.:`'~ Legacy ~'`:.
Chapter Ten
-=-=-=-=-=-
We've seen our share of ups and downs
Oh how quickly life can turn around
In an instant
It feels so good to reunite
Within yourself and within your mind
Let's find peace there
-=-=-=-=-=-
The last thing Cloud remembered before he woke up was the image of a burning building falling towards him. He awoke with a start, eyes wide and gasping for breath. Instantly he realized that Nibelheim was gone. He was back in a landscape that was all too familiar, a bright white world laying out for miles around him.
Had it all been a dream?
But it had felt so real. He hastily rubbed his face with a shaking hand, feeling anger flood his mind when he recalled what had just happened. Damn it! Why now? What did it mean? And for Hyne's sake where the hell was he? Perhaps it had been a nightmare. Something brought on by fears he thought he'd conquered long ago. It left a bad taste lingering in the back of his mouth.
He thought he heard something and became very still, listening closely.
Voices?
Great. Now he really was going crazy. Although hearing voices in his head wasn't entirely new to him. But then he realized they weren't in his head. Cloud listened carefully and realized that they were coming from the air around him. It was hard to tell. He stood slowly and continued to listen, unable to discern the direction. At one point it sounded like they had come from his left, but when he turned that way they were coming from another direction entirely.
He obviously wasn't seeing anything, either.
He strained his senses, stretching his Mako-enhanced hearing and focusing. The voices slowly came into better focus and he tried harder, clenching his hands into fists at his sides and closing his eyes. He could hear two of them distinctly. A male and female. And one of them sounded familiar...
Then they abruptly faded, echoing into the far distance beyond what he could reach. Cloud focused harder but lost them. Either they'd gone too far and faint for him to pick up or they stopped talking altogether. Loosening his fists he stared hard at a nameless point in the distance, taking in a deep breath before shouting,
"Hello?!"
His voice carried an echo as it disappeared into the colorless expanse. He listened to it until it was gone. There was nobody there to answer. It was quiet. He could hear the blood running through his body and the heart beating his chest. His ears filled with the static of silence. Cloud's shoulders slowly began to drop but he tried again.
"Hello?! Can you hear me?!"
C'mon, answer... I know someone's there.
To his surprise, someone did answer.
.:`'~ Legacy ~'`:.
The towels were where Squall expected to find them. He shut the bathroom door behind him and with a second thought locked it. The bathroom was quaint, featuring a full bath and shower with enough room to maneuver comfortably. It wasn't very big; if Squall decided for some random reason to lay down he would just fit between the door and the edge of the bath. It's contemporary white coloration was accented with dark blue trim – the same color as the towel Squall set down on the sink counter. He heaved a great relaxing sigh and shook off the remnants of the dream. The water from the shower head came out with a loud hiss and a steady pressure when he turned it on.
Looking into the mirror Squall thought he looked a lot more tired than he felt, especially given the state of his injuries. He ran some cold water into the sink, splashing it onto his face carelessly as he leaned over the sink -
Hello?!
Squall jerked upwards, yelping when his head hit the medicine cabinet above him. He grimaced and slowly straightened, squinting into the mirror to see no one in the room with him. It sounded like it had come from directly behind him - right next to him even. Or now as he thought about, in front of him.
As if the mirror could lie he turned and looked over the bathroom with his own eyes, cold steel gray narrowing at the sight of nothing but the steam of the shower rising to the ceiling. Squall listened carefully for a moment longer before dismissing it. He turned back to the mirror and reached up to take the bandages off of his chest, turning his body to the side for a better view.
Hello?! Can you hear me?!
This time the voice was louder. It sounded like it had been right in his ear. No, not in his ear. In his friggin' head.
Squall jerked to the side and hit the bathroom door with a loud thud. His eyes searched the room quickly and his frustration grew when he yet again found nothing. A moment later a familiar voice on the other side of the door made him jump again. He inwardly cursed.
"Squall, is everything alright?" Rinoa asked softly.
He turned his head a little, looking over the bathroom in front of him before answering, "Yeah."
"Are you okay? I heard a bang-"
"I'm fine." He snapped without intending to, feeling a small shard of guilt stab him.
There was a pause of silence before he could hear the sound of hesitant footsteps walking back down the hallway. Squall let out a breath he hadn't been aware he was holding, running his hand over his face and scratching the diagonal scar there out of habit.
I'm going crazy, he thought.
Who are you?
The voice sounded more than a little anxious. Cautious, perhaps. But he heard it clear as day. Squall jumped -again-, this time away from the door. He stumbled back with a clumsy disgrace until the back of his legs hit the toilet, which he fell onto. "What the- Where are you?!" He growled angrily, attempting to keep his voice low enough so that Rinoa wouldn't hear and come checking again, half-expecting no answer.
So you can hear me?
Squall's eyes darted around suspiciously. There was no one in this room and there was no way it was coming from anywhere else but... "Of course I can," He muttered quietly, "Who are you? Where are you?" It was a question born out of necessity.
There was a heavy pause afterwards with no answer. Just as Squall began to wonder if he'd imagined everything the voice spoke again.
I think... I'm in your head.
That wasn't what Squall wanted to hear. He crinkled his forehead with a look of disdain. "It's rude. Get out."
I don't know how.
Squall exhaled sharply. "Look, if you want to talk we can talk face to face. I refuse to talk to someone in my head." Memories flashed through his mind for a quick moment, recalling those times when he'd suffer in visions of the past to follow his father. It seemed like it had happened so long ago but he would never forget the frustration it'd brought.
He listened carefully, anxiously waiting to see if whoever it was had paid attention. In hindsight, that was sort of stupid. When he received none, though, a sense of relief washed through him. However, the shower didn't seem so appealing anymore, unfortunately. It hadn't in the first place really, but now he didn't even want to bother. He stood.
Is your name Squall?
Damn it.
"Shut up." He scowled and shut off the water, leaving the bathroom and walking down the hallway back towards the bedroom. A soft voice called out from behind him.
"Squall?"
He stopped and looked over his bandaged shoulder to see Rinoa standing at the front of the hallway. She had an odd expression on her face and was watching him carefully. He could tell that she'd heard him talking, though he wasn't sure if she'd heard what he was saying. Squall unclenched the fists he hadn't realized he'd made. "Yeah?"
"Dinner's ready." Rinoa announced and the odd look was replaced by a warm smile. A smile that did nothing but send strange and uncalled for tingles of alarm through Squall's body.
"Alright. I'll be there in a minute." He turned away and walked into the bedroom, shutting the door behind him. A quick search rewarded him with his clothes and he changed into them, wincing as his leg ached with complaint, though the stiffness of his pants helped to relieve the pain a little after he'd put them on.
The voice hadn't responded to him for several minutes. He wondered if it was gone. He hoped it was gone. The last thing he needed was for voices to be speaking to him, especially ones he didn't know. Although, now that he thought about it, he suddenly realized that it had seemed familiar. Not as familiar as Rinoa's soft voice or Seifer's condescending tones, but something he felt he'd be able to recognize if he actually tried to.
Squall's brow furrowed again as he concentrated, standing in the middle of the bedroom with one hand on his hip and the other against his chin. It must've been recen-
His eyes snapped open widely.
The dream!
Was it... him?
Squall felt a rush of adrenaline at the thought when he realized he could have gotten some answers. Especially if what Nanaki and Vincent had said were true. But that didn't make -sense-, did it? Why would he be in his head?
Summon. Guardian Force. They were nearly the same despite the worldly difference. And Squall had drawn the summon from the Materia. Could Cloud really be...?
It seemed so simple when he thought about it.
Squall took in a deep breath, partially unable to believe he was about to do this.
"Are you... still there?" He asked quietly, unsure of the merit behind his idea.
Yeah.
Squall let go the breath he'd been holding, lowering his hands to his sides. "Is your name Cloud?"
There was a moment of silence before the voice responded again, this time with hesitance. Yeah. Squall, right?
Squall sighed and stepped back awkwardly until he sat on the bed, resting his elbow on his knee and grabbing his forehead. "Yeah."
There was a long, awkward silence. Squall didn't know exactly what to say and he wagered neither did Cloud. He decided to start with the most recent event and work his way back.
"So you were in my dream?" He asked, making sure to keep his voice subdued. He wondered if Cloud could hear his thoughts.
Your dream? Cloud's voice didn't sound entirely convinced and he continued, I thought it was my nightmare.
Squall frowned slightly. "But it was in my head."
Yeah. It was... but... they were my memories.
The SeeD couldn't argue with that, he couldn't recall anything like that ever happening to him. Despite the knowledge he had now that junctioning a Guardian Force was accompanied with a loss of memory. "That's true. How did that happen?"
I'm not sure.
A sudden realization struck Squall. In the dream he and Cloud had been fighting an entity, a monster named Jenova. It reminded him of the danger that lurked just a few rooms down, the possibility that the monster, alien, virus – whatever, could be in Rinoa. Vincent had said Cloud might know how to fix it.
"Cloud, what can you tell me about Jenova?"
The silence that followed was thick and heavy. Squall could somehow, he didn't know why, feel the waves of anxiety roll through him. Caution. Fear. Danger. Anger. All of which didn't belong to him. When Cloud spoke next his words were laced heavily with suspicion.
Why do you want to know? His words were very sharp. It was clearly not something he wanted to discuss, but Squall pressed ahead fearlessly.
"I need to know-"
"Squall?"
He jerked his head up as the door creaked open, following a soft knock. Rinoa's head peeked in from around it, her long hair swaying.
"Who are you talking to?" She asked. Squall felt those same, strange tingles of alarm roll through his body. He looked at her carefully, noticing the strangely rigid posture she kept. She was looking at him with a small amount of concern, but when he looked more closely he could see suspicion lurking in her eyes.
Suspicion of what?
"No one." He finally answered, standing from the bed. He wondered if Cloud could hear Rinoa. "Sorry I kept you waiting."
Rinoa smiled at him. "No problem. Come on, before it gets cold." She pushed the door open for him and waited until he walked by before following.
Squall found it impossible to relax his body. His posture was tense, every muscle teeming with preparation. Instincts he'd long since developed for battle warning him of danger. He exhaled slowly and once again wondered if Cloud would be able to hear him think... Squall focused.
Can you hear me?
I can hear you. Cloud's voice still sounded clipped and short. Guarded.
Squall felt relieved. This would make things easier, though he'd have to try and keep his attention aware while he carried on.
Good. He said, er, thought. Can you hear who I'm talking to?
The answer came a bit more slowly. Vaguely. It's very faint.
I need you to listen.
Why? What's going on? Cloud didn't sound very interested. In fact, he sounded like he didn't want to talk anymore.
Just do it.
Squall's thoughts were interrupted as he stumbled into the table. He blinked and stepped back, cursing inwardly at his clumsiness. Rinoa was upon him in an instant with a concerned frown on her face.
"Squall, are you alright? Why don't you sit down? You need to be easy on that leg of yours... I'll get your drink for you."
Normally never one to be grateful for an injury, Squall sat down with a small show of pain. His leg hadn't been the cause of his stumble at all. He was lucky Rinoa wasn't able to catch things like that.
What's wrong with your leg? Cloud's voice was mildly curious. Squall could still hear a sharp edge to it though, as if he'd been offended.
Nothing. I'll tell you later.
Cloud didn't bother saying anything else and Squall hoped he'd gotten the picture. He focused on the table in front of him, noticing the warm soup Rinoa had prepared for his meal. It smelled really good, actually. A mix of meat and vegetables, the addition of herbs and spices wafting into the air with steam. Squall realized he was actually quite hungry and picked up his spoon, digging in. It was as delicious as it smelled.
Rinoa set a glass of water in front of him and a chair scraped against the floor as she pulled it out and sat on it. She set her elbow on the tabletop and rested her cheek in the palm of her hand, smiling at him as she watched him eat. Squall didn't really pay any mind. It wasn't long before half of his soup was gone.
"Do you like it?" She asked proudly.
"It's good." He said, looking at her. "Aren't you hungry?" She didn't have a bowl or glass for herself.
Rinoa shook her head. "No, I ate earlier."
Squall didn't say anything. He let silence take over and focused on finishing his soup. He could feel Rinoa watching him and it felt like she was waiting for something, so he decided to try and press his luck. Maybe it was because he had Cloud to listen in that he felt a little more bold about what he was about to ask, but he couldn't let it sit for too long. He had to find out about this Jenova alien, and the best person would be Cloud, right? To bring Cloud out again he'd need the Lifestream. He'd prefer being able to talk that way. Not to mention it was just -strange- having someone in his head.
"Rinoa."
"Hm?"
"Do you know what the Lifestream is?"
Rinoa's nose scrunched. "The Lifestream?" She seemed to run through her thoughts before slowly shaking her head. "No, why? What is it?"
"It's something they have on this planet. I need to find it... I was hoping you'd seen it." He paused for a moment, "Since.. you can, you know." He pointed to his eyes.
"Oh..." Rinoa's shoulders dropped a little. "Maybe if I knew what it looked like?"
Squall frowned. That he didn't know... But maybe.
Cloud?
It's... green. Like a river. And it glows. Cloud answered and Squall could hear the strange tone in his voice, mild surprise that he and Rinoa didn't know.
"It's like a green, glowing river." Squall supplied, shifting his weight in his seat and folding his arms across his chest. He'd left his jacket in the room.
"Oh! Wait! Yes, I have seen something like that! Why?" Rinoa sat back in her seat and Squall didn't miss the way she mimicked his seating posture, folding her thin arms across her chest. "What is it?"
Squall didn't answer her questions, instead asking, "Can you take me there?"
There was a noticeable pause before she responded, "I... could. But shouldn't you finish healing before you go anywhere?"
"I'm fine." He said and began to stand, "Can we leave now?"
"Now?" She squeaked. Actually squeaked. This wasn't like Rinoa at all. Since when did she become.. timid? "I dont' know about now Squall. I mean, it's so late. Wouldn't it be better to wait until daylight? Or at least until you can get some rest?"
"I'm fine. We can go now."
Rinoa frowned a little and stood suddenly, placing her hands on her hips. "No. You can't get there without me and I'm not taking you until you at -least- get a little more rest."
"Rinoa-"
"Nuh uh mister. You just march yourself right back into that room and lay back down." She smiled at him suddenly, tilting her head fondly as she spoke with a more serious, gentle tone. "We'll go tomorrow, okay? I promise. First thing!" Rinoa held up a finger for emphasis as she smiled from behind it.
Squall exhaled heavily. "Fine."
She was acting so strangely. One second shy and timid and then the next something he was more used to. It was like she couldn't decide. It was uncanny and strange and he didn't like it. But he still had a hard time believing that this wasn't Rinoa. Not without some sort of concrete proof. Deep down he knew that it was only his own denial. He wasn't looking closely enough, afraid that he'd find the truth and have to acknowledge it. It was something he was afraid to do, even if he couldn't admit it to himself.
But tomorrow.
Tomorrow his instinct told him he'd get his answers when they found the Lifestream.
.:`'~ Legacy ~'`:.
Cloud was right. It was green. It was a river. And it glowed.
Squall stood several meters away from the unreal sight, his eyes beholding a river of flowing liquid that shone with a brightness all it's own. It was in a single word, beautiful. No one could deny that. There wasn't a particularly large amount of it, but when his eyes laid sight on it he couldn't help but to draw in his breath. It was the size of a small stream, about ten feet wide at it's longest. He couldn't make out how deep, though for some reason he suspected it was much deeper than it looked. Streams of green, spidery tendrils wafted into the air like seeking tendrils and all around the bank the dirty mud gave way to the brightest grass he'd ever seen, littered with small, blossoming flowers. Squall didn't fail to notice the way the tendrils of floating lifestream drew towards him, which explained why he had chosen to stand just beyond their reach. He wasn't exactly sure what to do from here.
Rinoa stood to the right of him, hovering closer than what he'd like but to step away would be a mistake. He allowed it, ignoring the brush of her warm arm against his. Despite the coolness of the night she didn't seem bothered by it and was staring at the Lifestream with an expression much different than his own small amount of reverence. She looked apprehensive. Nervous. And unlike him, the tendrils didn't seem interested in her at all. If anything, they curved away from her, coming in towards him from the left. She'd been acting strangely ever since he'd asked to come here. A part of him was a little disappointed. He'd think this would be something Rinoa would enjoy. Her reaction now was simply adding more fuel to the fire.
Squall could feel the round shape in his breast pocket within his jacket. The dead, red materia. It was a little familiar to him now, though not nearly as familiar as the gunblade strapped across his back. He was about to brave a step forward when Rinoa suddenly grabbed onto his arm. "Don't go near it!" She whispered fiercely, "It might be dangerous!"
It's not. Cloud said immediately. Squall could hear a surprising tone in the other's voice, something he could only describe as relief. It won't hurt you.
I was wondering if you were still around.
"It's not dangerous," Squall said to her, looking towards her curiously. "Why are you so afraid?"
"I'm not afraid!" She pouted and tugged on his jacket sleeve, "Just don't go near it! It might be poisonous or toxic. It's green for crying out loud!"
Squall looked down at her and narrowed his grey eyes. "It's not toxic. It's fine Rinoa. Just stay here." He attempted to shrug her arm off but he was surprised when she didn't let go.
"I'm serious Squall! Don't go over there! Look at it! It's trying to get you...!" She pointed at the tendrils that strayed towards him, a few feet out of reach. Squall looked at them for a moment and glanced back at her, her face and doe eyes outlined in luminescent green.
"It's fine." He insisted, his voice hard. Once again he jerked his arm. She let go with one of her hands but kept a grip with the other. Rinoa looked up at him with a frown and an equally hard look in her eyes.
"No, it's -not-." She growled back.
"What's -wrong- with you?" Squall asked quickly, his eyes narrowing even further as he bristled. Was this it then? Was she going to show who she really was? Because this definitely wasn't the Rinoa that he'd fallen in love with. This was... whatever it was, it was childish. "You've been acting strangely ever since we left the house."
Rinoa stared up at him, her brown eyes becoming large and wide. "You just don't understand! We don't know what it is, what if it's evil? What if it will hurt us?"
"It won't," Squall insisted again, jerking his arm out of her grip successfully. "Now tell me, what's your problem? Don't ignore the question Rinoa." He prepared himself for any sort of reaction, watching her closely.
She stared at him with her large brown eyes for a moment before making a soft sound. "'Tch. Fine." Rinoa folded her arms across her chest. "I didn't want to come here anyway. I thought I'd humor you though, to see what you wanted with this ugly place. It's disgusting. It stinks." Her nose crinkled with disgust. "But I can't chance you going near it. And for Hyne's sake it's so... damn... loud!" She snarled at the Lifestream suddenly with such malice that it surprised Squall and he took a step back. "Shut UP!"
"Rinoa?"
Her head whipped back towards him and he was shocked by the expression on her face. It was an ugly sneer. The way her lips were twisted into a cruel smirk and her eyes narrowed was more than enough to make him shudder. And when he really looked he could see that her eyes were glowing purple.
What's going on?
"Oh stop looking at me like I kicked your puppy." Rinoa muttered and Squall's world suddenly spun in circles. He slammed into something hard and unforgiving, grunting as a shot of pain throbbed through his back as he tumbled to the ground. When his eyes opened the first thing he noticed was that he was laying on his back, several meters away from where he'd been standing before. The object that had broken his fall was a large rock, and he hadn't been falling at all. He'd been thrown.
"What the - "
Footsteps approached. Soft and light but with purpose. Rinoa came into view standing above him with her hands on her hips. The edges of her long blue coat swayed just beyond the edge of his vision and she was looking at him with a hint of disappointment and disgust. "Oh stop it. Get up." Her foot lifted and Squall's eyes widened. He rolled out of the way just in time to avoid the heel of her boot crashing down where his head had been. Quickly he came into a crouch, reaching for his gunblade –
"Oh, ho? What's wrong Squall? Did you forget something?" Rinoa asked with a sweet voice as his hands clenched around nothing. Squall scowled and looked around the area quickly. Where the hell did it go?
A whistle grabbed his attention. "Lookin' for something?"
Squall looked back at her to see Rinoa twirling the gunblade in her hand as if it were a baton. It was an uncanny sight and very disturbing. He recalled once when she'd tried to pick it up she had to use both hands just to lift it off the ground. But now she flipped it into the air with a practiced ease, catching it with a graceful twist of her wrist and holding it in front of her with an amused gleam in her eyes, lightly running her fingers along the blade.
"Ohhh? You don't look so surprised, schnookums." Rinoa smiled widely at him, thrusting the tip of the weapon into the ground with devastating ease before resting her weight against the gunblade's hilt. The sword was nearly as tall as she was, reminding Squall with crystal clarity just how.. wrong it seemed. "I was sort of hoping for more of a dramatic reaction than you just staring at me."
What's going on?
Perfect timing. You remember that Jenova thing I asked you about?
Yes... Again, Cloud's voice was clipped again and displeased.
If your friend Vincent is right, then she's taken over Rinoa.
WHAT?!
Squall winced, holding his head at the suddenly explosive voice in his mind. Not so loud!
Jenova's -dead-! Cloud sounded angry now, voice full of denial.
Squall felt it, too. Whatever it was Cloud was feeling was intense. So intense he could feel it wafting through him like an internal wind. Fear, apprehension, fury. Relentless danger. It was terrifying. For a moment he wondered if he'd lost control of himself. Calm... down.. He growled at Cloud, I can't think!
A wave of coolness rushed through him. He could feel Cloud attempting to get his emotions under control and it worked. A little. When Squall refocused on the world around him he saw Rinoa looking at him suspiciously.
No. Not Rinoa.
"Jenova."
One of her eyebrows crawled upwards. "Oh? You know my name? Well, actually. You can call me Rinova. Jenova's old school. I'm the new, improved version you could say." She grinned viciously. It was completely unsettling, especially on Rinova's face. "What's wrong Squally? You look like you're distracted. Or... maybe... is it... something else? Hm? Hey." She kneeled down in front of him within his reach. She stared at him pointedly, expectantly. "Tell me. Are you hearing anything?"
Squall. You've got to kill her, quickly!
He could feel a rush of adrenaline surge through him. An overwhelming sense of urgency. Squall's eyes narrowed at the tone in her voice. But she couldn't know! Could she?
"Oh, you bet I can." She giggled.
Squall's eyes widened. "Did you-"
"Yup. I just read your mind." She tapped her forehead, then tapped his. Squall quickly began to stand from where he lay, pushing himself off the ground with his arms and making a lunge for the gunblade.
"Tut-tut, stay still." Rinova said with a soft, sing-song voice and snapped her fingers. Squall gasped as a sudden weight bore down on him heavily. He strained against it but it pulled on him without mercy until his knees hit the soft ground beneath him. Every muscle in his body strained against the force even as it shoved him down back onto the ground. He was barely able to hold himself up with his arms.
"I can do a lot more than that, too." She said mysteriously, her lips crooking into a smile as she giggled again. "Wanna see?"
Rinova was purring as she approached him. Squall wasn't able to do anything but watch helplessly as she came to a stop next to him. He could feel her hand as she ran it through his hair, sweeping his bangs across his forehead. His body trembled against the strain and he grimaced as he struggled to move his body. No matter what he tried he couldn't move it. He couldn't even lift a finger. He wanted to speak but his voice didn't react to his command, his mouth remained silent. I can't move...!
Cloud didn't respond.
"Good boy." Rinova said, patting him on the head. Squall growled, if only in his head. "Now... I'll let you talk, but be nice. Okay? No barking. Or I'll put you back on your leash."
Just as easy as she'd said it Squall felt himself regain the ability to speak. He snarled, "What did you do?! Who are you?! Where's Rinoa?!"
Rinova slapped his head with very little force. More of a swat, really. "Nah-ah! Bad boy! I said be nice! No yelling." She pouted at him for a second before her lips creased into a wide smile. Rinova giggled. "I didn't do anything. You're my Knight, right? So you gotta protect me. Just like you promised, remember?"
He growled, anger heating his vision. "You're not Rinoa!"
Rinova sighed, flicking her hand through the air dismissively. "Don't worry bout that scatterbrained twat. She's fine. You're looking at her." She smiled again and lowered herself, clasping her hands behind her back as she knelt towards him. "See? It's me. Your beloved princess. Your sorceress. Your one and only. You love me, right Squall?"
He glared at her.
She frowned and straightened, placing her hands on her hips. "Now that's not very nice is it? You shouldn't be doing that. One might think you were being disloyal. There's no need for a bad knight, good sir. And if you wanna stick around with the cool crowd than you should be on your best behavior! Right?" She made it sound so damn simple, like it was obvious.
Squall growled. This wasn't good. He couldn't move his body. This... thing was acting as if this was just a game and he couldn't hear Cloud anymore. Cloud, are you there?
Yeah.
Squall noticed the strain in the other's voice. Are you okay?
It's... hard to focus. I can barely hear anything. What's going on?
Squall's eyes narrowed and he returned his attention to Rinova, who was once more looking at him with a knowing look. "Well. You seem pretty informed so I guess I'm gonna get right down to business, as boring as that is." Rinova rolled her eyes. She tapped him on the nose and grinned as he huffed angrily. "Stop being so mad, even if it does make you look cute. This isn't gonna be so bad you know. I'm easy to get along with. Now, you have a choice to make." Rinova's smile widened. She seemed to be very self-assured of her victory.
She was going to be sorely disappointed, Squall vowed. If he could just regain control... How the hell was she doing this?!
"Now pay attention. I'm only gonna explain this once. It's quite simple. You can either A," She held up a finger, "Continue being an idiot and fight against me. But I promise you, it won't be easy. In fact, I'd have to kill you. I don't think I have to tell you just how easy that'd be for me, either. And in the end it wouldn't matter anyways because I'd just take over your corpse."
Rinova held up a second finger. "Or you can go with Plan B, which I highly recommend. You join me. Of your own free will. There won't be any pain for you, only power. The power to do whatever you want. You could go home. We could defeat this Ultimecia woman and all of your friends would be safe. You wouldn't ever have to worry about another thing, so long as you remain by my side as my loyal Knight." She smiled at him, clasping her hands at her back again. "Doesn't sound so bad, now does it?"
Don't listen to her. Don't trust a damn word she says, Squall! Cloud's voice sounded furious. Squall could feel his anger running through him. It was bordering on contagious and his entire body shook from the intense surge.
"What's the catch?" Squall asked, his voice harsh beneath the strain of his body as he continued to struggle. He couldn't even move his damn fingers.
"No catch, really. I mean, it's not like I'd brainwash you or something. You'd just help me out with a few things here and there." She shrugged, biting her lip playfully. "No biggy, right? Besides, you're a mercenary aren't you? Doesn't that mean you don't really care as long as you get paid?"
He growled. "It doesn't work like that!"
She crinkled her nose. "Well why not?! What's the good of being a mercenary if you don't go to the highest bidder?" Because she was so obviously the highest bidder here. "Fine, whatever. What will your choice be, Squall Leonheart? I'd recommend being smart about this."
"Go to hell."
"I thought that was going to be the case. But you see, what you don't realize is that you really don't have a choice." Rinova stepped closer to him and grabbed his head within both of her hands. Her fingers slid across his jawline and the base of his skull and Squall jerked at the coldness of her touch. The odd part was that it didn't feel like fingers at all... it felt more like worms crawling all over his skin. Worms that were currently looping around his ears and mouth. He screamed as they suddenly plunged into his ears, gagging as the ones near his mouth took advantage of his weakness and went down his throat.
Above him Rinova hummed softly. "Shh, it's okay. It'll be over soon." She pet his head gently with her free hand. He could vaguely feel his hair become tangled in her long, slithering fingertips. It was disgusting and his stomach churned, even as his body ached. Pain exploded in his head and he screamed again as his vision flashed with purple and green, over and over again until it was all he could see. His body spasmed and jerked and he felt a warm trickle running down the sides of his jaw and down his chin.
Squall!
Cloud's strained, pain-filled voice was the last thing he heard before everything went dark.
.:`'~ Legacy ~'`:.
Dr. Conolly stared at Vincent for several long seconds. Nanaki stood at his side and in some distant part of the mansion they could all hear Saitek's poor, pitiful wails. Behind her the computers she had set up whirred noisily as information whizzed by through the air in several floating boxes of blue light. She shoved her hands into the pockets of her lab coat suddenly, tapping her legs anxiously.
"Jenova?" She repeated.
"Yes." Nanaki answered.
Dr. Conolly looked at the Lienliek. "The Jenova? The same one used in the Jenova Project almost five-hundred years ago?"
"Yes." Nanaki said patiently, "I understand it may be hard to believe-"
"I knew it! I knew it!"
"Excuse me?" He blinked at the woman doctor as she suddenly became overjoyed. She turned away from them both suddenly and darted to a computer, swiftly pulling up several complicated looking diagrams with notes hastily scrawled over them.
"I mean, it was just a hunch but I knew I was onto something. This is excellent!"
Nanaki heard Vincent shift next to him and he narrowed his eyes. "I beg your pardon? I don't think you understand. This isn't something to be celebrating, Dr. Conolly."
She didn't answer him at first, murmuring to herself before she spoke again. "I know I know. It's not that I'm celebrating. I'm just excited. Do you have any idea how important this is? This explains so much. I mean, I had an idea but I never really thought it was the case. It ties everything in together. Did she really destroy the -entire- base?"
It took a moment for Nanaki to realize she was expecting an answer. He looked over at Vincent, who didn't look pleased. He didn't look like much of anything, really. The ex-Turk was a professional when it came to looking as calm and stoic as possible through any situation, but Nanaki was capable of catching subtle hints. Whether it was a bare movement of the eyebrow or a brief shifting of weight. Vincent wasn't agreeing with Dr. Conolly's reaction.
"Yes." The man answered.
"Amazing. Simply amazing. They're reporting no known survivor's. It's a dead man's land. Overrun by species of monsters we've never seen before. Strong, powerful beasts. They don't know what to do with themselves. Shinra doesn't know whether or not trying to reclaim the base is even worth it."
"They won't." Vincent murmured. "They're more interested in Wutai."
"Yeah, I know." Dr. Conolly muttered though her excitement never dwindled. She turned on them suddenly, "Ever since they shot down that little meteor the Lifestream readings have been going up. This is the highest level they've been at in over four hundred years! We've got pockets of Mako springing up everywhere. Wutai has some of the highest readings. I'd like to go over there but they're remaining stubborn about it."
"Can you blame them?" Nanaki spoke.
"No. I guess I can't. I mean, it really doesn't matter. We have plenty of it right here at Mt. Nibel. The Mako is highly concentrated here as well, at least compared to the readings I'm getting from other places. We've also got a large fountain of it over at Mideel, in fact there's where the highest volume of Mako is. At least so far. It keeps rising."
Nanaki was more than a little disturbed at the fact she seemed overly excited about this, lacking the caution that he felt she should be feeling. He stepped forward. "Dr. Conolly, the Lifestream is rising because of the Jenova threat. I can understand your excitement but you must understand that the situation is dangerous. This is a very real threat to the planet itself and if proper precautions aren't made it could destroy life as we know it."
The doctor remained silent after he'd spoken, slowly looking over her shoulder towards the duo before standing with a soft sigh. She reached up and fixed her glasses. "I know. I know. I'm sorry, Nanaki. But you must understand how exciting this is for me. This is the first time in my career, in anybody's career for the past several hundred years, to prove that the Spiritus Profusum, er.. excuse me Nanaki, Lifestream still exists. Isn't that what you yourself have been trying to prove?"
Nanaki dipped his head. "It is. But not at this cost."
"We haven't paid anything yet, Nanaki. If we can learn to use this to our advantage, before things get out of control-"
"They're already out of control." Vincent's somber, deep voice interrupted.
"I disagree." Dr. Conolly boldly said, looking at Vincent squarely over the rims of her eyeglasses. "Five hundred years ago we may have been in trouble. But we've come a long way. Whatever this new threat is, I don't think it will be too hard to overcome with the technology we have today. Especially if we learn to take advantage of the situation-"
"You mean the Lifestream." Vincent said bluntly. His red eyes narrowed and for the first time Dr. Conolly shifted with something else other than excitement. He turned without another word and left the room silently. The lack of footsteps and his smooth walk made it seem that by all appearances he had glided out of the room. It was practically supernatural.
Dr. Conolly frowned and looked at Nanaki questioningly. "I didn't mean it like that-"
The large red cat sighed, for a moment feeling his age upon him. He looked up at her solemnly. "Five hundred years ago the planet's life and everything that lived on it was nearly sacrificed for the sake of science, Doctor Conolly. It would be a shame if I had to see history repeat itself." He hesitated here as if he was going to say something else, but shook his head instead. Nanaki's large paws padded across the carpeted floor as he left the room, leaving Dr. Conolly to the echo of his words.
He caught up with Vincent in the main foyer of the mansion. "Vincent."
"We should go."
Nanaki hesitated, opening his mouth before closing it and choosing instead to say, "Alright. I'll get Saitek. Have we located Squ-Leon yet?"
Vincent dipped his head briefly. "A small village named Kyosa. It shouldn't take any longer than a few hours by helicopter to get there."
"Alright. I'll go-"
"No need!" A chipper voice shouted from the top of the large, banistered staircase. "I'm already here!" Saitek, in all of his red, flame-tipped glory bounded down the stairs to come to a stop in front of Vincent and Nanaki. He was panting a little, his ear twitching constantly from the stitches Johnny had recently placed. "We gonna go get Leon?" He asked, looking hopeful. When his father nodded Saitek gave a whoop of joy and turned, bolting out of the open front door of the mansion.
Nanaki shook his head and followed Vincent outside.
…..............:`' ~ Author's Notes ~'`:................
Ha-ha! Thought you'd never see me again, eh? I rise from the depths of the real world to bring you this newest installment of Legacy. I'm sorry I sort of jipped you guys on length. I wanted to see what half of what I normally do would look like. What do you think? Should I say nay and stick to the longer chapters? But I brought a present! Lots of Cloud and Squall! :D
If anyone spots any sort of plot loopholes or anything that doesn't make sense let me know! I checked and rechecked so I hope I didn't miss anything, but knowing me I probably overlooked something anyways. I also apologize if the writing is a little.... off, I'm having a writing-identity-crisis and I'm caught between two different methods I'm struggling with. If you have no idea what I'm talking about then all the better!
To Reviewers :: If I have not responded to your review I'm sorry! My email is full with all sorts of story updates and publishings and reviews and alerts and such and I haven't been brave enough to sift through them (I'm so behind on my reading it's not even funny D:). I will however be paying close attention after this chapter, so please review! Let me know what you think of the story and where you think it will be headed! I'm eager to see what everyone thinks! ^_^
ALSO, I've noticed that traffic stats die down after the first few chapters. I was just wondering if there was something I could do to fix that? Is there a part of the story that deters people away? :o
I'm going to be excited to get the next two or three chapters out of the way. A lot of stuff is gonna go down and I think everyone will be surprised to see what's going to happen. Or at least excited, I know I am!
This chapter wasn't beta'd, so any mistakes are my own. :( Is anyone interested in volunteering for future chapters? :D
ALSO, anyone like Bleach? Oh ho! If you do and you know a lot about it and are up to date with everything and would like to help me out, I need a co-conspirator! I have a really nifty idea cooking up for an awesome story for Bleach. It will be starring and centering mainly on Ichigo and I plan on making his hollow a big part of the story as well. It will be an adventure/general/suspense sort of deal. I won't be able to even get started on it until I get things down for a solid direction, so I am definitely looking for someone to help me hash out details.. So if you're interested check out my profile to see how to get ahold of me via AIM. Or note me here on , OR, email me at strayvalkyrie (no spammers! D'uh) OR I have a livejournal account listed on my profile as well.
Fun Fact :: I changed chapter titles into the title of the song lyrics displayed in the beginning of each chapter. I'll probably be changing them again into something a bit better and more creative later. :)
P.S. If you can't write a review it may be because I originally had an Author's Note in here and you may have reviewed that. I'd much appreciate still getting word from you though, just send me a note instead! ^_^