Standard disclaimer: Me don't own Squall and co and will never. :p so enjoy this fic of mine and have a MERRY Christmas folks! I will be going on a vacation so I would not be updating this fic for a while. That's all!! See ya!!



Chapter 15

Squall sat beside the hospital bed, his mind heavy with thought. Reaching out a finger, he traced the outline of Rinoa's jaw, feeling her smooth porcelain skin. She was so beautiful in his eyes, no one could replace her. After sitting down at this very same chair for the whole day, Squall had finally come up with the answers to his questions. Yes, for Rinoa, he could give up everything: status, power, work, money or. . .life. It did not matter whether Rinoa lives or not: he will be with her always.

Squall smiled sadly, he was such a fool. Not realizing her value until Rinoa was almost gone. He loved her and he would never want to let her go now that he had found her back. "If she dies, I won't live either." Squall vowed. Already, his gunblade were leaning right next against the wall, the blade sharpened and ready for him. Squall called out her name softly, while his mind remembered the times they shared. How they read together side by side in the library, she and her novels, him and his military journals. The times they eat together in the Cafeteria, the times they trained together side by side, and even their arguments.

From the start, Squall and Rinoa had trouble working together, Rinoa being more impulsive and Squall being more cautious. Naturally there were frictions and after some time, Xu refused to put the both of them in the same team. This friction spawned quite a few arguments which were resolved as best as possible. It was through each other that the both of them learned how to compromise, to be more sensitive to each other's feelings, to be more responsible and to respect each other's privacy. A relationship definitely helped them to become better adults.

One thing Squall loved about Rinoa was that she never pressurized him to open up. She might be less patient when it comes to a lot of other things, but when it comes to him Squall had to give her credit. She knew when to push her advantage and when to prod him for answers. There were times when she was so silent, just keeping him company when he was thinking and there were times when she would ask him questions that made him expressed his feelings bit by bit. Squall smiled again; Rinoa definitely had a knack with people.

"Rinoa, come back to me." Squall whispered softly. Closing his eyes, Squall pictured the image of Rinoa laughing and teasing him. It brought such warmth to his cold heart. When all of a sudden, he felt someone grabbing him by the collar and before Squall knew it, he was slammed against the wall with great force that it made him gasp in shock and pain.

"You bastard!!" Someone snarled in his ear. Opening his eyes, Squall saw Seifer's green eyes stormy with rage. Behind him was Fujin who was sitting down on one side of the bed, looking calm and not worried at all, but then Fujin was as expressive as a block of ice.

"Seifer." Squall spat out that name.

"Damn you! It was never enough to break her heart is it?? You have to smash her spirit wasn't it, Commander Squall?" Seifer's breath felt hot against his face. Squall saw the fury behind the words, felt the anger hidden as a sneer. His words stung. Did he truly crush Rinoa's spirit? Squall felt guilt at the back of his throat, sour and acidic. Turning his head away so that Squall would not longer stare at those accusing emerald eyes, he resolutely ignored Seifer, but Seifer was never the one to be ignored.

"Damn it Squall, say something!" Seifer growled in exasperation.

Squall shrugged. "What do you want me to say Seifer? I have nothing to lose. . . . " The flatness in his eyes spoke volumes to Seifer. Grunting, he released his grasp from Squall's collar and turned around to face Fujin who handed Seifer a large, thick envelope.

Taking it from Fujin, Seifer slapped it roughly on Squall's chest, giving it him. "If you truly love her, then read every single paper inside and do what you think. If not, Rinoa goes to Esthar in three days time. Forever." Then without a word, Seifer turned and left the ward, pausing only to look at Rinoa for a few seconds.

Fujin got up slowly and was also walking out of the room when she suddenly stopped. Turning around slightly so that Squall could hear her, she dropped a few pearls of wisdom. "Sometimes, actions are louder than words."

This was the first time Squall heard her talk in a normal tone. Her voice was husky and deep, like the wind that she was named after. Staring numbly at her retreating back, Squall then turned his head to stare at the envelope, wondering what secret lay within it.

==

Nida stood in the Quad, awaiting orders to move out. In front of him, Quistis was inspecting the 12 cadets that will be following them to the Galbadia continent. Zell was pacing agitatedly around the exit for some unknown reasons while Irvine was comforting Selphie. Everyone knew that Rinoa was dying and they were reluctant to leave the Garden, but duty comes first. They had no choice; there were too many innocent lives at stake.

Just then, a group of another 12 more cadets wearing a different uniform of black marched into the Quad. Everyone paused to look at the newcomers who were composed and looked supremely confident of themselves. Following right behind, Zell saw a familiar figure in a gray trench coat wielding a gunblade. "Seifer?" Zell narrowed his eyes.

As if hearing Zell, Seifer turned his head and flashed a charming smile at the whole group. Quistis scowled, while Irvine managed not to. Seifer had left too many scars in them; it was no wonder that they were still suspicious of him. Right behind him as usual was Fujin, the 'posse'. Selphie wondered where Raijin was. Few of them knew of the marriage between Seifer and Fujin though they all knew that Seifer was in command of Esthar Garden due to his 'martial prowess' and, as Laguna had claimed, Seifer's problem solving knack.

Under Seifer's strict eye, the Esthar cadets all filed up into neat little rows and saluted to him and Fujin. Seifer gave a curt nod of approval before he launched into another of his motivational speech.

"Cadets of Esthar Garden, today is the day that you will prove yourselves. I do not expect anyone to be heroes neither do I want any bloody cowards. Heroes don't mean you stick your neck out all the time; heroes mean doing the most logical things at that moment. Your life and the others are in your own hands. Everything is up to you and only you. I expect the best and only the best. Bring only honour, pride and glory to our Garden. Is that clear?" Seifer hollered out his speech, the muscles in his neck tight and tense. Pacing up and down in front of the cadets, Seifer exude an air of confidence and fearlessness. He was truly inspiring. Behind him, Fujin smiled; she loved to see her husband in action, who ever knew he had the gift of the gab?

Immediately, the twelve cadets made up of both men and women roared out their answer. "Yes Sir!" The whole quad was positively vibrating from the sound; Nida could feel the vibration through his boots.

"Fujin will be with you all, but remember, rely only on yourself and your friends. Clear?" Seifer waited for the cadets to quiet down before continuing his speech. Still pacing up and down, he finally reached the end of his speech. "And one last thing. . .kick those bony dragon ass!" Seifer stopped pacing as he gave out a battle cry, waving his Hyperion in the air. Instantly, the cadets were following Seifer; an assortment of weapons was seen gleaming in the late afternoon sun accompanied by cheers. Seifer smiled at them before giving them a formal salute.

Turning around Seifer gave Fujin a hug. Quistis and the rest were surprised to see such an affectionate public display but the cadets were not; everyone in the Esthar Garden knew how much their Commander love his wife. Kissing her pale cheeks, Seifer handed Fujin a stack of disposable paper bags. Fujin smiled before accepting it.

"Take care, Fuu and. . .come back soon." Seifer whispered. Fujin nodded her head seriously; she was assigned this mission last minute and had wanted to go. Seifer had agreed only because he knew how stubborn Fujin can get when she get her mind set on something already. Kissing her on the cheeks, Seifer took a step back and gave her a formal salute which she returned. Then all too soon, she marched out with the twelve cadets to the main gates where transportation awaits.

Seifer watched her leave and was about to leave the Quad when someone stopped him. Turning around, Seifer saw Irvine, the famous sniper.

"Yo, you are here to take Rinoa back right? Look after Squall for all of us, will ya?" Irvine was trying to be as courteous as he could. Although he did not trust Seifer, his worry for Squall far exceeded his distrust. All 4 of them, Quistis, Zell, Selphie and himself fear that Squall will do something extreme like killing himself; they need somebody they know to look after Squall, and who the better than Seifer? It can be said that the whole gang was desperate.

Giving them a mysterious smile, Seifer simply replied, "I will, I will" in a careless tone before leaving the Quad. Behind Irvine, Nida was giving last minute instructions to Balamb Garden cadets who saluted before marching out of the Quad. Together with them, Zell, Irvine, Quistis, Nida and Selphie followed behind in silence. They had too much burden placed on their shoulders. Instinctively, Quistis felt for the handkerchief in her pocket as if needing to reassure herself that it was still there.

Zell who was lagging behind seemed unusually agitated. There was something bothering him, but nobody asked; they were all too tired, mentally and physically. Zell kept on glancing around, as if waiting for someone. Damn it! Amy was supposed to back; the SeeDs dispatched to the Esthar Garden had come back with Seifer's team. Where was she?

Finally resigned, Zell walked behind the rest of the group, hoping that he will hear a sweet voice saying out his name. "Zell!" Was it a dream? Confused, Zell turned around to face the direction of the sound when he saw the girl of his dreams running towards him.

Amy stopped right in front of Zell, half out of breath and half flustered. "Zell, I got some hotdogs for you from the Cafeteria. It's for your dinner." Everything gushed out in one single breath while Amy awkwardly handed Zell a small package. Feeling her cheeks starting to go red, Amy wished that she could find a place to hide right now. Ooh! Why does she have to be so clumsy? She can't even speak properly for Hyne's sake! Amy stared at Zell, waiting for his reaction.

Zell could not find the words at first, he was so surprised. Taking the hotdogs from Amy's hand, Zell felt such strong emotion towards her. Hell, if they were alone now, he would have hugged her. She looks so beautiful with her cheeks tinted red and her ponytail coming loose. "Amy. . . thanks." Zell whispered softly and before his courage failed him, he pulled her into an embrace, holding her close. He did not want to lose her before he could tell her how much she meant to him. He did not want to be like Squall.

"Zell, what's wrong?" Amy asked while feeling pleasantly surprised. Blushing, she hid her face in his front SeeD jacket.

"Nothing, I just want to give you a hug, that's all." Zell replied before letting her close.

Worried, Amy stared in his eyes for a moment, searching for the right words. "Zell. . . come back OK?" It was all she could came up with.

Smiling at her, Zell said, "I will. And when I come back, I'm gonna bring you home to Ma. She has been waiting to see you. I told her all about you." Zell said it excitedly as he watched Amy blushed even more.

"Will Ma Dincht like me?" Amy asked anxiously. Nodding his head happily, Zell was about to reassure her with words when Selphie called for him, asking him to hurry up. Zell hastily gave Amy a kiss on the forehead before sprinting towards the front gate with the bag of hotdogs in arm, and his heart as light as a feather. Zell could not stop grinning all the way as he pictured the way Amy had blushed.

==

Squall stared at the small dagger in his hand, reveling in its sharpness. Grimacing, he went straight to the bed and stared at Rinoa's sleeping form. Sitting beside her, Squall lifted Rinoa up into a sitting position while leaning against him. Squall then wrap his left arm around her shoulder before peeling off his gloves. His fingers were so cold. Squall was no longer wearing his uniform but his usual clothing of a white shirt with black pants; he had taken a hasty shower at the infirmary and changed quickly into his usual wear. All the while, his mind was busy processing and filtering the information he had absorbed while reading the thick sheath of paper Seifer had passed to him.

Everything in that thick envelope was actually a research report by Dr Odine on sorceresses, their powers and the effects. Squall was shocked and troubled by the facts presented; he did not know the price of those powers were in blood. Squall smiled, his eyes sweeping the room, his mind taking note of Rinoa's neatly folded normal wear, her laptop and other belongings on the chair where he sat today. Seifer had taken a detour around the Island Closest to Hell as part of the investigation before coming to Balamb Garden, thus his late arrival. While there, he and Fujin had brought all of Rinoa's personal belongings back to the Balamb Garden and had sent someone to bring it to the Infirmary. Judging by how neatly she packed up her belongings, Squall smiled at how some old habits never broke. Rinoa was one of the messiest people he ever knew, but after some time in the Garden, she became obsessed with neatness, just like him. They certainly had influenced each other for good or for bad.

Squall had learnt to be more stubborn from hr; it is a necessary skill especially when dealing with the leader of the Forest Owl. And right now, he wants to get her back and he will get her back. Dr Odine had mentioned in his paper that sorceresses do not share sexual or blood bonds with anyone especially their knights. Such bond will allow the power to connect to that person and leeched the person's life force, forcing the person to die young. Knights are slightly luckier; the bond will 'join' the knight and the sorceress together in a sense that they will die at the same time, together and instantly. As the sorceress and the knight had already shared the bond of companionship and trust, the sexual or/and blood bond will further enhanced it till the sorceress could tap into the knight's life force and thus prolong her own life. In a normal person case, the power will just sucked up the life making it even stronger but does not allow the sorceress to live longer. Dr Odine had also did a bit of extra research on Rinoa's powers alone and had concluded that due to the fact that she and Squall were emotionally involved, it might be possible that the powers could bridged any mental gap; in short, the powers could possibly lead Squall to Rinoa mentally wherever she might be, on earth or in her OWN mind.

Squall had never had sexual relations with Rinoa; the strict military style he was brought up in knocked a lot of conservative values into his head. Thus, the only road left open to him was to establish a blood bond with her. He was intending to gamble with that possibility to enter Rinoa's mind and perhaps, find her back. All he wanted now was to be with her and he did not care whether he will die most probably at the age of 40. He rather die 20 years later with Rinoa than to live 50 empty years without Rinoa by his side, teaching him to love and appreciate life. Yes he was ready. . .

Picking up the sharp knife, he made a vertical cut on his right palm. The knife was sharp and it cut his flesh like a knife slicing through hot butter. The wound was deep and it took a while before it began to bleed. Quickly, he took Rinoa right palm and made a deep cut; even in her coma, she did not even flinch from the pain. Taking a deep breath, he clasped his right hand with hers, feeling their blood intermingling.

Squall did not know how to describe what happened next, all he could feel was that something was sucking away his consciousness, making him feel dizzy and weak. Slumping backward to lean against the metal bedframe, the last thing Squall remembered before he gave in to darkness was a burning need to find Rinoa back again.

==

p.s: pls r&r! tell me whatcha think?? I'm getting very excited with the direction this story is going in!!