FicWad

FINAL FANTASY VIII
-Time's Orphan-

-Chapter 02-

Watching a spider skitter across the ceiling, Squall could not get
Little Paradox out of his mind. "You tried to be my best friend,
didn't you?" he said to himself as Quistis walked into the room.
"But I was so mad at you because Sis didn't come back."

"We all tried to be your best friend, Squall," Quistis said from
the doorway, thinking he was speaking to her. "We all still do."

Squall nodded, curtly, in angry embarrassment. He stood up, and
headed down the corridor to breakfast with a puzzled Quistis
following in his wake.

"I didn't mean you." Squall told Quistis when they joined the others
and he finally saw her expression.

"Oh," Quistis replied. She wasn't sure if it made her feel better,
but she was, at least, a bit less puzzled.

"I was thinking of that other boy. Do any of you remember him?" He
looked at each of them, seeing that they were trying to recall the
child he was speaking of.

"A dark-haired boy..." Quistis remembered.

"With an infectiously cheerful attitude..." Irvine added his own
recollection. "Even gave Selphie a run for her money in that
department."

"He was younger than we were..." Zell put in.

"And he liked to sing." Squall shuddered. "All the time."

"He sounds sweet," Rinoa smiled.

"He was sweet." Quistis recalled, fondly. "Though Squall didn't
seem to think so at the time."

~*~

Little Paradox was singing again.

Squall wished the boy would go away. He had been here in
Squall and Sis's room all week now. That mean that Sis
couldn't come back. She needed her bed to be free. That's
how it worked. If her bed was taken up by someone else,
she would not be able to come back.

He glared at the singing boy.

Little Paradox beamed at Squall in reply. He didn't like
to see Squall frowning and was doing his best to cheer
him up.

"Come and play!" Selphie invited cheerfully as she ran
through the room.

Little Paradox followed her, laughing and still singing
that song that annoyed Squall so very much.

~*~