Disclaimer:  I still don't own any of the FF8 characters.

WHEN DARKNESS FALLS

Part Three

The Origin

Squall was standing with his hands wrapped around the cell bars, his head pressed between the iron bars.  The empty look in his blue eyes frightened Quistis.

"Squall? What's wrong with you?" she asked.  She stood tense, ready for action in case he did something, though he hadn't done anything since he'd been pulled free of the light fixture. 

He shut his eyes and sighed, his grip on the bars tightening.  He looked harmless, Quistis thought, eying his pale face and the loose grey uniform that had been found for him.  But she'd seen Rinoa's wounds, and Nida's body.  Squall was anything but harmless.

"I… don't know," Squall whispered his first words since they'd brought him here.  "How's Rinoa?"

"She's hurt, Squall.  She's been slashed to the bone and she'll carry the scars for the rest of her life.  The mental ones as well as the physical, I'd bet."  Quistis wished he'd look at her so she could guess what he was feeling.  He wasn't giving anything away.

"And… Nida?" Here, Squall's voice faltered.

"Dead," Quistis said flatly.

"Damn," Squall whispered.  "I couldn't help it… It made me do it… I was too weak to stop it…"

"Stop what?" Quistis was suddenly alert.

"Something inside of me, inside my mind.  It wants to kill."  Squall's voice was suddenly flat.  "It's still here.  It wants me to kill you now."  He reached a hand towards her, and Quistis backed away.  This is frightening!  "But it's weaker during the day.  I can control it now.  When I want to."

Quistis didn't like the sound of that.  She glanced around nervously, waiting for Zell and Irvine to join her.  She suddenly didn't want to be alone with their commander.

A predatory smile played about Squall's lips as he noticed her nervousness, and his eyes gleamed.  There was a hint of that unnatural crimson radiance in his pupils' depths.  Dammit Irvine, Zell, where are you?

"Do you know why it's inside of you?" Quistis asked, barely keeping the tremor from her voice.

Now his expression was one of genuine puzzlement.  "I don't know.  I can't remember!"  He released the bars and began to pace the small cell like the proverbial caged wolf.  "Damn GFs!  Why can't I remember?"

The sound of footsteps halted Squall as Zell and Irvine approached.  "Sorry we're late," Irvine said sheepishly.

Quistis pulled them aside.  "Don't let anything he says get to you.  And do NOT, under ANY circumstances, release him."

"Where are you going?" Zell asked.  "I thought you were staying with us!"

"Squall says he doesn't know why he's like this.  I'm going to summon Ellone.  She and Laguna should be informed anyway."

It wasn't a job she looked forward to.

*    *    *

It was a grim group that gathered in Headmaster Cid's office several hours later.  Xu, Quistis, Selphie, Zell, Irvine, and Edea had all gathered to discuss this horrifying crisis.

"He's a werewolf," Irvine stated.  He looked slightly on edge; Squall's sinister demeanor had made him nervous.  "Does anyone have any idea where I can find some silver bullets?  Those always work in the movies."

"We want to cure him, not kill him," Zell pointed out.

"Besides, I doubt Squall's a movie werewolf," Quistis snorted.  "For one thing, his necklace is silver and it doesn't seem to hurt him.  And the moon wasn't even full last night.  Obviously, you can't rely on films.  I didn't even know you were into that sort of thing."

"Selphie makes me watch old horror films with her," Irvine said defensively.

"Anyway," Xu interrupted, "we need to find a cure for him."

"It would help if we knew the cause," Edea answered.  "There is magic behind this, but what kind?  I've never seen anything like this.  And how did it happen?"

"I say it was Ultimecia," Zell said.  "The bitch knew she was gonna die, so she cursed Squall as payback."

"Watch your language, Zell," Edea said automatically.  "When is Ellone due to arrive?"

"Tomorrow," Quistis answered.  "Just her – Laguna can't make it.  She'll probably come with an armed escort, though.  They're taking no chances."

"So we have to deal with the wolf-thing tonight?" Selphie asked worriedly.  "What if he escapes?  We couldn't even hurt it before."

"That's not true - Irvine's bullets injured it, though it did heal," Xu pointed out.

"It's because they're infused with magic," Quistis said suddenly.  "I think the creature may be vulnerable to magic."

"What?" Zell said.  "We hit that thing with magic-"

"Weak magic," Quistis answered, "the kind that can be absorbed by strong junctioning."

The all fell silent as they absorbed this.  "Yes… Squall's junctioning is the most powerful in Garden," Irvine said.  "So we just need to remove his Guardian Forces-"

"I already did," Quistis said.  "Right before this meeting.  That's why I guessed magic hurts it.  Squall seemed insistent that I take his magic away…" she trailed off, her voice soft.  "He doesn't mean to hurt anyone.  This… thing is taking him over."

"My poor boy," Edea whispered.  "How is Rinoa?  I have the feeling that if a sorceress is responsible for this, we'll need a sorceress to cure him."   Her face looked wistful as she remembered the power lost to her, and Cid patted her arm reassuringly.

"There's nothing we can do until Ellone arrives," Cid said.  "I want Squall heavily guarded tonight, and maybe we can end this tomorrow," he concluded wearily.

*    *    *

For the first time since it had fought its way free of the confining barrier, it knew fear.  Its host was resisting it again, more strongly this time.  Causing the death of a companion had horrified the host beyond anything the pleasure could soothe.

And the host had figured out its weakness and removed the protections that had made it virtually invulnerable.  Before, only those magical bullets had caused it any real pain, and the wounds had healed more slowly.  Now, without the magic, the creature could be killed!  Now, its only advantage was that, if the humans killed it, they would be killing its host as well.

For now, it was safe.  But how long would it take for the humans to realize that killing it would be the only way to stop it?

*    *    *

She'd had to come see him.  The pain was overwhelming, and she longed to curl up on her hospital be and sleep it away, but Rinoa had to see Squall.  Her pain was nothing compared to the inner turmoil he must be feeling.

So she'd nagged Dr. Kadowaki until the woman reluctantly agreed, but only if she stayed in a wheelchair so she wouldn't tear open her wounds again.  And Quistis stood guard beside her, ready to pull the injured woman out of danger if needed.

Rinoa had never seen Squall look so… defeated.  He was sitting on the cell's bench bed, legs drawn up to his chest, and staring dully at the back wall.  His shoulders were slumped, and occasional shudders wracked his body as though he were sobbing, though Rinoa could see no tears.

"Squall?" she called weakly.  Squall stiffened and angled his head to look at her.

"Rinoa?"  He smoothly shifted out of his position with that predatory grace he'd always had.  "You're all right?"  There was a desperate note to his voice, and that desolate expression on his face nearly brought tears to Rinoa's eyes.  "Thank Hyne…" he whispered.

"I've been better, but I'll recover," Rinoa said, wheeling the chair closer to the bars.  Quistis looked ready to protest, but said nothing.

Squall reached a hand through the bars, tugging at the collar of her shirt until the bandage on her left shoulder was revealed.

"I'm so sorry," he whispered.

"It's not you," Rinoa said, taking his hand in both of hers.  She hoped he didn't notice her trembling.  "You didn't do this.  That creature in your mind did."

"You can sense it."  It wasn't a question.

"Yes.  I can't describe it.  It's like… an aura, maybe, of pure evil.  You have no idea where it came from?"  Squall shook his head.  "Ellone will be here tomorrow.  She'll help us find the cause.  And hopefully, that will lead to a cure."

"Sis," he whispered.  "I don't want her here to see me this way."

"It's the only way," Rinoa said.  "It'll be all right.  You'll see."

"Rinoa," Quistis interrupted.  "Time's up.  I need to take you back.  It's almost sundown."

"That's right," Squall said.  "And I don't want you here when darkness falls."

*    *    *

The change came almost automatically now.   The flesh had long possessed the ability to change, but it had been suppressed.  Now that the host's body had relearned how to transform, it wouldn't soon forget. 

The host gasped and moaned with the pain that would always accompany the change, and thrashed his limbs.  The three humans, luscious morsels that should be prey, backed away from the bars, their eyes wide and riveted on the host.

The beast snarled at the watchers in frustration.  It paced the cell, senses alert for any weak spot.  Then it sat on its haunches, doglike, with its tail brushing the floor in a lazy arc that was more like a cat's movements.  It wouldn't waste its energy raging uselessly at the solid bars.

It had found a weak spot in the cell wall and, while it would take time, it was confident it could break through.  It waited for the human watchers to become bored and distracted with a card game before it began to work at that weakness…

*    *    *

Ellone arrived early the next morning, surprisingly without an escort.  She greeted the Kramers warmly, and hugged all of her younger "siblings" before turning to the task at hand.

A weary Squall greeted her.  His grey uniform was wrinkled from having been hastily pulled off and deposited in a corner before his transformation.  His face was pale, and there were dark rings around his eyes from lack of sleep.

Ellone went straight to the bars.  "Hello, Squall," she said.

"Hey, sis," he said.  "You've come to find the origins of the beast?"

"Yes," she answered, staring at Squall sympathetically.  Clearly, she didn't believe he was a monster.

She'd learn otherwise…

"Let's get on with it," Squall said, making himself comfortable on his narrow bed.  Ellone settled in a chair placed well out of his reach beyond the bars.

"We'll try the fight with Ultimecia first," Ellone said.  Squall shut his eyes and was suddenly left breathless by the force of Ellone's gift.   She's been practicing…  He would have fallen, but he was suddenly transported elsewhere.

He was in his own body, standing before the dying Ultimecia, with Rinoa and Irvine standing to either side.  With Ellone's assistance, he relived the final moments, and the seemingly infinite time he spent lost in the time compression.

Nothing here, Ellone said into his mind.

I could have told you that.  I still remember all of this!

Next, she took him to Adel's defeat.  Again there was nothing.  So she brought him through his various encounters with the possessed Edea, and even his fights with Seifer.

Nothing! Squall growled irritably.  It must be from something else, something important that I can't remember!

Like your youth? Ellone said thoughtfully.  Perhaps the curse was placed on you some time ago, but only now activated.

But why?  Who would set a curse on a child that could have amounted to nothing?  Squall challenged.

Hold on… you're going into Matron's body now.

Suddenly, Squall was in the orphanage, surveying a group of young children happily playing around him.  With the exception of an arrogant blond boy and a sullen dark-haired boy.

This is difficult…  Squall could hear the strain in Ellone's mind voice.  Making so many jumps was wearing her out.

Ellone, through Squall's mind, lightly brushed Edea's memories.  Wait a minute… she breathed, then moved him again.

Now he stood, still as Edea, with a small woman clinging to an infant.  There were tears in the woman's wide blue eyes as she tenderly kissed the child.

"I don't want to give him up," the woman choked out, "but if you can cure him, it's all for the best."

It's Raine, Ellone whispered.  But… she died after you were born!  Why is she here?

Edea took the baby.  "I'll do all I can, Raine, but I can't guarantee anything."

"You're a sorceress!"  Raine cried desperately.  "One of your kind did this to us!  If anyone can heal him…"

Us? Squall repeated.

"We're all different," Edea said sadly.  "I'll give Squall the best chance he can get.  But what about you?"

"There's no hope for me," Raine whispered.  "I have another child I take care of that I'm sending to you – a girl with incredible abilities.  I would like you to take care of her, as well.  Adel may still try to use them, and I think it's best if I was out of their lives.  I couldn't protect them before…"

Oh, Raine, Ellone said sadly, as the woman walked away slowly, pausing only once to look back at the son she was leaving behind.

Last jump, Ellone said grimly.  I think I know what to look for now.

Once again, Squall was yanked out of reality.  Here! Ellone said triumphantly, and suddenly Squall was kneeling on the ground before a towering figure.

"Where is he?"  The voice, low and feminine, was familiar.  Because his host was staring at the ground, he couldn't see the speaker, but he knew that voice.

Adel!

Squall's host shifted her body, which felt strangely heavy and awkward.  "I don't know where he is," his host spoke for the first time.  "And if I did, I wouldn't tell you where he or Ellone are."

I'm in Raine, Squall realized.

Yes, Ellone said.

And she's pregnant.

"I figured you wouldn't," Adel said venomously.  "That's why I summoned you out of bed just before dawn… So I could give you a demonstration."  Adel held her hand on Raine's forehead, and suddenly the woman couldn't move.  "With the sun almost up, this will only last a few moments.  But it should be enough."

Suddenly, Raine screamed in agony as pain tore through her body, and Squall screamed with her.  Raine's body swelled and her clothing burst as the furry hide grew too large.  Her face lengthened and her ears became sharply pointed and moved to the top of her head.  She tried to scream again, but could only manage an echoing howl.

Then the sun peeked over the horizon and suddenly, horribly, Raine was forced to reverse the transformation.  She lay naked, gasping, her arms shielding her body from Adel.

"Impressive, wasn't it?  If you don't tell me where Laguna has taken Ellone, I'll leave you to the curse.  Every night, that form will be yours."

Raine just stared helplessly.  She didn't know where Laguna was!  "My child," she whispered.

Adel snorted.  "Yes, it would have been cursed too.  Poor thing," she said with a smirk.  "So for your child's sake, I suggest you have that location for me before dusk.  I'll be waiting for you here tomorrow night."  With that, Adel vanished.

One more jump.  I want to see what happened here, Ellone said.  Her voice was shocked, edged by weariness.

Squall found he couldn't speak at all.

He was Raine again, and was leaving the house, passing a calendar on the way out.  May 19th, Ellone said.  Oh, no…

Raine made her way to the meeting spot and waited for Adel.  And wondered what she was going to tell the woman.  She didn't know where Laguna was!  And if she did, she wouldn't betray him!  Or would she, to save her child?  She waited tensely for the sorceress.

As the sun sank, Raine realized dully the woman wasn't coming.  "No," she moaned, her hand on her belly.  "Please…"

Laguna sprang his trap on the 19th.  Adel couldn't come because she'd been sealed away, Ellone said dully.  Let's go, before she transforms.  I can't watch…

Squall still couldn't find his voice as Ellone took him back to his own body.

*    *    *

It didn't like this female that tore its host from his body and cast him – and itself with him – back into other, weaker bodies.  She left it feeling vulnerable, and it hated that.  How could it kill without a body?

Or… could it?  From its position as passenger, it could see how the female's powers worked.  Perhaps it could use that somehow…

She was very tired, and this left her mind exposed.  Plus, she was linked to the host.  The creature would have laughed if it could.  It had the means to destroy her without leaving its prison!

It mentally reached for her, snaring her exhausted mind with its own.  It felt her gasp, and the host began to fight it as he realized what it was doing.  The creature ignored it, and threw the female back into that moment before it had killed, into that body stiff with fear.

The female screamed as she felt the pain of jaws tearing into her chest as if the agony were her own.  It felt the mind began to fade as the shared pain began to kill her, as it had killed the victim.

And all the host could do was watch helplessly as another person he cared for died.

To Be Continued…

I apologize if my use of Ellone's gift seems odd and inaccurate.  But I have no idea how she seems to find places and times she's never been to, so I had to guess.