Disclaimer: I don't own any of the FFVIII characters involved within; Squaresoft does.
Author's Note: This chapter must be bad luck; when I last uploaded chapter two, I was experiencing a hard drive crash. It's happened again… Also, revising is harder this time around. I have so many more changes to make! But it'll be worth it. To me, anyway. Chapter three will take time. The changes in one and two mean I may have to completely rewrite three. But I know what I want to do with it, unlike last time around.
NIGHT HUNTERS
Part Two
Dangerous Game
"Not again." Quistis's voice was a strangled whisper as she stepped through the puddles of blood and half-chewed organs spilled from the decapitated T-Rexaur. "Not another one. Not here." Her hand was rubbing the stump of her arm, and her face was pale. Her eyes looked huge behind her glasses. "It must be the victim of another T-Rexaur; it has to be."
Rinoa's heart was in her throat as she took in the agonizingly familiar claw patterns in the monster's scaly flesh. She'd told Quistis what she'd felt, and a frightened student had come in the early morning to report the corpse. He'd seemed embarrassed and ashamed by his fear, and had admitted he hadn't seen anything that could have caused this.
Seifer was glaring at the body, as if he held it responsible for destroying his wife's happiness. "Are you sure that's what it was? Could it have been another one of these bastards? It's their mating season, right?" He prodded the head with a steel-toed boot, searching for clues.
"I f-felt it. It w-was the s-same," Rinoa said firmly. Her face was bloodless, but her expression remained strangely calm. She'd seen too much of this in the past few years…
Selphie and Irvine arrived then. They'd circled the Training Center, seeking more victims or the attacker itself, despite Rinoa's insistence it was another werewolf. They'd been checking all the T-Rexaurs, in case one of them had indeed been the killer. If so, then the attacking T-Rexaur would have received some wounds as well from such a violent battle.
"Nothing," Irvine reported. "No bodies, no footprints, nothing. In fact, we had trouble finding any of the creatures. They all seem to be in hiding. Or mating," he said, a little enviously. Selphie rolled her eyes.
"I've never seen a frightened T-Rexaur before," Selphie whispered. She'd covered her nose when the scent made her choke.
"What do you want us to do?" Zell finally spoke up.
"I'm not taking any chances; I'm going to close down the Training Center for today, and I want an armed clean-up crew in here. And I want patrols out tonight. If there is another werewolf here, it'll show itself after dark. Meanwhile," Quistis's face looked grim, "I'm going to do a headcount."
Rinoa's face was stony as she followed Quistis out of the Training Center. Zell was beside her, and he halted her with a light touch on her arm. "Maybe it's not evil," he said quietly. "This thing has only just shown itself, and all it's killed is a T-Rexaur. Maybe it's not murderous, just… different." Zell gave her a broad grin. "Maybe Reya's experiments went wrong, and one of them has escaped and come here. If we can find this person, maybe they'll help us stick it to the bitch and get your children back!"
Rinoa smiled weakly. It did make a sort of sense, she admitted to herself. It could be one of Reya's creations. If it had been real at all… But this time, the evidence was before her eyes. Something had killed the T-Rexaur.
What if it this new werewolf was a spy, rather than an escapee? Or a rogue who wouldn't side with anyone? She'd felt the raw edge of the creature's emotions, and they hadn't been pleasant. The possibilities for disaster were limitless.
"Hyne," she moaned. "W-why c-can't this j-just l-leave us alone? H-haven't w-we s-suffered enough?"
* * *
"So far, so good," Quistis said. She was in her office, her infant son Sefrin asleep in a basket beside her. Rinoa, Zell, and the others were all there, preparing for the coming night. "None of the students were hurt and, with the exception of Mero, none of them even heard or saw anything suspicious. They're getting nervous, however, and rumors are spreading about this being more than just a T-Rexaur battle." Quistis smiled wanly. "We can't tell them the truth; they'd panic and ruin our investigation. But they've come close to guessing the truth."
"I checked Balamb," Rinoa said carefully. "No one has reported any strange deaths or sightings there, either. This thing must have been doing its hunting in the fields, or has only now just lost control." The others looked at her strangely, clearly wondering when she'd had the time to investigate the town.
"Dr. Kadowaki says none of the students have been ill lately; not like Squall was," Selphie said.
"R-reya m-might have f-fixed that," Rinoa muttered.
"You think she's responsible, then?" Quistis asked.
"D-don't you?" Rinoa clenched her fists. "M-maybe this is a s-sign she's c-coming out of h-hiding." The strength of her emotions made it impossible to hide her stutter.
"We'll be ready for her when she does," Irvine promised. "I've gathered all the ammo that's been infused with magic for tonight," he continued. "If that creature shows up tonight, we'll be ready for it."
"Don't kill it unless it's necessary," Quistis said, though it looked as if saying it pained her. She feared these werewolves as much as anyone else. Quistis met Rinoa's gaze as she added, "It could be our lead to find Reya."
"I'll have the watches posted before nightfall," Quistis continued, careful not to betray her thoughts. "Get a nap while you can; you're all on duty tonight." The SeeDs left obediently, though Rinoa lingered behind, casting Quistis and Sefrin an envious look. Quistis's face hardened, and Rinoa quickly departed.
Zell met her outside. "Are you sure about this?" he asked. "Could it have been another one of your nightmares?"
Rinoa stiffened. Had he guessed about her dream the other night? He couldn't have… he must have been referring to her earlier nightmares. "I kn-know w-what I f-felt," she said firmly. "It's another m-monster."
Zell looked uncertain, but shrugged. "If you need anything…" he began.
"Z-zell," Rinoa said stiffly. "G-go. Go to h-her. I know y-you w-want to."
Zell smiled ruefully. "Is it that obvious?" he asked. He needed no more urging; at Rinoa's light laugh, he hurried off to where Hannah must have been waiting for him. Despite the girl's cold reception towards Rinoa, she believed a girlfriend would be good for Zell. It would keep him from worrying about Rinoa all the time, at any rate. I think he must have been half in love with me… This should get him off my back.
Especially since she had other things to worry about now. It wasn't a dream. But I couldn't tell them the rest, about my nightmare of the homeless man's death. They might think I was responsible…
And… what if I was?
* * *
"You don't believe her, do you?" Seifer's voice interrupted Quistis's thoughts. The commander turned towards her husband, who had hung back from the crowd of SeeDs.
"Why do you say that?" Quistis asked.
"Reya hasn't shown herself for two years; and Rinoa hasn't been right in the head." His face darkened, and he crouched down over his son. "She took Sefrin; does that seem like something a sane person would do?"
Quistis pursed her lips. A few days after Sefrin's birth, something inside Rinoa had seemed to snap. She'd taken Sefrin, snatching him from his cradle and taking him to her room. She'd returned him an hour later, saying she hadn't known why she'd done it and apologizing profusely.
Rinoa desperately wanted to find the sorceress and recover her children, and it had become an obsession, one that was consuming Rinoa, and slowly driving her mad… If they could find Reya and destroy her once and for all… If it was indeed Reya who was responsible. It was possible Rinoa was creating a fantasy out of the T-Rexaur's death, making a fight-to-the-death and the subsequent ravaging by scavengers seem like a brutal slaying by a monster.
"I don't know if I believe her or not," Quistis confessed. "I don't want to; but what if she's right? I can't take that chance. We'll see tonight, won't we? It won't hurt to be on full alert; it could be the practice we sorely need, after all. If nothing shows up tonight, then we'll know."
Seifer rested his hand on Quistis's arm. "Nothing will show up," he said firmly. "It was a T-Rexaur dominance battle, nothing more. You'll see."
"I hope you're right," Quistis whispered, her gaze on her infant. "I really hope you're right."
* * *
The halls were kept in shadow, to further bait the beast. The students had been sent to bed early, with the excuse that the SeeDs were doing a drill and needed the hallways cleared. The students weren't fooled.
Rinoa watched with Zell and a new SeeD named Devon. She leaned against the wall of one dark corridor, eyes shut and mind open to the creature. Where is it? It was well after nightfall, and she hadn't felt anything. Not the overspill of emotion caused by transformation, nor the bloodlust that flooded her own thoughts when the creature was hunting.
She rested her hand on the butt of her gun, fingers lightly caressing the smooth metal. After Reya's assault on her, she'd resolved to learn a new, more powerful weapon. Most of the SeeD weapons required years of training to pick up, so she'd learned to use a pistol. She was a fair shot, though nowhere near a marksman. She hoped one day to kill Reya with it, to blow the woman's brains out and recover her children from whatever grisly fate the sorceress had planned for them
"Anything?" Zell asked, fidgeting impatiently. Standing around and waiting wasn't his favorite thing to do. He wanted action, not this skulking around in shadows.
Rinoa heaved a trembling sigh. "N-nothing," she whispered. "N-nothing at a-all…"
And perhaps that's all this new beast was; nothing but a fantasy concocted by a mad woman. It seemed she really was losing it, after all.
* * *
Rinoa slunk into the cafeteria the next morning, exhausted but too depressed to get any sleep. She'd been certain something would happen last night, but the creature hadn't put in an appearance. Had she imagined the creature's transformation after all?
She slumped into a chair, rubbing her eyes wearily. She should get a drink at least, she knew, but she didn't want to get up now that she'd taken a seat. Maybe she should just go to bed after all… but what if more dreams awaited her?
"You don't look so well, Rinoa. Are you all right?" Garen's concerned voice said from behind her. Rinoa stifled a groan. She did not feel like talking to anyone right now.
Garen was unaffected by her silence. He sat beside her, looking closely at her face. "I heard something was going on last night," he said quietly. "Something that had the SeeDs all on alert. Is that what's bothering you? Is there some big emergency?"
Rinoa wondered how much to tell him. He was still only a student, even if he was older than most of the others. But… it might do some good to talk to someone. "Last night… No, there wasn't an emergency." She was so exhausted, it was all she could do to keep the stutter from her voice. "But it wasn't a drill, either. It's my fault. I thought there was something going on that wasn't…" She studied her shaking hands, ignoring her companion. "The others think I'm crazy," she finished.
Garen frowned. "Are you?" he asked seriously. "I've heard stories about you since I've arrived, but you seem pretty sane to me."
She snorted. "You and Zell are the only ones who think that, then."
Garen gracefully stood from his chair and went around behind her. "You aren't crazy; you've just been through a lot," he said softly. His hands found the base of her neck, and she flinched from the touch. "I'm not surprised if you are a little paranoid," he continued. He began to knead his fingers on her neck, and she gasped at the touch. It was unasked for, but… soothing. No one had touched her like this in a long time, and he seemed to know just how to rub the tension from her shoulders. "It'll get better with time; you'll see," he said.
No, it won't, she wanted to say. Not with her body falling to pieces. Not with her children in the hands of a madwoman. Not with her mind slowly descending into madness…
But she decided not to think of that now, and lost herself in Garen's touch. Maybe Zell was right; maybe she should get to know Garen better. Maybe she should try to be happy while she still had the chance.
* * *
"Hello, Hannah!" Zell greeted with forced cheer. He collapsed into the chair next to her. "So, did you hear about the excitement last night?"
Hannah wrinkled her nose. "Unfortunately, yes. There was a SeeD squad patrolling my corridor all night. The sound of steel-tipped boots on tile makes for unpleasant sleeping conditions. What was that all about, anyway?"
"Just a drill," Zell said evasively.
"Really… It sounded more like a full alert. They were armed out there. Do you always carry weapons in a drill?" Hannah looked skeptical.
"Uh," Zell couldn't think of a proper response. "Sometimes."
"It was like you were trying to protect us from something," she continued.
"I wouldn't want anything to happen to you!" Zell blurted without thinking. He blushed.
Hannah arched an eyebrow. "Oh?" she said, though her voice now had a teasing note. "I'm perfectly capable of defending myself."
"Really," Zell purred, encouraged by her response to his clumsy confession. "I think you'd have a hard time fending me off."
"Hmph," was all Hannah said. She was clearly unimpressed. "Maybe I don't want to fend you off," she added coyly.
Zell, who had been leaning closer to her over the table, nearly fell flat on his face. "Really? I…" He didn't know what to say. He could only sit and mumble incoherently, wondering how Irvine could charm so many women so easily. Some guys have all the luck…
Hannah watched him with amusement. She reached for her glass of milk, a sly grin tugging at the corners of her mouth.
"I could cram five hot dogs into that open mouth of yours," Hannah said suddenly. "I suggest you shut it before you start drooling. People are starting to stare."
Sheepishly, Zell snapped his mouth shut. He hadn't realized this girl had such an… obvious affect on him. But… did he want to get into a relationship with her? After being turned away by a woman who wouldn't go out with a cripple, he was wary of trying anything else. And who knew how long Hannah would be here? What if she wanted to return to Trabia?
He must have said that thought aloud because she suddenly leaned forward. "If I do, then why not make my stay one to remember?" she said.
Zell thought he was going to faint then and there. "Do you mean…?" he asked a little breathlessly. He'd known she was bold, but this…
She grinned savagely. "I need someone to help me study for my world history exam, which is still scheduled for later today. I could use some tutoring. And if I pass, I'll certainly remember today."
"Oh," Zell said. "Of course." Stupid, what did you think she meant? She's only a student! She's barely younger than you are, but still…
"I hope you don't mind, though, my roommate won't be there. She has class until late tonight. So it'll be just you and I."
"That'll be… okay," Zell said weakly. He was going to be alone with her…
"Would you look at that?" Hannah said suddenly, her biting tone cutting through Zell's thoughts. He followed her gaze to where Garen was standing with his arms around… Rinoa? "You'd think he'd have better taste!"
"What's wrong with Rinoa?" Zell said, suddenly defensive for his friend. It seemed she was finally moving on with her life, and Zell didn't want anything to hurt that.
Hannah's mouth twisted unpleasantly. "I… It's nothing you'd understand," she said finally. Odd… there's something almost sad about her expression… What's wrong with her, and what's it have to do with Rinoa?
* * *
Rinoa went slowly to her room, her thoughts on the past half hour. She hadn't expected to be so reluctant to leave Garen. He'd been so gentle with her, so kind and understanding. In him, she didn't see the pity and fear she inspired in others. Instead, he accepted that she had been through more than any human had any right to, and realized that she was changed by her experiences. Who wouldn't be mentally scarred after all this?
And what was more, he seemed to want to help her heal. As his deft fingers had wound their way down her back, rubbing away the tension that had been there for so long, he'd spoken to her soothingly, asking simple questions about nothing in particular, drawing her attention away from what had disturbed her for so long. For the first time in what seemed years, she'd been able to relax. And as her tension eased, her stutter had seemed to fade away. Even the pain inside her had diminished under his soothing touch, and she'd groaned in delight. Why had she denied herself this for so long? Zell was right; this was better for her than anything the doctors had done!
When Garen had announced he'd had to get to class, she hadn't wanted him to go. She could see from his gaze that he wished he could stay with her, but he'd gotten to his feet and sternly admonished her to get some sleep. But his hand on her shoulder had lingered, fingers lifting to softly caress her cheek before he vanished.
As she entered her small room, she felt the exhaustion wash over her. But the good feeling Garen had left her with lingered, and she sprawled onto her bed with a smile. She fell asleep almost as soon as her head hit the pillow, and this time her dreams were pleasant, of hands that lovingly caressed her, and a voice that drove the darkness away
* * *
This was a lot tougher than Zell had anticipated. He was sprawled on the floor of Hannah's shared room, while the younger girl leafed frantically through a history book for an answer. It was an obvious question; Zell was stunned that she didn't know it. Then again, Hannah hadn't known the answer to a lot of questions. It wasn't that she was stupid; once she learned her facts, she remembered them when asked later. It was more as if she'd never learned that history in the first place. Ridiculous! Trabia schools all its students in the basics before sending them here for the SeeD exams.
"You're frustrated by me," Hannah said suddenly, slamming her book shut. She stared down at Zell from her spot on her bed, an apologetic look on her face. "I'm sorry; I shouldn't be wasting your time this way."
"It's all right! You just need to brush up on your basics, is all." Zell grinned up at her. "You act like it's been a couple of years since you've had history lessons."
Hannah's face paled, and she looked away. "Yeah... a couple of years."
Zell was immediately alerted by her shameful tone. "What's wrong?" He pushed himself to his knees, then drew himself onto the bed beside her. "You've never learned this stuff, have you?"
Hannah's breath hissed in her teeth. "Is it that obvious?" she asked.
"It is when you don't even know the names of the continents I'm referring to," Zell said.
"Damn." Hannah chewed her lip, tapping her fingers against the cover of the history book. "Garen said I was bad, but..." She frowned. "You're right; I'm totally ignorant. I was... sheltered, I guess you could say, while Garen was sent to Trabia to learn. I followed him. Our mother must be livid."
He hadn't known they weren't orphans. Now, he guessed they must come from a rich family, one who didn't think an education was worthwhile for a daughter being groomed only for marriage prospects. But that didn't explain her fighting talent... Perhaps her brother had trained her in private?
"Um, Zell?" Hannah's wry voice broke from Zell from his fantasy. "What do you think? Should I just... give up?"
"Never give up," Zell said. "Even if you fail, you can always retake the exam. If you do, I'll be able to help you better, with more time. And by the time we're done, I'll bet you'll know enough to ace it."
She gave him a sweet smile, and Zell was suddenly struck by a strange thought. With her face softened, she looked a lot like Rinoa. Could he be attracted to her for that likeness?
Well, whatever the reason, he was determined to help Hannah however he could. Even if studying history for the next couple of hours while he was only half awake wasn't his ideal way of starting a romance.
* * *
Rinoa awoke around evening, when a horrifyingly familiar sensation ripped through her pleasant dreams. She jerked upwards, her nerves on fire as if she had undergone the transformation herself.
It was real. She'd felt it, for certain this time. Rinoa rolled out of bed, landing heavily on her lame leg but the adrenaline surge had blocked out the pain. It was here, in Garden, and she was going to find it if nobody else was!
She still wore her rumpled attire from the previous night, so she wasted no time grabbing her handgun and stealing into the hallway. It was deserted, since most students were either in the common rooms or in their quarters by this time of night. It also meant Quistis hadn't posted any patrols tonight. She's not taking this seriously! Stupid…
Rinoa had barely taken a few steps when she felt a prickling sensation between her shoulder blades. It felt as if she were being watched… There was a blur of motion tearing itself from the shadows, a flash of claws that shredded the cloth of her T-shirt, then with a deafening howl, a huge black creature lunged past her, running on all fours down the halls. It's here!
She changed direction, whirling to follow the beast which fluidly vanished into shadows only to reappear in totally unexpected places. Its angular head would turn back, burning eyes meeting her own gaze, then it would increase its frantic pace and lead her further away. It seemed to have an uncanny knack for avoiding stray students or instructors, who all turned to stare oddly at Rinoa as she sprinted past.
She followed the elusive shadow, occasional glimpses of light off tooth or claw her only way of locating it. The creature flitted from shadow to shadow, seeming to take no effort in hiding itself. It was also careful to stay away from populated areas. In fact, it seemed intent on leading her away from everything…
It's drawing me away! She had to put an end to that, before she was out of reach of any assistance or she lost the creature completely. Her concentration wasn't focused enough for a spell, so she had only one option. She raised the handgun, guessing the creature's location from the sound, and fired.
The creature let out a keening wail, then sprinted forward, no longer bothering to hide. It veered right, slamming its bulk into a large window and shattering the glass. It landed on the hard-packed earth below, seemingly unfazed by its fall. It rapidly vanished in the darkened plains. Odd, Rinoa thought as for a brief instant she glimpsed the creature clearly under the moonlight, this one is more quadrupedal than Squall was…
She stopped by the shattered window, leaning over the frame and straining her eyes for a glimpse of the creature. There was nothing out there, as if it had vanished. Or never existed at all…
"What was that?" A trio of armed SeeDs came around the bend, lead by Quistis. The commander frowned when she saw Rinoa. "What's going on?"
"I s-saw it!" Rinoa said. "I-I chased it w-way f-from my r-room. It is a w-werewolf!"
Quistis's face was grim as one of the SeeDs whispered something in her ear. "Rinoa, you were spotted running armed through the lobby chasing nothing. You seem to be the only one who saw this werewolf. If these delusions persist, I may have to take your weapons and have you confined."
"B-but… I saw it! L-look, there's b-blood!" Rinoa gestured to a small pool by her feet, where she had presumably hit the creature. The commander's lips thinned.
"You're the one bleeding, Rinoa," Quistis sighed. She gestured towards Rinoa's forearm, where a deep cut sliced from wrist to the inside of her elbow. She must have cut it leaning over the window without realizing it. "Go see Dr. Kadowaki. I'll be there in a few minutes. We'll see what she can do for you."
Rinoa slumped. She means pills… But I'm not crazy! Am I? She went to the doctor's office reluctantly, knowing it would do no good. I'm dying, but I may go insane first. What can Kadowaki do for me? Hyne, I need help, but not like this…
What she needed was someone who believed in her. Someone who wouldn't think she was insane, that she actually had seen a creature that had concealed itself from everyone else. She needed someone like Zell on her side… or Garen…
Quistis met her outside the door. "I'm having a squad check, in case you really did see something," she said grudgingly. But so far, they haven't found anything."
"I know w-what I saw," Rinoa said flatly.
"I know you believe you saw a werewolf," Quistis said softly. "That's why I'm taking no chances. I want to believe that you're fine, that you've been doing better these past few years, but I honestly don't know. You've done things that make me question your sanity."
"S-sefrin," Rinoa sighed.
"Right. I can't forget that. It was the most agonizing hour of my life, wondering what had happened to my child. But it did give me a feel for what you're going through. That's why I've let this go for so long. But when you start running around with a gun at night, you endanger the students. I'm sorry, Rinoa, I've thought it over, and I need to disarm you."
Rinoa studied the tile beneath her feet. "O-one m-more chance?" she pleaded.
"This was your last chance. And… I'm going to find an Odine's bangle," Quistis continued, and Rinoa felt her heart sink.
"No," she moaned.
"I know they hurt, but at least you won't be able to accidentally harm anyone. Dr. Odine should be able to ship me one within the week."
"No…" She'd be totally helpless! No weapons, no magic… Just a failing body and mind.
"I'm sorry," Quistis said again, sounding like she meant it.
Helpless… I'll be totally helpless if this thing shows up again! If it really isn't just a figment of my imagination after all. Rinoa just didn't know any more. And at this point, she didn't care.
To Be Continued…