Chapter Twelve
In the present…
Quistis sat in the seat next to Selphie on the Ragarnok, arms crossed.
"How long?" She asked.
"Another hour." Selphie replied. Zell walked up to them.
"I'm getting really worried about Squall, you guys."
"We all are worried about Squall." Irvine said. "It's not just you alone."
"Maybe we should go talk to him?" Selphie asked.
"I'll go." Irvine volunteered.
Squall silently sat next to the bed in his quarters. Rinoa lay still, not moving, save for her chest rising and falling as she breathed. Earlier on, before they had left, her condition had improved even more, allowing Dr. Kadowaki to take her off the O2 tank and Diploriven drip. She was still in a comatose state, however, and nothing that Kadowaki did revived her.
"Squall?" Squall got up and pressed the button to unseal the door. Irvine walked in, taking off his hat as he entered.
"Any…?"
"No." Irvine sighed.
"Listen…we're all worried about you. And we're worried about Rinoa too. It's just that…she wouldn't want you to be like this, man." He placed a comforting hand on his friend's shoulder. Squall blinked, but made no movement to shrug off the gesture.
"I'm going to go grab something to eat. I'll get you something as well." Squall nodded silently, and returned to his seat.
In Another World, at that same second…
Raine bolted to her feet, not believing what she was seeing. Seifer Almasy, her father's rival and the knight of Sorceress Ultimecia in the Second Sorceress War, stood in front of her.
"I guess a "Hi Raine" doesn't exactly fit the situation, does it?" Seifer asked. Raine grabbed her Gunblade and held it in an attack position.
"Stay away from me!"
"Didn't take her too long, once she realized who I am." Seifer thought. He started to step forward. "Raine…"
"One more step and I'll gut you!" Seifer stopped. The expression on Raine's face was unreadable.
"Just like her father…could never tell what he was thinking." He unsheathed Hyperion. Raine braced herself, waiting for the attack. Seifer held out the Gunblade in front of him, then threw it into the ground in front of him, point first.
"What the…" Raine thought. Seifer stepped back.
"Go on." He said. Never taking her eyes off of him, Raine carefully walked up and pulled out the Hyperion, holding it in her right hand, and the Revolver in her left.
"I'm not going to hurt you, Raine. I'm trying to help you." Seifer said. Raine remained silent, thinking.
"The last time my parents saw this guy was when he kidnapped my mother to merge her with Sorceress Adel. Nobody's seen or heard from him since…and now he shows up right out of the blue, and saves my life! I don't get it..." She looked up at Seifer, who blinked. Those blue eyes were staring at him with the intensity of lasers.
"I wonder what she's thinking…" Then he blinked in shock as Raine sheathed her Gunblade, walked up to him, and offered his weapon back.
"Here." Stunned, Seifer took Hyperion and put it back under his coat.
"Talk."
"Why? You're not going to attack me?"
"My dad said once, keep your friends close and your enemies even closer. Because you don't know when your enemy might become your friend." Raine replied. "Plus, you saved me from those soldiers, so I owe you. You going to tell me what's going on?" Seifer stared at her. Then his head whipped around as he heard voices.
"They said she'd be someplace in here!"
"Raine? Raine, where are you?" Raine blinked as she heard her name being called.
"That's my dad!" Seifer turned back around. Gripping her by the shoulders, he looked at her dead in the eyes.
"Listen. Your dad and his friends are going to be coming through that door in a matter of minutes. Don't tell them about me. Go back to the Garden, and I'll get in touch with you."
"What? What do you mean?" Seifer stepped backwards. A flash of white light engulfed him, forcing Raine to close her eyes. When she opened them again, she was sitting on a bed, Gunblade by her side.
"WHAT THE…?" The door burst open.
"Raine!"
"Dad!" Raine jumped up and into her father's arms. "Daddy!"
"Oh, thank God you're alright…" Squall said, hugging his daughter feverishly. "Are you ok?"
"I'm fine." Raine said. "What happened?"
"We were in the underwater tunnel between here and Balamb when the Garden got a call saying that you were here, safe and sound." Squall replied, checking for injures.
"Where's here?"
"The Timber Hotel, darling." Raine blinked.
"Huh? What…what…"
"What? What is it, Raine?" Squall asked, a look of concern on his face.
"What time is it?" Zell checked his watch.
"2:30. It's been a little over a hour since they kidnapped you." At this, Raine's face suddenly went pale, and she nearly swooned.
"2:30?! But…but…its only 2:30?"
"I think whatever they gave her hasn't completely worn off yet, Squall." Selphie said.
"I agree." Squall answered. He picked his daughter up. "We're taking you to the doctor."
"I don't need a doctor!" Raine protested. Ignoring his daughter, Squall walked out of the room.
Seifer stifled a chuckle. The expression on Raine's face had been priceless when she had found out that only an hour and a half had gone by.
"Seems like my ability to freeze time worked on her pretty well. But why didn't she come after me when she found out who I was? Squall would have punched me, Rinoa…she would've slapped me…so why didn't their daughter attack me? Just doesn't make any sense…"
In the present…
Laguna watched as the Ragarnok landed on the pad. Right after talking to Dr. Kadowaki and Squall, he had moved quickly, arranging for Odine and several of his assistants to head to the Airstation disguised as paramedics. Hardly anyone was around the Airstation now, so it was a perfect time for Squall and the others to sneak Rinoa into Esthar.
"Before zhey left, I received another update on Sorceress Rinoa's condition. It seems she was taken off zhe O2 tank this morning." Odine said from behind him.
"Can you find out what's wrong with her?"
"Should not be a problem." Odine said. The Ragarnok ramp lowered, and Squall came down, holding Rinoa in his arms.
"Squall!"
"Move it, people!" Two of Odine's assistants hurried forward, wheeling a bio-tube. Taking Rinoa from Squall, they gently placed her in the tube.
"Take her to the lab!" Squall made to follow the assistants, but was stopped by Laguna.
"They're taking her to the lab, but they're using a different route than normal." Squall nodded. Kiros walked up.
"The car is waiting. We already have rooms prepared at the Presidential Palace for you." Laguna watched as Squall got in the car.
"Mr. President?"
"Hmm?" He turned to see Quistis, Selphie, Irvine, and Zell all standing in front of him. "What's the matter?"
"It's Squall…" Selphie said.
"He's been like that ever since Rinoa got hurt…" Zell said. Laguna sighed.
"We're going to have a little talk, so it'll be fine."
In Deling City…
"So you say that half of their force is immobilized?"
"Yes sir."
"It's a perfect time to strike…" Setzer mused. "Unofficially, Balamb Garden is the main headquarters of SeeD…get rid of the head, and the body's no problem."
"Sir?"
"Contact our forces at Timber. Tell them to head for the Great Salt Lake."
"Yes sir."
"Phase two of your plan?" Setzer turned around to see Julia looking at him.
"Apparently the attack on Balamb Garden worked much better than I thought."
"Hmph." Julia said in reply.
"So, what are your plans?" Setzer asked. Julia started in surprise.
"What?"
"You got what you wanted. And, I'm almost close to getting what I want, so, I'm assuming you're about to leave." Julia smiled.
"There's something on the northern continent that…interests me. But I couldn't leave without giving you one final gift."
"What?"
"President Laguna Loire of Esthar."
"What about him?" Setzer asked.
"How much do you know about him?" Julia asked, trailing her fingers along a desk.
"Not much."
"Then this should give you a bit of an advantage."
"What?"
"Have you ever noticed the similarities between him and Squall Leonhart?"
"I don't follow." Setzer said.
"The year Loire left for Esthar, he left something, or should I say someone, very special behind. Nine months later, she died." She turned around and faced Setzer. "During childbirth." Setzer bolted up out of his seat.
"Are you saying that Laguna Loire has a child out there someplace?" He said, hardly able to believe what the older woman had just told him. Julia held up her right hand, index and middle fingers together.
"Not just a child anymore." A piece of paper appeared between her fingers. She tossed it at Setzer, who turned it over. On the other side was a picture of Raine Leonhart.
"Let's just say that this is something you'll be able to use in the future. To improve…relations, I should say."
In Esthar…
Laguna set a coffee cup in front of Squall.
"Here."
"Thanks." Squall said. Picking it up, he sniffed at it suspiciously. "What is it?"
"Something Kiros makes up. An energy drink or something. Looks like you need it." Squall took a healthy gulp, and then gagged.
"What the...accckk!" Laguna chuckled.
"I know." Sitting down, he eyed his son. "How are you holding up?" Squall shook his head.
"It's…its all my fault." His hands tightened around the cup. "I'm…I'm supposed to be the one in the coma now, not her!" His voice cracked. "She took a blow that was meant for me! And I just stood there and watched!" Laguna's heart tore in agony as he looked at his son.
"Squall…"
"It's like…it's like my heart's been ripped up and torn in two." Laguna couldn't stand it anymore. He got up out of his seat and walked over to the window.
"When…when I found out your mother had died, I…I just totally lost it. This…this beautiful woman that I loved with all my heart, and she was gone. Just like that." He sighed. "I never got a chance to say good-bye. To tell her that I loved her…" Squall didn't say anything, just looked down into the coffee cup. "Squall." He moved over to his son's side. "Look at me." Squall glanced up at him. "What happened to Rinoa is not your fault. She wouldn't want you to blame yourself for this. Right now, all that matters is finding out what's wrong with Rinoa, and how to fix it. Plus dealing with this new sorceress. So please, for her sake and yours, stop blaming yourself." Squall smiled sadly.
"Okay…Dad."
"Come here." Laguna said. He embraced Squall in a hug. "Everything's going to be ok, you know that?" Squall didn't say anything, just returned the hug.
"Mr. President?" Laguna pulled away from Squall and faced the assistant.
"Yes?"
"Kiros and Ward are waiting for you outside, sir."
"I'm very sorry, but I have to agree with Dr. Kadowaki. Sorceress Rinoa has been completely stripped of her powers. Zhat, and zhat alone is zhe reason she iz in zhe coma." Odine said.
"Isn't there any way you can revive her?" Quistis asked. Odine shook his head.
"There iz no vay."
"It's all that sorceress's fault!" Everyone turned. Squall stood next to Rinoa's bed.
"You want the person responsible for what's going on? It's that woman!" His hands balled into fists.
"Who is she anyway?" Laguna asked.
"We don't know. Galbadia found her in the ruins of Lunatic Pandora, and somehow she managed to get on Setzer's good side." Selphie said.
"That's surprising. I thought that Setzer would keep clear of sorceresses, considering the fact that his father was killed by Ultimecia." Laguna replied.
"Yeah, it doesn't make sense. Either he's under an extremely strong spell, or…" Zell said.
"Or what?" Irvine asked.
"I don't know. That's just the point. What would Setzer want with a sorceress?"
"Or what would the sorceress want with him." Kiros said.
"Speaking of zhe sorceress, how did you manage to drain her magic?"
"Odine, not now!"
"No, Dad, it's alright." Squall turned to Odine. "We used regular explosives along with some of that experimental gel you let us have. When Pandora exploded…"
"All zhe magic disappeared! I zee. And if that woman vaz using Pandora as a power source, it would have effected her badly. Especially if her own powers had not awakened yet."
"So she needed a fresh energy source. And stripping Rinoa of her powers would give her what she needed." Laguna said.
"That simple, huh?" Irvine added.
"Vait a minute!"
"What?" Odine was jumping up and down excitedly.
"Zhat is it, zhat is it, zhat is it!"
"What is?" Odine hurried over to the computer.
"I vas vrong! Zhere may be a way to awaken Rinoa!"
"There is?" What? What is it?" Squall said frantically.
"Zhere is a chance zhat it might not work…uurrcckk!" Odine found himself being yanked up by the collar, feet dangling in the air.
"Squall! Hey man, chill!" Irvine and Zell dashed forward.
"Listen to me. And I'm only going to say this once. Tell us what you know right now, or I swear I'm going to kill you." Squall said, his voice low and menacing.
"Let me go!"
"Squall, chill out!" Squall released his grip, allowing himself to be pulled back by Irvine and Zell.
"Easy man." Squall yanked himself free, glaring at Odine, who was jumping up and down again.
"Keep zhat manic away from me!"
"Odine, SHUT UP!" Laguna roared. This had everyone whirling around in surprise. Laguna was normally a very calm man, but when he actually GOT angry…it was an event to remember.
"You tell my son what he needs to know right now, or I let him do what I've been wanting to do ever since I met you! Got it?" Odine nodded and started to press buttons on the keyboard, fearing Laguna's wrath.
"Well?" Squall demanded.
"It is possible zhat we can return Sorceress Rinoa's powers to her."
"It is?"
"Under zhe right conditions…"
"What are the conditions?" Zell said. Odine blew out a breath.
"Vell…ve take Rinoa in her present condition now…and place her in a sealing chamber…"
"Oh no…."
"Vait! Let me finish! Zhe sealing chamber vill keep her stable and also act as a life-support system if her condition gets vorse. Zhen, ve add
zhe second sorceress."
"You're saying seal away Rinoa and the second sorceress?" Zell asked.
"Nononono! Let me finish before you start yelling at me!"
"Hurry up and finish then, I'm running low on patience." Squall said, fingering his Gunblade. Odine gulped.
"Zhere is a problem. Zhe second sorceress must be on zhe verge of passing on her powers. Place her in zhe sealing chamber with Rinoa, and her powers should go back to Rinoa." Odine said. "Zhen hopefully she vill come out of zhe coma." Silence met this announcement.
"You're saying we have to kidnap this sorceress, bring her to Esthar, and then kill her?" Selphie exclaimed.
"Not kill! Fight her, bring her to the point to death."
"Once she's there, putting her in the chamber with Rinoa should force her to give up her powers. The chamber would be shielded to prevent it going anyplace else, so the only person she would have to give it too would be Rinoa." Laguna said, catching on.
"Then?" Irvine said.
"A Phoenix Down or Life Spell to keep her alive until she gets to the hospital."
"Like I said before, it might not work."
"But it's a chance." Squall said. Laguna looked at him and nodded.
"Right."
In Another World…
Dr. Kadowaki's eyes narrowed as she looked over Raine's report. The girl had checked out fine physically, just some scratches and slight burns from her fights. But…
"Dr. Kadowaki?"
"Squall?" Squall came in and stood in front of the desk.
"You wanted to see me?"
"Yeah. It's about Raine's examination. Now she's perfectly fine." Dr. Kadowaki said, cutting off Squall before he could open his mouth. "But, I think you should look at this." Squall picked up the folder and looked at it.
"It's just a report on Raine's bloodwork." He looked up. "What's going on?"
"I'm asking myself that same question." Kadowaki answered. She leaned forward and took the folder back from Squall.
"Raine had the drug Activan in her system. Since you know what that is, I won't explain it to you." She sighed. "What I want to tell you is that we also found the remnants of another drug in her bloodstream."
"What?" Squall asked.
"Acinamin. It's the antigen for Activan. You give a person that after Activan has been injected in their system, and it will awaken them."
"So you're saying someone gave Raine Acinamin to awaken her? Who?"
"Not the kidnappers. What was Raine's condition when you found her?" Squall shook his head.
"She was fine…but a little disoriented. She didn't know where she was, or what time it was." Dr. Kadowaki glanced at Squall for a minute.
"Have you considered the fact that history just repeated itself today?"
"Huh?" Squall said. Dr. Kadowaki looked at him.
"The note. The fact that Raine's kidnappers have no idea what happened after the train stopped." Squall sighed and looked to the side. Dr. Kadowaki leaned forward.
"The Gunblade slashes on the door. The phone call. This time you find your daughter safe in a hotel. Last time it was a abandoned train car."
"I know!" Squall snarled. He got up and stalked towards the window.
"Every time Raine's birthday comes around, Rinoa and I get down on our knees and thank God we still have her. We tried to locate the person who helped her, but…"
"You can't find them." Squall nodded.
"Maybe it's her guardian angel."
"Maybe…" Squall mused. Pulling off his left glove, he fingered his wedding ring.
Raine rolled over. Pulling herself up, she reached for one of the books on her nightstand. Quickly, she turned the pages until she found what she was looking for.
"SeeD candidates…Zell Dincht, Selphie Tilmitt, Squall Leonhart, Seifer Almasy …" A picture of Seifer, with his scar, looked up at her from the page. "Seifer…you were my dad's worst enemy. So why are you helping me, his daughter?"
In the present…
Quistis sat in the seat next to Selphie on the Ragarnok, arms crossed.
"How long?" She asked.
"Another hour." Selphie replied. Zell walked up to them.
"I'm getting really worried about Squall, you guys."
"We all are worried about Squall." Irvine said. "It's not just you alone."
"Maybe we should go talk to him?" Selphie asked.
"I'll go." Irvine volunteered.
Squall silently sat next to the bed in his quarters. Rinoa lay still, not moving, save for her chest rising and falling as she breathed. Earlier on, before they had left, her condition had improved even more, allowing Dr. Kadowaki to take her off the O2 tank and Diploriven drip. She was still in a comatose state, however, and nothing that Kadowaki did revived her.
"Squall?" Squall got up and pressed the button to unseal the door. Irvine walked in, taking off his hat as he entered.
"Any…?"
"No." Irvine sighed.
"Listen…we're all worried about you. And we're worried about Rinoa too. It's just that…she wouldn't want you to be like this, man." He placed a comforting hand on his friend's shoulder. Squall blinked, but made no movement to shrug off the gesture.
"I'm going to go grab something to eat. I'll get you something as well." Squall nodded silently, and returned to his seat.
In Another World, at that same second…
Raine bolted to her feet, not believing what she was seeing. Seifer Almasy, her father's rival and the knight of Sorceress Ultimecia in the Second Sorceress War, stood in front of her.
"I guess a "Hi Raine" doesn't exactly fit the situation, does it?" Seifer asked. Raine grabbed her Gunblade and held it in an attack position.
"Stay away from me!"
"Didn't take her too long, once she realized who I am." Seifer thought. He started to step forward. "Raine…"
"One more step and I'll gut you!" Seifer stopped. The expression on Raine's face was unreadable.
"Just like her father…could never tell what he was thinking." He unsheathed Hyperion. Raine braced herself, waiting for the attack. Seifer held out the Gunblade in front of him, then threw it into the ground in front of him, point first.
"What the…" Raine thought. Seifer stepped back.
"Go on." He said. Never taking her eyes off of him, Raine carefully walked up and pulled out the Hyperion, holding it in her right hand, and the Revolver in her left.
"I'm not going to hurt you, Raine. I'm trying to help you." Seifer said. Raine remained silent, thinking.
"The last time my parents saw this guy was when he kidnapped my mother to merge her with Sorceress Adel. Nobody's seen or heard from him since…and now he shows up right out of the blue, and saves my life! I don't get it..." She looked up at Seifer, who blinked. Those blue eyes were staring at him with the intensity of lasers.
"I wonder what she's thinking…" Then he blinked in shock as Raine sheathed her Gunblade, walked up to him, and offered his weapon back.
"Here." Stunned, Seifer took Hyperion and put it back under his coat.
"Talk."
"Why? You're not going to attack me?"
"My dad said once, keep your friends close and your enemies even closer. Because you don't know when your enemy might become your friend." Raine replied. "Plus, you saved me from those soldiers, so I owe you. You going to tell me what's going on?" Seifer stared at her. Then his head whipped around as he heard voices.
"They said she'd be someplace in here!"
"Raine? Raine, where are you?" Raine blinked as she heard her name being called.
"That's my dad!" Seifer turned back around. Gripping her by the shoulders, he looked at her dead in the eyes.
"Listen. Your dad and his friends are going to be coming through that door in a matter of minutes. Don't tell them about me. Go back to the Garden, and I'll get in touch with you."
"What? What do you mean?" Seifer stepped backwards. A flash of white light engulfed him, forcing Raine to close her eyes. When she opened them again, she was sitting on a bed, Gunblade by her side.
"WHAT THE…?" The door burst open.
"Raine!"
"Dad!" Raine jumped up and into her father's arms. "Daddy!"
"Oh, thank God you're alright…" Squall said, hugging his daughter feverishly. "Are you ok?"
"I'm fine." Raine said. "What happened?"
"We were in the underwater tunnel between here and Balamb when the Garden got a call saying that you were here, safe and sound." Squall replied, checking for injures.
"Where's here?"
"The Timber Hotel, darling." Raine blinked.
"Huh? What…what…"
"What? What is it, Raine?" Squall asked, a look of concern on his face.
"What time is it?" Zell checked his watch.
"2:30. It's been a little over a hour since they kidnapped you." At this, Raine's face suddenly went pale, and she nearly swooned.
"2:30?! But…but…its only 2:30?"
"I think whatever they gave her hasn't completely worn off yet, Squall." Selphie said.
"I agree." Squall answered. He picked his daughter up. "We're taking you to the doctor."
"I don't need a doctor!" Raine protested. Ignoring his daughter, Squall walked out of the room.
Seifer stifled a chuckle. The expression on Raine's face had been priceless when she had found out that only an hour and a half had gone by.
"Seems like my ability to freeze time worked on her pretty well. But why didn't she come after me when she found out who I was? Squall would have punched me, Rinoa…she would've slapped me…so why didn't their daughter attack me? Just doesn't make any sense…"
In the present…
Laguna watched as the Ragarnok landed on the pad. Right after talking to Dr. Kadowaki and Squall, he had moved quickly, arranging for Odine and several of his assistants to head to the Airstation disguised as paramedics. Hardly anyone was around the Airstation now, so it was a perfect time for Squall and the others to sneak Rinoa into Esthar.
"Before zhey left, I received another update on Sorceress Rinoa's condition. It seems she was taken off zhe O2 tank this morning." Odine said from behind him.
"Can you find out what's wrong with her?"
"Should not be a problem." Odine said. The Ragarnok ramp lowered, and Squall came down, holding Rinoa in his arms.
"Squall!"
"Move it, people!" Two of Odine's assistants hurried forward, wheeling a bio-tube. Taking Rinoa from Squall, they gently placed her in the tube.
"Take her to the lab!" Squall made to follow the assistants, but was stopped by Laguna.
"They're taking her to the lab, but they're using a different route than normal." Squall nodded. Kiros walked up.
"The car is waiting. We already have rooms prepared at the Presidential Palace for you." Laguna watched as Squall got in the car.
"Mr. President?"
"Hmm?" He turned to see Quistis, Selphie, Irvine, and Zell all standing in front of him. "What's the matter?"
"It's Squall…" Selphie said.
"He's been like that ever since Rinoa got hurt…" Zell said. Laguna sighed.
"We're going to have a little talk, so it'll be fine."
In Deling City…
"So you say that half of their force is immobilized?"
"Yes sir."
"It's a perfect time to strike…" Setzer mused. "Unofficially, Balamb Garden is the main headquarters of SeeD…get rid of the head, and the body's no problem."
"Sir?"
"Contact our forces at Timber. Tell them to head for the Great Salt Lake."
"Yes sir."
"Phase two of your plan?" Setzer turned around to see Julia looking at him.
"Apparently the attack on Balamb Garden worked much better than I thought."
"Hmph." Julia said in reply.
"So, what are your plans?" Setzer asked. Julia started in surprise.
"What?"
"You got what you wanted. And, I'm almost close to getting what I want, so, I'm assuming you're about to leave." Julia smiled.
"There's something on the northern continent that…interests me. But I couldn't leave without giving you one final gift."
"What?"
"President Laguna Loire of Esthar."
"What about him?" Setzer asked.
"How much do you know about him?" Julia asked, trailing her fingers along a desk.
"Not much."
"Then this should give you a bit of an advantage."
"What?"
"Have you ever noticed the similarities between him and Squall Leonhart?"
"I don't follow." Setzer said.
"The year Loire left for Esthar, he left something, or should I say someone, very special behind. Nine months later, she died." She turned around and faced Setzer. "During childbirth." Setzer bolted up out of his seat.
"Are you saying that Laguna Loire has a child out there someplace?" He said, hardly able to believe what the older woman had just told him. Julia held up her right hand, index and middle fingers together.
"Not just a child anymore." A piece of paper appeared between her fingers. She tossed it at Setzer, who turned it over. On the other side was a picture of Raine Leonhart.
"Let's just say that this is something you'll be able to use in the future. To improve…relations, I should say."
In Esthar…
Laguna set a coffee cup in front of Squall.
"Here."
"Thanks." Squall said. Picking it up, he sniffed at it suspiciously. "What is it?"
"Something Kiros makes up. An energy drink or something. Looks like you need it." Squall took a healthy gulp, and then gagged.
"What the...accckk!" Laguna chuckled.
"I know." Sitting down, he eyed his son. "How are you holding up?" Squall shook his head.
"It's…its all my fault." His hands tightened around the cup. "I'm…I'm supposed to be the one in the coma now, not her!" His voice cracked. "She took a blow that was meant for me! And I just stood there and watched!" Laguna's heart tore in agony as he looked at his son.
"Squall…"
"It's like…it's like my heart's been ripped up and torn in two." Laguna couldn't stand it anymore. He got up out of his seat and walked over to the window.
"When…when I found out your mother had died, I…I just totally lost it. This…this beautiful woman that I loved with all my heart, and she was gone. Just like that." He sighed. "I never got a chance to say good-bye. To tell her that I loved her…" Squall didn't say anything, just looked down into the coffee cup. "Squall." He moved over to his son's side. "Look at me." Squall glanced up at him. "What happened to Rinoa is not your fault. She wouldn't want you to blame yourself for this. Right now, all that matters is finding out what's wrong with Rinoa, and how to fix it. Plus dealing with this new sorceress. So please, for her sake and yours, stop blaming yourself." Squall smiled sadly.
"Okay…Dad."
"Come here." Laguna said. He embraced Squall in a hug. "Everything's going to be ok, you know that?" Squall didn't say anything, just returned the hug.
"Mr. President?" Laguna pulled away from Squall and faced the assistant.
"Yes?"
"Kiros and Ward are waiting for you outside, sir."
"I'm very sorry, but I have to agree with Dr. Kadowaki. Sorceress Rinoa has been completely stripped of her powers. Zhat, and zhat alone is zhe reason she iz in zhe coma." Odine said.
"Isn't there any way you can revive her?" Quistis asked. Odine shook his head.
"There iz no vay."
"It's all that sorceress's fault!" Everyone turned. Squall stood next to Rinoa's bed.
"You want the person responsible for what's going on? It's that woman!" His hands balled into fists.
"Who is she anyway?" Laguna asked.
"We don't know. Galbadia found her in the ruins of Lunatic Pandora, and somehow she managed to get on Setzer's good side." Selphie said.
"That's surprising. I thought that Setzer would keep clear of sorceresses, considering the fact that his father was killed by Ultimecia." Laguna replied.
"Yeah, it doesn't make sense. Either he's under an extremely strong spell, or…" Zell said.
"Or what?" Irvine asked.
"I don't know. That's just the point. What would Setzer want with a sorceress?"
"Or what would the sorceress want with him." Kiros said.
"Speaking of zhe sorceress, how did you manage to drain her magic?"
"Odine, not now!"
"No, Dad, it's alright." Squall turned to Odine. "We used regular explosives along with some of that experimental gel you let us have. When Pandora exploded…"
"All zhe magic disappeared! I zee. And if that woman vaz using Pandora as a power source, it would have effected her badly. Especially if her own powers had not awakened yet."
"So she needed a fresh energy source. And stripping Rinoa of her powers would give her what she needed." Laguna said.
"That simple, huh?" Irvine added.
"Vait a minute!"
"What?" Odine was jumping up and down excitedly.
"Zhat is it, zhat is it, zhat is it!"
"What is?" Odine hurried over to the computer.
"I vas vrong! Zhere may be a way to awaken Rinoa!"
"There is?" What? What is it?" Squall said frantically.
"Zhere is a chance zhat it might not work…uurrcckk!" Odine found himself being yanked up by the collar, feet dangling in the air.
"Squall! Hey man, chill!" Irvine and Zell dashed forward.
"Listen to me. And I'm only going to say this once. Tell us what you know right now, or I swear I'm going to kill you." Squall said, his voice low and menacing.
"Let me go!"
"Squall, chill out!" Squall released his grip, allowing himself to be pulled back by Irvine and Zell.
"Easy man." Squall yanked himself free, glaring at Odine, who was jumping up and down again.
"Keep zhat manic away from me!"
"Odine, SHUT UP!" Laguna roared. This had everyone whirling around in surprise. Laguna was normally a very calm man, but when he actually GOT angry…it was an event to remember.
"You tell my son what he needs to know right now, or I let him do what I've been wanting to do ever since I met you! Got it?" Odine nodded and started to press buttons on the keyboard, fearing Laguna's wrath.
"Well?" Squall demanded.
"It is possible zhat we can return Sorceress Rinoa's powers to her."
"It is?"
"Under zhe right conditions…"
"What are the conditions?" Zell said. Odine blew out a breath.
"Vell…ve take Rinoa in her present condition now…and place her in a sealing chamber…"
"Oh no…."
"Vait! Let me finish! Zhe sealing chamber vill keep her stable and also act as a life-support system if her condition gets vorse. Zhen, ve add
zhe second sorceress."
"You're saying seal away Rinoa and the second sorceress?" Zell asked.
"Nononono! Let me finish before you start yelling at me!"
"Hurry up and finish then, I'm running low on patience." Squall said, fingering his Gunblade. Odine gulped.
"Zhere is a problem. Zhe second sorceress must be on zhe verge of passing on her powers. Place her in zhe sealing chamber with Rinoa, and her powers should go back to Rinoa." Odine said. "Zhen hopefully she vill come out of zhe coma." Silence met this announcement.
"You're saying we have to kidnap this sorceress, bring her to Esthar, and then kill her?" Selphie exclaimed.
"Not kill! Fight her, bring her to the point to death."
"Once she's there, putting her in the chamber with Rinoa should force her to give up her powers. The chamber would be shielded to prevent it going anyplace else, so the only person she would have to give it too would be Rinoa." Laguna said, catching on.
"Then?" Irvine said.
"A Phoenix Down or Life Spell to keep her alive until she gets to the hospital."
"Like I said before, it might not work."
"But it's a chance." Squall said. Laguna looked at him and nodded.
"Right."
In Another World…
Dr. Kadowaki's eyes narrowed as she looked over Raine's report. The girl had checked out fine physically, just some scratches and slight burns from her fights. But…
"Dr. Kadowaki?"
"Squall?" Squall came in and stood in front of the desk.
"You wanted to see me?"
"Yeah. It's about Raine's examination. Now she's perfectly fine." Dr. Kadowaki said, cutting off Squall before he could open his mouth. "But, I think you should look at this." Squall picked up the folder and looked at it.
"It's just a report on Raine's bloodwork." He looked up. "What's going on?"
"I'm asking myself that same question." Kadowaki answered. She leaned forward and took the folder back from Squall.
"Raine had the drug Activan in her system. Since you know what that is, I won't explain it to you." She sighed. "What I want to tell you is that we also found the remnants of another drug in her bloodstream."
"What?" Squall asked.
"Acinamin. It's the antigen for Activan. You give a person that after Activan has been injected in their system, and it will awaken them."
"So you're saying someone gave Raine Acinamin to awaken her? Who?"
"Not the kidnappers. What was Raine's condition when you found her?" Squall shook his head.
"She was fine…but a little disoriented. She didn't know where she was, or what time it was." Dr. Kadowaki glanced at Squall for a minute.
"Have you considered the fact that history just repeated itself today?"
"Huh?" Squall said. Dr. Kadowaki looked at him.
"The note. The fact that Raine's kidnappers have no idea what happened after the train stopped." Squall sighed and looked to the side. Dr. Kadowaki leaned forward.
"The Gunblade slashes on the door. The phone call. This time you find your daughter safe in a hotel. Last time it was a abandoned train car."
"I know!" Squall snarled. He got up and stalked towards the window.
"Every time Raine's birthday comes around, Rinoa and I get down on our knees and thank God we still have her. We tried to locate the person who helped her, but…"
"You can't find them." Squall nodded.
"Maybe it's her guardian angel."
"Maybe…" Squall mused. Pulling off his left glove, he fingered his wedding ring.
Raine rolled over. Pulling herself up, she reached for one of the books on her nightstand. Quickly, she turned the pages until she found what she was looking for.
"SeeD candidates…Zell Dincht, Selphie Tilmitt, Squall Leonhart, Seifer Almasy …" A picture of Seifer, with his scar, looked up at her from the page. "Seifer…you were my dad's worst enemy. So why are you helping me, his daughter?"