MISSING AND MOVING ON
By Wonga316
COPYRIGHT
Final Fantasy and its characters are property of Squaresoft etc, etc…
INTRODUCTION
This is my first attempt at FF8 fan fic. It takes places directly after time compression with a twist. Excuse any spelling or grammar mistakes. I'll try my best to catch them all but occasionally one does slip through. I'll also try to keep everyone IC and minimize OC.
"…" Indicates normal speech
'…' Indicates speakers thoughts
(…) Indicates any other communications e.g. – radio, television, telephone, speaker
CHAPTER 05
ESTHAR TRAIN STATION
The commuters in the station screamed and scattered for cover. Squall quickly launched his gun blade case at the attacker still descending down on his rope. This caused him loose grip and plummet the rest of the way to ground. The opportunity gave him a chance to rush the other.
From underneath his robe, the other attacker brought up his weapon to block Squall's attack. 'He has the same gun blade as I do!' Squall thought as the edge of each weapon grinded against one another. Then he noticed the attacker pull back on the hammer, preparing to fire a shell. Knowing that his gun blade wasn't loaded, Squall quickly pushed forwarded and then planted a stiff kick to his mid section. This caused the attacker to fall backwards and the shot to go up into the air.
Being outnumbered and out gunned, Squall's trained mind told him to retreat. He was also considering the safety of the innocent bystanders. 'I have to find an area where it can advantage me.' He quickly scanned the station and found the entrance to the luggage lockers. He made a beeline to the room and just as he was about to make it, a sharp joint from behind pushed him off balance and made him clipped the door frame. Squall grabbed his shoulder knowing what had happen. 'I must be slipping. I forgot about the one in the office.'
ESTHAR TUBE LIFT
"Can't this thing go any faster!" Zell complained as he cracked his knuckles for the hundredth time. Quistis, Irvine, Selphie and himself were riding Esthar's tube lift.
"Hey Quisy, do you think Laguna and the others are they yet?" Selphie asked.
"Not sure…" the older female answered half not paying attention.
"What's bothering you?" Irvine asked. "Your mind seems to be off."
"I'm just thinking what Squall said to Laguna… When he grabbed him and yelled at Ellone they both seem shocked."
"Why is that any surprise?" The sniper asked. "We all know that Squall bottles everything up."
"That's not it. Squall wanted to know why Laguna left and why Ellone didn't tell him. How did he know that? I'm sure that Matron and Cid didn't get a chance to tell him and that's assuming that they even know."
"Hmmm… may be Squall got a look at his test results from the doc. He could have seen that he was a relative to Laguna." Zell offered his explanation.
"Maybe but he would have had get a copy of Laguna's file and Dr. Odine doesn't seem the type to leave confidential documents lying around." Zell hung his head disappointedly.
"Don't worry Zelly. It was a nice try." Selphie patted the blond street fighter on the head and offered a smile.
"Well we can figure it out later. We're here." Irvine pointed out as the tube lift slowed and lowed to street level. They saw people running out of the station in a panic. Then a single gun shoot was heard.
ESTHAR TRAIN STATION
Squall stumbled into the locker room and saw that the multiple rows of lockers could be used to hide and surprise his attackers. He ran into a random gap between one of the rows to check his shoulder. He knew what had happen.
'Shit! Bullet is still inside…' he looked around for anything that he could use to stop the bleeding but heard someone's foot steps caused him to rethink his actions. Peeking around the corning he saw the assailant from the ticket booth coming his direction.
The former seed pulled himself up and went in the other direction but in doing so he kicked the edge of the locker. The attacker picked up on sound and fired in his direction. He investigated where his bullet hit but found a puddle of blood and a small trail leading from it. By this time his two partners had entered the room. He motion to the both of them to flank the side of the locker room in an attempt to corner Squall.
Squall him found himself another random gap. He knew the other two had arrived and quickly tried to think up a plan, and then he noticed that certain lockers didn't reach the ceiling and a space was present. He carefully climbed up and waited. His three attackers had reached the end of room still not found him. The one following the blood trail looked at one his partners as if to say where he went, this was when Squall made his move. He carefully slid off the edge and wrapped his legs around the head of one the gun blade assailant. Squall twisted sharply, breaking his neck in one motion. He then threw his gun blade and it impaled in the chest of the pistol wielding attacker causing his blood spray into the air. The remaining attacking charged Squall with his gun blade ready to kill. Squall just managed to grab the gun blade of the fallen attack and defended himself.
The assassin was skilled and Squall had a difficult time blocking his attacks. The bullet in his shoulder wasn't helping the situation either. 'It's almost like he knows all my moves.'
"AHHH!" A slash attack had left deep gash across Squall's stomach. The wound was enough to cause him loose his grip on the replacement gun blade and to topple backwards.
"The future." The attacker demanded, pointing the tip of his blade in Squall's face.
"What?" Squall grimace through the pain.
"We want the future fallen knight!" he stepped on Squall's bullet wound and pushed down. Squall tried to push him off but to no avail. "I know this causes pain. Just give us the future."
"What future?" Tried of Squall's useless answers, the assassin ran the tip of his gun blade cross his scar reopening it.
"This mark is from your past." He sneered as trickles of red dripped down Squall's face. "My Queen wants…"
"Get away from him!" Quistis shouted has she whipped her flail around the neck of Squall's attacker and pulled his head against the nearest locker making him unconscious.
"Squall! Hyne, what did they do to you?" she said full of concern as she inspected his injuries. "I have some healing magic. Just hold still."
"No… Magic…"
"You've lost a lot of blood. If we don't treat your injuries…"
"I said no magic." He snapped and made Quistis jump. "Just help me up." Hesitantly she helped him to his feet. Squall tried to walk but stumbled. Quistis caught him before hitting the floor.
"You really need your wounds looked at." Quistis almost like a mother.
"If you want to help… Then lets gets my gun blade." Only then Quistis noticed that the attacker was holding his own gun blade which looked almost exactly like Squall's except that it was missing Griever from the butt of the handle.
'Why do they have the same gun blades as Squall?' She helped him around and spotted the two men that Squall killed. The former instructor looked always as Squall ripped his weapon from the attacker's chest, leaving a bloody cavity.
"Did you kill him?" Squall asked as he flicked the blood from his blade not caring where it went or that he standing in a red pool.
"I only knocked him out. That hit I gave him wasn't enough…" Squall started walking back before she could finish. "…Squall?"
"Shit!" Squall slammed the back of his fist against the nearest locker as he looked at the empty space where his attacker was laid. Quistis had a million questions she wanted to ask him but thought better of it as she saw the full extent of his blood soaked uniform. She went up to him and gently slipped his arm over shoulders.
"What are you doing? I didn't ask for your help." He said almost berating her.
"That doesn't mean you don't need it." She said softy. "Please don't push us away Squall… Don't push me away." She almost pleaded. Squall looked at her after her words.
'She looks sad… but beautiful…'
"…Thank you…" he replied before blacking out.
SECRET HIDE OUT
"Any news from your team? Were they successful?" The woman asked from her throne in the darkness. Only a glimpse of the pale skin on her legs showed.
"No my Queen, we failed. I'll accept full responsible and any punishment for this failure."
"I was half expecting this so you are not completely to blame. I myself have some responsibility for believing that you were capable of completing this task." She said. "Though, you should have known that it would take more than three men to do what I asked."
"Forgive me queen." He bowed lower.
"If we can't get the knight directly then perhaps we could use his sorceress. I never liked it when they where together anyway." said the queen as she walked towards the man then using the tips of her finger nails to tilt his head up. "Come, I need to relax. Today's activities have made me tense." She said with a wicked smile before leading the man into the darkness.
ESTHAR PRESIDENTIAL PALACE
A gentle warmth slowly brought Squall from his deep slumber. "I think he's waking!" he couldn't figure out the female voice but it was excited and familiar.
"Rin honey, concentrate. His wounds are deep." An older woman said. "We have to make sure that they are full healed."
He tired to open his eyes but everything was a blur of colour and brightness. Blinking seemed to help and things slowly began to focus. His other senses began to register and tell his brain where he was. He was lying on a bed and could tell that he was heavy bandaged around his injuries.
"…Stop…" he croaked as he tried to sit up.
"You have lost a lot blood. It's going to take some time for you to fully recovery your strength." Edea said, pushing him back down.
"Stop… No more magic…" He said with more determination.
"But you're hurt really…" said Rinoa
"I SAID STOP." He yelled. A surge of adrenaline rushed through his body when he fully realised that Matron and Rinoa were using their powers to heal him back to health. "GET YOUR FILTHLY WITCH HANDS OFF ME! I DON'T WANT YOUR EVIL MAGIC!" he viciously slapped Rinoa's hand away. She didn't expect a reaction like this and it caused her stumble backwards on the floor.
"What part of stop don't you understand?" Rinoa looked into his eyes and could only see a burning hatred. The other time see had seen eyes that that was when Seifer had kidnapped her.
"I… I'm… sorry… I was just… just trying… to help…" She spoke fighting back the tears and numbness but it was too much for her and she bolted from the room.
"Rinoa wait!" Edea called out but she was already out of the room. "Squall… You have to forgive me for what I'm about to do…"
Sitting up in bed, Squall looked at her puzzled then with lightening speed Edea's open hand connected with Squall's cheek, her blow causing a small trickle of blood to run down the side of his mouth. Squall was about to launch into a verbal attack when he saw the older woman shaking.
'Is she angry?' he thought.
"I apologies for doing that but I won't apologies for healing your wounds." She said fighting back her own tears of angers.
"Whatever… Do what you like. I don't care." He replied flopping back onto the bed.
"But I do care!" she yelled hoping her emotional out burst would get a reaction from him but it didn't. She calmed herself before speaking again. "… Talk to me Squall. I won't judge you. I just want to help. We all want to help you." Edea watched Squall sigh deeply and close his eyes.
"When you're trapped in time compression you see everything, things you never wanted see or didn't think possible. It was like an endless messed up dream. I saw the people I care about die. I saw them born, when they were happy or sad." Edea held Squall's hand as a sign of support. He surprised her when he squeezed back acknowledging her sympathy.
"It was like Ellone sending us into the past but I was showed everything that I missed out on and couldn't have. I wanted to die but I didn't even know if I was alive. For a time, I thought that this was hell and had died."
"That's why didn't want any healing magic. You blame…"
"I don't blame anyone. It's was my own fault that got me where I am now. It's just that… I don't know maybe I do want someone to blame… I just don't know any more… Anyway, it was Ultimecia. She would torment and treated me like her own plaything. Then the next thing I knew I was back here."
Edea leaned down and gave Squall a motherly kiss on the forehead. "Thank you for telling me. I know how hard it was for you. I'll leave you know to get some rest. I'll also let the Dr. Odine know about her view on magic."
"I guess everyone knows now…" Squall said looking over to the far wall which had the large mirror mounted; knowing that it was double sided.
"Everyone is really concern. You can't hold it against them." She paused for a moment before continuing. "About Rinoa…"
"I'll talk to her later." Edea nodded and exited the room, leaving Squall with his own thoughts. She immediately went into the observation room where the gloomy atmosphere continued. Everyone was there minus Rinoa and Alex.
"She went to get some air and Alex followed." Quistis said solemnly.
Edea nodded. "I want everyone to give Squall some space." She held her hand up prepared protests. "Squall will come around with time. He is determined to do this alone and I think that we should let him do that."
"So we are supposed to abandon Squall?" Ellone said almost angry.
"I'm not saying that but instead of trying to get him to open up straight away, let him do it in his own."
TO BE CONTINUED
AUTHOR'S NOTES
Thanks for the positive reviews and keep them coming. Some of you may be asking is Squall leaning towards Quistis and has Ultimecia returned from the future. These plots will be revealed in further chapters.