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A Frozen Fire	By : Akako Category: Final Fantasy VIII > Het - Male/Female Views: 715 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VIII, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 1-Mystery
- 1
Author’s Note
(A/N): All right, this fic is basically a re-write of my
previous Final Fantasy VIII fanfic, “A Frozen Fire”. The
main reasons this is being re-written, is a loss of motivation, plus
advancements (I hope) in my writing skills. Anyways, on with the
prologue and the first chapter.

Paramore -
Circle

Take this
time to realize

That you
always shut your eyes

In the
midst of a trial

And
everything is always right

And I
think that it's time

This
battle must be won

But you
pushed it aside

Pushed it
aside, pretend that it's gone

(x2)

This
circle never ends

And it's
time you

Just face
it, don't pretend

That it's
over

Take this
time to realize

That you
always force a smile

In the
midst of a trial

And
everything is always right

And I
think that it's time

This
battle must be won

But you
pushed it aside

Pushed it
aside, pretend that it's gone

(x2)

This
circle never ends

And it's
time you

Just face
it, don't pretend

That it's
over

And it
never ends

It never
ends

And it
never ends

No, it
never ends

This
circle never ends

And it's
time you

Just face
it, don't pretend

That it's
over

This
circle never ends

And it's
time you

Just face
it, don't pretend

That it's
over, it's over

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Prologue

Tortured screams, like
the wailing of hell's banshees echoed throughout the small village.
There was blood... so much blood... splattered across the field like
paint on a brand new canvas. The crimson liquid sunk into the earth,
mixing with the soft brown dirt, coating what used to be lush, green
blades of grass, forever tainting the peaceful landscape. Heads,
decapitated from their previous places of existence, soared through
the air, as arms and legs were tossed aside like twigs off a small
tree. Feet padded harshly all over the blood-soaked ground, trampling
lifeless bodies. Some feet were clanging, dressed in shining metal,
now stained with the life force of innocent women and children...
Other feet were bare, moving as fast as possible, slipping and
sliding, slicked with blood as they tried to escape the wrath of the
riders on the armored chocobos; they could not move fast enough...
The riders killed, slaughtered mercilessly each and every being who
did not bear their mark on the field, all the while enjoying the
sound of their victim's torment.

A lone figure stood
amongst the riders, shedding crimson tears as their blade tore
through another body. More innocent blood spilled.

--------------------------------------------------------------

Mystery

She awoke, descending off
of her mattress, eyes widening as a fleeting sense of surprise and
panic flowing through her, replacing the previous sensation of
flying, until she collided with the unforgiving marble floor below.
Pain exploded like a bolt of lightning into her skull, near her
temple, reaching back into her brain, making her groan in discomfort.
Her elbow bone began to throb as well, as a numb feeling spread
through her arm. Must have hit the 'funny bone'... The backs
of her eyes tingled as if she were to cry, but she shook her head to
rid herself of the feeling, knowing it was more from shock than the
actual pain itself. With another groan, she lifted herself off of the
cold tile slowly, mind fogged with pain and sleep (or lack-there-of).
"Fucking... nightmares..." She grumbled, making her way
towards the bathroom.

She flicked the switch on
as she stumbled into the room, squinting, the brightness burning her
eyes as they adjusted from the darkness of sleep to the fluorescent
lighting of the bathroom. When she could finally manage to open her
eyes normally without pain, she took a couple steps towards her
mirror, leaning on the cold ceramic sink beneath it as she surveyed
the damage to her head. Just above her left temple her skin was
tinged red; the makings of a bruise were forming. What really caught
her attention, however, was the jagged scar that ran along her right
cheekbone, dangerously close to the bottom of her right eye.

...It was bleeding, again.

The scar was years old,
old enough that she couldn't remember a time in which the flaw wasn't
permanently etched into her skin... but then again, she couldn't
remember anything past her arrival at Balamb Garden to begin with.
Occasionally, for reasons unknown, the scar would bleed. It always
seemed to happen at night, during the nightmares. Soon after waking,
she would feel the warm liquid oozing across her cheek, the bright
red blood a stark contrast against her milky-pale skin. She frowned,
ignoring the bruise forming on her temple, and set to work cleaning
up her scar. Gently, she wiped off the blood with a damp cloth, and
then cast a Cure spell on herself. The bruise on her temple, as well
as the pain in her head and elbow receded to almost nothingness, but
the scar remained, as always, even it did stop the bleeding. Sighing,
the woman glanced at her reflection in the mirror once again. Her
black and red hair was tousled, sticking out and matted in various
places. Dull, red eyes gazed back at her, emotionless. She directed
her gaze over her high cheekbones, smooth jaw and pink lips, as she
always did. Was it odd (or even possible) for a person to look
familiar, yet unrecognizable at the same time, to his or her own
self? She assumed it was, but then, she was an odd person in almost
every aspect already.

I won't be able to get
back to sleep now, anyways...

After a quick shower and
'morning' routine, she glanced reluctantly at the digital clock
sitting on her bedside table, the blue numbers blinking irritatingly
back at her. "Three A.M.? Kuso... even earlier than
usual." With a yawn and a small stretch, she threw her hair into
a messy ponytail and changed into her clothes for the day; black
pants, a black tube top with a webbed shirt over top, and her black
sneakers. A loose, short red and black skirt was placed on over top
of her pants, and two black straps were placed across her chest and
around her back in the form of an X', holding in place her two
katanas, one handle protruding from her left shoulder, the other from
the right shoulder. She tied a double red and black scarf around her
neck and pulled on her gloves that reached from mid-finger to halfway
up her forearm. The gloves were black, with glinting silver plates
covering the arms, and spikes covering the knuckles. Her pale, toned
abdomen and arms were visible, as usual, but she pushed her
self-consciousness aside, took a deep breath, and left the dark
confines of her room.

The silence of Balamb
Garden's massive hallways was eerie in the early hours of the
morning, as her soft footsteps echoed off of the large, white walls.
The faint sound of water trickling flowed past her ears as she
circled the pool of water that resided on the other side of the
hallway walls, until she reached the green isle of the Training
Center (Area?). Her pace increased slightly as she headed for those
thick, heavy, metal doors, not bothering to glance back at the faint
sound of another set of feet behind her. Whoever it was probably
didn't know her, didn't care to say a word to her, and for that she
was glad. She was not in the mood to be disrupted. The doors opened
readily for her with a hiss, as they always did, bringing the
tiniest fraction of a smile to her face. The Training Center always
welcomed her with open arms.

Her steps were soundless
on the soft earth, the dirt and blades of grass a familiar feeling
beneath the padded soles of her shoes. A light breeze brushed past
her face, gently blowing her bangs briefly away from her metallic
silver eyes and cooling the sweat that was beginning to form on her
face. Goosebumps rose all over her skin with each step she took, as
the excitement built, the thrill of an upcoming battle surfacing in
her veins. A second set of doors once again opened easily for her,
and she stepped just as easily through them, instantly feeling the
slightly more humid air around her. Out of force of habit, she pulled
her gloves tighter and casually strolled further into the jungle-like
scene, looking forward to a challenging fight.

After all, she had a knack
for attracting T-Rexaurs, and they were not easy to defeat alone.

Her eyes expertly scanned
her surroundings, flicking back and forth from tree, to ground, to
bush, to the slight movement of an object to her left. Reacting on
instinct, she spun, leg extended, arms positioned protectively in
front of her face. Her leg collided with a large, solid yet almost
squishy something, which she quickly recognized to be a Grat.
Tch, pesky little things... I can't believe I used to have trouble
with these. Vaguely, she recalled an instance from long ago,
shortly after her initial arrival to Balamb Garden. She hadn't a clue
what she was doing back then, and wandered into the Training Center
unsupervised, without any previous combat training what so ever...
The Grat, at that time, surprised her, knocking her to the ground
suddenly with it's powerful tentacles, before it wrapped those same
tentacles around her throat, lifting her off the ground as it did so.
Simultaneously, it poisoned her and she had felt her life quickly
slipping away… everything went black, and then she woke up in
the Infirmary. As horrible as the experience was, it could have been
much worse. It could have been a T-Rexaur.

But that was then, and
this was now. Just two days previous, she had earned the title of
SeeD cadet, rank eight - above average for a first try. She ignored
the compliments, waved them off with a shy smile and a change of
subject.

Any more thoughts ceased
as she ducked under an approaching tentacle with such speed that
loose tendrils of her hair stuck straight up, unable to match her
momentum. The tentacle hovered in the air above her as she darted
beneath it, arm pulled back and tensed. She reached the Grat before
its own tentacle did, and with a strong, quick extension of her arm,
delivered a decisive punch to the creature. Her arm passed through
the Grat's tough, plant-like skin and into the innards. Disgusting
goo covered her arm when she pulled it back out, a milky
white, blood-like substance spilled out of the creature's body and
onto the grass and dirt beneath it, coating a small patch of grass,
quickly turning the lush green blades a crisp brown. The acrid smell
of poison reached her nose, but she ignored it; She barely recognized
the smell, having developed immunity to that particular poison a long
time ago.

Well, that should help
attract some serious competition. She learned, long ago, that the
smell, the sight, the feel of battle enticed T-Rexaurs, drew
them to the scene like a shark to a drop of blood; they were
predators, and, probably by instinct, knew that battle would lead
them to something wounded, and that meant easy prey. With a grimace,
she wiped as much of the Grat’s ‘blood’ off as
possible on the grass below, and without even looking, directed a
Fira spell behind her. She ignored the sizzling, screaming Grat as
her Fira disintegrated the plant-like creature as if it was an
everyday occurrence, which to her, it was. Damn, those things are
such a nuisance.

The sound of giggling and
voices reached her sensitive ears, suddenly, and she quickly ducked
behind some nearby bushes. She peered out from behind the leaves,
wondering who else besides her would be awake at this hour, and in
the Training Center, too. Two figures emerged from the 'Secret Area',
one male and one female. They weren't anyone that she knew of, just a
random couple. The man was walking beside the girl, his arm around
her shoulders. He was semi-tall, with short brown hair. The girl had
long, black hair, styled in pigtails, and was a bit shorter than the
guy. They were both wearing normal cadet uniforms. So, they're not
even SeeD yet... they really shouldn't be in the T.C. this late, with
no one else around--

As if on cue, she felt the
familiar vibrations in the ground beneath her, heard the same
thundering footsteps not far off in the distance, smelt the same
blood and decay. She had come too close to that scent often before,
been face to face with a T-Rexaur's sharp, jagged rows of teeth one
too many times before. She cursed as the vibrations shook harder, the
footsteps closer, the smell stronger. She stood, her keen eyes
catching the massive creature heading straight for the oblivious
couple, and took off like a bullet.

The couple paused, stopped
in their tracks at the ground-shaking roar behind them, far
too close for comfort. They knew that roar... but they had never been
so close to it before. Their eyes widened, the man's green eyes and
the girl's brown when the felt the warm air on the back of their
necks, smelt the death and decay on its breath, and froze in fear.
This was it, this was the last thing that they would experience; the
horrid stench of a monster's breath just before it sunk it's massive,
serrated teeth into their flesh... they each closed their eyes,
holding their breath, not ready to die, but accepting what was about
to happen...

Their eyes snapped open at
the scrape of metal as it was drawn from it's protective
wooden home, and they whipped around from their frozen positions just
as a woman skidded to a stop a short distance from them, dirt and
dust floating around her feet as the soles of her shoes dug into the
ground, her weapons clashing against the thick teeth of the T-Rexaur.
The couple's gazes traveled up the woman's form, to her arms, where
she held the source of the previous sound of metal; two swords,
fairly long and slightly less than half the width of Squall's
Gunblade. One sword was the pitch-blackness of non-existence, to the
point where it did not even shine, seeming to deteriorate the light
around it. The other sword was a bright white, almost blinding in its
luminosity, having the opposite effect of the black sword, as it
seemed to absorb the light around it, shining brilliantly. The swords
sung, thrumming with their wielder's effort to hold them
against the gaping maw of the monster.

Her arms shook with the
effort, muscles straining against the amazing force of the
increasingly angry carnivore. Her turned her head ever so slightly
towards the couple behind her, annoyed at their shocked expressions
as they simply stood, rooted to the spot. Tch, they should be
using this time more effectively! "What are you waiting
for?" She shouted at them, irritation and distress evident in
her tone. "Run!"

-------------------------------------------------------

The couple seemed to snap
out of their trance at her voice, wasting no time in turning and
bolting away, fear and adrenaline increasing the speed at which they
retreated. She sighed internally, a fraction of relief settling
through her. Turning back to the task at hand, she instinctively sent
a Sleep spell through her weapons, watching as it took effect on the
large beast. The beast's huge head lulled forward and its eyes closed
as the Spell forced slumber upon it. Her eyebrows furrowed as she
stared at the creature, scrutinizing it. There was something
different, something off about this one... but what was it?

The couple raced through
the Training Center, nearly tripping over their own feet in their
haste. Sweat broke out on their skin, their eyes consistently wide
and panicked. They were saved, they were alive, they escaped the gory
death that had invaded their minds only moments earlier - but what of
the one who saved them? They couldn't leave her there alone, but what
were they to do? No one was awake at this hour who could help! Should
they wake someone up? If so, who?

Without realizing it, they
sped towards the Dormitory, perhaps instinct spurring them to do so,
as they rounded the corner, ran up the gray-painted hallway, nearly
colliding into a figure on the way.

"Whoa, careful!
What's the rush?" The figure asked, voice male and friendly, if
not a little tired.

The girl froze, the voice
all too familiar to her... why did they have to run into him,
of all people, and now, of all times? Then again, why did she
care? Someone's life was at stake! "Ze---"

"S-someone's in the
Training Center, a-and s-she needs help!" The man sputtered,
panting and stuttering, fear still obviously present in his voice.
The girl held her breath, mentally thanking her new boyfriend for
speaking before her. At least 'he' hadn't noticed her yet.

"Then why aren't you
helping her?" The figure asked angrily, already making his way
towards the Training Center.

"I-It's a T-Rexaur!
We c-couldn't do anything!" The man shouted, trying to defend
himself and his girlfriend, but Zell had disappeared at the mention
of 'T-Rexaur'.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

The set of teeth came
towards her threateningly, and she dodged just before the teeth made
contact with her skin, gripping her left arm tightly, ignoring the
blood seeping out between her fingers; she wouldn't fall for that
again. She cursed as the quick movement set her off-balance, and she
couldn't avoid the massive tail that headed towards her in time. The
tail came as her in a powerful swing, and she grimaced as it slammed
into her ribs, knocking the breath out of her and lifting her off of
her feet. She flew through the air from the impact, still gripping
her bleeding arm. Her eyes widened when she felt her back crack
against the solid trunk of a tree, and then closed just as quickly
when she passed through the rough bark, the top half of the tree
soaring. With a cry of pain, she finally collided against the
not-so-soft earth of the Training Ground below her, winded once
again. She coughed, rolling over onto her stomach and spewing out
bright red liquid. Wincing and continuing to grip her left arm, she
knew that the blood on the ground and the metallic taste all down her
throat were not good things. Should've made an effort to stock
some more Full-Cure spells when I ran out after my SeeD test... and
T-Rexaur's are supposed to be weak against status effects like Sleep,
so how come my spell only lasted a few seconds...?

Coughing up some more
blood and squeezing her eyes shut at the pain all throughout her
torso, she wondered why this T-Rexaur was stronger and faster than
most. She'd faced them before, defeated them on her own twice before
now, and none had been quite this difficult. None had been anywhere
close to easy, but none had brought her this close to death, either.
Grunting, she attempted to sit up, only for a burning hot pain to
burst inside of her torso, yet again taking her breath away as she
flopped back down onto the ground. Her eyes threatened to roll back
into her head from the intense pain and blood loss, but she knew that
if she passed out now, she would never wake up.

The T-Rexaur finally made
its way back over to her, its large feet pounding against the ground
as it headed towards her. She clenched her jaw as it neared closer,
waiting until it stood right over top of her and lowered its face to
her, prepared to take a bite. "Not this time." She
whispered harshly, hands raised towards the beast's head. "Blizzaga!"
She shouted, sharp ice instantly engulfing the entire creature. Now,
I don't have long before that breaks - kuso! She cursed once
again at seeing her swords lying on the ground across from her,
discarded in the area where she was before being hit through a tree.
There's no way I can get to them in this condition! Tch... I
only have one Curaga left anyways, might as well use it. Better now
than never.

"Curaga." She
whispered, the green glow swirling around her. Her eyes widened,
hearing a faint, splintering sound as the ice began to crack around
the monster. What the f-- already? The spell should have held
longer than that! Before the Curaga even finished settling into
her body, she moved, scrambled away from her spot beneath the
creature just as the ice shattered. The creature let loose a
deafening roar of rage behind her, obviously not happy with its meal
being hindered. She felt the massive footsteps head towards her
before she heard them and glanced behind her. It was catching up, and
fast. Eyes narrowing, she pivoted quickly on her feet and raced back
towards the oncoming T-Rexaur.

--------------------------------------------------------

Zell burst through the
second set of doors in the Training Center, bright blue eyes scanning
the surrounding area quickly, just in time to see a woman with red
and black hair run towards a T-Rexaur that was charging back at her.
The woman was weaponless, her left arm was covered in blood, and her
face was twisted into a painful expression. He opened his mouth to
shout, to get her attention, but no words came out as she dove
under the T-Rexaur, it's massive jaws snapping at her and missing her
by a hair's width. Zell blinked, shocked. She's crazy!

Continuing with the
momentum from her dive underneath the creature, she rolled, grinding
her teeth together when she felt her ribs begin to fracture again;
the results of moving before the Curaga had finished its task. Her
lungs burned as she rolled into a standing position and ran for her
swords. They were almost within her reach now, just a little closer
--

"Hyne damn it!"
She shouted, tripping over a random rock on the Training Center
field. Twisting in mid-air before she hit the ground, she managed to
land on her back and slide with the force of her fall, firing off
another Blizzaga at the quickly advancing creature. The ice
surrounded the creature once more, giving her just enough time to
crawl clumsily backwards to her swords. Grasping the hilts of her two
blades, she closed her eyes and smiled, letting out a breath she
wasn't aware that she'd been holding. Thankfully, the Curaga had time
enough at least to stop the bleeding and heal her left arm before
she'd moved and disrupted the spell's effects, therefore she could
still wield both swords.

Using the blades to help
support her as she settled into a standing position, a small smile
broke out on her face when the creature broke free of the Blizzaga,
once again not happy with being slowed down. She crouched, blades at
the ready. As she expected, the creature let loose another ferocious
roar and charged at her. Powering up her swords with ice - the
T-Rexaur's weakness - and crouching just a little bit lower, she
waited. The creature was getting closer now, closer, closer...

She sprang, kicking up
dust and dirt behind her as she rocketed towards the beast. She held
out her swords once she reached its thick neck, the blades carving
through the tough skin, spewing red blood. She planted her feet on
the T-Rexaur's neck beside where her blades were embedded and
continued to run until she reached the other side of the neck, more
blood spewing, and finally wrenched the swords out of the monster's
thick hide and jumped off. She landed, her back facing the creature,
each katana coated with blood. She flicked the blades, attempting to
rid them of some of the offensive substance, confident that the
creature was severely wounded.

The earth shook beneath
her feet, the sounds of the thundering footstep making her freeze
where she stood. Her heart rate increased, her blood pounded in her
head. There was no way in hell that the T-Rexaur was moving after
that attack! Turning, slowly, her eyes widened at seeing the
creature, blood flowing freely from it's neck, drool sliding out of
it's opened mouth as it took another heavy step in her direction. Its
eyes, she noted, were wild and even more crazed than usual for a
T-Rexaur. Just as the pieces started to put themselves together in
her mind, just as she figured out why this T-Rexaur was different
from the others, a blur of color flew through the air and directly
into the creature, knocking the massive beast over as the blow
finished what her swords had started and severed the head from the
body. She blinked, a frown making its way onto her face. The
T-Rexaur... it was Berserked, or something similar... almost
Zombie-like. But who or what would do that to a T-Rexaur, of
all things?

Her thoughts whirling, she
turned, ready to leave and head back to her room where she could
ponder what she'd seen in silence, when she felt a hand on her
shoulder. She just barely jumped, twitched more-like, and the person
removed their hand from her. She gazed at the person out of the
corner of her eye, immediately noting the blond hair, styled up in a
gravity-defying manner, the bright blue eyes, and the intricate,
sharp, jet-black black tattoo outlining the left half of his face.
Zell Dincht.

"Hey! That was pretty
cool!" Zell said, enthusiastically, rubbing the back of his
head. He grinned widely, "Not many people can handle a T-Rexaur
on their own."

"Well, you did finish
it off." She reminded him, hand subconsciously raising to her
ribs.

"Yeah, but you did
all the work... hey, are you all right?" He asked, moving in
front of her, concern written on his face.

She swallowed, fighting to
see straight. Curaga or no, she'd lost a lot of blood, and her ribs
were fractured, if not broken all over again from her quick movements
before the spell had settled. "I've been better." She
answered, honestly.

"Here, I'll take you
to the Infirmary--"

"That's... not
necessary..." She forced, even as his voice became muffled, her
vision darkening.

"Hell yes, it's
necessary. You look pretty beat up..." His voice trailed off,
sounding as if she were underwater.

She frowned, denial rising
to her lips as she felt herself being lifted off the ground, and
gently pressed against a warm chest before the darkness engulfed her,
and she lost consciousness.

--------------------------------------------------------------

“Hey, she’s
waking up!” A voice commented excitedly.

“Zell Dincht, be
quiet, would you! She’s probably not feeling too well, and
you’re shouting won’t make matters any better!”
Another voice spoke up, strict and full of authority, yet gentle,
like a mother’s.

She knew both those
voices. “You’re both too loud…” She
grumbled, before she could stop herself, and covered her eyes with
her arm, blocking out the stinging brightness… and possibly, a
tinge of pink that rose to her cheeks.

“Sorr—“
Zell started, but was quickly cut off by Dr. Kadowaki.

“Oh, stop
complaining. From what I’ve heard, you’re lucky to be
alive. What have I told you about being so reckless?” The
doctor chided, shoes clicking lightly against the tile floor as she
made her way towards the girl. Making sure that the girl still wasn’t
looking, Dr. Kadowaki pulled out a small tube, filled with a clear
liquid, and, after sticking a needle that she held in the other hand
into the tube and filling it with the aforementioned liquid, she
cleared the needle of any air bubbles and quickly stuck it into the
girl’s previously injured arm.

The girl twitched when she
felt the distinct pinch, quickly removing her arm from her eyes and
glared at the doctor. “Hey, what the hell was that for?”
Her glare quickly turned into a squint as the light stung her eyes.

The doctor sighed in an
irritated manner and removed the needle, done injecting the liquid.
“You know as well as I do how bad an infection can get if it’s
not taken care of, and you did get bitten by a T-Rexaur. I’m
just taking precautions. Would you rather lose your arm?”

“That’s what
Esuna is for.” The girl mumbled childishly, averting her gaze.

“You also know how
important it is not to throw magic around for every little problem.”
Dr. Kadowaki chided once again, her dark hair showing more signs of
gray than usual. “What are you complaining about anyways? A
needle is nothing compared to the injuries you were brought in here
with last night.”

Yes, but those injuries
are far less annoying. She nearly huffed, but refrained,
not wanting to seem any more childish. She heard a light chuckle from
the corner of the room and blushed. I forgot that he was here…
Shyly, she glanced at the blond SeeD, silently admiring his tattoo,
as usual. “Umm, thanks for… helping me out.” She
said softly, wondering why her throat felt so dry.

“Ah, no problem!”
He replied, pushing himself off of the wall and grinning. He stepped
towards her, breathed on his hand a couple times before rubbing it on
his shirt and holding it out for her to shake. “Zell Dincht.”

She shook his hand without
a second thought, her grip soft and gentle, while his was strong and
firm. His eyes seemed to widen just enough that she wondered if she
was imagining it, but she shook the thoughts from her head
temporarily and replied, “Miu Kuronaga.”

Realizing that he was
still holding onto her hand, Zell quickly let go and rubbed the back
of his head sheepishly. “Nice to meet’cha, Miu!”

“You too.” Miu
replied, her hand dropping gracefully back onto the Infirmary bed,
oblivious to the doctor’s mischievous gaze.

The doctor cleared her
throat suddenly, secretly enjoying the startled jumps of the two
teens, “…Well, Miu, you’re free to go, but I
better not see you back in here again any time soon, ya hear?”

A little too quickly, Miu
hopped off of the bed and stumbled, the lack of blood still affecting
her. Zell immediately put his hands on her shoulders to steady her,
and as a reaction, she placed her hand on his arm to regain her
balance. When her legs decided to obey her again, she let go,
blushing deeply. “Thanks.” She said quietly, nervously
fiddling with the hem of the skirt she wore over top of her pants,
before she turned around and grabbed her swords that were resting on
a chair in the corner of her room.

The doctor tsk tsk’d
her, frowning. “I said I did not want to see you in here
again soon, remember?” Sighing, Dr. Kadowaki ran a hand through
her hair, looking up at the ceiling in agitation. “Will you
ever quit being so reckless? I think I’ve seen you in
here almost as much, if not more than Squall and Seifer, not to
mention you, Zell! You’re no better, so quit snickering!”

Zell stopped laughing
instantly, although he was still grinning. “Yes, ma-am!”
He responded with a mock-salute. The doctor merely rolled her eyes at
him. Leaning over, he cupped his hand near his mouth and whispered to
Miu, “And here I thought she lectured me a lot! You must be a
regular!” He winked at Miu and stood up straight again when Dr.
Kadowaki glared at him.

Miu blushed – again
– at Zell’s wink, but covered her mouth as she snickered,
trying to hold back the sound, so as not to anger the doctor further.
Dr. Kadowaki was the closest thing that Miu had to a mother, after
all… However, her laughter was cut short at the doctor’s
next words.

“Zell, I want you to
keep an eye on Miu for a while, if you can. There was something
strange in that T-Rexaur’s blood that I found on her, and I
don’t trust it. I also don’t trust her to come to
me if there’s a problem.” Miu seemed about to retort, but
the hard stare she received from Dr. Kadowaki made her mouth snap
shut. “All right?”

Nodding, Zell glanced at
Miu out of the corner of his eye and then looked back at the doctor.
“Will do, doc.”

The doctor nodded sternly,
before ushering the two out of the small white room. “Now go
on, go! I have more patients to deal with!”

-------------------------------------------------------------

After nearly falling over
four times in a row while going just down the Infirmary hallway, Miu
had finally given up and accepted Zell's help, slinging her arm
around his broad shoulders as he wrapped an arm around her back for
support, lest she fall yet again. Currently, the blond was shaking
his head at her stubbornness. She was worse than Squall! "Are
you sure you should be leaving the Infirmary so soon?" Zell
asked, concerned.

Miu nodded, softly
gripping the blond's shoulder when another dizzy spell came over her.
Stupid blood loss. "I'm fine, just weak."

"You sure it doesn't
have anything to do with the weird T-Rexaur blood that doc found on
you?"

Miu frowned. Why is he
so concerned? He doesn't even know me. "I'm just dizzy from
blood loss. I'll be fine once I get something to eat and some rest."
If I have time to rest, anyways. I should be receiving my first
SeeD mission soon...

"Well then, let's
stop by the Caff, ne? I'm craving a hotdog about now, anyways."
Zell grinned. He knew that all the hotdogs were gone by this point in
time, but he found Miu interesting, and he had to keep an eye on her
anyways, so why not get to know her better? He'd always noticed her
around Garden as it was, and she'd always been alone... kind of the
way Squall used to be.

"I - I'd really
rather just get some sleep--"

"Tch, you were just
out for almost two days; the last thing you need is more sleep!"
Zell exclaimed cheerfully, hoisting Miu off of her feet when he felt
her begin to protest, and heading quickly in the direction of the
Cafeteria, holding the bewildered girl bridal-style. "Come on,
let's hurry before all the good stuff's gone!"

Before she even had the
time to blush, let alone protest the blond SeeD's actions, they had
already arrived in the Cafeteria and she was gently set down on her
feet. She blinked, slightly in awe of Zell's skills. She hadn't even
felt him move...

"So, whaddaya want?"
Zell asked suddenly, his voice bringing her out of her thoughts,
"It's my treat, so don't be shy!"

She glanced at him,
leaning on the Cafeteria counter – much to the annoyance of the
lunch ladies – his usual, wide grin plastered onto his face.
"Ramen." She answered absently, distracted by his clear,
blue eyes. There was something... odd, for lack of a better
word, about his cheerful exterior today. Her head snapped to the
side, suddenly, as she caught a familiar voice from around the corner
- it was coming from the Cafeteria hallway. By the time she turned
her head back towards Zell, he'd already finished ordering and was
heading towards her with the food on a tray. She swallowed thickly,
desperately wanting to hide...

No, she couldn't. She
wouldn't allow herself to be so pathetic. She was not afraid of him -
not anymore.

With a determined look in
her normally dull eyes, she began heading to an empty table in the
Cafeteria, Zell following closely behind her. The table was in the
back corner of the room, situated by the windows, providing an
excellent view of the landscape outside of Garden. No one ever sat
here, and she never could comprehend why... Maybe, just maybe, it was
because of her. Since day one in Balamb Garden, she had claimed this
table. Arriving early to the Caff every day, she would buy her meal,
retreat to this table in the back corner, and eat her meal as she
gazed outside. She always ate alone; no one ever bothered to talk to
her, to even attempt to sit with her - not that she minded. The
solitary meals allowed her time to think.

But now, for the first
time, ever, since she was welcomed into this place, she would not eat
alone. Finally reaching the table, she sat on the chair closest to
the window, silent as Zell placed the tray down and plopped into the
chair across from her. The previously loud and animated chatter of
the other cadets and students in the surrounding tables quited down
immediately to a dull mumble. A ghost of a smirk passed over Miu's
face. So, she had been right all these years. The other students did
know she existed, they just liked to judge and gossip about her from
afar. And all this time she'd thought she was simply being paranoid
when she felt their stares on her, heard their whispered words. Oh,
well. She didn't blame them - she didn't exactly scream 'sociality'.

If Zell noticed the
stares, heard the whispers as the entire Cafeteria, it seemed,
watched them, scrutinized them, he said nothing. He merely placed her
bowl of ramen down in front of her and began to eat his own lunch - a
sandwich of some sort. Absently, Miu began to eat her own food,
staring out the window, as she always did, letting her mind wander.
Her eyes traveled over the lush green fields, the deep, dark forest,
the high, snow-capped mountains in the distance... it was a beautiful
sight. If not for the stares that she felt bore into the back of her
head, it would have been serene, peaceful, even. She sighed, giving
up on zoning out into her usual trance, and turned back to Zell, who
had already wolfed down one sandwich and was moving onto the next.

"If you don't slow
down, you're going to choke." Miu warned quietly, an indifferent
expression on her face, except for the tiniest fraction of an amused
smile on her lips. The fraction of a smile didn't last, however, when
Zell suddenly swallowed a rather large mouthful and looked past her.
She already knew what - or rather, whom - he was looking at. It was
the owner of the voice from earlier, his dark shadow looming over her
as he stood directly behind her.

"Isn't that funny? I
said the same thing to you once, Miu, in a little hotel room in
Dollet--"

The owner of the voice
spoke, deep and sinister, bringing back memories that she preferred
stay hidden in the deepest recesses of her mind.

Determined, she pretended
not to notice, even when Zell started to stand, an angry look on his
face. Obviously, he'd figured out the hidden connotations in the
previous sentence. "Zell," She started, grabbing the
blond's attention before he got himself into trouble, "I've been
wanting to work on my martial arts lately, think that you could help
me out sometime?" She didn't turn around, but she could still
see the scowl on his face.

Zell paused in his
actions, glaring at the tall man standing behind Miu, dressed in a
large dark trench coat. The man had long dark hair, down to about his
shoulders, and a bulky, strong build. An axe was strapped to his
back, razor sharp edges glinting under the light. Despite how bad his
urge was to knock this man out the Cafeteria window, and then some,
Zell could tell that Miu wished otherwise, since she tried to
distract him. Not once taking his eyes off of the 'intruder', Zell
sat back down and answered Miu with a simple, "Sure."

The man standing behind
Miu looked from Miu to Zell, and back again, a deep scowl settled on
his attractively masculine face. Apparently, he didn't like being
ignored... he also seemed to be getting the wrong idea about the two
at the table in front of him, but maybe that was Miu's plan. "So,
moved on to another one, have you, Miu?" He sneered, "I
hope you treat him as well as you did me, you little slut."

"Why you--" Zell
began, once again starting to rise from his chair.

Miu interrupted once
again, an obviously fake smile plastered onto her face, "Zell,
how soon do you think you could help me train?"

Zell finally tore his eyes
away from the tall figure behind Miu and focused on the girl. Her
eyes were closed, the smile on her face was too wide, too forced, and
she was gripping her chopsticks with white knuckles. Whatever her
history was with this guy, it wasn't good, and for some reason, she
was doing her best to ignore him. How could she sit there and take
insults like that?

The man focused his fierce
green eyes on Zell, nearly snarling in anger at being ignored again.
"Have fun with her; she's one hell of a fuck."

The chopsticks in Miu's
hands cracked and broke, and the man scoffed arrogantly before
sauntering off. Zell now stood fully, turning in the direction of the
man, when her voice, sounding so dead and so hurt at the same time,
stopped him in his tracks.

"You still haven't
answered my question."

"...Who was that
guy?" Zell asked, either oblivious or purposely ignoring the
many eyes directed at himself and Miu.

She was looking back out
the window, sharp bangs shadowing her eyes from view. "Ex-boyfriend."
Was the only explanation she offered.

"And why is he so--"

"He's arrogant,
jealous, and obsessed with power. He hates me because I broke up with
him. I stopped you from going after him because he's not worth
getting yourself into trouble for."

Zell frowned, leaning
forward, elbows on the table. "Why didn't you say anything to
him?"

"I... don't want to
provoke him."

Cautiously sitting back
down in the chair, Zell turned narrowed eyes to the girl, “What
do you mean? You shouldn't take that crap!”

“That's just it,”
Miu replied casually, a baleful wisp of a smirk crossing her face,
“If I decided to react, things would get out of hand. I'd
rather not go to prison, especially for murder.” She ignored
the startled gasps, the stares, the whispers that cascaded throughout
the Cafeteria. None of them knew her, none of them cared about her
anyways, so why should it matter what they thought of her? It didn't.

“I guess you've got
a point.” Zell laughed strangely, something hidden within the
amused sound, “I've had to restrain myself enough times to
know.” His wide grin spread as he rubbed the back of his head
awkwardly, fingers moving smoothly through his soft blond hair. But
still... what's with that guy?
His gaze moved to her face, sharp red and black bangs falling in
front of her dull red eyes, while the longer layers framed her face
and fell over her shoulders. He caught sight of the jagged line
underneath her right eye, on her cheekbone. His brows knitted
together in confusion, but he didn't feel right asking about it. Not
yet.

The
whispers and bits of chatter in the Cafeteria came to a stop as a
light beeping sounded through the area, and a familiar voice rang
over the P.A. “Miu Kuronaga, please report to the Headmaster's
Office, immediately. I repeat, Miu Kuronaga...”

Miu
stood, a false smile on her face, eyes closed. “Well, thanks
for the food...”

“You
didn't even really get to eat any.” Zell pointed out, sounding
disappointed and almost apologetic.

She
waved her hand dismissively at him, opening her eyes. Her eyes
involuntarily flicking over to the blond SeeD's tattoo, admiring the
intricate, spiky, black design as she always did. “That's fine,
it's the thought that counts, ne?”

“Rain-check?”
He asked, his voice hopeful.

“Sure.” Miu
replied distractedly, heading away from the table, eyes focused
straight ahead. The other occupants of the tables watched her leave,
following every footstep as she exited the Cafeteria, walking down
the long red hallway before finally heading to Squall's Office. She
found comfort in the brief silence of the elevator ride, despite the
vague sense of loneliness that she pushed away. She was eighteen now;
she'd arrived at Balamb Garden nearly ten years ago... she had been
completely alone the entire time, so why should it bother her now?

It didn't, she told
herself.

It didn't.

-----------------------------------------------------

AN:
Lemme know what you thought of the first chapter, please! If you read
the last version of this story, tell me if you liked that version or
this one better. (Sorry if it was in any way cheesy or cliché.)
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A Frozen Fire