A/N: Hello lovies! On a few random notes, I just realized I started this story over a year ago, crazy! And I have started cosmetology school last week so updates will be appearing very sporadically. Bumbling apologies in advance. This chapter was actually split into two parts so maybe the next one will come soon...keyword=MAYBE.

Onward!

xXx

"What in world has happened?" Odine gasped, his hand clutching the fabric of his shirt as Squall all but thundered into the hospital with an unconscious Rinoa strewn in his arms. Instinctively Odine raced up and felt for a pulse. When he found it, steady and thumping, he relaxed and pulled back. "What happened?" he repeated, much more slowly.

Carefully Squall shifted her weight. "She went insane. Killed Vende. Now she's out."

The fierce ice that encased Squall's words caused Odine to take a hesitant step back. "The poison," he whispered. "It has driven her mad."

"We kinda got that," Selphie put in, scowling as she nursed the bleeding scrape on her elbow. "But now what do we do? Where can we put her, I mean, it's not like we can just let her hang out at the apartment lest she go nuts again."

Odine shuffled away, motioning for them to follow. "The scientists and I have been working on this for only a few days, but it should hold her." He led them down a wide corridor and stopped when he reached a small room. "Inside is the same energy that seals their powers."

"Great, just leave her in there until we get this mess sorted," Zell said. "A week tops."

"It's only temporary," Odine argued. "Like I said, we've only been working on it for a few days. We were hoping that in case a situation like this happened, we could have her in here. She would remain conscious and we would not have to resort to the actual Sealing process."

Squall glared into the room, his eyes skeptical of the glass, no matter how thick it was. "Temporary in what way?"

"The energy does not seal her powers. In a way it weakens them, so she would not be able to harm herself, or others, or the glass." He rapped a knuckle on the clear surface, the sound that emanated from the action matching that of steel. "She won't be able to get out. But, it isn't finished, and with her strength who knows how long it will last." Sighing, his eyes washed over her features. "Not to mention, when she awakes she won't be all too happy to discover her powers weakened. No sorceress would ever take to that kindly."

Without hesitation Squall handed Rinoa to Zell and gestured for Odine to open the doors. He turned to Quistis. "I want you to stay here and keep tabs on her, let me know the minute she wakes up."

"Of course. But where are you going?"

When the door firmly closed he took a quick glance behind. "I'm going to speak to Caraway about Vende. Remember," he said, signaling to everyone, "no one knows of what she did."

As they nodded comprehension he motioned for them to leave. Squall turned back to Odine when everyone except Quistis had left. "Who were the three people that were with Rinoa?" he demanded lowly.

"What?" he wheezed. "How—"

"She told me she never saw their faces or heard their voices, and that you were the only one who knew who they were."

Odine cast Squall a quick glance and frowned. "You think one of them had something to do with this?"

"Norg is the one doing this," Squall muttered. "But I have this feeling that one of those persons who worked with Rinoa was not trustworthy. I believe that at least one of them is associated with Norg, or even Vende, and this plan of attack. So, doctor, I need the names and addresses of those people."

Odine barely stuttered out an excuse when the younger man was upon him, his fists encasing the fabric of his shirt as he pulled him down, his icy eyes flaring into his. The doctor gulped and frantically tapped his wrists. "I don't remember their names by heart! I will have to look through my files!"

Squall slowly released his grip. "Find those files."

xXx

A small buzzing was in her ear, whirring almost. Several thoughts at once raced through her head, speeding past so quickly it made her head spin from hardly even trying to make sense of them. Holding her head tenderly, she sat up, grunting in frustration as the thoughts now flickered. She took soothing, deep breaths, keeping her eyes closed as she tried to calm herself.

When the thoughts paused, she opened her eyes, staring straight into a thick purple curtain ahead of her. Her mouth parted in confusion, and she slowly stood to her feet, making way towards the drape as if in a trance, oblivious to the small room she was in.

She gripped the curtain and yanked it aside, her eyes widening at the view of scientists walking around and conversing with each other. Frantically she glanced around outside, pressing her palms against the glass as she watched them, watched them go about as if nothing out of the ordinary was happening. It was then that she looked behind at her surroundings, alarm and panic surfacing when she realized what she was in. I'm caged, trapped. Like an animal! Like a prisoner. Like a monster. The words that danced in her mind became quick flashes, clicking and snapping, briefly displaying a man's face, her hands covered in red. Screams. Shouts.

Rinoa cried out and gripped her skull, trying to stop the images that ran through her. She could feel the veins along her temples pulse and throb, feeling as if they would pop from the pressure. Inside her throat were choked sobs, her stomach lurching as if she would heave.

Why are they doing this? Why am I in here? To trap me. To imprison me. To keep me from...From what from what? They think I'm a danger that I'm a monster that I'm crazy. You are crazy. You're fucking crazy. They can't do this they can't do this. Who do they think they are? "Stop it!" Rinoa shouted, faltering backwards as she slammed her palms upon her skull to quiet the voices. You can't make me. You can't make you. You don't even know who you are what you've become. You don't know what you've done. "Shut up! Shut up shut up!" She cried out in frustration and fell to her knees, slapping a fist onto the ground, wishing the pain would take focus off these voices within.

Moaning, she lifted her head up, hoping someone would see her, hoping someone would help her.

Why would they help me why would they give a shit you're nothing to them you're nothing you're nothing. She caught sight of her hands, completely clean except for the copper brown of dried blood crusted beneath her fingernails. What have I done? Rinoa shot to her feet and pounded her fists upon the thick glass, unbreakable even beneath her violent fury. She bared her teeth as she screamed, slamming fist over fist.

Finally the attentions were caught. A young nurse gasped, fingers rising to her lips, and she quickly scurried away. Few doctors paused, jaws dropped as they watched Rinoa scream and shout, her fists abusing the glass over and over.

"Get me out of here!" she shrieked. Let me out let me out letmethefuckout!

The nurse returned with her hand wrapped around Quistis' bicep painfully. "I don't know how long the glass will hold—she isn't doing any damage to it, but…look at her!"

Quistis sucked in a breath at the ferocity of Rinoa's screams and punches against the glass. Words escaped her as the younger woman continued to beat against it, her fists soon red from the abuse. Hardly thinking, she stepped closer to the room, trying to move her hands in a 'calm down' gesture, but Rinoa just seemed to stare straight through her, her eyes menacing and wild as she screamed and screamed. "Page Odine, now!" Quistis ordered the nurse, who was already reaching for the PA.

Odine's response when he arrived was only his eyes large and mouth gaped open. Any thought to calm her was instantly relinquished.

Quistis yanked out her phone and dialed for Squall. "Get here now!" Quistis shouted at his voice mail, and then gasped in relief when she saw that he was coming around the corner. "Oh thank god," she panted. "You're here."

Squall hurried towards the glass prison Rinoa was trapped inside. He stopped in his tracks at the sight of her, her forehead pressed against the glass as her bruised hand were now just slapping, the energy inside the room having drained her strength and her screams lost their viciousness. "What's going on?" he whispered.

Quistis shook her head. "To put it bluntly I think she's snapped! When I came here she had just woken up moments before and started attacking the glass. The energy inside however has definitely drained her, she's calmed down—if you can call it that—after a few minutes."

"Let me try and talk to her," Squall said, shoving his way through the crowd of confused scientists that stood before Rinoa. As Squall stood before the glass he inhaled deeply, his eyes wincing at the sight of Rinoa's palms, now an inky purple and pink. Inside the curve of her palms were tiny bloody indents, from her talons when her fist was curled and punching.

Then she slammed her fists again, this time moving so her body and face were in plain view. Squall saw the anger pained in her face, her lips up in a snarl as her slightly sharpened teeth glistened beneath the light. But as her eyes crossed over his face, the frown knitted in her eyebrows loosened, the snarl melting away to a surprised mouth. Her red eyes widened, her features softening as she stared into his eyes. Her jaw dropped ever so slightly as she mouthed his name.

And then her lips slowly formed a soft smile, completely erasing any trace of the horrific snarl she had moments before. Squall lightly smiled at her, placing his hands against the glass to meet with hers. Rinoa sighed, closing her eyes as she leaned her forehead to the wall.

Odine saw the dramatic change in her behavior and quickly waved his arms, forcing the scientists away from the glass. He yanked up a first aid kit and hurried towards Squall. "You are the one keeping her sane my boy," he whispered. "You must go in there and clean her wounds." Quickly he shoved the kit into Squall's arms and made his way towards the computer. "Hurry, hurry! For every second that door is open the energy restraining her weakens."

Squall slowly entered the glass prison after the walls were opened, standing before Rinoa who now looked lost with her bruised hands a clutch over her ribs as she stared at him. When the walls were closed once again he leaned over, placing a gloved hand upon the curve of her cheek. A small pain throbbed inside when he saw the red of her eyes had spread, swirling like blood in milk, no longer any trace of the chocolate brown he'd been used to. "What's happening to you?" he whispered.

Rinoa moaned as she leaned her head into his chest. "I don't know," she gasped.

Quickly he wrapped his arms around her, his lips buried beneath her hair as he inhaled deeply. A small pang jolted his heart as he heard her whimper softly, reminding him of a small animal in a trap and caught between the decisions of death or chewing off its leg in small hopes of survival. Slowly he reached behind him and tugged the curtain to conceal them.

She sniffed and detached from him, setting herself down to sit on the bed, which was more like a cot. "I…" she began, her throat suddenly closing and she stopped to steady herself. Dutifully Squall came to her, kneeling down before her as he rested his hands upon her knees. "I'm losing my mind…" she said. "I'm seeing things. I'm hearing things. I'm fucking arguing with myself." She unfolded her hands from her ribs and stared at the palms Squall had wiped clean in the Ragnarok. "And…and I think I killed someone."

Squall kept his eyes upon her steady and hard. He was hoping she wouldn't remember that. "What's the last thing you remember?"

Rinoa glanced up, her eyes blank as she registered the question. "We um…we went to the ruins. And we found something…something important. It was…" She turned away and frowned as she tried to remember. When she saw Squall's face outside the glass, it cleared away the voices, neatly cleaned them away. But it left her mind blank, empty, hardly even able to complete one sentence without pausing like an idiot.

"We found out who is doing this," Squall answered for her.

"Right. Right," she agreed, looking back at him. "It was…um." That was it. Um? Fuck. Rinoa groaned and rubbed her temples. Why couldn't she remember? She waved her hand to silence Squall when he opened his mouth to tell her. "It was…" In her mind she placed herself back into the center of the ruins. Everyone was there. She went into a room and found a note. What it said she couldn't bother to recall. And then someone…no, Quistis, found an… "There was an egg," she whispered, lowering her hands back into her lap. "It's…Norg?"

Squall took her hands into his own. "Yes."

Rinoa was about to nod in understanding but a quick, sharp pain exploded in her chest. She cried out and fell forward, collapsing into Squall's chest as she writhed, howling as the pain thumped rhythmically like a spiky heartbeat. Her nails dug into his arms as he supported her, telling her to breathe in and out. She sucked the air into her mouth, blowing it out fiercely, the pain slightly starting to fade. Outside of the glass wall she could hear panicked footsteps and hurried shouts of orders.

After a few moments the pain dissipated and the footsteps and shouts were substituted with horrid silence. Rinoa slowly pulled back and stared Squall in the eyes. "We need to find him soon," she whispered breathlessly. "One more life has been lost and I don't know how long I can stand this."

"I know." Squall tightened his jaw and brushed away a few strands that hung before her eyes. "Which…brings me to something I've wanted to tell you." He cleared his throat and situated her so she was leaning against the wall. "I was talking with Caraway briefly before you…woke up, and we think we've come up with a way for you to cope with the pain."

She looked at him skeptically and squirmed uncomfortably. "It can't be to keep me in this room. My powers may be drained but that still hurt like hell."

"Rinoa, look at me." He held her chin between two fingers, forcing her to stay still and do as he said. "The best thing might be to seal your powers."

Her eyes widened and she immediately flew from his grasp, slamming her back against the wall. "No!" she shouted. "I am not going back to Esthar!"

Squall winced as she screamed at him, desperately trying to further herself despite the close proximity. "Rinoa…"

"No! Fuck you! How could you even think of asking that of me? And conspiring with my father?"

"You offered yourself to be sealed before."

She hissed and kept her back flattened against the wall as much as she possibly could. "I was a child," she grumbled. "A silly little child afraid of being outcast because of a slight case of difference. If Eshtar found me a threat back then I don't want to know what they think of me now, nor do I want to know what they have intended for me."

"Laguna is still president of Eshtar, he will ensure your safety."

"They won't let me wake back up. They'll never want me to. Just like they never wanted Adel to wake up. I will not trust them."

"Rinoa—"

"You cannot ask me to abandon my children!" she screamed. "They need me. Even though the pain makes me want to rip out my own heart just so I won't have to deal with it, I will endure it until this entire fucking mess is resolved." Her shoulders dropped a bit as she sighed. "I need to see this through."

Squall shook his head. "Somehow I knew you were going to say that," he cursed. "All I ask is that you think about it. If you're sealed, the pain won't affect you and when you're reawakened the entire situation will be dealt with, and you can connect with your 'children' then."

His sentence came out more condescending than he had meant it to be, and for once he actually regretted not reviewing his words before they exited his mouth. The heat that flared within Rinoa's eyes sent a small, very slight, shiver up his spine.

"Fine," he spat, covering his regret with anger. "Whether you like it or not, it is the best choice for you. But if you want to keep feeling pain, scream your head off and get locked up every time you go fucking insane, that's fine by me."

In response she moved away from him, giving her back and clamped her arms around her knees. "Reprimand all you want Commander," she hissed. "You can't do shit without my permission."

Squall pulled aside the curtain and roughly knocked on it to get the attention of the tech assistant. He pointed to the keyboard that Odine had typed in the combination. When the doors opened he slid through skillfully without giving Rinoa a second glance. Steadily he stomped through the corridors until he found the doctor. He looped a fist around Odine's arm and pulled him aside. "We need to seal her powers."

Odine would have laughed if he hadn't noticed the solemnity that thundered inside the Commander's eyes. "You know she'll never allow it...not after the last time. We'd need her permission and there's no possible way she'd give it to us now. I can't say any number of bribes or promises would ever change her mind."

Squall slammed his fist into the wall and leaned down to the doctor's face. "The poison is what's making her mad. If we seal her we can halt the pain and decrease the risk of her hurting or killing anyone else."

The older man kept Squall's gaze, returning it with steady vigor. "That is true," he said. "Yet she could still die, Commander. Sealing her powers would definitely prevent her from feeling any amount pain, but death cannot be eluded."

"I know."

Odine watched every slight emotion that washed over Squall's face, despite his permanent stone features. "You'd rather her be euthanized," he said, his voice void of argument or disapproval. "You would rather her go peacefully."

"And if it was possible I'd seal the powers of every woman and girl in these hospitals."

The doctor sighed and nodded sadly. "And I agree with you Squall, I really do, but we still cannot do the procedure without her permission."

Squall pulled out the paper he had rolled up inside his jacket and slapped it into Odine's palm. "Here's the paperwork."

Odine scanned over the pages before looking up at Squall in horror. "You forged her signature?" he whispered.

"Anything to get her sealed. Do it tonight."