**warning.. again** this chapter is a bit.. odd. i seem to have gone from one extreme to another, in that this chapter just isn't funny at all. i hope this makes sense to you.. it doesn't really advance the story that much, but i felt it was necessary to do.. with that in mind.. hope you like.
Where we left off:
Seifer, still covered in glass and little bits of rodent, looked up, locked eyes with Squall, and smiled.
The entire garden was leveled before anyone even knew something was wrong.
***
Death perked up as they arrived, one by one, into the waiting room. He knew that there were others he had to pick up along the way, but this was a start... this was what he was waiting for.
Chapter 3
Rinoa slowly regained conciousness, and realized that she was in Hell.
Around her, the garden lay in ruins. The students she could see littered the ground like so many dicarded rag dolls. Arms and legs bent at impossible angles. Eyes stared cold and lifeless in every direction. She saw those she knew well, and those that she knew not at all. Women and men, adults and children.. all recieved the same treatment. All had drawn life's last breath.
She felt something warm touch her hand and saw the blood. She jumped back and saw the next drop fall where she had just been standing. She looked up and saw the source. Someone's hand lay hanging over the second floor bridge. A steady stream of crimson was now flowing from the cold flesh.
Before she could truly take it all in, a thought exploded into her mind.. Squall.
Where was Squall? Where was everyone she was with in Cid's office?
The headmaster's office. She was on the third floor when this happened.. where was everyone else?
She frantically looked around her, but saw nobody she recognized. Had she fallen from the third story? She must have.. it must have been a miracle that she escaped unscathed. But she had to find Squall.
She looked at the elevator and saw that it's cables had snapped and it now lay in ruins far below.. where NORG had once been. That wouldn't stop her. Nothing would stop her from finding her friends.. from finding Squall.
She began climbing madly, scrambling to get to the top.. ignoring the cuts that were appearing all over her body from broken glass and debris. She climbed like a woman insane.. she climbed like a woman in love.
Rinoa barely recognized the third floor when she finally reached it. The area above the headmaster's office, the area where Nida had piloted the ship, had collapsed onto the office itself. She saw Nida himself, broken and bloody, impaled on the massive controls of the ship.
Her search became frantic. She dug through the rubble for what seemed like an eternity. Then, after flipping over the headmaster's heavy oak dining table, she saw them.
Lively little Selphie. Playful Irvine. Bullheaded Zell. Beautiful Quistis. Cid, the man who was like a father to her now. And Edea.. her surrogate mother. All of them.
Dead.
She was beyond tears by now.. beyond grief. She had nothing left inside her.
Then she saw it.
A glint of gold.
She knew already, but she had to see for herself. She moved away some boards, being careful with each one. She saw his face as she removed the last one, and her heart turned to stone. She had nothing now. She worked so hard to get these people to accept her, and now.. they were gone. He was gone.
Her mind was made up before the thought even entered it. She walked over to a gaping hole in the wall and looked down. It was over. She had to take the pain away.
And then she saw him. Seifer. Standing in the middle of the lobby. Smiling at her.
He had done this. The man she thought she loved had killed the man she knew she loved.
As Seifer turned and slowly walked out of the garden, Rinoa felt a new sensation pass through her body, something that, up until this moment, she had thought she was above feeling.
Hatred.
She had been quiet little Rinoa for too long. It was time to change. She scrambled back down to the first floor and started towards where Seifer had gone, stopping only when she saw the disciplinary committee laying on the ground. Fujin and Raijin. He didn't even care about his friends. He killed without prejudice. She smiled then, knowing that in her, they could all live. All those that Seifer had killed would live in on in her mind. She would remember them, and she would make damn sure that Seifer remembered them.
She began walking outside, letting all the dead know that they would be avenged by speaking a single syllable.
"RAGE."
***
"Get up."
Zell felt a sharp pain in his ribs and opened his eyes.
"Get up."
The second kick was harder. He got to his knees.
"I said get up, chicken-wuss."
He rolled out of the way before the third kick could connect. "Seifer."
Zell stood and focused on his assailant. No.. not Seifer.. it was...
"Squall?"
"Very good, chicken-wuss.. you're smarter than I thought."
"Squall.. what's going on? What happened?"
"You passed out, like the chicken-wuss you are."
"Why do you keep calling me that?"
"Because Seifer was right all along.. you really are a chicken-wuss."
"No."
"Think about it Zell, if you weren't, would you really get so angry when he called you a chicken-wuss? I thought about for awhile and then realized something. Deep down inside, you know that you truly are weak. You know that you can't measure up to Seifer and me. Deep down inside.. you're scared."
"That's not.. that's not true."
"If it's not true, then why did your voice break just then?"
"It didn't. I'm not a chicken-wuss."
"You're afraid, Zell. You know that Seifer and I are superior to you in every way. You know that you can't beat us in battle."
"Yeah, but.. you guys have gunblades, and I...."
"You make me sick, Zell."
"Why are you doing this?"
"All you have is your excuses..."
"Shut up."
"You hide behind your little tough-guy attitude..."
"Shut UP."
"You're nothing."
"Stop it."
"You're noone"
"Stop."
"Are you gonna cry? Is little Zelly gonna cry for mommy? C'mon Zelly, let's see how you cry."
"No.. I'm not gonna cry."
"Then what are you going to do, Zell?"
At this, Zell stands up, brushes himself off, and looks straight into Squall's eyes.
"I'm gonna beat yer ass."
"What about me, chicken-wuss? You gonna take us both on?"
Zell turns to see Seifer standing behind him. A worried look crosses his face, but is quickly replaced by a cocky smile. "Yeah.. yeah, Seifer.. I'm going to beat the hell out of both of you."
For the first time that Zell can remember, Seifer looks genuinely frightened.
"BOOYA!!!"
***
"You killed them all, Selphie."
"M.. ma..matron?"
"You killed all of your friends, Selphie."
"No.. I.. that's not possible."
"Who brought the bottle inside, Selphie?"
"I.. I did... but I didn't know it was bad.. I told them not to open it!"
"You didn't know it was bad? Did it not hurt your precious Irvine Kinneas?"
"Yeah, but.."
"But nothing! You killed them! You killed everyone you ever loved!"
Selphie sank to her knees and began sobbing. "Noooo...."
"It's your fault, Selphie."
Selphie's sobs lessened. "Irvy..."
"That's right Selphie, you killed Irvine."
Selphie sat in silence for a long time.
"Selphie? Didn't you hear me? You killed Irvine!"
"No, I didn't."
"Who brought the bottle inside?"
"Me. I did it. I brought the bottle inside, but I didn't kill them. I would never kill them."
"How can you say that?"
"I didn't kill them."
"Selphie."
"I DIDN'T KILL THEM!!!"
"Selphie, open your eyes."
That voice.. it was Irvine's voice. She opened her eyes and saw all that she needed to see.
"I didn't kill you!"
***
Irvine sat up and opened his eyes.
He was on trial.
"Irvine Kinneas, you have been charged with failure to follow orders as commanded by SeeD. As a result of your ineptitude, many innocent people perished at the hands of Sorceress Edea. You will subsequently be charged with one count of involuntary manslaughter for each of the deceased. How do you plea?"
"Squall?"
"Mr. Kinneas, please be advised that you should refer to me only as 'Your Honor' or 'Judge Leonheart' and never as 'Squall'."
"I'm sorry, Your Honor."
"Now, Mr. Kinneas, how do you plea?"
"Not Guilty."
"Very well. General Caraway, would you like to start the prosecution?"
"Thank you, Your Honor. Ladies and gentlemen of the court, what Mr. Kinneas has done is, quite frankly, inexcusable. He tried to disobey a direct order while he was under contract, and only carried it through at the urging of his outstanding squad leader." Squall and the general exchange smiles. "Now it has been made aware to the prosecution that, had Mr. Kinneas fired the shot when he was supposed to, and not two minutes late, Sorceress Edea would have died that night. Instead, Mr. Kinneas fired late, allowing the sorceress time to take in what was happening and protect herself from harm. We, the prosecution feel that Mr. Kinneas may have been harboring some mixed feeling towards Edea herself, as he knew that she was once the matron he loved so much."
At this revelation, the court begins buzzing and Judge Leonheart calls for order.
"Furthermore, your honor, we believe that Mr. Kinneas was trying to sway the other members of his squad to his side. The prosecution would like to call for it's first witness, a Miss Selphie Tilmitt"
Selphie walks into the courtroom and takes a seat in the witness booth.
"Selphie!!"
"Mr. Kinneas! Please restrain yourself. This is a court of law."
General Caraway clears his throat. "Ahem. If I may continue, Your Honor? Miss Tilmitt what is your relationship with the defendant?"
"We were both members of the same SeeD unit, assigned under contract to assassinate Sorceress Edea."
"And did your squad fulfill their contract?"
"No. My team, the gateway team, succeded in our duty, which was to trap the sorceress's float between the gates of the arch."
"And the other team?"
"The other team failed in it's mission."
"What was the other team's mission, Miss Tilmitt?"
"Mr. Kinneas was to assassinate Sorceress Edea from afar, using a sniper rifle that had been placed in the carousel of the clock. He was to fire a single shot as the carousel raised from the clock, eliminating the sorceress."
"Did Mr. Kinneas fire his shot?"
"Yes, but it was too late.. Edea had taken control of the situation by then. Our unit was no match."
"Miss Tilmitt, did Mr. Kinneas ever try to sway your thoughts, or cloud your judgement in any way?"
"Yes. After my garden had been destroyed, Mr. Kinneas stirred up memories from our, that is, the rest of the squad's, past."
"Could you tell the court what you mean by 'stirred up memories'?"
"Well, he told us all that the Guardian Forces were causing us to lose some of our old memories, but he still had them because he hadn't been junctioning GFs for very long."
"Continue."
"Then he started telling us stuff about how we were all together in an orphanage, and that the sorceress was the one who took care of us, and that instead of fighting her, we should try to help her."
"Help her, Miss Tilmitt?"
"Yes. Help her as in try to make her understand that we're not her enemies, that she doesn't have to kill and all that. Help her become the matron again."
"Did it ever occur to you, Miss Tilmitt, that perhaps Mr. Kinneas was lying? That he was manipulating your minds so that you would think only what he wanted you to think?"
"Not at the time, no. We all trusted him."
"No further questions, Your Honor."
"Very Well. Miss Tilmitt, you may step down now."
Selphie leaves and Judge Leonheart turns to Irvine. "Mr. Kinneas, do you have anything to say in your defense?"
"I.. I did my best. I took the shot.. it was.. too much pressure.. I couldn't.. I..."
"Mr. Kinneas, please.. you need to compose yourself. I'm ordering a fifteen minute recess."
As the gavel thundered out the judge's order, Irvine found himself once more falling into darkness.
***
Quistis wanted to die.
Everyone around her was happy.. they had someone to love, but she.. who did she have? Everyone just saw her as 'Instuctor Trepe'. She wanted somebody that would look at her a different way.. she wanted somebody that would look at her as a woman.
She sat in the cafeteria, looking at all the couples who walked in and out. The girls were always hanging off of the guys' arms, and the guys were always trying to impress the girls. But not Quistis.
No, Instuctor Trepe didn't have an arm to hang on to.
She watched as Selphie and Irvine openly flirted with each other. Selphie stuffing hot dogs into Irvine's mouth while Irvine taunted her by flirting with any girl who passed by.
Looking around, she saw Nida and Xu having lunch with Cid and Edea. Edea and Cid were husband and wife, of course, so that was alright, but she couldn't get over Nida and Xu. They were always together now. They met when Nida was assigned to pilot the garden, and Xu was to assist from his side. So much time together alone.. what else was there to do but talk... and talking led to friendship.. friendship led to love. Oh, why couldn't she have been assigned to assist Nida.. then maybe they might.. well, no use thinking about it now.
She heard giggling and turned to see what was going on. Zell was a table with three female students, who were laughing as they watched him try to eat two hot dogs at once. He was so oblivious. Those girls were there everyday, and he barely noticed them. He was always posing in front of him but they just acted like they didn't care. He never realized how much they really liked him. Maybe he'd get a clue someday.
Then, as she was smiling at Zell making an ass of himself, she saw them enter the cafeteria.
Squall and Rinoa.
Her Squall and His Rinoa.
She couldn't hate Rinoa. She was too nice. And she was happy for them, really. After all, they were engaged now. In fact, Rinoa had asked her to be a bride's maid at their wedding. Quistis felt like she had been slapped, but she agreed. Maybe being part of the wedding would force her to realize that Squall was unattainable for her. Her Squall.
Squall, who was so silent. Squall, who was so independant. Squall, who was so childish at times.
Squall, who had hurt her feelings. Squall, who had broken her heart. Squall, who cared about so little.
Quistis replayed these thoughts in her mind for several minutes.. she had never thought of it like this before. She tried to understand just what it was about Squall that had made her want him so very badly.
She could think of nothing. She couldn't think of a time that he made her feel good about herself. A time when they laughed together. A time when they shared something, anything, between them.
She smiled wider than she had in a long, long time when she finally realized the truth.
She didn't want him... she didn't love him...
She never had.
***
He woke in darkness absolute. Darkness so horrid that it took away sight. It took away sound. It took away taste and smell. All he was left with was touch.
Just enough that Squall knew he was there.
He tried to scream, but the blackness surrounding him swallowed his words before they were formed. The silence surrounding him was deafening. Why couldn't he see? Did he have his eyes open? Where were the others? Was he.. alone?
Yes. That's it. Once again, he was alone.
He thought about running, but where to? There was nothing to run to. More importantly, there was noone to run to. At this thought, Squall sank to his knees... and gave up.
He thought of Rinoa. Was she waiting for him? Was she at their meeting spot? Was she in the field by Edea's house? Maybe he could go there.. maybe he could...
No. He'd never make it. He barely made it to her last time. This time, there was no hope. He would die here.. alone.
He thought that he started crying, but he couldn't tell for sure until a tear hit one of his hands. In that instant, with that tear, he thought of everything, of everyone he loved.
He stood up and, with a single word, dispelled the darkness.
"Rinoa."
His senses came rushing back all at once, nearly driving him once again to his knees. Then he realized that he wasn't actually standing in the first place. He was sitting.
He was sitting in a waiting room.
*notes* well.. this one didn't turn out quite like i thought it would. I was trying to get somewhere, and I'm not quite sure if I succeeded. I'm not really even sure if i like this chapter. But it does leave me where i want to be, which is chapter 4, where the story will continue, i swear.
Also, I hope to return to the mix of seriousness and humor that i'm shooting for in the next chapter. by the way.. just in case you were wondering what the hell was going on.. i was trying express their fears, one by one... have them confront them and overcome them..
which everyone did.... OR DID THEY? bwahahahah.. ahem.. sorry. cya next chapter.
Where we left off:
Seifer, still covered in glass and little bits of rodent, looked up, locked eyes with Squall, and smiled.
The entire garden was leveled before anyone even knew something was wrong.
***
Death perked up as they arrived, one by one, into the waiting room. He knew that there were others he had to pick up along the way, but this was a start... this was what he was waiting for.
Chapter 3
Rinoa slowly regained conciousness, and realized that she was in Hell.
Around her, the garden lay in ruins. The students she could see littered the ground like so many dicarded rag dolls. Arms and legs bent at impossible angles. Eyes stared cold and lifeless in every direction. She saw those she knew well, and those that she knew not at all. Women and men, adults and children.. all recieved the same treatment. All had drawn life's last breath.
She felt something warm touch her hand and saw the blood. She jumped back and saw the next drop fall where she had just been standing. She looked up and saw the source. Someone's hand lay hanging over the second floor bridge. A steady stream of crimson was now flowing from the cold flesh.
Before she could truly take it all in, a thought exploded into her mind.. Squall.
Where was Squall? Where was everyone she was with in Cid's office?
The headmaster's office. She was on the third floor when this happened.. where was everyone else?
She frantically looked around her, but saw nobody she recognized. Had she fallen from the third story? She must have.. it must have been a miracle that she escaped unscathed. But she had to find Squall.
She looked at the elevator and saw that it's cables had snapped and it now lay in ruins far below.. where NORG had once been. That wouldn't stop her. Nothing would stop her from finding her friends.. from finding Squall.
She began climbing madly, scrambling to get to the top.. ignoring the cuts that were appearing all over her body from broken glass and debris. She climbed like a woman insane.. she climbed like a woman in love.
Rinoa barely recognized the third floor when she finally reached it. The area above the headmaster's office, the area where Nida had piloted the ship, had collapsed onto the office itself. She saw Nida himself, broken and bloody, impaled on the massive controls of the ship.
Her search became frantic. She dug through the rubble for what seemed like an eternity. Then, after flipping over the headmaster's heavy oak dining table, she saw them.
Lively little Selphie. Playful Irvine. Bullheaded Zell. Beautiful Quistis. Cid, the man who was like a father to her now. And Edea.. her surrogate mother. All of them.
Dead.
She was beyond tears by now.. beyond grief. She had nothing left inside her.
Then she saw it.
A glint of gold.
She knew already, but she had to see for herself. She moved away some boards, being careful with each one. She saw his face as she removed the last one, and her heart turned to stone. She had nothing now. She worked so hard to get these people to accept her, and now.. they were gone. He was gone.
Her mind was made up before the thought even entered it. She walked over to a gaping hole in the wall and looked down. It was over. She had to take the pain away.
And then she saw him. Seifer. Standing in the middle of the lobby. Smiling at her.
He had done this. The man she thought she loved had killed the man she knew she loved.
As Seifer turned and slowly walked out of the garden, Rinoa felt a new sensation pass through her body, something that, up until this moment, she had thought she was above feeling.
Hatred.
She had been quiet little Rinoa for too long. It was time to change. She scrambled back down to the first floor and started towards where Seifer had gone, stopping only when she saw the disciplinary committee laying on the ground. Fujin and Raijin. He didn't even care about his friends. He killed without prejudice. She smiled then, knowing that in her, they could all live. All those that Seifer had killed would live in on in her mind. She would remember them, and she would make damn sure that Seifer remembered them.
She began walking outside, letting all the dead know that they would be avenged by speaking a single syllable.
"RAGE."
***
"Get up."
Zell felt a sharp pain in his ribs and opened his eyes.
"Get up."
The second kick was harder. He got to his knees.
"I said get up, chicken-wuss."
He rolled out of the way before the third kick could connect. "Seifer."
Zell stood and focused on his assailant. No.. not Seifer.. it was...
"Squall?"
"Very good, chicken-wuss.. you're smarter than I thought."
"Squall.. what's going on? What happened?"
"You passed out, like the chicken-wuss you are."
"Why do you keep calling me that?"
"Because Seifer was right all along.. you really are a chicken-wuss."
"No."
"Think about it Zell, if you weren't, would you really get so angry when he called you a chicken-wuss? I thought about for awhile and then realized something. Deep down inside, you know that you truly are weak. You know that you can't measure up to Seifer and me. Deep down inside.. you're scared."
"That's not.. that's not true."
"If it's not true, then why did your voice break just then?"
"It didn't. I'm not a chicken-wuss."
"You're afraid, Zell. You know that Seifer and I are superior to you in every way. You know that you can't beat us in battle."
"Yeah, but.. you guys have gunblades, and I...."
"You make me sick, Zell."
"Why are you doing this?"
"All you have is your excuses..."
"Shut up."
"You hide behind your little tough-guy attitude..."
"Shut UP."
"You're nothing."
"Stop it."
"You're noone"
"Stop."
"Are you gonna cry? Is little Zelly gonna cry for mommy? C'mon Zelly, let's see how you cry."
"No.. I'm not gonna cry."
"Then what are you going to do, Zell?"
At this, Zell stands up, brushes himself off, and looks straight into Squall's eyes.
"I'm gonna beat yer ass."
"What about me, chicken-wuss? You gonna take us both on?"
Zell turns to see Seifer standing behind him. A worried look crosses his face, but is quickly replaced by a cocky smile. "Yeah.. yeah, Seifer.. I'm going to beat the hell out of both of you."
For the first time that Zell can remember, Seifer looks genuinely frightened.
"BOOYA!!!"
***
"You killed them all, Selphie."
"M.. ma..matron?"
"You killed all of your friends, Selphie."
"No.. I.. that's not possible."
"Who brought the bottle inside, Selphie?"
"I.. I did... but I didn't know it was bad.. I told them not to open it!"
"You didn't know it was bad? Did it not hurt your precious Irvine Kinneas?"
"Yeah, but.."
"But nothing! You killed them! You killed everyone you ever loved!"
Selphie sank to her knees and began sobbing. "Noooo...."
"It's your fault, Selphie."
Selphie's sobs lessened. "Irvy..."
"That's right Selphie, you killed Irvine."
Selphie sat in silence for a long time.
"Selphie? Didn't you hear me? You killed Irvine!"
"No, I didn't."
"Who brought the bottle inside?"
"Me. I did it. I brought the bottle inside, but I didn't kill them. I would never kill them."
"How can you say that?"
"I didn't kill them."
"Selphie."
"I DIDN'T KILL THEM!!!"
"Selphie, open your eyes."
That voice.. it was Irvine's voice. She opened her eyes and saw all that she needed to see.
"I didn't kill you!"
***
Irvine sat up and opened his eyes.
He was on trial.
"Irvine Kinneas, you have been charged with failure to follow orders as commanded by SeeD. As a result of your ineptitude, many innocent people perished at the hands of Sorceress Edea. You will subsequently be charged with one count of involuntary manslaughter for each of the deceased. How do you plea?"
"Squall?"
"Mr. Kinneas, please be advised that you should refer to me only as 'Your Honor' or 'Judge Leonheart' and never as 'Squall'."
"I'm sorry, Your Honor."
"Now, Mr. Kinneas, how do you plea?"
"Not Guilty."
"Very well. General Caraway, would you like to start the prosecution?"
"Thank you, Your Honor. Ladies and gentlemen of the court, what Mr. Kinneas has done is, quite frankly, inexcusable. He tried to disobey a direct order while he was under contract, and only carried it through at the urging of his outstanding squad leader." Squall and the general exchange smiles. "Now it has been made aware to the prosecution that, had Mr. Kinneas fired the shot when he was supposed to, and not two minutes late, Sorceress Edea would have died that night. Instead, Mr. Kinneas fired late, allowing the sorceress time to take in what was happening and protect herself from harm. We, the prosecution feel that Mr. Kinneas may have been harboring some mixed feeling towards Edea herself, as he knew that she was once the matron he loved so much."
At this revelation, the court begins buzzing and Judge Leonheart calls for order.
"Furthermore, your honor, we believe that Mr. Kinneas was trying to sway the other members of his squad to his side. The prosecution would like to call for it's first witness, a Miss Selphie Tilmitt"
Selphie walks into the courtroom and takes a seat in the witness booth.
"Selphie!!"
"Mr. Kinneas! Please restrain yourself. This is a court of law."
General Caraway clears his throat. "Ahem. If I may continue, Your Honor? Miss Tilmitt what is your relationship with the defendant?"
"We were both members of the same SeeD unit, assigned under contract to assassinate Sorceress Edea."
"And did your squad fulfill their contract?"
"No. My team, the gateway team, succeded in our duty, which was to trap the sorceress's float between the gates of the arch."
"And the other team?"
"The other team failed in it's mission."
"What was the other team's mission, Miss Tilmitt?"
"Mr. Kinneas was to assassinate Sorceress Edea from afar, using a sniper rifle that had been placed in the carousel of the clock. He was to fire a single shot as the carousel raised from the clock, eliminating the sorceress."
"Did Mr. Kinneas fire his shot?"
"Yes, but it was too late.. Edea had taken control of the situation by then. Our unit was no match."
"Miss Tilmitt, did Mr. Kinneas ever try to sway your thoughts, or cloud your judgement in any way?"
"Yes. After my garden had been destroyed, Mr. Kinneas stirred up memories from our, that is, the rest of the squad's, past."
"Could you tell the court what you mean by 'stirred up memories'?"
"Well, he told us all that the Guardian Forces were causing us to lose some of our old memories, but he still had them because he hadn't been junctioning GFs for very long."
"Continue."
"Then he started telling us stuff about how we were all together in an orphanage, and that the sorceress was the one who took care of us, and that instead of fighting her, we should try to help her."
"Help her, Miss Tilmitt?"
"Yes. Help her as in try to make her understand that we're not her enemies, that she doesn't have to kill and all that. Help her become the matron again."
"Did it ever occur to you, Miss Tilmitt, that perhaps Mr. Kinneas was lying? That he was manipulating your minds so that you would think only what he wanted you to think?"
"Not at the time, no. We all trusted him."
"No further questions, Your Honor."
"Very Well. Miss Tilmitt, you may step down now."
Selphie leaves and Judge Leonheart turns to Irvine. "Mr. Kinneas, do you have anything to say in your defense?"
"I.. I did my best. I took the shot.. it was.. too much pressure.. I couldn't.. I..."
"Mr. Kinneas, please.. you need to compose yourself. I'm ordering a fifteen minute recess."
As the gavel thundered out the judge's order, Irvine found himself once more falling into darkness.
***
Quistis wanted to die.
Everyone around her was happy.. they had someone to love, but she.. who did she have? Everyone just saw her as 'Instuctor Trepe'. She wanted somebody that would look at her a different way.. she wanted somebody that would look at her as a woman.
She sat in the cafeteria, looking at all the couples who walked in and out. The girls were always hanging off of the guys' arms, and the guys were always trying to impress the girls. But not Quistis.
No, Instuctor Trepe didn't have an arm to hang on to.
She watched as Selphie and Irvine openly flirted with each other. Selphie stuffing hot dogs into Irvine's mouth while Irvine taunted her by flirting with any girl who passed by.
Looking around, she saw Nida and Xu having lunch with Cid and Edea. Edea and Cid were husband and wife, of course, so that was alright, but she couldn't get over Nida and Xu. They were always together now. They met when Nida was assigned to pilot the garden, and Xu was to assist from his side. So much time together alone.. what else was there to do but talk... and talking led to friendship.. friendship led to love. Oh, why couldn't she have been assigned to assist Nida.. then maybe they might.. well, no use thinking about it now.
She heard giggling and turned to see what was going on. Zell was a table with three female students, who were laughing as they watched him try to eat two hot dogs at once. He was so oblivious. Those girls were there everyday, and he barely noticed them. He was always posing in front of him but they just acted like they didn't care. He never realized how much they really liked him. Maybe he'd get a clue someday.
Then, as she was smiling at Zell making an ass of himself, she saw them enter the cafeteria.
Squall and Rinoa.
Her Squall and His Rinoa.
She couldn't hate Rinoa. She was too nice. And she was happy for them, really. After all, they were engaged now. In fact, Rinoa had asked her to be a bride's maid at their wedding. Quistis felt like she had been slapped, but she agreed. Maybe being part of the wedding would force her to realize that Squall was unattainable for her. Her Squall.
Squall, who was so silent. Squall, who was so independant. Squall, who was so childish at times.
Squall, who had hurt her feelings. Squall, who had broken her heart. Squall, who cared about so little.
Quistis replayed these thoughts in her mind for several minutes.. she had never thought of it like this before. She tried to understand just what it was about Squall that had made her want him so very badly.
She could think of nothing. She couldn't think of a time that he made her feel good about herself. A time when they laughed together. A time when they shared something, anything, between them.
She smiled wider than she had in a long, long time when she finally realized the truth.
She didn't want him... she didn't love him...
She never had.
***
He woke in darkness absolute. Darkness so horrid that it took away sight. It took away sound. It took away taste and smell. All he was left with was touch.
Just enough that Squall knew he was there.
He tried to scream, but the blackness surrounding him swallowed his words before they were formed. The silence surrounding him was deafening. Why couldn't he see? Did he have his eyes open? Where were the others? Was he.. alone?
Yes. That's it. Once again, he was alone.
He thought about running, but where to? There was nothing to run to. More importantly, there was noone to run to. At this thought, Squall sank to his knees... and gave up.
He thought of Rinoa. Was she waiting for him? Was she at their meeting spot? Was she in the field by Edea's house? Maybe he could go there.. maybe he could...
No. He'd never make it. He barely made it to her last time. This time, there was no hope. He would die here.. alone.
He thought that he started crying, but he couldn't tell for sure until a tear hit one of his hands. In that instant, with that tear, he thought of everything, of everyone he loved.
He stood up and, with a single word, dispelled the darkness.
"Rinoa."
His senses came rushing back all at once, nearly driving him once again to his knees. Then he realized that he wasn't actually standing in the first place. He was sitting.
He was sitting in a waiting room.
*notes* well.. this one didn't turn out quite like i thought it would. I was trying to get somewhere, and I'm not quite sure if I succeeded. I'm not really even sure if i like this chapter. But it does leave me where i want to be, which is chapter 4, where the story will continue, i swear.
Also, I hope to return to the mix of seriousness and humor that i'm shooting for in the next chapter. by the way.. just in case you were wondering what the hell was going on.. i was trying express their fears, one by one... have them confront them and overcome them..
which everyone did.... OR DID THEY? bwahahahah.. ahem.. sorry. cya next chapter.