Author's Notes: Well, I didn't get as many reviews as hoped for the 6th chapter, but I'm posting this anyway. Maybe it just didn't show up in time. I'd really appreciate it if you would review! Oh yeah, and by the way, the period that comes before more of a sentence, and doesn't really fit as a period means a lead in. The three periods won't show up for some odd reason, so just know it's a pause that won't show up in here. Thanks!
Secrets of the Sorceress
Chapter 7
PCH's
Looking into Squall's eyes later that night after my spell, I felt tears sparkle in them. As expected, I had basically gone temporarily insane. Squall did his best to calm me down, using comforting words and holing me, just like the times before. Also just like the others, each part of the conversation the two men shared ran over and over in my head like a skipping CD. And as I stared at him…I realized, potentially, that I could lose him. If these illusions were a prediction of the near future, I could possibly lose Squall in a matter of hours.
"What's going on, Rinoa?" he asked, breaking a heavy silence and pushing a piece of hair back from my face. With that move, the tears began to fall. What excuse could I use this time? Hormones?
"I'm sorry Squall," I said as placidly as I could make myself sound. "It's Sorceress stuff." Liar. How could I pull that off with no explanation?
"What kind of stuff?" he persisted, holding my hand in his. I didn't meet his gaze, and merely picked at a fingernail.
"It's nothing really." Even I could tell from the sound of my voice that I wasn't convincing him of anything. It sounded unsure and unstable…not me at all, as far as I knew before now. I was always the strong one, always speaking my mind.
"It can't be nothing, Rinoa. Otherwise you wouldn't come back from whatever state you go into scared shitless."
I grimaced. "Wow, thanks for the sensitivity, Squall."
"Just an observation. I'm worried about you, Rinoa."
Repositioning myself on the bed, I looked up at the ceiling. "I think I'm going to go see Edea tomorrow."
"I think that's a good idea."
"Squall?" I still didn't meet his eyes, although I knew his were on me.
"Yeah?"
"I'm sorry."
"For what?"
"For ruining our night…it was supposed to be our second try, and I screwed it up."
"Don't be sorry. I just want you to get better. You scare me when you do that, Rin."
I nodded, but said nothing in return. The quiet was returning, but I broke it again. "And Squall?"
"Yes?"
"I love you." Finally, I looked into his stormy eyes. He smiled, and wrapped an arm around me.
"I love you too."
The next day, as I had said I would, I paid a visit to Edea. She may not have been my Matron, but ever since I'd inherited her powers, we had a special bond between the two of us just as the others had with her. Walking into the stony home, I called out for her.
"Yes dear, I am in here!" she answered, her gentle voice resonating through the house. I followed the sound of her voice, to find her doing laundry, piece by piece.
"Hello Rinoa," she greeted, looking up from a pile of white clothing. "What brings you here today?"
I found a stool sitting by the entrance of the room, and sat down on it, sighing lightly. I had rehearsed my explanation carefully, hoping it wouldn't sound crazy, and also that it would make sense. "Well," I started, watching as she threw clothes into the dryer. "I've been having some trouble lately with my powers. I'm not sure what it means, and I thought I would come to you for help. I've been having…well, visions. Frightening visions."
She stopped tossing, and straightened her petite frame to get a good look at me, giving me a puzzled stare. "What kind of frightening visions?"
"Visions of two snipers trying to kill Squall."
Her eyes widened, and she moved to my side. I felt fresh tears well up, but willed them away, knowing I couldn't cry again. Not in front of Edea. She clasped my hand, and spoke softly. "Two snipers? You mean the snipers from the news?"
I nodded, focusing on Edea's long baby blue sundress. "The snipers from the news. I heard them talking to me in the most recent one I had."
"Which was at what time?"
"Last night."
She seemed to contemplate this a minute, bringing a finger to her mouth. "And they were talking about killing Squall?"
"Yes. They said it would be easy to do because he'd be ordering the Garden around, and if they killed him first, everyone would run around acting crazy."
"Good Hyne…does Squall know about these visions?"
"No, I told him it was Sorceress stuff. Do you know what they mean, Edea? Please tell me they don't predict the future."
She averted her eyes, thinking for a moment. "Visions or illusions like that usually foretell the future, yes."
I couldn't stop the wetness from falling down my cheeks. I knew she was only telling me the facts, but I couldn't stand to hear it. "Oh Hyne, please no…"
"But," she interrupted, imploring for my attention. "You can change the outcome of the vision. Sorceresses call hallucinations like those you just described PCH's."
"Which stands for…?"
"Pre-Cognitive Hallucinations. But you alone have the ability to change what is happening in your dreams, Rinoa. You can stop those snipers from hurting, or possibly killing Squall."
"But how do I know when it'll happen?" I asked desperately. "There's no way of knowing!"
She gave my hand a little reassuring pat, calming my nerves a little. "Look around you when it happens again. Look for a clock, or a watch, or even a calendar. There must be some form of time, right?"
I'd never noticed anything like that in my dreams before…could there be? There was the big clock at the top of the elevator. Maybe I'd be able to see that one? But, "I've never been able to move my head around. How can I find a clock if all I can see is what's in front of me?"
"You will never know until you try. You want to do everything you can to save Squall, right?"
"Of course!"
"Then keep your promise. Protect him, Rinoa. These visions have a purpose. Recognize it, and appreciate it." With these words, she led me outside again. I saw my car parked outside her home, and walked toward it with the new information Edea had given me. At least now I had a name for these things. I had no idea when the next one would come, but because every time it happened I was being intimate with Squall, I decided when we got back, I'd try to instigate it again.
"Good luck, dear. Come to me again when you need me. And remember what I said about the PCH's. Save Squall for the sake of Garden, Hyne help you."
Secrets of the Sorceress
Chapter 7
PCH's
Looking into Squall's eyes later that night after my spell, I felt tears sparkle in them. As expected, I had basically gone temporarily insane. Squall did his best to calm me down, using comforting words and holing me, just like the times before. Also just like the others, each part of the conversation the two men shared ran over and over in my head like a skipping CD. And as I stared at him…I realized, potentially, that I could lose him. If these illusions were a prediction of the near future, I could possibly lose Squall in a matter of hours.
"What's going on, Rinoa?" he asked, breaking a heavy silence and pushing a piece of hair back from my face. With that move, the tears began to fall. What excuse could I use this time? Hormones?
"I'm sorry Squall," I said as placidly as I could make myself sound. "It's Sorceress stuff." Liar. How could I pull that off with no explanation?
"What kind of stuff?" he persisted, holding my hand in his. I didn't meet his gaze, and merely picked at a fingernail.
"It's nothing really." Even I could tell from the sound of my voice that I wasn't convincing him of anything. It sounded unsure and unstable…not me at all, as far as I knew before now. I was always the strong one, always speaking my mind.
"It can't be nothing, Rinoa. Otherwise you wouldn't come back from whatever state you go into scared shitless."
I grimaced. "Wow, thanks for the sensitivity, Squall."
"Just an observation. I'm worried about you, Rinoa."
Repositioning myself on the bed, I looked up at the ceiling. "I think I'm going to go see Edea tomorrow."
"I think that's a good idea."
"Squall?" I still didn't meet his eyes, although I knew his were on me.
"Yeah?"
"I'm sorry."
"For what?"
"For ruining our night…it was supposed to be our second try, and I screwed it up."
"Don't be sorry. I just want you to get better. You scare me when you do that, Rin."
I nodded, but said nothing in return. The quiet was returning, but I broke it again. "And Squall?"
"Yes?"
"I love you." Finally, I looked into his stormy eyes. He smiled, and wrapped an arm around me.
"I love you too."
The next day, as I had said I would, I paid a visit to Edea. She may not have been my Matron, but ever since I'd inherited her powers, we had a special bond between the two of us just as the others had with her. Walking into the stony home, I called out for her.
"Yes dear, I am in here!" she answered, her gentle voice resonating through the house. I followed the sound of her voice, to find her doing laundry, piece by piece.
"Hello Rinoa," she greeted, looking up from a pile of white clothing. "What brings you here today?"
I found a stool sitting by the entrance of the room, and sat down on it, sighing lightly. I had rehearsed my explanation carefully, hoping it wouldn't sound crazy, and also that it would make sense. "Well," I started, watching as she threw clothes into the dryer. "I've been having some trouble lately with my powers. I'm not sure what it means, and I thought I would come to you for help. I've been having…well, visions. Frightening visions."
She stopped tossing, and straightened her petite frame to get a good look at me, giving me a puzzled stare. "What kind of frightening visions?"
"Visions of two snipers trying to kill Squall."
Her eyes widened, and she moved to my side. I felt fresh tears well up, but willed them away, knowing I couldn't cry again. Not in front of Edea. She clasped my hand, and spoke softly. "Two snipers? You mean the snipers from the news?"
I nodded, focusing on Edea's long baby blue sundress. "The snipers from the news. I heard them talking to me in the most recent one I had."
"Which was at what time?"
"Last night."
She seemed to contemplate this a minute, bringing a finger to her mouth. "And they were talking about killing Squall?"
"Yes. They said it would be easy to do because he'd be ordering the Garden around, and if they killed him first, everyone would run around acting crazy."
"Good Hyne…does Squall know about these visions?"
"No, I told him it was Sorceress stuff. Do you know what they mean, Edea? Please tell me they don't predict the future."
She averted her eyes, thinking for a moment. "Visions or illusions like that usually foretell the future, yes."
I couldn't stop the wetness from falling down my cheeks. I knew she was only telling me the facts, but I couldn't stand to hear it. "Oh Hyne, please no…"
"But," she interrupted, imploring for my attention. "You can change the outcome of the vision. Sorceresses call hallucinations like those you just described PCH's."
"Which stands for…?"
"Pre-Cognitive Hallucinations. But you alone have the ability to change what is happening in your dreams, Rinoa. You can stop those snipers from hurting, or possibly killing Squall."
"But how do I know when it'll happen?" I asked desperately. "There's no way of knowing!"
She gave my hand a little reassuring pat, calming my nerves a little. "Look around you when it happens again. Look for a clock, or a watch, or even a calendar. There must be some form of time, right?"
I'd never noticed anything like that in my dreams before…could there be? There was the big clock at the top of the elevator. Maybe I'd be able to see that one? But, "I've never been able to move my head around. How can I find a clock if all I can see is what's in front of me?"
"You will never know until you try. You want to do everything you can to save Squall, right?"
"Of course!"
"Then keep your promise. Protect him, Rinoa. These visions have a purpose. Recognize it, and appreciate it." With these words, she led me outside again. I saw my car parked outside her home, and walked toward it with the new information Edea had given me. At least now I had a name for these things. I had no idea when the next one would come, but because every time it happened I was being intimate with Squall, I decided when we got back, I'd try to instigate it again.
"Good luck, dear. Come to me again when you need me. And remember what I said about the PCH's. Save Squall for the sake of Garden, Hyne help you."