Notes - I still can't believe I broke 150 reviews. You guys are awesome. This chapter is a little shorter than I wanted it to be, but it's a rather important one. I've been thinking about how many more chapters there will be... probably only around three, then an epilogue, and a final notes and thank you page. Really nearing the end now...
Squall was not having an easy time of things. Besides his sleepless nights of worrying over Rinoa, work and SeeD requests were piling up; he had been neglecting them. When Seifer and Zell stormed into his office, he wasn't sure how to react. Seifer's eyes were flaming green spheres of fury. Zell's were narrow, spitting layers of angry blue.
Squall's breath hitched in his throat, and he felt a small tug in his chest.
Quistis was not with them.
***
Her mind was very much alive, though her body remained immobile. Her eyes remained locked forward, brain racing. There was darkness, the sensation of movement, and somehow Quistis knew that she was being teleported. She ached to move her fingers around, to let her eyes turn to the sides. Little actions one usually takes for granted.
Time seemed to slow, color gradually returned. Suddenly Rinoa's face appeared in front of her, her body unable to recoil. She mentally cursed her as a corner of Rinoa's pale mouth lifted and curled to a nasty smirk.
"Boo."
The muscles in her wrists and hands pulsed, how she wanted to wrap them around her neck.
'I know you want to curse my existence. We can communicate like this,' Rinoa's voice sounded in her brain, the only part of Quistis that was still alive. She felt violated, nothing was private anymore. Rinoa could sift through her memories like pages in a book.
'What are you doing, Rinoa? More importantly, why the hell are you doing it?'
'I am awaiting the knight I was denied, and the reign that was wrongfully taken from me.'
Rinoa's voice was no longer her own quiet and girlish one. It was booming, angry, and deeper.
'Who...are you...?'
***
"Where is Quistis?" Squall tried desperately to keep his voice even. "Why aren't you in Esthar? Are Quistis and Laguna okay?"
"Laguna is sitting high and mighty as always," Seifer snorted. "But Quistis has been kidnapped by your psycho girlfriend!"
"What are you talking about?" Squall replied, the icy anxiety growing with every passing word.
"Rinoa is insane!" Zell explained. "She turned Quistis into a rock, threw Seifer into a wall, and teleported away. All she said was 'find me there.'"
"...The flower field?" Squall pondered thoughtfully.
"Somehow, I don't think so Squall," Seifer shook his head, bringing his eyes to the window. The expanse of the Alcauld Plains stretched on endlessly. He could remember a time where this tiny island had been the world, all he had known. He had been so naïve. "It isn't you, or even Quistis that she is after. It's me."
Squall snorted, putting a hand on his waist and staring to the floor.
"...You are so full of yourself."
"No need to be jealous, Squall, I don't want her anyway. I...have an idea where they might be. She fed me a dream or something, I was thinking about it on the way over here. It's some tiny, undiscovered lake in Esthar. I think you should come with us."
"...I can't just leave," Squall murmured, turning his back and crossing his arms. Zell punched a fist into his palm, frustrated. Seifer slapped his hand onto the desk, scattering papers.
"Yes you can so leave!" he bellowed. "This is your girlfriend, Squall! You love her, you're supposed to go after her when she's in trouble! And all you've been doing this entire time is sitting pretty in your little office chair with a pile of papers in front of you! You're a disgrace to knights everywhere!"
"I don't need your preaching, Seifer," Squall whispered without turning. "You have no idea what love is about anyway."
An image briefly flickered in his mind. Quistis, eyes shut, voice icy.
'You love yourself so much there's no room for anyone else.'
Love.
What was it about, anyway? He wondered. Was it about boxes of chocolate on Valentine's Day? Expensive restaurants, diamond hunks of engagement rings? Love was none of that.
Unexpectedly, it was clear to him.
Love...was Quistis.
It was impossible for Seifer to define it any other way.
"Oh...I think I know plenty about love, Squall. You're the one who is confused, so let me clear it up for you. Love is knowing that you are loyal to her, and not paperwork." Love is Quistis.
Squall turned to his desk. A breeze was fluttering from the window, fluttering his papers around. They formed a circle around a small, framed picture of Rinoa Heartilly. Delicate, dark bangs framed her beaming face. Her eyes held the same youthful glimmer that they always had, she was so beautiful. And then Squall knew what he had tried to deny - Love was Rinoa.
Wordlessly, he pulled on his jacket and stalked from the room.
***
'Who am I?' the voice was that of Rinoa's once more. 'You're so smart, can't you figure it out?'
'I'm in no mood for guessing games.'
'Want me to give you a hint?'
'I want you to shut up.'
'Seifer is rubbing off on you, you know,' Rinoa sighed into Quistis' mind. 'I'm getting too old for this. It will probably be a while before he figures out where to go, he's slow, just like his father was. Hope you're comfortable in that rocky shell of yours,' she laughed bitterly, not realizing the mistake she let slip.
'What do you mean, his father?' Quistis demanded. 'Tell me! Who are you? What do you want with Seifer and I?"
'Seifer is the next best thing to the knight I was denied. That is what I want with him. You, you're simply the bait, my dear.'
An image crossed into Quistis' mind. A young woman, embracing a tall blonde man. Their clothing was almost royal. She noticed a tear frozen in place on the woman's cheek.
'Was that you?' Quistis ventured boldly. The voice lost its Rinoa mask, and became the deeper, angrier one that it was before.
'Yes,' she didn't bother to deny.
'Who is that man?'
'Irion Almasy,' the answer was offered automatically. She was breaking down, and Quistis finally pieced the puzzle together. An Almasy legacy, written in time, never to be erased. A gene pool of knights. A sorceress in need of one, the only one to be denied.
'I thought you were dead, Adel.'
'That all depends on what you consider to be death,' she drawled. 'My body is still very much alive, though I am using this girl has a host at the moment. Spiritually, emotionally...I guess you could say I died with Irion.'
Squall was not having an easy time of things. Besides his sleepless nights of worrying over Rinoa, work and SeeD requests were piling up; he had been neglecting them. When Seifer and Zell stormed into his office, he wasn't sure how to react. Seifer's eyes were flaming green spheres of fury. Zell's were narrow, spitting layers of angry blue.
Squall's breath hitched in his throat, and he felt a small tug in his chest.
Quistis was not with them.
***
Her mind was very much alive, though her body remained immobile. Her eyes remained locked forward, brain racing. There was darkness, the sensation of movement, and somehow Quistis knew that she was being teleported. She ached to move her fingers around, to let her eyes turn to the sides. Little actions one usually takes for granted.
Time seemed to slow, color gradually returned. Suddenly Rinoa's face appeared in front of her, her body unable to recoil. She mentally cursed her as a corner of Rinoa's pale mouth lifted and curled to a nasty smirk.
"Boo."
The muscles in her wrists and hands pulsed, how she wanted to wrap them around her neck.
'I know you want to curse my existence. We can communicate like this,' Rinoa's voice sounded in her brain, the only part of Quistis that was still alive. She felt violated, nothing was private anymore. Rinoa could sift through her memories like pages in a book.
'What are you doing, Rinoa? More importantly, why the hell are you doing it?'
'I am awaiting the knight I was denied, and the reign that was wrongfully taken from me.'
Rinoa's voice was no longer her own quiet and girlish one. It was booming, angry, and deeper.
'Who...are you...?'
***
"Where is Quistis?" Squall tried desperately to keep his voice even. "Why aren't you in Esthar? Are Quistis and Laguna okay?"
"Laguna is sitting high and mighty as always," Seifer snorted. "But Quistis has been kidnapped by your psycho girlfriend!"
"What are you talking about?" Squall replied, the icy anxiety growing with every passing word.
"Rinoa is insane!" Zell explained. "She turned Quistis into a rock, threw Seifer into a wall, and teleported away. All she said was 'find me there.'"
"...The flower field?" Squall pondered thoughtfully.
"Somehow, I don't think so Squall," Seifer shook his head, bringing his eyes to the window. The expanse of the Alcauld Plains stretched on endlessly. He could remember a time where this tiny island had been the world, all he had known. He had been so naïve. "It isn't you, or even Quistis that she is after. It's me."
Squall snorted, putting a hand on his waist and staring to the floor.
"...You are so full of yourself."
"No need to be jealous, Squall, I don't want her anyway. I...have an idea where they might be. She fed me a dream or something, I was thinking about it on the way over here. It's some tiny, undiscovered lake in Esthar. I think you should come with us."
"...I can't just leave," Squall murmured, turning his back and crossing his arms. Zell punched a fist into his palm, frustrated. Seifer slapped his hand onto the desk, scattering papers.
"Yes you can so leave!" he bellowed. "This is your girlfriend, Squall! You love her, you're supposed to go after her when she's in trouble! And all you've been doing this entire time is sitting pretty in your little office chair with a pile of papers in front of you! You're a disgrace to knights everywhere!"
"I don't need your preaching, Seifer," Squall whispered without turning. "You have no idea what love is about anyway."
An image briefly flickered in his mind. Quistis, eyes shut, voice icy.
'You love yourself so much there's no room for anyone else.'
Love.
What was it about, anyway? He wondered. Was it about boxes of chocolate on Valentine's Day? Expensive restaurants, diamond hunks of engagement rings? Love was none of that.
Unexpectedly, it was clear to him.
Love...was Quistis.
It was impossible for Seifer to define it any other way.
"Oh...I think I know plenty about love, Squall. You're the one who is confused, so let me clear it up for you. Love is knowing that you are loyal to her, and not paperwork." Love is Quistis.
Squall turned to his desk. A breeze was fluttering from the window, fluttering his papers around. They formed a circle around a small, framed picture of Rinoa Heartilly. Delicate, dark bangs framed her beaming face. Her eyes held the same youthful glimmer that they always had, she was so beautiful. And then Squall knew what he had tried to deny - Love was Rinoa.
Wordlessly, he pulled on his jacket and stalked from the room.
***
'Who am I?' the voice was that of Rinoa's once more. 'You're so smart, can't you figure it out?'
'I'm in no mood for guessing games.'
'Want me to give you a hint?'
'I want you to shut up.'
'Seifer is rubbing off on you, you know,' Rinoa sighed into Quistis' mind. 'I'm getting too old for this. It will probably be a while before he figures out where to go, he's slow, just like his father was. Hope you're comfortable in that rocky shell of yours,' she laughed bitterly, not realizing the mistake she let slip.
'What do you mean, his father?' Quistis demanded. 'Tell me! Who are you? What do you want with Seifer and I?"
'Seifer is the next best thing to the knight I was denied. That is what I want with him. You, you're simply the bait, my dear.'
An image crossed into Quistis' mind. A young woman, embracing a tall blonde man. Their clothing was almost royal. She noticed a tear frozen in place on the woman's cheek.
'Was that you?' Quistis ventured boldly. The voice lost its Rinoa mask, and became the deeper, angrier one that it was before.
'Yes,' she didn't bother to deny.
'Who is that man?'
'Irion Almasy,' the answer was offered automatically. She was breaking down, and Quistis finally pieced the puzzle together. An Almasy legacy, written in time, never to be erased. A gene pool of knights. A sorceress in need of one, the only one to be denied.
'I thought you were dead, Adel.'
'That all depends on what you consider to be death,' she drawled. 'My body is still very much alive, though I am using this girl has a host at the moment. Spiritually, emotionally...I guess you could say I died with Irion.'