Final Fantasy 8, Squall Leonheart, Blvd of Broken Dreams - Green Day
Author: Wolfchildblazer
Title of work: Shards of the Misconstrue
Rating: PG-13
Fandom: Final Fantasy 8, and a hint of Kingdom Hearts
Character: Squall Leonheart
Song and Artist: Blvd of Broken Dreams by Green Day
Song Number: # 1
Disclaimer: I do not own the song, the game, or the character contain within, nor am I receiving any proceeds from this written piece.
Summary : (AU) There was always the shards of his path, and eventually he ended up here.
Shards of the Misconstrue
"Stars, so many stars." a soft whisper floated in the breeze. The sky, it was painted blue-black with the whites of starlights, and the soft creme glow of the moon. A subtle wind drifted through ruffling the mahogany locks of the pensive watcher. Eerily his blue-grey eyes slid sideways reflecting the light and falling on his shadow.
I walk a lonely road
The only one that I have ever known
It twisted and shifted almost consciously, before stretching toward the dirt path he had come down. That image was a metaphor for his life, that path, was his alone and sometimes he wondered. Sure he had close people and relationships, but it all went away when things really went south. Always, he have to survive by himself, and this was no different. First Squall, now Leon, his name changed but his path did not.
Don’t know where it goes
But it’s home and I walk alone
None offered to come with him, figuring it was just his way. He was isolated because leader seemed painted upon his person. There had to be some unwritten rule about leaders being distant brooding, kind-heart people. Add on a sarcastic, quiet humor, and you had him in a nut-shell, well according to everyone else. Staring at that dirt path that slipped into the dark crevasses of the ice caverns, he could have laughed.
Oh, he had an idea where it went, but it look like it went on forever, and in retrospect, perhaps it did. Just like his life, and at this moment he was lost though tragedies did that to you. Once again he was by his lonesome, scrambling to gain control over the situation. "So Leon, what will you do now?" He questioned himself, sadly the answers did not come, so he fell to memories.
I walk this empty street
On the Blvd of Broken Dreams
"Mom, dad" he whispered, five years old, and already jaded toward people. His thin fingers traced the rain that fell down the planes of the window. Rain, it was always raining, ever since that day, the day of his birth. True, he had no idea why he was thrust into a orphanage, he was only a baby when it happened. Though what could have happened to cause him to be unwanted, because none of the adopters ever picked him. Everything was fine with him, he was healthy, he was smart, and he was strong, but they always turned away from him. Pity, and he had such a bright smile too...
Were the city sleeps
And I’m the only one and I walk alone
First steps, first words, first sentences, all of these done with an impressive speed, but none to care. The orphanage was overcrowded, so attention was sparse at best, but still he strived. He grew with others, others of his peer age but not of his group. Sometimes the other children would stare at him and isolate him from their games, they knew he was different. Maybe they knew that he had a fantastic, if depressing destiny...
My shadows’ the only one who walks beside me
My shallow hearts’ the only thing that’s beating
Squall learned quickly that people disappoint, sometimes with no reason. His parents, whomever they maybe, his ‘Sis,’, gone with the wind, and just people in general. Facade turns cold, emotions locked under key, and still he flourish. Ah, but still he was alone, still he walked on, listening only to his dying heart. Sometimes, so quiet it spoke, that he missed it, and he watched from the outside wondering at the things he missed. When others laughed, he shook his head, for the humor was vindictive.
How could children be so wise, and yet so cruel?
Sometimes I wish someone out there will find me
Till then I’ll walk alone
Closeness, he wasted for it, and he did have those that he could almost trust. The kind doctor in the garden who always took care of him after a particularly vicious spar with his rival. He was just at the beginning where they taught tolerance of pain before healing spells. Still, even then, his spars were thunderous in pain and danger.
His rival was another that he shared an unstable bond with, as there was always the possibility of it crumbling. For Seifer had that need for acceptance, for attention, and it leaked into unbalance at times. Squall couldn’t say that he was that much different, for he yearned for attention and acceptance, but it wasn’t a need. Not yet, it wasn’t, but still it hovered.
The last was his teacher, but that could be because she was his teacher. Something dealing with caring about your students in order to teach them. At least to make an attempt to understand them, it does wonders for their psyche. Ah, but Squall wanted someone who understood him.
"Dincht, sit down!" His teacher ordered. Squall gave him a raised eyebrow when he sat beside him. The blond male just gave a shrug and a thumbs up. ‘What a curious person, maybe a friend?’ He mused.
Friend, what an intriguing concept, perhaps he could have one too..
Ah-ah, ah-ah, ah-ah, ahhh
Ah-ah, ah-ah, ah-ah, ahh
I’m walking down this line
That divides me in my mind
On the border line of the edge
And where I walk alone
"Dude, you need a girl!" Zell informed him. Squall chuckled in his mind, but did not allow that amusement through. How many times has he heard this line?
"Whatever." His answer for everything.
"Ugh, your impossible!" With that Zell stomped off. The world had been a little brighter for him, since holding a strange friendship with the blonde. Zell, the direct opposite of everything he was, he was loud, rambunctious, and willing to fight with anyone he saw. Squall was quiet, calculating, and much rather avoid interaction at all possible.
Yet, still Zell wasn’t always there when Squall need his companion. Training diligently whenever he had a spare second, mastering his gunblade, number one in his class. Zell was a surprise, because you never knew what he would spring in training, though most thought he was a straight-forward brawler. That was a mistake that many made, and paid for it dearly in practice. Though not Squall, never Squall, because he could never be surprised. Yet, Zell kept him on his toes, even though Seifer, his rival, was better, but Zell was off chasing females.
Seifer fought like a mechanical soldier, by the book, and that made his rival boring if not strong in what he did, because there was no change up. So, yes, they shared almost identical scars across their faces, but that was about it.
Even with his weird friendship, strong rival, and over-reaching teacher, Squall was still isolated. He still ate alone, basically train and studied alone, healed alone, and contemplated alone. Tears and weakness did not stain him, for he had left them long ago. Yet, sometimes that familiar ache of wanting to belong would creep into his mind and he could not wave it away. Squall hated those moments, and yearned for them all the same. For it proved, he was still human, still had a soul...
Read between the lines of
What’s fucked up and everything’s all right
Check my vital signs to know I’m still alive
And I walk alone
"Squall, that was stupid!" A strict female voice yelled. Squall winced, his grey-blue eyes trying to burn images into his mind as his breath escaped him. Shadows were creeping over him, strange creatures with bizarre heart shapes engraved upon them. All he was seeing was their ever approaching empty yellow eyes, and his world disappearing before him.
"Whatever." He finally answered, and was promptly smacked on his throbbing arm. Glancing over at the disapproving eyes, he gave a weak smirk at his once teacher, Quistis. "Yeah." Squall agreed while gazing at the hilt of his gunblade sticking through his arm. He had thrust it through his own arm to save his girlfriend thinking his teacher would not reach her in time. However, he forgot to calculate the length of her whip as it cracked through the little shadow creature’s head.
The stupid mistake cost them precious seconds as Quistis attempted to heal him. While Rinoa held off the invading army, but there were too many and they were overrun. His arm was half-way healed, but he had to yank his gunblade out which reopened the wound. That wince caused him to miss the impalement of Quistis and the creature sneaking up on Rinoa. It pass through her, a flash of light followed, and she collapsed, her heart being swallowed by it.
Rage did not consume him, instead he just felt cold, no amount of revival or phoenix down would bring her back. Because her heart now belong to the growing shadow creature. He was the last, and his world was fading fast, Squall did not catch the strike to the back of his neck. Yet, for sure did he smile, as he would be able to join his friends again. He awaited the pain of death, but the nothingness of unconsciousness gripped him first.
However, before he completely blanked out he felt a tug on his soul. A loud voice screamed directly in his ear though it sounded far away. "He’s alive!" She, as it was female shouted.
Alive?
I walk alone
I walk alone
I walk alone
I walk a....
‘Where am I?’ Squall questioned to himself while glancing from hooded eyes. His tilted head must have caught another’s attention. "Welcome to the Radiant Garden!" She greeted before a somber attitude caught her. "You lost your world to the heartless too." Was added before he fell back into sleep. ‘My world gone?’ His last thought before darkness claimed him.
My shadows’ the only one that walks beside me
My shallow hearts’ the only thing that’s beating
Sometimes I wish someone out there will find me
Till then I walk alone
Yuffie, as was that woman’s name eventually left him alone. For another female had been found, and she had shouted in surprise. There had been another who had survived the destruction of their world, and it was somebody Yuffie knew. That left Squall puzzling over the possibility that there maybe someone from his world too around here. Though he doubted it, for he had seen the majority of his friends die. The sky was just beginning to turn dark when he felt a hand rest softly on his shoulder. He had knelt down to pray, an odd thing that Rinoa practiced. Glancing over his shoulder, he found sorrowed black eyes. His sharp eyes caught sight of a mouse-like resemblance, but he did not balk.
The male mouse gazed up to where Squall’s eyes had subconsciously traveled. For the first star had blazed into existence as the blanket of night spread. "The stars are distant worlds, a fading one, is one being consumed by the darkness." He started. "Don’t give up hope, for you may find someone you know elsewhere." The mouse finished and began to walk away. Squall watched him, and the mouse turned back to him. "What’s your name?" He inquired.
"Squall Leonheart..." He answered automatically, before stopping himself.
"Squall Leonheart?" The mouse parroted.
"No, it’s Leon now." And with that, the mouse nodded.
"Come find me when you’re ready." He said and walked away. Squall stared in that direction for a little bit before traveling off. Leaving him before the dirt path that he now stood at.
Ah-ah, ah-ah, ah-ah, ahh
Ah-ah, ah-ah, ah-ah, ahh
I walked this empty street
On the Blvd of Broken Dreams
Were the city sleeps
And I’m the only one and I walk a..
His crystal gaze was fixated on the stars, now known as worlds. Riveted he watched as one faded before drifting across the expansive sky. For a second he gazed beside himself, and laid a tan hand on his breast where his heart laid beating. Once again there was no one beside him...
My shadows’ the only one that walks beside me
My shallow hearts’ the only thing that’s beating
Sometimes I wish someone out there will find me
Till then I’ll walk alone...
"Stars, so many stars." He muttered and began walking down the foreign path he had not taken yet. Glancing up once more he saw three more stars go out. "Heh." Shrugging his shoulders, he sought out the talking mouse.
FIN.