Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Final Fantasy VIII characters involved, though I do believe Hannah and Garen are mine.
Author's Note: This was a difficult chapter to fix, what with so many changes in the first two chapters to compensate for. But rewriting has been an interesting challenge, and this fic is now much closer to what I had originally envisioned it to be. It's more gory, too, for which I apologize, if you don't like that sort of thing. This isn't supposed to be a warm, fuzzy series. And remind me to never do another story with a stuttering lead character again!
NIGHT HUNTERS
Part Three
Dying Inside
"Quistis, you can't do this." Zell's voice was firm as he stared down his commander and friend. He had his hands folded across his chest, and would have glared down at the woman if she hadn't been taller than he.
"I don't want to, Zell, but I have to." There was a desperate note to her voice, as if Quistis was trying to convince herself. "Rinoa is becoming more dangerous as time goes on. This has to stop."
"She's not crazy," Zell said.
"I want so much to believe that," Quistis said. "But she's not doing a lot to convince me of her sanity. Running around at night with a gun - "
"An Odine's bangle is a little extreme, don't you think?" Zell cut her off. "She hasn't used any magic in any irresponsible way, has she? Hyne, you say you're doing this for her own good, but you may as well just lock her up in a mental hospital! At least there she wouldn't have to worry about being betrayed by her friends!"
Quistis looked stung. "Zell," she whispered. "You don't understand... I have the lives of the students to think of. Rinoa is a friend, but I can't endanger them because of her hallucinations. Try to understand, Zell! The welfare of the students comes first!"
"I believe her," Zell said simply.
The commander's jaw clenched. "Why? You know as well as I do that there's no evidence - "
"The T-Rexaur," Zell said. "The one supposedly killed in a mating battle. It couldn't have been killed by another of its kind."
"Why?" Quistis asked.
"Because it was female. I know it was too badly torn up to tell," Zell said hastily, "but its head was relatively untouched. And there was a slash across its nostril where Hannah nailed it. It was the female that we fought the other day. And," he added, as Quistis opened her mouth to point out a flaw in the logic, "we didn't hurt it enough that it would wander off and die on its own. T-Rexaurs would never kill a female during mating season. Something else did."
"That's pretty poor evidence," Quistis said.
"I know. But isn't it worth thinking about? Please," Zell begged. "Reconsider this!"
"I'm sorry, Zell," Quistis said miserably, "but my decision still stands."
* * *
"Rinoa?" a concerned voice echoed down the hall. Rinoa turned, spotting Edea's graceful form coming towards her. Rinoa smiled at the older woman, though the expression felt false. She had no reason to smile. "Shouldn't you be asleep?" Edea scolded gently. "You were up all night."
The woman's concern touched Rinoa. Unlike the sympathy from her friends, Edea's support was more motherly, and Rinoa felt as if she needed a mother more than anything. It was no wonder she was so popular with the students; she provided the motherly support so many of them needed. It was common for lonesome young students or even overwhelmed SeeDs to go to Edea when they felt down. Rinoa herself had clung to Edea after her children were stolen and Raine had returned to Esthar. She'd wondered at first how Edea managed to stay so warm and loving after the death of her husband, then had realized the children were all that kept her alive now.
"I'm all r-right," Rinoa sighed. "I c-can't s-sleep anyway. N-not w-with all th-this."
"I can't blame you," Edea admitted. "This must hurt you terribly."
"Especially if th-this i-is the r-result of my b-babies b-being t-taken," Rinoa said flatly.
"So you think Reya's responsible." Unlike Quistis and the others, she didn't sound as if she doubted Rinoa. It seemed she had at least one other ally in Garden.
"I d-don't d-doubt it," Rinoa said. She paused for a moment to collect herself. She wanted to speak to Edea more clearly "It's... almost a relief. For her to finally surface, I mean. I was starting to worry we'd never hear from her." She hesitated. "Do you believe me? Or do you think I'm mad, too?"
"It's hard to know what to believe," Edea admitted. "You've been through so much that it's easy to believe you could have gone a little mad. But you've never done anything that would harm anyone. Even your taking of little Sefrin was just your mothering instinct; not a desire to hurt anyone. No, Rinoa, I believe you, and that there is something going on. I may no longer have any powers, but I've been a sorceress long enough to have become attuned to certain things. And something around here feels... wrong, somehow."
"Then tell Quistis! She respects you! She'll believe you! Don't let her fit an Odine's bangle on me!"
"I'll see what I can do, but I doubt she'll listen to me. She hasn't, in a while." A sad expression crossed the older woman's face. "Rinoa, if she does put the bangle on you, this will be very dangerous," Edea said. "If you're right about all this, and Reya is indeed involved."
"I don't know if I can handle her. Even without the bangle." The confession was barely a whisper, and Rinoa wondered if Edea had even heard her. "I... I'm f-frightened of h-her." Tears sprang to Rinoa's eyes, and she tried to fight them back. No... she didn't want to cry!
"Oh, Rinoa." Edea took the younger woman in her arms. "No one expects you to face her without fear. That would be foolish. But you won't be alone. In face," an odd look crossed Edea's face, "help is on the way."
Rinoa pulled free of the woman's comforting embrace. "What do you mean?" she asked.
"Your friends will be beside you," was all Edea said.
"Like Q-quistis is?" Rinoa said dully, and began to limp away.
"Wait," Edea said, lightly touching her shoulder. Rinoa paused. "It's been two years… I know I wasn't here for you on their birthday, and I'm sorry. I know it's difficult for you."
Rinoa felt a twinge of pain in her abdomen that was either a remnant of her last hemorrhage or a phantom pain at the memory. "Don't w-worry about it. I s-survived another y-year." She was embarrassed to hear her stutter return, but Edea didn't seem to mind. "I d-don't think I'll ever get over it, but I'm h-handling it b-better." Better, yes… but that didn't mean she wasn't dying inside. "Th-thanks for your c-concern." Rinoa turned from Edea, determined to hide the fresh tears in her eyes. "I'm off to b-bed n-now," she said softly. "I'll s-see you l-later."
"I will see you," Edea said firmly. "You're not going to carelessly throw your life away, no matter how tempting death may be."
Rinoa's shoulders stiffened. "What do you mean?" she asked without turning back.
"I recognize suicide when I see it. You're going to kill this thing, even if it costs you your life, right?"
Rinoa couldn't respond to this. Her shoulders slumped. She's right…
"Don't do it. You have a lot to live for, even if you don't realize it." Edea's voice was stern, but Rinoa could hear real grief behind it. "Please… be careful. Promise me you won't do anything suicidal."
Rinoa remained silent for a moment, thinking. Then, "I promise," she said in a resigned voice.
"Thank you," Edea said, relieved.
I promise… Some promises are made to be broken, Rinoa thought as she shuffled onward. After all, Squall isn't waiting for me…
She stopped when she reached the site of her encounter with the beast. The broken window hadn't been tended to yet, and a few glass shards were scattered across the floor. It gave her a chance to investigate. She stepped over the rope blockade, entering the area. She stopped by the pool of drying blood where she had hit the creature. It couldn't be her own blood; she hadn't been injured enough to lose this much!
I won't seek death, she thought, but I won't hide from it, either. Stooping down, she examined the pool of blood, as if it would yield an answer. As she lowered her gaze, her attention was caught by the benches lining the walls - or rather, an object resting between the legs. She went over to it curiously, and carefully drew it out.
It was a toe; a canine's toe with over an inch of razor sharp claw. Rinoa's eyes narrowed. She had done more than hurt the creature; she now had proof it existed, and a real possibility of finding it! Now I know what I saw, and that I'm right... And, I know it isn't me that's the creature... Now, she just had to find out who was missing a finger or toe before they healed.
* * *
Quistis was sleeping, along with Sefrin, when Rinoa arrived at her quarters, but Seifer was free to talk to her. He looked wary, but at least he was willing to listen. He beckoned for Rinoa to be seated. There were a few large apartments in Garden, and Quistis and her family had been given the largest. Rinoa tried not to think that this room should have been home to she and Squall and their children.
"Can I help?" Seifer asked in a faintly sardonic tone, collapsing onto an easy chair, and languidly arranging his body. Still a showoff, Rinoa thought affectionately. Though he has mellowed a lot. She smiled faintly as she remembered their summer together, back when she'd been young and innocent, and Seifer had been arrogant and sharp-tongued, but basically a good man.
"I h-have p-p-proof!" Rinoa blurted out. She pulled out the handkerchief she'd wrapped the claw in from her pocket, loosing the knot to show him. "The w-werewolf l-lost a f-finger or t-toe," she said.
Seifer poked at the claw. "It looks like a dog's toe," he said skeptically. "Rinoa, did you shoot a dog last night?" At her fierce look, he added, "Shouldn't it have turned back into a human digit, anyway? Like in the movies?"
"That would be t-too c-convenient," Rinoa sighed. "B-but at l-least we know it's m-missing s-something. I c-can a-ask the instructors to w-watch for s-students who m-may be f-favoring their f-feet or m-missing f-fingers." She scowled. "It's n-not m-much, but it c-could p-prove I'm n-not c-crazy."
"I'll tell Quistis," Seifer said, rolling the claw back into the square of cloth and handing it back to Rinoa. "Meanwhile, you could take that to Dr. Kadowaki - maybe she could send it to Esthar for a DNA test or something."
Rinoa hadn't even thought of that. "G-good idea." She rose to her feet, and Seifer did the same to show her out. He hadn't dismissed her theory; he'd even provided advice! There was a chance after all... At the door, she paused. "I n-never d-did c-c-congratulate you," she said softly.
Seifer blinked quizzically. "For what?"
"For your m-marriage… for S-sefrin… for f-finding h-h-happiness," Rinoa faltered. "I'm s-sorry. I'm j-jealous of you, and I sh-shouldn't be. A-and what I d-did w-was unacceptable. I d-don't know wh-why..."
"Hey, we don't hold it against you," Seifer said. His voice had lost its arrogant edge, and he sounded as if he actually meant it. "You've been through a lot. But... thanks for the congratulations." His face softened. "I'm proud, anyway. Sefrin's a good baby."
"E-even if h-he isn't b-blond?" Rinoa teased. The entire Garden had been amused that blond Quistis and Seifer had produced a dark-haired child. There was some speculation as to whether Irvine was the real father… Seifer accepted all this with wry amusement.
"Nobody's perfect," he said.
Rinoa laughed as she exited the apartment, though the sound almost became a strangled sob when she was out of earshot. Seifer was so much like Squall… Would Squall have warmed up the same way?
It didn't matter now. She had said her apologies to Seifer and cleared her conscious. For all the good that did her. Now, it was off to Dr. Kadowaki's.
* * *
"Well?" Zell asked impatiently. Hannah stared at him solemnly for a moment, and then smiled. "I passed! Barely, but..." she shrugged. She had just come out of her history class, and Zell had met her outside the door.
"That's great!" Zell said with a strained smile.
"What's wrong?" Her delight faded at his expression.
"It's... a friend of mine." Knowing Hannah's dislike for Rinoa, he didn't really want to bring his concerns for her up around the younger girl. "Things are going badly for her."
"You mean Rinoa, don't you?" Hannah said softly. Her face carefully expressionless. "I heard about last night. And about the Odine's bangle. That's awful," she said. "Having something like that happen, on top of everything else that's occurred here... I may not like the woman, but I have some sympathy for her. I hear those bangles are pretty awful."
"Why don't you like her?" Zell asked suddenly. It had been driving him crazy since Hannah and Rinoa's first meeting. Was it just a clash of personalities? But how? They'd barely even spoken enough for such a thing to occur!
"I... I don't know," Hannah said, seeming surprised by the turn in the conversation. "Maybe I'm just worried about being in the same building as a woman being referred to as the 'mad sorceress.'"
"She isn't," Zell said. He was getting tired of defending Rinoa to everyone. Was he the only one who believed her? Poor Rinoa...
"Then you believe there's another werewolf on the loose," Hannah said flatly. "I don't find that reassuring." She ran a gloved hand through her long, dark hair, a nervous gesture he was becoming familiar with. It meant she was uncomfortable with the subject. Almost automatically, with a SeeD's skill of observation, he noticed that one gloved finger didn't bend, as if it were... empty? He hadn't noticed she was missing a finger. So much for a SeeD's skill of observation!
"I don't know what I believe," Zell said after a moment. "Rinoa isn't the kind of person to make something like this up." Not anymore, anyway. When he'd first met her, she'd been a dreamer, one with a fantastic vision of the world. But her dreams had been crushed, her naive innocence torn away from her.
"Zell," Hannah said, "could we talk about something else? This is making me really uncomfortable."
"Sure," Zell said agreeably. As he walked down the halls with Hannah, chatting with her about classes, he couldn't get Hannah's reaction to Rinoa out of his head. Just why did she hate Rinoa so much, anyway?
* * *
As she left Dr. Kadowaki's office, Rinoa regarded the bottle of pills she'd been given with a disgusted look. Medication... as if that would make all her problems go away. The doctor had said the pills had a "calming effect" that Rinoa would find soothing. In other words, they were tranquilizers. Just what she needed; for her erratic senses to be further screwed up by drugs. She considered tossing the pills in the first trash bin she came to, but with her luck, she'd get caught.
What was she going to do? Quistis was keeping a careful eye on her now. Rinoa was surprised she hadn't been issued a guard yet. If she stepped out of line again, though, she knew she'd get more than someone watching her. The thought of being locked away made Rinoa shudder. She wouldn't go that far... would she? It's like I don't know Quistis anymore. She's changed since she's married Seifer. No; before that. Ever since Squall attacked her, she hasn't been the same. And she's taking it out on me because I couldn't stop him...
A wave of weakness made her stagger. She leaned against the wall, silently cursing herself. She'd been exerting herself far too much the past few days. On top of the hemorrhage, the stress was draining her energy. Rest... she needed to rest.
"Rinoa? Are you all right?" Garen's concerned voice came from behind her. Rinoa couldn't decide if it was welcome or not.
"I'm j-just t-tired," she sighed, unable to even make the effort to hide her stutter. She turned to meet the younger man's gaze, and was warmed by the caring expression on his face. He came up to her and offered his shoulder, which she hesitantly took.
"I heard what Commander Trepe is planning. It's not fair," he said. Rinoa leaned against him, suddenly wanting the comfort of another human being. Garen responded by wrapping his arm around her shoulders and guiding her to the nearest bench.
"I-I c-c-can't b-b-believe she w-won't t-take m-m s-s-seriously," Rinoa said, and was horrified to hear a sob in her voice. "Sh-she almost d-d-did, w-when the T-T-Rexaur c-came up d-dead, b-b-but..." Tears began to pour down her face.
"Shh," Garen said, pulling her head to his chest. "It's all right. You'll see. Commander Trepe will see that's she's wrong about you, and she'll forget all about this. Of course, if you are right and there is a threat to Garden, that isn't a good thing," he said dryly, and Rinoa almost smiled. Almost. "And, if she continues to treat you badly, you could..." Garen faltered. "Well, you could leave."
Leave? The thought honestly hadn't occurred to Rinoa. Leave her home? Where would she go? She had nowhere else! True, the Caraway Mansion still stood empty, but there was no way she could ever return to it. And Timber no longer held anything for her. Watts and Zone had thrown in their lot with the white SeeDs, and they hadn't really seen her as more than a figurehead for their group, anyway. It was possible Raine would take her in, but did she want to live in cold, technological Esthar with its fear of sorceresses? "I-I c-can't. This is m-my h-home..." she said helplessly.
Garen cupped her chin in his hand. "Do you know what they say, Rinoa? You can never go home again."
How true that is, Rinoa thought. The last place she'd truly felt safe... truly at home, was in Squall's arms.
She didn't have time for any more of her sad reflection, however, because suddenly Garen pressed his mouth to hers, and rather than pull away, she let him kiss her. Maybe Garden wasn't the best place for her anymore, but there were some things that made staying worthwhile.
* * *
Rae laughed throatily as Sango slid his rough palm along her exposed thigh. "I love these uniforms," he murmured into her ear as he lifted the edge of her short skirt. "They leave nothing to the imagination."
She laughed again and playfully slapped his hand away. "We're on a mission," she reminded him, her voice husky. "And Nara won't approve of us slacking off on our duties."
Sango snorted. "Since when have you counted a few cadets on a practice patrol a 'mission'?" he said derisively. "And Nara needs to remove that rod from her ass anyway. Let's show her how to have a little fun." He gave an evil chuckle at the thought of how the other girl would react upon walking in on them. "Besides, she went all the way back to the beach; she won't be back for half an hour."
This time, Rae permitted his touches as he slid his hands along her cadet jacket, unfastening the yellow scarf, then undoing the buttons to the blouse beneath. Rae wriggled out of the jacket, her hands helping Sango's as he pulled free her blouse, exposing her abdomen. She groaned and leaned back onto her sleeping bag as he pushed his hands under her bra and cupped her breasts. He leaned forward, nuzzling her neck, and she threw her head back against the pillow, taking in the sight of the full moon against the star-filled sky...
And a dark object that stood outside her vision, vanishing before she could focus on it. "What was that?" she asked thickly.
"Wha-?" Sango asked, too deeply lost in his lust to speak straight. One hand fumbled for the fastenings on his pants.
There was a rustling from behind, and Sango lifted his head. "Nara," he said, "you have a lousy sense of timing - " He never finished his sentence. With a wet cracking noise, his head was yanked backwards and torn loose from his body. The bloody torso wobbled for a moment, then was pushed forward onto Rae's horrified face. She screamed as hot blood splattered across her bare chest
She scrambled backwards as the body was tossed aside, revealing a creature out of nightmares. Gleaming teeth and eyes that burned were all she could make out, but they were enough. Another scream ripped from her throat and she twisted her body sideways as a hand equipped with massive claws slashed downward. It caught her pleated skirt, and the last of her clothing tore free.
Rae managed to get her feet under her and she began to run. She didn't look back to where the nightmare was watching her with what could be interpreted as an amused look. She saw only the dark forest several yards in front of her, heard only the beating of her heart as she ran for her life. If she could reach the forest, perhaps she could lose it...
When the second beast reared out of the shadows in front of her, Rae skidded to a halt and fell backwards onto her rump. She tried to get back to her feet, but with a move too fast for her eyes to follow, the second beast lashed its paw towards her, ripping her body along her abdomen and exposing her intestines. She was too lost in her fear to yet realize what had happened, and adrenaline had blunted the pain. She rolled onto all fours, dimly wondering where the bloody mud underneath her had come from.
The second beast was joined by the first, and it leaned under her and grabbed a coil of intestine, yanking a length of it free from her body. Now Rae felt the pain... Now she knew she'd been seriously hurt!
But there was nothing she could do as she slumped down into the pool of dirt and blood, her vision dimming as the first, larger beast with the glowing eyes casually ran its tongue along her thigh, a cruel mockery of Sango's intimate caress. Then it sank its teeth into her flesh, ripping away a great, bleeding chunk.
Before her vision faded completely, she saw what was almost a look of pity on the second beast's face as it watched her die. It was no consolation.
* * *
She couldn't wake up. Rinoa's body thrashed, but she couldn't escape the violence of her nightmare. Even after the creatures finished feeding, she still dreamed, seeing over and over again the deaths of the young cadets. Her mind tried to fight free, but she was too lost in the ecstasy of the blood that made her feel more alive than she had in a long time.
No! This isn't me! a tiny part of her tried to say as her mind replayed the deaths again, from the point of view of the first hunter. I don't want the blood... the pain... I need it... No! Please! Stop! I'm not... I'm not...
Am I?
At last, her mind was released from the grisly horror, and she felt a sense of loss. More... Don't leave me... Her eyes opened to her dim room, already filling with the dawn's light. Her body ached, as if it had been under stress, and a groan burbled through her lips. But at least she hadn't hemorrhaged again; she would have felt that.
Rinoa forced her hurting body into a stretch, but she froze as her fingers hit something smooth and hard lying on the sheets next to her. Hyne, what now? She gripped the object and brought it to her face, examining it in the dim light.
It was a bone, a human femur like she'd seen in her anatomy classes. The smooth shaft was riddled with holes, as if something had been gnawing on it. Rinoa couldn't breathe as she turned and saw more bones littering her covers, an almost complete human skeleton. She couldn't even find her breath to scream.
To Be Continued...