Chapter Five:

Squall collapsed onto his couch, exhausted. He knew that Seifer regularly killed people like that, but him actually seeing him do it...he wasn't sure Seifer would forgive him. If he didn't, Squall didn't know where else he could get blood. He didn't regret saving that girl though.

Pale sunlight peeked through a gap in the curtains. Squall scowled and jumped up, quickly pressing the curtains together. He sat back down and gave a little smirk when he thought about what might have happened in strong sunlight if he had been asleep.

Maybe it would have been a good thing...painful though...

He yawned widely and threw himself back down onto the couch, sinking into the cushions. His eyes did a familiar sweep of the room to make sure all the curtains were closed, something he did without thinking these days. When he was certain no sunlight would get at him, he closed his eyes and drifted to sleep.

Rinoa's eyes cracked open. She rubbed them, wondering why her vision was so blurry.

God, my bed is uncomfortable. Since when has it –

She sat up quickly, and gasped as pain went searing through her neck. Her hands found bandages wrapped tightly around her throat, and her vision cleared to show her the blank white walls of Deling General Hospital. She hoped that she would never have to see this place again...

"Awake then are you, Ms. Heartily?"

Her eyes were having trouble focusing, but she could make out a nurse peering at her from over a clipboard. The nurse bustled over to her bed and laid a cool hand on her forehead.

"Hmm..." she murmured, pursing her lips. "You don't have a fever. How do you feel?"

"I..."

"Do you remember what happened? Your father is very worried..."

"I..." Rinoa started again "I don't remember a thing. Why does my neck hurt? My head hurts too. And my eyes won't focus properly."

"You seemed to have hit your head, that's why your head hurts and your eyes are strained. The neck is what confuses me. Your sure you don't remember anything?"

It suddenly dawned on her.

"The party!"

"What?"

"I was at a party with Selphie and Quistis! There was this guy, named Seifer, and we went outside to cool down. I don't understand. I think he...bit me. And then this other guy came. I'm not even sure if it was real..." she murmured.

"What did this other guy do?" the nurse wanted to know.

"He...he pulled Seifer off of me. And then I think I was unconscious, because I don't remember anything else."

"And where were your friends?"

"They...they left because Seifer asked me to dance. I didn't see them at all after that."

"I see," said the nurse, but Rinoa could tell she was skeptical. "I'll inform your father that you are awake. He'll want to get the police in here to question you as well."

"Great." Rinoa muttered under her breath.

I'll have to tell him I snuck out. And poor Marilyn, she might get fired because of me...and what if he forbids me from hanging out with Selphie and Quistis anymore? He might even make me switch schools! Even if he does, I'm going to stay friends with Selph and Quisty no matter what!

Rinoa heaved a great sigh and slowly laid back onto her bed to wait for her father.

RING! RING! RING!

Squall was rudely awakened by the harsh cries of his alarm clock. He growled in frustration. This was the LAST time. Without looking up, he grabbed his alarm clock and savagely threw it across the room.

RING! RING! RI -!

Smash.

He groaned. He really needed to stop smashing his alarm clocks like that. That was the third one this week. If he kept it up he'd have no money left.

He slowly rolled out of bed and estimated that the sun was just setting. Perfect.

Striding into the bathroom, he quickly had his usual shower and dried himself off with a towel before changing into his usual black attire. He didn't even bother to brush his hair, just ran a hand through it inattentively. Then he peered through the curtains. It was totally dark out, and he had to work again tonight. He scowled to himself at the thought of mopping up floors and sponging down bathrooms, but he had to do it. There were no other night jobs that were perfect for him. Grabbing his keys, Squall left his apartment and locked it behind him.

Rinoa laid a hand on her forehead, shaking from her interview with her father and the police. They had just left. She could tell that her father was ready to explode, he was so angry at her for sneaking out, but he was refraining from yelling because she was feeling horrible. The nurse had probably told him not to. The officer had asked what seemed like hundreds of questions, ranging from what Seifer looked like to what car she had driven to the party. He had also asked what the 'other guy' looked like, but Rinoa couldn't give him anything. It was so dark, and she had barely been conscious when he came. All she could remember was the chestnut coloured hair, and the way it had fell in front of his eyes. She gave a slight cough and tried to get some sleep.

"Third floor, Ward A." the guard said, once again handing Squall a pair of keys.

"Thanks." Squall grumbled. He really did not want to be here.

He ambled over to the elevator and pushed the up button.

"Whoa man! It's you again!"

Squall would have very much liked to run away, but couldn't.

"You do work here then, eh? I don't work here myself," Thank god. "but my sister is sick and I'm always around. She's not too, too sick though. She'll be better soon, so I'm not worried. The doctor said she has mono, and she doesn't have a very good immune system, so that's why it's taking her so long to get better, you know? Anyway, I was in the hospital once when I was five and I tripped while holding a glass and cut my finger open, it was so cool! I had to get stitches, and the doctor gave me a lollipop when he was finished -"

"Oh, look," Squall said loudly, "my stop." He quickly got out of the elevator.

"Cool! This is my stop too!"

"Uhh...I mean... this isn't my stop, sorry." He quickly got back into the elevator and pushed Zell out. "Wrong floor."

"Aw, that's too bad, dude. I'll see you some other time then, yeah?"

"Whatever."

The elevator doors swooshed shut again, and all was quiet. Squall had never appreciated silence as much as he did at that moment. He pushed the second floor button. He figured if he walked once around the second floor and came back to the third Zell would be gone. Another ding and he was pacing the dimly lit hallway. He just hoped his boss wasn't around. He absently turned a corner, lost in thought. He was doing what he should have learned not to do by now: staring at his feet.

"Excuse me, do you know where the bathroom is?"

"Down the hall to the right," Squall murmured without looking up. He kept walking, and expected the speaker to do the same. After taking a few steps he noticed that they weren't moving. He stopped and turned around, meeting a pair of chocolate brown eyes. It was her.

"Do I know you?" she asked, tilting her head to one side and squinting at him.

"I...um...well, I don't think so...?"

She raised an eyebrow.

"You look really familiar, you know."

"Yeah?" he said, looking down at his feet again. She was the girl in his dreams, the once who was running and crying and searching for something unknown. She was the one he had wanted so desperately to help. He had thought she wasn't real, but now she was standing right in front of him, staring at him with a puzzled look on her face. The pale skin, the raven black hair, the warm brown eyes, they were all there.

"Do you know a Seifer?"

Squall's heart stopped. Seifer? Oh god, she was the one he had almost killed. So he had saved her, in a way. Maybe the dreams would stop now.

"No," he snapped "should I?"

She looked a bit offended.

"Of course not," she said, with an equally snappy tone. "I was just wondering, since you look like a friend of his."

"I am NOT Seifer's friend!"

Oh shit.

She gave a triumphant smirk.

"We seemed to have lied, didn't we?"

"I don't have time for this. I have to go to work."

"I'm not letting you leave until you answer my questions." She said, looking mutinous.

"Oh really?" Squall said quietly, taking a step towards her. "You think you can stop me from leaving, do you?"

She hesitated. He slowly came towards her and she slowly stepped away from him. His movements were cool and calculated, almost catlike. A cat stalking its prey.

"So, what is it you want to know?" he breathed, almost inaudible.

He had backed her up into a wall.

"I....I want....I..."

He suddenly grinned, showing off pointed eyeteeth. She gasped.

"You're just like Seifer!" she said loudly, before she could stop herself.

Squall frowned.

"No, I'm not like Seifer at all."

"Why...why did you help me?"

Ah, so you've made that connection already.

"Because I don't like Seifer that much."

"That's it?" she shrieked, then quickly lowered her voice. "That's it? You see him...biting someone! And then only stop him because you don't like him, not because he might have killed me!"

"He would have killed you," Squall mused, still blocking her way.

"And that doesn't bother you?" she whispered, looking up at him.

He paused.

"Yes," he said shortly "it does."

With that he took a step back, and made an exaggerated sweep of his arm, showing that she could leave. She didn't move.

"You haven't answered my questions."

"I would love to, really, but I must get to work now."

She scoffed. "I bet you'd love to. Where can I find you when you're not busy?"

Squall almost laughed. She actually wanted tosee him again.

"Anywhere. But only at night."

He gave her a wicked grin and was gone.

Wow, I haven't updated this in a long long long time. I wasn't really into it, especiallyafter getting only TWO reviews with the last chapter I posted. shakes fist Anyway, review this one or else I'll sick Squall on you, and he's pretty mean. And check out the other story I just started as well.