Standard disclaimer: I don own Squall and co. ok, that's all ;p enjoy!!



Chapter 10

Having a video conference with many other important people was a nasty business Laguna decided. He felt like shouting at his computer before switching it off violently, but he doubt the others would take it well. The huge computer screen was divided into many other little boxes, each showing the President of Galbadia, Mayor of Balamb, Dollet, Timber and FH at their office desk, mat or whatever. All of them were trying to decide whether to put Sorceress Rinoa to death. Not surprisingly Timber, Esthar and FH were against the idea. Especially Esthar.

"She is young James! She's bound to make some horrible mistakes; we should give her a chance!" FH Mayor was shouting at the President of Galbadia. "Yes, the usual representative for peace." Laguna thought grimly. The same argument had been going around for the last half an hour. Everyone was short on sleep after the horrendous night and patience was a precious commodity right now. Even Laguna was in a bad temper now, and part of it was induced by this meeting. After watching the two of them bicker like kindergarten kids for another ten more minutes, Laguna finally decided to rescue the others including him from a meaningless and boring debate.

"All right! All right everyone! I've an idea." Laguna hollered at the screen. Immediately everyone kept quiet and focused on Laguna. "OK, let's remember that Sorceress Rinoa had helped defeat Ultimecia so she does not deserve to die. Fair? In that case, why don't we just seal her up in the Memorial, you know like Adel." Laguna voiced the idea which Kiros had come up with a few minutes ago. At least, one life will be spared if everyone agreed to the idea. One innocent life. . . Laguna knew Rinoa pretty well and at the thought of her dead made him wince for Squall. It was kind of strange how close he felt to that young man, it was as if Laguna knew him personally. . .Squall was like a son he and Raine never had and ordering the death of Squall's ex-love? That would be too cruel. Laguna felt sad at that thought.

"What if something like Ultimecia comes again and raids the memorial?" The mayor of Dollet asked. Murmuring in agreement, most of the leaders fixed a questioning glance at Laguna. "Well, things like that won't happen anymore, we have upgraded the memorial you see. It's 99% fool proof now!" Laguna declared proudly. To his relief, all of them agreed rather easily; it was as if they wanted the problem off their hands as soon as possible.

Feeling much better Laguna turned around and signaled to Kiros. Kiros picked up the radio and started communicating with Ragnarok. "Ragnarok receiving. Ready to go Sir." The pilot's voice crackled over the radio.

"Pass me over to the SeeDs." Kiros ordered. "Roger" then the communication crackled loudly for a few moments before the static cleared. Clearing his throat, Kiros proceeded to give the orders albeit unhappily.

"SeeDs, this is Kiros here representing the leaders of all the nations. Your mission right now is to escort Sorceress Rinoa back to the Sorceress Memorial. If any resistance is being met, all of you have the permission to. . .kill her. Dismissed and may Hyne be with you."

Kiros switched off the radio and wondered what was that banging sound he heard just now. Turning around, he saw Laguna banging his head against the wall repeatedly and Ward trying to stop him. Kiros did not go over and lend Ward a hand. Truth to tell he wanted to do that to, but he managed to refrain himself.

At that moment, Laguna was feeling downright miserable. He felt like he was evil Ultimecia at this moment, sending Squall out to capture back Rinoa or maybe even kill her. It was not as if he did not know what had happened between them, well, actually almost the whole world knew their. . .past relationship. Squall was something like their check on the sorceress and when they broke up there was a wave of panic everywhere before things went back to normal. "Where is the sorceress? What is she doing now?" everyone had asked with a trace of fear in their questions.

Well, now everyone will know the answer to all. Somehow, Laguna felt like a traitor. And he was the one who had preached about love and friendship before the final battle with Ultimecia. "Make it a hypocrite too." He thought grimly.

==

Everyone turned to look at Squall. All of them wore an expression of shock and unwillingness to complete the mission. Pleadingly Selphie asked Squall, "Squall, we can't do that right? I mean it's Rinoa. . . I know that she didn't mean it to happen like this. Squall. . ."

Squall closed his eyes and rested one hand on his hip. Frowning, he looked to be deep in thought. Capture. . .Sorceress Rinoa? Rinoa? Can he do it? But he was a SeeD, a soldier, one who has to follow the orders. But it's Rinoa. . . Could he betray her? Could he betray the Garden? Shaking his head clear, Squall decided to do the most logical thing. Keeping his voice neutral and cold Squall answered Selphie's question, "We will follow the orders."

Zell opened his mouth. He could not believe his ears. "But. . ."

"Can you guarantee that the next time something happen again, no one will get hurt? No one will die? If Sorceress Rinoa cannot control her powers, she is a danger to everyone." Squall cut Zell off coldly and with an almost detached mood, proceeded to prepare his weapon for combat. Everyone stared at him with disbelief. He was so cold, so uncaring yet his words rang with the truth. Caught in between friendship and work, somehow the 5 of them were forced to turn against the own friend. Selphie slumped down onto the floor while Irvine kneeled beside her, trying to comfort both her and his own self. Zell just stood beside the window, trying to come to grip with reality.

Quistis fingered the ring again and looked at the rest of them before her eyes rested at Squall. She could not believe her own ears and yet a part of her felt relief. Maybe he had truly gotten over Rinoa. Mentally, she kicked that selfish part of her. How could she think that way when it is HER friend Rinoa they are going against now? They cannot possible do it, can they? Troubled, she looked out at the island and shook her head sadly.

==

Chapter 11

She felt the Ragnarok before she saw it. Rinoa waited for it to come closer before she stopped her work and stood up. Ragnarok came to a stop and hovered beside the island, its red metal reflecting the sun's sharp rays. Rinoa squinted while frowning. "The Ragnarok is here, does it mean they are going to bring me back? . . .Or to execute me?" Absently, she patted Angelo's head. She had nothing to fear; she was the sorceress after all.

"Sorceress Rinoa, this is Ragnarok, representing the leaders of the all the nations. We would like to know who sank the island and created the tsunami." The pilot's voice which was broadcasted through a loudspeaker was barely audible above the noisy humming of the engine.

"I did." Rinoa confessed, using her power to project her voice above the noisy din. The two pilots inside the Ragnarok nearly jumped out of their own skin; her voice was so clear that it was almost as if she was standing right behind them. Fumbling around, the head pilot continued with his message. Thankfully, his voice and tone was as normal as ever.

"You are thereby charged with causing damage to the properties of Dollet, Esthar and other nations, and also for threatening the lives of innocent folks. Under the Esthar law, dangerous sorceresses have to be brought back to the Memorial to have their powers sealed. Sorceress Rinoa any resistance will be futile, so please co-operate with us." At the last sentence, the head pilot cringed with embarrassment. "Any resistance would be futile? With one sweep on her hand, we'll most probably land in the ocean floor." He thought nervously.

Rinoa turned her body around so that she was no longer facing the space ship. Staring out into the ocean, Rinoa remembered the day she made the decision to live a normal life. A year ago seemed like an eternity now. Perhaps, she does not really know the limits of her own power. Maybe she should be inside the Memorial, her powers sealed up. Maybe the world will certainly be a safer place then. She did not give them a reply, there was no need to. "Any resistance will be futile." Rinoa thought with a trace of amusement.

She heard the sound of Ragnarok's main hatch open and the faint clang of a ladder being extended downwards. Rinoa was not surprise, escorting a Sorceress is a dangerous mission, "especially a deranged sorceress." Smiling wryly, she wondered how many soldiers were brought all the way here. Turning around, Rinoa prepared herself to face as many as 20 soldiers. But she saw Squall, his blue eyes piercing her own brown ones.

Her breath stuck at the back of her throat, Rinoa could only stare in disbelief at Squall. Tearing her eyes away from him, she took a look at the others: Selphie, Irvine, Zell and Quistis. They are all here. How she missed them. Almost smiling, remembered the fun times they all shared together until a shining object that hung around Quistis neck winked at her. Frowning, Rinoa tried to see what was that before she realized that it was Griever, the ring Squall once gave her. Immediately, memories of what had happened the night before came rushing back to her. Rinoa closed her eyes for a moment, her mind not registering Squall's words. Angelo seemed to have sensed that something was not right. Kneeling in front of Rinoa, she took a defensive posture, ready to attack Squall and the rest.

"Sorceress Rinoa, we are here to escort you back to Esthar. Any resistance shall be futile." Squall echoed the pilot's words blindly. The shock of seeing her was playing havoc on his mind. She looked more haggard, thinner and tired, very tired. Frowning, Squall got gripped on himself and unsheathe his Lionheart. He was a SeeD, he must accomplish his mission. He was a SeeD, not a Knight.

Right behind him, Irvine frowned at Squall's actions was ready to do what Selphie had always wanted to: whack Squall up. He saw her eyes, her brown eyes light up with a faint trace of happiness before it died away as soon as she saw the ring around Quistis's neck. "It was almost as if her soul had died." Irvine shivered at that thought. Selphie and Zell did not notice that, they only stood beside Quistis in silence. The three of them looked uncomfortable and extremely unwilling to do this mission, their weapons hanging limpy at their sides. Squall was the only one who was ready for combat. That really tempted Irvine to take Exeter and gives Squall a solid twack on his thick-skulled head. Of course Squall chose not to acknowledge the undercurrents running around. He was too busy playing the good SeeD, Irvine was furious.

Rinoa did not respond at all to Squall's words at all. With her eyes closed still as if in deep thought, she turned around to face the ocean instead. All her tears had dried up leaving behind a blessed numbness. Taking a deep breath, she opened her eyes. She felt so tired, so weary. Mentally, Rinoa reviewed the past year and realized that she had been living in a state of denial. All her purpose of leading a normal life and getting over Squall was a sham, a pack of lies. She had started lying to herself since the moment she returned Griever to Squall. She was both the liar and foolish believer.

Smiling bitterly, Rinoa felt like lying down and going to sleep. Hyne, how much she wanted to take rest, to run away from the cruel reality. She had tried to be strong, she had but in reality she was a weakling. "A weak and dangerous Sorceress." She narrowed her eyes at that thought. She was a fugitive running away from her own self and it had led her to a dead end. What now? Rinoa thought. Spend the next few years in another state of denial, in a world where sorceress were never forgiven for their past mistakes, in a world where Squall was not there? Rinoa felt numb, she had no answers. For the thousandth time, Rinoa wished that there was someone she can lean onto like her mother. . .Rinoa remembered the time when her mother will lull her to sleep by humming her favorite song 'Eyes on Me'. Rinoa could no longer remember what her mother looked like, but she still remembered her mother's voice, soft and sweet.

Closing her eyes once more, Rinoa started humming that same tune and was lost in a world where she was a child once more, a carefree child with no trouble or worries plaguing her. At the same time, wings started sprouting from her back, at first folded before it burst open in its full glory. Rinoa smiled, she like wings especially angel wings. Almost tenderly, she cast Slow on Squall, Zell, Irvine, Selphie, Quistis and even Angelo. Gently, her wings started flapping causing hundreds of loose feathers to float downwards while she started rising higher and higher.

All the while Rinoa continued to hum peacefully; nothing could harm, hurt or distract her now. Not now. No more. The pilots of Ragnarok were obviously alarmed. Immediately, they started shooting large metallic bullets. With little effort, Rinoa cast a barrier around her, causing the bullets to crash into the barrier before falling down onto the ground pathetically. All the while she was still humming, lost in a world of vivid colours and no nightmares to haunt her.

Rinoa could almost hear her mother's crystal clear voice singing.

"So let me come to you

Close as I want to be

Close enough for me

To feel your heart beating fast. . ."

Smiling, Rinoa opened her eyes only to see the blue, blue sea. Then she started to dive downward, to rush into an embrace with the cerulean ocean. Yes, she was ready. . .

==

p.s: sorry to leave ya all in with a cliffhanger, until I hammered out the next chapter's details in my mind, I can't put in anymore stuff.. Hehehe just hang on and I'll be back again. ;p