Lion Heart

by One Winged Angel

A mysterious dream is the very beginning of an adventure far beyond sanity. Squall and his comrades has to face a destiny worse than ever before... death itself in a realm where life is immaterial. Will they make it?

~ LION HEART ~

part one

It was there again.

A great dark cloud, a thick mist covering the ground and a couple of evil eyes gazing into his. He had no idea whose eyes it was, where he was or what he was doing there. He just knew that he didn't want to be there anymore. Suddenly, a ray of light hit the ground and a figure revealed in the brightened sky. The face was covered by a mask and the rest of the body was dressed in a black coat. There was no simple way to identify the person.

"Squall, are you still asleep?"

"Squall! Wake up!"

A couple of familiar voices from outside the room made him wake up. He sat up on his bed and tried to configure about the mysterious dream.

It was only a dream, he thought. But it felt so much like it was real. And who was the person in it?

"Squall, come on!"

Zell's voice interrupted his thoughts. He decided not to think about it anymore.

"I'm coming!" he said and got up from the bed.

Along with Selphie, Irvine, Zell, Quistis and Rinoa, Squall went to the cafeteria to have some breakfast. Although he tried to forget about the dream and concentrate on the meal instead he didn't manage to do so. At that moment he wanted to be just like his friends; happy and without sorrows.

"Squall, is there something on your mind?"

"Huh?"

Quistis looked at him and smiled.

"You seem to be somewhere else. What are you thinking?"

I can't tell her about it, Squall thought. It was just a silly dream after all. I don't even know why I'm still thinking about it when it doesn't have to mean anything.

"Will you tell me or not?"

Squall sighed quietly, and replied:

"It's nothing really... I... I'm just tired, ok?!"

He rose from the chair and began to walk away from his unsurpassed friends. They knew by now that Squall could be capricious, and nobody could seem to change that. Rinoa, in particular, wanted him to be more relaxed and less quiet than he was. But not even she could do anything about his behaviour.

"Shouldn't anyone go talk to him?" Irvine proposed.

"I don't seem to be the right person to do it," Quistis said, "he just gets mad."

"It isn't because of you," Rinoa replied, "it's just him. I'll go. Everybody wait here."

After a short walk, Rinoa found Squall on the balcony where the two of them had shared their first kiss. She had actually no idea why he had gone there in the first place. He wasn't exactly the type who wanted to revive old memories.

While she watched him, he was just standing there looking up at the sky. It was blue like the ocean, and sort of eternal with the cross-sailing white clouds. The bright sun was shining on the two of them and the light breeze stroke his cheek with a  soft, almost feather-like touch. Rinoa took a few steps towards him.

"Squall?"

Squall turned around immediately as he heard her soft voice. He didn't look angry or tense at all, just calm and thoughtful.

"Yes?" he replied.

Rinoa decided to go straight on with it.

"Why did you overreact like that when Quistis spoke to you earlier? I thought for a moment that your old self was gone!"

Squall didn't look into her eyes.

"That's true, but I hate it when people interfere with my thoughts. I want to keep them for myself."

"I know you do, but there is more to it than that, isn't there?"

"... Whatever."

"You owe me an answer!"

"I don't want to talk about it!"

Rinoa sighed and looked up at him. He tried pretending like he didn't see her, but failed. Her deep, brown and beautiful eyes couldn't be ignored. She looked straight into his sapphire-blue eyes and said:

"Fine, don't tell me then. I actually thought you had changed, but now I suppose I was wrong. I don't believe that anyone but you can break that facade you've built. Not even I, though I tried hard."

She turned away, prepared to leave. For the first time in a long time, Squall felt guilty. He hadn't meant to be so hard on her.

"Rinoa, wait. I'm sorry."

Surprised by the abnormal tune in his voice, she turned to him and looked into his glittering eyes.

"What did you say?"

"I'm sorry," Squall repeated, "I guess I blamed you for nothing. After all it isn't your fault, it's just..."

"What?"

"... It's just me."

Rinoa smiled at his confession.

"Are you asking for my forgiveness, your highness?"

Squall smiled, and was undeniably on the brink of a laughter.

"What is it, your highness? Was it something I said, your highness?"

Right after Rinoa finished the sentence, he burst out in a massive attack of laughter. He couldn't help himself. Rinoa looked at him with wonder.

"What? Did I miss the fun part, your highness?"

Squall tried to get hold of himself.

"I'm sorry," he laughed, "it's just that-"

He interrupted himself with another massive attack of laughter. He just couldn't stop it.

Rinoa smiled at him. She was glad that he finally could let things out, especially in her presence. And as he almost couldn't stand on his feet, he stumbled and bumped into her. She caught him in her arms. He stopped laughing and looked at her with a sweet smile on his face.

"I'm sorry," he said, "I don't know what happened to me."

"Don't be sorry," Rinoa replied, "I like you even more when you are happy, we all do."

Squall pulled her closer to his body and hugged her. She rested her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes, enjoying the moment.

"As long as you are with me Rinoa, I will always be happy," he said and stroke her cheek with his fingertips, "and even if I don't show or say it often, you should know that I love you. With all my heart."

"Until the day I die?"

"No. Much, much longer."

Squall leaned his head to the side and met her lips. A weird feeling ran through his blood while he stood there, holding her tight, kissing her. But it felt just right at the same time. It was like they were united, becoming one spirit mightier than anything in the universe.

They were so lost in each other that they didn't even notice the dark cloud that slowly came towards the Garden. A thick and pitch-black cloud that swallowed every part of the sky that came in its way. And it was just a matter of time before it reached the Garden...

part two

The cloud grew and grew, and even the sun disappeared behind it. It was almost completely dark because of it. Only a few lamps were shining on the mobile Garden. Zell, Irvine, Quistis and Selphie were standing outside the cafeteria, looking up at the dark sky.

"What the frickin' hell is that?" Zell wondered, "The whole sky is black!"

"Yeah, sure strange," Selphie agreed.

"Just don't hope it means any trouble to us," Quistis murmured to herself, "even the sun is unable to shine behind those clouds! There must be something going on. Where is Squall anyway?"

Squall and Rinoa were left on the balcony. They had also discovered the cloud by now, and they both wondered what was going on.

Can it be? Squall thought, No, it can't. But it looks exactly the same as the cloud in my dream!

Rinoa looked worried when she glanced at the cloud. Something was definitely wrong.

I can feel something, she thought, it's like some sort of power that is inside my head. And it's whispering, but I can't hear what it has to say.

The two of them were speechless, and deep into their own thoughts. None of them could say anything about the cloud. Not even a speculation.

Right about then, a familiar sound that came from the speakers broke the silence between them and caught their attention.

"Squall Leonhart, report to the bridge immediately."

It was Nida's voice.

"It's urgent! I repeat..."

Squall woke up from his deep thoughts. He turned to Rinoa and looked at her worried face.

"I must go," he said, "but I'll be back as soon as possible. You ok?"

Rinoa nodded.

"Yeah, I understand that you have to go. I'll be here."

Squall turned around and began to walk towards the elevator. Rinoa suddenly remembered something that she had to tell him and was just going to catch up with him,when an invisible hand grabbed her wrist and pulled her further away. She tried to wind from the grasp, but it didn't seem to work. Against her own will, something dragged her away from Squall.

"Don't struggle," a hoarse, unfamiliar voice said, "you're only making it worse for yourself."

Rinoa opened her mouth to scream, but changed her mind when she discovered that the figure seemed to be able to read her thoughts.

"Don't try to scream!" it said, "If you do, you'll be killed in the worst way you can ever imagine. Just come with me, into the realm of death, lost souls and suffering. That is where you belong, sorceress!"

Rinoa felt how the anxiety grew in her stomach. She couldn't just let anyone take her away, and she couldn't scream for help either. If she did, it wouldn't do any good anyway. Then she came up with an idea. With her free hand she pulled off her necklace and dropped it on the balcony. Squall would find it and then follow her, she hoped.

Squall was almost by the elevator when a sudden thought struck him. He turned around.

I shouldn't have left Rinoa alone, he thought, the cloud and all... I can feel something... something has happened to Rinoa!

He ran back as fast as he could, and reached the balcony just in time to see a mysterious figure dragging Rinoa into a tunnel in the sky. She looked helpless.

"No!" Squall screamed, "You can't take her!"

He grabbed his gunblade and jumped after the figure into the tunnel.

Right at that moment, the rest of the gang were running around the Garden looking for Squall and Rinoa. They had split up in two groups, and when they after a while met up outside the dorms none of them had found a trace of their lost friends.

"Where could they be?" Selphie sighed and sat down on a bench. "They can't just disappear, right Irv?"

"Right..." Irvine said with hesitation in his voice.

"So what are we going to-"

Quistis was just about to finish the sentence when a loud roar drowned her voice.

"What the hell was that?" Zell questioned and looked suspiciously around them.

"It came from the Training Center," Irvine noticed.

"Let's check it out!" Selphie said, excited as always.

She started to walk. The others couldn't do much else but to follow.

When they reached the Training Center, they didn't see anything that looked abnormal.

"I think we have to go further inside," Selphie said, "there has to be something in here!"

Then the great roar came again. Zell shivered.

"It's probably just the T-rexaurs," he said, "yeah, I'm sure of it! Let's head back now..."

"No! I want to see what it really is!" Selphie protested.

"Zell's right," Irvine said, "it's probably just the T-rexaurs."

"But the T-rexaurs doesn't sound like that," Quistis said thoughtfully.

"Oh, come on guys! We can't wait all day."

Selphie started walking, and Quistis followed her. But Zell and Irvine stood left and hesitated.

"But what if it is a great human-eating monster and what if it comes to us and... aaaahhhh!!!"

Zell became interrupted by another scary roar. He and Irvine started to run after the girls.

"Hey, Sephie, Quisty wait up!"

"Don't leave us behind!"

Where am I?

Squall lifted his head. Everything was a blur in front of his eyes. He couldn't see straight.

What happened? he asked himself, I can't seem to remember...

He blinked a couple of times and tried to stand up. He staggered a little, but managed not to fall. Then he saw his trusty gunblade lying on the ground. He picked it up.

At least my weapon is here. But wasn't there someone else...?

Then he suddenly remembered everything.

I went after Rinoa into that tunnel. But where did it lead, and who was that figure who dragged her?

Squall took a look around. Almost everything was dark, and he couldn't see much because of it. Carefully, he took a step forward. The ground beneath him was compact. The air was thick and a little hard to breathe, almost like there was no oxygen.

I must be stuck in some kind of grotto, he thought, I can't be outside. In that case I wouldn't have such a hard time breathing.

Squall tried to think about everything that could be possible.

Hey, what if someone else is in here, and that's why the air is low on oxygen. I have to find out.

He cast a Fire spell to light up the surroundings. Then he made a frightful finding.

"Oh my god!" he cried and backed off.

part three

"Rinoa..."

"Who's there? Answer me!"

Rinoa looked around her, but no one seemed to be there. It was only a voice, calling her name over and over again.

"Rinoa..."

"Stop it!"

She began to run and hoped that she could run away from the voice. But the road she was running on was endless. Everything was dark and creepy, and there was no one or nothing else there except from herself.

"You are all alone Rinoa..." the voice called, "no one can hear you, and you will never get out of here. Your eyes will never see the sunlight or the dawn again..."

Rinoa stopped running. What was this? Was it just a dream?

"It's not a dream Rinoa... it's reality. And it's your destiny!"

"No! It isn't!"

Rinoa didn't want to believe in it. She felt despair and panic, and the only thing she wanted was to get out of there. She wanted to be with Squall.

Squall will come and save me, she thought hopefully, I'm sure of it.

"Your knight will not come!" the voice said, "He is stuck in a death-trap dungeon, and he will never make it out alive.  The darkness will devour him! He will be lost forever, just like you!"

The voice almost started to be more convincing than Rinoa's own thoughts. She nearly began to believe in what it said.

What's happening to me... I can't believe in this. Squall will come... Squall will come... come and save me from this... I hope.

"Sephie, I've been thinking and I really don't think we should-"

"For the last time Irv: we are going to find out what it is. Why are you so cowardly?"

"... Just don't like the idea."

The small group kept walking, and when they reached the inner of the Training Center they still hadn't found anything. Selphie looked confident, but didn't notice the shadow behind her.

"See, guys? There wasn't anything in here. You were right. It was only the T-rexaurs."

Irvine took a step backwards.

"No, I think you were right Sephie. There is something in here!"

"Where, I can't see anything."

Zell pointed with his finger.

"It's right behind you!"

Selphie turned around and ended up eye-to-eye with a huge and terrifying dragon. It was black like a raven, and it stared down at the little girl with its evil, yellow dragon eyes. It fluttered with its large wings and roared.

Zell suddenly gained more confidence.

"Was it only a little dragon? Piece of cake baby, let's kill it!"

Selphie glanced at him with wonder.

"But Zell... you were so frightened just a minute ago. You ok?"

"Never felt better in my life," Zell replied. "now, let's murder lives..."

Squall stared at a bunch of rotten corpses that were lying in a corner. They were all bloody, and the bones were sticking out from their skinny bodies. The rotten smell made him feel sick, and he almost threw up. But the most scary part was that they seemed to smile at him. And it was no friendly smiles, but evil grins.

No, he thought, dead people can't grin... especially not rotten corpses.

He tried to ignore them, but he felt like he was watched all the time. Watched by the dead ones. It was a horrible feeling.

He sat down on the ground, closed his eyes and tried to think of another place. A place where he liked to be, where he belonged. He belonged to Balamb Garden. It was his home. All his friends were there, and Rinoa. His angel, his princess, his queen. He loved her so much.

Rinoa... I have to find her! I can't just sit here, among the dead people in a grotto somewhere I don't know. I have to find a way out of here!"

He got up on his feet and took a more proper look around. The only thing he could see was stonewalls, corpses and his own shadow. He knew that the grotto was small and narrow, and there was no visible way out. But... what was that over there?

On one of the stonewalls was a small text, probably written by someone a long time ago. Squall took a few steps towards the wall and tried to read the text.

"What is hidden in the darkness...

Tricks full of ill will...

You can't see the way forward..."

Squall didn't quite understand the text.

Can it be a secret passage or something that the text is talking about? he wondered, and decided to think about it more carefully. He leaned against the wall, and suddenly it opened. An entrance was available.

... Guess I'll just see where it leads.

He started to walk, not knowing what was waiting for him in the dark.

Meanwhile, the group left at Balamb Garden were fighting the dragon. They kept attacking it with magic and physical attacks, but it never seemed to be defeated.

"I guess it's time to get nasty," Zell said and started to summon Ifrit, his GF.

"I'll keep going with magic," Selphie said and was just going to cast the Meltdown spell when Quistis made a strange discovery.

"Hey, where is Irvine? I thought he was right here, but he isn't!"

"He probably just went to hide in a bush or something," Selphie said, "we'll find him later."

"Yeah, let's just finish this guy first," Zell said right before Ifrit's Hell Fire attack started.

When it was finished, the dragon fell to the ground and dropped two Mega Potions. At the same moment, Irvine came back.

"And where have you been?" Quistis asked.

"I just had to think," Irvine replied, "so I went to the library. And of a weird coincidence I found this book."

He pulled out a small, worn book from his pocket. There were golden letters on the front.

"'The Sixth Dimension'" Zell read, "what the heck is that?"

"The book says it's a parallel universe to ours, where everything is about death and suffering," Irvine replied, "I found it pretty interesting, because it also says that the gate to 'The Sixth Dimension' only opens one day per millennium session. And that day is today."

"So you mean that's why the cloud and all are here?" Quistis asked.

"Yeah, and that dragon!" Selphie added.

"That's right... but there is one thing I forgot to mention."

"What?"

Irvine sighed deeply.

"The reason why the gate opens, is because the emperor in 'The Sixth Dimension' has to do a sacrifice to his gods. He has to sacrifice one human, and not any human..."

Zell looked nervous, almost like someone had told him that he was the picked victim.

"So?"

"It has to be a sorceress in the present."

None of them could speak. All of them were shocked, but they could still figure out on their own what had happened. Quistis stared at the book.

"They took Rinoa, and when Rinoa disappeared..."

"... Squall followed her," Zell filled.

Selphie looked thoughtful.

"But... what happens if there are two humans in that place at the same time?"

Irvine shook his head, and stared out in the empty.

"... One of them has to die..."

part four

"Damn it! There has to be something we can do about this!" Zell said with anger in his voice, "Can't we go after them or somethin'?

"No," Quistis replied, "we don't know what happens if we do that. The emperor may kill us all!"

"But I think Zell is right," Selphie said, "we have to do something! None of us wants them to be stuck there forever, right?"

"That's true, and we can't wait until the next millennium," Irvine filled, "we have to come up with a plan of some sort."

Squall had been walking for a long time, and the energy was slowly draining out from his body. But he didn't allow himself to rest. Not until he had found Rinoa. The thought of it had slowly became an obsession that constantly pierced into his mind, and that's what kept him going.

The surroundings never seemed to change, even though he had been walking several kilometres. It was just the same, gloomy and grey stonewalls including that awkward silence. The only vague sound he could hear, if he listened really hard, was a whispering about death and blood-feuds. It seemed like the old lost souls were visiting.

What is this? he wondered, Where can Rinoa be in a place like this?

Squall stopped for a moment, and just stared into the darkness. He felt so lost. He couldn't do anything to get out of there, just keep walking and walking. Maybe there was no end at this. Maybe there was just an endless tunnel, leading nowhere. Seriously, he didn't know anything about all this.

No! I can't lose hope now. I am going to find Rinoa, whatever it takes and whatever I have to do to get her back. I am going to fight 'til the end!

He began to walk again, more slowly than before. He had to save the last energy he had. He didn't want to collapse right out where he was. Who knew what would happen if he did.

"Everything is clear, master."

A tiny figure similar to a Tonberry, stood in front of the emperor's throne and bowed to him. The emperor glanced at his servant.

"No intruders?" he asked. His voice was so dark it sounded more like a roar rather than a voice.

"No intruders master," the servant confirmed, "you may begin the ritual whenever you are ready. The sorceress is in the prison cell."

"And, the knight?"

The servant swallowed hard.

"W-what k-knight?" he stammered.

"Fool! The sorceress' knight of course! Is he still in the dungeon?!"

The servant looked down on his feet.

"Answer me!" the emperor demanded.

"N-no m-master, I'm s-sorry..."

"You sorry?!?"

The emperor stared at the little shaking figure with burning eyes. He hit his fist in the throne.

"Where is the knight? Where?!"

"I d-don't k-know m-master, he managed to e-escape..."

"You don't know?!"

"No m-master..."

"Then go find him!"

"But master..."

"No buts! Go now, and don't you dare to come back until you've found him! Is that clear?!"

"Yes, master."

The little servant hurried out of the room. The emperor sighed with irritation and tried to calm down.

This was unexpected! he thought to himself, I thought he would never be able to get out of that dungeon. No one has ever escaped from there before! I guess I underestimated his strength...

He roared quietly. His evil, narrow eyes glittered of hostility.

If he ever makes it here alive, I'll take care of him myself! Foolish knight. Because of him, I can't sacrifice to the Gods until later. He'll regret his existence... I'm sure he will, for defeat does not exist in this realm...

After a few hours of walking, Squall reached the end of the tunnel. It sure was a good sign that he had made it out alive without any wounds or anything. But the destiny that was waiting right in front of him wasn't exactly more comforting than this.

A desert?

Squall looked at the black sand with wonder. But when he thought more carefully... maybe it wasn't sand. It seemed more like...

Ashes? From dead people?! How terrible!

If he wanted to continue, he had to walk in the ashes even if it seemed immoderate. Walk in the rests of dead people, could he really do that?

It seems like I have no choice. I can pretend it's something else... I have to do it!

He took a step out of the tunnel. The "sand" was soft, and it was hard to walk forwards. Especially because he was so low on energy. The obsessed thought of finding Rinoa showed up in his head again.

I have to stop whining. God, I'm doing this for Rinoa and not for myself! As a matter of fact, I could offer my own life for seeing her just once more.

He shouldn't have said that...

part five

Squall kept walking through the black "sand". He didn't know where he actually was heading or what he was looking for. There was just the same thought, constantly showing up in his head; find Rinoa!

Just a sign... he thought, please, show me a sign of where to go or at least a small sign showing that Rinoa is still alive!

But there was no sign. Only an eternal continent of what he called black sand. Not even a mountain, a tree or a little watercourse. Just sand, sand and sand.

The wind was not blowing, but the sun was shining brightly. The air was hot and dry, and because of the heat it was even more hard to continue. Squall's throat was alarmingly dry. It was crying for water, but there was no water to drink.

I can't die here... not yet... have to find... Rinoa...

Everything began to get blurry in front of his eyes. The sand and the almost white sky slowly faded away from his sight. He glanced up at the sun one last time, then he fell to the ground...

Croaks... loud and furious croaks...

Squall lifted his head and slowly opened his eyes. The sun was gone. Instead, there was a thick, chilly mist covering the ground like a spread. The sky was grey, with black storm-clouds sailing across it. But where had the croaks come from?

He looked up at the sky. A flock with black birds were flying over a mountain nearby.

Ravens, Squall thought and tried to stand up, that's weird... they weren't here before. Neither was the mist, the mountain or...

He took a more proper look at the mountain. In fact it wasn't a mountain. It was a castle. A dark, apocalyptic and terribly evil castle.

I have to get in there! I can feel Rinoa being somewhere around!

Squall got up on his feet and began to run towards the castle. Now, he was closer than ever...

"Aaaaarrrggghhhh!!!"

The emperor was more furious than he had been for the last thousand years. He did not tolerate failure of any kind.

"How could he survive?! He couldn't have done that! It's impossible!"

The little servant came running from a corner. He looked at his master with worried eyes.

"I'm sure he will die when he comes into the castle, master..."

"Into the castle?!?" the emperor raged, "he will not come into the castle!"

"I'm sorry master... but I think he will. Don't worry though, I've set a trap. Especially constructed for his arrival."

The servant smiled silly, trying to cheer up the furious emperor.

"Do not smile like that in my presence! You make me feel sick with that cheerful attitude."

"Sorry..." the servant said, and the smile suddenly faded.

"Go and get the sorceress. The ritual will begin shortly."

"Yes master, I'll be back in a second."

"With the sorceress!"

"With the sorceress master."

The servant went out of the room. The emperor sighed quietly, and muttered:

"I really hope the knight doesn't get in my way. The Gods would never forgive me. I would be banished... for all eternity. No! Nothing of these things are going to happen. If the knight comes, I will simply... exterminate him. It's easier than it seems, really..."

Squall opened the heavy door, which was surprisingly not even locked. He stepped into a narrow hallway, only lit up by a few torches hanging on the walls.

I never thought it was going to look so... greeting in here, he thought sarcastically, but who cares. The only important thing right now is to find Rinoa and get her out of here.

He walked through the hallway, and into the next room. It was dark, full of spider-web and the furniture looked real old. A skeleton from a human was sitting in a red sofa, grinning at him. Squall ignored it and kept walking, past another few rooms.

Then he reached a staircase. But it was not just a normal staircase. It was broken in some places, and if a person who was heavy enough walked it, it would probably collapse. Squall had to take the risk, since there was no other way for him to choose. And it was worth it.

He slowly began to take a few steps. The wood creaked under his weight, but he continued anyway. When he almost had reached the top, the rotten wood under his left foot broke. Squall almost fell, but managed to grab onto a pillar on the top of the stairs.

That was close! he thought and pulled himself up.

Without taking any breaks, he kept going through another hallway and two more rooms that were completely dark. After a while he reached another staircase, but this one was made of stone. He didn't hesitate to climb it.

Now he was almost there... almost...

Rinoa stared at the emperor with hatred in her eyes. She was tied up with heavy iron chains, and couldn't make a move.

"What have you done to Squall?" she demanded to know, "Answer me!"

The emperor smiled evilly and sighed, satisfied with the scene.

"What I have done to your knight you mean? Oh, he was so annoying and disturbing that I had to get rid of him. That foolish boy!"

Rinoa was so angry she felt fully capable of breaking the chains with her bare hands. Though, it was just a thought.

The little servant suddenly came running into the room. He looked a bit upset.

"Master, master listen! The knight is-"

"I don't care where you bury him," the emperor said thoughtfully, "just get rid of his body, so I'll never see his ugly face again."

Don't call my beautiful Squall ugly, you monster! Rinoa thought to herself, You are the ugly one, and I know he's not dead. I can feel his presence...

All of a sudden, the door flew up. The emperor woke up from his fantasies about universe domination and stared at the figure with wonder. It was holding a shining gunblade in its hands, and it came closer to them. In the light from the thousand candles, Rinoa saw a couple of eyes she hadn't seen for an eternity. She went stunned for a moment. It was Squall.

"I've come to take Rinoa back," he said, and gave the emperor a glance of hate.

part six

"Yes! I know!"

Zell looked at his friends with excitement in his eyes.

"We never checked the balcony that is by the ballroom, right?"

"So?" Selphie replied, "Do you think they are hiding there or what?"

Zell snorted.

"Of course not. I mean... we might find something."

"Like what?" Quistis wondered, "We know they aren't there. If they were, we would've found them by now, and like Selphie said: I don't think they are hiding there just for fun. It doesn't get any better if we check there, believe me."

Zell looked thoughtful.

"This isn't a game to me either," he said, "I therefore insist that we make a try at least. We don't have anything better to do anyway, right?"

"That's true," Irvine said, "I think we should make a try."

"Okay," Selphie and Quistis said in choir.

The gang began to walk. All of them were worried about their friends. What had happened to them? Where they still alive? Were they even together? They didn't know anything.

When they at last approached the balcony, they couldn't find anything there. The sky was still dark, and a chilly wind blew past them. Everything seemed so... evil.

"There is nothing here..." Zell said with disappointment, "guess we'll just head back then."

He began to walk away from the others. They were just about to follow him when Quistis suddenly saw something on the ground.

"Wait, look!"

She picked it up, and looked at it carefully. It was glittering. It was an item made of silver. It was...

"Rinoa's necklace?!"

Irvine frowned.

"Does that mean..."

"... this is the place where they disappeared from," Selphie filled, "probably."

"But where did they go?" Zell asked, "I mean... they can't just have disappeared like that."

Quistis looked thoughtfully at him, and shrugged.

"Who knows. Nothing ceases to amaze me anymore. Whatever happened to them we can just hope, and wish they will be all right."

She glanced at the necklace in her hands. The two rings that were attached to the chain reminded her of Squall and Rinoa. The lion, and the beauty...

The emperor rose from his throne and walked across the room with heavy footsteps. He was watching Squall every second, afraid of what he could do. But he never showed his weaknesses. Only the hatred against his enemies, and that's what made him so powerful.

"Your life will end soon," he said, "I am the one who demand here. This is my realm! You can never defeat me, foolish knight!"

While he was talking, he gazed into Squall's eyes with his own evil. Those eyes... they looked familiar.

It's... it's the eyes from my dream! Squall thought, It's him, the figure!

The emperor rose the staff he was holding in his hands. It was shining intensely, and lit up the whole room.

"I summon the Gods!" he shouted, "I summon the Gods of The Sixth Dimension! Come and receive your gift!"

A strong wind blew through the room. Squall felt panic. He had to do something to stop this.

"No!" he screamed and ran towards the emperor with the gunblade in his hands. The emperor turned around and pushed Squall backwards with the edge of his staff.

"Foolish boy!" he roared, "You can't defeat me! And you can't save the sorceress!"

Rinoa looked at Squall with anxiety in her eyes. She was afraid, and wanted to help Squall at the same time. But she couldn't. She couldn't do anything else but to watch.

I will save you Rinoa, I will save you!

Squall tried to attack the emperor again, and again. But the same thing happened. He flew backwards. Then he tried to cast the Ultima spell, but nothing happened.

"I am immune to your worthless magic!" the emperor said angrily, "It do no good, you will never survive this, mortal fool! Nothing can stop me from sacrificing the sorceress, not even you!"

He was just going to cast an unfamiliar spell on Squall when an empty voice echoed through the room.

"The almighty Gods have descended. We expect to receive our gift, in order to let you have your realm. Show us loyalty, and we will show you mercy..."

"Yes," the emperor said, "go on and receive your gift!"

He pointed at Rinoa. A large ball of energy was building from his fingertip. Squall predicted what was going to happen and threw himself in front of Rinoa, protecting her with his own body.

Then it all happened too quickly. The energy ball went fast through the air, and Squall didn't have time to dodge it. It hit him right in the chest. With a sigh, all air was forced out of his body. Then he fell to the ground, right in front of Rinoa's feet.

The emperor looked somehow satisfied.

"A true knight," he said, "bowing for his queen in the moment of death. How noble..."

Rinoa was speechless. Squall couldn't be dead. He just couldn't be...

But he was. He wasn't breathing, and he wasn't making a move. His eyes were wide open, terrified with shock.

"No..." Rinoa murmured. The anger was building inside her. "You killed him... you bastard... you killed my Squall!!!"

With the anger boiling inside her and the heat from her frustration making her inner like a hell with boiling lava, she broke the chains with her bare hands. The emperor became overwhelmed. He had undeniably underestimated Rinoa's strength.

"I will not obey you, sorceress!" he said with frustration in his voice, "I will not obey you!"

"You don't have to obey me," Rinoa said angrily, "at least not after your death!"

She raised her hands, and with all of her strength she threw a huge bolt of magic at the emperor. It hit him, and with a furious scream he fell to the ground.

Rinoa caught her breath for a second, then she remembered Squall. She fell on her knees beside him, and laid her hand on his chest. His heart wasn't beating. He wasn't moving at all.

"No... it... it can't be true. You can't be..."

She stroke his pale face with her fingertips. His skin was so soft, like it always had been. When she ran her fingers through his hair, she came to remember how silky it was. She closed his open eyes, afraid of seeing the shock in them.

"My beautiful Squall... you can't leave me now. You can't... you have to live!"

She laid down on the cold stone-floor close beside him, and leaned her head to his neck. His body was still warm. It almost felt like he was sleeping.

She closed her eyes, and made a tear fall down her cheek. She smelled his skin. It smelled Squall. The Squall she loved so much, so intense, so conditionless... for all eternity. Rinoa opened her eyes again. Squall's gunblade was still in his left hand. His Lion Heart.

No, she thought, the only true lion heart is here.

She placed her hand on the left side of his chest, where his heart was. And she could feel it! It was beating!

She looked up at his face and met his eyes. He was looking at her, and tried to smile.

"Rinoa..." his voice was only a hoarse whisper, "Rinoa... I love you..."

"I love you too Squall," she said, and smiled.

But all of a sudden the attempt of a smile faded from his face. He looked too serious.

"What's the matter...?" she asked. Suddenly, she realized that he wasn't going to make it.

"I'm sorry..." he whispered as softly as he could, "I'm so sorry Rinoa..."

"No, come on Squall. You can live!"

"No, I've been trying... it's over now..."

Rinoa was hit by his words. It felt like her heart was going to explode at any time. She couldn't live without him. It was meaningless to just see him die. Die, to never come back again.

He did it for me... he saved my life in exchange for his own. But I can't just let him go. Not without me...

She stretched her neck, and kissed him. He tried to wrap his arms around her waist, but he was too weak. He couldn't move a part of his body.

"I love you so much..." she whispered in his ear, "and I'm not letting you leave, not without me. If you're dying, I'll die too."

He didn't protest. His eyes were almost closed, but his lips formed one soundless word:

"...bye..."

Then he closed his eyes, and Rinoa understood that he would never open them again. It was like a dagger hit her in the chest. A terrible pain raged in her heart, and it was killing her. In the truest sense of the word.

She glanced at her hero one last time, then everything went black in front of her eyes...

Back at the Garden, the gang had the feeling that everything was over. It was just a feeling, and everybody had it at the same time. The black clouds were withdrawing, and a white, weird-shaped cloud sailed on the grey sky. It was shaped like the figure on Squall's necklace, Griever.

Zell sighed, and wiped a tear from his eye.

"God... I can't believe this is happening," he said, "it makes no sense..."

The others were quiet. None of them could speak. And there was no need for it. They understood each other without any words.

Suddenly, a ray of light hit the ground with a loud noise and out from a thick cloud of dust came a figure with a broken staff in his hands. He stared at the gang, and screamed:

"It's not... over... yet!!!"                               

~ The end ~