Chapter 3: Explosions, Invasions, and Bitter Reunions

The fire from the explosion snaked up toward the sky. All that wasn't dancing orange flames was choking black smoke, either one of them deadly. The reason for the explosion became quite apparent as Seifer pointed up,

"Galbadia's Army's shooting at us!!" Rinoa shrieked as more shells screamed through the air and hit the Garden, causing more explosions, although none were as large as the first. Seifer grabbed her wrist and pulled her toward the Gardens, his question lost in the shuffle,

"C'mon!! They'll be launching a Combat Phase next, and Balamb could use our skills!! Hurry!!" Rinoa had no time to ask Seifer about how he knew so much about Galbadian war tactics, but regardless, her thoughts were elsewhere.

Had Tifa, Yuna and Aerith been trapped in their dorm? Were Rikku, Lulu and Yuffie safely out of harms' way? Were Irvine and Quistis in any burning buildings? Did Zell, Selphie, and Squall find shelter before the attack? Rinoa only ran to the inferno because she did not know.


Tifa saw it from the window. She had been standing there, waiting for Rinoa to return, while Yuna and Aerith ate their extremely late lunch.

Tifa heard the unmistakable 'boom' of missile fire (having been in AVALANCHE with the trigger happy Cid and Barret) and saw the blazing light speed toward the Garden. Instinct took over, as she launched herself away from the window, tackling Yuna and Aerith to the floor.

It sounded like a bomb had gone off five feet away, drowning out Yuna and Aerith's screams, as the sky lit up with fire and the entire foundation shook, raining plaster on Tifa. As soon as it stopped, Tifa was on her feet, hoisting Yuna and Aerith to theirs.

"Grab your weapons!" She ordered, yanking on her fighting gloves, tossing Rinoa's Angel Blaster into her pocket.

"The door's jammed!!" Cried Yuna, pushing on it.

"Here comes another one!!" Aerith screamed slamming against the door as well.

"Get out of my way!!" Bellowed Tifa, and with one monstrous kick, the door was blasted off its hinges and the three girls were running into chaos. Yuna spun her staff summoning as she was running, when the next missile sent them all flying.

"VALEFOR!!" Yuna yelled, somehow holding on to her staff, and the Aeon whistled down from the heavens, catching all three of them before they hit the ground. It landed amidst the fire and panic in Balamb Garden, but only Tifa jumped off to join the inevitable fray.

"We're going to find the others!" Yuna shouted from Valefor's back, "Yuffie might have some materia we can use!"

"Be safe Tifa!!" Aerith called as Valefor took off again.

"You too." Nodded Tifa, before starting to run.


By the time Seifer and Rinoa were back in the school, the ground fighting had already started. Rinoa saw Quistis multi-tasking by the Cafeteria: ordering mages to put out the flames, giving orders to medics, and fighting Galbadian soldiers, and she saw Irvine on the roof with several other gunmen, picking off soldiers as they landed.

'Two of them are safe…' Rinoa sighed, before launching herself into the battle, armed with only magic. Her Angel Blaster was back in the dorm, and somehow she had to find a way to get it. She broke away from Seifer who was in full fight-mode with his Gunblade, Hyperion, and began to sprint to the dorms.

Selphie and Zell were fighting not far away from her, now seemingly fully awake, but Squall was nowhere in sight. As Rinoa continued running, she saw the damage of Blizzaga spells that only Lulu could've performed, and she grinned to herself,

"So far, everyone's alive." Rinoa fell during the next big tremor, caused by something that shot into the air like a marble-sized rocket, and left large circles of runes in its wake. The air that whooshed down from the circles, pressed Rinoa flat on the ground, and some creature gave an earsplitting shriek. More than several people screamed. A huge, winged, black dragon-like monster came flying down from the sky, roaring like the horror he was. As his feet touched the ground, the whole earth trembled with his weight.

"Hello, Bahamut!" Shouted someone that sounded suspiciously like Yuffie.

It turned out that it was Yuffie, and a laughing Rikku, both of them throwing Al-Bhed bombs at the Galbadian troops from a large pile of rubble.

"YUFFIE!!" Screamed Rinoa in horror, "YOU SUMMONED THAT THING!?" Yuffie shook her head in obvious glee,

"Nope! Aerith and Yuna used my materia to summon him!! Isn't he cute?" 'Cute' was not precisely the right adjective Rinoa would describe Bahamut with, but she was relieved that Yuna and Aerith were safe. That only left Tifa and Squall who were unaccounted for.

As she continued to run, a gentle-looking, winged creature soared along beside her, easily keeping pace. Yuna, glowing with adrenaline and exhilaration, sat astride the creature, and offered Rinoa her hand,

"Need a lift?" Rinoa grinned, and Yuna hoisted her up behind her,

"Where to, Rinnie?"

"I need to find my Angel Blaster! Is it back at the Dormitory?" Asked Rinoa, over Bahamut's mind numbing roar. Yuna shook her head,

"Tifa has it!"

"Where is she?"

"By the Training Center! Hang on!!" Yuna whispered to Valefor, who positioned for a gut-wrenching nosedive. As they whistled down to earth, Rinoa giggled as she saw Aerith sitting cross-legged behind Bahamut, watching as he smashed anyone who came within one hundred yards of Aerith and himself. She was well taken care of.


Valefor settled in the Training Center's jungle-like compounds where a mix of students, monsters, soldiers, and fires mobbed almost every inch and fighting was back-to-back. It was obvious Tifa had been there. Several guards laid unconscious with bloody noses, faces, and other injuries that involved blunt force trauma. Yuna bit her lip; neither girl knew where to start.

"I'll go left, you go right!" Shouted Rinoa, resolving the problem. Yuna climbed back on Valefor, and the two flew off, Valefor's Sonic Boom knocking obstacles, including people, out of their way.

Unfortunately, Rinoa had never been in the Training Center before, and she felt dangerously exposed, as she ducked in and out of battles, avoiding the tough monsters at all cost. After wandering for a good half hour, she came to an uninhabited compound, filled with dead soldiers and students. It was far too quiet in the room, and she tried to make as little noise as possible, and avoid the dead.

There was something strange about the corpses. They weren't stabbed or shot, but it was almost like they had been bitten to death, with a set of ultra-large teeth. Rinoa shook,

"What could have--?" Her question was answered quite abruptly, when there was a roar that made her think Aerith had brought in her cavalry, Bahamut. Instead, Balamb Gardens' Tyrannosaurus Rex came running out of the underbrush straight at her. Rinoa didn't scream or run. She didn't have that kind of time. She simply put her hands over her head and curled up in a ball on the grass.


Rinoa heard the nasty sound of something sharp piercing flesh, and she waited for the pain as she heard blood spattering next. She let tears come down next, knowing that she died and Squall probably wouldn't even care, the pain was too intense to bear.

"Hey. Why are you crying? I killed the thing. You're okay." Rinoa's heart stopped. She looked up and saw an angel.

"I died…" She whispered tearfully, "And they've sent an angel to get me… Oh, I'm so happy…" Squall rolled his eyes, though his cheeks were red.

"You're not dead. In fact I think you're in Hell, not Heaven. This place is a bloodbath…" Rinoa reached for him and his embrace. She only saw him in his usual 'perfection', even though he had blood splashed over his face, and reached her trembling arms out to him,

"I'm happy I died…" Squall shook his head and barked,

"You're not dead!! When will you believe me?!" Rinoa threw her arms around him, regardless, and Squall bit the inside of his mouth in frustration: she was an airhead.

"All right, all right." He huffed, scooping her into his bare arms, "Let's go see what's wrong with you. Something in the head maybe." Rinoa was blissful as she clasped his white shirt and soft brown hair in her fists, pressing her face against his blood soaked chest. She drank in his scent and his face, clinging to him as hard as she could.

Squall sighed. Girls were crazy romantics and he had no use for them. But as he yanked his Gunblade out of the dead T-Rex's neck, he found he actually kind of liked holding her. Girls were softer than boys, so delicate and light, and she smelled so sweet. She trembled with an emotion he didn't recognize, and so he patted her thin back,

"It's okay. I've got you. I won't let anything else touch you. I promise." She rubbed her head against his chest, sending tingles in his abdomen, so he clutched her closer, not knowing why it felt SO good...


He met up with Tifa outside, blood on her face as well. Her sweet brown eyes were blank and lightless, her face chalky.

"Lockhart, what is it?" Asked Squall. Tifa shook her head,

"It's over. Balamb lost." Words were no longer necessary, as Squall and Tifa stared at each other in utter defeat.