Disclaimer: I own nothing but the Nefarious Divines.
This story is a darker one than I usually do which contains many twists in its plot that will be unpredictable until it happens. Please be patient in the long run, because it might take a while to get really good.
There's a lot of description in the story, so I'm sorry if I'm boring you. I was always told that I didn't describe enough... But of course when writing this on my other computer, I got 25 pages with only four lines of dialogue. No, wait, don't go back! It's edited! Still, I wouldn't blame you if you skipped the boring description and went on to the more interesting stuff. Why do I write the long description then, you ask? Because without it you get a picture in your head of only naked stick figures running around doing...well, stuff. And to me, that's way too vague.
This is an A/U (Alternate Universe) fic and has pretty extreme OOCness for Squall and Rinoa. In fact, at times it's almost as if they've switched personalities. You'll notice quickly that Rinoa thinks a lot to herself and Squall will often have to remind her that he's still there. Does that bother you? Sorry if it does.
Thanks to Hiasha and Keiry for supporting me and reading through my stuff to let me know what you thought. Thanks again! You guys are awesome!
The night conveys much mystery, similar to the way its ember sheets disguise the sapphire hues of the morning sky. It is a wonder how the stars are held high up in the heavens and why they are placed beyond every dreamer's reach. Maybe that is the reason why when a star falls, people wish upon it... A falling star signifies that one is closer to a certain dream, a certain hope. -Soda Cola Pop: The Night A Star Fell*
*I quote other people on really, really good things that they describe or say in their stories and promote them here. The stories that I quote are really good, and I believe that others should be told about them. They deserve their credit anyway. Who knows? I may just quote your story!
Warning: CHARACTER DEATH. (What? Character death in the first chapter?) Yep! A death begins the dark tale...
A Love Beyond The Twilight
Chapter One:
Enter the Protector
Bianka-chan
I stood there, on the brink of euphoria,
My excitement quickly turning into fright.
I have everything ever desired, for I am the last sorceress on Gaia,
And I only want you to hold me tonight.
For what is true love that is based upon a hidden lie--or perhaps truth?
****
I stared at him as he gazed around the room, his beautiful brown hair falling on his perfect face. He looked strangely familiar to me in his somewhat samurai outfit. Across his forehead was a black bandana that tied in the back, its ends traveling all the way down to his mid-spine. For a top he wore a dark blue shirt with its sleeves only to the bottom of his shoulder bone and a long V completely separating it in the middle, revealing his abdominals. What kept it together was a lace that came from both sides, creating transcending X's along his middle. Further below were his loosely fitting combat pants of black that ended on top of his rubber zip-up boots.
I found him strangely familiar as he stared deeply into his Gunblade that he had laid across his lap. Scoffing, I turned away, surprising myself with the slight tint of crimson creeping onto my cheeks. /What's gotten into me? He's a complete stranger. Besides, we're in a train. It's not like I'm going to see him again after this./
**But I couldn't have been more wrong...**
With that decided, I stood up and began to stare out the window into the stormy night. I wouldn't arrive at my destination until dawn, so I reasoned that it would be better to sleep until then. But I was still standing when the train started rumbling, making me speedily lose my balance. Nervous, my eyes darted around, looking for something to grab onto. /Oh, I'm too sleepy to move. Just let me hit the ground so I can pass out until I get there... /
A blurry figure dashed fleetly from the corner of my eye. And even before I could blink I felt something grasp my shoulder. Immediately everything stopped when I looked up to see who or what it was that stopped my fall. I gasped when I realized the identity of my savior. It was the man from before... Then I heard the clank of metal just beside us. He'd flown over here to save me even before his Gunblade could drop to the ground. /This man's faster than lightning itself.../
At that moment I got lost in his deep, sea blue eyes. He stared back at me--lifelessly, of course--and moved not even a muscle. Even if he was a stranger, I felt as if I'd known him for years. I reasoned that I probably knew him from my childhood--there would be no way that I'd recognize hm then. With a sudden shock, I began to remember everything that happened the day before I was put into cryogenic sleep eighteen years ago.
*FLASHBACK*
I blushed as I bored into the eyes of my first crush, never once bothering to listen to the war that encompassed us. His eyes were as deep as the ocean--maybe deeper--and his blonde hair was plastered to his face as a result of the rain that we had just run out of. He was so...beautiful, that he was; (A/N: A MANLY beautiful, of course!) countless times he had risked everything just for my own survival. And now was the time that I had finally realized my true feelings for him--my partner...Seifer.
Seifer was an upright, righteous man with nothing but strength and a Gunblade to call to his name. After an unfortunate time eight years before, he had chosen to become my Protector. And so began the era of Sorceresses and her Knights with his courageous decision.
There we were, inside a train that was headed for the Mystic Chateau--the place that I would channel the last of my magic into the Magic Device and save the world from the Nefarious Divines. It was sad to say that the rest of the world didn't care that the chance of my survival was no more than 1%. The only thing they really cared for was the endurance of their own pathetic lives...
And that was when the battle initiated; the one that not even eighteen years of cryogenic sleep could erase. I heard the soldiers shouting outside and their swords swinging in one great, titanic clash, followed by and even greater crash. Reluctantly, I looked away from Seifer to check out the window. I gasped, horrified at what I had seen; it was a gruesome display of dead bodies and blood that could only be the result of complete madness. Seifer noticed my frightened disposition and bolted out of the train door with his Gunblade at the ready.
Still looking at the massacre, realization began to dawn on me. This bloodshed was all my fault, that I knew. Being the last Sorceress on Gaia meant that the entire world would be after my power. It was a sad fact, but it also meant that I would have a Protector, someone who promised to give his life for my sake and protect me always. Being in the funk of my life, I could only think of that as something romantic, like from a movie or something. But movies aren't real, and I hoped that this wasn't real either.
But it was real...so painfully real.
Gathering my courage, I left to observe Seifer and the soldiers in the dark, stormy weather. As usual, he was slaying them all with a few quick thrusts of his mighty Gunblade. But it was evident that he was speedily losing strength after murdering only a dozen. I tried refusing to see the blood that ran from the gashes on his arms, stomach, and face, positive that there was no possible way for Seifer to lose. And as I watched him fight, a lone soldier made his way to me, his sword shining in the darkness like a diamond smile. Feeling threatened and helpless without Seifer to protect me, I held out my hand to attempt to stop the recruit with pity. I surprised myself by the sudden power that was forming in my palms, almost as if I was absorbing a rainbow into my hand. Knowing nothing else to do, I discharged my magic straight into the crowd of fighters, immediately killing several.
I rendered myself speechless with that gruesome action. Feeling like nothing more than a monster, I lifted my hand up to my face to examine exactly what had happened. Just as expected, the magic began to gather inside of my palm, and I only stared in curiosity and horror.
"Se...Seifer!" The words exploded out of my mouth as I became petrified with overwhelming trepidation.
Seifer finally came to me, took my hand, and redirected it at our enemies, instantly shooting off toward them and murdering all that remained in its path.
I had longed to stay in the arms of Seifer, only to cry and wonder at the extents of my curse of a power. The times were bad then, and I was so foolishly naïve. In my childhood I had known only disaster and protection; and as time passed I only thought that it would all change. But nothing ever changed, and I was always left in the dust of it all.
From the corner of my eye I saw an elite soldier falling from the sky with a broadsword in both hands, ready to slice through his enemy directly beneath him, name-wise known as me. I considered telling Seifer, but that would mean the fulfilling of his job: his death in place of mine. So I stayed silent, more than willing to die in his strong embrace.
But I was a fool if I thought that Seifer would stand for that. However, the elite soldier was already only a foot away, leaving Seifer no other choice...
He shoved me forcefully to the ground and stepped over my body, allowing the soldier to run him through the chest. I gasped as the life slowly flowed out out him and he fell to the ground at the removal of the soldier's sword.
Seifer was gone...and another person close to me had died.
I screamed--not a normal scream but one of pure agony and desperation. Tears of pain streamed down my cheeks in diamond shapes, burning my cold skin, so cold as if I had died instead. And indeed I had died--for I was born anew.
The soldier, obviously not contented with killing the famous Protector Seifer, continued to near toward me, a devilish smile tugging at his lips.
And I crawled before Seifer's lifeless body, immediately taking him into my arms and letting my long upheld tears drench his face. Laying Seifer's head on my lap, I lifted both hands into the air, aiming one at the soldier that had killed Seifer, and the other at the rest of the infantry. It would be a direct shot at both of the groups, and I knew that firing so close to myself would be fatal. But I had made a decision: I didn't care anymore. Taking a final glance at the man I had once loved, I cast my magic in both immediate directions, hurling myself into a whirlwind of death.
*END FLASHBACK*
/But why is it that when the smoke cleared, I was still there? I remember being soaked in blood; I was dying, no doubt. My body had turned tremendously cold, and I recall my last breath being so ironically peaceful. Then how...how is it possible that I'm still here? If my memories are true, then why am I still alive? Nothing makes sense; I should have died with Seifer eighteen years ago./
The mist of my past finally escaped from my eyesight and I realized that I was halfway down to the ground and was still staring into the beautiful eyes of the man that saved me from falling. He had me completely dumbfounded in contemplation. /Why didn't he say anything while I was lost in reverie? Was he staring at me the entire time? / As I thought that, I found several similarities between he and Seifer. Noticing my foolishness, I shook my head quickly and blinked away the tear that threatened to fall.
"See something you like, I take it," he commented with a teasing voice. The man pushed me forward from my old stance and sent me straight toward the train wall. Luckily, I had enough time to put my hands before me to shelter the impact. That didn't save him from my wrath, though.
I whirled around and stared accusingly at him, taking time to point my index finger at his face. "Just who the hell do you think you are--pushing me around like that?"
"Who do I think I am?" He scoffed and continued in more of a spiteful tone. "I suppose next time I'll let you fall; I was just trying to help you up."
"Oh, and like you're a saint," I retorted with a snide. I was so fed up with the bad treatment that I didn't even bother looking where he went. So, I walked to my seat with my eyes closed, already having memorized where it was. And that was when it happened...
The seat was...irregularly comfortable and smaller that it had felt before. Then I opened my eyes and saw exactly what I had done, making my eyes bulge. I had sat myself down on the impossibly unbearable stranger's lap. But he was the first to speak, "Well, you're a fast mover, aren't you?"
Needless to say, I was still speechless and didn't move at all. Finally, though, my sense came back to me. "But--I--uh...I bought the ticket for this seat!"
He only laughed and pointed a finger in front of my face, directing me to the contents of the train. "Apparently you haven't noticed, but this little locomotive only has one seat. We've gotta share it unless we wanna sleep on the floor or on top of a box."
"I did notice! I just thought that...uh...you didn't buy a seat since you were sitting on a box this whole time..." /Actually, I never did notice because I was staring at you the entire duration of this trip. Just change your hair to blonde and you'd look exactly like Seifer. Why does life torture me so--sending someone that looks just like Seifer to torment me? /
I leaned back and put a finger to my lips. /Come to think of it, how come there's another person in here with me? I was told that this train is heading for Terra's Turf and Terra's Turf only, and that my mission coordinator Selphie, some new guy, and myself are going to be there. So then why is this guy here? Could he be the new guy? No, he can't be; the new guy is probably some nerd that'll help coordinate the mission with Selphie./
My thoughts were interrupted when the man's voice boomed in my ear. "Yeah, sure, 'just make yourself comfortable'; I don't care." His tone was obviously sarcastic, though I really doubt that he was angry with me.
"Oh, sorry about that!"
/No, I'm not really sorry... /
"I completely forgot that you were...uh...down there!"
/Just enjoying the moment, actually.../
"Yeah, sure, now could you please get off of me?" Now he sounded like a whiny little kid, so I reluctantly decided to get off.
"Yes, your Highness." And with that, I simply slid off of his silky battle pants and placed myself next to him. /I'm so friendly towards him, and I don't even know his name./ "So, um, what's your name there, Stranger?"
His eyes immediately fluttered open and I soon realized that I woke him. "The name's Squall. What's your name?"
"My name's...Rinoa. What about your last name? Don't you have one?" I asked the last questions with far too much enthusiasm, as if I had a last name myself. Actually, I did, but I wouldn't want to stain my family name with all the blood that rests inside my palms.
His answer was quick and frank, with very little emotion compared to his zealous attitude earlier. "Any last name I might have had in the past is left in the tracks of The Nefarious Divines." As he ended his sentence, he turned to look out the window, obviously hiding his reaction to the thought of his seemingly tragic past.
/The Nefarious Divines.../ Those three words sent chills down my spine. /I can't say that my past is buried in the dust of the Nefarious Divines. The name of the person that killed my family is far more treacherous. That malicious demon's name is none other than.../
"Rinoa." That word made me instantly jump and turn completely white. /What's wrong with me? It's not like he knows anything about my past.../ "Do you always...get lost in your thoughts like that? You've already done it once before when you were sitting on my lap..."
I considered completely ignoring his question, but instead shook my head and stared pathetically at him. "Sorry, but I've got a lot on my mind..." He nodded in response, surprising me with his immediate understanding. Then he and I closed our eyes and prepared to sleep until our arrival. /Maybe he's not so bad after all.../
~
Faintly, just faintly, I felt hot breath along my cheek, repeating rhythmically. My eyes opened with the flicker of light that seemed to be prying open my eyes. I shocked myself at the sight that was displayed before me. There I was, my head on Squall's shoulder, staring up at a sleeping soldier. He looked so peaceful like that; his lips were slightly parted with the breath coming down my cheek. /How did this happen and how long have we been asleep?/
His eyes steadily opened, revealing his beautiful azure eyes. He turned to stare at me, his eyes not fully open yet. "Nice to see that you're awake, Rinoa. We arrived at the destination about an hour ago but the train director was nice enogh to wait until you woke up. And now that you're awake, it'd be good if you left."
/For one moment you actually had me convinced that you were caring, but then came the last remark.../ I then wearily picked my head up off of Squall's shoulder and got out of the seat, heading toward the exit door. Dusting off the dirt from my tiny black skirt, I lifted my free hand to press the button to open the door. But then the door suddenly opened, letting in the cold air from outside. Looking back, I saw Squall with his arms crossed, impatiently waiting for me to move.
"Hey, come on; I've got placed to be and people to see. My schedule is already delayed by an hour, you know." He tapped his foot as he spoke, keeping his eyes closed to avoid the extra frustration of the wind in his eyes.
I pointed outside with a weak finger. "Do you mean...out there...at Terra's Turf?" /Please say no; please say no; please say no.../
Squall scratched his head and pulled out a large piece of paper. "I'm going wherever this map tells me to, whether it leads me to Terra's Turf or not. And would you have a problem if I just so happen to be going to the same place that you are?"I stepped out of the train and onto the lush grass below and took a few steps forward, allowing Squall room to get out. He put his finger on the map and suddenly pointed it to a paved path on the grassland. "Never mind; I don't want you to answer that question." Without even as much as goodbye, Squall walked off into the direction of the sun. /So...it was nice meeting you, too... /
~
I arrived at Terra's Turf in a huff, letting myself into the building and immediately collapsing on a chair beside Selphie. The mission coordinator ran a hand through her auburn hair and produced a clipboard with a stack of papers on it. Lazily, I leaned forward and gawked at the monstrous amount of paperwork that would more than likely need my signature on every page. "Oh no, Selphie, I thought that we were done with these already!" I sighed, leaned back in the chair, and said, "Alright then...what's this human dictionary for?"
Selphie smiled and took a pen off of her ear and gave it to me. No later than that she began walking toward the entrance door. "I suppose you don't have to read everything in the packet; just sign the last page! I mean, it's only about the new member helping with your journey!" She stopped as she approached the entrance door and swung it open slowly, letting cold mist into the large room.
I chose to ignore whatever or whoever was at the door and proceeded to uncap the pen, swiftly turning the pages in the paperwork. /How can Selphie be so impossibly chipper all day every day? That girl's high on life, I'm sure... But I know that I'm remarkably jealous of her happiness. How long has it been since I've been truly happy? It's been eighteen long years, even before that lonesome sleep that repudiated me of life and prolonged my childhood. For eighteen long years I only dreamt of the man I had lost only hours before... Crimson blood, tears...and scarlet images plagued me and seemed to mock my own existence, if it could even be called as such./
Selphie's high-pitched voice interrupted my thoughts. "Rinoa, Rinoa, Rinoa, look who decided to come over!" She held her hands out in front of her as though she were representing our visitor like she would a trophy. But then I caught a full glimpse of who she was talking about, and I slipped over the edge of my chair and fell promptly to the floor.
The man revealed himself from the outside and flashed a smirk from underneath his thick, intricate bangs. "So, it's you...as graceful as ever. Can't seem to keep your balance when you're around me, can you? My charm takes you right off of your feet..."
Selphie turned around with a wide grin plastered on her pale face. "Oh, you guys have already met each other? If you didn't know before because you didn't read the packet, his name is Squall, and he's your new Protector!"
My jaw nearly hit the floor, while my entire body save for my mouth decided to freeze. "Selphie, you've got to be kidding! Squall...is my...Protector...?"
/No...not another Protector; I'm still healing from the last one. That means that Squall will be dead before I reach the Mystic Chateau, and I'll have bled myself to a lonely death. I can't handle the pain of losing someone else close to me...not anymore--not again.../
Selphie slowly approached me with a worried look upon her face. "Rinoa, is there something wrong with that? Are you gonna be okay with this?" I glanced up at her with misty eyes.
/How can she even ask me a question like that? Having a Protector is what claimed my sanity and my life, and now they expect me to go through it again. I won't go through it again--ever!/
"Rinoa, are you all right?"
I got up, completely disregarded Selphie's curious questions, and turned around to glare at both Squall and Selphie. "I won't go through it again!" Turning on my heel, I directed my next attack on Squall. "Go back to wherever the hell you came from; just leave and don't bother coming back! I want to go to the Mystic Chateau on my own, so don't bother following me."
As I whirled around to wait for him to leave, I could have sworn that I saw a smirk cross Squall's lips. But I wouldn't reply and only cherish the smile as the last I saw of the mysterious man... From the back of the room I heard footsteps echoing, heading to where I assumed was the exit.
/Am I being selfish for doing what I am? No, I'm not being selfish at all... I'm only doing it so that Squall won't have to die. Maybe I'll be the only casualty of this war; maybe they can all live in peace once I die... /
I looked up from the ground to catch a glimpse of a gunman peering into the window of the building, a large gun perched on top of his armored shoulder. Feeling frantic, I tried to tear the gloves off of my arms, but taking the take to do so would be fatal.
In a flurry of movements, Squall had his arm snaked around my waist and thrust me behind him, at the same time retrieving a gun from a tiny sheath by his side. He shot quickly, feeding the gunman a bullet trough his throat. The boy fell over backwards, killed in one of the most awful ways. Squall deposited his gun back in the sheath and turned to stare at me with a somewhat friendly look on his flawless face. "You shouldn't bequeath yourself loneliness when you've got someone willing to stay by your side. And especially when you can't take care of yourself. But, most importantly, not when you have," the Protector flashed a luminous smile, "someone like me."
I couldn't help but smile when he didn't let go of me. He had me mesmerized by his forwardness; but, most of all, I admired his bravery. Not wanting him to get the wrong idea, I removed his hand from my waist and returned his radiant smile.
"This is going to be one hell of an adventure..."
_______________________________________________________________________________________
A/N: There's the fairly long first chapter for ya! Although some parts are boring, I can tell you now that they certainly won't stay that way. The next chapter is where it 'really' begins. And now for a monstrously long Author's Note. You don't have to read this, though. As a matter of fact, I wouldn't mind if you skipped the rest and just went to reviewing. ^^ But if you plan on flaming me, please read the Author's Note before doing so. (The questions of each paragraph is bolded.)
Alright, I know some of you are wondering this: How the hell can this be a love triangle between Squall, Rinoa, and Seifer if Seifer is dead? Rinoa's still in love with Seifer even though he's dead. But she really doesn't want to fall in love with Squall because he should end up dying anyway. However, that's where some of the plot twists come into action. Stay tuned for that! Oh, and Seifer stills plays a big part. He'll be mentioned a lot and Rinoa will constantly think about him. It may get annoying, but-hey- she was in love with the guy.
What are Rinoa's so-called tremendous powers?: Whenever she doesn't have her gloves on, she can release a colossal amount of magic from her palms. That's why she can never take her gloves off unless she wants to kill someone. A bit troublesome, no?
What's a Protector?: If I didn't make it clear enough before, a protector is basically someone that has to protect a sorceress by all means. The sorceress can't die until they've the Mystic Chateau. By chance someone comes to murder the sorceress, the protector must try to save her, even if it means giving his life. Protectors are usually volunteered people, like Seifer, but when they're desperate enough, people are sentenced to do so. In Squall's case, he was sentenced. You'll find out more about that in the next chapter.
How can you post this--knowing that you copied the plot of FFX and Inuyasha!?Okay, some of you might think that this is very much like Final Fantasy X. After a while you might think that it's starting to seem like Inuyasha. Well, I've already completed the story and it's NOT like either of those. This story and those two things may have their similarities, but everything else is part of my own original plotline. Besides, I started writing this story in 1999, so I couldn't have derived any of the storyline from either of those things. It got me so angry when I realized that FFX and IY were somewhat like my own story. So please don't flame this story telling me that it's too much like either of those.
Now that you've persevered through that really long A/N, please review! I have a lot of hope and pride in this story. Thanks so much for reading. Now, PLEASE review! I respect and value all of your individual opinions=) Have a great day! ~Bianka-chan