****I really need reviews! If I don't get more than eight reviews for this chapter, there will be no continue at all! You have been warned!****
**Disclaimer: I wish I owned these characters but I don't. The story is mine, tho."
Don't die on me.
"NOT RINOA!"
The words exploded from Squall's mouth as he caught her falling body in his arms before it hit the floor. Quickly he whipped a Phoenix Down from his pocket and poured the healing liquid over her. It missed. A shower of sparks fell and settled by his feet. He tried another, and another. Phoenix Downs never missed. Ever.
"BITCH! YOU COWARDLY, REPULSIVE BITCH!" Squall's eyes were blazing. His hair was dishevelled and his eyes were wild. Something was possessing him. He couldn't even hear what he was saying; he was shaking with fear, anger, fury, and desolation. "Not Rinoa, you might have done better to rip my heart out between my ribs – how dare you…" This was so unlike him, this uncontrolled side of himself he had never seen. These weren't even his words, but he couldn't stop them coming out of his mouth.
"What was the point of even fucking bringing her here? To destroy me? What purpose does that have? You were defeated, defeated, isn't that enough for you?! Just kill me, I don't care! Kill me with all the pain and violence and anger you like – I don't care…"
His words were resounding off the walls. The silence met his outburst. "I know you can hear me, you bitch! And your – your hollow eyes minion, the girl who used to be my SIS! Do you ENJOY taking everything I love and know away from me? What do you want from me? What the hell do you want from me? Not Rinoa, what was the fucking POINT of it all? What a waste! What a God-damned, hypocritical waste, you couldn't even let me – let – you didn't even give us a…"
The burning lump in his throat overcame him as the heat in his body came to the surface, blazing, furious. "Come out here and talk to me, SORCERESS! Come on! The great ULTIMECIA…" He spat out the words as the tears dashed fiercely from his eyes. He buried his hand in her silky dark hair and closed his eyes. God, why was this even happening? And why to him?
"She isn't dead."
Squall looked up quickly. She was there, the Sorceress, her lips curved in that horrible, smug, easy smile of hers. Her accent was spicy, rich, but tainted with malicious intent and evil. "Do you want to see her wake?"
Squall was sure there was something behind this, but he had to see her – alive again. He had to. He stroked her cold, porcelain cheek and nodded ever so slightly in consent.
Sparks were appearing around him in the air – gathering – gathering…a soft cluster of stars like a comet brushed against his cheek, cool, soothing – the stars formed a pearl-studded net and gathered around Rinoa. He fell back, forced back, as her body was lifted up, gently. Her eyes were fluttering open, growing wide with realisation and recognition – she was being lifted higher and higher –
A slam, and she had been hurled against the wall. Squall jumped to his feet in anger. She was crumpled now, her delicate frame trembling and shaking, the crimson blood marring her perfect skin. The tears of fear and desperation were streaming down her cheeks. Almost before he had a chance to react, she was being dragged u0p by an invisible force field, jerked cruelly to her feet. She buckled, her knees weak, but was pulled up again and pinned against the wall. A sharp, lethal ice blade materialised at her throat. Even if she breathed, she was in danger of being injured by the carefully positioned knife-like icicle.
Squall found that he could not move. This was the utmost torture – seeing Rinoa scared and in pain, and being able to do nothing to help her.
"Extermination Plan A." Remarked Ultimecia calmly. "Use of the latent Sorceress soul to power the ultimate wave of monsters."
Latent Sorceress…
Squall's eyes grew wide as he realised what Ultimecia meant. His large, dilated green irises locked onto Rinoa's dark ones. The panic was electric between them.
The silence was heavy, charged. He could hear Rinoa's quiet, terrified sobbing breaths. He could do nothing to help her.
Someone come help us!
Please…
"We need to decide what we're going to do."
Irvine's voice was shaky, but determined. He'd called an assembly on the bridge – Zell, Seifer, Selphie and himself. Usually it would have been Quistis taking the lead but –
But she was dead.
Irvine regained his self control and continued.
"We need to find Squall and Rinoa. They could be in great danger. Selphie – was attacked by Griever, released by Squall's ring. It was in his dormitory, next to his broken Lionheart. The only person on earth strong enough to release the Ultimate GF and break the Lionheart – is Ultimecia."
"I don't know how, and I don't know why, but Ultimecia's back. She has Squall and Rinoa. And they're not strong enough to fight her on their own."
Zell spoke up, his eyes cloudy with worry.
"We need to go to Esthar – Doctor Odine will tell us what to do. He can – he can tell us how to get to Ultimecia's time. If she has stayed in the same time."
There was a mutual consent understood between the group. The night was early, and the dusky twilight fell upon their faces, starlit from the heavens. When Irvine spoke again, his voice was husky.
"We'll go tomorrow. I hope we're not…"
He didn't finish his sentence, but everybody knew what he was thinking.
I hope we're not too late.
I have to tell them. I have to!
I've put it off too long. Blinded by stupid thoughts. I
did the wrong thing in my life before. I can't do it again.
The letter was addressed to all of us, all of us! Why am
I making her whole death a lie?
I have to tell someone.
Who will understand?
This is tearing me up inside…she would have wanted
everybody to know. I can't keep them in the dark any longer.
I'm going to tell someone.
I'm going to find out the truth.
The watery sunlight from outside fell on her face, bringing out the dark blond highlights in her gleaming chestnut tresses. She looked beautiful when she was asleep. The white sheets were tangled around her waist; her bare arms folded underneath her head, her creamy skin catching the light. Her features were relaxed, the softest of rosy blushes on her cheeks, her eyelids shimmering softly in the morning dawn. He leant over, his own chestnut hair falling at either sides of his face and kissed the curve of her neck to her shoulders. She murmured softly and snuggled close to him in the narrow bed. He nuzzled her neck and kissed her. He sensed she was smiling underneath his lips as her caressed her cool cheek. He pulled away top find her emerald eyes staring directly into his. "Morning, sunshine." He whispered softly.
"Morning, Irvy. Just think of it! We're engaged!"
"I know. I didn't know I could love one person so much…"
He lay back down on the bed and pulled her gently towards him so that her head was resting on his chest, the silky hair fanning out around her face.
"I'm so worried about Squall and Rinoa…"
"They'll come back…" said Selphie uncertainly, her eyes crinkling slightly. "They have to come back…" she repeated fiercely. "I don't want a memory of them. I want to see them, talk to them, hear their voices. It's all happened so fast…how could they just go? How could Quistis just – just die like that? Why?"
The quiet click of the door opening roused them both. The tall, blonde male stepped in, trying desperately to stop the tears dashing from his set, determined eyes. He held out, wordlessly a piece of creamy paper, wrinkled and well-thumbed, but readable.
As Irvine scanned the piece of paper, the bewilderment, horror and shock slowly set into his features. After he had finished the letter, he kept on staring at it, his eyes glazed over with the suddenness, the shock of it all. After a long, long pause, Irvine looked up again, silently.
An electric shock passed between them. Seifer raised his tear-dashed eyes to Irvine's and said calmly;
"Well, cowboy. What do you propose we do now?"
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