Discaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy 8, Squaresoft does. Capcom owns Devil May Cry. There...short and sweet.
~Devil's Don't Cry~
~~Dream state~~
The sky was dark, filled with the usual storm clouds that occupied it everytime this dream occured. The castle loomed high above her, it's structure grand in size, but the look of it's outer walls was one of decay. From the look of it, it had been there many a year, and had suffered the wrath of countless storms, parts of the outer walls had slowly eroded away due to wind and rain. As she looked up the long, what seemed on-going, stairwell that lead up to the castle, she couldn't help but feel the presensce of the two entities. They were closer in this dream, closer to her now than in any of the others, almost as if one of them were...right behind her.
She turned around quickly, only to be looking into the red eye' of the demon, Tiberius. She felt fear rush through her entired body, and tried to run up the stairs, but her legs failed her, thus leaving her stranded within the creature's grasp. She looked up and down his body, her stomach turning at the stench he gave off, and the sight of the charred flesh that covered it's entire body was revolting. Finally, with all her might, she turned quickly and started running up the stairs, her short legs managing to take three stairs at a time. Over and over she kept telling herself it was only a dream as she ran, that nothing could really happen to her in a dream, it was all fake, not really happening. Yet, here she was running from something that resembled the boogey-man her father had told her about as a child.
Out of breath, she hurled herself up the last two steps and looked behind her, only to find herself alone. The monster hadn't followed her, nor did she feel it's presence any longer. Instead, she felt the other one's presence, and turned back to the door to find the other entity standing there, and she let out a small gasp of surprise. She couldn't fully see the, what she assumed, was another person. Most of their body was hidden by the shadows that lay near the large doors of the castle, all that was visible were a pair of black boots, part of their legs, and their eyes. The amber-yellow glow of their eyes could be seen, nothing more, nothing less. She half-expected whoever it was to suddenly jump from the shadows and attack her, but then, she sensed that actually, they were there to protect her from whatever she had met at the bottom of the stairwell. She started to take a step closer, when finally, the being spoke, the voice that of a woman.. "Do not move another step, Miss Heartilly."
Taken aback, she stopped where she was, and peered towards them, shocked. "H...how do you know who I am?"
"That, isn't what's important, but what you are about to here is. Just listen for now, you will find out who I am, and how I know you, soon enough. Understand?"
She nodded and clutched at the single ring she wore around her neck, a habit that she'd had since her childhood. "Alright...just, what in the hell is going on with me? Why am I having these dreams?"
The mysterious figure spoke calmly, her voice the one she recognized from her previous dreams; soft, yet strong and full of that confidence that reminded her somewhat of Seifer. "Good, because what you are being told is what will determine whether this, creature, you just encoutered will succeed in carrying out his plans, or failing miserably."
Rinoa nodded slowly, her grip becoming tighter on the ring. "Go on, I'm listening." She was used to weird things like this happening to her, due to the Ultamecia ordeal.
"This mission you are about to embark on tomorrow, isn't just an ordinary mission. It has nothing to do with Galbadia, or any kind of politics what-so-ever. Instead, it has to do with Hell, and it's demons trying to overthrow the human race, and take over the planet. This, as you probably already know, is not a good thing."
"
But..why are you telling me this?"
"....Because it will be you who must assist me in defeating this nemesis. I will explain more next time we meet, which will be sooner than you think. Tomorrow, when you embark on this mission, do not wear the amulet you now wear, for it will make the difference between the life, or the death of the human race."
"..Me?"
"Yes, you Miss Heartilly. Now, I must be going, for it is time for you to awaken, and begin your journey. Don't worry, just remember my advice, and we will meet again, soon." With that, the figure disappeared from the shadows, and everything around her went blurry.
~End~
Rinoa awoke from her slumber, the dream still fresh in her memory, and was surprised to find goosebumps running along her arm. Pulling back the covers to her bed, she glanced over at the clock to find it was 06:30. She had just enough time to shower, get ready, and head to the cafeteria for breakfast before they left, although she didn't feel much like eating. She walked slowly into the bathroom and switched on the light, squinting while letting her eyes adjust to the sudden brightness. After turning on the shower, she let the hot water run as she removed her nightgown from her body, and stepped inside, letting the hot water run down her body.
After showering, she quickly picked out a pair of baggy blue jeans and a black tank top, with a large Dollet Chocobo Wranglers jersey that she had stolen from Zell. She decided on these clothes so while fighting, they wouldn't constrict her movements, and would keep her from some damage caused by the tentacles of monsters. After tying her combat boots, she took a look at her reflection in the mirror, and looked at the amulet that hung from her neck, and remember what the mysterious figure had told her. Sighing, she removed the amulet from it's place around her neck, and placed it on the nightstand next to her bed, and giving it one last look, she left her dorm to go to the cafeteria. Upon entering, she wasn't surprised to find Zell and Selphie there, already eating. They were the only two people she knew who could actually eat hot-dogs at seven in the morning.
She grabbed her tray and headed over to where they were sitting, followed soon by Irvine, Quistis, and Squall. She wanted to tell them about the dream she'd had the night before, but figured it would be for the best if she didn't, and continued to eat her breakfast in silence. Her mind kept going back to the dream, she wondered if whoever she had spoken to was real, or simply an illusion? She just didn't know. She looked to the others, who were busy carrying on a conversation, when Selphie turned to her and whispered, "Hey...are you alright?"
She nodded and looked at the spunky girl. "Yeah, I'm fine Seph. Why'd you ask such a silly question?"
Selphie shrugged. "You've just been actin', weird, that's all. I mean, you've never been this quiet before. But, ever since you and Squall broke up, you've been just as quiet as he used to be."
She giggled slightly at Selphie. "I'm sorry Seph, I had no idea I was acting like that. I appreciate your concern though, really."
"Ohh..okay. So, are you nervous about the mission?"
The words of the stranger came back to her, but she pushed them to the back of her mind, and left them to be pondered later. "Yeah..a little I guess. But then, I usually get nervous before any mission."
They all got up from the table and headed over to the trash despensers to dump their plates. As they left the cafeteria, Selphie walked up beside her. "Well, here we go. As in the word's of Zell, "Psyche yoursefl up baby!"She laughed as Sephie started jumping up and down, throwing punches at nothing but air. Her good humor didn't last long though.
As they boarded the Ragnarok, she became quiet once again, and took a seat in the back of the conference room. Squall and Selphie went up to the cock pit, while her and the others stayed down below. Zell, Irvine, and Quistis had taken a seat at the table they'd installed in the conference room a couple of months ago, and Zell pulled out a deck of Triple Triad Cards. While they played cards, Rinoa sat there and looked out at the passing ocean, trying to piece together what parts of the dream she now remembered. The only words she remember now, were some of the last ones spoken. "Don't worry, just remember my advice, and we will meet again, soon."
