"Rinoa??"
He held her up to
his chest and looked down at her. Her
once red, luscious lips were now a pale pink. Squall held her hand and shook it, hoping she would wake up and come to her
senses. Nothing happened.
Panicking, Squall
quickly cast a full-life spell on her, but it was too late. Closing his eyes, he bent down and gave his
love a kiss, his love that had been taken away from him. Quistis came in.
"Squall!! I radioed the Garden and they are sending
immediate help on the—" Quistis stopped. Her whole body froze to see Rinoa lifeless in Squall's arms. Tears began to build in her eyes. "…Squall," she started, but couldn't say
anything else. He looked up at her,
trying to keep a straight face, then looked at Rinoa.
"Squall, I'm so
sorry…" she mouthed, in between chokes.
Squall could do
nothing but stare at the lifeless body. Quistis walked up to him, and put her hand on his shoulder. "There's nothing you can do now. She's gone…and you just have to accept
that," Quistis stated. She felt awful. Beside the fact that she always wanted Rinoa
to be out of Squall's life and wanted herself to be with Squall, she felt so
guilty and horrified that Rinoa was gone; she was her best friend. "Squall, please…"
"Quistis….what do
you know?!" Squall blurted out. "Our closest friends are gone! Zell, Irvine, Selphie….they're all
gone. Don't you have the least bit
consideration of mourning over them? Now you're telling me to get over myself of losing Rinoa, not even
taking into account of the fact that Zell, Irvine, and Selphie are gone??"
* flashback *
"Zell!!!" Squall shouted.
Zell was knocked
out, and Ultimecia compressed him into time.
"Nooo!!"
Ultimecia could
do nothing but laugh. "Hahahaha!! Pitiful SeeDs. You're life will be over, just like your little friends!"
* end flashback *
Quistis stood
back, offended. She never realized
Squall would show his feelings about others, but only for Rinoa. "Squall, I'm sorry…It's just that…" she
broke into tears. Before she could say
anything else, the team from Garden came about. Xu came into sight.
"Squall, are you
all right?" she asked, concerned.
He didn't
reply. Quistis walked past her and went
into the Ragnarok. Xu watched her until
she disappeared into the ship, then looked at Squall, with a heartbreaking look
on her face. "Squall," she began. "I heard what happened to Rinoa…and I'm very
sorry for your loss."
Squall said
nothing and stood up, picking Rinoa up into his arms. A squad of SeeDs came over to Squall and asked him to give Rinoa
to them, so they could take care of her. He reluctantly agreed. They took
her body to their air ship.
"They will place
her in a glass coffin back at the Infirmary until it is time for her burial,"
Xu informed him.
He nodded and
walked forlornly into the Ragnarok.
Arriving at the
Garden, Squall stepped out. He wanted
to see Rinoa so badly, and eagerly stepped off from the Ragnarok, heading for
the Infirmary. Some SeeDs, restricting
him from going, stopped Squall, but he pulled out his Lionheart until they gave
way. Quistis looked over at him, and
gave a tiny smile to herself. Squall,
you're still the same guy. Always
isolated in your own world, focused on what you're determined to do…don't even
giving the slightest attention or care for what others think…
Squall ran as
swiftly as he could, bumping and shoving into people that were in his way. He loved Rinoa, but he couldn't bear that
she's gone. He remembered the day when
she fell into a coma, when he fell in love with her; when he told her his
feelings.
He stopped at the
Infirmary and walked into the room, where Rinoa lay in the glass coffin. As he walked in, he saw a figure next to the
body. Afraid the stranger will do harm,
he raised his Lionheart and stepped closer.
"Who the hell are
you?"
The stranger
turned around.
Squall dropped
his gunblade. "Zell?!"