Disclaimer: I only own Hannah and the wolf, who will now be called Vision
(thanx Satin Phoenix!)
A/N: Hey everyone! I know it's been a while, but hopefully none of you forgot about this fic! I found a name for the wolf, thanx to the review of Satin Phoenix, so thank you so much!! And you are *not* a useless blob of bad existence. Lol!
Squall awoke in the Infirmary, in quite a daze. Rinoa sat at the bedside, looking very relieved that he was awake again. He blinked a few times before attempting to sit up, but was shot back down due to the trememdous pain that radiated through his system. Rinoa placed a hand on his chest. "You should stay still. It won't hurt as much that way." He knew she was only trying to be helpful, but she was actually only stating the obvious.
"I have to find Vision."
Rinoa raised an eyebrow. "Vision...?"
"The wolf," Squall corrected himself. "I... decided to call it Vision." He squirmed uncomfortably as if he were embarassed by the fact that the wolf now had a name. Rinoa didn't make the notion that she found it odd.
"Squall, you can't. You have to stay in bed." Rinoa sounded more motherly than ever before. "The wolf, uh... Vision isn't going anywhere."
"How do you know?" Squall hadn't meant to use that tone with the raven-haired girl, but it slipped out anyway. She narrowed her dark eyes and stood.
"Squall, why do you have to be so stubborn? Can't you just relax for a measly day before parading out to the beach to find a wild animal?" This time, she *did* mean her tone. She sighed and sat back down, taking Squall's hand gently. "Please don't think that I'm being rude or insensitive. It's just... I don't want to see you hurt."
Squall didn't answer her right away. "Rin... I don't know why, but Vision is... I know it sounds completely ridiculous, but I know that there's something at the top of that cliff. I don't know how I know, but I do. I can just feel it."
Rinoa nodded slowly. "I understand. And I don't think it sounds crazy at all. But why risk your own life for it? I don't know how I know, but it's not gonna just pick up and leave." Squall gave her a funny look for using his own words against him, but didn't say anything. "How about this... I'll go up that cliff for you."
Squall's eyes widened as he grasped her wrist tight. "You can't! It's too dangerous!"
"That's exactly why I don't want *you* to go!" Rinoa exclaimed. "If it's dangerous for me when I'm in perfect health, how dangerous do you think it would be for *you* when you're injured?"
Squall didn't know what to say to that. Finally, he just sighed and said, "Fine. But I want you to take someone along with you. To protect you."
Rinoa nodded and thought for a minute. "How about Zell? I'm sure he'd be up for it."
Squall didn't like the idea of Zell going with Rinoa to the cliff. Zell was a good friend, but he was a little immature at times, and this was very serious. Then again, Zell never let him down before, though he sometimes came quite close. "All right. Take Zell with you." Rinoa smiled.
"Don't worry Squall, we'll be okay." And she hurried out the door.
Squall sighed and laid his head back on the pillow, closing his tired eyes. "You'd better take care of her Zell..."
~*~*~*~
"So... you want me to go to that cliff with you, am I right?" Zell asked. Rinoa had just told him everything, starting at the letter Squall had gotten about his sister's death.
"Well, yeah. Squall said it was the only way I could go - if I brought you with me. So... will you do it?" Rinoa asked hopefully.
Zell sighed. "I guess I have to, huh? Squall will owe me though..." Zell rubbed his chin, as if he were pondering the idea. Rinoa playfully smacked his shoulder.
"Come on Zell!" she pleaded.
"All right, all right. Lead the way."
~*~*~*~
"There's the cliff," Rinoa said as she pointed out into the distance. Zell squinted in the harsh sun and whistled.
"It's huge! How are we ever gonna get up there?"
"Climb it, how else?" Rinoa began walking, but she was also watching out carefully for Vision. She found it odd that she hadn't seen it at all. But maybe that was because Squall wasn't there.
"And you say this dog just... appears outta nowhere?" Zell asked as he and Rinoa made their way through the field. "Like a... ghost?"
"It's a wolf Zell," Rinoa corrected him. "And no, it's not like a ghost, it's more like a... a guardian angel."
Zell scoffed. "Guardian angel? Rin, you've been hanging around Selphie and all her crazy ideas too much." Rinoa threw him a glare and didn't speak. "Uh, sorry. I just meant that with all the trouble that's been happening, the wolf is more like a... a bad... thing."
"Oh Zell, shut up."
They reached the foot of the cliff in due time and Rinoa was disheartened that the wolf hadn't shown up. She wanted Zell to see it. She reached up and took hold of the small rocks that served as a ladder type structure and pulled herself up.
"Do you even have any idea what you're doing?" Zell asked as he watched Rinoa climb up the side of the cliff.
"No, but... What's so hard about it? There's footholes and rocks to hold onto galore. It'll be easy. Now come on." Zell sighed and followed Rinoa.
~*~*~*~
The pair was more than halfway up the cliff without trouble when a sudden noise broke through the still, thick air. It was Vision, and he was howling relentlessly. "Where's that coming from?" Zell asked from behind Rinoa.
Rinoa pulled herself up a few more inches before replying. "I think it's coming from the top of the cliff."
"No way. A wolf can't climb something like this. It has to be coming from below."
Another howl sounded, and this time Rinoa was positive it had come from the top of the cliff. "Did you hear that? Vision's up there!" Rinoa quickened her pace, not taking as much care to be cautious as she had before.
"Rinoa! Slow down! You're gonna slip!" Zell cried.
She grasped another rock, but she didn't look to make sure it was safely attached to the cliff side. It crumbled instantly, and she began to fall. Zell reached out and swiftly grabbed her hand. "You okay?" he asked as he struggled to hold onto both Rinoa and the cliff.
"I'm fine," she answered. "What about you? Can you hold on?"
Zell was afraid to adjust his grip, in fear that he might slip as well in the process. "Just barely. I have an idea. Climb up my body and get back to where you were. Do you think you can do that?"
"I think so." Slowly, she began to climb Zell as if he were a ladder, and was soon in front of him again. "Thanks Zell. I owe you one."
"You're tellin' me," he replied smiling.
When they finally reached the top of the cliff, which was more like a mountain, they both sat down and took a well deserved rest. "I don't see Vision..." Rinoa commented as she looked around.
"I told ya it wasn't up here."
Rinoa hung her head. "I guess you're right..." All of a sudden, they heard a noise from behind them. They turned to see Vision, standing beautifully before them. "There he is Zell! Isn't he gorgeous?" Rinoa whispered.
"Whoa..." was all Zell could manage to say.
Vision whined and motioned for them to follow him. They stood and followed it across the top of the cliff. It looked over the edge of the side opposite to the one they had climbed. It howled once again, without taking his eyes off what it saw down below.
Zell and Rinoa peered over the edge. "Oh God..."
What do they see? Stay tuned to find out. And why is Vision doing all this? I'll give you a hint, it has something to do with the title of this fic. Please review! This fic will probably be complete in a chapter or two, just to let ya'll know.
A/N: Hey everyone! I know it's been a while, but hopefully none of you forgot about this fic! I found a name for the wolf, thanx to the review of Satin Phoenix, so thank you so much!! And you are *not* a useless blob of bad existence. Lol!
Squall awoke in the Infirmary, in quite a daze. Rinoa sat at the bedside, looking very relieved that he was awake again. He blinked a few times before attempting to sit up, but was shot back down due to the trememdous pain that radiated through his system. Rinoa placed a hand on his chest. "You should stay still. It won't hurt as much that way." He knew she was only trying to be helpful, but she was actually only stating the obvious.
"I have to find Vision."
Rinoa raised an eyebrow. "Vision...?"
"The wolf," Squall corrected himself. "I... decided to call it Vision." He squirmed uncomfortably as if he were embarassed by the fact that the wolf now had a name. Rinoa didn't make the notion that she found it odd.
"Squall, you can't. You have to stay in bed." Rinoa sounded more motherly than ever before. "The wolf, uh... Vision isn't going anywhere."
"How do you know?" Squall hadn't meant to use that tone with the raven-haired girl, but it slipped out anyway. She narrowed her dark eyes and stood.
"Squall, why do you have to be so stubborn? Can't you just relax for a measly day before parading out to the beach to find a wild animal?" This time, she *did* mean her tone. She sighed and sat back down, taking Squall's hand gently. "Please don't think that I'm being rude or insensitive. It's just... I don't want to see you hurt."
Squall didn't answer her right away. "Rin... I don't know why, but Vision is... I know it sounds completely ridiculous, but I know that there's something at the top of that cliff. I don't know how I know, but I do. I can just feel it."
Rinoa nodded slowly. "I understand. And I don't think it sounds crazy at all. But why risk your own life for it? I don't know how I know, but it's not gonna just pick up and leave." Squall gave her a funny look for using his own words against him, but didn't say anything. "How about this... I'll go up that cliff for you."
Squall's eyes widened as he grasped her wrist tight. "You can't! It's too dangerous!"
"That's exactly why I don't want *you* to go!" Rinoa exclaimed. "If it's dangerous for me when I'm in perfect health, how dangerous do you think it would be for *you* when you're injured?"
Squall didn't know what to say to that. Finally, he just sighed and said, "Fine. But I want you to take someone along with you. To protect you."
Rinoa nodded and thought for a minute. "How about Zell? I'm sure he'd be up for it."
Squall didn't like the idea of Zell going with Rinoa to the cliff. Zell was a good friend, but he was a little immature at times, and this was very serious. Then again, Zell never let him down before, though he sometimes came quite close. "All right. Take Zell with you." Rinoa smiled.
"Don't worry Squall, we'll be okay." And she hurried out the door.
Squall sighed and laid his head back on the pillow, closing his tired eyes. "You'd better take care of her Zell..."
~*~*~*~
"So... you want me to go to that cliff with you, am I right?" Zell asked. Rinoa had just told him everything, starting at the letter Squall had gotten about his sister's death.
"Well, yeah. Squall said it was the only way I could go - if I brought you with me. So... will you do it?" Rinoa asked hopefully.
Zell sighed. "I guess I have to, huh? Squall will owe me though..." Zell rubbed his chin, as if he were pondering the idea. Rinoa playfully smacked his shoulder.
"Come on Zell!" she pleaded.
"All right, all right. Lead the way."
~*~*~*~
"There's the cliff," Rinoa said as she pointed out into the distance. Zell squinted in the harsh sun and whistled.
"It's huge! How are we ever gonna get up there?"
"Climb it, how else?" Rinoa began walking, but she was also watching out carefully for Vision. She found it odd that she hadn't seen it at all. But maybe that was because Squall wasn't there.
"And you say this dog just... appears outta nowhere?" Zell asked as he and Rinoa made their way through the field. "Like a... ghost?"
"It's a wolf Zell," Rinoa corrected him. "And no, it's not like a ghost, it's more like a... a guardian angel."
Zell scoffed. "Guardian angel? Rin, you've been hanging around Selphie and all her crazy ideas too much." Rinoa threw him a glare and didn't speak. "Uh, sorry. I just meant that with all the trouble that's been happening, the wolf is more like a... a bad... thing."
"Oh Zell, shut up."
They reached the foot of the cliff in due time and Rinoa was disheartened that the wolf hadn't shown up. She wanted Zell to see it. She reached up and took hold of the small rocks that served as a ladder type structure and pulled herself up.
"Do you even have any idea what you're doing?" Zell asked as he watched Rinoa climb up the side of the cliff.
"No, but... What's so hard about it? There's footholes and rocks to hold onto galore. It'll be easy. Now come on." Zell sighed and followed Rinoa.
~*~*~*~
The pair was more than halfway up the cliff without trouble when a sudden noise broke through the still, thick air. It was Vision, and he was howling relentlessly. "Where's that coming from?" Zell asked from behind Rinoa.
Rinoa pulled herself up a few more inches before replying. "I think it's coming from the top of the cliff."
"No way. A wolf can't climb something like this. It has to be coming from below."
Another howl sounded, and this time Rinoa was positive it had come from the top of the cliff. "Did you hear that? Vision's up there!" Rinoa quickened her pace, not taking as much care to be cautious as she had before.
"Rinoa! Slow down! You're gonna slip!" Zell cried.
She grasped another rock, but she didn't look to make sure it was safely attached to the cliff side. It crumbled instantly, and she began to fall. Zell reached out and swiftly grabbed her hand. "You okay?" he asked as he struggled to hold onto both Rinoa and the cliff.
"I'm fine," she answered. "What about you? Can you hold on?"
Zell was afraid to adjust his grip, in fear that he might slip as well in the process. "Just barely. I have an idea. Climb up my body and get back to where you were. Do you think you can do that?"
"I think so." Slowly, she began to climb Zell as if he were a ladder, and was soon in front of him again. "Thanks Zell. I owe you one."
"You're tellin' me," he replied smiling.
When they finally reached the top of the cliff, which was more like a mountain, they both sat down and took a well deserved rest. "I don't see Vision..." Rinoa commented as she looked around.
"I told ya it wasn't up here."
Rinoa hung her head. "I guess you're right..." All of a sudden, they heard a noise from behind them. They turned to see Vision, standing beautifully before them. "There he is Zell! Isn't he gorgeous?" Rinoa whispered.
"Whoa..." was all Zell could manage to say.
Vision whined and motioned for them to follow him. They stood and followed it across the top of the cliff. It looked over the edge of the side opposite to the one they had climbed. It howled once again, without taking his eyes off what it saw down below.
Zell and Rinoa peered over the edge. "Oh God..."
What do they see? Stay tuned to find out. And why is Vision doing all this? I'll give you a hint, it has something to do with the title of this fic. Please review! This fic will probably be complete in a chapter or two, just to let ya'll know.