Chapter 8: Are you still with me?

Squall drew his blade and a ringing echoed against the invisible walls of the field. The flowers in the shadow of his blade wilted and turned away as though scared of the battle that was unfolding.

"Such a tortured soul. It is a wonder that you have survived thus far…" The tone in Griever's voice was decidedly malicious and riddled with ill intent; "I have seen your deepest fears and I have seen the truth still to come, I know I shall not survive this battle – of this I am sure, yet I do know – as you do, that she will not live. She. Will. DIE!"

Growling as he lunged forward; Squall swung his gunblade high above his head cutting the sky and the sun in two, he held down the trigger and the two segments of sky burst into shards of razor sharp blue embers that held their position for a moment before descending rapidly towards Griever. The dark night sky that had replaced the sun was filled with rampaging thunder storms and the flowers had disappeared to leave a dusty and dry desert. With each crack of thunder Griever was cut and burnt by the blue embers till his body was devoid of life. Turning to misty shadows the silhouette of Griever faded away.

Knowing that the battle was far from over Squall readied his gunblade and maintained his stance searching the darkness for where the next taunt from Griever would emanate.

"Why do you persist? Have you not realised yet that no matter what you do, you will never be able to change what is to come…" The voice came from behind Squall this time, it was corrupted and broken, intermittently littered with cracking radio noise; Squall felt as though he was winning the battle, then, with solidarity and clarity, Grievers voice echoed through the darkness "YOU are WEAK! HELPLESS! You are still but a child waiting for someone to rescue you! Pathetic!"

Griever's claw came swooping down across Squalls back knocking him forward to the ground. As he fell, the gunblade fumbled through his grip and slid across the dry cracked ground and kicked up dust in its wake. Sensing a second blow coming, Squall leapt forward from his hands and knees towards his gunblade but was pulled short of its reach by a vicious magical strike from Griever that left Squall writhing in agony. With his arm outstretched towards the blade, and his cheek to the ground, not giving up hope, Squall let out a scream and rolled away from the gunblade, kicked off from the ground and ran towards Griever unarmed. Griever spread his wings which shimmered a rich and deadly purple against the grey and black sky. The darkness of Grievers wings shot beams of light as bright as a bolt of Quezacotl's lightning along the ground towards Squall who jumped, darted and weaved in and out of the beams with an eerie effortlessness. Squall raised his hand behind him as he neared Griever and using a demi spell pulled his gunblade to his hand. Twisting through the air and lifting the blade at the last possible second Squall cut through the body of Griever before crashing into the ground, breathless and exhausted.

Once again the shadow departed, though this time the flowers returned and dark grey clouds parted to reveal a familiar sun. Though the fight was over for now, Squall could feel Griever's presence lingering. With the parting of the last dark cloud, Squall thought he had heard Rinoa's voice asking him "Are you still with me?"

As he closed his eyes to take rest, Squall said aloud "I will always be with you".

Grievers voice shortly followed whispering threateningly

"…and I will always, be with you, Squall".