The unrelenting man stood in the light for only a moment, then sunk back
into the shadows, quietly following Rinoa. He smugly thought to himself,
'Ah, the wonders of a couple Curaga spells, and perfect acting skills…'
~*~
Unaware as to Kyle's presence behind her, she ran toward Squall and the others. She pushed herself to run at full speed; the last thing she wanted was to get ambushed by the dangerous monsters inhabiting the sewers. She rushed through the corridors and wrought iron gates, narrowly avoiding several Creeps and Red Bats. Finally, she approached a junction in the paths.
'This must be it!' she thought in relief.
~*~
Squall, Quistis, and the others stood in hesitancy; if they left, Rinoa might not find them; if they stayed, they would all be killed.
Selphie broke everyone's thoughts. In a trembling voice, she said, "We have twenty seconds."
Quistis collected her thoughts and courage and said, "Then you all have to go. Rinoa is my best friend. I can't leave her behind. The exit is right there," she pointed toward a hole in the ceiling, with a ladder going up to it, "Hurry!" Then she ran back into the shadows of the sewers.
With tears in her eyes, Selphie reluctantly ran to the ladder and began to climb for her life. She called over her shoulder, "Ten seconds!"
Irvine and Zell ran to her and began to climb as well.
"Nine seconds!"
Squall and Seifer shook their heads and followed Quistis. They would never forgive themselves if Rinoa and Quistis died. The two men followed Quistis into the darkness of the sewer tunnels.
"Eight seconds!"
Irvine halted at the base of the ladder. Quistis, Squall, and Seifer were his comrades. They battled Ultimecia and weathered the entire ordeal together; he couldn't ditch them now. He leaped from the ladder and ran into the tunnel.
"Seven seconds!"
Zell shook his head and muttered, "Damn it all…" as he followed Irvine down the ladder. There was no way he could leave his partners—no, friends—out to dry. He jumped off the ladder and ran to the opening.
"Six seconds…"
Selphie muttered the countdown to herself. She was alone, clutching the rusty ladder.
"Five…"
She looked up to the surface, the gleaming lights of Deling City nightlife sparkling through the night. Shaking her head, she descended the ladder. "No way I can leave them…I know they'd do the same for me…" She said.
"Four…"
"Here we go!" she shouted as she jumped off the ladder and slammed to the ground.
"Three!"
She followed Zell into the musty tunnel.
"Two!"
She caught up to Zell and Irvine, and they all stopped running. Squall, Seifer, and Quistis were nowhere to be seen. She clasped Irvine's hand in fear, and squeezed tightly.
"One!"
Selphie and Irvine huddled together and Zell braced himself against the impending explosion. Suddenly, a massive explosion pummeled their eardrums and shook the floor beneath them. The walls of the sewers began to crumble, and Selphie screamed. The force knocked Zell to the ground, causing his head to slam into the concrete. He was immediately knocked unconscious.
As quickly as it started, the rumbling ended, leaving the uneasy silence. Selphie collected her wits and checked on Zell. "Zell! Can you hear me?" she shouted and gently shook his shoulder. He groaned and winced. As he came around, he asked, "Am I dead?"
Irvine replied, "Does this look like heaven? You were just knocked unconscious!"
Selphie hardened her gaze toward Irvine. "Stop it. This is very serious. Now, is anyone seriously hurt? Any broken bones?" Irvine extended his arms and legs, then shook his head. "I'm all right. How about you, Zell?"
Selphie lit a match and held Zell's head steady with her hand. She used the light and looked into his eyes. "I don't think you have a concussion, but we still need to get you to a hospital as soon as possible."
Irvine began to say something, but Selphie quickly hushed him by putting a finger onto his lips. She pointed to her ear, motioning for them to listen. She heard nothing, which worried her. "Rinoa?! Quistis?!" she shouted. The three heard the echoes of her voice off the walls, but no response came. "Squall?! Seifer?!" she attempted to call the others one more time. But to her dismay, no one answered her calls. Selphie's reply was her own ricocheting voice. She finally said, "We have to find them. They could be unconscious, or unable to speak. But above all, we need to stay together! Come on!" Irvine put his arm around Zell to steady him, and the three walked further into the tunnel.
~*~
"Quistis! Squall!" A few seconds before the sewers were to go up, Rinoa reunited with her best friend and boyfriend. "Thank Hyne you're safe!" Squall said, relieved.
In an urgent tone, Quistis said, "Brace yourselves! The place is gonna blow up—" the loud explosion interrupted her sentence. The force of the blast threw Quistis into Seifer, who was standing behind her. The two fell to the ground as the decrepit sewer walls cracked. Rinoa screamed as a falling piece of stone from the ceiling narrowly missed her.
As rapidly as the forceful explosion came, the shaking stopped, and an uncomfortable silence ensued. Quistis groaned as she rose. "Is everyone all right?" she asked.
Seifer rubbed his head and replied, "Well, I'm still here." Squall said, "Yeah, I'm all right." He looked over to Rinoa, who was sitting on the ground, moaning. Quistis ran over to her and said, "What's wrong? Are you all right?"
Rinoa shook her head as her eyelids fluttered. A small trickle of blood made its way down her chin. Quistis held her up and put her hand under her head for support. She felt a warm, sticky fluid on her fingers, and when she looked at them, they were covered in blood. She gasped and put her bloodstained hand onto Rinoa's head. "Curaga." The curative spell moved into Rinoa's body, sealing her wounds. "Curaga," she said again, to make sure that Rinoa was all right.
Rinoa sat up and smiled. "Wow, thank you, Quistis. A minute ago, I thought I was going to die. Now I feel re-energized." She stood, but Quistis put a hand on her shoulder. "Yes, the spell is very effective, but only for a short time. We need to bring you to a hospital, because the effects will wear off in a couple hours."
She looked to Squall and Seifer. "We have to find the others and get out of here. The place could go up at any time."
Seifer quizzically looked at her. "Wasn't that it? We all obviously felt the explosion."
She shook her head. "Kyle told me that he had enough firepower to take out all three Gardens, with some to spare. That explosion was nothing compared to what could have happened."
Rinoa asked, "What does it mean?"
Quistis replied, "It means that the 'explosion' was a fake. It was staged to get you guys out of here. In other words, Kyle must have been alive to simulate the detonation."
~*~
Kyle listened to Quistis' deduction with furor. The 'blast' was supposed to drive everyone away except Quistis. Kyle knew that she wouldn't be able to desert her best friend. He hadn't anticipated that her comrades would come to look for Rinoa as well.
'Oh well,' he thought. 'Plenty more Quake and Meteor spells where that came from…'
~*~
Unaware as to Kyle's presence behind her, she ran toward Squall and the others. She pushed herself to run at full speed; the last thing she wanted was to get ambushed by the dangerous monsters inhabiting the sewers. She rushed through the corridors and wrought iron gates, narrowly avoiding several Creeps and Red Bats. Finally, she approached a junction in the paths.
'This must be it!' she thought in relief.
~*~
Squall, Quistis, and the others stood in hesitancy; if they left, Rinoa might not find them; if they stayed, they would all be killed.
Selphie broke everyone's thoughts. In a trembling voice, she said, "We have twenty seconds."
Quistis collected her thoughts and courage and said, "Then you all have to go. Rinoa is my best friend. I can't leave her behind. The exit is right there," she pointed toward a hole in the ceiling, with a ladder going up to it, "Hurry!" Then she ran back into the shadows of the sewers.
With tears in her eyes, Selphie reluctantly ran to the ladder and began to climb for her life. She called over her shoulder, "Ten seconds!"
Irvine and Zell ran to her and began to climb as well.
"Nine seconds!"
Squall and Seifer shook their heads and followed Quistis. They would never forgive themselves if Rinoa and Quistis died. The two men followed Quistis into the darkness of the sewer tunnels.
"Eight seconds!"
Irvine halted at the base of the ladder. Quistis, Squall, and Seifer were his comrades. They battled Ultimecia and weathered the entire ordeal together; he couldn't ditch them now. He leaped from the ladder and ran into the tunnel.
"Seven seconds!"
Zell shook his head and muttered, "Damn it all…" as he followed Irvine down the ladder. There was no way he could leave his partners—no, friends—out to dry. He jumped off the ladder and ran to the opening.
"Six seconds…"
Selphie muttered the countdown to herself. She was alone, clutching the rusty ladder.
"Five…"
She looked up to the surface, the gleaming lights of Deling City nightlife sparkling through the night. Shaking her head, she descended the ladder. "No way I can leave them…I know they'd do the same for me…" She said.
"Four…"
"Here we go!" she shouted as she jumped off the ladder and slammed to the ground.
"Three!"
She followed Zell into the musty tunnel.
"Two!"
She caught up to Zell and Irvine, and they all stopped running. Squall, Seifer, and Quistis were nowhere to be seen. She clasped Irvine's hand in fear, and squeezed tightly.
"One!"
Selphie and Irvine huddled together and Zell braced himself against the impending explosion. Suddenly, a massive explosion pummeled their eardrums and shook the floor beneath them. The walls of the sewers began to crumble, and Selphie screamed. The force knocked Zell to the ground, causing his head to slam into the concrete. He was immediately knocked unconscious.
As quickly as it started, the rumbling ended, leaving the uneasy silence. Selphie collected her wits and checked on Zell. "Zell! Can you hear me?" she shouted and gently shook his shoulder. He groaned and winced. As he came around, he asked, "Am I dead?"
Irvine replied, "Does this look like heaven? You were just knocked unconscious!"
Selphie hardened her gaze toward Irvine. "Stop it. This is very serious. Now, is anyone seriously hurt? Any broken bones?" Irvine extended his arms and legs, then shook his head. "I'm all right. How about you, Zell?"
Selphie lit a match and held Zell's head steady with her hand. She used the light and looked into his eyes. "I don't think you have a concussion, but we still need to get you to a hospital as soon as possible."
Irvine began to say something, but Selphie quickly hushed him by putting a finger onto his lips. She pointed to her ear, motioning for them to listen. She heard nothing, which worried her. "Rinoa?! Quistis?!" she shouted. The three heard the echoes of her voice off the walls, but no response came. "Squall?! Seifer?!" she attempted to call the others one more time. But to her dismay, no one answered her calls. Selphie's reply was her own ricocheting voice. She finally said, "We have to find them. They could be unconscious, or unable to speak. But above all, we need to stay together! Come on!" Irvine put his arm around Zell to steady him, and the three walked further into the tunnel.
~*~
"Quistis! Squall!" A few seconds before the sewers were to go up, Rinoa reunited with her best friend and boyfriend. "Thank Hyne you're safe!" Squall said, relieved.
In an urgent tone, Quistis said, "Brace yourselves! The place is gonna blow up—" the loud explosion interrupted her sentence. The force of the blast threw Quistis into Seifer, who was standing behind her. The two fell to the ground as the decrepit sewer walls cracked. Rinoa screamed as a falling piece of stone from the ceiling narrowly missed her.
As rapidly as the forceful explosion came, the shaking stopped, and an uncomfortable silence ensued. Quistis groaned as she rose. "Is everyone all right?" she asked.
Seifer rubbed his head and replied, "Well, I'm still here." Squall said, "Yeah, I'm all right." He looked over to Rinoa, who was sitting on the ground, moaning. Quistis ran over to her and said, "What's wrong? Are you all right?"
Rinoa shook her head as her eyelids fluttered. A small trickle of blood made its way down her chin. Quistis held her up and put her hand under her head for support. She felt a warm, sticky fluid on her fingers, and when she looked at them, they were covered in blood. She gasped and put her bloodstained hand onto Rinoa's head. "Curaga." The curative spell moved into Rinoa's body, sealing her wounds. "Curaga," she said again, to make sure that Rinoa was all right.
Rinoa sat up and smiled. "Wow, thank you, Quistis. A minute ago, I thought I was going to die. Now I feel re-energized." She stood, but Quistis put a hand on her shoulder. "Yes, the spell is very effective, but only for a short time. We need to bring you to a hospital, because the effects will wear off in a couple hours."
She looked to Squall and Seifer. "We have to find the others and get out of here. The place could go up at any time."
Seifer quizzically looked at her. "Wasn't that it? We all obviously felt the explosion."
She shook her head. "Kyle told me that he had enough firepower to take out all three Gardens, with some to spare. That explosion was nothing compared to what could have happened."
Rinoa asked, "What does it mean?"
Quistis replied, "It means that the 'explosion' was a fake. It was staged to get you guys out of here. In other words, Kyle must have been alive to simulate the detonation."
~*~
Kyle listened to Quistis' deduction with furor. The 'blast' was supposed to drive everyone away except Quistis. Kyle knew that she wouldn't be able to desert her best friend. He hadn't anticipated that her comrades would come to look for Rinoa as well.
'Oh well,' he thought. 'Plenty more Quake and Meteor spells where that came from…'