Chapter 11- To Catechize a Monster
Squall followed closely behind Irvine and Selphie, his frustration and confusion growing all the more with each step he took that led him closer and closer to the Interrogation Room of the Presidential Palace. Squall tried his best to stay focused but found his thoughts kept swaying and drifting.
I can't even begin to understand this. An assassination attempt? How so and why? A monster attacked him and Dr. Odine is behind it? It's not like someone personally attacked Laguna or even tried to snipe him. It was a monster that attacked him, so how was this an assassination attempt? Guess I'm about to find out.
"Aaaaand we're here," Irvine's drawl brought Squall back to attention. He found himself standing outside of a small set of double doors with no windows. On either side of the doors stood four Esthar soldiers each guarding the room silently.
"There's Kiros and Ward. You're on your own after this one," the sharpshooter tipped his hat. "We'll be waiting with the others outside the Palace by the car."
"Good look in there, Squall! I'll be rootin' for ya!" Selphie encouraged enthusiastically, thrusting her fist into the air, and Squall watched the retreating backs of his friends.
Kiros approached and greeted Squall who nodded in acknowledgment while Ward stood taller than usual, his figure almost menacing, his normally calm expression had darkened.
"Yeah, I agree with Ward. You sure you're ready for this, Squall?" Kiros questioned the President's son. "You know who's in there."
"Ready as I'll ever be. Let's get this over with. I want the truth," Squall replied coolly.
"Alright then. Let me fill you in on some of the intel we know of about this man. His name is Odell Donner. He's a former resident of Winhill."
"That's all I need to know. He can fill me in on the rest," Squall stated impatiently as he stepped forward, while Ward's large hand opened up the door, leading them into a dimly lit room.
In the center of it was a table. On one side of the table sat an aging man, short, dark hair tinged with grey and grey stubble on his chin. He had dark eyes, heavy eyelids and thick brows with a small set of age lines beginning between his brows. He was wearing what appeared to be business attire, a dark grey, pinstripe suit, and tie. His hair was combed back and he looked rather clean cut and wealthy. On his wrists were what appeared to be a set of magical cuffs to keep him under control in case he tried to break out or make an attempt on his interrogators. On the other side of the table was an empty seat, Squall assumed, for the interrogator. Odell Donner chuckled rudely.
"Hmm, this is interesting. I was informed that I'd be talking to the President's son. I didn't realize the tike needed bodyguards. Isn't he a member of the infamous SeeD?" Odell began with a sneer in his voice? Squall hated the way the man's dark eyes squinted, seemingly scrutinizing him.
...tike? Bodyguards? Just who the hell does this guy think he is?
Squall placed a hand on his hip. "I hardly need a bodyguard, but you just might before we're through if you don't drop the attitude," the SeeD Commander stated darkly, his hand clutching the hilt of his gunblade. "You're in no position to be snide with me. I'll be the one asking the questions. Not you."
Kiros walked forward placing an arm out in front of Squall. "Stand down for a moment, Squall. We're here to interrogate the prisoner for committing a capital crime against the President of Esthar. My name is Kiros Seagill. This is Ward Zabac. We're the official Presidential Advisors to Laguna Loire, President of Esthar. This young man," he glanced back at the leering Squall. "Is Squall Leonhart. He is the President's son and he will be doing the interrogation. We are here to supervise should anything go wrong." Kiros stopped and stared down at the haughty man, whose shoulders had started to shake with laughter.
"Oh this is gonna be good," Odell laughed derisively. "Go ahead. Interrogate away. What makes you think I'll cooperate?"
"Squall. Do your thing. This man is starting to piss me off," Kiros stated as he put his arm down and moved to stand next to Ward in front of the doorway. "And just a fair warning, if you try anything funny, be reminded that those cuffs are designed to put a stop to anything you might attempt."
"You'll cooperate. I'll make you talk," Squall growled as he stood staring down at the man before him. "And you really don't want me to get to that point. Now, tell me one thing. Just who the hell are you?"
Odell put his head back and laughed. "And why should I tell the President's son a damn thing? What are you gonna do? You have no torture devices in here, no backup here." He held his hands up in an obvious shrug. "There isn't a thing in this room that can make me open my mouth," the man started but his sneer turned quickly into a gasp of shock as his eyes widened while glancing downward toward his chest.
With a sound of grating metal and a swift flash of silver, in an instant, Squall was pointing the tip of his gunblade mere inches away from the man's throat. "Like I said. I have my ways. Now, I suggest you start talking or you're going to get a good taste of what my blade feels like, including the gun part, and believe me. It lives up to its name. I've heard the recoil is rather painful. Let's start with who you are, where the hell you came from, what you want and why you'd do something like this. Talk. Now."
"Okay! Okay! I'll talk! I'll talk! Don't hurt me! Please! M-My name is Odell Donner! I grew up in Winhill with Raine and knew her really well. W-we were really good friends until that..." the man's expression changed from fear to disgust. "...that Laguna Loire came along and wrecked everything," he spat.
"I really loved her, but once Laguna showed up, she had eyes for only him, and then what does he do? He up and leaves her! He left her when that brat child that was living with her got kidnapped by Esthar soldiers and taken away from Winhill. He left her high, dry and pregnant. Pregnant with his... spawn." His dark eyes glared up at Squall, but the Commander of SeeD never even so much as flinched, and never took his ice blue eyes off of the man in front of him.
"Spawn, huh? You do realize you're referring to me. I'm Raine's son," Squall stated in a low, cold voice. "How do you think Raine would feel if she knew you were talking so lowly of her only son?"
"I could care less who the hell you are. As far as I'm concerned, Raine deserved better. She deserved a better son and a better husband than you and Loire. The villagers of Winhill and I all agreed that we would keep Raine's pregnancy and her baby secret. If Loire never found out, he wouldn't come back is what we all hoped for. We wanted that damned Loire to stay far away from her and our home. Lucky for us he never came back." Odell folded his arms across his chest.
"Raine died just a few weeks after you were born. Some kind of illness. We never found out what it was, and to get rid of any traces that that outsider had been here, we had the baby, you, shipped off to an orphanage, along with that brat child Ellone or whatever her name was. If Laguna had never shown up there, Raine never would've died. You and your piece of shit excuse for a President and father are the reason why she's gone!"
Squall rolled his eyes. "Please spare me your whining and accusations. It's all over the news and media that an assassination attempt was made on the President of Esthar. That is was you who worked closely with Dr. Odine, was it not? I suggest you start talking and start giving me answers." Squall moved the tip of his blade closer to where it was now an inch away from touching Odell's throat.
Beads of sweat began appearing on the man's forehead, and he visibly trembled. "Okay, I got it! Fuck! Please don't kill me!" Squall facepalmed for a moment while Odell squirmed and whimpered in front of him. "A-after I found out that Laguna Loire was the President of Esthar, I moved to Esthar and began spying on him. My biological Dad lived here in Esthar, and when he passed on about a year ago, he left me a small fortune. I had the money, and now I could carry out any sort of revenge I wanted to on the President. Revenge for the death of my precious Raine. And oh yes. I would have it, and I did."
Squall nearly flinched at the way the man's eyes seemed to gleam jovially with his words. He looked like a madman.
This guy is literally insane...
Odell laughed, sounding almost sinister. "But I had to carry out a revenge that was not obvious. I couldn't just hire SeeD to kill him for me. Not after discovering the part you all had to play in eliminating the sorceress threat and the connection to Esthar. It was too conspicuous, and Cid Kramer would've never stood for it anyway. I couldn't just hire a sniper. Galbadia was out of the question since they weren't even anything close to being trusted. I heard all about how Martine betrayed SeeD and used them to his advantage, and is now living at FH. Not to mention all of the inside jobs with General Caraway and his army. I couldn't be found out. I still don't get how I was found out. I didn't want to kill him outright, though. I wanted him to suffer. I wanted him to feel pain. The kind of pain I felt when Raine died."
Squall glowered at the man. The more he talked, the more furious he was becoming, but he was also getting to the truth, so he had to keep calm and keep his composure. He didn't want to actually harm the man, nor did he have any intentions of doing so, but if it kept him talking, he wasn't moving.
"What... the hell... did you and Dr. Odine do?" Squall spoke slowly, his tone dripping with contempt. The tip of his gunblade was now touching Odell's throat.
"Good god! Don't stab me! I'm talking! Jeez. It was simple. I used my money to hire Dr. Odine to experiment on one of the moon monsters that fell from the Lunar Cry. The Lunar Cry was like a blessing in disguise! He began the experiment on one of the strongest creatures to turn it into a supermonster that could be controlled. Dr. Odine created a sort of microchip implant and surgically input it into the monster's brain. Because of that chip, the monster could be controlled by a remote control type of device," the man explained and Squall was unnerved about how uncaring and nonchalant this man sounded.
"Certain buttons can activate its movements. You can make it fight, you can make it attack, you can make it stop, and you could make it cower down in fear if you wanted to. Odine is a fucking genius! There was a certain button programmed along with the microchip implant that when pressed, it activated a sensor switch inside of the monster to focus its attacks on Laguna Loire and nobody else." Odell jeered. "And from what I heard, the monster definitely did what it was programmed to do. He's in a hospital dying right now, isn't he?" Squall's expression darkened.
This man... and Dr. Odine experimenting together like this... and with how something this dangerous could be created... we've got a serious problem. Something needs to be done about Odine, too. If he makes more of those chips, innocent people could be in real danger...
Unable to control himself, Squall grabbed the empty chair with his free hand and flung it across the table, barely missing the side of Odell's head. Odell squeaked and shied, covering his head with his arms as the chair crashed into the wall on the other side of the room. Squall's breaths were uneven and angry, and his gunblade was still pointed perfectly at Odell's throat.
"Don't even speak of him... what the hell do you honestly know?"
"Squall...," came Kiros' warning tone from behind the SeeD.
Odine lifted his head back up and smirked. Squall could see that Odell knew he was getting under his skin. "I know enough to know that mine and Odine's monster experiment was nearly successful and could still be if he doesn't survive," he replied, shrugging his shoulders.
"You are completely insane. Do you even realize how many innocent people could be hurt because of something like this?" Squall said, incredulous. "Dr. Odine must have been really hard up for money to work with someone the likes of you."
Odell snorted. "Hard up? Nah, he isn't hard up, but he most definitely couldn't resist a good experiment. They don't call them 'mad scientists' for nothing you know. I waved the dough, we negotiated, he did what I asked, and your President took the bait. After all, it was the perfect opportunity for revenge. The type of revenge I longed for. Making him suffer and feel pain and know agony before his death without anyone finding out I was behind it. Now that is the sweetest form of revenge," his voice dripped with malice.
Squall rolled his eyes. "Yeah without getting your hands dirty, right? Well, considering you were found out, you did a pretty shitty job."
He continued holding the tip of his gunblade to the man's throat. The rage was continuously and slowly building up in the SeeD Commander now, and his body was starting to tremble from it. His gunblade even began to shake in his hold, causing Odell Donner to stretch his head back and away from the tip, dark eyes widening with fear.
"That thing is gonna cut me if you're not careful! Can you get off my throat now?"
"No." Squall found himself unable to stop from the words just tumbling out of him. "Do you even realize how many people's lives you've ruined because of this? Including mine? Because of your and those Winhill villagers' selfishness, I grew up never knowing my father was at least still alive. I grew up in that orphanage alone, believing my parents to be dead for 17 years, and never even knowing who they were because of people like you. Ellone could've been more properly protected instead of just shipped off and put in hiding, and Laguna would've known he had a son. If anyone deserves any revenge here, it's me. I'm just not that petty."
Squall moved swiftly behind the man, holding the blade of his weapon against his throat, his voice dangerously low. "I will say this though. No man like Laguna deserves death. Maybe you don't either. That remains to be seen. Raine's death was a very tragic, unfortunate thing. My father nor I am hardly at fault because of her passing. An illness is at fault. If you're that far gone that you can't see that, then that's not my problem, but you've certainly created a big one." He lowered his face down close to the trembling man's ear. "What do you propose we do about that?"
"P-P-PLEASE DON'T KILL ME! I TALKED! I TALKED! THAT'S ALL OF IT! THAT'S ALL I HAVE TO SAY! I KNOW WHAT I DID! JUST PLEASE DON'T KILL ME! I DON'T WANT TO DIE!" the man wailed as the edge of Squall's blade pressed against his flesh, but not enough pressure to cut him. He whimpered and wailed.
The Commander of SeeD removed his blade from the man's throat and shoved him away in repulsion. "You disgust me. You don't want to die? That depends on Laguna's survival. If he survives, you can spend the rest of your life rotting in prison. His survival depends on whether you get executed or not." Squall scowled in disgust before turning away from the man and walking toward Kiros and Ward. "Throw him in the Esthar prison. Make sure he's good and secluded and that he's out of here before Odine comes in. I don't want them having any more contact."
Kiros and Ward both nodded. The braided-haired man opened the door to speak with some of Esthar soldiers outside of it, and before Squall knew it, in marched four of them that had been standing outside of the doors.
"Fetch Dr. Odine and bring him in here. He's next," Kiros ordered another small group of soldiers standing just outside of the door to the interrogation room.
The four that had entered, grabbed up a sniveling and whimpering Odell Donner by his arms and dragged him out into the hallway of Palace. The only thing that Squall could hear was his residual cries of protests and 'nos' and then nothing.
Squall put his gunblade back on his hip, placing his hands on the table, hunching over, brown strands of hair falling into his eyes. He hadn't realized how heavy he was breathing, or that his arms and legs were shaking, but there was so much red-hot anger coursing through his veins, and so much information filling his head, that he wasn't even sure how to process everything that had just gone down. He stiffened when he felt a large hand on his shoulder and glanced up into the sympathetic face of Ward towering over him.
"Ward is right, Squall. You did great. You got the truth out of him, and that's what matters. Odine is on his way if you wanna interrogate him next," Kiros stated while Ward patted Squall awkwardly on the back a few times before going to stand back by the doors.
I don't know if I can go through that again... I was just so desperate at getting the truth. I hope that Rinoa, Zell and all the others never have to see that side of me. I can't even imagine what they'd think of me right now...
In truth, Squall wouldn't admit it out loud, but he honestly scared himself a little. Could he have brought himself to kill Odell Donner right there? Was he capable of doing something like that considering everything he was feeling? He wasn't sure, but he had no problem using his gunblade to his advantage if that meant getting to the truth and when it meant the life of someone that was important to him. Squall was pulled from his thoughts as a familiar voice sounded just outside of the interrogation room.
"I VANT TO KNOW WHY I AM BEING BROUGHT HERE! VAT IS THIS NONSENSE! ODINE DESERVES RESPECT! NOT TO BE TREATED LIKE A LOWLY PRISONER! UNHAND ME RIGHT THIS INSTANT!" Squall shook his head over the obnoxious squeal of the Doctor's grating tone.
Within moments, the Esthar soldiers were carrying a flailing Dr. Odine by his arms, wearing his signature clown-like suit and dropped him onto the floor of the interrogation where Squall, Kiros, and Ward all stood staring down at the small man who appeared to be having an almost child-like tantrum in the middle of the floor. "I DEMAND TO KNOW VAT THIS IS ALL ABOUT!"
Kiros stepped foward with his arms folded. "You played a part in the assassination attempt of the President of Esthar, Laguna Loire. You do understand that this is a capital crime worthy of capital punishment if that is what's decided. The President is currently laying in a hospital bed in critical condition, and his chances of pulling through aren't that great. Tell us about the monster experiment you were just paid to do by Odell Donner. Or else."
"OR ELSE VAT! DO YOU VANT TO FISTICUFFS! YOU CANNOT MAKE ODINE TALK IF HE DOESN'T VANT TO!" the tiny man shouted, raising his small fists in what he hoped was a threatening manner. Squall fought the urge to shove his face into his palm again.
Yeah, because how likely is it that you don't want to talk and that you'll shut up?
"I AM THE GREAT ODINE! I CANNOT EVER PASS UP A CHANCE AT PERFORMING A NEW EXPERIMENT AND THIS ONE VAS VONDERFUL! IT TRULY VORKED! THERE IS NOTHING ODINE CANNOT DO!"
Called it...
At this point, Squall had had enough. He walked toward Kiros, Ward, and Odine where the clown-looking doctor turned on him with his fists raised. Squall huffed in annoyance. "I'm out of here. Do whatever you want about him. I don't care." He brushed past his father's advisors and began making his way to the doors when he again, felt a hand on his shoulder. Only this time it was Kiros stopping him.
"Squall, listen man. We understand what you're feeling. We know what you're going through. We get it. If you need anything, we're here for you," the dark skinned man stated honestly.
Squall coldly shrugged Kiros's hand off his shoulder. "I don't need anything."
Kiros sighed in frustration. "Listen, man. You're not the only one who's worried about Laguna's wellbeing, okay? We care about him too and don't want anything bad to happen to him either. So you're not the only one feeling the way you are."
Squall's shoulders slumped. "...sorry." And he truly was, but he didn't feel like being overly apologetic.
"Listen to Ward. You go back to the hospital. We'll handle Odine and meet you there later. To fill you in. Alright?"
Squall nodded his head and reply and hurried out of the room, shutting the doors behind him and pressing his back against it, taking in big gulps of air. He was grateful to be able to get out of there. He was starting to feel claustrophobic in that room and needed to get out of the Palace altogether. He needed some fresh air and time to process everything that had just occurred.
He hurried down the long corridors of the Presidential Palace before finding himself outside and back in the company of his friends who were waiting by the car. They all began walking toward him as Squall made his way forward.
"Squall! How'd the interrogation go, man!" Zell was the first to question him, and Squall found himself clamming up.
"Did you get the truth?" Quistis asked him next.
"Was it really an assassination attempt on Sir Laguna!?" Selphie chimed in.
"Guys guys guys. Can't you see Squall is already stressed out? Give him some room to breathe. Interrogations aren't an easy thing to do," Irvine drawled lazily.
Rinoa approached him carefully, her hand reaching out to take one of Squall's in her own. He was still somewhat trembling and his breathing was hard. "Are you alright, Squall?"
"...I'm fine. Just needed some air." He turned towards his friends. "I need some time to think. I'm sorry. If you guys want to go shopping or figure out what to do about Ragnarok and Pandora, go ahead. Do what you want to do. I'm going to take a walk back to the hospital. I just can't... talk about stuff right now."
"It's okay, Squall. We understand," Quistis was the one who spoke in understanding. "We'll be on our way. We'll meet you at the hospital in a few hours." She turned towards Rinoa, Zell, Irvine, and Selphie. "C'mon you guys. Let's let our Commander be. He needs time to himself."
Rinoa shook her dark head defiantly. "No. I'm sorry, but I'm not leaving him alone. You guys go. I'll stay with Squall." Squall did not even try to protest as Rinoa glanced up at him and then back over to her friends. "So that's that! We'll meet up with you back at the hospital in a while."
"If you're certain," Quistis replied and they watched as their friends got into the vehicle and zoomed off. Squall found himself sighing with relief and looked over at Rinoa.
"I'm... glad you decided to stay with me. I just couldn't be surrounded by people right now. I needed a little space."
Rinoa turned worried eyes on the SeeD Commander and raised a hand to cup the side of his face. "Squall? Are you sure you're alright? What happened? You can tell me."
Squall closed his eyes and leaned into her touch, placing his own hand on top of hers. Rinoa always seemed to have a way of calming his frazzled nerves. He took her hand in his and the two began walking.
"I found out the truth about it all. Odell Donner had hired Dr. Odine to perform an experiment on one of the monsters that fell from the Lunar Cry. Long story short, Dr. Odine managed to develop some kind of microchip controlling device and implanted it into the monster's brain. They programmed it to attack Laguna when a specific button was pressed on a remote control. I don't know the entire specifics of Odine's research or anything, but that's how the assassination attempt was made on him. They found out Laguna was fighting on the frontlines and they made the attempt on his life."
Rinoa gasped, her mouth slightly gaping. "But why!? Why would anyone want to harm a man like Laguna? I don't think there's a cruel bone in his body! He's filled with nothing but purity, kindness and so much love. I've never met anyone like him. What did he do that made Odell Donner want to kill him?"
"It was my mom. Raine. Odell was in love with her since childhood and he grew jealous and petulant when Laguna came in the picture. Then, after Raine had me and died, he blamed both me and Laguna for Raine's death. He wanted to take his revenge out in a way that people wouldn't think it was an actual assassination, you know? What better way than a monster attack? Nobody would suspect a monster could be controlled enough to focus its attacks specifically on Laguna and nobody else, right? To Odell, it was the perfect plan."
Rinoa snorted derisively. "But it didn't work, did it? He was found out, and Laguna is still alive. He might not be conscious but he is most definitely still alive." She smiled up at him, hope shining in her dark eyes.
"Rinoa... the interrogation was...," Squall began but trailed off as he turned his head away from her, running a hand over the back of his neck.
"Squall, it's okay. I understand, and you don't have to tell me exactly what happened."
Rinoa's gentle voice soothed the turbulent depths once more. "You're a SeeD. You're hardened. You had a job to do, and it was in regards to your father. If you had to do something you normally wouldn't, I would understand. So it's okay. You don't have to tell me any more than that."
Squall let out a huge sigh, grateful to have someone like Rinoa in his life. He stopped and turned around to face her, gathering both of her hands in his. "I don't know what I'd do without you sometimes."
"Well, you'll never have to find that out if I have anything to say about it," Rinoa told him softly as he tugged her closer and leaned down.
Her warm lips met his, softly caressing his own, and Squall felt like in that moment he could melt into her comfort and feel at ease for the first time in ages. Squall had lost count of how many days it had been now. It still amazed him of how much Rinoa had broken down his walls, opened up his heart and he so willingly let her in. The way her touch calmed the rage and turmoil, and the intense, honest understanding she held within her very being for him. He was grateful. Even if she was a sorceress and he was her knight, they were still something else entirely their own.
"C'mon, Squall," Rinoa ushered gently as they broke the kiss. "Let's get back to the hospital. Laguna is waiting."
A couple of hours later, Squall, Rinoa, and Ellone all sat hunched in a sad silence of the hospital's waiting room. They had met up with Ellone back at the hospital, and the news was sounding more and more dire by the moment. Much to Squall's dismay, they discovered that Laguna had been placed in an induced coma to help with his recovery and was currently in a room in the ICU where he could be more closely monitored should anything else go wrong. Finally, they were allowed inside of Laguna's room and the hospital staff had made sure that the President's son, Ellone, and Rinoa were as comfortable as they could get in a chilly hospital.
Squall sat on the couch that the staff had brought into Laguna's room. Rinoa was sound asleep, curled up on the couch with her head resting comfortably in the SeeD Commander's lap. His fingers absentmindedly stroked her forehead and hair. Ellone was seated on the other side of Squall in a chair that was pushed up against the side of the couch. The two were conversing quietly, taking turns at exchanges glances of the unconscious President. His skin was as paper-white as the sheets underneath him, and just the way he looked unnerved Squall. There were still no signs of improvement.
Squall and Ellone's voices were soft as Ellone told Squall stories of time passed. Stories of her time with Raine when she first took Ellone in. Stories of her time with both Raine and Uncle Laguna together, and of her time with Raine after Laguna left.
"I was so young then, but Raine's belly was so big while she was pregnant with you! I used to make silly little comments about how it looked like Raine had swallowed an entire watermelon." She chuckled a bit wistfully. "Raine would groan and say how she felt like she'd swallowed an entire watermelon that wouldn't stop moving."
Ellone paused and stared down at her hands. "The whole time she was pregnant with you, she talked about Uncle Laguna so much. She talked about how much she missed him and dreamed of the day he would come home. How she hoped that he'd be home in time for the birth of her baby."
Squall was about to open his mouth to say something when Rinoa stirred in his lap. His hands continued stroking her dark hair and he peered down at her. "Hey. You awake?"
"Yeah... Did I fall asleep...?" Rinoa tried to stifle a yawn as she sat up and gazed around them. "I'm so sorry. I guess I was tired. I've just not slept much since..." her voice trailed off.
Join the club. I don't think any of us have.
Squall wasn't even sure how he could get proper rest at a time like this. If he fell asleep and the worst happened...
No! Don't even think about it. Just stop thinking...!
Rinoa stood up and stretched. "Listen, I'm kinda hungry and a little thirsty. I think I'm going to head to the cafeteria for some food and drink. Would you guys like anything?"
Squall couldn't even stomach the thought of food right now with all the stress weighing on him and he shook his head. Ellone politely asked for a hot coffee to which Rinoa obliged and stepped out of the room. Rinoa heard the sounds of Squall and Ellone's voice as she left the room, but decided to stop and hide behind the door, curious on what they were discussing.
"Raine waited and waited for Laguna to come home, but he never did," Ellone told him somberly. "About a week after you were born, Raine fell ill. The villagers who loved Raine had doctors out to check her over, and nobody could ever figure out what was wrong with her. Her illness was very mysterious. No matter the treatment, Raine just got worse. One day I was sitting by her bedside, and Raine talked nothing more about how she wanted to show her newborn baby, their newborn baby, to Laguna. I don't think Raine was just sick. I think Raine died of a broken heart... She was married to Laguna, pregnant with their baby and he didn't know. Raine had no idea where he was nor any means of contacting him," Ellone's voice broke.
"I was there when she passed away, Squall. I was holding her hand when it went limp in mine. You were laying in a bassinet right beside her. Her hand was rubbing your head, and it just dropped. One minute, she was there and the next, she was just gone. And I can't let the same thing happen with Uncle Laguna, Squall. I just can't. I can't handle that I can't lose both of them."
Squall felt his own throat tighten as Ellone broke down in the chair beside him. He wanted to find the words to say. His mom died right next to him and Ellone. Now Laguna might... No. He wouldn't. Squall searched for the right words to say. He wanted to tell her that everything would be okay, that Laguna was a fighter, he was strong and that he would come back to them, but the minute he opened his mouth, he clamped it shut tight, clenching his jaw against the raw emotion rolling in his chest, afraid that if he opened his mouth to speak, he might just break down too.
Instead, he pulled Ellone over by her hand to sit on the couch next to him and put his arms around her, holding her and letting her cry. Ellone's sobs were loud and pained, and he squeezed her tighter.
Sis... please... It's not going to be that way. It won't happen like that. Not with Laguna. He still has a lot of life to live.
Behind the door, Rinoa listened in on their conversation, and she raised a hand to clutch at the rings laying against her own aching heart. "Oh, Squall... Ellone...," she whispered tremulously and sniffed against the tears that had begun stinging her own eyes. All that could be heard now was Ellone sobbing, and Rinoa left Laguna's hospital room door, heading toward the cafeteria, holding in her tears, and in hopes of regaining composure.
After a while, she returned to Laguna's hospital room carrying a tray of food and hot coffee for Ellone only to find the two fast asleep on the couch. Squall had an arm around Ellone who's head was resting against his arm. Squall was resting the side of his face against his hand, his elbow leaning on the arm of the couch. They looked so peaceful that Rinoa couldn't find it in her heart to wake them and let them know she brought food and drinks for them, worrying over how long it had been since the two had last eaten anything. She quietly placed the tray down on the bedside table and went to the linen closet of the hospital room. She tugged out a blanket and smiled at the sleeping forms of Squall and his Sis. She covered them both, feeling a slight form of relief that knowing all was right with them again, and that they were finally resting.
Squall's eyes fluttered open to find himself no longer in Laguna's hospital room but surrounded by a completely white space. "Hello?" he called. The only response was the echo of his own voice. "Rinoa? Ellone? Laguna? Is anyone there?" Again, just the echo of his voice.
"How in the hell did I end up here? You've gotta be kidding me," he grumbled, dropping his face into his palm when a warm, feminine chuckle came from behind him. Squall raised his head swiftly and whirled around. What he came face to face too was what he least expected.
A pair of eyes, almost identical to his met his own. The same shape, the same shade of blue, only they were enhanced by a set of dark, thick eyelashes. His eyes trailed up to her hair. The same shade of hair to match his own held back with a yellow headband. She was wearing a pair pearl teardrop earrings in both ears, a white ribbed turtleneck sweater and a pair of denim jeans.
"Wh-what are you doing here?" Squall found himself spitting out and cringed at how rude he sounded. "I-I mean... you're Raine, aren't you?"
"You're a sharp one," the woman laughed. "Much more so than your father. Kiros and Ward were right. You really are just like me in a lot of ways, but I can see some of him in you too." She leaned forward, her hands behind her back and studied Squall, blue eyes squinting at him. "Maybe just a bit though. More me than anything."
"Raine...?" Squall asked her, tilting his head ever so slightly. "Did Ellone send me here?"
"Here? Hmmm no, I don't think so. I think that this is a place that Ellone can't reach with her power alone," Raine began to explain, standing upright. "Oh let me look at you. You've grown up to be so handsome!"
Squall blushed, folding his arms and staring down at the ground. Really? She came here to gush all over me and about how much I've grown up? Typical...
Raine laughed out loud again. "Okay, so I take that bit back about you being like your father. You are pretty much just like me, and not so much like Laguna. Which I suppose is a good thing?"
"Laguna. So, it really is true...?" Squall asked his mother, staring right down at her. "You and Laguna really are my parents? No mistakes?"
Raine nodded her head. "Yes. We really are. No mistakes." She paused before folding her hands. "Squall, your father, Laguna is lost. He is having trouble finding his way home and back to you."
Squall quirked an eyebrow. "Lost? What do you mean lost? He's lying in a hospital bed fighting for his life."
"Yes, but I mean his spirit his lost. It's hovering between this life and the next. I can't reach him because he's in some sort of limbo that he can't find his way out of. He's been desperately trying to wake up and get back to you, but it's like he can't. I can sense he's very close to giving up, Squall. Very close." Raine closed her eyes painfully. "It's too soon for him to move on yet, Squall." She grabbed her son's hands in her own, and Squall was surprised at how warm and real they felt. "You absolutely cannot let that happen to him."
"What am I supposed to do? How do I keep him from giving up if he's lost?"
Raine moved close to him and brought a hand up to rest on his cheek. Her thumb stroked it gently as her eyes stared hard into his.
"Call out to him. Reach him with your heart. If you completely open your heart to Laguna and call out to him, I think it just might save his life. Remember how you reached out to Rinoa when she was lost in space and you found her? She didn't give up. She found her way back to you. You saved her. You have to do the same with your father, Squall or he will be lost forever."
"Mom," Squall's voice broke on the word and he closed his eyes against relentless tears that seemed to want to make an unwelcome appearance. "What if I can't?"
"You can, son and you will. I know you will. You have that ability. I have faith in you. Open your heart to your father. Laguna needs that right now more than anything. He longs to have that father/son relationship with you. It's not all that complex. Help him find his way back to you. You don't realize how much the both of you need each other."
We need you too, Mom.
Raine wrapped her arms around Squall's trembling form and pulled him close. He didn't fight against it, just as he didn't with Laguna. His forehead dropped onto his mother's shoulder and he finally let the tears roll. "Mom..." His breath hitched, and his arms went around his mother like a lost little boy finding his mother for the first time in his life. And he was. He felt the warmth her touch, the tightness of her embrace. He could smell her unique, floral scent. The same as those white flowers in Winhill. He could feel her spirit and it's strong presence that was suddenly familiar to him. He'd felt that presence before. He just didn't know it had been her at the time. Raine ran a hand through Squall's hair over and over til he calmed.
"It's alright, son. I'm with you. I'm always with you. That'll never change."
"I... don't really honestly understand the family thing, but if it'll help save Dad, I'll do it."
"That's my boy," Raine's voice whispered close to his ear. She was moving now, further and further away from him, her form slowly fading. The last Squall saw of her was her loving smile.
Squall did as he was told. He gathered all of his feelings into his heart, closing his eyes he pictured Laguna and imagined everything he carried inside reaching out to him. With all his heart and soul, he called out to Laguna.
Laguna... I hope you're there. I hope you can hear me. Listen, I... I just saw Raine, Mom, for the first time. For real, and she helped me. I was so confused on how to handle the fact that I had a father who was alive that I shut you out and held you at arm's length and then you got hurt... I wasn't the nicest to you before, and for that I'm sorry. Laguna, please. If you can hear me, come back to us. We need you here. Mom said it wasn't time for you to move on yet. I... I don't want you to be lost, so please, Laguna. I want to try. I'm willing to do whatever it takes if it means saving your life. I can't lose anyone else. So, please. Come back to us. Come back to me. Dad. Please.
"Squall... my son."
"Squall! Squall!"
Was I... Am I dreaming? Dad? Mom?
"Squall..."
"Squall! Squall! Wake up! You have to wake up now!" the urgent voice was sounding louder now, and Squall found he was laying across the couch, but not in his father's room. He was back in the waiting room and was laying on his back. How did he even get there? Did someone move him? Why didn't he wake up? He opened up bleary eyes and rubbed the sleep from them.
"Wha- what's going on? How did I get here?" his voice was drawn and raspy from sleep. Squall sat up on the couch and rubbed the sleep from his eyes.
"Welcome back, sleepyhead. Ward moved you from the hospital room back into here. You were sleeping so heavily that nothing was waking you up." Ellone stood in front of him with her hands clasped tightly to her chest. "I've... just heard from Uncle Laguna's doctors."
That woke Squall up, and he shook his head, brushing back his hair and stood up in front of Ellone. "Uncle Laguna is waking up!"
Author's Note: Next chapter will be the final chapter and conclusion to the story. Thank you to those of you who stuck around and waited for me to complete it. I did give each chapter somewhat of an overhaul so feel free to read from the beginning and drop me a review. Thanks everyone!