forehead a bit and winced slightly.
"The bridge collapsed under him when he was trying to get away from the building," he explained. Rinoa stared down at the injured cowboy before she fled. Irvine groaned pitifully and stood. His legs felt like rubber and his head was pounding like a hammer to an anvil. Rinoa wasn't the only one worried about where Squall was… if was even alive. Irvine mentally kicked himself. Squall wasn't dead. It was as simple as that. Slowly, a long erased memory surfaced. The icy feeling spread throughout his body. Squall couldn't swim.
He rose slowly out of the dark embrace of sleep. He could hear the light flittering of the birds outside and felt the soft breeze comb her gentle fingers through his hair. He also heard someone singing. And the fingers combing through his hair wasn't the breeze. He opened his eyes slowly and peered up at a pair of crystal blue eyes. They were set into a smiling and gentle face that wisps of chestnut hair fluttered around. She resembled the woman who he had seen before only younger. Her hair was pulled into a messy bun with a pair of… sticks holding it together. He could feel something around his head, arms and legs and around his middle. A lovely melody was being created by the woman above him. Her gentle fingers combed through his hair and smoothed it away from his face.
"How do you feel?" Her voice was like liquid warmth, just like the other one's voice. He tried to speak but only coughed. Ragged coughs pierced him and almost chocked him. The woman rolled him gently onto his side and rubbed his back. The coughing eased and he looked up at the woman. She smiled down at him and held a cup to his lips. He drank greedily.
"You're injuries were pretty bad when I found you," She set the cup on the night stand and turned back to him. "Does your head hurt?" He opened his mouth to answer but paused then nodded slightly. That sent a sharp spike of pain into his head making him wince. The woman laughed a bit.
"Maybe you shouldn't move your head then," he rolled back on his back and stared up at her.
"Who… are you?" his voice was hoarse, as if he hadn't used it in a while.
"My name's Lony," she said. "What's yours?" He stared at her curiously. His mind was a jumbled mess. Barriers had been erected that blocked the answer from coming to him. He searched his mind for the answer. Slowly, as if through water, he could hear a voice shouting something before cold enveloped him. Was that it?
"Squall…" he answered slowly, rolling the feel of the word around on his tounge. It seemed natural, like he had said it a million times before. There was another part…
"Lionheart… Squall Lionheart," that was it. Lony seemed satisfied with that answer.
"How did you end up in the river, Squall?" River? What river? Was that the cold thing he had landed in? He peered at her confused.
"Do… you know how old you are?" she seemed puzzled about something. He shook his head a tiny bit.
"Do you know where you came from?" Again he shook his head. There were barriers blocking the answers from reaching him, he knew. Lony stared at him.
'He doesn't remember anything…' she realized. Squall Lionheart, the leader of Balamb Garden and one of the people who saved the world, had amnesia.
Chapter 2
Blue gray eyes flickered open slowly. He could feel something laying on his chest and a plush thing under his entire body. He glanced around and found himself to be in a small cozy bed room. The walls were painted a soft orange color and the door was a few yards away from the bed he was laying on. The window beside him let in the soft light of dawn and the sound of birds chirping. The room was unfamiliar to him but it gave him a warm sense of peace to be laying there in someone else's bed. A warm feeling crept into his chest as a green light spread over his vision like a thin veil. He glanced around again and saw a woman in her early to mid twenties sitting on the edge of the bed next to him. Her warm gray eyes glinted behind thin framed glasses and her long black hair was pulled into a bun. Her golden tan features were drawn into a soft smile as she stared down at him.
He felt the thing on his chest move and a pair of emerald eyes peered at him sleepily from an orange furred face. It let out a bit of a squeal and jumped off of him and ran out of the slightly opened door. He watched the creature's departure and turned his attention slowly back to the woman. She brushed some hair out of his eyes and cupped his cheek gently.
"You seem to be alright for now," her voice was soft and it slithered warmly through his mind. His eyes lids became heavy as the thin green veil made its appearance again. Slowly, he felt the warm, comforting clutches of sleep embrace him and he fell into the blissful darkness of a dreamless sleep.
Balamb Garden
The Garden was silent in the early morning hours. The medical cadets filled the cafeteria, getting coffee or food, as they waited for the shifts to change. Everything was still so hectic. The infirmary was a torrent of activity. Cure, Cura, and Curaga spells were flying everywhere. The classes for the next few days were cancelled in light of the results of the previous mission. Warm chocolate colored eyes took in all of the activity as their owner moved about the Garden towards the Dorms. She chewed on her lower lip as she heard some anguished cries erupt from the infirmary. She approached his dorm and punched in the access code.
The door slid open with a soft whir and she stepped in. Rinoa Heartly smiled to herself and made her way to Squall's bedroom. The living area was neat a tidy as was the kitchen. Slowly, she took hold of the door knob and turned it so as not to make a lot of noise. She stepped into the room and stopped. He wasn't there. She looked around the cozy apartment and found that his gunblade was missing also. She bit her lip to keep the terrifying thoughts from entering her mind. Despite her wishes, her mind betrayed her and conjured up images of Squall in the infirmary severely injured and possibly dieing. Her body moved of its own accord and flew down the hall towards where the anguished cries and the dark, cold feeling of pain came from. She gripped the copy of the griever ring on the chain around her neck tightly as she searched frantically for Doctor Kadowaki.
"Doctor!" she called once the Asian woman entered her line of sight. She made her way closer and cast a few Curaga spells of her own on the injured cadets.
"Rinoa!" the doctor exclaimed.
"Where's Squall?" her grip on the ring tightened as more possibilities ran a marathon through her head. The doctor stared down at the girl and pulled her a side gently. Rinoa's eyes widened as the thought of Squall dead made a shroud of ice fall over her.
"He's missing," Rinoa's heart leapt into her throat and tried to choke her. "Irvine and the others know more then I do." Rinoa hardly heard her as her feet grew wings and she ran back to the dorms to find Irvine.
Irvine groaned as the sun's fingers tapped over his eyes lids. His muscles still ached and protested when he moved. He was dimly aware of something trying to wake him. There was a cold, icy feeling raking through him. His entire body began to freeze and he heard venomous laughter shatter his now aching ears. He tried to pry his eyes open to see what was wrong but a burning started deep in his throat. His lungs were screaming for the air that they had been deprived of for Hyne only knew how long. He could feel something tearing at the skin of his back and arms, felt something wrap around his neck tightly. Panic swelled in his chest like a snake and slowly started to slither up his throat.
Irvine shot up in bed, the blankets tangled around his long legs and a panicked cry fled from his lips. His mind still held the images that he could barely see and his body retained the feelings of being torn. Cold sweat glimmered on his skin as the sun began to drench the land in a shower of light. His breath came in heavy gasps as his ears forced him to hear that horrid laughter over and over again. He felt restricting fingers around his throat and an icyness began to sink into the pit of his stomach. He stumbled from his bedroom and into the bathroom. Cold water fell over his fingertips from the silver spout and was splashed on his face. His skin slowly began to release the dream as did his mind. He stared into the mirror as sunlight began to pour through his window. The laughter began to flow from his ears.
"Irvine?" someone called. "Irvine, are you here?!" Rinoa. Irvine sighed shakily and brushed his hair back. Slowly, he made his way to the "front room", pulling on a pair of jeans along the way.
"I'm right here, Rinoa." He half sighed. Rinoa's eyes were shining with worry as she faced him. His muscles protested the act of moving as he sank into an arm chair.
"Doctor Kadowaki said that Squall was missing," Irvine groaned inwardly.
"He is," He felt Rinoa still more then saw it. He rubbed his forehead a bit and winced slightly.
"The bridge collapsed under him when he was trying to get away from the building," he explained. Rinoa stared down at the injured cowboy before she fled. Irvine groaned pitifully and stood. His legs felt like rubber and his head was pounding like a hammer to an anvil. Rinoa wasn't the only one worried about where Squall was… if was even alive. Irvine mentally kicked himself. Squall wasn't dead. It was as simple as that. Slowly, a long erased memory surfaced. The icy feeling spread throughout his body. Squall couldn't swim.
He rose slowly out of the dark embrace of sleep. He could hear the light flittering of the birds outside and felt the soft breeze comb her gentle fingers through his hair. He also heard someone singing. And the fingers combing through his hair wasn't the breeze. He opened his eyes slowly and peered up at a pair of crystal blue eyes. They were set into a smiling and gentle face that wisps of chestnut hair fluttered around. She resembled the woman who he had seen before only younger. Her hair was pulled into a messy bun with a pair of… sticks holding it together. He could feel something around his head, arms and legs and around his middle. A lovely melody was being created by the woman above him. Her gentle fingers combed through his hair and smoothed it away from his face.
"How do you feel?" Her voice was like liquid warmth, just like the other one's voice. He tried to speak but only coughed. Ragged coughs pierced him and almost chocked him. The woman rolled him gently onto his side and rubbed his back. The coughing eased and he looked up at the woman. She smiled down at him and held a cup to his lips. He drank greedily.
"You're injuries were pretty bad when I found you," She set the cup on the night stand and turned back to him. "Does your head hurt?" He opened his mouth to answer but paused then nodded slightly. That sent a sharp spike of pain into his head making him wince. The woman laughed a bit.
"Maybe you shouldn't move your head then," he rolled back on his back and stared up at her.
"Who… are you?" his voice was hoarse, as if he hadn't used it in a while.
"My name's Lony," she said. "What's yours?" He stared at her curiously. His mind was a jumbled mess. Barriers had been erected that blocked the answer from coming to him. He searched his mind for the answer. Slowly, as if through water, he could hear a voice shouting something before cold enveloped him. Was that it?
"Squall…" he answered slowly, rolling the feel of the word around on his tounge. It seemed natural, like he had said it a million times before. There was another part…
"Lionheart… Squall Lionheart," that was it. Lony seemed satisfied with that answer.
"How did you end up in the river, Squall?" River? What river? Was that the cold thing he had landed in? He peered at her confused.
"Do… you know how old you are?" she seemed puzzled about something. He shook his head a tiny bit.
"Do you know where you came from?" Again he shook his head. There were barriers blocking the answers from reaching him, he knew. Lony stared at him.
'He doesn't remember anything…' she realized. Squall Lionheart, the leader of Balamb Garden and one of the people who saved the world, had amnesia.
