Julia smiled as Squall and the others came in.
"Well, well. Look who's come to pay me a visit. My brother-in-law and all his little friends!"
"Brother-in-law?" Quistis whispered underneath her breath. "What the heck is she talking about?"
"Only God knows what's running around in that brain of hers." Zell quipped quietly. Julia stood up, extending her wings.
"I suppose you want me to give back my little sister's powers." She said, floating down in front of the group. "But I don't feel like humoring you on that point."
"Then we'll stop you before you hurt anybody else." Squall said, his voice ice cold. Julia smirked.
"Stop me? I don't think you can. But you're welcome to try!" Throwing up her hands, she cast a Quake spell. Immediately the group split up, Zell and Selphie dashing behind Julia to try to take advantage of her weak side, while Squall and Quistis distracted her in the front.
Irvine blinked as a flash of light bombarded the area.
"Uh! Got to do this fast!" He brought up Exter to a shooting position, aiming the barrel of the gun at Julia's back. "Come on…get those wings out again!"
Squall winced as a Firaga spell blazed past him, but did not let it stop his advance towards Julia. The sorceress smirked at him.
"Protect!" The force of the spell blew Squall backwards, slamming him into a wall. Still wearing the smirk on her face, Julia waved her right arm, casting a powerful Thundaga spell on Selphie. The attack bounced off a Reflect the girl had cast beforehand back at the sorceress, who simply absorbed the shock into her system.
"Forget Elemental spells!" Quistis yelled. "Go for the heavy-duty stuff! Ultima!"
"Not so fast! Maelstrom!" Julia snapped. The blond woman fell, her energy drained by the powerful Darkness spell.
"Quistis, no! Curaga!" Selphie screamed. Green light surrounded Quistis, giving back her strength. She got up and aimed an attack at Julia.
"Final Heaven!" Zell roared, launching into the sorceress with a powerful combo of kicks and punches.
"Lion Heart!" Squall howled. He threw himself at Julia, the Lion Heart Gunblade flashing as he delivered blow after blow. Julia staggered back, wincing.
"They're stronger than I thought…but they're not going to defeat me!" Her eyes glowed red, and her wings reappeared on her back. "Darkest of all spells, I summon thee, crush all those who oppose me!" A familiar glyph appeared above Squall and the others.
"Oh no!" Quistis yelled.
"Scatter!" Squall roared.
"Aypoc…"
BANG. Julia let loose a shrill scream and grabbed her left shoulder. Another gunshot was heard, and Julia fell to the ground.
"Run!" Irvine bellowed from his hiding place. Squall nodded.
"Go!"
Raine's head whipped around.
"Dad?"
"Raine? You okay?"
"Yeah…come on, let's go before they see us!"
Another World, that same second…
"Uh!"
"Squall? What's wrong?" Squall blinked, rubbing his forehead.
"Nothing…just got this sharp pain all of a sudden…"
In the present…
Squall grunted as he landed on his back. Rolling over, he jumped to a ready position, eyes darting back and forth, searching for any movement.
"Selphie, Quistis, go now!" The girls nodded, and tore for the entrance. Barely had they made it outside when Julia reappeared, eyes blazing with fury.
"You'll pay for that!" Both wings hung uselessly from her back. Irvine had done a good job with the hurried sniper attack, Squall noted. Without her wings, Julia could not fly, plus the wounds gave her a weak area. However, she was still deadly.
"Irvine, hang back and keep firing. Zell and I will handle close range." Irvine nodded.
"Ultima!" Julia screamed. The trio broke up, Irvine pumping rounds from his shotgun while Squall and Zell swooped in for the attack.
"Lion Heart!"
"Final Heaven!"
Quistis and Selphie tore through the woods that surrounded Julia's castle, not caring if they attracted the attention of the nearby monsters. Both girls had one goal only; get to the Ragarnok!
"God please…let the rescue team be there…" As they entered a clearing, Quistis let loose a cry as her ankle turned, causing her to fall down. Selphie whirled around.
"Quistis!"
"Get out of here! Go!" Quistis yelled. A sudden roar had her head whipping around. A Chimera stood several feet away from her, growling. "Oh no…" Seeing Selphie start to run back, Quistis struggled to get up.
"Selphie, go! I'll hold him off!" The brunette hesitated, and then jumped as Quistis snapped her whip at her. "GO!" Seeing Quistis' back turned, the Chimera snarled, then leaped at the blonde. Before the monster could tear into Quistis…
"ULTIMA!!" Quistis fell to the ground, casting a Shell on her just in time as the explosion hit. Kiros and a group of Estharian soldiers came running into the clearing.
"Are you alright?!"
"Castle…sorceress…Squall and the others…can't last long…go!" Quistis panted as she rose.
"This way!" Selphie said.
"Triplecast Curaga!" Zell roared.
"No more healing magic!" Julia snarled. "Ultima!" The resulting explosion threw Zell back several feet, rendering him unconscious.
"Zell!" Irvine yelled. "Full…"
"Ice Strike!" An ice spear hit Irvine in the shoulder, followed by an energy ball. This sent the sniper to the ground.
"Lion Heart!" Squall howled. Again and again he struck Julia, his rage fueling consecutive Lion Hearts. Finally, he fell to his knees, energy drained from the relentless assault and his wounds.
"Can't…do it…anymore…" Julia was in the same condition.
"No…I can't let him win! He's weak…I can kill him now!" Rising from her knees, she spread out her arms.
"Darkest of all spells…" Squall looked up.
"Get up, Leonhart! You can't let her win!"
"I summon thee…" Light started to glow from Squall as he gathered his remaining energy for one last attack. Rising, he started to run at Julia, Gunblade out.
"Crush all those…"
"Lion…"
"Who oppose me!!"
"HEART!!"
Quistis and Selphie ran into the courtyard, Kiros and his men right behind them.
Then the explosion hit. The blast, and the following magical shockwave threw everybody down to the ground, and tore through the forest.
Another World, that same second…
Squall suddenly stiffened. He stood stock-still for a second, his face becoming blank as he spaced out.
"Squall?" Selphie asked, waving a hand in front of his face. "Hello? Squall?" Then she gasped as her friend's eyes rolled back up into his head, and he fell to the floor, unconscious. "Squall!"
In the present…
Raine hissed in pain, falling to the ground.
"Raine? Raine?!"
"My body…feels like it's on fire…" Raine ground out. Celes and I.J. looked at each other worriedly.
"What's wrong now?"
Quistis blinked as she slowly got up. Pain sang throughout her entire body.
"What the…what happened?"
"Some sort of explosion…" Selphie said, slowly rising as well. Quistis gasped.
"Squall! The others!" She got up and tore towards the entrance.
Irvine winced in pain.
"Oh man…need Dr. K big time on this one…where's Squall? Squall?" He croaked out. Licking his lips, he struggled to sit up. "Squall?" A movement caught his eye. "Squall?" Using Exter as a crutch, he stood up. Then he gasped.
"Oh my God…"
Quistis burst in, Selphie hot on her heels.
"Squall? Zell? Irvine? Where are you?" A strangled gasp from Selphie had her turning around. "What? What is it?" Following the direction of Selphie's outstretched hand, she looked. "What is…!"
Light shone down softly on the center of the room. Two figures were there, one standing, one on the ground. White wings adorned a bare back, tatters of a t-shirt still on one of them. A hand gripped a bloodstained blue Gunblade, and light revealed the hidden colors in a mess of brunette hair. As the figure standing turned, Quistis nearly fainted in shock.
"SQUALL?!"
Lady t: *whistles, and looks the opposite way, trying to look innocent.*
Angry Mob: Pitchforks? Check. Scythes? Check. Various other instruments of pain and torture? Check. Ready? CHARGE!!
Lady t: Yeeekkkk! *runs off* Don't forget to read and review! God bless!