Author's Note and Disclaimer: The characters in this fanfic belong to Square(Soft)-Enix and the makers of Final Fantasy VIII. The ideas are entirely my own but I'm sure others have thought of the same plots and written similar fics, but it was NOT my intention to plagiarize anyone in any way, shape, or form.

Please keep in mind that this is a fanfic. Feedback and constructive criticism is encouraged about my writing, however, not about my ideas. If you don't like what I put in here, don't ask me to change anything. You have the power to write about it yourself. And that doesn't mean by plagiarizing.

The following story is a sequel to "Sound of a Trembling Heart." For more information, please visit my profile page.

"Can't stop what's coming,

Can't stop what is on its way…

And now I speak to you, are you in there?

You have her face and her eyes, but you are not her…"

("Bells for Her" by Tori Amos)

Prologue

The whispers came softly at first, as if the speaker was trying to utter a secret, then they disappeared. None of the words made sense as the whispers echoed in and out, somewhat distant, like riding on the wind. Slowly but surely they started to trail closer and closer, and the whispers formed a sentence.

You can't change the past.

They came faster now, and somewhat louder. The echoes bounced off of nothing and returned back to remind whoever was listening, now more urgent…

You can't change the past.

Sharper and louder, they had started to repeat, over and over, faster and faster, until it was no longer a secret, but a harsh reality. Scary. Dominant. A thousand whispers came all at once, overlapping each other, coming one after another, not making any sense, tearing and cutting and hissing louder and louder, but in fleeting seconds; they all carried the same message.

You can't change the past. You can't change the past. You can't change the past. You can't change the past. You can't change the past. You can't change the past. You can't change the past. You can't change the past. You can't change the past. You can't change the past you can't change the past you can't change the past you can't change the pastYOUCAN'TCHANGETHEPASTYOUCAN'TCHANGETHEPAST-

Squall shot up, immediately torn from sleep.

Silence.

Beads of sweat had collected on his face and he was breathing frantically. He blinked, swallowed, then blinked again.

What…?

His heart was pounding, and he was more alert than normal. The ominous effects of the dream lingered. It had been a long time since he'd had any nightmares, but something seemed…off. He glanced over at Rinoa, who was still sleeping soundly at his side.

She hadn't budged. She looked so peaceful. His movement hadn't stirred her, and she continued to breathe softly, unaware of anything that was going on next to her. He felt a swell of relief that she was all right.

But he couldn't shake that feeling…

He swallowed and glanced towards the hallway leading into his sitting room. Without even thinking, he threw off the covers and walked towards the door and glanced at the monitor.

Nothing.

He put an ear against the door.

Silence.

For reasons he couldn't understand or explain, he still couldn't shake the feeling that something was terribly wrong. Something had roused him. All of them. He glanced back towards the bedroom, but Rinoa was still sleeping. He pressed a button and the door slid open, and he stepped out onto the cold floor outside.

The quad.

He walked out of the room, barefoot, ignoring the fact that he was still clothed in boxer shorts and a white t-shirt. He glanced back towards the end of the hallway, but saw and heard no one. He glanced towards the quad and started to walk down the corridor. The icy feeling in his stomach clenched tighter when he saw them.

Zell, Selphie, Irvine, Quistis, and Seifer were already gathered there in the middle of the quad, groggily glancing around, looking ashen. Quistis, dressed in pajama pants and a tank top, had her arms crossed and stood close to Seifer, who was wearing a pair of warm-up pants over his boxers with no shirt. Irvine, still in his boxers, had his arm around Selphie, who was dressed in a little white slip. Zell had a pair of board shorts on. They all looked concerned and confused. Squall had just joined them. They glanced up at him nervously, but said nothing. Eventually, Zell was the first to step up and speak.

"Okay…what the fuck was that?"