Final Battle
"Seifer this will be the final battle, we fight to the death, either the garden or Edea will prevail." Squall said with confidence, his eyes never flinched, his glare hardened at the sight of Seifer.
"Yes, it will prove that Edea is the stronger force. You, Mr. Leader, Chicken-Wuss, and Rinoa. You will pay for the acts of your 'faithful leader' Headmaster Cid. You can't win, the garden is weak, all the hopes and dreams of Cid has led you by are false, I saw that I can I acted upon it, you have yet to see what he is doing to you." Seifer sneered at the sight, of how pathetic the three of them looked. "How pathetic!"
"WHAT DID YOU SAY?" Zell stepped forward.
"You heard me..." Seifer held out his gunblade. "Ready to fight?"
"I've always hated you, you teased me when I was a kid and now you just try to piss me off. Right? Is that how it works, you hate me and you want me dead?" Zell punched the air a few times.
"(Zell, why don't you shut up so we can get this over with? This may be the end of the Garden, if so it will be all my fault. I won't allow it! Seifer this will be the end of you!)" Squall thought to himself.
"Rinoa, you can't fight me! You're in love with me." Seifer smirked.
"No don't do that, you can't get into my head. I don't love you. Maybe I did before, but now I see you as the snake you are. I love Squall!" Rinoa realized what she had just said and faced the ground, blushing slightly.
"(What... she loves me? I don't love her back... I can't. Do I even know what love is?) Enough talk. Let's get this over with."
"Well this place seems appropriate, don't you think?" Seifer had transported them into the past.
"(The orphanage? Why?)" Squall readied himself to fight. Seifer took the first shot, he hit Squall with a fira.
"How does it feel to be at the recieving end of the pain, Squall?" Seifer smiled at the sorry bunch.
"Zell hit him with a blast from Ifrit!" Rinoa yelped. "Before he hurts Squall more!" Zell just stood there drinking in his surroundings. "Zell!" Rinoa screamed.
"(Full of false hopes and dreams, Seifer was right. Maybe he was right all along.)" Zell said to himself.
"ZELL." Rinoa and Squall both yelled. Seifer had been knocked down to the ground. "Now's your chance!" Squall hit Seifer with a direct blow while waiting for Zell to make up his mind.
"I won't fight you Seifer, you're right everything has been a hoax, fuck the Garden!" Zell put his fists down and walked over to Seifer's side.
"Zell? What are you doing?" Rinoa looked worried.
"(What the hell is going on? Zell you hate Seifer, you always have. Now you're just going to help him destroy your name? How could you do this? It's your home too! Why Zell! Dammit Zell!)" Squall thought to himself.
"Now the fight's even!" Seifer laughed. "Even though it's just a Chicken-Wuss."
"I'm sorry guys, but I can't live a lie." Zell wouldn't even look at his comrades.
"(The only lie you live is the one with you saying you're one of us!)" Squall looked at Zell and wouldn't take his glare off him.
"You would live a life of guilt instead, knowing that you betrayed your friend? To join your enemy." Rinoa moved closer, Squall put his hand in front of her to stop her.
"He chose his side! We can't choose our enemies and we must be prepared for the worst. We have no choice. (...We have no choice. What am I talking about? I wasn't born to take orders, I was born to give orders.)" Squall trailed off into thought.
"Squall look out!" Rinoa's shrill voice brought Squall back into reality. He looked up and saw Zell rushing at him. Just as he was about to hit Squall he jumped into the air, and Zell ran right under him.
"Squall today is your judgement day." Zell laughed. "No use running away!"
"He won't go anywhere without... her!" Seifer held Rinoa by her waist with the gunblade to her throat.
"Nooo... let her go Seifer, do what you want to be but let her go."
"Uh, let's see, turn the Garden over to Edea, and help us to rule the world." Seifer brought the gunblade tighter to Rinoa's neck. Just then Seifer felt a sharp pain in his leg.
"Angelo!" Rinoa screamed with delight.
"Get lost mutt!" Seifer kicked Angelo, but that didn't stop the dog, he leapt Seifer face, but Zell cut him off with an agonizing blow to the stomach. Angelo fell to the ground and whimpered in pain.
"Zell, how could you do something like that? You're not the guy I remember." Rinoa felt tears run down her cheek.
"Rinoa..." Squall leapt at Seifer.
"(I don't think so!)" Zell cut Squall off with a rough push. Squall fell to his back and got up again to rush Zell. Seifer made a fire come from his hand, in knocked Squall down, he sat up dozedly.
"Finish him now!" Seifer demanded, holding his gunblade closer to Rinoa's throat and tightening his grip around her waist.
"(I don't know what to do, do I trust Seifer and kill my friends or go back to the Garden and help my friends? I'm so confused! I- I can't! He's my friend!)"
"Zell!" Rinoa cried even harder. "You can't kill him Zell, he's your friend, please! Zell, please!" The tears rolled down her face.
"Shut up! Rinoa you have no say!" Seifer pulled Rinoa closer.
"I, I can't, I can't kill Squall, he's my friend!" Zell stood in between Seifer and Squall.
"He's not your friend!" Seifer yelled, getting a little annoyed.
"How would you know what friends are?" Squall choked out.
"Shut up!" Seifer put his face up next to Rinoa's, he put his hand on her cheek. "Wouldn't it be a shame to see this pretty face splattered with blood?" Seifer smirked and licked his lips.
"You sick bastard." Squall started to sit up. "Let her go."
"You will not live to tell this to your children, oh wait, you can't love, right?" Seifer sneered.
"Let's just see who is stronger!" Squall winced from the pain. Zell helped Squall to stand. "But first let Rinoa go."
"No!" Seifer whistled and Biggs came bursting from the front door. "Hold her, don't let her go until I say! Understood?"
"Yes sir." Biggs took Rinoa by the waist and put his gun to her head.
"Don't you get involved Chicken-Wuss." Seifer pushed Zell aside. "Let's go. We're losin' light." Seifer looked to his side and prepared to fight.
"Squall, you can't fight, you're too weak!" Zell protested by Squall wouldn't listen.
"Squall please be careful. I love you!" Rinoa stood barely moving. The fight began, Squall was knocked to the ground, he pulled himself up, after a few more clashes, Seifer fell.
"Do it, kill me Squall, you know you want to." Seifer looked from the point of the gunblade to the serious look on Squall's face.
"Squall... please don't kill him." Rinoa got free from Biggs because of Zell. She ran over to Squall and held his arm. "Don't be like him." Rinoa pleaded for Seifer's life.
"(Why should I let him go? After what he did to you, he deserves to rot in hell. That bastard.) Fine, but I'm doing it for you, not for him. Get outta here Seifer. You ever come near Rinoa again and you will have more than that small scar on your face." Squall slung his arm around Rinoa and turned his back on Seifer.
"(Squall, what? I knew you were weak.)" Seifer laughed, he pulled himself to his feet, clenched his gunblade tightly, and rushed at Squall. "In this world Squall, it's either kill or get killed." Seifer pinned Squall to the ground with the point of the gunblade at Squall's face.
"SQUALL!" Rinoa whipped around to see Seifer holding his gunblade slightly over Squall's face.
"No... he'll kill you too!" Zell said sternly while holding Rinoa back.
"I don't care! You can't let your friend die!" Rinoa faced Zell and looked him right in the eye.
"Alright, you distract him, I'll get him from behind." Zell shook his head. Rinoa went up beside Seifer.
"Seifer, forget about him, he's not worth it." Rinoa kept her eyes focused on Seifer so as not to give Zell away. Zell snuck up behind, and hit Seifer over the head. The gunblade went flying out of Seifer's hand, it went right through Rinoa. Squall jumped to his feet and ran to her side. He pulled the gunblade from her and threw it aside.
"Rinoa... it's okay I'm here." Squall forced a small smile to show that he cared. "I won't let anything happen to you."
"Oh my God, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-" Zell panicked pacing back and forth.
"It wasn't your fault." Rinoa's voice was weak. "Squall don't ever... forget me... understand?"
"Don't talk like that... you'll make it...(You have to. I love you too!)" Squall felt his heart breaking into pieces.
"Don't hide your feeligns anymore, don't keep your thoughts to yourself... your friends can help you." With that Rinoa fell back, and was dead.
"Rinoa... I love you too, don't go, please, don't go... I need you." Squall whispered.
"How pathetic... oh I love you too. Love is for losers." Seifer stood towering over them.
"Seifer this time, you will taste the blade." Squall did a full-out attack on Seifer.
"Is that all ya got SeeD?" Seifer smirked.
"You've gone too far, Seifer, and you will pay." Squall screamed as he jumped into the air and hit Seifer right over the head.
"Rinoa!" Zell watched as Rinoa's pendant began to glow. He looked at her wound which was slowly closing up. "What the hell is going on?" Zell asked to nobody in particular. Rinoa slowly sat up.
"Angelo, you know what to do." Rinoa yelled. Angelo quickly rushed Seifer and grabbed his gunblade, bringing it back over to her. "Good boy." Rinoa ran over to Squall's side.
"Rinoa, you're alive?" Squall looked at her in disbelief. He hugged her tightly.
"I love you!" All Rinoa could do was smile.
"I love you too."
"What are ya gonna do with him?" Zell looked from Seifer to Squall.
"Take him back to the Garden, we'll have him put in the disciplinary center. Keep him there under watch from the best. If he tries to escape, kill him." Squall said in a commanding tone.
"But..." Zell started.
"No buts, everyone should have a second chance." Squall looked at Rinoa and smiled.
"Hey!" Rinoa jumped up and down.
"What?" Squall looked confused.
"You smiled. It wasn't that hard was it?" She teased.
"No!" Squall kissed her on the cheek. "Thanks."
"YUCK!" Zell stuck his tongue out. "Gross!"
"Let's go home guys." They all headed back.
THE END
"Seifer this will be the final battle, we fight to the death, either the garden or Edea will prevail." Squall said with confidence, his eyes never flinched, his glare hardened at the sight of Seifer.
"Yes, it will prove that Edea is the stronger force. You, Mr. Leader, Chicken-Wuss, and Rinoa. You will pay for the acts of your 'faithful leader' Headmaster Cid. You can't win, the garden is weak, all the hopes and dreams of Cid has led you by are false, I saw that I can I acted upon it, you have yet to see what he is doing to you." Seifer sneered at the sight, of how pathetic the three of them looked. "How pathetic!"
"WHAT DID YOU SAY?" Zell stepped forward.
"You heard me..." Seifer held out his gunblade. "Ready to fight?"
"I've always hated you, you teased me when I was a kid and now you just try to piss me off. Right? Is that how it works, you hate me and you want me dead?" Zell punched the air a few times.
"(Zell, why don't you shut up so we can get this over with? This may be the end of the Garden, if so it will be all my fault. I won't allow it! Seifer this will be the end of you!)" Squall thought to himself.
"Rinoa, you can't fight me! You're in love with me." Seifer smirked.
"No don't do that, you can't get into my head. I don't love you. Maybe I did before, but now I see you as the snake you are. I love Squall!" Rinoa realized what she had just said and faced the ground, blushing slightly.
"(What... she loves me? I don't love her back... I can't. Do I even know what love is?) Enough talk. Let's get this over with."
"Well this place seems appropriate, don't you think?" Seifer had transported them into the past.
"(The orphanage? Why?)" Squall readied himself to fight. Seifer took the first shot, he hit Squall with a fira.
"How does it feel to be at the recieving end of the pain, Squall?" Seifer smiled at the sorry bunch.
"Zell hit him with a blast from Ifrit!" Rinoa yelped. "Before he hurts Squall more!" Zell just stood there drinking in his surroundings. "Zell!" Rinoa screamed.
"(Full of false hopes and dreams, Seifer was right. Maybe he was right all along.)" Zell said to himself.
"ZELL." Rinoa and Squall both yelled. Seifer had been knocked down to the ground. "Now's your chance!" Squall hit Seifer with a direct blow while waiting for Zell to make up his mind.
"I won't fight you Seifer, you're right everything has been a hoax, fuck the Garden!" Zell put his fists down and walked over to Seifer's side.
"Zell? What are you doing?" Rinoa looked worried.
"(What the hell is going on? Zell you hate Seifer, you always have. Now you're just going to help him destroy your name? How could you do this? It's your home too! Why Zell! Dammit Zell!)" Squall thought to himself.
"Now the fight's even!" Seifer laughed. "Even though it's just a Chicken-Wuss."
"I'm sorry guys, but I can't live a lie." Zell wouldn't even look at his comrades.
"(The only lie you live is the one with you saying you're one of us!)" Squall looked at Zell and wouldn't take his glare off him.
"You would live a life of guilt instead, knowing that you betrayed your friend? To join your enemy." Rinoa moved closer, Squall put his hand in front of her to stop her.
"He chose his side! We can't choose our enemies and we must be prepared for the worst. We have no choice. (...We have no choice. What am I talking about? I wasn't born to take orders, I was born to give orders.)" Squall trailed off into thought.
"Squall look out!" Rinoa's shrill voice brought Squall back into reality. He looked up and saw Zell rushing at him. Just as he was about to hit Squall he jumped into the air, and Zell ran right under him.
"Squall today is your judgement day." Zell laughed. "No use running away!"
"He won't go anywhere without... her!" Seifer held Rinoa by her waist with the gunblade to her throat.
"Nooo... let her go Seifer, do what you want to be but let her go."
"Uh, let's see, turn the Garden over to Edea, and help us to rule the world." Seifer brought the gunblade tighter to Rinoa's neck. Just then Seifer felt a sharp pain in his leg.
"Angelo!" Rinoa screamed with delight.
"Get lost mutt!" Seifer kicked Angelo, but that didn't stop the dog, he leapt Seifer face, but Zell cut him off with an agonizing blow to the stomach. Angelo fell to the ground and whimpered in pain.
"Zell, how could you do something like that? You're not the guy I remember." Rinoa felt tears run down her cheek.
"Rinoa..." Squall leapt at Seifer.
"(I don't think so!)" Zell cut Squall off with a rough push. Squall fell to his back and got up again to rush Zell. Seifer made a fire come from his hand, in knocked Squall down, he sat up dozedly.
"Finish him now!" Seifer demanded, holding his gunblade closer to Rinoa's throat and tightening his grip around her waist.
"(I don't know what to do, do I trust Seifer and kill my friends or go back to the Garden and help my friends? I'm so confused! I- I can't! He's my friend!)"
"Zell!" Rinoa cried even harder. "You can't kill him Zell, he's your friend, please! Zell, please!" The tears rolled down her face.
"Shut up! Rinoa you have no say!" Seifer pulled Rinoa closer.
"I, I can't, I can't kill Squall, he's my friend!" Zell stood in between Seifer and Squall.
"He's not your friend!" Seifer yelled, getting a little annoyed.
"How would you know what friends are?" Squall choked out.
"Shut up!" Seifer put his face up next to Rinoa's, he put his hand on her cheek. "Wouldn't it be a shame to see this pretty face splattered with blood?" Seifer smirked and licked his lips.
"You sick bastard." Squall started to sit up. "Let her go."
"You will not live to tell this to your children, oh wait, you can't love, right?" Seifer sneered.
"Let's just see who is stronger!" Squall winced from the pain. Zell helped Squall to stand. "But first let Rinoa go."
"No!" Seifer whistled and Biggs came bursting from the front door. "Hold her, don't let her go until I say! Understood?"
"Yes sir." Biggs took Rinoa by the waist and put his gun to her head.
"Don't you get involved Chicken-Wuss." Seifer pushed Zell aside. "Let's go. We're losin' light." Seifer looked to his side and prepared to fight.
"Squall, you can't fight, you're too weak!" Zell protested by Squall wouldn't listen.
"Squall please be careful. I love you!" Rinoa stood barely moving. The fight began, Squall was knocked to the ground, he pulled himself up, after a few more clashes, Seifer fell.
"Do it, kill me Squall, you know you want to." Seifer looked from the point of the gunblade to the serious look on Squall's face.
"Squall... please don't kill him." Rinoa got free from Biggs because of Zell. She ran over to Squall and held his arm. "Don't be like him." Rinoa pleaded for Seifer's life.
"(Why should I let him go? After what he did to you, he deserves to rot in hell. That bastard.) Fine, but I'm doing it for you, not for him. Get outta here Seifer. You ever come near Rinoa again and you will have more than that small scar on your face." Squall slung his arm around Rinoa and turned his back on Seifer.
"(Squall, what? I knew you were weak.)" Seifer laughed, he pulled himself to his feet, clenched his gunblade tightly, and rushed at Squall. "In this world Squall, it's either kill or get killed." Seifer pinned Squall to the ground with the point of the gunblade at Squall's face.
"SQUALL!" Rinoa whipped around to see Seifer holding his gunblade slightly over Squall's face.
"No... he'll kill you too!" Zell said sternly while holding Rinoa back.
"I don't care! You can't let your friend die!" Rinoa faced Zell and looked him right in the eye.
"Alright, you distract him, I'll get him from behind." Zell shook his head. Rinoa went up beside Seifer.
"Seifer, forget about him, he's not worth it." Rinoa kept her eyes focused on Seifer so as not to give Zell away. Zell snuck up behind, and hit Seifer over the head. The gunblade went flying out of Seifer's hand, it went right through Rinoa. Squall jumped to his feet and ran to her side. He pulled the gunblade from her and threw it aside.
"Rinoa... it's okay I'm here." Squall forced a small smile to show that he cared. "I won't let anything happen to you."
"Oh my God, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-" Zell panicked pacing back and forth.
"It wasn't your fault." Rinoa's voice was weak. "Squall don't ever... forget me... understand?"
"Don't talk like that... you'll make it...(You have to. I love you too!)" Squall felt his heart breaking into pieces.
"Don't hide your feeligns anymore, don't keep your thoughts to yourself... your friends can help you." With that Rinoa fell back, and was dead.
"Rinoa... I love you too, don't go, please, don't go... I need you." Squall whispered.
"How pathetic... oh I love you too. Love is for losers." Seifer stood towering over them.
"Seifer this time, you will taste the blade." Squall did a full-out attack on Seifer.
"Is that all ya got SeeD?" Seifer smirked.
"You've gone too far, Seifer, and you will pay." Squall screamed as he jumped into the air and hit Seifer right over the head.
"Rinoa!" Zell watched as Rinoa's pendant began to glow. He looked at her wound which was slowly closing up. "What the hell is going on?" Zell asked to nobody in particular. Rinoa slowly sat up.
"Angelo, you know what to do." Rinoa yelled. Angelo quickly rushed Seifer and grabbed his gunblade, bringing it back over to her. "Good boy." Rinoa ran over to Squall's side.
"Rinoa, you're alive?" Squall looked at her in disbelief. He hugged her tightly.
"I love you!" All Rinoa could do was smile.
"I love you too."
"What are ya gonna do with him?" Zell looked from Seifer to Squall.
"Take him back to the Garden, we'll have him put in the disciplinary center. Keep him there under watch from the best. If he tries to escape, kill him." Squall said in a commanding tone.
"But..." Zell started.
"No buts, everyone should have a second chance." Squall looked at Rinoa and smiled.
"Hey!" Rinoa jumped up and down.
"What?" Squall looked confused.
"You smiled. It wasn't that hard was it?" She teased.
"No!" Squall kissed her on the cheek. "Thanks."
"YUCK!" Zell stuck his tongue out. "Gross!"
"Let's go home guys." They all headed back.
THE END