Into Oblivion Chapter I: Steam Will Rise
Contain yourself/I will compress/What I am to/Replace yourself/With what you have/Your substitute
Her name was Rinoa Heartilly. She was the Queen of the social world; strong, beautiful, rich, and she knew which friends to keep. Her significant other, one Squall Leonhart, held title as Commander of SeeD and saviour of the world, but it was well known that without Rinoa, the man so powerfully titled was nothing.
And it was well known that without Squall, Rinoa would never have become a Sorceress.
If Rinoa had never become a Sorceress, she would not have been standing where she was at that moment, speaking to the person who she was speaking to at that moment. If Rinoa had never become a Sorceress, her pure heart would not be tainted black as it was at that moment.
In one moment, jade green sparked and was engulfed in the flame of possession, strings attached to the white marionette and the grand act introduced on the world's stage. But let us move back several moments in time, several thousand moments by the judgement of some. Let us move back in time to the majestic crowning of the Queen.
* * *
The air hung with silence and frost, the very breath of defeat turning icy and falling to the ground in crystal shards. Magic danced as the essence of enchantment burned into the throats of everyone eligible present; electricity crackled at their fingertips, time and space bending at their collectively pale touch. They all felt it; the power faded and disappeared in a swift two seconds by the Instructor's count, absorbed by the body of the Angel. The maniacal hands of the possessing evil followed soon after, clutching her by the shoulders and throwing her to the ground.
Cradling the head of her beloved Knight in careful hands, she spoke to him in whispers, before collapsing…
"Never let me lose control," came the possessor's voice. "Never."
* * *
She smiled a pleasant smile as she watched the fire dance behind the green of his eyes. His voice was somehow deeper, his growl more melodic when he was possessed; there were a few minor changes, as she had used a different magic than either Edea or the ghost of Ultimecia had, but Seifer had been so alienated from society after his defeats that no-one was sure to care enough to notice. Well, perhaps those "soldiers" that followed his every wish would, but they mattered less than the grains of sand lining the oceans in billions.
For one, the scar crossing his forehead was more accentuated; Rinoa loved those scars, the matching diagonal wounds, inflicted by the other of each, that decorated her lovers. Past lovers. She did not feel a thing for Leonhart, the man who needed her to be a man, but Almasy… he had that way of standing, that way of speaking, that shit-eating smirk, all attributes that remained beyond the barrier of possession… it was no wonder half of Garden wanted to get into his pants. It had been more than a year since they had even kissed, but this was her chance, her one and only opportunity to claim him back as her own.
It was sad, really, that he would not return of his own free will, but Sorceresses need not be sad. She would make him return to her, force him to share her bed whether he wanted it or not – almost an abuse of her power, or perhaps more than almost, but there was no harm in abusing it. She wouldn't admit to herself that she was doing it, so it remained in the realm of the problemless.
The puppet's first words as she took his controls in her hand: "Mistress… Sorceress." He bowed deeply, smiling up at her, a menacing smile but a smile nonetheless. "Your commands are mine to obey."
She laughed, tilting her head back to reveal a graceful, milk-white throat and neck, taking the sweet seduction slowly to begin. "I have no orders to give you yet, my Knight, but simply a request.
"Pledge your loyalty to me for as long as I live, and past then if so be it, as long as there is a Sorceress present for you to be one with. But listen closely, Almasy – promise never to love a Sorceress past my time as much as you will learn to love me."
He stood up straight in a hurry, narrowing those greenest-green eyes in an almost-confused fashion. "You're suggesting you might die?"
Another angelic laugh, reminiscent of the tinkling of glass wind-chimes. "Of course not, beautiful one." She stroked his cheek with icy-cold fingertips and smiled. "I am merely preparing you for what might come… this is a war we are beginning with our dear friends at Garden; anything can happen. You were there when the Sorceresses were defeated – Edea, Adel, and although you were not present, Ultimecia as well. This is a slightly different war, but a war all the same…"
She watched his eyes carefully; they were the best sign indicating the status of his possession. She realized that if she were in another body – no! If she were a different person, he would come to her on his own, she would not need to weave magic over his consciousness to have him fight by her side. But this body – no, no, she was Rinoa. Rinoa Heartilly, Princess and Queen and Sorceress and lover of Leonhart, the King – Ultimecia did not have her.
She was Rinoa.
"Come, Knight. I've somewhere for you to stay, away from those that hound you."
The Sorceress hooked her arm with Seifer's and they walked off in the direction of the Garden they were so obviously intending on betraying; talk of war against her dear friends?
Irvine groaned and pulled his hat down over his eyes. Now he had to tell Squall.
* * *
"I swear, I heard everything!"
"I can't believe you'd do this, Irvine…" The Commander of Garden brushed his too-long bangs out of his eyes and sped up the pace at which he moved down the hallway. Irvine Kinneas, sharpshooter ladies' man cowboy extraordinaire, caught up with him to plead his case once more.
"I wouldn't make something like this up, Squall. I'm not that much of a jerk! I swear! It didn't sound like Rinoa, but I saw them – it was her! And Seifer. You gotta listen to me!"
Squall sighed and stopped, turning to face the sharpshooter. "… Irvine, listen… sure, Rinoa's a beautiful girl, but you're taking this jealousy too far. If you quit now, I'll forget you ever brought it up. Understood?"
"No way! I'm serious! Squall…" He sighed and crossed his arms as the leather-clad man disappeared into private quarters, the click of the lock echoing audibly over the hall. "Damnit…"
* * *
A Sorceress dressed in blue chattered happily with several other females at a Garden Cafeteria table, gesturing with her hands as she exaggerated upon gossip and rumours. Her fiery, possessed Knight hid in silence where she had placed him, and the only other who knew and believed slumped miserably a few tables over, a glass of cola in his hand.
"You believe me, don't you?" He cast his gaze on the tattooed boy sitting opposite him, hoping for a positive response.
"Abumf fut?" The question was muffled by the hotdogs the boy shoved in his mouth at alarming rates. Irvine cocked an eyebrow before recognizing it.
"About what I've been telling you for the past ten minutes…"
"Oh, shmf, ell yefs."
"Zell, you shithead… you didn't hear a word I said."
Zell Dincht cleared his mouth before speaking again. "Rinoa's gone psycho, she and Seifer are planning to kill us all?"
"Yeah…" the cowboy sighed and poked at his drink with its straw.
"'Course I believe you, I've always known that Rinoa is an evil, malicious bitch out to kill us all, I mean, she likes Squall, that's obviously a cover-up – hey, are they outta hotdogs already?" The boy who so closely resembled a short, yellow chocobo shook his fist at the Cafeteria ladies.
"Anyway, as I was sayin', yeah, she's evil. All Sorceresses are evil. Ah, shit! They weren't out!" Zell stood quickly, knocking his chair back on to the floor, pushing several students out of his way as he ran to the counters.
Irvine buried his head in his hands. "Damnit..." Why did all of his friends have to be stupid, or incompetent, or girls, who he couldn't be serious with no matter how hard he tried? Especially if they wore teensy little yellow skirts or bared their tummies or liked those Garden uniforms or – right, why did all of his friends suck?
* * *
Rinoa smiled her Social Queen smile and stood gracefully. "Well, girls, I had better get going," she said with a wink. "I've got a boyfriend waiting for me." Most of the younger girls giggled. Ah, such a wonderful social circle she was Queen over. They all adored her. Let Quistis match her Trepie fan club to this!
She bid her goodbyes and turned, glaring icily at a slumped-down Irvine. He narrowed his eyes at her, and she left the Cafeteria in a hurry.
* * *
"SEIFER?"
"I dunno, ya know?"
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Disclaimer-type crap: Shouldn't this go at the top? Oh, well. I don't own any of the Final Fantasy VIII characters or anything related to Final Fantasy VIII, but I'm not making any money off of using them, so pleah, you can't do jack shit about it. "Steam Will Rise" and the lyrics found at the beginning of the story are also not my property, but again, I'm not making money. I am so cool, I am so cool. I do own this story, however, and although I don't know why anyone in their right (or wrong) mind would want to take any part of it, I'd better tell you not to.
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Well, that… sucked. This story is going to turn out WAY too Irvine-ish. I really dislike Irvine. Oh, why did I have to make HIM the one that found out? Bleh. Well, anyway, the next chapter is where it actually gets fun. ;p This is more accurately a prologue but I'm not into publishing prologues without the rest of the story (that's a blatant lie; I'm just too lazy to scroll up and change the chapter name to "Prologue").
Anyway, if anyone's wondering, the reason Irvine isn't approaching Rinoa in person is because he'll get his ass kicked; Rinoa's miss wonderful adored girl and he'd be in major trouble from Squall and the rest of the student body. Well, except maybe Quistis, but she won't matter for too much longer.
Aaah, giving too much away!
Oh yeah, and someone flame me in the review, please? Tell me everyone's OOC like I suspect they are, or that my writing sucks? Please? That'd give me an excuse to quit writing this crap. ;p