Disclaimer: I don't own them.
A/N: The last chapter very complicated may have to start reading from the beginning but it is very confusing. I'd like to dedicate this fanfic to Winnie and my uncle and his friends who died May god rest their souls and to the other victims of the American disasters. This story was written in no bad taste for them it was started before the plane crash. Thank you for reading.
"Is it much further?" asked
Quistis breaking the silence as she side stepping the body of a young woman
resisting the urge to vomit.
"I don't know" admitted Seifer,
"It shouldn't be that longer, just a couple of floors"
The group carried on in silence, none of them wanting or needing
to say anything. The dead bodies where becoming less as they went up. The bomb
had probably crushed most of them under the rubble or charred them to a crisp.
The air around them was tense, neither Quistis nor Seifer dared talk to Squall
who was walking in front of them in his own little world. Occasionally they
tried to talk to him only to get an angry grunt or to be accused of giving up
or trying to join Benny.
Seifer pushed open the door at the end of the corridor to be
greeted to terrible sight. He felt the hairs on the back of his head stand on
end at what he saw.
Rinoa was tied to a chair, new blood was running down her face and
there was an ugly cut under her collarbone. Next to her was Beth's body,
fortunately covered by a once white sheet. Seifer stifled the urge to vomit.
"Rinoa!" shouted Squall from behind him as he pushed past Seifer
to see the horrific sight.
"What is it?" asked Quistis pushing pushed the boys. "Oh my go…"
she couldn't cope with what she saw and vomited.
Squall had left Seifer comforting Quistis as he rushed over to
Rinoa. "Rinoa? Rinoa? Are you okay? Rinoa?" he enquired as he checked for a
pulse. Please he thought please be all right.
Rinoa's vision cleared as she saw a man with messy brown hair in front of her saying her name repeatedly. "Squall?" she whispered hopefully.
"Rinoa? You're okay!" whispered Squall in disbelief. "Thank god I thought…we thought…you're okay! Guys she's okay!" shouted Squall ecstatically to Seifer who was patting Quistis who seemed to have stopped retching.
"Yes she maybe awake but I assure you she is not all right up here." Said Irvine softly, pointing to his head.
"Who the hell are you!?" stipulate Quistis weakly as a feeling that was all too familiar washed over her.
"Me?" Irvine mocked, " I'm Rinoa's boyfriend, Irvine"
"Ex-boyfriend" growled Rinoa harshly as she struggled with her bonds.
"Now, now Rinoa now need to get your knickers in a twist" sneered Benny as he came out from the shadows. "Believe me this is for your own good."
"What do you mean?" insisted Quistis,
"Well as you all know Rinoa here is a main witness in a high profile murder case but in fact she is not the witness but the murderer."
"Don't listen to him!" shouted Rinoa, "He's lying!"
"You don't expect us to believe that"
"We don't expect you to believe but just listen for your own safety if for nothing else." Benny stepped out of the shadows standing directly behind Rinoa staring straight into Squall's eyes. "Beth was being given grief about Liz and of course our little Rinoa here came up with a great idea didn't you sweetie"
"Bolloc…"
"Really Rinoa such language anyway they decided to kill Beth's granddad and dad I mean the dead can't talk can they and they get the money from the will. The only thing left was to frame somebody and who would be better than Benjamin Thomas the camera man whose Beth's dad fired… believe me now?"
"I, I don't know" murmured Squall.
"Oh come on you don't believe him do you?" gasped Seifer in disbelief, "come on man!"
A loud sound of sirens echoed round the buildings. "They're coming" cursed Irvine under his breath.
"It's taking too long," hissed Benny pulling a gun out of his pocket pointing it straight at Rinoa. "Sorry babes but the pigs are coming to town and your some-one we just can't afford to have around."
"No!" Seifer screamed as he looked up from the huddle himself, Squall and Quistis where talking in. "Leave her alone!" He launched himself across the room slamming straight into Benny knocking the chairs that Beth and Rinoa were sitting in.
"Seifer!" Quistis shouted running towards the blonde man. Rinoa was screaming franticly, trapped under Beth's body and chair. Squall stood for a moment unable to believe what he seeing Seifer wrestling with Benny, Quistis struggling to get Irvine off her and Rinoa, Rinoa who had stopped screaming just staring at her dead friend
Bang!
Squall was jolted out of his dream world, Rinoa stopped crying, Irvine let go of Quistis and Benny stood up. Lying on the floor in a pool of his own blood, a thin trickle of new blood running from his mouth, eye glazed and starring straight up at the ceiling. Anger and grief washed over the room as the five people stood in silence staring hardly noticing the eight rescue workers bursting into the room. Or the police asking them what happened all they could think was…Why?
***
Rinoa walked out of the courtroom triumphant, she knew she should be happy but could not bring her self to smile. She ignored the bustle of reporters waiting outside and entered the black limousine waiting outside.
"Hey Squall" she greeted pecking her boyfriend on the cheek. "How's Quistis?"
"She just went into the ladies room" he said sadly " she really took it badly, I think, I think she loved him. God!" he thumped the side of the limousine angrily, "Why?"
"I don't know." Answered Rinoa " I really don't"
Quistis came back from the toilet and sat in silence in-between Squall and Rinoa.
"Come on," she muttered wearily lets get this show on the road.
***
The church was quite small and cosy. A small herd of reporters waited outside but were ignored as they walked in.
"I can't do this," whispered Quistis as she walked in.
"You'll be fine" reassured Squall, "You'll be fine"
As the service started Quistis couldn't help but cry, why? Why? Why? she thought inwardly.
"Even in his last hours" the priest said with passion "Seifer never doubt his friends and gave his life to protect others, he is a hero who should never be forgotten now here is one of his friends to sing a song she wrote for him and the feelings he was feelings late in his life."
Rinoa shakily walked up to alter; " Goodbye Seifer Almasy" she whispered to the heavens, opened her mouth and sung.
"Why do babies starve
When there is enough food to feed the world
Why when there're so many of us
And some people still alone
Why are missiles called peacekeepers
When they're aimed to kill
Why is a woman still not safe
When she is in her own home
Love is hate
War is peace
No is yes
And we're all free"