Chapter Eleven
1.1.1.1 In Another World…
The blond-haired stranger walked up the road to Balamb Garden.
"Haha…still looks the same." His lips twisted into a grin as he gave the Garden a once-over. It had been his home once, until circumstances had forced him out. He could have returned if he had wanted to, but had chosen not to do so.
"I only wish I was coming up here under better circumstances." His eyes narrowed as a memory came up.
"You need to go to Balamb Garden. Now." The man's head whipped up as a woman entered.
"Huh?"
"Rinoa's in a coma. Now and in the past." The man started at this.
"What? How…"
"I don't know. What we need to do now is to make sure nobody tries anything stupid." The woman marched forward, throwing up her right hand. A blue, red, and gold rod appeared in her hand, richly decorated with tassels and a S-shaped design crowned the top.
"You already know about the attack on the SeeD candidate exam yesterday." A portal appeared in the air, showing Balamb Garden in its center.
"Yes…" The man said, apparently still reeling from the announcement of Rinoa being in a coma.
"I haven't been able to find any trace of the group that caused the attack, which means that they might pull off something soon." Turning around, she glared at him.
"Are you even listening?"
"Huh?" The man blinked, and then sighed.
"I'm sorry, Selene."
"Now he calls me by my first name." The woman remarked. Her eyes gentled as she looked at the man.
"You don't have to do this if you don't want to." The man shook his head.
"No. I want to. I chose to do this a long time ago, remember?"
"Then you'd better get a move on." Selene said, twirling her staff in the air, and aiming it at the portal. As the memory faded, the man blinked.
"I don't have time to be standing around here daydreaming. I'd better get to Garden, and fast!"
"Raine."
"Mama…"
"Raine…" Raine slowly opened her eyes. Squall was in front of her, his eyes full of concern.
"Dad?"
"Honey, it's time to get up." Raine sat up.
"Ooohhh…" She looked at Rinoa. "Any change?"
"No." Squall eyed his daughter as she rubbed her face. "I nearly had a heart attack when I walked in your room this morning and you weren't in your bed."
"I'm sorry…I just wanted to be with Mom…" Raine mumbled. Squall ran a hand over her hair.
"It's ok. " Raine nodded silently. Squall turned to walk out, then turned around.
"There's a change of clothes for you on the chair. Get dressed, then go grab some breakfast." Raine nodded again, then got up as Squall walked out of the room.
In the present…
Selphie sighed as she ran a check on the Ragarnok's controls. The
Garden now was stationed outside of Edea's House, with the spaceship parked alongside it. Squall had gotten in contact with Laguna, who was extremely shocked by what had happened. He immediately agreed to house the injured SeeDs and students in Esthar until things were sorted out. Selphie had the trip earlier that morning.
"But what about Rinoa? She needs medical treatment badly! And Garden doesn't have the equipment she needs!" she thought.
2 In Esthar…
Laguna rubbed his forehead. All the injured SeeDs and students from Balamb Garden were all settled at the local hospital, but one thing was still bothering him. Finally, he leaned forward and pressed a button.
"I need to speak with Dr. Kadowaki of Balamb Garden. Now."
Squall gently rubbed Rinoa's hand. When he wasn't in meetings; or helping out with repairs, he was in the Infirmary, next to her.
"I'm so sorry…I failed you…you almost died right in front of my eyes…" Pain squeezed his heart, and unable to bear it, he closed his eyes.
"Why won't you wake up? Please, don't leave me like this again, Rinoa, please." He begged. Dr. Kadowaki appeared in the doorway.
"Squall, I need to talk to you."
Squall settled into a chair. Dr. Kadowaki sat in her seat, and turned the computer screen on her desk so that Squall could see it.
"Hey son."
"Dad! What are you…?"
"Doing here? I got in contact with Kadowaki."
"We think there might be a way for Rinoa to get some proper medical help, despite her condition." Dr. Kadowaki said.
"What? How?"
"I know I told you to keep Rinoa away from here, but under the circumstances, Esthar just might be the best place for her right now."
"We can't treat Rinoa properly here." Dr. Kadowaki added. "She needs special medical equipment, and I just don't have the expertise to deal with her condition."
"Zhat iz why you bring her to me!" The screen split into two, with Laguna on one side, Dr. Odine on the other.
"I have zee equipment zhat she needs. I trust zhat her condition has improved slightly?"
"Slightly. She's still hooked up to the O2 tank. The Diploriven managed to get her stable magic-wise, but…" Odine nodded.
"Get her here as quickly as possible!" His image faded.
"Squall?" Laguna asked. His son sat in the chair, pale, his eyes dulled from fatigue and shock. When he looked up, there was so much pain and misery in them that Laguna felt a pang in his own heart.
"Do you agree with the plan?" Squall stood up.
"How fast can you do it?"
"If you leave now, we should have everything ready by the time you arrive." Squall nodded and left the room.
"President Laguna…" Dr. Kadowaki said.
"I know. I'll talk to him." Laguna replied. His image winked out.
Somewhere off the coast of Galbadia…
Julia hissed. Pain radiated from her side and her entire body. Although Rinoa had lost the battle, she had not gone down without a fight, and the telltale scratches, bruises, and burns on Julia served as evidence to that fact.
"Ouch!" Putting a hand to her side, she felt the area where the gunblade had sliced into her. "I have to give her some credit, she was a whole lot harder than I thought. I figured she'd be a pushover!" She bit her lips. "But then she is another version of my sister. And I thought she was a pushover as well! Look at what happened to me for underestimating her!" Getting up gingerly, she walked over to the window.
"But I made another mistake. I didn't know that those SeeDs had that…Lunatic Pandora set to explode. Had I known, I might have been able to prevent myself from losing that power! As it stands now, I only have the power of their sorceress. It's going to take me much longer to get my powers back. And I need them if I'm to get back to my own world!" Frustrated, she turned around and started to pace.
"This planet's supposed to be the twin of mine, for crying out loud. There should be places where magic is supposed to be stored! Heck, there should be people who can use magic around, not just the military and sorceresses! Here, they use technology instead of magic! I'm no good in the technology department!" Steamed, she let lose an energy ball. It struck the counter where her crystal was, causing it to fall down and start glowing.
"Huh?" Walking over, she picked up the crystal. "Odd. Now it's reacting like…" Her eyes widened as the thought hit home. "Like there's magic around! And if there's magic…" Her lips turned up into an evil smile.
"There's a way for me to get home."
2.1.1.1 In Another World…
Squall stared at the computer screen, not comprehending what was in front of him.
"I got to get my act together…" He switched off the screen and rubbed his hands over his face.
"I've got to think about Raine and the Garden. I don't know what that group might try next…"
"Squall?" Quistis said, walking in. Squall hurriedly got up and saluted.
"Headmaster."
"Stop it, Squall. I came to see how you were doing." Squall sighed and dropped back down into his seat.
"I'm doing fine, I guess…" Quistis sighed.
"He's got enough problems as it is, and I don't want to add anything else…" Squall looked up at her.
"What's wrong?" Quistis blinked, and then blew out a breath.
"Squall…I just got a call from Headmaster Chere over at Galbadia Garden. She says they intercepted a transmission late last night that was apparently from the individuals responsible for the attack on the exam last night."
"And?" Squall said.
"And it states that one of the group's main goals is to get the sorceress." Squall blinked as the statement sunk in.
"Get the sorceress? That means…"
"They're after Rinoa." Quistis watched as Squall sank his head into his hands and moaned. "I've spoken to Laguna. He suggested that we have Rinoa moved to Esthar, at least until we can get this straightened out." Squall shook his head.
"What else could go wrong?" All of a sudden, the Garden shook, and alarms started to blare.
"What the…" Xu burst in.
"We're under attack!"
Raine idly played with her Revolver. She sat in the café area of the Cafeteria, watching the hustle and bustle of the Garden pass her by. Had anyone been looking at her, they would have noticed an extremely beautiful girl lazing around the time before her class began. In reality, Raine had no classes, and the medics in the Infirmary had all but booted her out, insisting that she get some fresh air, she couldn't do anything just by sitting constantly next to her mother.
"But they don't understand! Mama and I…" A tear fell down her cheek, and she hurriedly wiped it away with the back of her glove.
"I've got to be strong. I can't fall apart. Not like this!" A sudden rumble had her jolting out of her seat, Gunblade in hand.
"The Garden's under attack!" A student screamed.
"What?"
"All students report to the second floor classrooms immediately! SeeDs assemble at the Quad and await further instructions!" Announcements blared out over the P.A. system as people tried to get themselves organized.
The Garden shook again with the force of another explosion. Swarms of soldiers flooded the hallways, fighting SeeDs and students alike. Celes twirled her whip and struck out, lashing a solider that was coming too close to her.
"Where did these guys come from?" Tifa yelled, casting a Thundara spell. Her brother quickly joined the fray by shooting at a group of soldiers.
"Beats me. Right now, I'm more worried about staying alive!" He said.
Raine ran down the hall, hacking, slicing, and slashing any enemy that got in her way. Over the chaos, she heard Xu's voice on the P.A. system.
"Medical team 1A report to the bridge immediately! I repeat…"
"They must have gone after the bridge!" Raine thought. Then she gasped.
"Mom! Oh no, the Infirmary!" Gripped by fear, she continued her mad dash down the hallway.
Squall breathed heavily. Following Xu's sudden entrance and announcement, several soldiers had broken through one of the office windows, surprising him, Quistis, and Xu. Before they could recover, the soldiers were on them, attacking viciously. Squall smashed his fist in the face of one, and kicked the other, sending him sprawling. Quistis took down her own with two quick kicks to the chest, followed by a disabling chop to the back of the neck. Xu managed to disarm the remaining one of his sword, and hit him with the flat of it, rendering him unconscious.
"What's going on?" Quistis panted, trying to catch her breath. Squall suddenly straightened.
"The Infirmary. They're after Rinoa!" He grabbed Lionheart and ran to the elevator.
"Squall, wait!"
"I'm going down. See if you can find Raine!"
"Yaaahhh!" Raine screamed as she brought her Revolver down. Light flashed from the blade, blinding anyone who looked at it. Raine spun a full 360, swinging the Gunblade around, light still emanating from the blade. Soldiers fell back, either blinded or pushed back by the force of the small explosions that followed.
"Raine, get out of here!" Dr. Kadowaki yelled. Soldiers had broken into the Infirmary, intent of capturing Rinoa. The medical staff had been holding them at bay with whatever weapons they had available, when Raine had appeared. The tide of the battle had quickly turned, Raine mowing down the enemy soldiers.
"Not without my mother!" Raine replied.
"She's fine! You need to be with the other students!" Dr. Kadowaki said, hurriedly looking over her shoulder. Several medics were quickly placing Rinoa into an auxiliary bio-stasis tube. Once the tube was sealed, the medics wheeled it towards the back room.
"Doctor!"
"Raine, you're going to have to come with us!" Dr. Kadowaki reached out to grab the teenager. Before she could take the other girl's arm, another explosion shook the ground, sending Kadowaki backwards and Raine outside, right into a group of soldiers! Before she could raise her Gunblade, it was knocked out of her hand, and a pair of arms held her roughly.
"Ack! Let me go!"
"Sarge! We got one! Came out of the medical bay!"
"Let me go, or else I'll petrify you 'til doomsday!" Raine said, struggling.
"Where's the sorceress, brat?"
"Drop dead! Ahh!" Raine gasped in pain as her right arm was yanked even harder back.
"Smart-mouth us, and I'll break your arm!" The soldier holding her snarled. "Now where's the sorceress?" Raine closed her eyes and shook her head. A red haze was starting to cover her vision, signaling that she was on the brink of losing control and calling one of her Limit Breaks.
"Don't shut up on us now! Answer the question!" The soldier shook Raine. Her head lolled forward, and her eyes suddenly shot open.
"TORANDO ZONE!!!"
"She's not here." Tifa told Squall. She winced as she touched a cut on her cheek.
"We barely just got in here, and then they started attacking us. Got inside too." I.J. added. He touched his sister's face. "Cure." Tifa hissed in pain as the familiar tingling started.
"Last time I saw her, she was sitting in the café area of the Cafeteria." Sabin said. A sudden blast rumble and blast of light had them all whirling around.
"What was THAT?" Celes asked.
"I'd know that light anywhere…that's one of Raine's sorceress spells!" Squall thought. "Stay here!" He snapped.
"Huh?" Everyone said.
Raine sized her Gunblade and turned around, just in time to block one of the remaining soldiers attacks. The rest had been taken by surprise by Raine's sudden spell, and had been thrown several feet away, unconscious.
"Sorceress!" The solider snarled. Raine smiled crookedly.
"Right." She kneed the solider in the torso, and then followed it up with a roundhouse kick. The man fell down, unconscious.
"Ok, now would be a good time to get out of here." Raine thought. Sheathing her Gunblade, she turned and started to run for the elevator. Then…
"Ow!" She put a hand to the back of her neck. Pulling it away, she stared dazedly at the orange-feathered tranquiller dart in her fingers.
"Oohhh shoot. This is not good…" was her last thought was she hit the ground.
Squall ran down the hallway towards the Infirmary. As he rounded the corner, his radio crackled.
"Squall, are you there?" Squall grabbed the headset.
"What's wrong?"
"The enemy's pulling out!" At this, Squall increased his speed, yanking off the headset in a rush.
"Oh God, no please, let her be there, let her be safe!" The prayer ran through Squall's mind as he burst into the Infirmary.
"Dr. Kadowaki!" He rushed forward and helped the doctor up. "What happened?"
"Raine…"
"What?"
"They took Raine!" She struggled to get up. "Leave me. Go get Raine!" Squall ran out of the room.
"They headed for the front gate!" Dr. Kadowaki screamed after them.
Raine felt as if she were hanging precariously off a cliff by her fingers. She was over someone's shoulder, and from the feeling of it, both her hands and her feet were tied.
"She out of it?"
"Yeah. That stuff Enriko stole is pretty good. She'll be dreaming sweet dreams until tomorrow!"
"Can't believe she's a sorceress too."
"Believe it, buddy. You don't know who her parents are, huh?"
"Yeah, but still…"
"What do my parents have to do with me being a sorceress?" Raine thought. Darkness was starting to grow in her mind, threatening to engulf her. "I can't fall asleep now! I won't be able to know where I'm going!" But already her natural defenses against drugs were starting to weaken. "I'm not tired…" Her mind shut down, and the night claimed her.
The blond-haired man ran through the front gate and into the main hall.
"Oh no…I'm too late!" Around him, students, SeeDs, and enemy soldiers alike lay scattered on the ground. Medical teams were moving among the injured, healing wounds and trying to clear the area. The man went unnoticed as he hurried towards the Infirmary.
"RRAAAGGGHHH!"
"Squall, calm down!" Nobody noticed the door suddenly opening and closing.
"AAARRRGHH! First my wife, and now my daughter!"
"Squall, we'll get her back! They couldn't have gotten too far. All the Gardens are on alert!" Squall couldn't take it anymore. He slid to the ground, drained.
"Give me a hand." Dr. Kadowaki said to Zell and Irvine. "He needs to rest." The three helped up Squall and gently led him over to a bed.
"Chill out, man, she's fine." Zell said reassuringly. "Didn't you say she takes after her mother?" His hands fisted as he thought of the pain Squall had to be going through right now. Quistis hurried in.
"I just got a phone call from Balamb. Two men just bought one-way train tickets to Timber five minutes ago. The men had a girl fitting Raine's description with them." The door opened and closed again.
"And?" Squall said desperately.
"The teller said the girl looked alright. She was asleep when the men checked in."
"Probably gave her a sedative so she wouldn't struggle." Dr. Kadowaki said.
"But doesn't Raine have some sort of natural immunity to sedatives? To any drug, for that matter?" Irvine asked.
"Yes." Squall said. "If you wanted to sedate her, giving her any normal anesthetic wouldn't work. It'd look like she was sleeping, but in reality, she'd still be awake."
"Not necessarily." Dr Kadowaki said. She held up the tranquilizer dart and a vial.
"What's that?"
"A traq dart and a vial. They've both got traces of Activan in them. It's a very powerful sedative. Powerful enough to even render a sorceress unconscious."
"How high a dosage would Raine need to knock her out?" Squall demanded.
"5 ccs or higher. Either way, she'd be out like a light for at least 24-48 hours." Kadowaki replied.
"She could be anyplace in 24-48 hours!" Squall exclaimed. "We need to get her back now!!" Selphie dashed in.
"The next train to Timber leaves in 15 minutes. I managed to get 3 tickets." Squall swung off the bed.
"I'm going." He said. Quistis nodded.
"Selphie, Zell, go with him. I'll let Galbadia Garden know. With any luck, we can stop them there."
2.1.2 In the underwater tunnel heading for Timber…
The Sergeant eyed the sleeping girl. She hadn't made a single peep since they had managed to grab her from Balamb Garden.
"I don't like this, boss. Traveling with a sorceress…"
"Relax." The sergeant snarled. Turning his head, he spat. "She's in dreamland for a good day or two. You know how much she's worth?"
"I say get rid of her now." This came from the man Raine had knocked out. "Forget how much she's worth. This world would be a better place without another stinking sorceress in it."
"We wait for orders from the Commander. I don't like her; same as you do, but it'll be our heads if something happens! Huh?" The car shook as the train slowed down. Then the lights went out, and the car was plunged into darkness. "What the…" Another soldier stuck his head in the compartment.
"We've lost power! And the train isn't moving either!"
"I see that, you nitwit! Get up to the front and find out what's going on!" The solider saluted and left.
"Probably just one of those freaky things, Sergeant."
"Freaky thing my behind! If that girl's father catches up to us, we're as good as dead!"
"Funny. If I had my way you'd be dead already."
"HUH?"
"Ahhh!" There was a series of bangs, and then the sound of several bodies hitting the floor. When the lights came back on, nearly all the soldiers were sprawled out on the floor, unconscious.
"What the…what's going on here?" He drew his sword. "Come out and fight me like a man!" The voice chuckled.
"Yeah right. You're a man. Kidnapping a helpless girl, hating her just because she's different…oh yeah. You're a sterling example of manhood."
"Shut up!" The blond-haired man appeared in the corner, arms crossed. His gray coat rustled as he straightened and looked at the sergeant.
"What did you say?"
"Aaagghh! Die!" The sergeant roared as he lunged towards him. Before he could even blink, the stranger had unsheathed a Gunblade. In a move so smooth that he couldn't believe it, the sergeant was hit upside the head. As he fell to the ground, his last image was looking at a pair of black boots standing in front of him.
"I'm being much more merciful that how I feel like right now. Consider yourselves lucky. Squall will do a much more worse job on you." As he turned, he saw Raine, slumped in a corner. "Raine! Oh no!" Dashing over, he squatted down next to her and used his weapon to cut lose her bonds.
"Raine?" Raine murmured and turned her head. The man smiled, his blue eyes gentling.
"Just like 17 years ago. You were a bit smaller then. And you were awake." He ran a gentle hand over her hair.
"You were screaming your lungs out. Perfectly understandable, under the conditions." He laughed. "I would have been screaming too." Gently, he picked up Raine.
"Your dad's outside right now. But you can't go back to him just yet. Don't worry, I'll let him know you're safe."
Squall jumped out of the car. Their train had stopped, and word had soon gotten out that the first train to Timber had lost power and was stuck in the tunnel.
"Wait! Squall, you could be running into a trap!" Selphie called from behind him. She and Zell followed as Squall burst into the first train.
"Raine? Raine!"
"Aaahhhhh!!!" Screams rang out from the upper end of the train. Galvanized, Squall, Selphie, and Zell ran to see what was the matter. They encountered a hysterical woman, screaming and pointing.
"What's wrong?"
"B…B…Bodies! They're dead. They're all dead!" Zell ran into the train compartment while Selphie and Squall tried to calm the woman down.
"Squall! Get in here!" Squall hurried in. Zell was crouched over the Sergeant, taking his pulse.
"They're alive. Looks like somebody got the drop on them good." A sudden snarl from Squall had him whirling around. In his hands were the remnants of Raine's bonds.
"She's not here." In anger, Zell punched the wall. "Darnnit! They must have gotten her out when the train stopped!" Squall walked over and took a piece of paper off the table. Looking at it, his eyes widened.
"Uh…I don't think so." He said, his voice soft.
"Why?"
"Read this." Zell took the paper from Squall's outstretched hand.
Squall Leonhart-
Please don't worry. Raine's safe.
"What the…what the heck is this?!" Before Squall could answer, Selphie came in.
"Squall…" She said. Her face was pale.
"What?" Squall said.
"What is it, Selph?"
"I just got a call from Quistis. They said somebody just called them five minutes ago telling them where Raine is!"
Raine blinked. Her world was slowly coming back into focus.
"Oohhh…ouch." Around her was darkness.
"What the…where am I?"
"Someplace safe." Raine turned her head. A figure was standing in the shadows.
"Someplace safe? Who are you? You're not one of those idiots, are you? Cuz if you are…" She trailed off as laughter filled the air.
"Hahaha!"
"What's so funny?"
"You. You're just like your mother when she was your age."
"You know my mother?"
"Your mother, your father, and all your uncles and aunts." Raine's eyes narrowed.
"I can't see you. Come into the light."
"I don't know if I should do that."
"Why?"
"Because, you might attack me."
"Why would I want to do that?"
"Because you've got reasons too."
"Huh? What? Look, stop playing around and come into the light already!"
"Alright." The voice sounded amused. "But remember, you asked for it." Raine watched as the figure stepped into her field of vision. A long gray cloak, blond hair, and a Gunblade were the first features she were able to pick out. Then as he fully stepped into the light she inhaled sharply.
Black gloves, a red cross on one of his coatsleeves, eyes an intense blue. But the one thing that had her starting suddenly was a reddish-brown scar on his face. Instead of starting from the forehead, and going down the center, it looked as if it started from the bottom of his right eye and went upwards, stopping above his left eyebrow.
"What the…I've seen him before someplace. But where?" The stranger grinned crookedly.
"Come on, Raine. You're a very smart girl. Figure it out." Raine's eyes narrowed.
"Blue eyes, gray coat, a scar like my father's…and a Gunblade to boot…who the heck…" The stranger looked on. When Raine's mind clicked, he smiled.
"OH MY GOD!" Raine screamed. "You're…you're…!"
"Seifer Almasy."
1.1.1.1 In Another World…
The blond-haired stranger walked up the road to Balamb Garden.
"Haha…still looks the same." His lips twisted into a grin as he gave the Garden a once-over. It had been his home once, until circumstances had forced him out. He could have returned if he had wanted to, but had chosen not to do so.
"I only wish I was coming up here under better circumstances." His eyes narrowed as a memory came up.
"You need to go to Balamb Garden. Now." The man's head whipped up as a woman entered.
"Huh?"
"Rinoa's in a coma. Now and in the past." The man started at this.
"What? How…"
"I don't know. What we need to do now is to make sure nobody tries anything stupid." The woman marched forward, throwing up her right hand. A blue, red, and gold rod appeared in her hand, richly decorated with tassels and a S-shaped design crowned the top.
"You already know about the attack on the SeeD candidate exam yesterday." A portal appeared in the air, showing Balamb Garden in its center.
"Yes…" The man said, apparently still reeling from the announcement of Rinoa being in a coma.
"I haven't been able to find any trace of the group that caused the attack, which means that they might pull off something soon." Turning around, she glared at him.
"Are you even listening?"
"Huh?" The man blinked, and then sighed.
"I'm sorry, Selene."
"Now he calls me by my first name." The woman remarked. Her eyes gentled as she looked at the man.
"You don't have to do this if you don't want to." The man shook his head.
"No. I want to. I chose to do this a long time ago, remember?"
"Then you'd better get a move on." Selene said, twirling her staff in the air, and aiming it at the portal. As the memory faded, the man blinked.
"I don't have time to be standing around here daydreaming. I'd better get to Garden, and fast!"
"Raine."
"Mama…"
"Raine…" Raine slowly opened her eyes. Squall was in front of her, his eyes full of concern.
"Dad?"
"Honey, it's time to get up." Raine sat up.
"Ooohhh…" She looked at Rinoa. "Any change?"
"No." Squall eyed his daughter as she rubbed her face. "I nearly had a heart attack when I walked in your room this morning and you weren't in your bed."
"I'm sorry…I just wanted to be with Mom…" Raine mumbled. Squall ran a hand over her hair.
"It's ok. " Raine nodded silently. Squall turned to walk out, then turned around.
"There's a change of clothes for you on the chair. Get dressed, then go grab some breakfast." Raine nodded again, then got up as Squall walked out of the room.
In the present…
Selphie sighed as she ran a check on the Ragarnok's controls. The
Garden now was stationed outside of Edea's House, with the spaceship parked alongside it. Squall had gotten in contact with Laguna, who was extremely shocked by what had happened. He immediately agreed to house the injured SeeDs and students in Esthar until things were sorted out. Selphie had the trip earlier that morning.
"But what about Rinoa? She needs medical treatment badly! And Garden doesn't have the equipment she needs!" she thought.
2 In Esthar…
Laguna rubbed his forehead. All the injured SeeDs and students from Balamb Garden were all settled at the local hospital, but one thing was still bothering him. Finally, he leaned forward and pressed a button.
"I need to speak with Dr. Kadowaki of Balamb Garden. Now."
Squall gently rubbed Rinoa's hand. When he wasn't in meetings; or helping out with repairs, he was in the Infirmary, next to her.
"I'm so sorry…I failed you…you almost died right in front of my eyes…" Pain squeezed his heart, and unable to bear it, he closed his eyes.
"Why won't you wake up? Please, don't leave me like this again, Rinoa, please." He begged. Dr. Kadowaki appeared in the doorway.
"Squall, I need to talk to you."
Squall settled into a chair. Dr. Kadowaki sat in her seat, and turned the computer screen on her desk so that Squall could see it.
"Hey son."
"Dad! What are you…?"
"Doing here? I got in contact with Kadowaki."
"We think there might be a way for Rinoa to get some proper medical help, despite her condition." Dr. Kadowaki said.
"What? How?"
"I know I told you to keep Rinoa away from here, but under the circumstances, Esthar just might be the best place for her right now."
"We can't treat Rinoa properly here." Dr. Kadowaki added. "She needs special medical equipment, and I just don't have the expertise to deal with her condition."
"Zhat iz why you bring her to me!" The screen split into two, with Laguna on one side, Dr. Odine on the other.
"I have zee equipment zhat she needs. I trust zhat her condition has improved slightly?"
"Slightly. She's still hooked up to the O2 tank. The Diploriven managed to get her stable magic-wise, but…" Odine nodded.
"Get her here as quickly as possible!" His image faded.
"Squall?" Laguna asked. His son sat in the chair, pale, his eyes dulled from fatigue and shock. When he looked up, there was so much pain and misery in them that Laguna felt a pang in his own heart.
"Do you agree with the plan?" Squall stood up.
"How fast can you do it?"
"If you leave now, we should have everything ready by the time you arrive." Squall nodded and left the room.
"President Laguna…" Dr. Kadowaki said.
"I know. I'll talk to him." Laguna replied. His image winked out.
Somewhere off the coast of Galbadia…
Julia hissed. Pain radiated from her side and her entire body. Although Rinoa had lost the battle, she had not gone down without a fight, and the telltale scratches, bruises, and burns on Julia served as evidence to that fact.
"Ouch!" Putting a hand to her side, she felt the area where the gunblade had sliced into her. "I have to give her some credit, she was a whole lot harder than I thought. I figured she'd be a pushover!" She bit her lips. "But then she is another version of my sister. And I thought she was a pushover as well! Look at what happened to me for underestimating her!" Getting up gingerly, she walked over to the window.
"But I made another mistake. I didn't know that those SeeDs had that…Lunatic Pandora set to explode. Had I known, I might have been able to prevent myself from losing that power! As it stands now, I only have the power of their sorceress. It's going to take me much longer to get my powers back. And I need them if I'm to get back to my own world!" Frustrated, she turned around and started to pace.
"This planet's supposed to be the twin of mine, for crying out loud. There should be places where magic is supposed to be stored! Heck, there should be people who can use magic around, not just the military and sorceresses! Here, they use technology instead of magic! I'm no good in the technology department!" Steamed, she let lose an energy ball. It struck the counter where her crystal was, causing it to fall down and start glowing.
"Huh?" Walking over, she picked up the crystal. "Odd. Now it's reacting like…" Her eyes widened as the thought hit home. "Like there's magic around! And if there's magic…" Her lips turned up into an evil smile.
"There's a way for me to get home."
2.1.1.1 In Another World…
Squall stared at the computer screen, not comprehending what was in front of him.
"I got to get my act together…" He switched off the screen and rubbed his hands over his face.
"I've got to think about Raine and the Garden. I don't know what that group might try next…"
"Squall?" Quistis said, walking in. Squall hurriedly got up and saluted.
"Headmaster."
"Stop it, Squall. I came to see how you were doing." Squall sighed and dropped back down into his seat.
"I'm doing fine, I guess…" Quistis sighed.
"He's got enough problems as it is, and I don't want to add anything else…" Squall looked up at her.
"What's wrong?" Quistis blinked, and then blew out a breath.
"Squall…I just got a call from Headmaster Chere over at Galbadia Garden. She says they intercepted a transmission late last night that was apparently from the individuals responsible for the attack on the exam last night."
"And?" Squall said.
"And it states that one of the group's main goals is to get the sorceress." Squall blinked as the statement sunk in.
"Get the sorceress? That means…"
"They're after Rinoa." Quistis watched as Squall sank his head into his hands and moaned. "I've spoken to Laguna. He suggested that we have Rinoa moved to Esthar, at least until we can get this straightened out." Squall shook his head.
"What else could go wrong?" All of a sudden, the Garden shook, and alarms started to blare.
"What the…" Xu burst in.
"We're under attack!"
Raine idly played with her Revolver. She sat in the café area of the Cafeteria, watching the hustle and bustle of the Garden pass her by. Had anyone been looking at her, they would have noticed an extremely beautiful girl lazing around the time before her class began. In reality, Raine had no classes, and the medics in the Infirmary had all but booted her out, insisting that she get some fresh air, she couldn't do anything just by sitting constantly next to her mother.
"But they don't understand! Mama and I…" A tear fell down her cheek, and she hurriedly wiped it away with the back of her glove.
"I've got to be strong. I can't fall apart. Not like this!" A sudden rumble had her jolting out of her seat, Gunblade in hand.
"The Garden's under attack!" A student screamed.
"What?"
"All students report to the second floor classrooms immediately! SeeDs assemble at the Quad and await further instructions!" Announcements blared out over the P.A. system as people tried to get themselves organized.
The Garden shook again with the force of another explosion. Swarms of soldiers flooded the hallways, fighting SeeDs and students alike. Celes twirled her whip and struck out, lashing a solider that was coming too close to her.
"Where did these guys come from?" Tifa yelled, casting a Thundara spell. Her brother quickly joined the fray by shooting at a group of soldiers.
"Beats me. Right now, I'm more worried about staying alive!" He said.
Raine ran down the hall, hacking, slicing, and slashing any enemy that got in her way. Over the chaos, she heard Xu's voice on the P.A. system.
"Medical team 1A report to the bridge immediately! I repeat…"
"They must have gone after the bridge!" Raine thought. Then she gasped.
"Mom! Oh no, the Infirmary!" Gripped by fear, she continued her mad dash down the hallway.
Squall breathed heavily. Following Xu's sudden entrance and announcement, several soldiers had broken through one of the office windows, surprising him, Quistis, and Xu. Before they could recover, the soldiers were on them, attacking viciously. Squall smashed his fist in the face of one, and kicked the other, sending him sprawling. Quistis took down her own with two quick kicks to the chest, followed by a disabling chop to the back of the neck. Xu managed to disarm the remaining one of his sword, and hit him with the flat of it, rendering him unconscious.
"What's going on?" Quistis panted, trying to catch her breath. Squall suddenly straightened.
"The Infirmary. They're after Rinoa!" He grabbed Lionheart and ran to the elevator.
"Squall, wait!"
"I'm going down. See if you can find Raine!"
"Yaaahhh!" Raine screamed as she brought her Revolver down. Light flashed from the blade, blinding anyone who looked at it. Raine spun a full 360, swinging the Gunblade around, light still emanating from the blade. Soldiers fell back, either blinded or pushed back by the force of the small explosions that followed.
"Raine, get out of here!" Dr. Kadowaki yelled. Soldiers had broken into the Infirmary, intent of capturing Rinoa. The medical staff had been holding them at bay with whatever weapons they had available, when Raine had appeared. The tide of the battle had quickly turned, Raine mowing down the enemy soldiers.
"Not without my mother!" Raine replied.
"She's fine! You need to be with the other students!" Dr. Kadowaki said, hurriedly looking over her shoulder. Several medics were quickly placing Rinoa into an auxiliary bio-stasis tube. Once the tube was sealed, the medics wheeled it towards the back room.
"Doctor!"
"Raine, you're going to have to come with us!" Dr. Kadowaki reached out to grab the teenager. Before she could take the other girl's arm, another explosion shook the ground, sending Kadowaki backwards and Raine outside, right into a group of soldiers! Before she could raise her Gunblade, it was knocked out of her hand, and a pair of arms held her roughly.
"Ack! Let me go!"
"Sarge! We got one! Came out of the medical bay!"
"Let me go, or else I'll petrify you 'til doomsday!" Raine said, struggling.
"Where's the sorceress, brat?"
"Drop dead! Ahh!" Raine gasped in pain as her right arm was yanked even harder back.
"Smart-mouth us, and I'll break your arm!" The soldier holding her snarled. "Now where's the sorceress?" Raine closed her eyes and shook her head. A red haze was starting to cover her vision, signaling that she was on the brink of losing control and calling one of her Limit Breaks.
"Don't shut up on us now! Answer the question!" The soldier shook Raine. Her head lolled forward, and her eyes suddenly shot open.
"TORANDO ZONE!!!"
"She's not here." Tifa told Squall. She winced as she touched a cut on her cheek.
"We barely just got in here, and then they started attacking us. Got inside too." I.J. added. He touched his sister's face. "Cure." Tifa hissed in pain as the familiar tingling started.
"Last time I saw her, she was sitting in the café area of the Cafeteria." Sabin said. A sudden blast rumble and blast of light had them all whirling around.
"What was THAT?" Celes asked.
"I'd know that light anywhere…that's one of Raine's sorceress spells!" Squall thought. "Stay here!" He snapped.
"Huh?" Everyone said.
Raine sized her Gunblade and turned around, just in time to block one of the remaining soldiers attacks. The rest had been taken by surprise by Raine's sudden spell, and had been thrown several feet away, unconscious.
"Sorceress!" The solider snarled. Raine smiled crookedly.
"Right." She kneed the solider in the torso, and then followed it up with a roundhouse kick. The man fell down, unconscious.
"Ok, now would be a good time to get out of here." Raine thought. Sheathing her Gunblade, she turned and started to run for the elevator. Then…
"Ow!" She put a hand to the back of her neck. Pulling it away, she stared dazedly at the orange-feathered tranquiller dart in her fingers.
"Oohhh shoot. This is not good…" was her last thought was she hit the ground.
Squall ran down the hallway towards the Infirmary. As he rounded the corner, his radio crackled.
"Squall, are you there?" Squall grabbed the headset.
"What's wrong?"
"The enemy's pulling out!" At this, Squall increased his speed, yanking off the headset in a rush.
"Oh God, no please, let her be there, let her be safe!" The prayer ran through Squall's mind as he burst into the Infirmary.
"Dr. Kadowaki!" He rushed forward and helped the doctor up. "What happened?"
"Raine…"
"What?"
"They took Raine!" She struggled to get up. "Leave me. Go get Raine!" Squall ran out of the room.
"They headed for the front gate!" Dr. Kadowaki screamed after them.
Raine felt as if she were hanging precariously off a cliff by her fingers. She was over someone's shoulder, and from the feeling of it, both her hands and her feet were tied.
"She out of it?"
"Yeah. That stuff Enriko stole is pretty good. She'll be dreaming sweet dreams until tomorrow!"
"Can't believe she's a sorceress too."
"Believe it, buddy. You don't know who her parents are, huh?"
"Yeah, but still…"
"What do my parents have to do with me being a sorceress?" Raine thought. Darkness was starting to grow in her mind, threatening to engulf her. "I can't fall asleep now! I won't be able to know where I'm going!" But already her natural defenses against drugs were starting to weaken. "I'm not tired…" Her mind shut down, and the night claimed her.
The blond-haired man ran through the front gate and into the main hall.
"Oh no…I'm too late!" Around him, students, SeeDs, and enemy soldiers alike lay scattered on the ground. Medical teams were moving among the injured, healing wounds and trying to clear the area. The man went unnoticed as he hurried towards the Infirmary.
"RRAAAGGGHHH!"
"Squall, calm down!" Nobody noticed the door suddenly opening and closing.
"AAARRRGHH! First my wife, and now my daughter!"
"Squall, we'll get her back! They couldn't have gotten too far. All the Gardens are on alert!" Squall couldn't take it anymore. He slid to the ground, drained.
"Give me a hand." Dr. Kadowaki said to Zell and Irvine. "He needs to rest." The three helped up Squall and gently led him over to a bed.
"Chill out, man, she's fine." Zell said reassuringly. "Didn't you say she takes after her mother?" His hands fisted as he thought of the pain Squall had to be going through right now. Quistis hurried in.
"I just got a phone call from Balamb. Two men just bought one-way train tickets to Timber five minutes ago. The men had a girl fitting Raine's description with them." The door opened and closed again.
"And?" Squall said desperately.
"The teller said the girl looked alright. She was asleep when the men checked in."
"Probably gave her a sedative so she wouldn't struggle." Dr. Kadowaki said.
"But doesn't Raine have some sort of natural immunity to sedatives? To any drug, for that matter?" Irvine asked.
"Yes." Squall said. "If you wanted to sedate her, giving her any normal anesthetic wouldn't work. It'd look like she was sleeping, but in reality, she'd still be awake."
"Not necessarily." Dr Kadowaki said. She held up the tranquilizer dart and a vial.
"What's that?"
"A traq dart and a vial. They've both got traces of Activan in them. It's a very powerful sedative. Powerful enough to even render a sorceress unconscious."
"How high a dosage would Raine need to knock her out?" Squall demanded.
"5 ccs or higher. Either way, she'd be out like a light for at least 24-48 hours." Kadowaki replied.
"She could be anyplace in 24-48 hours!" Squall exclaimed. "We need to get her back now!!" Selphie dashed in.
"The next train to Timber leaves in 15 minutes. I managed to get 3 tickets." Squall swung off the bed.
"I'm going." He said. Quistis nodded.
"Selphie, Zell, go with him. I'll let Galbadia Garden know. With any luck, we can stop them there."
2.1.2 In the underwater tunnel heading for Timber…
The Sergeant eyed the sleeping girl. She hadn't made a single peep since they had managed to grab her from Balamb Garden.
"I don't like this, boss. Traveling with a sorceress…"
"Relax." The sergeant snarled. Turning his head, he spat. "She's in dreamland for a good day or two. You know how much she's worth?"
"I say get rid of her now." This came from the man Raine had knocked out. "Forget how much she's worth. This world would be a better place without another stinking sorceress in it."
"We wait for orders from the Commander. I don't like her; same as you do, but it'll be our heads if something happens! Huh?" The car shook as the train slowed down. Then the lights went out, and the car was plunged into darkness. "What the…" Another soldier stuck his head in the compartment.
"We've lost power! And the train isn't moving either!"
"I see that, you nitwit! Get up to the front and find out what's going on!" The solider saluted and left.
"Probably just one of those freaky things, Sergeant."
"Freaky thing my behind! If that girl's father catches up to us, we're as good as dead!"
"Funny. If I had my way you'd be dead already."
"HUH?"
"Ahhh!" There was a series of bangs, and then the sound of several bodies hitting the floor. When the lights came back on, nearly all the soldiers were sprawled out on the floor, unconscious.
"What the…what's going on here?" He drew his sword. "Come out and fight me like a man!" The voice chuckled.
"Yeah right. You're a man. Kidnapping a helpless girl, hating her just because she's different…oh yeah. You're a sterling example of manhood."
"Shut up!" The blond-haired man appeared in the corner, arms crossed. His gray coat rustled as he straightened and looked at the sergeant.
"What did you say?"
"Aaagghh! Die!" The sergeant roared as he lunged towards him. Before he could even blink, the stranger had unsheathed a Gunblade. In a move so smooth that he couldn't believe it, the sergeant was hit upside the head. As he fell to the ground, his last image was looking at a pair of black boots standing in front of him.
"I'm being much more merciful that how I feel like right now. Consider yourselves lucky. Squall will do a much more worse job on you." As he turned, he saw Raine, slumped in a corner. "Raine! Oh no!" Dashing over, he squatted down next to her and used his weapon to cut lose her bonds.
"Raine?" Raine murmured and turned her head. The man smiled, his blue eyes gentling.
"Just like 17 years ago. You were a bit smaller then. And you were awake." He ran a gentle hand over her hair.
"You were screaming your lungs out. Perfectly understandable, under the conditions." He laughed. "I would have been screaming too." Gently, he picked up Raine.
"Your dad's outside right now. But you can't go back to him just yet. Don't worry, I'll let him know you're safe."
Squall jumped out of the car. Their train had stopped, and word had soon gotten out that the first train to Timber had lost power and was stuck in the tunnel.
"Wait! Squall, you could be running into a trap!" Selphie called from behind him. She and Zell followed as Squall burst into the first train.
"Raine? Raine!"
"Aaahhhhh!!!" Screams rang out from the upper end of the train. Galvanized, Squall, Selphie, and Zell ran to see what was the matter. They encountered a hysterical woman, screaming and pointing.
"What's wrong?"
"B…B…Bodies! They're dead. They're all dead!" Zell ran into the train compartment while Selphie and Squall tried to calm the woman down.
"Squall! Get in here!" Squall hurried in. Zell was crouched over the Sergeant, taking his pulse.
"They're alive. Looks like somebody got the drop on them good." A sudden snarl from Squall had him whirling around. In his hands were the remnants of Raine's bonds.
"She's not here." In anger, Zell punched the wall. "Darnnit! They must have gotten her out when the train stopped!" Squall walked over and took a piece of paper off the table. Looking at it, his eyes widened.
"Uh…I don't think so." He said, his voice soft.
"Why?"
"Read this." Zell took the paper from Squall's outstretched hand.
Squall Leonhart-
Please don't worry. Raine's safe.
"What the…what the heck is this?!" Before Squall could answer, Selphie came in.
"Squall…" She said. Her face was pale.
"What?" Squall said.
"What is it, Selph?"
"I just got a call from Quistis. They said somebody just called them five minutes ago telling them where Raine is!"
Raine blinked. Her world was slowly coming back into focus.
"Oohhh…ouch." Around her was darkness.
"What the…where am I?"
"Someplace safe." Raine turned her head. A figure was standing in the shadows.
"Someplace safe? Who are you? You're not one of those idiots, are you? Cuz if you are…" She trailed off as laughter filled the air.
"Hahaha!"
"What's so funny?"
"You. You're just like your mother when she was your age."
"You know my mother?"
"Your mother, your father, and all your uncles and aunts." Raine's eyes narrowed.
"I can't see you. Come into the light."
"I don't know if I should do that."
"Why?"
"Because, you might attack me."
"Why would I want to do that?"
"Because you've got reasons too."
"Huh? What? Look, stop playing around and come into the light already!"
"Alright." The voice sounded amused. "But remember, you asked for it." Raine watched as the figure stepped into her field of vision. A long gray cloak, blond hair, and a Gunblade were the first features she were able to pick out. Then as he fully stepped into the light she inhaled sharply.
Black gloves, a red cross on one of his coatsleeves, eyes an intense blue. But the one thing that had her starting suddenly was a reddish-brown scar on his face. Instead of starting from the forehead, and going down the center, it looked as if it started from the bottom of his right eye and went upwards, stopping above his left eyebrow.
"What the…I've seen him before someplace. But where?" The stranger grinned crookedly.
"Come on, Raine. You're a very smart girl. Figure it out." Raine's eyes narrowed.
"Blue eyes, gray coat, a scar like my father's…and a Gunblade to boot…who the heck…" The stranger looked on. When Raine's mind clicked, he smiled.
"OH MY GOD!" Raine screamed. "You're…you're…!"
"Seifer Almasy."