A/N: Please…don't hurt me…-raises hands in defense- Life's been a bit hectic lately, with going back to school and whatnot. And for future reference: "Outlined" and "Written" are two very different things. Outlined means it's basically just a list of what's gonna happen. Then I have to go back and add in details, dialogue, actual sentences…And besides, believe it or not, I do have a life outside of fanfiction (scary, I know. Gives you shivers just thinking about it). Plus there are other things (soccer, track, keeping my grades intact, writer's block, and stupid little brothers) that happen to get in the way sometimes.

…now that I'm done with my sob story, I'll start the damn chapter now with a nifty disclaimer. Oh joy.

DISCLAIMER: You know, I love these things. It keeps the stupid people from harming innocent people like me. Like I own Kingdom Hearts/Final Fantasy and still live in suburban South Florida. Stupidity will be the death of us all…Go ahead, sue. I dare ya! Sue all you want, and all you'll get is pocket lint!

Thoughts/emphasis

Flashbacks

"dialogue"

[Author's Notes]

"You!" Yuffie realized. "You were the girl in my dreams!" Yuffie thought for a moment before realizing the stupidity of her words. "I mean, you were the one that was saved instead of me when Hollow Bastion was taken…why were you saved instead of me?" Unless…then it dawned on her. "The boy from my dreams is Squall."

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Life, or Something Like It

Chapter 8: Change Isn't Always a Bad Thing

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"Lately, I've been feeling down and depressed, especially now that the holidays are coming. This year will be the first Christmas without my wife and kids, and it doesn't feel right to visit them just yet…" a balding man in his forties finished with a sigh, twiddling with his fingers.

Earth to Squall. Come in, Squall, do you copy? Squall gave himself a mental shake, brought his fingertips together, and propped his hands on his desk as his patient paused. He mentally berated himself for letting his mind wander and asked, "Really? How do you feel about that?"

The man stared. "Depressed…"

Squall cringed. "Sorry, trick question. Go on." He nodded occasionally and jotted down some notes. He was vaguely aware of what he was doing, but was so out of it for some reason. He couldn't seem to focus on his patient. In a corner of his mind, Squall was trying to recall where he'd seen Yuffie before.

Two people ran past the closed door of his office, leaving an echo of footsteps in their wake. What the…? Squall didn't have to say these words as the door opened to reveal Vincent standing in the doorway. "What the hell is going on?"

            Squall sighed. "Would you mind coming back--?"

            "That girl you brought is running across the psychiatric ward. I think you might want to track her down before you're fired," Vincent said flatly. He leaned against the doorframe with his arms folded. From the way Squall closed his eyes, Vincent could tell that he was counting to ten to keep his temper in check.

            "Listen, I'm afraid I have to run. We'll cut this session short and extend your next one. Vincent here will schedule your next session," Squall said to his patient, who nodded dumbly, unaware of what was going on.

            Didn't he tell her to stay in the cafeteria and not get in trouble? Squall went in the direction where he'd heard the footsteps and shoved his hands into his pockets. He was going to lose his job if the psychiatric ward found out that he was the one that brought Yuffie, though that wasn't the only thing on his mind. Why had he lied to Yuffie about Rinoa? Sure, it wasn't any of her business, but he didn't know it'd hurt so much when she picked up that picture frame. He'd thought that he was completely over it, over her.

            He found his feet carrying him to Rinoa's hospital room. He hadn't been to her room for years, and decided that it was time for a visit.

            But Squall couldn't be that boy from all those years ago. He couldn't be. Wouldn't he recognize her? But it would make sense. This woman was the girl then in that picture with Squall, and it would make sense that her boyfriend, came to her rescue. Yuffie desperately tried to remember anything that would help clear her memory. "R-Rinoa?"

            The woman's eyes brightened with recognition.

            "Do you…do you remember--"

            Yuffie was cut off as the door creaked open. She spun around to come face to face with a pissed off Squall. "First you run through the hospital causing trouble and now you're disturbing a patient?" he asked, his voice low and dangerous.

            Yuffie cringed. She could deal with yelling adults, but this was a new level of anger she rarely came into contact with. "It's not like that--"

            "So what is it like?"

            "I accidentally took something from the gift shop and the guy chased me into this room." She paused. "Squall, do you…"

            "What?"

            "This is Rinoa, isn't it?"

            "Yes, and your point is?"

            "You saved her from those shadow creatures that invaded your world, Hollow Bastion, didn't you?"

            Squall looked at Rinoa and then back at Yuffie. "Where are you going with this?" he asked. Was she from Hollow Bastion too?

            Yuffie looked down at the woman on the bed. Her eyes…they seemed empty, lacking the life of a living human being. "What happened to her?"

            "It's really strange…" Squall said, cupping his chin in his hand. "Those shadow creatures you were talking about did something to her…she lost her heart. She's been like this for years. She's still breathing, and she's not exactly brain dead."

            "So why didn't she become a Heartless?"

            "How do you know what they're called?" Squall asked sharply. He was beginning to realize that the sense of familiarity wasn't just a sense after all.

            "Don't you remember a little girl in the chapel?"

            Squall opened his mouth to respond when someone poked their head into the room. "Squall? Aerith called. "Are you in here? Vincent told me you were headed in this direction and that Yuffie was causing some trouble over here." She fell silent when she noticed Yuffie standing beside Squall. Their gazes were locked on one another, and Aerith could feel the tension in the room. "Yuffie, is something wrong?"

            "No," Yuffie answered slowly, directing her gaze to the floor. "Squall was just yelling at me for causing trouble."

            Aerith looked at Squall, who still hadn't said a word. She supposed he was thinking of Rinoa, the way he looked at the woman who would probably never say his name again. "Well, I guess we should be heading home, Yuffie."

            Yuffie stole a glance at Squall before moving towards the door. From the way he'd reacted, maybe he didn't remember at all. Maybe it was all just a dream. Or maybe her memories were a bit jumbled. Or she wanted so desperately to believe that she knew Squall from before, because that would mean someone would be able to help her uncover her past.

            But he remembered. He remembered all too well. It all came flooding back to him with Yuffie's last question, "Don't you remember a little girl in the chapel?" It undid him. Not being able to protect his family, friends, or even his girlfriend…he couldn't even help the little girl who had pleaded, begged, for his help. He had held a powerful weapon in his hands, but he was too weak to use it. He was just too weak.

            "Home at last!" Aerith announced, pulling up the driveway. Yuffie's mind was still running in circles. Maybe she was going crazy. Maybe she already was crazy. Too many maybes, and not enough answers, she thought, getting out of the car.

            "What's for dinner?" Yuffie asked, hoping to get her mind off Squall just for a minute.

            Aerith pulled her house keys out of her purse as they walked up the path that led to the house. "I don't know, maybe we could order something." A frown creased her forehead. "Funny, I don't remember leaving the door unlocked."

            Yuffie bent to the door knob and studied it. Her stomach fell at what she saw. "You didn't."

            "What?"

            "See those scratch marks?"

            Aerith clasped a hand over her mouth. "You mean…?"

            "Someone broke in, and didn't bother to clean up," Yuffie answered. She'd pick pocketed enough to know the signs of a break in.

            "Get back in the car. We can't stay here. Someone still might be inside," Aerith said worriedly.

            "Hold on, I wanna grab a few stuff. Besides, the most they can do is shoot us." Yuffie sighed as Aerith's face paled. Ok, so maybe that wasn't the most comforting thing in the world to say.

            Aerith  took a deep breath. "All right…grab some clothes and your uniform. We might be staying the night somewhere else for the police to do some investigation."

            Yuffie walked into the house first. The living room looked like it hadn't been disturbed at all. Neither did her room, Aerith noted. Her jewelry remained, along with her important papers. In fact, her room had been untouched. She threw a few uniforms for work and two dresses along with other necessities into a duffel bag. She prepared a suitcase for Cloud too, and lugged the bags into the living room. "Yuffie? Are you finished?"

            A strangled moan answered her.

            Aerith dropped the bags and ran into Yuffie's room. "Yuffie!" She found the girl standing in the middle of her room, head down, shoulders heaving with sobs. Her dresser mirror lay around her in a thousand pieces, and a piece of paper was nailed to the wall where her mirror once hung with a knife. Two words were scrawled across the paper in a messy script.

            I'm watching.

            Yuffie didn't know how she made it into the car. She didn't know how long they were driving. She didn't remember Aerith hugging her and shushing her sobs.  For the first time, Yuffie was glad she didn't remember.

            Squall fished around in his pocket for his house keys. His mind was running in circles. How did Yuffie know all that? Was she from his world too? That would explain why she looked so familiar, but for some reason, a part of him just didn't want to believe it…otherwise it would mean she was another person he couldn't protect.

            He opened his door and walked inside. He placed his briefcase and folders on his desk and grimaced. He was going to be buried in paperwork. Home sweet home, he thought darkly. Squall trudged to his room and threw himself onto his bed. If only could just unplug my brain so I could sleep, he thought with a sigh. He knew the nightmares that awaited him. He'd suppressed those thoughts for so long, and Yuffie had let them loose with her single question.

            His gaze fell upon his closet, where the skeletons of his past lay buried deep in a corner. Squall brought himself to his feet and searched through his closet. Where is it, where is it…Beneath some clothing, he found a cardboard box and a long leather case. Carefully, with slightly trembling hands, he removed the sword from its case. A classic Gunblade, designed for power and murder if used properly. It had more power than he could control…Squall tightened his fingers around the hilt, and slowly, he began to remember…

            Squall pushed his bangs out of his eyes. He heaved the weapon up to rest on his shoulder. His knees nearly sagged underneath the weight, but he steadied himself. The castle was in chaos, and he couldn't find anyone. His family, Rinoa, Cloud…it was almost as if they had disappeared. Squall's heart sank at the thought. They probably made it somewhere safe and were waiting for him, he thought. But he wouldn't leave until he made sure that Rinoa wasn't still in the chapel, knowing that she spent a lot of time there.

He ran up a flight of stairs and through the Lift Stop. His booted feet echoed as he ran into the gothic chapel, a dim light illuminating the images of the stained glass. Squall's heart dropped into his stomach when he didn't see her. He walked forward to venture further into the chapel.

            "Please, help me," a soft voice pleaded.

            Squall turned to see a small girl standing a few feet away. He recognized her as the child he'd looked after. He'd babysat the little girl once as a favor to Rinoa, and the little girl wouldn't stop following him since. Squall rushed forward towards her, when another scream erupted from the other side of the chapel. Rinoa!  A group of monsters surrounded her. "Run!" he said to the girl. "I'll take care of the monster."

         The little girl looked up at him through her tearful eyes. With a shuddery breath, she hurriedly said, "I don't want to be alone again."

         "Go!" he insisted. "If you don't, they'll get you too. Head down to the Waterway. There are some Gummi ships waiting to take off. Hurry or they'll leave without you." Not waiting for an answer, he charged into battle, Gunblade held poised and ready to attack.

         There were shadows everywhere. He couldn't fight them off. There were just too many…he could hear screaming echoing in his mind, whether it was his own or Rinoa's he didn't know. He saw Rinoa falling, eyes wide with an indescribable fear. Squall finally realized that he too was falling, and prepared to meet the ground when someone hauled him to his feet.

         "Squall!"

         He managed to open his eyes. Cid, the man that was known around the castle as the Space Man because of his crazy idea to invent inter-world travel, dragged him away. "R-Rinoa," Squall said, hating how weak he sounded.

         "I've got her," a voice came from behind them. Seifer held an unconscious Rinoa in his arms, glaring at Squall. Though Seifer didn't say anything, Squall could clearly read his expression: You're too weak to defend yourself, if that scar I gave you is any reminder. If you can't protect yourself, how are you going to protect someone else?

         "You'll be okay, kid," Cid said gruffly. "What the hell were you doing up thereHis vision grew hazy at the edges, and his feet weren't cooperating properly as Cid dragged him along. He looked once more at Rinoa, whose eyes had turned empty. I tried, he thought. Squall let the darkness claim him, and thought no more.

         The weapon hit the floor with a clatter, and he slowly sunk to his knees beside the box. No wonder he'd kept these emotions suppressed. Squall opened the box, and removed an old leather photo album. Hollow Bastion and its beauty would never leave his memory, he thought as he looked at a photo of the majestic castle. Neither would the day such a magnificent structure fell to the hands of darkness…

         He flipped a few pages, and the first picture he saw was of him and Seifer in defensive stances. He'd never liked Seifer. Sure, he was one hell of a fighter, but his dislike for Seifer turned into a full fledged hate after the disappearance of Hollow Bastion. Next picture was of him and Cloud sparring. Squall remembered the days they constantly challenged each other, trying to prove whether SeeD or SOLDIER was the better training program. A wistful smile crossed his face as he came across a picture of Rinoa. Quickly he turned the page and nearly jumped out of his skin when his doorbell rang.

         With a slight frown, Squall put down the album and headed for the door. "Aerith? What's up?" he added, seeing the shaken up state that his friend was in. He moved aside and let her in along with a stoic Yuffie.

         Aerith sat on the couch and clasped her hands firmly to keep them from trembling. "Somebody's broken into our house," Aerith explained. "And whoever it was is after Yuffie."

         "Who?"

         "The police are trying to figure that out. Could you watch after Yuffie--?"

         "I'm not a baby," Yuffie cut in, speaking for the first time in a long time, her voice calm and monotone. "I'll be fine on my own. I don't need to put anyone else in danger, all right? I can deal with this."

         "You're still a kid. Legally, you're Aerith's. Until you receive a yearly salary and finish school, whatever she or Cloud says goes," Squall finished firmly. "Where are you and Cloud staying?" he asked, turning to Aerith.

         "Tifa's. I'd take Yuffie with us, but you know how small her apartment is."

         "It's fine. Does Cloud know?"

         "He probably does by now." Aerith slumped down in her chair. "I didn't think raising a teenager would be this stressful."

         "It isn't, but it's not everyday you find a kid on the run from a psycho," Yuffie commented with a rueful laugh.

         "I'll take your bags," Squall offered.

         "Nah, I'm fine. Where's my room?" Yuffie asked, observing the apartment.

         "Door at the end."

         "Thanks." Yuffie shoulder her bags and headed to her room. It was nice enough, with a small stereo, full size bed, dresser, vanity, desk, and a few shelves. Just hours earlier, she was worried about how to survive high school. Now…how was she going to survive everyday life, knowing that Ansem was out to get her? She wished Sora and Riku were there to comfort her. She wished…and look where her first wish had gotten her: under lock and key, when she'd been trying to escape in the first place.

         And then there was Squall. Yuffie found herself unexplainably attracted to him after that car ride. She hoped it wouldn't make living with him uncomfortable. They had more things in common that she'd thought before. They were, after all, from the same world. He was also the last thing she remembered before New York. His patience and listening skills also made him easy to trust. She remembered how she had told Squall all about her sucky day at school with barely a second thought.

         It scared her a little though, how quickly she trusted Squall. It took a lot for her to give away trust so easily, and now, with just a fifteen minute car ride, she'd opened up to him. Worst part was, he didn't even have to try. Yuffie tried to silence the question that kept reverberating in her mind, Would he abuse her trust?

TBC

A/N: -insert a collective "WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?" here- You're probably wonder what the hell is going on. Truth be told, so am I. Well, not really. I know what I'm doing, so please, bear with me and leave any questions in reviews. I'll be glad to answer them as long as you leave your email address. You SHOULDN'T expect another chapter until February, at the rate I'm going. Reviews do inspire me to write more -hint, hint-. I swear I'll finish this before April. -gets pelted with food-. Yes April. As in Spring break when I get to use the computer as long as I want.

I absolutely hated this chapter. -storms off- Dunno why, but I do. This was the most difficult one to write so far. Yuffie doesn't know that Squall remembers and Squall has no idea how Yuffie remembers. It was sorta difficult to portray that without making the whole chapter really stupid, which I think I managed to do anyways ^ ^;. Oh, and I made a boo boo with the last chapter! You see, the whole Rinoa part wasn't actually supposed to be there. I had two drafts of the last chapter, and I accidentally used the weird one with Rinoa. --Sighs-- I was wondering why you guys were talking about Rinoa in your reviews. So I'll have to make do with the weird chapter. I don't feel like going back and re-uploading and re-editing this chapter, so blah.

I have exams tomorrow and Friday, and I guess I should go and open a book. I took some precious time out of studying to post this! So…

REVIEW!!

Ja ne! ~  QwickSilver