Chapter 3
It had been eight days since the incident in FH. Rinoa never left Squall's side. She was reminiscing about the times they had spent together. She remembered the first time they met, when she hired him to help her rebel cause in Timber. How he had rescued her from the Sorceress Memorial. She remembered the flower field they had declared their own. It never mattered to Squall that one day, the dormant Sorceress power inside her would ignite again and maybe she would even turn on him. He stood by her; her loved her for what she was now, not for what she might become. Even to the last Squall thought of others by chasing after that bag snatcher. Why didn't she stop him? Told him to forget about it? Then he would have been ok now. He would be walking and talking. But no, Squall had to be Squall didn't he. He couldn't let things be. He could never let anything go. He was that way with people, friends and enemies alike.
She was holding his hand, and was about to give up hope, when something stirred her from her thoughts. She might have imagined it, she could not tell if it was real or not. She almost swore that his grip on her hand tightened very slightly. Almost not noticeable.
"Squall?" She leant closer to him. "Can you hear me?" Her eyes began to fill up with tears. His face twitched ever so slightly. "Doctor!" She shouted. Dr Kadowaki was in her office filing through some papers. She got up and walked over to the cubicle Squall and Rinoa were in.
"What is it? Is he alright?" Rinoa explained what had happened. "I'm sorry to disappoint you, but it's probably just a nervous twitch."
"No, it can't be."
"Try not to get your hopes up" Kadowaki began to measure his pulse. "Things like this happen all the time when people are in a...hey wait a minute!"
"What is it?" Rinoa said anxiously.
"I'm not sure if this is a good or bad thing."
"What is?"
"His pulse is speeding up."
"What doe it mean?" Rinoa asked. That was when his eyes began to open. "Squall!"
"Oh my" gasped the doctor.
"R...R...Rinoa." He managed to say.
"I'll go get the others." Kadowaki left the room. Rinoa's eyes were full of tears.
"Oh, Squall, I new you'd be alright." She didn't bother to put on a façade. This was the happiest moment in her life. Her true love was alive and well.
"What...what happened?" Squall asked, dazed and confused. "My head hurts"
" Shh...Shh...In time, all in time." She gently ran her fingers through his hair. Just then Zell, Irvine, Quistis and Selphie burst through the door.
"Is it true?" shouted Zell. "Is old Squally boy ok?"
"Yes...he's going to be fine." Everyone crowded around the bed. Everyone was speaking at once, and Squall could not distinguish what anyone was saying. Kadowaki came in at this time.
"Right everyone, out now please." She said. "I need to give him a physical examination and the all clear. Everyone left, except Rinoa who stayed a few extra moments, just holding his hand and staring into his eyes. Quistis came back in.
"Rinoa, we can come back and see him later." She put her hand on her shoulder.
"Tell me this is real. Tell me I'm not dreaming." She looked up at Quistis, red eyed and emotional.
"No Rinny, its real. Squall will be ok." They hugged and left so that Kadowaki could carry out the examination.
***********************************
Squall's recuperation thereafter was very fast. Never being one to shy from a challenge, he was back to himself in no time. All the way, was Rinoa. She helped him to get back to the way he was. Meanwhile, she swore to herself that she would avenge Squall and find this girl.
But she wasn't the only one interested in the bag snatcher. Late one night, Squall was walking around Garden and was heavily immersed in thought. What kind of gutter rat can exert such power? Why would she be living on the streets? Why was she so powerful? He decided he was going to take a trip into FH and try to find this girl.
"Evening Squall." Said the doorkeeper. "Glad t'see your up an' about now after your incident." Squall had little time for chit-chat. The doorman kept talking anyway. "I'm tellin' you, must've been a strong opponent t'beat you. Where you be goin' to this late anyway?" Squall was getting agitated. He really wasn't in the talking mood. But the doorman was harmless.
"Just getting some air."
"Can y'tell me when you'll be back? Or that classified informatun?"
"Late." Was all he said before leaving.
"Tsk, some people jus' don't 'ave no manners."
Squall caught the train to FH, which had recently been opened again and now ran all the way to Esthar. The streets were deserted in FH. Which made his search a lot easier. Luckily the first place he tried was where he found her. The train station. She was asleep under a pile of cardboard boxes in the waiting room.
"Hey there." He said. Immediately she shot up. She was wearing the same green coat as before, but this time she had a grey woolly hat on.
"Who are you? What do you want?" She said, scared. Squall wondered why a girl with such immense power was always so scared.
"Remember me?" she looked at him through squinted eyes.
"Its you, I thought I killed you."
"Better luck next time." Squall paused. "I'm here because I have a few questions need answering. Firstly though. What am I to call you?" The girl looked dumbstruck. She struggled for words.
"Yannie, Yannie Ocaspe."
"Ok, Yannie, I want to know, what did you do to me?" Squall sat down beside her. "Please, tell me. I'm not mad with you. I'm just interested." That was a lie. Of course he was mad with her. She had almost killed him. But the only way he was going to get any information out of her was if he acted nice.
"How do I know if I can trust you?" she asked.
"You have my word. After what happened last time, I don't want to mess with you." Yannie curled up, her knees up by her chin. Squall looked at her. She needed a good bath, and a large meal. She was dangerously thin and gaunt.
"I can't explain what happened. I can only tell you it has happened before."
"Who to?"
"Many." She replied. "I don't want to talk about it."
"That's alright." Squall looked at the floor. "We've all got things in our past we'd rather not talk about."
"Thank you." She half heatedly smiled.
"So, who taught you magic?"
"No-one, I've always, just been able to. I wish I didn't though."
"Why?" Squall asked.
"You saw what happened, I have no control over it. When ever I get emotional, or scared, I...I... well you know what happens."
"Who is your GF?"
"What's a GF?"
"Guardian Force? The root of all magic?" Yannie had a blank expression on her face. "You don't know what I'm talking about do you?" she shook her head. Things started to make sense to Squall now. That's why he got hurt. She panicked, and he got caught in a kind of self-defence mechanism. That was why she always looked so scared. Not because she feared for herself, but she feared she may hurt others. Whatever the root of her powers was it certainly wasn't conventional.
"I would like you to come with me." He said. "Come to Garden with me. We can help you there. We have people who can..."
"No!" she shouted. I don't want to go!" The ground started to shake and the air tasted of electricity.
"Look, you can't live the rest of your life in fear. Come with me, and we'll sort you out."
"Please, don't..." plaster began to crumble of the ceiling. Squall spoke in the calmest voice he could muster.
"Yannie, we don't want to hurt you, and we'll make sure you don't hurt anyone. I promise."
"You promise?" The shaking became less violent.
"I promise." He held out his hand.
"Ok." She took his hand, and he led her to Garden.
It had been eight days since the incident in FH. Rinoa never left Squall's side. She was reminiscing about the times they had spent together. She remembered the first time they met, when she hired him to help her rebel cause in Timber. How he had rescued her from the Sorceress Memorial. She remembered the flower field they had declared their own. It never mattered to Squall that one day, the dormant Sorceress power inside her would ignite again and maybe she would even turn on him. He stood by her; her loved her for what she was now, not for what she might become. Even to the last Squall thought of others by chasing after that bag snatcher. Why didn't she stop him? Told him to forget about it? Then he would have been ok now. He would be walking and talking. But no, Squall had to be Squall didn't he. He couldn't let things be. He could never let anything go. He was that way with people, friends and enemies alike.
She was holding his hand, and was about to give up hope, when something stirred her from her thoughts. She might have imagined it, she could not tell if it was real or not. She almost swore that his grip on her hand tightened very slightly. Almost not noticeable.
"Squall?" She leant closer to him. "Can you hear me?" Her eyes began to fill up with tears. His face twitched ever so slightly. "Doctor!" She shouted. Dr Kadowaki was in her office filing through some papers. She got up and walked over to the cubicle Squall and Rinoa were in.
"What is it? Is he alright?" Rinoa explained what had happened. "I'm sorry to disappoint you, but it's probably just a nervous twitch."
"No, it can't be."
"Try not to get your hopes up" Kadowaki began to measure his pulse. "Things like this happen all the time when people are in a...hey wait a minute!"
"What is it?" Rinoa said anxiously.
"I'm not sure if this is a good or bad thing."
"What is?"
"His pulse is speeding up."
"What doe it mean?" Rinoa asked. That was when his eyes began to open. "Squall!"
"Oh my" gasped the doctor.
"R...R...Rinoa." He managed to say.
"I'll go get the others." Kadowaki left the room. Rinoa's eyes were full of tears.
"Oh, Squall, I new you'd be alright." She didn't bother to put on a façade. This was the happiest moment in her life. Her true love was alive and well.
"What...what happened?" Squall asked, dazed and confused. "My head hurts"
" Shh...Shh...In time, all in time." She gently ran her fingers through his hair. Just then Zell, Irvine, Quistis and Selphie burst through the door.
"Is it true?" shouted Zell. "Is old Squally boy ok?"
"Yes...he's going to be fine." Everyone crowded around the bed. Everyone was speaking at once, and Squall could not distinguish what anyone was saying. Kadowaki came in at this time.
"Right everyone, out now please." She said. "I need to give him a physical examination and the all clear. Everyone left, except Rinoa who stayed a few extra moments, just holding his hand and staring into his eyes. Quistis came back in.
"Rinoa, we can come back and see him later." She put her hand on her shoulder.
"Tell me this is real. Tell me I'm not dreaming." She looked up at Quistis, red eyed and emotional.
"No Rinny, its real. Squall will be ok." They hugged and left so that Kadowaki could carry out the examination.
***********************************
Squall's recuperation thereafter was very fast. Never being one to shy from a challenge, he was back to himself in no time. All the way, was Rinoa. She helped him to get back to the way he was. Meanwhile, she swore to herself that she would avenge Squall and find this girl.
But she wasn't the only one interested in the bag snatcher. Late one night, Squall was walking around Garden and was heavily immersed in thought. What kind of gutter rat can exert such power? Why would she be living on the streets? Why was she so powerful? He decided he was going to take a trip into FH and try to find this girl.
"Evening Squall." Said the doorkeeper. "Glad t'see your up an' about now after your incident." Squall had little time for chit-chat. The doorman kept talking anyway. "I'm tellin' you, must've been a strong opponent t'beat you. Where you be goin' to this late anyway?" Squall was getting agitated. He really wasn't in the talking mood. But the doorman was harmless.
"Just getting some air."
"Can y'tell me when you'll be back? Or that classified informatun?"
"Late." Was all he said before leaving.
"Tsk, some people jus' don't 'ave no manners."
Squall caught the train to FH, which had recently been opened again and now ran all the way to Esthar. The streets were deserted in FH. Which made his search a lot easier. Luckily the first place he tried was where he found her. The train station. She was asleep under a pile of cardboard boxes in the waiting room.
"Hey there." He said. Immediately she shot up. She was wearing the same green coat as before, but this time she had a grey woolly hat on.
"Who are you? What do you want?" She said, scared. Squall wondered why a girl with such immense power was always so scared.
"Remember me?" she looked at him through squinted eyes.
"Its you, I thought I killed you."
"Better luck next time." Squall paused. "I'm here because I have a few questions need answering. Firstly though. What am I to call you?" The girl looked dumbstruck. She struggled for words.
"Yannie, Yannie Ocaspe."
"Ok, Yannie, I want to know, what did you do to me?" Squall sat down beside her. "Please, tell me. I'm not mad with you. I'm just interested." That was a lie. Of course he was mad with her. She had almost killed him. But the only way he was going to get any information out of her was if he acted nice.
"How do I know if I can trust you?" she asked.
"You have my word. After what happened last time, I don't want to mess with you." Yannie curled up, her knees up by her chin. Squall looked at her. She needed a good bath, and a large meal. She was dangerously thin and gaunt.
"I can't explain what happened. I can only tell you it has happened before."
"Who to?"
"Many." She replied. "I don't want to talk about it."
"That's alright." Squall looked at the floor. "We've all got things in our past we'd rather not talk about."
"Thank you." She half heatedly smiled.
"So, who taught you magic?"
"No-one, I've always, just been able to. I wish I didn't though."
"Why?" Squall asked.
"You saw what happened, I have no control over it. When ever I get emotional, or scared, I...I... well you know what happens."
"Who is your GF?"
"What's a GF?"
"Guardian Force? The root of all magic?" Yannie had a blank expression on her face. "You don't know what I'm talking about do you?" she shook her head. Things started to make sense to Squall now. That's why he got hurt. She panicked, and he got caught in a kind of self-defence mechanism. That was why she always looked so scared. Not because she feared for herself, but she feared she may hurt others. Whatever the root of her powers was it certainly wasn't conventional.
"I would like you to come with me." He said. "Come to Garden with me. We can help you there. We have people who can..."
"No!" she shouted. I don't want to go!" The ground started to shake and the air tasted of electricity.
"Look, you can't live the rest of your life in fear. Come with me, and we'll sort you out."
"Please, don't..." plaster began to crumble of the ceiling. Squall spoke in the calmest voice he could muster.
"Yannie, we don't want to hurt you, and we'll make sure you don't hurt anyone. I promise."
"You promise?" The shaking became less violent.
"I promise." He held out his hand.
"Ok." She took his hand, and he led her to Garden.