Chapter 10
The world began to spin around him. Through blurred vision he could see that Selphie was trying to talk to him, shout at him even, but he couldn't hear a sound coming from her mouth.
All he could hear was Rinoa.
"I'll be fine. I promise you," she had told him.
"I should have know better. I should have been paying more attention," he cursed. "This is my fault, I couldn't protect her."
Suddenly he felt himself being dragged out of his trance by Quistis, who was holding onto his shoulders and shaking him roughly.
"Squall, snap out of it. Rinoa needs you!" Squall knew she was right. "Think of all that you've gone through to be together. Don't let that all be in vain." she pleaded.
He thought of all that they had been through together. He saw her floating, alone in the depths of space close to death. Even to this day, the thought haunted him. He had been so close to losing her.
More images flashed before him. Rinoa was lying unconscious on the floor, about to be sacrificed to the Igiuons summoned by Edea. If he had only entered the room a few moments later, things could have been so different.
Finally, he saw her in the Sorceress Memorial, waiting to be taken away from him for all eternity. But he had refused to let her remain there. He had set her free.
"After all that, I can't just give up. I won't give up. We've survived so much together. It must be fated."
"Squall!" Selphie screamed, bringing him out of his own world where he was so deep in thought.
"Everyone, I want you to secure the town. Make sure you protect the residents," he ordered.
"What are you going to do?"
"Find Rinoa."
"I don't even know where to begin looking for her. She could be anywhere." In the distance, he could hear the sound of gunshots and intense fighting. "I hope that's not where Rinoa is."
The sound of a small party of soldiers ahead brought Squall to a halt. Hearing that their conversation concerned Lukaan, he decided to listen in and ducked down behind a pile of rubble that was once someone's home.
"Don't you have to go and report?" asked one of the men.
"Yeah, I heard he was at the hotel. He's picked up some chick or something."
"Rinoa," he realised, panicking. "What is he planning to do with her?"
"Chick?"
"Yeah, from Garden or something," the soldier continued. "So, I'm not sure if he wants disturbing. You know what he's like when he gets in a foul mood. It's much safer to stay away."
As soon as the soldiers had passed, Squall leapt from his hiding place and ran as fast as he could to the Balamb Hotel.
"How am I going to get in?" he thought wistfully, noticing how heavily guarded the entrance was. There were at least six soldiers in front of the door. Any break in would certainly not be covert.
Suddenly, a flash of blue caught his eye on the first floor balcony. Looking up, he saw Rinoa staring back at him, directly into his eyes. Hers were filled with an indescribable sadness that filled his soul with dread.
"Help me," she mouthed towards him.
"Hey, you. Get back in hear," he heard a man growl from inside the hotel room. The next thing he saw was Rinoa being dragged rougly inside kicking and screaming.
He couldn't take this any longer.
"I don't care if anybody sees me. I'm going to get her back." He charged towards the entrance in a rage. All the soldiers fell with quick slashes of Squall's gunblade. They were no match for him. He stepped over their now lifeless bodies and entered the hotel. He found the receptionnist slumped on the counter, dead.
"This has gone on long enough," he thought, slowly and purposefully climbing the staircase. When he reached the top, it wasn't difficult for him to locate the room she was in.
"Let go of me. Get your hands off me," he could hear her scream from behind one of the doors. The thought that Lukaan was hurting her was enough to enrage Squall. He kicked down the door and entered the room. "Squall," Rinoa screamed in joy, trying to run towards him.
"You're not going anywhere," Lukaan threatened, grabbing her around her waist and pulling her towards him. It was obvious that he admred Seifer. His clothing was identical, as was his gunblade, and he had even copied Seifer's hair style.
"I suggest you let her go," Squall growled, keeping his anger under control as he was conscious that the gunblade Lukaan held was dangerously close to Rinoa's throat.
"I don't think you're in any position to make demands. Not if you value her life." He began to back off onto the balcony.
"There's nowhere to go Lukaan. Just give in."
"That's where you're wrong. I could easily escape down there." He motioned over the railings of the balcony.
"Don't be stupid, you'd kill yourself if you jumped."
"Not if I used her to break my fall." He glared evilly towards Rinoa, pressing is back against the balcony railing.
"Don't do this. I swear to you, if you hurt her, I'll kill you." In that instant Rinoa swiftly elbowed Lukaan in his stomach, causing him to release his grip on her. She pushed him backwards with all of her strength, until he was falling away from them.
He reached up as far as he could and grabbed Rinoa's arm, pulling her with him.
"Squall," she screamed, just managing to get one hand on the rail. She kicked Lukaan as hard as she could whilst holding on by her fingertips. With one last kick to the chest, he fell to his death below.
Rinoa tried to pull herself back up, but her fingers slipped and she let go of the balcony altogether, about to meet the same fate as Lukaan. But before she could fall out of reach, Squall reached down and gripped her arm strongly, pulling her back onto the balcony. She fell gladly into his arms, resting her head on chest.
"Thank you," she whispered. "I was afraid that this was going to be the end."
"Rinoa," he said, brushing her cheek gently. "Whenever you're in trouble you know I'll always be right there. I promise."
Thanks to everybody who reviewed this. I'm not sure whether this should be the final chapter or not. Please tell me what you think.
The world began to spin around him. Through blurred vision he could see that Selphie was trying to talk to him, shout at him even, but he couldn't hear a sound coming from her mouth.
All he could hear was Rinoa.
"I'll be fine. I promise you," she had told him.
"I should have know better. I should have been paying more attention," he cursed. "This is my fault, I couldn't protect her."
Suddenly he felt himself being dragged out of his trance by Quistis, who was holding onto his shoulders and shaking him roughly.
"Squall, snap out of it. Rinoa needs you!" Squall knew she was right. "Think of all that you've gone through to be together. Don't let that all be in vain." she pleaded.
He thought of all that they had been through together. He saw her floating, alone in the depths of space close to death. Even to this day, the thought haunted him. He had been so close to losing her.
More images flashed before him. Rinoa was lying unconscious on the floor, about to be sacrificed to the Igiuons summoned by Edea. If he had only entered the room a few moments later, things could have been so different.
Finally, he saw her in the Sorceress Memorial, waiting to be taken away from him for all eternity. But he had refused to let her remain there. He had set her free.
"After all that, I can't just give up. I won't give up. We've survived so much together. It must be fated."
"Squall!" Selphie screamed, bringing him out of his own world where he was so deep in thought.
"Everyone, I want you to secure the town. Make sure you protect the residents," he ordered.
"What are you going to do?"
"Find Rinoa."
"I don't even know where to begin looking for her. She could be anywhere." In the distance, he could hear the sound of gunshots and intense fighting. "I hope that's not where Rinoa is."
The sound of a small party of soldiers ahead brought Squall to a halt. Hearing that their conversation concerned Lukaan, he decided to listen in and ducked down behind a pile of rubble that was once someone's home.
"Don't you have to go and report?" asked one of the men.
"Yeah, I heard he was at the hotel. He's picked up some chick or something."
"Rinoa," he realised, panicking. "What is he planning to do with her?"
"Chick?"
"Yeah, from Garden or something," the soldier continued. "So, I'm not sure if he wants disturbing. You know what he's like when he gets in a foul mood. It's much safer to stay away."
As soon as the soldiers had passed, Squall leapt from his hiding place and ran as fast as he could to the Balamb Hotel.
"How am I going to get in?" he thought wistfully, noticing how heavily guarded the entrance was. There were at least six soldiers in front of the door. Any break in would certainly not be covert.
Suddenly, a flash of blue caught his eye on the first floor balcony. Looking up, he saw Rinoa staring back at him, directly into his eyes. Hers were filled with an indescribable sadness that filled his soul with dread.
"Help me," she mouthed towards him.
"Hey, you. Get back in hear," he heard a man growl from inside the hotel room. The next thing he saw was Rinoa being dragged rougly inside kicking and screaming.
He couldn't take this any longer.
"I don't care if anybody sees me. I'm going to get her back." He charged towards the entrance in a rage. All the soldiers fell with quick slashes of Squall's gunblade. They were no match for him. He stepped over their now lifeless bodies and entered the hotel. He found the receptionnist slumped on the counter, dead.
"This has gone on long enough," he thought, slowly and purposefully climbing the staircase. When he reached the top, it wasn't difficult for him to locate the room she was in.
"Let go of me. Get your hands off me," he could hear her scream from behind one of the doors. The thought that Lukaan was hurting her was enough to enrage Squall. He kicked down the door and entered the room. "Squall," Rinoa screamed in joy, trying to run towards him.
"You're not going anywhere," Lukaan threatened, grabbing her around her waist and pulling her towards him. It was obvious that he admred Seifer. His clothing was identical, as was his gunblade, and he had even copied Seifer's hair style.
"I suggest you let her go," Squall growled, keeping his anger under control as he was conscious that the gunblade Lukaan held was dangerously close to Rinoa's throat.
"I don't think you're in any position to make demands. Not if you value her life." He began to back off onto the balcony.
"There's nowhere to go Lukaan. Just give in."
"That's where you're wrong. I could easily escape down there." He motioned over the railings of the balcony.
"Don't be stupid, you'd kill yourself if you jumped."
"Not if I used her to break my fall." He glared evilly towards Rinoa, pressing is back against the balcony railing.
"Don't do this. I swear to you, if you hurt her, I'll kill you." In that instant Rinoa swiftly elbowed Lukaan in his stomach, causing him to release his grip on her. She pushed him backwards with all of her strength, until he was falling away from them.
He reached up as far as he could and grabbed Rinoa's arm, pulling her with him.
"Squall," she screamed, just managing to get one hand on the rail. She kicked Lukaan as hard as she could whilst holding on by her fingertips. With one last kick to the chest, he fell to his death below.
Rinoa tried to pull herself back up, but her fingers slipped and she let go of the balcony altogether, about to meet the same fate as Lukaan. But before she could fall out of reach, Squall reached down and gripped her arm strongly, pulling her back onto the balcony. She fell gladly into his arms, resting her head on chest.
"Thank you," she whispered. "I was afraid that this was going to be the end."
"Rinoa," he said, brushing her cheek gently. "Whenever you're in trouble you know I'll always be right there. I promise."
Thanks to everybody who reviewed this. I'm not sure whether this should be the final chapter or not. Please tell me what you think.