Note: Sorry it took so long to post 4th chapter. Here it is.

            The light was dim save for the bit of red light that shone on his face. His eyes finally focused, and he looked around, taking in his dark surroundings. Next came an odd sensation. Something was laying next to him on the.....bed. He groped with his hands, and found someone's lips. This someone obviously had very soft, pouty lips. He knew suddenly who the person was. He moved his hand up, from the person's face, to their hair. The hair was soft, so that is slid through his fingers easily.

"Mmmm," the only other person on the ship with him sighed, and woke up. Quistis Trepe pushed herself closer to Seifer Almasy, caressing his back.

"Ahhh." Seifer complained.

"Seifer!? You're awake!" she sounded happy.

"Yeah, but I feel like shit," he muttered.

"Are....are you okay. I mean, the wound wasn't real bad, but I was worried." she began to stroke his spiky blonde hair.

"Yeah. I'm fine. I had a good caretaker," he smiled in the darkness.

They both sighed, and were quiet for a moment.

"Where are we going?" Seifer asked suddenly.

"Ugh. I set a course for the Cape of Good Hope. Everyone should be there still," she explained.

"It'll be good. I'll get a chance to see Matron," he said thoughtfully.

"How long has it been now?" she asked him.

"Two whole months. We missed their wedding....." he trailed off.

She knew who he was talking about, "We'll just have to apologize to Squall and Rin," she answered.

"I'm going to go see how far away from the Cape we are. Where's the light?" he felt around. The light suddenly went on, and he turned back to Quistis, who was holding his control crystal.

"You learn fast," he smirked. He untangled himself from Quistis, and got up to get changed into some clothes. Quistis knew what was coming as soon as he saw his clothes.

"God dammit! That stupid son of a bitch Weapon!" Seifer roared. He came around the corner from the holo table holding his grey trenchcoat.

"I liked this damned trenchcoat! God damn Weapon thing. Son of a bitch!" he cursed.

"You really liked that coat, didn't you?" she remarked.

"That's the fifth damn one that's been ruined!" he wove an intricate pattern with his hands, above his head.

"You have more of them?" she looked at him as if he were a fool.

"Wuh? Yeah! But I really liked that one!" he said sullenly. A pillow hit him in the back of the head as he turned around to get dressed.

Cape of Good Hope: same time.

            The bathtub was warm, and bubbly, and red. The occupant of the tub sat there, waiting to die, tears streaking her face. For the fifth time, Rinoa Heartilly....not Leonhart....she thought painfully, checked her wrist, and snorted in dissapointment at the lack of blood flow from it.

"Rinny? Are you in here?" Selphie's now hoarse voice came from the unlocked door.

"Selphie! Uh... go away! Leave me alone!" Rinoa stumbled through her words.

"Oh, come on Rinny, we all feel terrible about Squall but....holy shit!" Selphie saw the bathwater, and Rinoa's wrist, and made the connection.

"Selphie....I..." Rinoa began.

"Oh you shut up!" Selphie said, and pressed a nearby towel against Rinoa's left wrist, which had been striken with a sharp tool.

"Damnit Selphie! Just let me go! Squall meant everything, and now he's gone and....." she began crying.

"I'm not going to let you die like this Rinoa! Squall sacrificed himself to save you! It'll be for nothing if you do this!"

"Hey! Selphie! Did you manage to cheer 'Noa up?" Zell's voice now came from the open door. Instead of warding Zell off, Selphie tugged Rinoa from the bathtub, and wrapped the bloody towel around her.

"What the hell's going on?" Zell was curious at the color of the bath water.

"I caught Rinoa trying to leave us early," Selphie said saddly, and began casting Full Cure on Rinoa. Zell hung his head.

"Did you contact Akari?" Rinoa croaked.

"Yeah! She's on her way from Esthar as we speak. Laguna took the Ragnarok back there, to tend to matters. They'll be here in a couple of hours for......um....clean up," he said.

"Hello? Anybody here?" Rinoa knew that voice, and rushed for the front door of Matron's old house.

"Quisty!" Rinoa exclaimed, seeing her friend standing there, " I'm so glad you're here!" she embraced Quistis.

"Why? Where's Squall?" Quistis asked. Rinoa was at a loss of words. She knew Quistis had loved Squall like a brother, and knew there would be a time when she would have to give her the bad news. Quistis was fast, however, noticing the bloody towel, and the dried tears on Rinoa's face.

"Quisty? I think you should.....(choke)....see this," Seifer's voice came from outside.

"I...ah...I..." Quistis turned, and ran out the door.

Seifer took her by the arm, and led her up the path to the field of flowers next to Matron's house. On the way there, they incountered General Caraway's body.

"Hyne! That's...oh, hyne!" Quistis could hardly breathe.

"There's more...." Seifer seemed gloomy about something, what, she didn't know.

He led her up the red carpet, now darker red from blood. To the left, where she and Seifer would have been sitting was....."IRVINE!!!!!!!!" Quistis screamed, seeing one of her friends fallen on the ground. She didn't even have to check his pulse to know that he was dead. The pallid look of his skin, and the staring, blind eyes told her all she needed to know.

"Oh, hyne..." tears stung Quistis's cheeks. If Irvine was dead, that meant...."Squall!" she whispered, almost afraid to think it.

"He's......over here," Seifer said from behind her.

"Really? Squall!" she called out, and raced up to the alter, which Seifer was now facing. It had been too much to hope, however. There he lay, prone on the ground, with a look  of the likes Irvine had. His eyes were closed, and he looked quite peaceful. In fact, so peaceful she expected him to wake up at any moment. The ugly wounds in his chest told her otherwise. She propped him up, and held him to her, crying softly.

"He and I....we...didn't get along always but...." Seifer was crying. Quistis turned around. His eyes were red and puffy, but...he had never cried before.

"I know Seifer, I know..." and she embraced him, letting what used to be Squall drop back to the ground.

            "What the hell happened here?" Quistis burst in on Rinoa trying to get dressed. She was only in panties, but didn't mind, as her visitor was Quistis.

"One of the statues out there turned into Adel. She tried to kill me, but Squall took the fall. Irvine tried to defend Squall, but Adel threw spikes into the croud, killing a lot of people, including.....my dad," she said this in a most monotone voice, shocking Quistis. Rinoa had always been a perky, upbeat person. That just went to show exactly what kind of depression had set in.

"Adel? We killed her...." Quistis was crestfallen.

"It's okay, Quisty. I know you loved Squall too, but......we can't dwell on him forever. Let's grieve now, but we eventually have to get back to our normal lives," Rinoa said, sounding wise beyond her seventeen years.

"Nothing...but nothing will be the same without Squall...." Quistis said ruefully.

"You talk about him like he was the most beautiful thing in the world," Rinoa embraced her.

"He was....." Quistis whispered into Rinoa's ear.

Three weeks later, Esthar: after Squall's, Irvine's and Caraway's funeral services.

            The door slid open to reveal a familiar face. One that had been scarred, and hardened from many years of battle. Laguna Loire smiled a Rinoa, and gestured for her to come in. She accepted his offer, and stepped through the door.

"Hello Rinoa, I've been expecti....." his mouth fell agape.

"What?" she smiled.

"I was just, um...thinking about your interesting choice of clothing....." he said. Rinoa now wore Squall's usual selection of clothes. She wore a white tee-shirt, covered by a black leather jacket. Over the tee, she wore both her's and Squall's Griever rings on a necklace. Black leather pants and two intersecting belts completed the outfit, not to mention black leather boots. All in all, she looked quite the female Squall.

"What did you come here for, Rinoa? I have...well... a lot of matters to tend to," Laguna began.

"I've come to ask you a favor," she said plaintiffly, sitting down on a nearby couch.

"What might that be?" he was suspicious.

"It's all in here..." she said, and handed him a small folder, taken from her jacket.

"Hmm.." he muttered, thoughtfully, reviewing what appeared to be schematics.

"You're not serious...." he looked up.

"Oh yes, quite. I need them built by the end of this month, " she said curtly. She would have her revenge on Adel. It would come swiftly, and justly. Laguna Loire, president of Esthar would be the instrument of Adel's destruction. Yes, all was going according to plan.

What's Rin up to? You'll have to wait for Chapter 5, coming soon, to find out. In the mean time, let me clear up a few things. When I said "wussies" at the beginning of this fic, I was just paying homage to Christopher Titus's father in "Titus". I meant no offense. This is my first fic, and seeing as how I'm turning sixteen soon, I don't think you should be that surprised. To all those writing increadible fics, keep writing, and don't let anybody discourage you. Peace!