Sammy-Chan: Ah, the holidays. The vicious exams have come to pass and I am now ON A TWO WEEK VACATION!!! Praise the gods, praise the gods! Eheh, well, I hope you enjoy this chapter. Read and review!!
~Chapter 23: The Final Battle Begins~
Hikari held her knees to her forehead and cried silently. In all the nightmares she had lived through in her short years, seeing her mother being murdered in front of her hazel eyes prevailed to the very top.
Rinoa had left the mansion a short while after the 'event'. The younger sibling didn't know where or why she had gone but she was worried. Zell, Selphie and her father were still downstairs.
Squall had followed Rinoa like any knight would. She had wanted to as well but Hikari had known better.
***
Rinoa walked down the busy streets of Deling accompanied by Squall. The young knight walked a little behind his sorceress knowing only two well that she was at the brink of exploding.
He couldn't blame her. The sorrow, the pain, the rage that was flowing through her was uncontrollable and he didn't know what the sum of these additions would be.
She stepped onto the escalator that led to the train heading to Galbadia Garden station. Little did her knight know that she had no control over where she was going anymore. She was lead by her instincts. Her buried power.
"Rinoa." Squall put his hand on her shoulder.
She turned around, the soft brown of her eyes replaced with an unholy red. He backed away fearfully. This wasn't exactly Rinoa.
She seemed to snap out of her momentary trance and her eyes resumed their natural soothing color.
"Squall?" She asked, a slight shock in her voice.
He looked at her bewildered for a moment and resumed his usual composure, "Yah, the guy who's been following you for the past ten minutes."
Rinoa's lower lip trembled slightly as tears flowed freely from her eyes, "My mom is dead …"
Squall took her in his arms sympathetically, "Hey don't worry. It's going to be all right …" The words sounded lame as they escaped his mouth.
"I don't know … what to do anymore." She muffled her face hidden inside his jacket.
Even Angelo who had been at Squall's heels stayed quiet, sitting nearby. She continued, her voice weak and tired, "I don't know what I'm supposed to do."
He breathed heavily as she went on, "I … I've already got my fate set out for me, don't I? I'll probably die in the end. Hyne is dead so to be her apprentice I'll probably have to kick the bucket."
Squall understood his father's words of pity earlier that week. To become a Goddess, as was Hyne, Rinoa had to die and take over her place.
Squall buried his face in her raven hair then he mumbled, "I won't let you die. I'll always be there for you. I promise. I'll never let you go, ok?"
Receiving no response he slowly leveled his face with hers by gently pulling up her chin. He bent down to kiss her but she interrupted.
"People are staring." She said meekly.
Squall Leonheart vaguely looked around and saw that people were indeed staring at the couple.
He raised an eyebrow and asked, "Why do you care?"
"It's just that …" Rinoa started but never got to finish.
'Train leaving for Galbadia Garden Station in 2 minutes.'
"Did you … um, I mean, was the inner sorceress of you heading there." Squall questioned.
Rinoa hesitated, not knowing the answer, "Let's just go."
They each bought a ticket (No they don't charge for puppies, so Angelo got on free) and entered the train heading towards the garden.
***
"Your father is a multi-billionaire and you take the train? Your allowance rivals the amount that Headmaster Cid makes … each year!" Selphie exclaimed upon seeing Rinoa enter Garden.
"How did you get here so fast?" Rinoa asked surprised.
"I get used to living high class, you know? Did anyone say: RAGNAROK?" She smiled gleefully. "Oh that ship kicks ass!"
Rinoa looked at her energetic friend and shook her head in disbelief, "You're crazy."
"So, what did you people come here for?" Zell asked looking around the empty garden.
"We don't know …" Squall said.
There was an odd silence and Zell casually said, "We aren't … getting in the way of your plans, are we?"
Rinoa rolled her eyes, "No … we had no plans. Literally … we don't know why we came here." Zell seemed suspicious of the idea and Rinoa muttered, "Pervert."
Zell smiled and put his hands on his hips, "Man, I'm going to have to start playing over-protective brother." He turned his attention to Squall and glared menacingly, "What the hell do you want with my sister?"
Squall snorted and began, "You don't scare me you half-assed son of a-"
Selphie hissed at her brother, "Shut up for a minute."
Clueless, the two men hushed up and Rinoa and Selphie seemed to be intently listening. Then Rinoa broke the silence.
"Someone else is here."
"Oh, the girl is sharp." Ultemecia emerged. "Good, thank god she inherited my intelligence. I thought that the fact that she had Caraway as a father would intervene with her brain cells."
"Ok, that's enough." Julia hissed. "We're dead." She informed the rest.
It was just one of those stupid moments as a quiet, uneasy silence followed.
"Ok, I know you people know but just don't get any ideas about me being alive!" Julia snapped.
Ultemecia rolled her eyes. "Before we pass on to Balamb we thought it would be a … wonderful idea to come clear your head." She looked at Rinoa.
"There was once 3 sorceresses. Many years ago. These three were Ultemecia, Adel and Edea." Ultemecia began.
"More formally known as Julia, Raine and Sophie. Each wanted to become Hyne's apprentice and take her place as a supreme goddess."
"But Hyne would only accept one sorceress as an apprentice. So each sorceress was granted a knight and hence the sorceress war began."
"Of course … each sorceress undertook … a … particular relationship with her knight and became more powerful."
"To a point where it was simply ridiculous. Feeling this couldn't go on any further, the three sorceresses compressed time and moved forth into the future."
"There was a miscalculation in the time period and we entered a period of time where war still ravaged the land. There, three of us bore a baby boy. However, two of us decided it was better to leave our sons at the orphanage to keep them safe."
"War couldn't get to them there. However, when the knights, being the stronger beings, conquered each a piece of land and settled the war the boys could no longer be found."
"So that is how you ended up with Squall as your knight." Ultemecia concluded gazing at Rinoa.
"You were supposed to end up with Zell as your knight but that wasn't possible. See, with your brother as your knight, cheap tricks could not be used, example, sleeping with your knight."
Rinoa put the pieces of the puzzle together, as did the three others.
"So now you must go … to the Island Closest to Hell." Ultemecia said icily, "This is where the final battle must take place. We don't know what is to happen after that but we have faith in all of you."
***
All four of them sat on the Ragnarok basking in an uneasy silence. They had thrived for answers and they had gotten answers. Though the thoughts that ran through their heads now were least of all comforting.
Breathing heavily and for once in their lives they feared the future. The type of fear that gives you stomach cramps and that stares at you in the eyes, burning holes though your head.
***
Laguna ran to the Caraway Mansions entrance and furiously knocked on the door. A slightly bemused maid answered the door.
"Sir …" She bowed her head in the presence of her master's accomplice.
"I need to see Caraway immediately." Laguna ordered.
"Ah, but … Sir, he is in mourning. His dear wife just died. I'm not quite sure how for I only come in for the night shift."
"I don't care at this moment, I need to see him now."
The maid flinched for a moment and then nodded her head, "Yes sir."
***
Zell landed the ship on 'The Island Closest to Hell'. The island was deserted except for a large warehouse at the other end of the island and at the opposite end was some sort of abandoned communication tower.
"I'll check out the warehouse … alone." Zell said determined. "Selphie, take the Ragnarok back to Deling and warn Caraway to scamper out of the house with Hikari."
He paused for a moment to let this all sink in, "Rinoa and Squall, you two go explore that communication tower, see if it works or something. I just … need to check out that tower by myself."
"I don't get it." Squall said, "This is not a good idea."
"I don't give …" Zell said eagerly, "Just everyone … I want to check out that warehouse alone."
"Fine …" Squall agreed reluctantly. "Let's go then … come Rinoa."
***
"Raine's dead …" Sobbed the Estharian president.
"Sefeir?" Caraway questioned.
"Yes …" Laguna slammed his fist on the table, "This is not right, why did they come kill her? She wasn't the target."
"They want us to feel emotion. To be angry, to make moves on impulse. They don't feel anything. When their mother got killed they walked out of here like nothing happened. Michel obviously took the right route to making his children un-feeling."
"Do you know how this is going to turn out?" Laguna asked.
"Yes … three of them are going to die. One will be lost and eventually die herself."
"Herself?" Laguna raised an eyebrow.
Caraway looked down and answered quietly, "My daughter. She has already decided, deep within her heart not to be Hyne's apprentice. So she will remain on earth … without Selphie, Zell … or Squall."
"She will vanquish Sefeir and Quistis?"
"No … they'll leave her to die. They're cold blooded, remember? Having the power to suppress your emotions will one-handedly defeat an Ultima spell."
Hikari ran down the stairs and into her father's study. "Daddy … we should … not stay here …"
"I know … Hikari, pack your things. You are going to Timber." Caraway ordered.
***
Rinoa and Squall made their way to the communication tower, fighting monsters. Rinoa didn't know how much more of this she could stand.
"Guys … wait." Selphie ran up from behind them, "I have a bad feeling about this. I can't just go to Deling. I don't care what Zell said. Can't we just … please … go to the warehouse."
Squall looked in the direction of the warehouse. Zell wasn't in sight. He probably had already gotten there.
"I think so to. Squall, maybe we should turn around." Rinoa suggested.
Pausing to think he then answered, "Yah … let's go."
***
Caraway kissed Hikari on her forehead. "Don't worry … everything will be fine."
He replayed a familiar scene in his head. The time he had left Zell at the orphanage. He had spoken those very same words. "Everything will be fine."
Everything had not been fine. James Caraway was now making the same damn mistakes over and over again.
"Rinoa will be coming to get you." He turned his attention to the young man with short black hair.
"I swear if something happens to her I will-"
"I know, I know. Don't worry. She's going to be fine."
***
The three young adults entered the forsaken warehouse. They walked into the narrow hallway and entered the door at the end of it.
"ZELL!" Selphie cried out and rushed towards him.
The remaining two did the same.
They crowded around him in pure shock. His mouth slightly ajar, his back to the concrete floor he was a lifeless corpse.
An evident red hole right in the middle of his eyebrows. The bullet had transpierced for blood was slowly dripping from the back of his head and flowing like a tiny creek towards the manhole cover.
"This isn't possible." Rinoa said shakily, "This is a dream."
Squall only gaped at his childhood friend. Selphie was going into hysterics.
"How can this be? Who did this? Why did this happen? He's! He's …"
A loud bang was heard and two figures appeared. "Dead." Filled in Sefeir looking piteously at Selphie.
She was dead before she hit the floor.
Sammy-Chan: Shitty I know. No flames please. R&R I promise a better chapter soon. No really. I promise. Thank you all, and remember feedback is good!! :D OH AND BY THE WAY: PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE READ MY NEWLY COMMENCED FIC 'Everywhere' IT'S ANOTHER SQUINOA TYPE THING!!! PLEASE REVIEW AS WELL!