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FINAL FANTASY VIII
-Time's Orphan-

Squall lay back, trying to remember more of his past. He had remembered
so much, but so many things remained unanswered. He pushed aside all
the reasons his father might have had for leaving him there. He'd heard
all Laguna had to say about it, and that had been far more than he'd
wanted to hear. He'd hoped Laguna would say "I didn't love you," or
"I never wanted you." Then, he could have hated the man, punched him in
the mouth, and had it all behind him. Instead, Laguna had love him.
Loved him with such fierce paternal loyalty that he had done all he
could to make sure that Squall had as normal a childhood as he could
provide him. With Raine having died in childbirth, Laguna had found a
woman he felt would be a suitable mother, Edea Kramer.

The orphanage had been an instant family for Squall and his 'big sister'
Ellone. He'd met Zell there, along with Quistis and Selphie. Even Seifer
had been there. Had Fujin and Raijin been there, too, at some point? He
couldn't remember. All he could remember were the people in his group,
Matron, and a small dark-haired boy whose name he could not recall.

"Who were you?" he wondered as he drifted off to sleep.

***

Edea hummed a song that Squall thought sounded familiar. She was sitting
down, the boy Squall couldn't remember seated on her lap. Squall himself,
the one from that time period at least, didn't seem to like the boy very
much.

"Does he have to stay here?"

"Of course," Edea told him. The boy in her lap sneezed and she wiped his
nose. "You want him to get better, don't you?"

Squall shrugged.

The boy sneezed again.

"You're going to be all right, my little paradox." Edea told the boy
as she wiped his nose again.

The scene changed, and Squall found himself in the door of his room,
pouting at Matron.

"He can't sleep there," Squall pouted. "That's Sis's bed. When Sis
comes home, she's gonna sleep there."

"But she didn't come home," the older Squall remembered. "She stayed
away and I blamed it all on Paradox."