Okay, I took this fic off, madea few adjustments here and there, and now its back. Enjoy.
Chapter One.
"COME ON!!" A brown floppy haired out of breath teen yelled encouragingly at his team; as they ran down an empty crystallised corridor in the Lunatic Pandora. The mission to defeat the Sorceress Ultimecia had failed. Minutes before Squall Leonheart could strike the vital death blow; Ultimecia realising her inevitable demise conjured up a misty blue swirling portal emitting electricity. Ultimecia walked into it and vanished. That was the last thing they saw before darkness over took them.
When they awoke they were back in the Lunatic Pandora; in-front of Adel's empty cocoon. As they each started to stir they gripped their heads in a dull pain.
"Erg... What party did I miss?" A blonde, spiked at the front, haired teen with a tattoo on the left side of his face groaned. "Talk about a major hangover."
"I can't remember." Another teen sat up, his long wavy tied back brown hair draping over his shoulder. He retrieved his black cowboy hat from in-front of him. "Did I get off with a girl?"
"Better not have; unless it was me." A young girl no older than seventeen opened one of her emerald green eyes. She ran a hand through her light reddish-brown hair; resting it on her aching head.
"What the hell happened?" Blue eyes open to the empty cocoon. "How'd we get back here?" Blonde bangs fell back into place as she fully sat up.
"Is everyone ok?" A seventeen year old girl asked, raising her black haired, with a few brown streaks at the front, head up. Her brown eyes scanned over her friends as they each nodded that they were fine. She then turned to her love. He smiled, his blue eyes telling her everything she needed to hear.
Quicker that they could decipher rifles were aimed at their throats. Dark green dressed men closed in on them, matching dark green masks concealed their faces. Black armour covered their torsos and shoulders; ranging from sturdy to feeble, at a glance they may be mistaken for Estharean soldiers.
"Sir we've found the intruders!" A tall soldier spoke into his built in headset. "Yes, sir, right away!" He turned his attention to Squall. "Get up! NOW!"
Squall glared at him defiantly.
"I said NOW!" He grabbed Squall's white v-neck shirt, dragging him roughly to his feet. The other's follow suit; gathering around their leader, each hiding their confusion by staring acidly at their captors. "Your all under arrest by order of her highness Empress Ultimecia!"
"Ultimecia?!" Quistis Trepe voiced everyone's surprise.
"Shut it bitch!" A muscular soldier standing in-front backhanded her; nearly sending back to the ground. "Your not worthy to utter her name!"
"Try doing that to me ya bastard!" Zell Dincht stepped in-front of the former instructor, his blue eyes filled with furry.
"I'm okay Zell." She told him, her voice low enough so only he could here. "Don't do anything stupid."
"Quistis!" Rinoa Heartilly, nudged her friend. "I've got a plan. If we cast thunder on them, they'd be stunned long enough for us to escape. Pass it on."
One after another the message was passed, the soldiers oblivious to it as they awaited for someone or something. It reached Squall within seconds. With his back still to them he moved his head into a slight nod of approval.
Golden-yellow sparks were created in their turned in hands, growing bigger and more powerful.
"NOW!"
Following Squalls order they in unison aimed then fired their powerful lightning spells at the soldiers, who fell with a thud onto the hard floor, twitching. They ran for it not caring if they trampled on the soldiers in their way.
And now they were running for their lives, through the crystallised corridors, across the greenish-white crystalline bridge, down the crane-like structure to where they fought the Mobile type 8, then back into the tubular walkways.
"Which way which way?!" Selphie Tilmitt asked; trying, badly, not to show her panic, when they stopped at a set of cross-roads.
"This way!" Squall went left; the others close behind.
Further down they went through the claustrophobic walkways.
"What the hell is that?!" The tattooed man abruptly stopped; pointing at a multi-eyed red blob.
"Aww, cute!" Selphie gushed; bend down as if to stoked it.
"Your the cute one Sefie." Irvine Kinneas flattered, making her blush.
"Uh.. Guys?" Rinoa tried getting their attention. "I don't think it likes being called cute?"
The red blob's mutable eyes emitted an enraged glint, a white glow surrounded it like a shield, it started shaking violently; that spread to across the ground.
"IT'S CASTING QUAKE!" Quistis shouted over the growing noise.
"Whoa!" Zell dodged a giant, razor sharp ice-pick; that shattered into a million clear pieces once coming in contact with the ground.
"You alright?" Quistis asked from beside him.
He nodded.
"Time to say bye-bye!" The dark blue eyed cowboy, withdrew his Exeter gun from out his light brown leather long coat. He fired several shots. "YEAH!" He yelled in glee as they hit smack bang on target. His joy diminished, however, when the bullets passed through it's jelly-like form and travelled down into the darkness behind. The shaking got more hostile as a malevolent look overcame it numerous eyes.
Squall obtained his Lion Heart Gunblade. He raced toward the blob, weaving in and out of ice-picks as they begun to materialise then fall from above. He leaped into the air, the bright metallic blue blade glinted in the air before coming speeding down; slicing the blob in two. The last strands for sticky goo clung on to one another as the two sides fell apart and melted into the ground, it's many eyes closing until there were none.
"WAY'D AGO SQUALL!" Zell punched the air in excitement.
"What was that thing?" The blonde former instructor mused, placing her left bang behind her ear. "And that spell?"
"It was kinda like blizzard, but, different." Selphie pick herself up from off the floor.
"Talk about it later." Their leader spoke. "Yet's get outta here first!"
They continued on, tubular walkway after tubular walkway. One dead end after another. Everything looking the same.
"Has anyone else got the feeling we're goin' around in circles?" Irvine commented.
"Where the he hell's the exit." Zell said, impatience getting the better of him.
"Look!" An arm with a pinwheel attached pointed to a faint whisper of light shining in the distance. "It's the gotta be the way out!"
Squall leading the way they headed for the light, faint spark of hope ignited. The further the got the bigger and brighter they both became.
"Yaay." Emerald eyes lit up. "It's the exit!"
"We're outta here!" The floppy haired Gunblade welder added.
"Don't celebrate just yet!" Quistis damped their relief, seeing a bulky human shaped silhouette standing in-front of the exit. As they got closer the shape took form. Everyone stopped dead; taking in who or what they saw. The tall bulky soldier stood with an air of cockiness and authority. Baggy brown pants covered his strong legs, indigo armour hid his hard muscular chest. Mechanics had been grafted into the entire right side of his body, strands of his short black hair brushed across his metal scalp. An evil, cunning smirk played on his lips, his untouched eyes cold and soulless.
"Raijin!!?" Squall was stunned.
"You won't escape ya know?" The hardly recognisable Raijin sneered.
"What!? Your gonna stop us Raijin?" A unfazed Zell snarled.
Raijin's smirk grew more sadistic. "You don't have the skill to get past me, ya know?"
"OH YEAH?!" Zell pounded his fists together, he ran to Raijin; jumping into the air metres for him. Raijin tightened his grip on the long metal pole he held in his right hand. Zell drew his Ehrgeiz clad fist back; he rushed forward to strike. Inches from his targets face he was knock down by Raijins metal pole; colliding with his abdomen, cracking ribs and rupturing internal organs. He flew back to the others, just missing hitting Quistis, and landed with a thump onto the ground.
"Zell!" Selphie shrieked; running to him. "Zell! Zell speak to me!" She shock his unconscious form. "Hold on!" She raised her hand from his body a white light trailed but disappeared soon after. "Huh?"
"Your Curaga spell wouldn't work, ya know?" Raijin watched in amusement as she tried again. "Anti-magic shield, ya know?"
The reddish-brown haired teen lowered her head in concern and panic. She was entirely out of potions.
"Raijin what the hell happened to you!?" Quistis, finding it hard to believe what she had just seen, asked.
"I was reborn. Empress Ultimecia brought me to life! Now I will honour her by bringing her you, ya know!?" He sneered summoning two dark orange, black spotted, mutant wild cats by his sides. "GET THEM!"
They drew their weapon; preparing for battle. Rinoa loaded her angel wing motif pinwheel, the Shooting Star. She fired a diamond sharp blade towards one of the Torama, catching it across it's side, leaving a deep, long, oozing wound. Quistis joined her; brandishing her Save The Queen whip. She struck at the eyes, blinding it temporally. The seventeen year old sorceress reloaded her pinwheel, she fired down onto the back of the Torama, the beast gave out a mighty cry before it's head rolled across the ground.
The other Torama crept up on a distressed Selphie, trying hard to figure out how to help her fallen team mate. The mutant wild cat staked her from out the shadows. It readied itself to pounce, when--
BANG!!
Irvine shot it in the gut. The bullet passed through, sending blood spatter across the wall and ground.
"Paws off kitty!"
The spotted creature stumbled to it's feet, only to be cut down by the magnificent Lion Heart. Death was instantaneous. The Torama easily disposed of they faced Raijin, showing his first flickers of emotion in his brown eyes.
"Your pets have been beaten Raijin!" Squall snapped. "Move!"
Raijin grinned, sending shivers of discomfort though the bodies of his adversaries. "I'll move.. If we battle Squall!"
"You've gotta be kidding." The former instructor stepped forward.
"Don't do it Squall!" Rinoa pleaded. "We fight together!"
"She's right Squall!" The brown haired sharpshooter agreed; helping Selphie, lift knock-out-cold, barely breathing Zell to his feet.
"You saw what he did to Zell." Selphie continued.
"And I wasn't even try'n, ya know!?" Raijin added.
Their pleas continued. Squall kept going over and over the options in his head. If I fight then the others can escape! But what he did to Zell! He looked at his team, his friends. His blue eyes united with the brown ones of his love. He had to do this, for her, for them.
"I haven't got all day, ya know?" Raijins annoying voice snapped him out of thought.
"I'll do it." Raijin smirked at the words Squall uttered. "If they can go!?"
"NO! Squall don't!" Rinoa begged.
"I know what I'm doing!" He said, harsher than he meant to.
"How could you!" She snapped back.
"Please, trust me." He whispered for her ears only. "Well?" His attention returned to Raijin.
"Fine! Weaklings the lot of them!" He spat. "LETS DO THIS!" He sprinted to Squall.
"GO! NOW!" The blue eyed man ordered his team. His gunblade clashed with Raijins pole, metal with metal. He ducked a swipe from Raijin that would have taken his head clean off.
"COME ON!" Quistis reluctantly took charge. She grabbed the sorceress' hand; dragging her away.
"NO! LET GO OF ME!!"
Squall jumped back from Raijin's swipes. He grinned malevolently. "I'll do what Seifer never could!" Raijin went on the attack again. He raised his pole, as if to crush Squalls skull. But he dodged it, and brought his gunblade down onto Raijin's mechanical arm, rendering a hiss out him. His nerves were still alive and attached to the machines, so he wasn't entirely indestructible.
Outside, Quistis continued dragging a virtually kicking and screaming Rinoa to the mighty red and black dragon ship. They were followed closely be Irvine and Selphie caring Zell, his feet dragging across the ground.
"EVERYONE ABOARD!" The blonde commanded; standing on stairs to the Ragnarok. She disappeared inside along with Rinoa.
Irvine and Selphie placed Zell's limp form onto on of the empty seats in the cockpit. Selphie jumped into the pilots seat, she started her up. "What about Squall?" She asked, turning to face Quistis.
"W-We have to go!"
"What!" Irvine said, surprise evident. "We can't!"
"We have to!" She snapped, hating herself for it. She couldn't just leave him, he was their leader, and more importantly, their friend. But she had no choice. She had to honour his sacrifice. But what if he managed to escape, disable Raijin for just enough time for him to leave, and they weren't there. How could she live with that?
"NO!" The black haired teen screamed. "I WON'T LEAVE HIM!" She stepped back onto the lift before anyone could stop her.
"RINOA!?" Quistis could bare to loose another friend. "Irvine, go after her!"
"Alrighty!"
Rinoa raced back to where they'd left the raging battle. "SQUALL!?" She cried. "SQ--NOOO!!" She fell to her knees, seeing her beloved being dragged across the floor like a piece of meat, by Raijin and another figure who's identity was shielded by shadows. Blood leaving a trail. Tears streamed down her cheeks. If only there wasn't an anti-magic shield, then she's kick their asses in a fury of magic they'd never forget.
"RINOA!" The expert sharpshooter caught up with her. "Rinoa what's wrong..Oh god!" He saw the trail of blood then the feet of his leader before they disappeared into darkness. "C-Come on, we have to get outta here!" Panic stricken, he picked up the weeping sorceress and fled back to the mighty dragon ship.
Quistis awaited on the stairs. "What the hell?"
"Explain later." Irvine pushed passed her. "Lets get outta here!"
With everyone onboard the Ragnarok took fight. Out of the life changing Lunatic Pandora, into a foreign world ruled by terror, heading back to Balamb Garden.
So, what you think? Let me know, ppl.
See ya.
Silver Tigeress.