Hey! We finally have chapter two here :D

KazeNoTsubasa: Thanks for your review! And thanks :) I hope to explain a bit later on how Squall neglecting Rinoa results in the presence of Heartless a bit later. If it's still too vague, though, be sure to let me know!

I totally forgot this on the first chapter, but this will apply to the whole story. I don't own Kingdom Hearts or Final Fantasy. Pity.

On with the fic!

He heard them, sometimes. They would whisper to him, saying things they wouldn't dare to if he were conscious. They rambled, confided and pleaded. Sometimes he ignored them, but sometimes he listened.

"We miss you, Squall. Please wake up."

"Knowing you, you probably think this is all your fault, huh? Well, it's not. Hurry up and wake up. We're all waiting on you."

"You're our Commander, Squall. We don't know what to do. I don't know what to do. I can't lead these people by myself."

"You just going to lay there and die, Squall? Your job's not done yet. You've got work to do."

Actually, that had been his plan. He didn't want to wake up. He wanted to die.

Then, he almost thought he could hear another voice. One that was achingly familiar. It reminded him of afternoons spent outside in a field of flowers and nights on the balcony under a canopy of stars. It reminded him of the scent of lavender and the color blue.

"Get up, Squall. They all need you."

I can't. I'm not fit to lead anyone.

"You can't die, Squall. You're life isn't over."

It can be. I just have to lay here.

"Squall. Wake up."

Rinoa…

"Wake up."

His eyes cracked open, then immediately closed at the onslaught of light.

A groan escaped his lips. He felt like he had been hit by a train. Maybe he had been. He couldn't really remember.

"Squall?!"

He winced. "Too loud," he rasped. He wasn't sure if the cowboy could hear him, though.

"It's about time!" Irvine continued. Squall heard footfall pacing away from him and Irvine mumbled something before returning into Squall's view, bringing with him a glass of water. Squall tried to sit up, but couldn't without making his back flare with pain.

"Easy, Squall! You just woke up," Irvine chastised. He helped Squall sit up and, much to the commander's embarrassment, held the glass steady while Squall drank from it. He removed it, however, when Squall began to choke. "Easy," Irvine repeated, helping him lay back down.

Squall waited several moments to speak. "Where are we?" he managed.

"On the Ragnarok." He hesitated. "We tried to set her down on several continents, but it was impossible. Those things were everywhere."

"Everywhere?" Squall asked, trying to wrap his sluggish mind around the implications.

Another pause. "The planet's gone, Squall."

Squall tried to speak, but nothing came out. Gone? How could it be gone? "Gone?" he finally repeated, still not fully understanding.

"For all intents and purposes, yeah. There's nothing left but those black monsters. We scoured the planet, but it's like they covered the world overnight. There's not a living soul left." Irvine spoke quickly, like repeating it was painful.

Squall forced the question from his lips. "How many are left?"

"The Ragnarok picked up twenty-six. We got the Dreadnaught and the Blackjack from Esthar with us, too. I think they've got sixty-four between them, including your father."

Sixty-four…plus twenty-six? That was it? The survivors of the attack totaled ninety?

The sheer bleakness of the number was enough to make Squall's heart skip a beat.

Ninety refugees…

And it was his fault.

"Squall!" someone screeched. The breath was knocked out of him as Selphie tackled him in a hug that was none too gentle. His back protested harshly to the treatment.

"Selphie! Get off of him!" another familiar voice snapped. "Honestly!"

The brunette reluctantly removed herself from Squall's chest, allowing him to breathe, then choke on the air.

Quistis came into view. "How do you feel?" she asked him, stepping over to check the readouts on several machines and to check the IV in his arm.

Squall obligingly ran through list of symptoms, only editing a few things here and there to spare his dignity. It was all he had left, at the moment.

"It's about time! You've been out for almost five days!" Zell informed.

Squall frowned. Five days…five days since…"Status report?"

Quistis launched into a detailed account of the past few days, starting with being unable to land on the planet, meeting up with the Dreadnaught and the Blackjack, then making the decision to try their luck out in space. "After three days of space travel, we've ended up here."

Squall blinked at the way she said 'here,' like it was an actual specific location and not just a general term. "Here? Where's here?"

Quistis now looked a bit hesitant. "A planet that's not supposed to be here." At the look Squall gave her, she elaborated. "The few scientists on the Dreadnaught claimed that this planet wasn't here five days ago."

"They call it Radiant Garden," Zell informed. "We just got back from a meeting with the locals again, and President Loire's still at the castle meeting with ruler of the planet. Anson the Smart or something like that."

"It's Ansem the Wise, dork," Selphie commented, sticking her tongue out at the blond.

Zell made a face at her before turning back to Squall. "Either way, it's a good thing this planet appeared. We didn't have enough fuel to make it through the week."

Squall glanced at Quistis, considering. She was his second in command and would call the shots if Squall were out of the picture. That meant that she had made the decision to leave their planet for the dead of space with no destination in mind. If this Radiant Garden hadn't been here, they'd have been dead in a matter of days. What was she thinking?

"Ansem wants to meet with you, once you're well. He has an offer for you," Selphie said, spinning in the chair she now occupied.

"Well, that won't be for another week, at least," Quistis informed brusquely. "Doctor's orders."

Squall glared at her, but didn't reply otherwise. He was normally fine with allowing other's to take charge and leave him without the responsibility of other people's lives. This time, however, it was his responsibility and his alone. It was his fault the world was destroyed. He had neglected his duties as a Knight. He didn't even notice the changes in Rinoa until it was too late…

"Squall?"

Jarred from his thoughts, Squall glanced up at Irvine.

"I asked if you needed anything," the cowboy repeated, situating his hat on his head.

"I want the ship's logs and a list of every cadet, staff and SeeD member that made it from Balamb and a list of the crew on the Dreadnaught and Blackjack. Once I review those I'll want to speak to President Loire."

Quistis cast him a disapproving look, but didn't respond. Apparently she knew when and when not to pull the doctor card. He wouldn't have obeyed anyway. Not this time.

"Yes, sir," Irvine responded with a sloppy salute, sauntering off to fulfill his orders.

"What about us?" Zell asked, crossing his arms. "What do we do?"

"I want to know the layout of the land. Quistis, take Selphie and Zell and scout out the surrounding area and the city. I want a map, too. Report back immediately afterward."

They all saluted and filed out of the room, leaving Squall alone with nothing but his inhospitable thoughts for company.

The Dreadnaught and the Blackjack are both ships mentioned in the Final Fantasy series.

Next chapter we'll get to chat with Ansem and we'll meet some Somebodies that will later be Nobodies :D

I hope you enjoyed chapter two! Please leave a review and let me know what you think, areas to improve upon, and any ideas you might like to contribute. I'm open (though not obligated XD) to suggestions!

Have a great week!

God Bless,

-RainFlame