Squall plans at a second attempt to committ suicide. Is there a reason for his pain and suffering? Why does he want to jump? Unbestknown to them, a new evil has risen, ready to take on the world and hold it in its palm. Will the SeeDs notice in time to save the world?
<><><>
"Soon...you petty SeeDs....soon...." rasped a voice.
She sat at her throne, thinking about the SeeDs and the handsome young man thinking about suicide. She pitied him; the strong, headfast, brave young soul who was trying to take his own life.
"He shall be my knight. My gallant knight. When his duties are over, I will return him. Just as you would a book." said the voice.
<><><>
Squall realized that Selphie and Irvine would be trying to work it out but Irvine always ended up flirting and getting his ass kicked by Selphie. So, the jump at the Quad was out, but he then remebered the cliffs near Balamb Beach. Somewhere they would never notice. It was time to start the games. He blinked and grabbed his gunblade and walked towards the front gate, when Quistis caught him.
"Where are you going commander?" asked Quistis.
"Can't I get some privacy? Get your fucking hands off me." said Squall coldly.
Quistis was shocked. He had never used profanity towards her. Always towards Seifer and some when he was seriously pissed but never at her. Or Rinoa or any of the others. Something was defenitely up. She walked away as Squall walked out of the Garden. He calmly walked towards Balamb Beach and got ready to jump.
<><><>
"The boy's going to jump?" said the voice incrediously.
She did not think that he would actually go through with the jump after his stabbing incident with her former knight Seifer Almasy. It was incredible. This boy had immeasurable strength and will. Determination drove him to success.
"I should go to him. He might need an ear." said the woman.
She slowly got up and everyone trembled. She; Sorceress Altima, would go back in time and do what Sorceress Ultimecia could not achieve, the world. She got ready to go to Squall. She would start her plan sooner than she thought.
"Squall Leonhart...you shall be my knight." said Sorceress Altima.
With a bright flash, she disappeared.
<><><>
Squall was finally on the top of the cliff. He got ready. He had to blank his mind to have no doubts of jumping. He knew this was the only way. He edged towards the end of the cliff, ready to jump off. But then, a bright flash stopped him. Out of the light, came a Sorceress, looking somewhat like Sorceress Ultemecia.
"W-who are you? What do you want?" asked Squall.
"You." replied Sorceress Altima.
"Who are you?" Squall repeated.
"I am Sorceress Altima. And you, will be my knight." said Altima.
Squall thought it over. It was better than suicide, I guess; he thought. But, he still had to make it look like he jumped.
"What happens if I don't want to go?" asked Squall.
"Then Rinoa's life will be taken away from her." replied Altima.
Squall was trapped. He couldn't let harm come to Rinoa. It was something he could never bring himself to do. He had no choice. But what about the others? Xu? Quistis? Nida, Irvine? Selphie and Zell? What would become of them? What would become of him?
"I know what you are thinking." said Altima.
She duplicated his leather jacket and threw the duplicate into the water. Then, both of them were enveloped by the light. They were gone.
"RINOA! IRVINE! SELPHIE! QUISTIS! XU! NIDA!" shouted Zell.
They all came running. They had no idea what was going on. Zell had gone to Balamb Beach to go surfing, when he had seen a black material floating near the cliffs. He had swam to it and saw that it was Squall's jacket. The others gathered around him as he produced Squall's sopping wet leather jacket. Rinoa gasped, Quistis and the others paled. Tears spilled over Rinoa's eyes as she realized that she really would never see his smile, hear his laugh or hear his voice again.
"Commander Squall Leonhart was the best SeeD out of all of them. He was a great guy, even if he was quiet and kept to himself. He taught us many things; things we would never forget. We will miss him." said one cadet.
At the funeral, Quistis came up and gave the eulogy.
"Squall was a great guy. He was a sweet, caring guy. I've known him as a child and saw that as a kid, he was a loner. But, as a seventeen year old he was a guy with many friends, talents and a dark side. We didn't realize he had problems or he was suffering. I wish I had noticed, then maybe I could have saved him. But, I realized it too late. He was like an older brother to me. Even though I was older, when we were growing up, he was taller and stronger and was very protective of me since Seifer did pick on me frequently. I miss him and I am sure that we all will. He left behind a legacy; no matter who you are, you can achieve. He left behind friends, family and his girlfriend Rinoa. Squall, I will always love you as a lover and a sister. Thank you, Squall, for being there for me. Even if I wasn't there for you, I wish I could have." Quistis said tearily.
Everyone knew Squall one way or another. It was hard to let him go.
On top of the cliffs near Balamb Beach, where the funeral was taking place, Squall stood on the cliff, overlooking. He had heard every single word from the eulogy and was touched. He had no idea that people cared. But, they did not know anything about his dark side. As he dressed in a black trenchcoat with a black mask covering his face, he walked down to the funeral. Rinoa was there, standing alone. She was reading the words carved into his gravestone.
SeeD Officer Commander Squall Leonhart 1983~2000
May this tortured, brave, headstrong soldier who had saved the world; rest in peace.
"If I were you, I wouldn't believe." said Squall.
Rinoa turned around to face him. She couldn't see his face, but she was certainly afraid of him and that fact made Squall's heart ache. He pulled her into his arms, dipped her and kissed her like there was no tomorrow. She kissed back, but then realized that it wasn't Squall. Rinoa pulled back, ashamed of herself.
"I love you Rinoa Heartilly; even if I am the knight for Sorceress Altima." said Squall.
Then, he was gone. Rinoa ran back to Garden, to tell them of the news. They were all shocked; a new sorceress was in the world, ready to take over it. Then, Zell noticed the faraway look in her eyes. He knew that something was up. He took her by the arm and led her away from the other SeeDs and stared into her eyes.
"Something happened between the knight and you, didn't it." Zell stated matter-of-factly.
"He kissed me." said Rinoa quietly.
Zell was taken aback. He never thought that the sorceress's knight would just come up to Rinoa and kiss her. He had a feeling that they wouldn't kill the knight. It was someone they knew, but who? Just then, the black-clad figure warped into the room. Squall stood there, his heart aching at the fact that he wasn't a SeeD, for now.
"Allow me to introduce myself. I am the knight and messenger for my master; Sorceress Altima. I was told to meet you at your next mission in Dollet." said Squall.
"Who are you?!" asked Zell angrily.
"You will learn my true identity at the mission Zell. Good day." said Squall.
With a flash of light, he was gone as fast as he came. It was amazing how a man they did not know, find out where they are and who they are.
"Well done Leonhart." said Altima.
"Thank you my master." said Squall.
"THAT IS IT IRVINE! WE ARE THROUGH!!!!" shouted Selphie.
Irvine winced. It was officially over. Selphie slapped him across the face as she stormed out of his dorm room. The door slammed shut at his face; acknowledging the finality of their break up. Irvine collapsed on his bed. He couldn't go on without Selphie. It was a miserable day. At least he would get a piece of the action against the new Sorceress' knight; in just several hours.
"I-I can't live without Selphie..." Irvine moaned in sadness.
Soon, they were on the attack ship heading to Dollet. A nervous silence hung heavily in the air as they weren't the best of friends now. Rinoa was devastated from Squall's 'death', Selphie miserable from the breakup with Irvine, Irvine was even more miserable and Zell was nervous of their first encounter with the knight.
Hours later, they arrived at Dollet and did not see anyone. As they headed up the stairs from the beach, they were met by a man in the black trenchcoat.
"It's him. The knight. Gee..I heard about a knight in shining armor but this is totally weird!" Rinoa exclaimed.
"Welcome Ms. Heartilly. Mr. Dincht." said Squall.
Then, he looked past Rinoa and Zell saw Irvine and Selphie, looking absolutely miserable. He also saw Quistis, looking devastated.
"Ah; Mr. Kinneas and Ms. Tilmitt joins us." said Squall.
"Don't forget-" said Zell.
"Ms. Trepe. How can I forget." Squall cut in, his voice still cold as ice.
"Who are you knight? What do you want? Who do you work for?!" asked Irvine.
Squall just smiled under the darkness. Soon, a blue-white glow surrounded him and his black trenchcoat was gone. It left him in his regular clothes. The black pants, white shirt, black leather jacket, black leather gloves, Griever necklace and black boots. In his hand, Squall held his Gunblade. He had a cold glint in his eye and he looked more fierce than ever. He was like an enemy than a friend. His eyes were crimson red; the colour of blood.
"S-SQUALL?!" everyone shouted.
"Let the games begin." said Squall coldly.
"H-how could you do this to us?! After everything we went through together?! You're nothing but a fucking traitor!" shouted Zell.
Just then, the glow dissipated and Squall's eyes returned to normal. Squall was bewildered at how he had gotten to Dollet. One moment he was at Deling City sitting with Sorceress Altima, the next minute he was in Dollet, hearing his own hollow voice, cold as ice; refer his friends by their last name and threaten them. Then, he heard Zell calling him a traitor. He was ashamed of himself. He really wished that he was dead, but he had no options to leave. Rinoa's life was on the line.
"H-how'd I get here? I thought I was in Deling City...." said Squall dazed.
"You fucking traitor! How could you just turn like that?!" said Zell angrily.
"I-It's not my fault...I-I didn't have a choice. It was me or Rinoa's life." said Squall sadly.
Everyone stopped. Sorceress Altima had chosen the most strongest SeeD in all of the world as her knight. For the first time in years, or rather; in his life, tears fell from his eyes.
"I-I'm sorry. I really am. I couldn't let Rinoa get hurt. I had no choice. I will not betray SeeD or my promise. I haven't said a thing about SeeD and I will keep that promise that I made to myself. I promised that I would never let any harm come to Rinoa." said Squall quietly.
Rinoa was scared. Very scared. Tears in Squall's eyes were a first for everyone. Including to Squall. If something brought tears to Squall's eyes, it was something to be afraid of. Oh, how she yearned to be embraced in Squall's arms. But, alas...that would not come true.
"Don't think that way Rinoa. This duty will be finished soon enough." said Squall.
"B-but...how can we fight you? It's impossible to hurt a friend, my boyfriend." said Rinoa.
"It's true that I can't hurt a friend, but I'm not in control anymore." said Squall.
"You are, for the moment, am I right?" asked Rinoa.
Squall nodded. He stared into her eyes and pulled her in his arms and kissed her forehead. When Rinoa was in his arms, and felt her soft, creamy skin against his lips; everything felt right in the world. It was as if nobody else exsisted except them. He felt her shoulders tremble. It was a scary time for everyone. Squall was their enemy for the time being, but they hoped that it wasn't their duty to 'finish him off'. A violent shake shook Squall and he quickly released Rinoa. He gripped his head and fell to his knees.
"AGHHHHHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Squall screamed in pain.
"SQUALL!!! NOOOOOOO!!!!" Rinoa and Quistis howled.
The Squall Leonhart they knew; was gone. He had returned to his state before they had reversed him for few, precious moments. His eyes were back to the crimson red colour, and in his hand, he held his Gunblade, ready to strike.
"I am no traitor. You fucking bastards are going to feel pain." Squall said in a hollow voice.
Rinoa tried to reach for him, but Quistis held her arm and restrained her. Tears trailed down her face as she tried vain to grab him. In Quistis' eyes, tears were there. They too, were trickling down Quistis' face. For everyone, tears in both Quistis and Squall's eyes were scary. They had never shown so much fear; emotion. They were expert at shutting off their emotion and rarely showed their true, human selves. They were like machines.
"Blind!" said Squall.
All of them were blinded, as the power showered on them. As they could not see, they did not see Squall grab Rinoa. As the blue-white glow surrounded Squall and Rinoa, he gave one, last command before he disappeared.
"Esuna!" said Squall.
Flash. Gone. When they opened their eyes, they did not see Rinoa or Squall. Quistis slumped to the ground and just cried. There was nothing more she could do. Her best friend and former love had just disappeared. That must have been their mission; to gather information about the new knight. The one that could destroy the world in one, fell swoop. They piled back onto the boat and went back to Garden; their hearts heavy with guilt, confusion and sadness. Quistis was glad that Nida would be there. But...he wasn't Squall. He wasn't as sensitive, caring and reserved like Squall. Quistis always had admired Squall, like so many other girls in the Garden, but she was an Instructor; he was her student. She still remembered that day when they had kissed.
*FLASHBACK SEQUENCE*
She walked into the Secret Area and looked around. She glanced around and saw Squall standing there, looking at the stars. The moon reflected off his eyes, making them sparkle. He looked so content at this moment. She approached him cautiously and saw that for once, his guard was down and he was like a human. A regular teenager. She tapped his shoulder and he was startled but gave a small smile. She didn't catch it, but she gave a smile of her own. For November, it was very cold. She shivered and rubbed her arms for warmth. Being the gentleman, he took off his leather jacket and slung it around her shoulders; and wrapped his arms around her. He pulled her close to him. Nobody else was there. Just them. At 2 in the morning.
"You won't tell about my curfew, will you?" asked Squall quietly.
"No. I don't really care anyways. Just like being here." replied Quistis, just as quiet.
Squall turned her around to face him. As he looked into her eyes, she was desperate. Quistis, like he, was lonely. But Squall cared for no company but she did. So, he decided to give her company. He leaned forward, and kissed her. Quistis; was surprised but kissed back. She had no idea how he was such a good kisser but it blew her straight past heaven and to cloud-9. It was like a second heaven. Somewhere only lovers went to. Soon, they had their arms wrapped around each other and kissing like there was no tomorrow. When they broke the kiss, Quistis buried her face into his chest and sobbed quietly.
"Why so miserable Quistis?" asked Squall.
"I-It's just that I've never had anyone." Quistis sobbed.
"Ssshhh. That's over now. You have me." said Squall.
She felt the fire in the embrace that held her away from the hostile world and in her own; and all that exsisted was Squall and herself. The lonely years of her life were finally gone. All thanks to Squall. Who knew how much Squall could do for one person? She didn't know that it was Squall that was her true love; but even that, would not last.
4 months later...
"Squall, we can't see each other." said Quistis quietly.
He, did not show any emotion. In fact, all he was doing was staring out the window and merely listening to her words.
"My job is on the line and you will be expelled." said Quistis.
"Yeah, alright. We won't date. You done yet?" asked Squall boredly.
Quistis was shocked. She never thought he'd take it so lightly. She then stiffly nodded and he just walked out of her room. Quistis flung herself on the bed and cried. They were truly broken up and it hurt her more than it hurt him. At 15 and 16 years old, she never realized just how much pain and suffering was around her.
*END FLASHBACK SEQUENCE*
Quistis looked up into Xu's eyes and felt the tears threatening to come. She blinked them back and just stared at the ground. She felt a pair of arms around her. It wasn't Nida. It was the black clad knight; Squall.
"You will never be lonely. But I will be. Go home to Nida. He has a surprise waiting for you." said Squall.
"You hypocrit! You said that you would never be lonely!" said Quistis defiantly.
"I'm not a liar. Truth is; I'm always lonely. I can't adjust to the feelings I have. I shut off my emotions for that purpose." said Squall.
Then, the warmth, love and support that Squall provided; was gone. She was just staring at Xu's shoes again. Then, Xu sat down beside her and handed her a tissue. Quistis would need it. It was time to strike the Sorceress's Knight.
"Who is it Quistis? Who is it?" asked Xu sternly.
Quistis gulped. Her voice dropped to a low whisper.
"Squall. Commander Squall Leonhart." replied Quistis in her low, breathy voice.
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Part 6
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Rinoa cowered on the bed as she rubbed the sore arm. Squall had just thrown her into the room and walked out. When she had caught a flash of his eyes; they had been red. Just then, the door flew open and Squall walked in. His eyes were wide; and blue.
"Rinoa! W-what are you doing here?" asked Squall.
"You brought me here? Don't you remember?" asked Rinoa.
"No. I guess I lose my memory when under control." said Squall.
Rinoa leapt off the bed and into his arms. This time, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. Her body racked with sobs as she buried her face into his chest and cried. She was very scared and he wanted to do all he could to protect her. He was so stupid not to committ suicide. Maybe if he was dead; maybe Rinoa would be miserable but wouldn't have to be put in a life-and-death situation. It was a miserable sight; in his eyes. But, duties were duties. He gave her a long kiss as he detached her and walked out of the room.
Quistis started to sob. She was so miserable. She didn't care whether Nida had a surprise for her. She wanted Squall. Quistis never knew how much she loved and cared for Squall until after he was with Rinoa. And she was far beyond hurt when they had broken up. He took it so lightly, and she still wondered how he was still alive after all the hurt, pain, rejection and the times of loneliness had not killed him. His mind was very mysterious; something one would not fickle with. Quistis gripped her arms as tear after tear fell. She still had the necklace he gave her, and she wore it all the time; but nobody had seen it. Xu was slowly sltroking her back and was trying to calm her down.
"H-how do you know? Everyone thinks he's dead." said Xu.
"Well, he's not. He never was. Squall went with the Sorceress, because Rinoa's life was on the line. Now, he has Rinoa." said Quistis tearily.
"God...I'm so sorry Quistis. I know how much he meant to you." said Xu.
"Oh God...he was crying Xu. Squall was crying." said Quistis, sobbing harder.
Xu stopped. She had never heard those words come out from anyone's mouth. 'Squall was crying'. Those kinds of things did not just happen. It was something to be afraid of. Something they would never win against. The ship was dead silent. The words echoed off the hull. Many SeeDs were on the ship and they heard the words. Their commander; the fearless one, had shed tears in public. A SeeD never did such things; but he....was their commander. He would always be their commander but at this present state; he was their enemy.
"Sssshhh...calm down. We'll get him back. Don't worry..." said Xu.
"I still love him...I want him back. I want him to hold me..." Quistis cried even harder.
It wasn't easy for Xu to see how hard Quistis was taking this. She was taking it so hard, and not a living soul could comfort her; except Squall. As they reached Balamb, his gravestone was visible. They would keep it; for they would use it as a memorial about the Squall Leonhart that they knew, not the knight they knew now. As soon as they reached Balamb, everyone hurriedly got back to Garden. Quistis, fled to her room and locked herself in. She didn't care about Nida's surprise. Not now.
Rinoa slept soundly under the covers, as Squall's jacket was around her, and he was beside her. Oh, she knew that Quistis was taking this news hard, and she wished that Squall would be there for her, but he needed rest. After hours and hours of working and going around killing small numbers of soldiers and setting up the time device for Sorceress Altima; he needed the sleep. He was totally drained of energy. Hours later, he got up and his eyes were as blue as the sky.
"I'm going to go see Quistis before I start my day." said Squall.
With that, he disappeared in a white flash. Then, Rinoa reached into his jacket pocket, and got his gloves. He had deliberately taken them off. Squall was going to go to Garden; without his gloves. Nobody had ever seen his bare hands, not even Quistis. He had his gloves off but she'd never notice it. His hands were smooth and strong.
Quistis was nude to the waist, and was sobbing into her pillow. Another day past, another day closer to confronting Squall to the death. Just then, she felt a warm hand on her back. Quistis felt a finger tracing her every curve. She shivered at the touch and mumbled into the pillow.
"Why are you crying?" asked Squall softly.
"Because Squall isn't here." Quistis replied into the pillow.
"Look up." said Squall.
She looked up, and was greeted by the sight of Squall's blue eyes. A startled expression spread across her face as she leapt up and strayed away from him. He knew that she was scared of him, but when he saw how miserable she was; his expression softened. Even he had never done so for Rinoa. He had only done so once, but Quistis had always seen his very caring expression. She still was wary of him. He then opened his arms. Quistis hesistated for a split second, but she quickly ran into his arms. All the security, love, comfort and protection he had once gave to her, all flooded back. It felt good to snuggle into his arms. She rested her head on his broad shoulder and she felt his bare hand run through her hair and his lips lowered onto hers.
"I love you..." she whispered.
"Shhhh....I know...and I still love you too." said Squall quietly.
"But Rinoa...." said Quistis huskily.
"Right now, all I want is for you to feel better." replied Squall.
Quistis sighed. It was so hard for her to let him go. The truth was; when they had broken up, a small voice in the back of her mind had told her not to let him go. She had ignored it and now she was totally miserable. Nida was a great guy; but he wasn't as fantastic or sensitive like Squall. More than ever, she realized that she should have told the Faculty that they had broken up, but het still date him in secret. Quistis should have never let him go. It was the biggest mistake she had made; now he was with Rinoa. It pained her to realize that he would never fully love her ever again. But, she always knew that their soul was bonded now. They had shared a love even which Rinoa would never experience. Quistis Trepe; once respected Instructor wouldn't ever let Squall go.
"Are you ever going to let Rinoa go someday...?" asked Quistis.
"I don't know. I love her. But I love you too." replied Squall truthfully.
"I want you Squall...nobody else but you...." Quistis whispered.
"You have Nida. I'm sure he's a great guy." Squall stammered quietly.
"I know..but he's not you..He's not as wonderful, caring, sensitive or handsome as you." said Quistis quietly.
Squall held her close. Now he realized why she cried herself to sleep for the past few weeks. The reason was him. It was killing her; the fact that he was with Rinoa and he was their enemy for the present time. Even he did not want to fight his friends. That was something that he'd never do. He sighed. He looked down at her tear-streaked face and a small smile spread on his face. He dipped down and kissed her on the lips. Quistis; was surprised but kissed back. It was like the old times. All the love, security and comfort flooded back to her. It was like the second heaven all over again. But then; another memory struck her.
*FLASHBACK SEQUENCE*
After their breakup, Quistis was miserable. But Squall; looked as normal as ever. He was his usual self but she had put on a fake air to dodge the suspicions. One day, when she went out to the Secret Area, Squall was there. She saw the hairs on his neck stand on end. He then turned around and glared at her. In his eyes; anger and hatred swirled all over his eyes, and his expression was ice cold.
"Squall...l-let me explain..." Quistis started.
"Save it. I don't have time for fucking bullshit." replied Squall.
She took a step towards him, but he slapped her across the face. The strong strike knocked her against the wall. He stormed away, but Quistis rested against the wall and cried.
*END FLASHBACK*
To Be Continued....
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AN: So? How was it? I know, I know. This is so weird, screwed up...etc. YEAH?! WELL THIS IS MY FANFIC SO I'LL MAKE IT SCREWED UP IF I WANT TO!!!!!! *Ahem* Sorry. I have no idea what came over me. Oh well. I'm gonna keep this short. Comments, Suggestions welcomed at: max_evans_@hotmail.com
Adios! ~Max