Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy VIII, its characters, or anything associated with it in any way, shape, or form.

Author's Note: Well, it looks like I'm back. I'm not sure what the rules are for writing author's notes now, so I'll keep this pretty simple. For a more detailed explanation of why I've decided to come back to writing fanfiction, please see my profile. Anyway, I know this is short, but it's just the prologue, so please bear with me. The first chapter will probably be up sometime next week to make up for the lack of content in this one. I certainly hope you enjoy this!

Midnight Song

Prologue

It was a cold and rainy night in Deling City. The wind howled furiously, driving the torrential downpour into multiple directions. No sane person would want to be out in such weather, but Clarissa Sheridan didn't have a choice. She opened the door of the Caraway Mansion cautiously, umbrella in hand. If she hadn't been so superstitious, she would have opened it right then, but if her mother had taught her anything, it was to never open an umbrella indoors. Clarissa sighed and thrust the door open fully. She was immediately hit with a blast of cold water, chilling her to the bone. A struggle instantly ensued between herself and the arm of the umbrella, which finally resulted in her as the winner. After taking a few steps, however, she realized how completely useless the umbrella was going to be.

She silently cursed her independence. Would it have been so bad to accept the Caraways' offer to spend the night? Yes, she kept telling herself, It would have. It was nobody's fault but her own that she had lost track of the time. She had just been so excited that Rinoa seemed to have a genuine interest in the literature they had been discussing. Clarissa suddenly smiled to herself, despite the rain. She couldn't have asked for a more promising student.

Clarissa's smile vanished as a bolt of lightening pierced the sky. She would feel a lot better once she made it home. That thought brought her to her real reason for braving the storm; she was anxious to see her husband. Zell was a sweet man, but she knew he worried about her. He hadn't even wanted her to work, but when she had made him understand how important tutoring was to her, he had backed off. She knew that he felt it was a man's job to support his family, but he also completely respected her input, which was part of the reason why she loved him so much.

She willed her feet to move faster as she turned down a back alley. Zell had repeatedly warned her not to take the shortcut, but on a night like this, she doubted that she had anything to worry about. Besides, even Zell couldn't object to something that would shorten her time in the storm. Clarissa shivered once more, longing for the warmth of her fireplace and the comfort of Zell's arms. Soon, she told herself. It's just a little further.

Clarissa stopped suddenly. She could just make out a shadowed figure in the distance through the rain. A jolt of fear ripped through her, and she felt herself clutching her umbrella in self-defense. She quickly brushed her dark brown hair out of her eyes, hoping to gain a better view of the stranger. It was a fruitless effort; the rain was coming down much too hard. It could be anyone, but...not many people would be out at this time on a night like this. Clarissa took a cautious step back, and was met face to face with the barrel of a gun.

"Don't move," the cloaked figure hissed. "If you value your life, you'll do as I say."

"W-who are you?" Clarissa whimpered.

"That is none of your concern. Where were you off to on a night like this?"

"Why does it matter?" Clarissa cried. "What do you want with me?"

"Quiet," the stranger growled. "Keep still. I promise that this will be painless."

"Echo, what's the delay here?"

Clarissa could just make out another cloaked figure in the distance. She couldn't help noticing that this voice seemed distinctly female.

"Dammit, Thorn, will you just relax? Mistress will be displeased if we bring her the wrong girl." The one with the gun, Echo, said.

"Then run the damn test already! We don't have all night, and I'm sick of getting wet," Thorn complained.

Echo nodded and pulled an object from his pocket, keeping the gun trained on Clarissa all the while. The man was murmuring something under his breath, but the words were indecipherable over the pounding of the rain. The object suddenly glowed a faint red, eliciting a curse from the female.

"This is a waste of time. She's not the girl we're looking for," Thorn snapped. "Let's go."

"What should I do with her?" Echo asked, motioning toward Clarissa with the gun.

"You know the drill. Kill her."

Echo smirked. "My pleasure." He aimed the gun at Clarissa's chest. "You're kind of cute, sweetheart. Too bad we couldn't have had some fun." His finger pushed down on the trigger, and Clarissa braced herself for the worst.

"Hey!" a voice suddenly cried out. "What's going on here!"

Bang, the gun went off, followed by a string of curses. "I missed, dammit! The bitch is still alive."

"Forget it, Echo, we've got company. You've wounded her, right? If we're lucky, she'll bleed to death. We need to get out of here now."

"But, Thorn-"

"Now, Echo." Thorn's voice didn't leave room for any argument.

With a growl of frustration, Echo took off after Thorn into the depths of the night, leaving Clarissa to bleed in the pouring rain.