Final Fantasy VIII Reminisces The door opened quietly, as a young man seemingly in his late teens came through the entrance, a hint of sadness of his dark brown eyes. Flinging aside the black helmet that was under his arm, Yuuki Shino flopped down in his bed, his thoughts wandering to what had happened a while ago . . . ***** “Ne, Yuuki-kun,” the girl said, with a grin on her face, “who’s the lucky girl?” Yuuki gave her a little startled look. The girl, Misuzu Hayakawa, merely smiled back at him. Upon hearing her words, he felt a sudden urge to tell Misuzu. To tell her about his feelings . . . “There’s . . . no one . . .I like, ” his lips felt dry at the obvious lie. His emotions were churning within him, but his face held the same impassive look that he always wore, betraying his feelings. Misuzu’s smile only wavered a little. “Oh.” Then she turned from him to lean at the railing, gazing at the scarlet sun merely above the horizon, the last rays of the day slowly giving way to the darkness of night. “You’re lucky . . . then.” ***** Gazing at the ceiling, he reminisced the times he had with Misuzu. He had known her since his college freshman year. She was among the few people he knew that weren’t intimidated by his loner nature. Gradually, she had become one of the few friends that he had, always hanging out with him and Kohsuke. He wasn’t exactly sure when he had started to have these feelings for her, but he knew that these feelings of his had died the moment he heard those words . . . ***** Yuuki gazed at the dark-haired girl before him. Her previous smile was now replaced by a look of sadness. He wondered what her previous words had meant, as a slight breeze went by, lightly ruffling his brown hair. “Being in love is so hard, Yuuki-kun . . . “ she softly whispered, her voice filled with longing, the passing breeze lifting her long, black tresses and flowing gracefully in the air, “I tried . . . tried so hard to make him notice me . . . ” Then it hit him. Of all the times she had hung out with him . . . of all the times she had made herself closer to him . . . he realized then that it wasn’t just merely because of their friendship . . . It was also because of Kohsuke. ***** Tearing away his gaze from the seemingly endless white that apparently resembled his ceiling, he turned his head towards his right, and caught his reflection in the mirror that adorned the inner door of his closet that was slightly open. He wanted to scream, to cry out his sorrow and loneliness, but the young man staring back at him in the mirror was different. Cold, brown eyes that seemingly held a deeper meaning to the harsh reality of life framed by an emotionless mask of a face. He had learned a long time ago how to shut himself from his emotions . . . ***** A six-year old boy wearing black stands in the rain, tears mixing with the cold downpour, yet his face as hard as stone. Gazing upon his father’s grave in front of him, with eyes devoid of any emotion, he mourns quietly, his body shivering not because of the icy needles that fell upon his small frame, but at the words that came out of his stepmother . . . “You . . . !” “I . . . “ the boy seemingly whispers to himself . . . “You’re no son of mine!” “ . . . didn’t . . . “ “Leave!” “ . . . Please . . . “ “I never want to see you again, you . . . “ “ . . . believe me . . . “ “ . . . you patricidal monster!” ***** Yuuki closed his eyes for a moment as he recalled that painful memory of his father’s death, still so vivid even after all the years. No doubt that time heals all wounds, but this one has etched a scar upon his soul that would continue to haunt him for the rest of his life . . . Rising from the bed, he turned to stare at the clear night sky, a solitary lion gazing at the stars . . . . . . as a shooting star brightly streaked across the darkness of the heavens . . . “Once more, I am alone . . . “ ***** The girl gazed among the stars, watching the same night sky, her hands folded upon the balcony of her small home. A sudden night breeze blew past her, its touch unsettling her long, jet black hair from her shoulders. Even though the fact that she was only wearing her nightclothes, she hadn’t felt a single chill from the icy gust of wind. She felt . . . Scared. Sad. Alone. It had been almost two years since she first set foot on this unknown city, in an unknown country, in an unknown realm. New sights to see, new people to meet, new adventures to seek . . . If only you were here . . . Instead, for two years, she searched and searched, for the most important person of her life . . . But I still haven’t found you . . . . . . and she was getting tired. No, hopeless. Where are you . . . now? Tears gathered up in her eyelids, clear pearls that sparkled in the scarce night-lights before flowing down the smooth porcelain of her skin. You promised . . . Her knees gave way as she slowly slumped to the ground, quiet sobs erupting from her throat, the unfeeling heavens and the stars the only witnesses to her sorrow . . . But you never came . . . Why? Why didn’t you come . . . ? I was waiting for you . . . . . .waiting for you . . . Even until now. After a short while, her whimpers lessened. She gingerly stood up, hastily wiping the tears from her eyes and face. Hopeless as it may be, she knows that he is still alive, still somewhere in this world, and that she will find him, no matter what it takes . . . Carefully tucking a stray strand of silky hair behind her ear, the girl gazed at the sky for one last time before going back inside when something caught her eye . . . A shooting star, and an unusually bright one at that. The very same shooting star that a young man in another place saw. To her, it was a glimmer of hope. A sign from fate, that there’s someone that she was going to meet . . . someone that would change her life forever . . . Like the one in the past . . . She found her voice. “He’s here.” ***** Darkness . . . Yuuki stood there, quietly staring at himself, or rather, at the cold and uncaring empty shell that he really was . . . Nothingness . . . There was nothing within him. He was nothing, just another human being on this forsaken world . . . no, the world that had forsaken him . . . The lips of his reflection moved. Who are you? Silence. The boy didn't answer. . . . Who are you? "Yuuki Shino." Yuuki . . . Shino? Yuuki Shino is dead. Dead. Dead. Dead. Dead. Dead. Dead. Dead. Dead. Dead. Dead. Dead. Dead. Dead. Dead. Dead. The memory of his foster mother . . . " . . . you patricidal monster!" . . . the betrayal of a friend and a love . . . ". . . please stop doing these things to me." . . . the loss of a second love . . . " . . . I tried so hard to make him notice me . . . " The boy had a ready answer. "Yes . . . I am dead . . . a body without a soul, a human without a heart . . . I am no one . . . " His reflection disappeared abruptly upon the words had left his lips. Yes, he was nothing . . . A single, white feather floated down in front of him, bathed in a soft glow of illuminence that seemingly pushed the murky fingers of the dark surrounding it, landing on the black floor, causing ripples across the ebony surface as if it were water . . . To him, it spoke of a simple message: Hope. Clasping the snowy feather, it seemed to shine brighter now that it was in his hand. To his surprise, he felt . . . warm . . . peaceful . . . He closed his eyes . . . ***** He stared at the young woman in front of him, fumbling his steps amidst the dance floor. Yet, she merely gave him an amused smile that seemed to melt the walls of ice surrounding his heart . . . It was not long before he had managed to memorize the steps entirely, enabling to follow her lead as well as any professional dancer. The girl seemed impressed herself, as they both glided in the dance floor in perfect unison and harmony, two lonely souls dancing to the tune set about by their hearts, under the gaze of the pale moonlight . . . ***** He felt as if his chest was on fire, the cold numbness of the ice doing little in decreasing the intense pain in his upper body. His vision wavered, his legs weakened, and he felt himself being slowly pushed into unconsciousness. Then he saw her, her worried face filled with fear and panic, her delicate hand trying to reach him from the ledge . . . He felt himself falling . . . ***** . . . gazing at the moon, now red as blood, as thousands of creatures seemingly grew from the desolate satellite, heading towards the blue planet . . . Through the darkness, he searched, wandering through the endless emptiness of space, just to find her. To see her once again. . . To hold her tight and never let go . . . ***** She buried her face in his shoulder, as he wrapped his arms around her, gently stroking her black, silky hair, soothing her soft whimpers with gentle reassurances . . . Never. Never again will he ever leave her. Never again will he return to his loneliness . . . He would always be there for her, by her side . . . He promised. ***** Yuuki Shino opened his eyes to the dim lighting in his room, the sun’s morning rays peeking from the slits of the windows that the curtains failed to cover, casting a slight yellowish glow all over the average-sized room. Running a hand through his brown hair, he slowly heaved himself out of the sweet comfort of his bed, pausing only a moment to shake the sleep out of his head. He then groggily made his way towards the bathroom to engage his daily morning habit. The black shirt he had donned many minutes later felt cool against his skin, as it firmly hugged his somewhat fit form. For some reason, he had always felt more comfortable wearing black than any other color . . . Besides, it seemed to reflect his mood that morning, yesterday’s events still quite vivid within his mind. His expression seemed to be colder than usual as he quietly descended down the steps of the empty house . . . ***** The engine purred satisfactorily as the sleek motorcycle quickly sped towards its destination, its rider no doubt being used to such speeds, as he expertly maneuvered the black machine through the curves of the still-deserted streets. Yuuki felt the wind rush by, the blue muffler at his neck wildly whipping the sides of his helmet. Though spring had arrived weeks ago, the slight chill in the air was proof enough that winter still refused to release its cold grip on the climate. As the black street bike slowed to a halt, right before a busy intersection, the boy quietly gazed towards the rows of pedestrians moving in front of him . . . A dark-haired girl smiled up to the boy whose arm she held . . . . . . Misuzu!? . . . and the tall boy unhooked his arm and placed it around her . . . Kohsuke . . . . . . as the unrecognized couple chatted amiably, while going on their way. Yuuki lightly shook his head, clearing his mind from the vision that had just transpired . . . He closed his eyes and silently cursed himself, at this “gift” that he has, the curse of his childhood. It was always the one that caused him pain, the one that caused him to see things that he didn’t want to see, to know things he didn’t want to know . . . The light turned green. Misuzu. His thoughts wander again to the events that had transpired the day ago . . . He opened his eyes . . . . . . but the tears never came. ***** The girl pushed back the few strands of silky black hair from her face, against the slight caress of the morning breeze, as she stepped down from the granite sidewalk and into the endless rows of white marking the empty pedestrian lane, her gait slow and confused. Anxiousness and uncertainty filled her already vulnerable heart, turning into a queasy mixture that made her feel uneasy and baffled, as her mind was seemingly full of questions that she had no answers to . . . Rin Hoshino sighed. There were still so many what if’s that plagued her mind. What if it had just been her imagination? What if he didn’t remember her? What if he didn’t remember the times they’ve gone through, and the places they’ve been to, and the promise that he made, in their “special place”? . . . What if she doesn’t find him? What if . . . What if . . . he doesn’t love her anymore? She hastily wiped the beginning of a fresh bout of tears in her eyes. I will not cry. Not here, not when there is still hope . . . I . . . She was snapped out of her reverie by the sudden roaring of an engine in the distance. She gazed towards her right, just in time to see a speeding black motorcycle quickly emerge from the abrupt corner of the street, heading straight towards her way . . . ***** Yuuki silently cursed himself for being too careless, as he swerved the black cycle sideward, his right hand grasping tight on the brakes. The tires screamed out their protest as black rubber bit into the hard granite of the road, and the bike stopped . . . . . . just inches from where the girl had stood moments ago. Taking off his dark-colored helmet, he quickly strode over to where the girl was, and breathed out a quiet sigh of relief. Apparently, she had jumped back towards the sidewalk seconds before the near-collision, though now, was giving him a furious look . . . Everything seemed so ethereal, the gentle sun smiling down towards the vast flower field, the soft wind gathering all the vibrant petals in its arms, a kaleidoscope of colors and fragrances. A girl walked towards him, the outer garments she wore a vibrant blue similar to the cerulean sky, the tight, black clothes beneath accenting her feminine curves. Her dark-colored eyes held an angelic expression, as a pair of glowing, white wings grew from her back, the shining wings of a dove that scattered its feathers, riding the whispers of the wind. He gazed at her face . . . “Hey, are you listening to me!?” Yuuki lightly shook the vision out of his mind, as he focused on the matter beforehand. The girl had stridden towards him, and was now giving him a piece of her mind, or so she thinks. Black, silky hair, with brown streaks at the sides, fell down in weaves past her shoulder blades, framing a heart-shaped face with rosy-white skin. Her dark, almost black eyes seem to bathe her lovely features in a mysterious glow . . . For some reason, he felt familiar tingles of warmth slithering down his spine, as though he had met the girl at some point in the past. “I . . . “ The girl breathed out a small sigh, as she placed the back of her palms on her waist, and gave a small shake of her head. “Do you usually ignore people like this? You’re just the same as Sq-“ Cutting off what she was about to say with an embarrassed expression, the raven-haired girl bit her lip, lowering her head a little to hide the faint flush of red on her cheeks . . . Though he caught a slight glimpse of unshed tears in her eyes. His heart of ice skipped a beat. He *had* to do something. “ . . . Do . . . you want a ride . . . ?” It was sort of an out-of-the-blue question, guaranteed to be answered with a surprised look when asked unexpectedly in such situations . . . That it did. ***** Despite the early hour, Kohsuke Miyamura was not having a good day. The young man strode briskly along the university’s main hallways, a somewhat disgruntled yet bored look upon his normally cheerful face. He hated it when a professor absents himself and then schedules a make-up class the next day in a God-knows-who’s-up hour due to the lack of available classrooms during *normal* school hours. he sighed dejectedly, as he opened up his locker and placed his things inside when he heard the familiar rumbling of a motorcycle. He smirked to himself. He turned to gaze at his friend from the window, and almost dropped the books he was taking out from his locker due to surprise. Yuuki came to school *with* a girl. That stubborn, antisocial Yuuki . . . ! With a girl that he even didn’t know, nevertheless. His eyes stared at the pair. The only girl he knew that had ever ridden with Yuuki in his motorcycle was Misuzu . . . Does this mean that something had happened between the two? Or maybe . . . His lips curled into a smile. ***** Yuuki revved up the engine before turning off the ignition. He then turned back to gaze at the girl who sat as still as a statue, her arms circled around his waist for support, and her eyes glazed as though she were in a trance, staring at nothing. “Oi.” Something in his voice must have startled her, since she sat up suddenly, as though surprised and gawked at him as though she was seeing him for the first time in her life. “Go-Gomen.” She stuttered as she alighted from the motorcycle and gave him the helmet he had told her to wear. The taciturn young man just grunted in reply as he dismounted. Without a word, he took the helmet and strode towards the main entrance of the building . . . “A-ano . . . “ He never even looked back, nor even stop. “I-I’m Rin Hoshino.” He stopped and turned to look at her. “I don’t give my name to strangers.” For some reason, she had felt something in her chest when he had uttered the word “stranger”. Something similar to what she had felt a long time ago. “Sou . . . “ In his eyes lay a life full of pain and suffering, his heart hardened by the emotional toll that fate had given to him, while hers was a mirror of a faint hope amidst a sea of despair . . . They both stared at each other for a few seconds, as though there were a link between them, conveying each other’s emotions and inner selves, before the young man spoke. “Yuuki Shino.” With that, he walked away, leaving a confused girl behind. ***** Author’s Notes: Well, that’s it. The first *complete* chapter of FF8 Reminsces. Thank God, I might add. This fic has been delayed for *so* long, I wonder if anybody was still waiting for it. Blame it on my thesis and school life. So many things to do . . . so little time. I’ll not put any translation notes here, but if someone asks for it… You might seem notice that I use many Japanese words in my fic. This is to particularly emphasize that this story happened in Japan. So, to add more flavor… Also, the first few chapters might seem to have a slow pace, but please bear with it. This is being done to ensure a good introductory part into the story, since I have so many plans for this story that if I’d just rush them all at once, you readers out there might get lost. Anyways, I’ll keep this Author’s Notes short. Email me at heero9@geocities.com for comments, suggestions, criticisms, etc. Please don’t send me any flames. There’s a big, wide gap between criticisms and flames.