Chapter Twenty-Three
Quistis stared in shock at Squall, her mind refusing to comprehend what was in front of her.
"No way…this can't be!" Squall's eyes, which had been glazed over, now cleared. Blue orbs narrowed in confusion.
"Quistis?"
"Squall! What….what happened?" Squall looked down.
"I feel so strange…"
"He's…he's a sorcerer! But…but I thought only women could inherit the Sorceress Power!" Selphie said, having recovered from her initial shock.
"Does that mean the sorceress is dead?" Quistis asked, unable to take her eyes off of Squall. "Because if she is…and Squall inherited her powers…" While the two were talking, Squall tried to get his wits together.
"What happened? The last thing I remember is me hitting the sorceress…and then that Apocalypse spell…huh?" Feeling something on his back, he raised a hand to his left shoulder, pulling away a white feather. "What the…" A sudden suspicion had him turning his head sideways, to get a better view of his shoulders. "Wings?! What am I doing with…" His thoughts trailed off as he became aware of a sensation inside of him.
"…"
Another World, that same second…
Squall moaned softly as he turned his head on the pillow.
"Take it easy." Dr. Kadowaki mummered. Giving a nurse instructions, she left the cubical and faced a very worried-looking group of people.
"How is he?" Laguna asked.
"Feverish, and his magic levels have shot up over the past hour…and they're still going up. I don't understand why…and I can't stop it."
"What could cause something like that to happen?" Zell wanted to know. Kadowaki shook her head.
"I don't know…it's like he's getting a power boost and it's affecting his body…"
He was hot. Burning, almost.
"What's…what's going on?" It felt like there was something inside of him. Almost like…like a current of energy or something. Exhaustion washed over him, and he loosened his grip on consciousness. "What's wrong…"
In the present…
Quistis and Selphie eyed their friend worriedly. It was bad enough that Julia had died and passed on hers and Rinoa's sorceress powers…even worse was the fact that Squall was the recipient!
"Quisty…I can't fight my friend!" Selphie wailed softly. Squall had suddenly gone silent, hair hiding his face.
"I know Selph…I can't either." Quistis mummered. Deep within her, she knew that it had to be done, if they wanted to revive Rinoa.
"Oh God…"
Squall had been silent the whole time Quistis and Selphie had been whispering to each other. A firestorm of feelings and sensations brewed within him, all leaving when one thought made itself clear.
"Rinoa…" He lifted his head, looking up at the skylight set in the ceiling above. "I'm coming…"
The angel wings stretched out from their place on Squall's back, and extended to their full length. Jumping lightly into the air, he hovered for several seconds, and then shot up like a rocket towards the skylight.
"Squall! No!!" Selphie's scream shattered Quistis out of her thoughts. Breaking glass was heard, and shards rained down from where Squall had flown through. "Squall!"
"Where could he be going?" Kiros asked.
"To the only person who could understand what he just went through…" Quistis said, looking up.
The Sorceress Memorial lay deserted, save for a few technicians and scientists that made sure that the equipment stayed in working order, and the few soldiers that protected its secrets. Squall silently landed in front of the complex, his mind set on one thing only. Walking into the building, his expression never changed as the alarm sounded.
"You! What are you….Ugghh!!" One sideways glance, and the soldiers who had been about to attack Squall were thrown back against the wall.
"Where is Rinoa?" The teen asked. Seeing one scientist bolt for the door, he used his newfound powers to slam the door shut, trapping the man inside.
"P…p…please! Don't kill me!"
"Where is Rinoa?" The frightened man cowered against the door and extended a shaking finger.
"D…down there! In the chamber!" Squall strode past the shivering man and down the hallway.
Banks of medical computers lined the room. The machines hummed, ready to sound an alarm if anything went wrong. However, Squall ignored all of this, his gaze locked on the two bio-tubes that dominated the middle of the room. The first one was empty, but the second held Rinoa, sleeping peacefully inside.
"Rinoa…" Moving up to her tube, he pushed a button on the console in front of him, watching as the tube started to retract to a horizontal position and opened.
"Darling…can you hear me?" Kneeling by the tube, he placed his right hand on her hair, his left taking Rinoa's limp own.
"I came back…But I don't have the other sorceress with me…" His fingers gently traced the contours of Rinoa's face. "But it's ok…" Fingers tightening around Rinoa's own, he leaned forward, eyes closed, and gently kissed her. His wings, which had disappeared when he had landed outside of the Memorial, appeared again. In response, Rinoa's body started to glow blue, and Squall's wings glowed white, as he wrapped his left arm around her body, holding her close. Then, they slowly started to fade away, and the blue light around Rinoa's body got brighter. Her skin, white as death, slowly started to regain its color, and her breathing got stronger. As the wings faded away into nothingness, Squall lifted his head, seeing a pair of black eyes look into his own. Rinoa slowly lifted a hand to his face, seeing Squall shut his own. Feathers fluttered around them, as Rinoa's own wings faded away.
Another World, that same second
Something cool enveloped him. Squall's mind, still reeling form the sudden increase of magical power, instantly registered the touch.
"Who…what?" Turning his head, he opened his eyes to see a pair of black ones gazing into his own.
"Rinoa?" Rinoa nodded, and caressed his face with her hand.
"I'm here, darling."
In the present…
Raine yawned. Teleporting her, Celes, and I.J. out of the castle and back to Trabia Garden had taken ALOT of her energy. The 17 year old could barely stand, let alone walk.
"And I need power to get us back…" Her head bowed, and she fell asleep. Seeing his friend drop off, I.J. strode over, picking up the girl in his arms.
"Celes…"
"I know, I've noticed." The other girl said. "She's running low…big-time. We may not be able to get back right away…"
"Forget right away, how about at all? And, what about our parents, who have PROBALLY come up with a plan by now?" I.J. retorted. Celes looked at her watch.
"It's nearly 9 pm. Trust me, they'll wait until the morning to do something. If this time's Rinoa was revived…"
"Then our Rinoa is awake too, which means they could snatch us out of here at any time." I.J. finished gloomily. "Another problem, Celes. How are we going to be able to get to the DSRC? This ain't a let-Raine-sleep-it-off-she'll-have-more-energy-in-the-morning problem, this is a Raine-in-the-hospital-for-a-week problem!" Celes bit her lip at this, knowing her friend was speaking the truth.
"I don't know, I.J. We just have to wait and see what tomorrow brings."
Lady t: UPDATED AT LAST, THANK GOD!
Valefor: Finally!
Lady t: I am sooooooo sorry about not updating! But school, going home, work…I'm not making excuses, I will TRY MUCH HARDER to update this fic, as it's coming to an end!
Valefor: Just bring me a pina colada from work and I'm happy…
Lady t: o_O; Anyway, in the next chapter! *looks* Future Rinoa finds out about her daughter's little trip and isn't too happy…especially when Ellone drops another bombshell about WHERE her daughter is, specifically…while the time travel finally catches up to Raine, and she gets caught by one of the Gang! O_O