Hey! Welcome to The Darker Side of Light!

We very soon leave the realm of Final Fantasy VIII, but for those not very familiar with it:

Squall Leonhart- Leon

Balamb Garden- The military academy/ship that Squall/Leon commands.

Ragnarok- A space-worthy aircraft.

Rinoa- The girl/sorceress Squall fell in love with.

Irvine, Zell, Quistis, Selphie- Squall's team and close friends.

I believe that's I can tell you without giving too much away. On we go...

He ran fast and hard through the brush. His breath came in strangled gasps.

A shadow slithered near him. In one quick, fluid motion, Lionheart was in his hands and the shadow dispatched.

His mind was racing for answers almost as fast as his feet were racing for escape, but he couldn't seem to get past one looming question.

Why?

As much as he wanted, though, he found no answer. Maybe there was no answer. It wasn't like he had an excuse. He had let this happen. The world was quickly and effectively coming to an end, and it was his fault.

If he had paid her more attention, maybe this could have all been avoided. If he hadn't taken her control for granted. If he had given her the time of day instead of focusing so much on running the Garden. If he had been a better Knight. If, if, if.

But he hadn't. And he did, and he didn't.

And he wasn't.

Without an attentive Knight to protect her, she had given into her Sorceress' powers. She had been overwhelmed. He could still hear her screams…

"Squall!"

He turned sharply, kicking up loam, running to Irvine's voice and the sudden crack of gunfire.

They had had to set Balamb Garden down near Fisherman's Horizon. It was no longer operable after the shadows ravaged the engine in their first attack. Her screams had summoned them, bringing them from the walls and through the floor.

Garden's population had been cut in half by that single assault. He had ordered the evacuation as soon as the ship touched ground, and now they all ran for their lives. Squall had been the last out. He had pleaded with her and apologized. He tried to get her to move, to run with him, but she could only scream and send the shadows at him.

He could only watch, helpless as they consumed her.

And now Zell was screaming.

Garden wasn't the only place the shadows had flocked to. The surrounding country was filled with them, jumping out of nowhere, appearing from thin air.

Squall sped up, pushing his body to its limits, gritting his teeth at the pain in his side where sharp claws had cut his flesh. His team and all of his remaining cadets were in danger. He could smell the smoke and the blood and the stench of sulfur.

It didn't take him too much longer to catch up to the group. It was devastatingly small, with only about twenty-five still standing. Surely they hadn't lost so many? Maybe they had gotten separated…

But that wasn't the most pressing of concerns. The shadows were closing in on them, golden eyes glowing with hunger. Squall watched as one leapt at a cadet that was just too slow, bringing claws to bear on his chest. In one deft move, it ripped out his heart and stuffed it into its own gaping maw.

The cadet writhed a second before his skin turned into blackness. His form shriveled and twisted until it too became a shadow. It then picked itself off the ground, antennae twitching and tongue tasting the air for a victim.

A shot to the head turned the creature into dust.

Irvine fired repeatedly into the swarm, dispelling the shadows with frantic shots. Others cut, beat and sliced their way through the wave of blackness. Squall quickly joined, stepping between a shadow and Zell as the wounded martial artist tried to stand up. Blood leaked from his arm, soaking his shirt.

Squall focused his mind on the battle at hand, slashing his way through the black tide. It was a hopeless battle, really. He knew it. So did every cadet and seasoned warrior around him. He saw it in the bleak stares of his companions as they saw the endless sea of shadows stretched out before them, and in the knowing look they had when a comrade screamed.

No one was getting out of here alive. The Lionheart was becoming heavier every parry, every thrust. He felt his energy draining with the blood seeping through his side. They were all going to die here, and it would all be his fault.

"Squall!"

The voice got his attention. He shot a glance to the side, not daring to spare the owner of the voice more attention than that. But when he saw what Irvine was pointing at, he did a double take.

Ragnarok!

The ship put down nearby and lowered a ramp. The shadows seemed oblivious to the new arrival, preferring to focus on closer prey.

At this point, Squall didn't care if Ultimecia herself was piloting it. Anything was better than dying here at the hands of once-comrades-turned-shadows.

"Get to the ship!" he shouted, grabbing Zell by the arm and half dragging him off the battlefield. The group made a collective sprint to the ship, abandoning the fight completely, but the extra load caused Squall to fall behind.

Something jumped on his back, digging sharp talons into his flesh. It took him a long second to realize he was screaming as the monster proceeded to tear through skin and muscle, looking for his heart.

Something else attached to his leg, then his waist.

He was screaming, falling. He was drowning in a sea of black.

This was his punishment, the wages of his sin. He would become the very thing that had killed her.

Rinoa.

Squall closed his eyes.

So I haven't seen many fics on here involving how Squall got involved with all this Kingdom Hearts business. I thought I'd make my own version ^-^

As far as major characters go, Lea (Axel) will play an important role in this fiction. I think Squall interacting with Lea/Axel could prove interesting XD

Please leave a review, if you would, and let me know what you think. I'm also open to any suggestions for the plot that you might have :) I've got a basic one panned out, but there's always room for more ^-^

Have a great week!

God Bless,

-RainFlame