BLACK RAIN
As you know, I, like yourselves, don't own any of these characters…etc except the imagination we have to give them stories of their own.
'Of all the treasures we accumulate in life, the most precious is true friendships'
Chapter 17 – Tears In Heaven
The orphanage was deserted.
It was still the same. Ruined, desolate, and still luckily (what was left of it) standing upright. Squall and the others land on the ground. The gate vanishes. The first thing that hits them is the silence.
"Where is she?" Zell says.
"Could be a trap," Seifer says, drawing Hyperion out slowly.
"Quistis? Rinoa?" asks Squall. Indeed, both of them are glowing slightly. Rinoa has her eyes closed.
"She is here, but I don't know, as there are other forms here also" says Rinoa.
"Other forms? What do you mean?" asks Selphie.
An explosion suddenly separates them. It rips through the middle of the group. They are all flung to different places as the blast explodes.
"What the?" yells Irvine. He quickly raises his gun and starts firing.
"I though sharpshooters could aim better than that" says a soft voice.
They all spin round and see Ultimecia standing there. Behind her, at least 20 huge vividly colored insetcoid monsters stand behind her in silence. Squall and Rinoa immediately recognize them as Propagators.
"They're very tough," she says to the others. Seifer and Quistis quickly regroup the others. Ultimecia looks at him. She smirks. Seifer growls at her.
"So you survived somehow, turncoat. As did you" she looks at Squall. "I don't know how, but it doesn't matter. Did you really think that I didn't have a backup plan involving you Almasy? In case you did something like this? You have no idea what I did to you in the Lunatic Pandora"
"And like I give a crap about that?" he spits.
She smiles more broadly. "Oh, you should." Ultimecia points a finger at him. Suddenly Seifer starts to jerk about rapidly, clutching his head. Without warning, he gets up and flies at Ultimecia, landing at her feet.
"Ha ha now, destroy your little friends" she says. On that note, he flies forward. His eyes are once again that strange, glowing unblinking way.
"Move!" shouts Squall. He too races forward, swinging his Gunblade at Seifer. The two blades clash as they spill away from the fight.
"Now, it really is time" says Ultimecia. She flies at Selphie, and using a Holy spell, sends her sprawling to the ground. Ultimecia is rocked as Quistis lashes her whip at her. The whip coils itself around her waist. Quistis pulls sharply, and Ultimecia is sent sprawling to the floor.
"Damn you girl, Die! All of you!"
She says something in a strange tongue. Suddenly the stationary Propagators come to life. They charge into the fray. Zell and the others barely register as the huge monsters bear on top of them.
Squall dives under Seifer, who swings around and tries to stab him in the back. Squall dodges and parries Seifers attack. Squall then knocks Seifers blade out of the way and charges into him.
"Squall! Take it easy!" says Seifer.
Squall stops. "What?"
Seifer grins at him. "Hyne told me how to resist her mind spell, this is for show, now I got an idea."
The Propagators don't seem to go down, despite the SeeD's and Rinoa's best efforts. Quistis uses her magic to blast 3 of them into oblivion, but they come back as they were different colors.
Ultimecia watches with interest. Now.
She flies into the fray. Quistis spins round and uses a slow spell. This is reflected off of Ultimecia, and bounces away. Luckily one of the Propagators is hit, and quickly destroyed by Zell. Ultimecia curses and takes off. Quistis follows. They both stop in the air. Quistis gold wings shining against Ultimecia's Dark gray ones.
"I thought about possibly telling you something, but now I wont" Quistis says.
"Why would I care?" asks Ultimecia mockingly.
"You should, as it involves you and me" she yells.
"Well what is it then? It better be good."
"You can't remember me?"
"Get to the point, you silly girl."
"You're my sister! Can't you feel it? I can in you, ever since I saw you in the Lunatic Pandora, I had a feeling I knew you from somewhere! That's why! I'm your sister!"
Ultimecia looks at her. "What… what kind of trick is this?" she says. A look of curiosity is on her face.
"It's no trick. Don't you remember our parents? Our mother or father?"
She looks at her. "I have no parents! They are a forgotten memory!"
Of course, Squall told me Hyne made her forget thinks Quistis.
"I… I don't believe you! You're merely stalling! Now die!" screams Ultimecia.
Ultimecia's face is one of shock as Quistis reacts first and rams into her. Grabbing her by the arm, she uses her free arm to summon an Ultima spell.
"Fine, so be it. I'm no longer helping you, sister."
Ultimecia quickly punches Quistis in the stomach. Quistis reels from the blow.
"I don't… care you're my sister! Give me your power!" she screams. She lances an Ultima spell of her own right into Quistis chest.
Rinoa and the others look up in horror as Ultimecia blows Quistis away. A huge amount of red and gold sparks emits from the explosion, and engulfs Ultimecia, who lands with a thud on her back.
"Quistis!" scream Rinoa and Selphie. But it is too late.
Quistis falls to the ground. She doesn't move.
Rinoa can't help herself.
"You" she says to Ultimecia, who is picking herself up. She screams and casts Apocalypse. The others dive out of the way as the spell engulfs everything around her. The Propagators are blown to nothing as Rinoa dives for Ultimecia. Ultimecia cackles and disappears. Rinoa stops. Lightning crackles rapidly around her.
"Oh now this is much better" says Ultimecia, standing a few feet away from Rinoa. "See what happens when you drop your guard? As for you… where's your Knight now? She didn't have one and look what happened. Yours is 'busy' so what are you going to do now?"
She laughs and powers up more. Rinoa watches as Ultimecia's wings change from gray, to black.
"What are you going to do now!" she screams. Rinoa doesn't flinch as a powerful wind blows from her. The others are flattened by the blast.
Its all up to me, I have to destroy her. But… she's now too powerful she thinks.
Don't think like that. Like I told Squall, don't believe what you saw in the future says a voice to her.
Huh? Hyne?
You're a smart one. Oh, and tell Squall about the Jewelry of the Lion.
The what? She thinks.
The ring around your neck. Toss it to Squall. He'll know what to do.
"OK" she whispers.
"Are you finished your phone call? Can we get on with it now?" Ultimecia asks mockingly. A dark cloud starts to envelop. It is moving rapidly and changing shape.
"What… is that?" asks Zell.
"It's not a cloud that's for sure" Irvine gasps.
"It's more monsters," says Selphie, picking herself up.
The monsters race over their heads and land in a huge circle. Various types growl and snarl at them as they form a tight ring around the group. The ring of monsters grows closer. Ultimecia simply smiles.
"You DO realize that, even if you beat me, you won't beat them. I win either way. As long as you're dead, I'm happy."
"You're forgetting something," says a voice. Ultimecia turns around and sees Squall. Squall looks at Quistis.
Oh no, Quistis. He thinks in shock. He sees Rinoa take off her chain. He looks at her. What's she doing?
"Here! Catch!" shots Rinoa and tosses the ring to Squall. He catches it.
Use the Jewelry of the Lion it will help you. Like I said.
Squall looks at it, then at the equally puzzled face of Ultimecia.
Is this? No way…
Squall puts the ring on, and throws out his hands.
"What the hell are you doing? Magic? Oh I suppose so, let you have your way. You have already impressed me by defeating Seifer, so I guess a little magic wont hurt." She smiles pleasantly at him.
Ultimecia doesn't see Rinoa back up towards the others.
"Now!" Rinoa shouts. Ultimecia turns and sees her vanish with the others.
"What the?" she shouts.
Squall closes his eyes and concentrates. Suddenly a huge flash bursts from his hands. A shape forms in front of him.
It is a lion. A silver-gray lion with a red horns that are shaped like a crown on its head. Two blood red sword-like claws are on its elbows. Huge feline feet and hands with wicked sharp claws also adorn the beast.
"I… saw you… you are…"
She doesn't have time to finish the sentence as Squall shouts, alongside Griever.
"Shockwave Pulsar!"
Griever crosses his hands over his chest and drags all of the monsters with him. They are blown into a non-space area. A huge column of white light dominates the middle. Suddenly a huge black ball of energy blasts over every one, blowing them all into nothing.
Ultimecia manages to disappear just before the energy hits her. She materializes onto the ground.
A wet sensation runs down her back as something sharp drives into her back. She looks down.
A sword is sticking out of her front. She turns around and looks into familiar green eyes.
"I said I owed you one, bitch" says Seifer.
She turns back around as Squall cries out, LionHeart behind him ready to swing. Ultimecia simply stares as he gets closer. As he does, she sees a shape behind him.
A ghostly image. Of a girl in orange. A look of hate is etched on her face. She speaks, as, if in slow motion, Squall gets closer to deliver the blow.
"You are my sister. This could have turned out differently a long time ago, or if you just listened to me."
Ultimecia hears only one more thing as Squall takes her head off. Before it goes black.
"May you rot in Hell."
To those who watched, Squall killed the monsters with Griever, then watched as Seifer stabbed Ultimecia in the back. They then watched as Squall killed her once and for all. Huge sparks of energy flew outwards. Rinoa, using her speed, stands in the way of them. They slam into her and engulf her. She falls to the ground.
"Rinoa!" shouts Squall and runs over to her. Rinoa moans slightly.
"I'm fine Squall, in a few minutes I'll be up."
"What did you do?" he asks.
"I don't want anyone else becoming powerful. This way, all this power can stay stored in one person. Me."
Squall nods his head. He looks over at the body of Quistis.
"Give me a minute."
He walks over to where she lay. Seifer is already there. He is kneeled in the position that Knights use to swear fealty. He looks up at Squall.
"I could have stopped this," he says. "I could have saved her."
Squall crouches down too, in the same position.
"I'm sorry Seifer, I don't think you could, none of us could. I think she chose to try to reason with her, but it was too late."
Seifer nods his head. "You're right."
He gets up. "I know I'm supposed to do it, but I want you to take her back to Garden."
"Where are you going?" Squall asks him.
"Me?" Seifer says, looking him straight in the eye. "I failed as a Knight. I'm not going to show my face again."
Squall opens his mouth, but Seifer raises his hand.
"I'll see you around" he says, and walks off. He walks two steps before turning around.
"She loved you, you know," he says. Squall looks at him. "She told me."
Squall hangs his head. He says nothing as Seifer walks away. Rinoa and the others, all hurting, walk up to him.
"Where's he going?" asks Selphie.
"Away. Far away" he replies. He picks up Quistis body. He looks at her face.
I love you. Always remember that. I'll watch over you, my love.
Squall closes his eyes as a single tear runs down his cheek.
"Let's go home."