Disclaimer: As the same with all the other chapters, we don't own anything we didn't come
up with. That belongs to Square. We do this for no profit. Blah, blah, blah.

Chapter 20: Slow And Painful Torture

The contingency spell took Yuri back to the Silver Siren. He materialized in the
infirmary, where Kravis looked up from his bed where he had been laying since his fight the day
before.

"Well hello, Yuri. I thought you were supposed to kill someone." Kravis' face was skewed
because of the scar he had received. The left side of his face was puckered up in scar tissue,
and his eye was completely white.

"Shut up, Kravis," Yuri spat as one of the doctors took a look at the wound and applied
a potion to it. "At least I didn't lose half of my face."

"What did you say?" Kravis said, rising from his bed. At that moment, cruel laughter
rang out around them.

"So, the boys are arguing again?" Xana rose out of the floor before them, her features
hard and cold. "Did you find her?"

Yuri nodded. "I did. But I also saw the man who had me exiled..."

Xana slapped him. "Your vengence is secondary! I told you to kill the bitch and you
disobeyed me!!"

Yuri rubbed his cheek. "There'll be another time, mistress. Next time the tart will
die."

Xana ran one slender finger down his cheek, all the way down to his chest. "Make sure
that she does, Yuri. Then you can pursue your revenge against the Draconian. But until then,
you will obey me and keep your vengeance subdued." She turned to Kravis, giving him a hard stare
before turning back to Yuri. "Do both of you understand that?"

"Yes mistress," they both said. Xana looked at them again and strode out of the
infirmary.

Vira ran down to the Cafeteria, after seeing that the skylight had been broken from the
observation deck. She had done what Dorin had asked, and Cid had dispatched some security to the
deck, asking Vira to go with them. But, when they had gotten there, all they found was an empty
observation deck, and the sight over the railing; the broken Cafeteria skylight. Being the only
SeeD there, Vira ordered the rest to run down to the Cafeteria, she accompaning them.

As she sped down the hall to the Cafeteria, Dorin rushed past her the other way, almost
knocking her over on his way. She stumbled backward from the impact of shoulders and looked to
see what happened.

"Dorin?" she called after him. "What happened?"

He didn't seem to hear her and just continued to rush away, toward the Infirmary.
Confused, Vira arched and eyebrow and turned back to the Cafeteria. The place was still a mess,
with shards of glass strewn about the floor, tables and chairs turned over, and even one cut in
two. Slowly, Vira made her way over the wreckage over to Squall and Zell, setting a table back
up. Taking one side, she helped them set it back up, now the two noticing her presence.

"Can either of you tell me what happened?" she asked.

Zell looked up to the broken skylight then back down to Vira. "Dorin crashed through the
skylight, then some guy came in and they fought."

"That's it? He crashes through a skylight and they fight?" Vira questioned dubiously.

Squall pushed his side of the table upright and looked to Vira sideways. "They seemed to
know each other. Similar style of fighting and accent. The other man disappeared after Irvine
got him in the shoulder with his gun."

Zell dropped his side of the table onto the slick floor, hearing a heavy clunk as it
fell. "Then Dorin got all angry and sliced a table-" He motioned to the two halved table nearby.
"In half. Then he left."

"And that's where I came in, okay," Vira replied, setting her side of the table down.
"But, did he even say who it was?"

Squall shook his head. "No. I'm guessing he went to the Infirmary, though. He looked
like he broke something. Why don't you go check up on him?"

"Why me?" Vira argued.

"Because you brought it up, and besides," Squall explained. "you're the only person he
talks to, really."

Sighing, Vira nodded. "Yeah, yeah. I guess you're right. Fine. I'll go see if he wants
to clue everyone in."

* * * *

Xana walked into the cell where General Caraway hung by his arms in chains. He looked
up at her and spat at her. "Bitch. Kill anything interesting lately?"

Xana wiped the spit from her face and smiled cruelly. "Wait a while." She turned to
Kravis and Yuri. "Gentlemen, I have an idea."

"What, mistress?" Kravis asked.

Xana smiled wider. "It seems that our dear General Caraway is the father of one Rinoa
Heartilly."

Yuri arched an eyebrow. "The sorceress?"

"Correct," Xana replied. "And if we have him, then we can lure Miss Rinoa to us...and
perhaps Vira, killing two birds with one stone..."

Yuri frowned. "True, but how do we get them to come to us? And what about the
Galbadians?"

Xana raised Caraway's chin level with her face. He resisted but had no choice. "We show
the good little witch a recording of our dear General in his current state, and she'll be more
than willing to help him." She turned back to Yuri. "But what of the Galbadians?"

"Wouldn't they be rather displeased if we killed their leader?"

Xana laughed mockingly. "They're so brainwashed I could tell them to kill their first
born and they would do it! Pay no head to the Galbadians, they are under my control."

Xana turned back to Caraway and regarded him for a second. "You know, gentlemen, I don't
think he is ready for his big acting debut. I think...something is missing." With that, she
raked her sharp fingernails across his cheek, Caraway grimacing with pain. Xana stepped back,
smiling coldly as the four deep scratches she had left began to bleed.

"Gentlemen, I leave him with you. Do what you want, but I want him alive and conscious
when I return."

Xana left the cell, and Yuri began to grin. "I think I'm going to like this."

Kravis cracked his knuckles and walked up to Caraway. "She said anything, right?" Kravis
punched Caraway in the side, a dull snap accompanied by a cry of pain from Caraway as a rib gave
way under the force of the punch.

Yuri began to laugh. "This will definately be fun."

* * * *

Without saying another word, Vira had turned and walked out of the Cafeteria, heading
for the Infirmary. It wasn't that she didn't like Dorin, at least she thought she liked him, as
much as it was possible for her to, it was more that whether she wanted to or not, she was
always paired up with him. No matter what. They were always being paired up in the missions
lately, called to see Headmaster Cid at the same time, and everyone always volunteered Vira to
see him when he wouldn't tell anyone what was going on. What frustrated her was that it never
seemed to be her choice, not with anything. As she walked towards the Infirmary, she began
thinking about what had actually been her choice lately. She had tried to make the choice to
take out Xana and herself, but she was kept from making that decision. Vira was now becoming
almost positive that she was going to die soon. Maybe not that day, but with Galbadia, Black
SeeD and her mother breathing down her neck, it wouldn't be long before she'd be dead and gone.
Above Vira the sign for the Infirmary glowed lightly as it always did and Vira came to the hard
realization that whether she liked it or not, she'd be dead soon.

"Doctor Kadowaki?" she asked, feeling the swish of the Infirmary door close behind her.
The office was empty, as was Dr. Kadowaki's desk. All that was there was a mass of papers and a
stack of Triple Triad cards. When she heard no reply, Vira called again. "Doctor Kadowaki? You
here?"

The doctor's voice came from one of the back rooms. "Back here. Come on it."

Dorin grunted while Dr. Kadowki taped up his shoulder. "From the sound of it, you're
lucky to be alive. Falling a few stories doesn't up your life expectancy."

Dorin scowled angrily. "Neither does being attacked by a dead man."

At that moment Vira walked in, her expression set, though Dorin thought he saw a little
bit of concern etched into her eyes.

"Hey there," she greeted. "Looks like someone kicked your ass. What happened?"

Dorin scowled. If she was showing her concern, she need a few lessons on conveying
emotions properly. "Just got thrown off of a balcony and crashed through a few windows. And how
was your day, honey?" he answered sarcastically.

Vira crossed her arms and frowned. "Well, I learned that an entire country, Black SeeD
and Xana are after me all at once. So, I guess we both have our problems. I saw the Cafeteria. I
kinda wanted to know why it happened. Was that the intruder?"

Dorin grunted again as Dr. Kadowki finished on him. "Just lay off any work with that
shoulder for a few days."

Dorin nodded and turned back to Vira. "I'd rather not talk about him."

Vira shrugged apathetically. "Fine, but if this comes back at you, maybe you'll want to
tell everyone then." She turned towards the door. "See you later."

Dorin scowled and picked up his blade as he left after Vira. He didn't need anyone to
know who Yuri was. He wondered how Yuri had gotten in the Garden. Hell, he wondered how Yuri was
even alive after being exiled. But he was, and he was aligned with Xana. And he had been sent
there to kill...

"Vira!" he said suddenly, Vira stopping and turning around in her tracks.

"What now?" she said sharply, tapping her foor.

-Patience...-

"He did say something before he attacked me. He said that he had been sent here to kill
Rinoa."

Vira arched an eyebrow, curious. "Rinoa? Why would-" Vira stopped, realizing the answer
to her question before she even finished. She frowned and turned back to walking towards the
Cafeteria. "Oh...right. Figures."

Dorin shook his head.

-Bloody hell, ice queen through and through. Why do I even try...-

"You going to tell Squall?"

"Yeah," she answered. "I got to let him know what's going on. I just wish we could get
this all over with..."

Dorin sighed. At least that much was true. "Don't we all. Don't we all." He turned and
walked back to the dorms, wondering what the hell Xana was up to now...

Raijin followed Fujin out onto the tracks to Esthar. "Are you sure this is the way?
We're too far up to fish, ya know."

Fujin turned and glared at him. "FOLLOW," she said.

Raijin shrugged and did as he was told. "Still, you think Seifer would've come with us,
ya know?"

Fujin shrugged. "QUISTIS."

"Yeah yeah, I know. But still, we're his posse, we're supposed to hang out together, ya
know?" Raijin shifted the fishing poles he was carrying to the other hand and adjusted his staff
on his back. "Even if a guy has a girlfriend, you can spend a little time with your friends, ya
know?"

In front, Fujin nodded. "INDEED." Fujin stopped and pointed down. "THERE. FISH."

Raijin grinned and sat down. "Well, it's about time! Hope we can catch a big one, ya
know?"

A high pitched laugh came from behind him and Raijin immediately jumped up. He and Fujin
turned to see two men in black, one with black hair and a pony tail carrying a slender sword,
and another with short brown hair and a horrible scar on the left side of his face, holding a
staff similar to Raijin's, but bladed at both ends.

"So you're Seifer's friends, eh?" the scarred man said. "Figures Seifer would hang out
with the lower life forms."

Raijin grabbed his staff and took up his stance. "And who the hell are you two?"

The man with the sword laughed again, a sound that was quickly starting to annoy Raijin.
"Let's just say we're accquaitances of Dorin and Seifer. And we have a message for them from
Sorceress Xana."

Before either of them could react, the man with the sword attacked Fujin, who barely
dodged out of the way. Raijin moved to help, but the scarred man immediately got between him and
Fujin.

"Oh no, dear sir, you're not getting off that easily." The man began to attack, landing
blows as he began to spin and twirl his bladed staff. Raijin blocked them, but he could see that
he was out matched. The man took the initiative and swiped Raijin's feet out from under him.

"Give this message to Seifer," the man spat as he slashed down on Raijin. He felt cold
hard steel slice into his face, barely missing his eye as it rake the bone of his skull, his
vision obscured as blood poured into his eyes, blinding him, the searing pain unbearable. Raijin
clutched his face and screamed in agony before he was hit on the head and knew no more.

Kravis looked down at the unconscious black man and smiled cruely. He wiped the blood
off of his staff and looked over at Yuri, who had the eye patched woman pinned.

"Hey Kravis, want to have a little fun with this tart?" Yuri asked, tracing a line down
from the woman's throat to her cleavage with his blade.

Kravis though about it for a second, then shook his head. "No, we don't have the time.
Though I'd love to..."

The woman shuddered and glared at them. "ANIMALS."

Yuri kicked her in the side, the woman curling up onto her side in pain. He kicked her
once more in the stomach and knelt down beside her as she writhed in pain.

"You give this to your friends. And you tell them that it's only just begun," he spat as
he reached into his coat and took out a small video disc. He hit her in the head and knocked her
out before he sat the disc on her chest. Yuri paused, thought for a moment, then punched her in
the face a few times, opening cuts and leaving bruises. Kravis raised an eyebrow.

"Just leaving a lasting impression," Yuri said before he turned and began walking up the
tracks. Kravis nodded, then gave the black man a hard kick in the chest, feeling the satisfying
snap of a rib breaking before he followed Yuri. Things were definitely beginning to pick up.

* * * *

Vira turned back towards the Cafeteria, angry that Dorin had chosen not to clue everyone
in to what was going on. She didn't know why she was angry, to be truthful, she had no reason to
be. What Dorin wanted to tell her was his business, not hers. She hadn't been too forthcoming
with her story either. Yet, she had told him everything, or as much as she could, about
everything that was going on with her. If she didn't, she felt he'd never leave her alone. And
it wasn't like Dorin hadn't said anything to her about himself. He had told her about his
mother, which seemed to be a very painful memory for him. Why he just couldn't tell her who the
man was left her very frustrated, and just maybe a little hurt. Vira wanted to deny it, pushing
the feeling away from her, which only made her more upset. Add that to the set feeling that she
was going to die, one way or another, in the next few days left a bitter taste in her mouth.
Death was stalking her yet again, only a few steps behind now and it left Vira angry. Frowning,
she walked back towards the Cafeteria to tell Squall the latest development.

In the cafeteria, Squall was talking to Cid about the fight. "And then Dorin comes
crashing through, followed by this guy in black. He fought the same way as Dorin and..."

"He was after Rinoa," Vira finished Squall's sentence, walking up behind him. She
quickly saluted to Cid and then to Squall.

Squall turned, his frowning slightly. "Why? And how do you know?"

"I talked to Dorin...sort of," Vira explained. "All he would tell me was that the man he
fought was after Rinoa. He didn't feel like sharing."

Squall's expression became troubled. "He and Dorin did share the same fighting style.
And they both had the same accents, so I think it's safe to say that he was Draconian..." He
trailed off, his brow furrowing. "But why would he be after Rinoa?"

Vira frowned, knowing that made things more complicated. "He was after her to kill her.
That leaves Xana the only sorceress alive. Full fledged one anyway. She wants to be the only
sorceress."

Cid tapped his thick chin. "Indeed. And then take the powers from Rinoa and become even
more powerful..."

Squall turned to Cid. "Wouldn't she be after Matron too?"

Cid shook his head. "No, she gave all her powers to Rinoa. She's effectively normal,
although she could still accept the powers of another. But with no powers of her own now, Xana
wouldn't be after her." He smiled at Squall. "Besides, if Xana does intend to go after her, the
White SeeDs will be there. Don't worry."

"I don't think she's after Edea," Vira commented. "She seems to be concentrating on us."

"Indeed. Most likely because we defeated a sorceress before, so we'd be her greatest
threat." Cid looked at Vira. "And probably she knows you're here too."

"There's nowhere else I could be. She knows. With that price on my head, she probably
wanted to make sure I stayed here until she was ready," Vira said.

Cid nodded gravely. "Right. So we'll have to tighten security. And it would probably be
best if we moved away from FH. If she does decide to attack, we don't want them in the
crossfire."

Squall nodded. "Good point. But, we have to wait until we have all the students back in
Garden. I heard a few went out to go fishing or sight seeing."

"Is there anyway we could just...get this over with?" Vira asked, frowning. "All this is
beginning to wear thin."

At that moment, Xu ran in. "Squall, Headmaster! Fujin and Raijin were attacked out on
the rails to Esthar. Raijin's hurt bad."

Squall's mouth dropped open. "What?"

Xu shook her head. "And they left a message on this." She held out a silver info disc.

Seifer stood outside the infirmary with Quistis and Fujin, saying nothing to either.
Fujin stood across from him, her arm in a sling, her face bruised and battered even after the
numerous Cure spells that had been cast. He couldn't help but feel responsible. Raijin and Fujin
were drawn into this because of him. Raijin was laying in the infirmary because of Kravis'
grudge against him, and he no one to blame but himself.

Dr. Kadowki walked out, pulling off blood stained gloves and tossing them into the
trash. "He'll live. He'll have a slight scar is all," she said.

"Is he awake?" Seifer asked.

Dr. Kadowki nodded. "You can talk to him, but keep it short. He needs to rest."

Seifer nodded and turned to Quistis. "You go on, I'll catch up to you later."

Quistis nodded, understanding. "Don't take it too hard, you're not to blame," she said,
kissing him lightly.

Seifer returned it and looked down. "Keep saying it and I might believe you." He turned
and walked into the infirmary with Fujin.

Raijin was laying in one of the far beds, his torso taped up and half his face gauzed
and wrapped.

"Hey man," Raijin said weakly as he attempted to smile. "You really missed a good
fishing trip, ya know?"

Seifer sighed sadly. "If I'd been there I could've at least-"

"Don't worry about it, Seifer," Fujin said softly behind him. "There wasn't anything you
could've done."

"Yeah, listen to her. You're not to blame, ya know," Raijin said. "Besides, we're still
a posse, right?" He put his hand out to Seifer, who took it.

"Yeah, we're a posse," Seifer said.

"POSSE," Fujin joined, putting her hand on the other two.


The screams that emanated from the screen were almost as bad as the real thing. Squall
felt Rinoa grip his hand as she watched the video, the tears rolling down her cheeks.

On screen, a bloodied and bruised Caraway screamed in agony as he writhed in the
restraints of the operating table. Wires had been placed into his torso, the electrodes visible
beneath the taught, pale skin, and little sparks jumped from the metal receptors that lead into
his body each time the current was applied.

After a few minutes, Caraway lay there motionless, his breathing ragged. Xana appeared
on screen again.

"As you can see, I can kill our dear Caraway at anytime. And although it would pain me
to do so, I will not hesitate. Unless...

"I will make a deal with you. I will hand over General Caraway in return for Vira Eronwil
and Rinoa Heartilly. Mind you, if there are any tricks, I will make sure that Caraway will feel
the consequences."

The screen turned back to Caraway, who writhed on the table again as another current of
electricity followed into him as the screen faded to black.

Cid turned off the monitor grimly and turned to the rest. "It seems we have a dilemma on
our hands," he said.

"What...are we supposed to do?" Vira asked, looking shocked at the whole thing. "I...
could go myself, if you think that'd be better, Squall."

There seemed to be no reach to how much Xana could hurt everyone. Anyone. And that it had
come down to just for her want of Vira and Rinoa. At that moment, Vira wished that she had run
off and gotten rid of Xana in the first place, even if it had taken the both of them out. At
least, she wouldn't feel as bad as she did now. Although, the feeling of guilt was one that
Vira had rarely ever felt, she knew what it was, and couldn't help but notice the small pang in
the back of her stomach. There was guilt in there. That if Vira had gotten rid of Xana before,
Rinoa's father wouldn't be in this trouble. And as much as Vira would deny it, she was becoming
more attached to the group, however anti-social she still acted. They didn't seem to find her
attitude odd, since Squall's had been quite similar, and still was to an extent. Was it
possible that all the emotions she had pushed down, denied existence, totally obliterated, were
still there and that they were coming back? That she was learning how to live with others and
care? Even if it was in the slightest way? Vira wasn't sure. There were feelings, ones that she
wasn't familiar with, and every day she spent with these people were making them come out
more and more. Something was changing in Vira, in addition to the stalking spectre of Death she
still felt haunting her. The tape of Caraway only succeeded in making her notice it more.

Squall looked from Rinoa to Vira, deep in thought. He didn't know what to do. This wasn't
something Squall had experience with. Even at Ultimecia's worst, she hadn't taken people and
tortured them to get at only two people. To Squall, Xana's actions seemed more fueled by
vengence, and petty disputes. That she was a woman who would go after someone who didn't look
at her right one day in the street. That she would do anything to pay someone back, for whatever
they did, no matter who she hurt along the way. As much as Squall hated to admit it, he found
a small similarity between mother and daughter. There was something about their faces, so set
in their mask of coldness, so determined to get what they were after, that he could tell they
were related. He didn't want to tell Vira that, because he could see that behind her cold
exterior, like him, was someone who was insecure. She had fears, and thoughts that she wouldn't
tell anyone else. Her tired eyes were windows to the mix of emotions that were going on behind
them. Ones that Squall guessed Vira wasn't even sure she knew what they were. The situation
was only getting worse now. Rinoa's estranged father had been dragged into this, in a petty
attempt to get the two people that Xana wanted. This would limit the time Rinoa had to
reconsile with him. Just the pain her large brown eyes showed that now she realized how much
she had to do it. Squall's heart ached knowing how hard this was on her. And then Squall
realized that he had absolutely now idea what they should do. He then turned to Cid. "Sir, what
should we do? This is a...very unusual situation."

Cid sighed and frowned. "I don't know for the life of me. I obviously can't send two of
my students to the gates of Hell, but we can't abandon Caraway either."

Rinoa looked up, her face set. Her face looking more determined than Squall had ever seen
it. "I'll go."

Squall was shocked. "No Rinoa! I-I mean, we can't do that! You know she wants you dead!"

"I'm going too," Vira agreed, her face returning to an emotionless mask.

Zell's jaw dropped as he stared from Rinoa to Vira and back again. "You two can't do
that! That's crazy! She'll kill all three of you!"

"Maybe we can use this to our advantage," Dorin said quietly from the back.

"What do you mean?" asked Irvine.

Dorin cleared his throat. "We can mount a covert ops mission, using them as our cover,"
he said, nodding to Vira and Rinoa. "When Xana is occupied with them, one group will break in
and free Caraway and the second will provide back up for Rinoa and Vira."

Cid nodded. "Yes, that sounds like a good plan. Is it all right with you Squall?"

"I guess," Squall sighed. "We don't really have any other option."

Cid nodded. "I'd rather not put you in this position, but I see no other choice. I'll
talk with Dorin to iron out the details, so in the meantime, you're all free until I call you
again. Dismissed."

The group got up, saluted, and left, save for Dorin.

"I don't like this one bit," Seifer growled. "Xana's not dumb, she knows we'll try
something like this."

"But we can't leave him!" Rinoa said suddenly, surprising all of them. "I can't leave
him to be tortured like an animal on the operating table! He's my father, Hynedammit, and I'm
going to save him or else..." She trailed off, her voice cracking. She gave everyone an
apologetic look, tears welling up in her eyes before she ran to the elevator and went down.

Selphie rolled her eyes. "Good one, Seifer."

Seifer glared at her. "I didn't know that she'd do that-"

Squall held up a hand. "Quiet you two. I'm going to go see if she needs any help. Just
stay frosty 'till the headmaster gives us the go ahead."

The group nodded and Squall descended in the elevator. He knew that Rinoa cared about her
father, even if they hadn't had the best of relationships. And as emotional as she was, he
couldn't imagine what she was thinking when she saw him being tortured like that.


After a bit of searching, he found her on the second floor observation deck. She was
looking out to sea, watching the sun set across the horizon, her back towards him. He walked up
quietly behind her and stood next to her. "Sure is pretty," he commented, hoping that it would
open her up.

Rinoa nodded slightly, then looked at him. "Do you remember anything about your father?"

Squall shook his head. "I was pretty young when I was put in the orphanage, so I don't
remember that much. And whatever I could remember about him was probably lost to the GF."

Rinoa shook her head sadly. "He always...used to pick me up and toss me in the air when I
was young. I loved that." She wiped a tear away that rolled down one smooth cheek. "He always
used to take me to Deling Park and push me on the swing. And I always used to love him for that
and everything else..." She trailed off, closing her eyes, the tears coming freely now.

"Then around...16 I guess I was, we started having problems. Once I started seeing what
Vinzer Deling was doing to the world, I sort of saw my father as helping him attain his goals.
And I began to hate him for it, because I pictured him as the one that invaded Timber, the one
that quashed the Deling Square uprising, when the soldiers opened fire on those students."

Rinoa laughed bitterly as she turned away. "And the thing is, he really wasn't like that.
In fact, he was the only dissenting general on the invasion of Timber, and he was responsible
for court martialing the officers that gave the order to open fire in the uprising. He was
always standing up for what was right during those times, even if he was alone in his
dissention. And what did I give him in return? Nothing. Nothing but anger and disappointment."

Rinoa turned back around to Squall and looked at him in the eye. "And now that I realize
all this, I have to help him. I have to-" She stopped, the words locking in her throat. She
took a deep breath and started again. "I have to tell him I'm sorry," she said softly. "That
I'm sorry that I disappointed him and that I love him. I don't remember the last time I said
that to him..." Rinoa's composure finally cracked and she flew into Squall's arms, sobbing.

Squall just stood there, holding her close and stroking her hair. He didn't know what to
say, what advice he should give, if he should say anything at all. But then Rinoa looked up at
him, her brown eyes looking up at him, hopeful. Squall melted, remembering the same way she
looked at him after he freed her from the Sorceress' Memorial. "We'll save him, right?" she
asked.

Squall nodded and kissed her softly. "We will. I promise."

Students scurried around the Quad, some of them chatting happily with each other, some
reading books, and others at the lower levels preparing for another Garden function. Alone,
Vira sat on one of the benches, drinking from a can of soda. A deep frown crossed her face as
she looked down to the polished floor. All the happy chatting of the students did not reach her
ears, nor did the calming flow of the water beneath her. The only sound she could hear was her
heartbeat, thumping rythmically in her chest. And she couldn't help but feel this was the last
day she'd ever notice it.

She was going to die. It was as simple as that. No matter what way she had looked at it,
every outcome was the same. The Final Justice spell could kill Xana, but it would kill her too.
She had to take Xana out, no way around it. So no matter what anyone would say, she would die
by the end of the day in her eyes. Vira shook her head slowly, cursing the world silently.

Vira took another swig from her soda, feeling the cold beverage fill her mouth. It was
funny the things you noticed at times like that.

-This'll be my last soda, the last time I'll see the Quad. Last sunset I saw was last
night, the last sunrise was this morning. 18 years and this is as far as I've come, to die at
the hands of myself to save the world from my own mother.-

It was ironic to her. The person who brought her into this world was the one who would
cause her to leave it. Vira knew the irony of it all and laughed bitterly, causing a passing
student to eye her strangely. She took another sip of her soda, this time noting how cold the
can felt in her hand; the condensation making it slippery and wet in her hand. Her grip on the
can tightened, a metalic crunch coming from it. Vira looked down and saw her hand was denting
the can. Sighing, she loosened her grip and placed the soda can on the bench next to her.

Vira's gaze turned upwards, looking at all the beautiful foliage in the Quad. Now she
heard the tranquil flow of water beaneath her again, and even the sounds behind it. All of the
sounds of the place she liked the most in this Garden, coming to her ears. If it was her last
day, Vira felt the need to appreciate what she liked. Even if she had never loved anything.

Which brought her thoughts to how she felt inside. There was an emptyness in there, a
place that felt void of anything. She almost knew what it was that was wrong, but couldn't
quite place it. Yes, she really didn't have friends. Except for these people she had just met.
Squall was someone she could relate to, and talk to like...she supposed it was like what a
brother would be. And although Zell's attempts to get Vira to be more friendly had backfired,
he had still tried to help her in FH. Then there was Dorin who barely would ever leave her
alone.

A painful realization hit her. They wouldn't care. Not a single one out of the group. Yes,
they'd be sad at first, but wouldn't really give it a second thought. No one would. Because she
had never been kind to them, never had cared about them. It only seemed right that no one would
care about her after she was gone. Vira felt alone but didn't care. Nothing mattered now.
Whatever was beyond their world was something she would find out in a matter of hours, and leave
this lonely, cold, heartless world behind.

"Hey, mind if I sit here?" A voice in front of her asked.

Vira looked up and saw Zell looking down at her, his face looking tense.

"...Whatever," she replied quietly.

He took it as a yes, sitting down next to her, making sure not to knock over her soda
can. For a few moments, they sat in silence, both staring out across the Quad. It was like the
twilight of a day. The point between living and death, between nothing and something, between
everything. An awkward moment of silence that seemed to last forever. That's how it was with
twilight. It would feel like an eternity but only last a second.

"Guess this is it, huh?" Zell said finally, looking at Vira out of the corner of his eye.

She took another sip from her soda, this time holding the can in her hand. It was
beginning to feel lighter, the soda disappearing quickly. Vira took another sip and responded,
"Guess so."

Zell turned his face to look at her, staring at her intently with his blue eyes. "You
okay with this? I mean, ya might not survive this if you're plannin' on goin' after Xana."

"Sure." Vira shrugged apathetically.

"Really? You're positive about that?"

Vira's frown deepened, her eyes still not looking at Zell. "Yes, I am."

"Yeah, well...about FH...there's somethin' I wanna tell ya, Vira." Zell scratched the
back of his neck nervously.

"I don't want to hear it, Zell."

Zell's eyes widened. "What?"

"One way or another, I will die today. I don't see a way around it, and appearantly,
neither do you. I've known you for a few days, and you've humiliated me in front of almost the
entire Garden-"

"But I didn't-"

Vira put a hand up to silence Zell's interuption. "But you also helped me in FH and I
appreciate that. I know that you care about people and you like to make friends. And we both
know how hard it is for me to make friends."

"Yeah, I know," Zell said, piping in as Vira paused to recollect her thoughts. She took
one last sip from her soda and crushed the can in her hand.

"But at this point, I don't care anymore. If I'm gonna die, it's much too late for me to
change and to care about all this friendly stuff. And if what you were gonna say has something
to do with friendship and love and all that stuff, I don't want to hear it. I'm not interested
and it won't make a difference."

Zell's jaw dropped for a moment, but then closed and tightened considerably. The hurt he
was feeling was appearant all over him. His eyes glazed over, his eyebrows jutting downward. His
hurt turned to anger. Zell stood up, looking down at Vira with a hard expression. As he spoke,
his voice had a hard tone Vira hadn't heard in his voice before. "Vira, I said you might die.
I never said you were for sure. We all are going to try our hardest to help you and keep you
from death. But, you don't make us want to help that much. I thought I had reached you, I
thought I had seen what was underneath. I thought that under all that hard stuff you keep on the
outside was just a facade for the feelings you had underneath. That underneath you were a
beautiful, lovely, wonderful person. But, when it comes down to it, you aren't. Or, I can't
reach it. You shove everyone away, even if they try to be close. Even if they try to help. You
just keep them away because...I dunno. You're even worse than Squall. At least he let Rinoa in.
You don't let anyone in."

He took a deep breath and let it out, then continued. "This could be your last chance to
make peace with yourself and others. Your last chance to make friends and connections to this
world. But you'll refuse because you think that you don't need anyone, don't want anyone, and
that it won't make a difference. It does. Friends are the greatest thing in the world and you're
missing out on it."

Zell began to walk away, but turned to say one last thing to her. "I thought I could be
close to you. Maybe be something important to ya. Guess I was wrong. Because there isn't
anything important to you. And there probably never will be."

Then he was gone, students moving out of his way as he stormed out. And as he stalked
away, Vira felt haunted by the words he said. If she was to die that day, she would die alone.
As she was right that moment. Vira let go of the soda can in her hand, hearing it clang in a
hollow manner on the slick floor. It rolled from side to side unevenly (from how crushed it was)
and slowly came to a stop. And Vira's eyes stayed fixed on the exit where Zell had left, his
words repeating in her mind. Alone.

Author's Comments: Well, certainly took me long enough to get this one uploaded, didn't
it? Yeah, sorry, loss of motivation and being busy with a sequel and stuff. That and job
huntin'. The next chapter will be our heroes in their attept to rescue Caraway from the Silver
Siren and Vira facing off with Xana. A lotta stuff will happen, so stay tuned. :) And, as
always, *please* R&R. :D