A/N: And here we are, once again, with the prequel to "Precious Treasure." We get a deeper look at our protagonist and his... issues. I hope you enjoy.

Warnings: Stalking, kidnapping, and generally disturbed behavior.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything but this twisted plot. In fact, I'm sure that if the games owners were ever to discover this, they'd have me killed. Painfully.

At first, there had been nothing but fury.

It had started, this second obsession, this new life, with as simple and innocent a thing as a supply run. Things were still chaotic in Hollow Bastion, and Traverse Town was in quite a state as well, which left a peculiar world on the edge as the first choice to procure the essentials.

It had taken every last bit of control to mask the rage that had swelled within him at the sight of... them.

When his mind had a chance to clear, Squall realized that he shouldn't have been surprised at all. Rinoa, Quistis, Irvine, Laguna... Everyone who meant anything to Squall Leonhart had been utterly consumed by the Heartless, so of course they, the worst examples of humanity he'd seen outside of Adel and Ultimecia, would survive. It was the worlds' way of reminding him that there was no peace for him, no happiness, no light at the end of the tunnel for Squall Leonhart.

And when he realized this, everything became clear. He wouldn't look for peace. After all, it was futile to want what you could not have. He would take the misery, and the grief, and he'd thrive in it, glory in it! He would take that unrest and that sorrow, and everything that the universe felt he should have, and he would give it right back!

And as luck would have it, there was a focus for all his anger right there, in a convenient, defenseless, package.

Oh, he'd been careful at first. A little harmless observation. The locks in the child's home were nothing but playthings, and watching him sleep, Squall could almost forgive him for living when everybody who should have, didn't.

Then there was the issue with the boy's memory. Although his body had reconstituted itself in the warm glow of Twilight Town's sun, his mind had not seen fit to follow. That had been disappointing. But Squall couldn't have survived this long without adapting. Eventually, he grew to like the idea. After all, he didn't know why he should have to suffer as he did. Why should that thing have it any better?

After a time, he grew tired of stalking. It was beneath him, he who had withstood the effects of time's compression and faced the wrath of the greatest Sorceress who would never have the chance to exist now. It was time, he decided, to act.

How easy it had been, to subdue the creature. All that training, all that skill, swept away by the darkness that had taken their world. It was such a waste, but Squall could deal with it.

In the night, while his companions slept, he had plucked the boy from his home and taken him to a small world he'd found quite by accident. It was a pocket, similar to the realm within the computer system, or that idiotic storybook; accessible only to Squall, and very much hidden from all others.

He had been very patient, waiting for the thing to wake. When those eyes had opened for the first time in his new home, the sensation was magnificent. The confusion, the panic, the terror. For the first time in a long time, Squall felt actual joy.

He ran a gentle hand through that blond hair, no need to be rough right away. No, there was plenty of time for that later.

"Seifer," he whispered softly, "I'm so glad you could be here. You and I are going to have some fun."