Authors Note: Just to clear things up for those who started reading this after I began to change things I will be running two stories parallel to each other one based around the FF8 cast and one around a whole group of OC's. The stories are separated by a large time gap but are going to be thematically similar. Kind of like the story structure of Use Of Weapons by Iain M. Banks. And Balamb is currently stationed near Trabia J. Once again I hope you all enjoy.

Chapter 3: A Flight Of Destiny

Rinoa adjusted her weight slightly as the Ragnarok hit a small patch of turbulence. She had taken a quick tour of the ship to reacquaint herself with the vessel that had saved not only herself but the man she loved from suffocating as they drifted in space. Being on the ship again had brought back the memories of when Ultimecia had released Rinoa from her control only to find that she was alone in space with only a few minutes of air left. She hadn't panicked or felt frightened just forlorn as she contemplated how her life had changed since that dance at Balamb Garden with the proud and remote young SeeD with the scar on his forehead. She had laughed to herself when she thought of that moment and how it was the start of their journey together. She had thought about what Squall would do now, about whether he knew that she had been possessed and if he would figure out a way of stopping that evil presence that had pushed her mind inside her body. She had thought about how she felt that she had grow to love Squall and wondered if he had felt the same. She had wondered whether he would forget her.

Rinoa was suddenly jerked out of her reverie by the sound of the Ragnarok's intercom system announcing that the pilot had something to say.

'Irvine, Rinoa I need you to come to the bridge right away I think we have an emergency!' called Selphie the sense of urgency clear in her voice. Rinoa was in the lower cargo hold when the announcement came through so she bounded up the steps to the main deck then through the door to the corridor where the lift to the flight deck was situated.

'Rinoa,' called Irvine as he burst through the door to the right of the elevator. 'What's happening? I was getting some shut eye when Selph piped up on the comm.'

'I don't know, we better get up there,' she replied as she clambered onto the lift. She could feel her heart racing as she imagined what she would find when the lift stopped. Everything had seemed to slow down with the journey up seeming to last forever. When she finally came into view they found Selphie flipping switches and adjusting controls on the flight computer, busy keeping the giant red dragon in the air and somehow she noticed them.

'Thank Hyne you're here we have a serious situation.' She pointed out the starboard viewing port. Rinoa and Irvine rushed the window to see a large cloud of black ash welling up from the remains of a small village.

'No is that-'

''Fraid so.'

'But Squall's d-'

'I'm sure he's fine,' the edge of concentration saturating Selphie's voice as she brought the stern of the ship about to face the flaming remains of Winhill. With the view of the village obscured by the angle of the ship and the thick black smoke Rinoa ran off towards the elevator a look of blind terror scrawled across her face and before the other two could react she was on her way down to the cargo hold. Irvine glanced at Selphie as she started to land the Ragnarok.

'Make sure she doesn't do anything reckless! I'm going to call for back-up,' she called over her shoulder.

'Will do,' he waved as he headed for the returning elevator.

'Balamb Garden! Balamb Garden! This is the Ragnarok do you copy? Over.'

'Selphie this Nida, what's the problem?'

'Nida I need you to contact the White Seed Ship and get them over to Winhill ASAP, we have a situation and we might need back-up.'

'Copy that Selphie they are just south of Humphrey Archipelago they should be with you in 2 hours. Can you cope until then?'

'We'll have to,' Selphie exclaimed grimly. 'Thanks Nida over and out!'

Irvine had caught up to Rinoa just as Selphie landed the Ragnarok. She already had the ramp down and was about to run out when she heard him call out to her.

'Wait Rinoa,' he shouted over the noise of the huge engines as they began to idle, ready for a sudden take off should they need it. 'You can't just go running in there we don't know what's happened yet. Selphie's calling for back-up we should wait.'

'I can't, something might have happened to Squall I need to find him,' the wind blowing her hair about her face as she screamed over the noise and she turned and ran off into the billowing smoke. Dammit he thought to himself as he chased her down the ramp.

He blindly stumbled through the smoke with his hand over his mouth trying to avoid breathing in the noxious fumes. He kept running seeing the vague shapes of buildings on either side until the smoke began to clear. As the wind changed direction the smoke bean to clear and Irvine could see the ruins of buildings collapsing into themselves as the fire damage took hold. One thing he was glad of was that there were no bodies in the street, he didn't like the idea of dealing with the corpses of stranger let alone the possibility of being the one to find Squall. He did not have the stomach for that kind of thing. Rinoa however was not paying attention to the destruction around her, she was too desperately focused on finding her lover. She was about a hundred feet in front of Irvine running through the main street of Winhill calling out Squall's name when she reached the end of the track and stopped dead.

Rinoa was staring at a space to her right, a look of absolute dread on her face. Oh no she's found him Irvine thought as he got closer. When he had finally caught up with Rinoa he was standing right behind her. Irvine allowed his eyes to follow the direction of Rinoa's pain filled eyes and saw what she had seen, a glint of silver in front of a small and simple slab of stone. His first thought was that there was no sign of Squall for which he was grateful but when he turned back Rinoa had collapsed to her knees with her head in her hands and her shoulders shaking violently. As a low bitter sob was released he understood she was crying.

It was only then that he realised that the glint of silver had been Squalls' gunblade embedded into the ground.