"Squall?...Squall, are you alright?" asked Rinoa as she put a warm hand to
his cheek.
He could hear Rinoa's voice, but he couldn't open his eyes. He tried to
tell Rinoa that something was wrong. All of a sudden his body started
shaking. It was so bad he couldn't control it.
"Squall!" Rinoa moved closer to him.
He coughed over and over. His throat tightened and he couldn't breathe.
"Squall breathe! C'mon I know you can!"
Quickly he opened his mouth, and gasped for air.
* * * *
"We have to do it!" yelled Seifer angrily "But why? It's only going to cause death and pain" argued Rajin. "We have to bring Ultamacia back to life!! I can make a deal with her" said Seifer. "You're crazy ya know what would be the point of having her come back?" "The point of her coming back to life would that she could kill Squall and Rinoa would come to me" "Didn't she try to kill Squall already?" "Yes but she failed. She won't next time" "Well how are you going to bring her back to life? It's practically impossible ya know" "I'll find away" * * * *
Air flowed through Squalls mouth, and into his lungs. He was in the infirmary......once again. Why do I always end up here? Squall sat up. He was alone in the room. I better go find Rinoa. Squall got off the bed and headed for the lobby. The hallways were oddly quiet. When ever someone passed by they ran past him with a rather worried look on their face. As Squall entered the lobby he heard a loud explosion, and a scream followed. There was a circle of people standing on the stairs surrounding someone lying on the ground. Squall ran up to the crowd and broke through the circle. He looked to the ground. Rinoa was laying there, her skin was pale.
"Rinoa!!"
Squall looked down at her. Blood was seeping through her clothes, and spreading out onto the floor. Squall put his hands to the wound, and put pressure on it, to help stop the bleeding. Blood covered his fingers. The flow of blood continued. Squall looked to Rinoa. She glanced back at him.
"S....q....u...a..lll..l...l.."
"Rinoa you're going to be alright"
She reached for his hand, and squeezed it slightly.
"Squall, I ... I "
Her breathing became more and more silent. Squalls eyes grew large, and teary-eyed. He put his hand to Rinoa's cheek.
"Rinoa?!"
Rinoa's eyes slowly closed, and her head fell to the side. Squall stared at her, he then let his head fall, and a tear fell from his cheek to the ground. Zell came running up to him. He gasped. Squall turned his head and looked at him. Zells face went pale when he saw Squalls tear streaked cheeks. Someone who was standing around Squall, and Rinoa had gone for help. People from the infirmary, including Dr.Kadowaki came running up to the circle of people. They pushed their way through the crowd. Dr. Kadowaki kneeled by Squall and Rinoa. She checked her pulse.
"We still might be able to save her" said Dr. Kadowaki The infirmary staff quickly put Rinoa on a gurney, and ran her to the infirmary. Squall just sat on the ground motionless. He gazed into nothingness. Rinoa, how could I have lost you? Zell put his hands on Squalls shoulder. "She'll be alright, man" "I can't lose her Zell. I just can't" "Your not going to lose her, she'll be just fine. Everyone who was once standing all around, had left. Zell, and Squall were the only ones left in the lobby. Squall stood up slowly. His thoughts were anything, but normal.
"Squall, are you going to be alright?" asked Zell. No sound came from Squalls lips. He headed for the infirmary. At first he was walking, but then he started into a run. He ran as fast as his legs would take him. Squall pushed open the infirmary doors. "Where is she?!" Squall yelled at Dr. Kadowaki. "She's over there" She pointed to a room over in the corner. Squall walked into the room. It was rather small. A table sat in the corner next to the bed. Squall grabbed the chair that was against the wall and set it next to the bed. He took a seat. Rinoa lay motionless. Her skin was pale. When Squall put his hand to her face it was as cold as ice. Rinoa... I don't want to lose you. You showed me things in life I never knew existed. Squall sat on the side of the bed. He leaned over Rinoa and kissed her on the cheek. "I love you." The words flowed out of his mouth. It was something he knew that he had been given more than enough time to say, but he failed to do so. Squall stood up, and walked out of the room. Selphie, Irvine, Zell, and Quistis had just entered the infirmary. "Is she alright?" asked Selphie. "... I'm sorry, she didn't make it. She had lost so much blood already when we found her" Dr. Kadowaki spoke to everyone with great sorrow. The only sound to be heard was breathing. All of them were in shock, all but Zell. He knew from earlier that Rinoa wasn't going to make it. Since he ran up when she practically took her last breath. Selphie started to cry. Irvine then came and held her in his arms. By this time she was sobbing. Quistis didn't cry, but it seemed the tears were there. She just wouldn't let them out. Zell took Quistis's hand. Knowing that she needed to be comforted too. * * * * How do I bring Ultamacia to life? Thought Seifer. As Seifer was pacing back and forth in his dorm room pondering that question he heard an urgent knocking on the door. He quickly walked over to the door, grabbed the handle, and pulled it open to find Rajin.
"What is it?" scowled Seifer.
"Its Rinoa, she just died!"
Seifer grabbed Rajin by his shoulders and pushed him against the wall. "Now tell me again what happened"
"Nobody knows who did it. The infirmary staff did all they could, but they couldn't save her."
Seifer released his grip, and ran to the infirmary. * * * *
"I can't believe she's gone" said Selphie quietly. "I don't think anyone can" replied Zell. Seifer burst open the doors and looked around the room. Seeing Squall he walked over to him. "What room is she in?" Squall raised his head, and pointed to the room with the closed door. Seifer walked into the room, and closed the door behind him. A voice came over the intercom. "Will the members of SeeD report to headmaster Cid's headquarters immediately" "Well... we should go see headmaster Cid" said Squall as he stood up. He exited the room and headed for the lobby. Selphie, Zell,Quistis,and Irvine followed. They entered the elevator in the lobby, hit the 3rd floor button, and waited to exit. They entered Cid's headquarters. He turned to face them. "SeeD's I have a mission for you" The room was filled with an uncomfortable silence. No one knew if the headmaster had heard the news. It seemed as if he hadn't. Headmaster Cid's eyes searched for contact, but found none. Everyone was lost in their own thoughts. Losing Rinoa was accepted differently by each one of them. Squall; who was crying inside. The last thing he wanted right now was to be standing in the headmaster's office, getting assigned to a mission. "We have a situation everyone. I called you as soon as the plans were completed. This is going to-" "No..not.. now." A quiet, but harsh whisper was heard. Interrupting the mission briefing. The headmaster looked to Squall, who was sitting in a chair in front of his desk. He was hunched over, head in hands. Slowly his face lifted. Exposing stained cheeks. Every thought was Rinoa, how he didn't get a chance to tell her how he really felt. "There's no way.. That I'm going on a mission.. untill -" Squall's voice becoming more loud, and strong. His true feelings starting to surface. He stood up abruptly, and moved his right arm through the air, till it was holding still behind him. "Until.. I find out who did this to Rinoa! If you think that I'm just going to forget about it, bury myself into my work, act like this never happened! You've got it all wrong." Before anyone could get a word in, Squall turned on his heel, and left the room. As he was riding down the elevator he tried to make sense of his thoughts. He had no idea where to go, where to start, and no idea who would do such a thing to someone. Especially someone such as Rinoa. The elevator doors opened. At a quick pace, Squall walked through the opening of the sliding doors. Not looking left or right. Just keeping his eyes ahead of him. "Rinoa" * * * * "Do you think anyone knows it's me?" In the shadows of a room. Silently words were being exchanged. "No.. It's not possible." Replied a voice. The tone slightly agitated. "Hmm.. very well then, maybe I'll pay another visit to Squall." * * * * Squall ignored everyone around him. His mind was only focused on one thing. That one thing was finding the person who caused all this pain and heartache. His walking pace slowed down. It seemed like there was nothing he could do. No matter how much he wanted Rinoa back. Slowly and silently he walked.. just walked. Nowhere to go. He stopped a few feet from the ocean. A few deep breaths, the sound of high waves, the birds flying high above squawking. Squall sat on the sand, running it between his fingers, feeling the rough texture. What am I going to do? I have no idea who's been doing all this. Where do I start? Do I know this person? Have I fought against them at one point? All these questions clouded Squalls mind. Each one of them left unanswered. He felt he was being eaten away. Not being able to answer any of the questions that he so badly needed answers for. I need help...but whom? Squall knew that Selphie, Zell,Quistis,and Irvine would do anything they could to help him. They were the closest thing he had to a family, but Rinoa was the one that meant the most in his life. He would find a way to save her. Somehow. There had to be a way. As Squall stared off into the bright blue ocean a light tap on his shoulder was felt. Surprised that someone had found him, and very interested to see who it was. He turned around to see there was no one. "huh?" He glanced around him once again. Then returned to staring emotionless into the wide ocean. Trying to sort out his thoughts. A light whisper was heard as if it was being carried by the wind blowing off the ocean. "Squall..." Quickly Squall looked all around him. Moving to stand on his feet. Brushing the sand off his thighs. The wind was blowing his hair off his face, ruffling the fur on his coat. "I'm looking for you..." Just then an image filled Squalls head. He turned around, and ran towards the garden. As he entered the lobby. He saw Seifer walking in the opposite direction, following him was Fujin and Rajin. That didn't surprise him. Seifer.... Squall ran at full speed and tackled Seifer to the floor. Throwing punch after punch. "YOU BASTARD! IT WAS YOU WASN'T IT?!!" Squalls screams echoed throughout the garden. Sharp pains stung Squalls face as Seifer threw a right punch at him. Seifer then pushed Squall off him and kicked him while he was still lying on the cold, hard tile. "ugh" Squall stood up quickly, formed a fist, and punched as hard as he could into Seifers face. Almost able to hear his nose break. Seifer flew backwards and rested against the fountains wall. Squall walked over to him. Seifer looked up. Pure hate was glowing in his eyes. Both of them said nothing. Squall who saw no reason to even look at this sad soul. Turned around, and started to walk away. Just then very silently he could hear the scratching of metal against something. As he turned around, Seifer jumped at him. Before Squall could dodge the attack. Seifers gunblade ripped through his jacket. The metal burned as it sliced through Squalls left arm. He screamed in agony. Quickly pulling out his gunblade. Then moved into the official fighting stance. This is more than training. Seifer killed Rinoa. He took her away from me. Memories of Rinoa played through his head. He had loved everything about her. The way she smiled, laughed, everything she did. She was perfect. The only thing that was right in his life. However, realizing that he couldn't live in memories forever. He took a left swing at Seifer. The blade tearing through his flesh. He bent over. The pain overwhelming, he then fell to his knees. Squall even though with all his hate towards Seifer. He couldn't kill him. Maybe he could get some answers that could help him. "I DIDN'T KILL ANYONE!" Seifer screamed loudly. "That's a lie!! You know very well you killed Rinoa!!" Squall quickly walked over to Seifer, grabbed him by his coat, pulled him to his feet, and slammed him hard against the wall. "Why would I kill her?" "Who killed her then?" Squalls grip tightening. "Let me go, and I'll tell you everything" Seifers face was expressionless. Squall not liking this idea, released his grip anyways, and took a step back. Seifer grinned and ran at full speed out of the garden. Let him go. He can't hide forever. Squall watched him run until he could no longer be seen. I better go to the infirmary.
"What happened?!" Dr. Kadowaki ran up to Squall. He hesitated, "Training" She raised an eyebrow. "If you're not going to tell me the truth, I won't bother" Squall ignored her comment. It's not her business anyways. The doctor covered Squalls wounds with bandages, a few stitches, some lingering bruises from before, and a few new additions. Seifer..... Where did you go?
* * * * "DAMMIT!" Seifer punched his hand into the wall. When he removed it, the hole sealed up. As if the wall had never been touched. "Must you revolt to violence?" whispered a voice, "Why are you angry?" Seifer scowled. "How could I not be pissed?!.......she wasn't supposed to die" What said now was spoken so quietly. It was as if no one should hear. "Why?... why did you kill her?" Seifer fell to his knees. "My reason is simple. It was the only way to hurt Squall. He's vulnerable now." Seifer gave a heavy sigh. Struggling to hold himself together. "I want no more to do with this" Seifer stated. His voice strong. The sound traveled throughout the caverns. "You can't get out that easily, but since things are going so well. My job isn't quite done yet. Squall should be having his very last visit any time soon." Seifer frowned, but kept his thoughts to himself. He turned his back to everything. "I'm leaving" * * * * Shit... I can't think of anything that could save Rinoa..... Admit it!! She's gone. Your never going to get her back. Squall sat alone on a bench in front of the fountain. Trying to relax. For the first time in a long time. He let his head fall back, resting it on the fountains edge. His hair hanging in his face, as he moved a hand to push the strands of hair away. "..S..q..u..a..l..ll.." Quickly he lifted his head, and glanced to his right.
"We have to do it!" yelled Seifer angrily "But why? It's only going to cause death and pain" argued Rajin. "We have to bring Ultamacia back to life!! I can make a deal with her" said Seifer. "You're crazy ya know what would be the point of having her come back?" "The point of her coming back to life would that she could kill Squall and Rinoa would come to me" "Didn't she try to kill Squall already?" "Yes but she failed. She won't next time" "Well how are you going to bring her back to life? It's practically impossible ya know" "I'll find away" * * * *
Air flowed through Squalls mouth, and into his lungs. He was in the infirmary......once again. Why do I always end up here? Squall sat up. He was alone in the room. I better go find Rinoa. Squall got off the bed and headed for the lobby. The hallways were oddly quiet. When ever someone passed by they ran past him with a rather worried look on their face. As Squall entered the lobby he heard a loud explosion, and a scream followed. There was a circle of people standing on the stairs surrounding someone lying on the ground. Squall ran up to the crowd and broke through the circle. He looked to the ground. Rinoa was laying there, her skin was pale.
"Rinoa!!"
Squall looked down at her. Blood was seeping through her clothes, and spreading out onto the floor. Squall put his hands to the wound, and put pressure on it, to help stop the bleeding. Blood covered his fingers. The flow of blood continued. Squall looked to Rinoa. She glanced back at him.
"S....q....u...a..lll..l...l.."
"Rinoa you're going to be alright"
She reached for his hand, and squeezed it slightly.
"Squall, I ... I "
Her breathing became more and more silent. Squalls eyes grew large, and teary-eyed. He put his hand to Rinoa's cheek.
"Rinoa?!"
Rinoa's eyes slowly closed, and her head fell to the side. Squall stared at her, he then let his head fall, and a tear fell from his cheek to the ground. Zell came running up to him. He gasped. Squall turned his head and looked at him. Zells face went pale when he saw Squalls tear streaked cheeks. Someone who was standing around Squall, and Rinoa had gone for help. People from the infirmary, including Dr.Kadowaki came running up to the circle of people. They pushed their way through the crowd. Dr. Kadowaki kneeled by Squall and Rinoa. She checked her pulse.
"We still might be able to save her" said Dr. Kadowaki The infirmary staff quickly put Rinoa on a gurney, and ran her to the infirmary. Squall just sat on the ground motionless. He gazed into nothingness. Rinoa, how could I have lost you? Zell put his hands on Squalls shoulder. "She'll be alright, man" "I can't lose her Zell. I just can't" "Your not going to lose her, she'll be just fine. Everyone who was once standing all around, had left. Zell, and Squall were the only ones left in the lobby. Squall stood up slowly. His thoughts were anything, but normal.
"Squall, are you going to be alright?" asked Zell. No sound came from Squalls lips. He headed for the infirmary. At first he was walking, but then he started into a run. He ran as fast as his legs would take him. Squall pushed open the infirmary doors. "Where is she?!" Squall yelled at Dr. Kadowaki. "She's over there" She pointed to a room over in the corner. Squall walked into the room. It was rather small. A table sat in the corner next to the bed. Squall grabbed the chair that was against the wall and set it next to the bed. He took a seat. Rinoa lay motionless. Her skin was pale. When Squall put his hand to her face it was as cold as ice. Rinoa... I don't want to lose you. You showed me things in life I never knew existed. Squall sat on the side of the bed. He leaned over Rinoa and kissed her on the cheek. "I love you." The words flowed out of his mouth. It was something he knew that he had been given more than enough time to say, but he failed to do so. Squall stood up, and walked out of the room. Selphie, Irvine, Zell, and Quistis had just entered the infirmary. "Is she alright?" asked Selphie. "... I'm sorry, she didn't make it. She had lost so much blood already when we found her" Dr. Kadowaki spoke to everyone with great sorrow. The only sound to be heard was breathing. All of them were in shock, all but Zell. He knew from earlier that Rinoa wasn't going to make it. Since he ran up when she practically took her last breath. Selphie started to cry. Irvine then came and held her in his arms. By this time she was sobbing. Quistis didn't cry, but it seemed the tears were there. She just wouldn't let them out. Zell took Quistis's hand. Knowing that she needed to be comforted too. * * * * How do I bring Ultamacia to life? Thought Seifer. As Seifer was pacing back and forth in his dorm room pondering that question he heard an urgent knocking on the door. He quickly walked over to the door, grabbed the handle, and pulled it open to find Rajin.
"What is it?" scowled Seifer.
"Its Rinoa, she just died!"
Seifer grabbed Rajin by his shoulders and pushed him against the wall. "Now tell me again what happened"
"Nobody knows who did it. The infirmary staff did all they could, but they couldn't save her."
Seifer released his grip, and ran to the infirmary. * * * *
"I can't believe she's gone" said Selphie quietly. "I don't think anyone can" replied Zell. Seifer burst open the doors and looked around the room. Seeing Squall he walked over to him. "What room is she in?" Squall raised his head, and pointed to the room with the closed door. Seifer walked into the room, and closed the door behind him. A voice came over the intercom. "Will the members of SeeD report to headmaster Cid's headquarters immediately" "Well... we should go see headmaster Cid" said Squall as he stood up. He exited the room and headed for the lobby. Selphie, Zell,Quistis,and Irvine followed. They entered the elevator in the lobby, hit the 3rd floor button, and waited to exit. They entered Cid's headquarters. He turned to face them. "SeeD's I have a mission for you" The room was filled with an uncomfortable silence. No one knew if the headmaster had heard the news. It seemed as if he hadn't. Headmaster Cid's eyes searched for contact, but found none. Everyone was lost in their own thoughts. Losing Rinoa was accepted differently by each one of them. Squall; who was crying inside. The last thing he wanted right now was to be standing in the headmaster's office, getting assigned to a mission. "We have a situation everyone. I called you as soon as the plans were completed. This is going to-" "No..not.. now." A quiet, but harsh whisper was heard. Interrupting the mission briefing. The headmaster looked to Squall, who was sitting in a chair in front of his desk. He was hunched over, head in hands. Slowly his face lifted. Exposing stained cheeks. Every thought was Rinoa, how he didn't get a chance to tell her how he really felt. "There's no way.. That I'm going on a mission.. untill -" Squall's voice becoming more loud, and strong. His true feelings starting to surface. He stood up abruptly, and moved his right arm through the air, till it was holding still behind him. "Until.. I find out who did this to Rinoa! If you think that I'm just going to forget about it, bury myself into my work, act like this never happened! You've got it all wrong." Before anyone could get a word in, Squall turned on his heel, and left the room. As he was riding down the elevator he tried to make sense of his thoughts. He had no idea where to go, where to start, and no idea who would do such a thing to someone. Especially someone such as Rinoa. The elevator doors opened. At a quick pace, Squall walked through the opening of the sliding doors. Not looking left or right. Just keeping his eyes ahead of him. "Rinoa" * * * * "Do you think anyone knows it's me?" In the shadows of a room. Silently words were being exchanged. "No.. It's not possible." Replied a voice. The tone slightly agitated. "Hmm.. very well then, maybe I'll pay another visit to Squall." * * * * Squall ignored everyone around him. His mind was only focused on one thing. That one thing was finding the person who caused all this pain and heartache. His walking pace slowed down. It seemed like there was nothing he could do. No matter how much he wanted Rinoa back. Slowly and silently he walked.. just walked. Nowhere to go. He stopped a few feet from the ocean. A few deep breaths, the sound of high waves, the birds flying high above squawking. Squall sat on the sand, running it between his fingers, feeling the rough texture. What am I going to do? I have no idea who's been doing all this. Where do I start? Do I know this person? Have I fought against them at one point? All these questions clouded Squalls mind. Each one of them left unanswered. He felt he was being eaten away. Not being able to answer any of the questions that he so badly needed answers for. I need help...but whom? Squall knew that Selphie, Zell,Quistis,and Irvine would do anything they could to help him. They were the closest thing he had to a family, but Rinoa was the one that meant the most in his life. He would find a way to save her. Somehow. There had to be a way. As Squall stared off into the bright blue ocean a light tap on his shoulder was felt. Surprised that someone had found him, and very interested to see who it was. He turned around to see there was no one. "huh?" He glanced around him once again. Then returned to staring emotionless into the wide ocean. Trying to sort out his thoughts. A light whisper was heard as if it was being carried by the wind blowing off the ocean. "Squall..." Quickly Squall looked all around him. Moving to stand on his feet. Brushing the sand off his thighs. The wind was blowing his hair off his face, ruffling the fur on his coat. "I'm looking for you..." Just then an image filled Squalls head. He turned around, and ran towards the garden. As he entered the lobby. He saw Seifer walking in the opposite direction, following him was Fujin and Rajin. That didn't surprise him. Seifer.... Squall ran at full speed and tackled Seifer to the floor. Throwing punch after punch. "YOU BASTARD! IT WAS YOU WASN'T IT?!!" Squalls screams echoed throughout the garden. Sharp pains stung Squalls face as Seifer threw a right punch at him. Seifer then pushed Squall off him and kicked him while he was still lying on the cold, hard tile. "ugh" Squall stood up quickly, formed a fist, and punched as hard as he could into Seifers face. Almost able to hear his nose break. Seifer flew backwards and rested against the fountains wall. Squall walked over to him. Seifer looked up. Pure hate was glowing in his eyes. Both of them said nothing. Squall who saw no reason to even look at this sad soul. Turned around, and started to walk away. Just then very silently he could hear the scratching of metal against something. As he turned around, Seifer jumped at him. Before Squall could dodge the attack. Seifers gunblade ripped through his jacket. The metal burned as it sliced through Squalls left arm. He screamed in agony. Quickly pulling out his gunblade. Then moved into the official fighting stance. This is more than training. Seifer killed Rinoa. He took her away from me. Memories of Rinoa played through his head. He had loved everything about her. The way she smiled, laughed, everything she did. She was perfect. The only thing that was right in his life. However, realizing that he couldn't live in memories forever. He took a left swing at Seifer. The blade tearing through his flesh. He bent over. The pain overwhelming, he then fell to his knees. Squall even though with all his hate towards Seifer. He couldn't kill him. Maybe he could get some answers that could help him. "I DIDN'T KILL ANYONE!" Seifer screamed loudly. "That's a lie!! You know very well you killed Rinoa!!" Squall quickly walked over to Seifer, grabbed him by his coat, pulled him to his feet, and slammed him hard against the wall. "Why would I kill her?" "Who killed her then?" Squalls grip tightening. "Let me go, and I'll tell you everything" Seifers face was expressionless. Squall not liking this idea, released his grip anyways, and took a step back. Seifer grinned and ran at full speed out of the garden. Let him go. He can't hide forever. Squall watched him run until he could no longer be seen. I better go to the infirmary.
"What happened?!" Dr. Kadowaki ran up to Squall. He hesitated, "Training" She raised an eyebrow. "If you're not going to tell me the truth, I won't bother" Squall ignored her comment. It's not her business anyways. The doctor covered Squalls wounds with bandages, a few stitches, some lingering bruises from before, and a few new additions. Seifer..... Where did you go?
* * * * "DAMMIT!" Seifer punched his hand into the wall. When he removed it, the hole sealed up. As if the wall had never been touched. "Must you revolt to violence?" whispered a voice, "Why are you angry?" Seifer scowled. "How could I not be pissed?!.......she wasn't supposed to die" What said now was spoken so quietly. It was as if no one should hear. "Why?... why did you kill her?" Seifer fell to his knees. "My reason is simple. It was the only way to hurt Squall. He's vulnerable now." Seifer gave a heavy sigh. Struggling to hold himself together. "I want no more to do with this" Seifer stated. His voice strong. The sound traveled throughout the caverns. "You can't get out that easily, but since things are going so well. My job isn't quite done yet. Squall should be having his very last visit any time soon." Seifer frowned, but kept his thoughts to himself. He turned his back to everything. "I'm leaving" * * * * Shit... I can't think of anything that could save Rinoa..... Admit it!! She's gone. Your never going to get her back. Squall sat alone on a bench in front of the fountain. Trying to relax. For the first time in a long time. He let his head fall back, resting it on the fountains edge. His hair hanging in his face, as he moved a hand to push the strands of hair away. "..S..q..u..a..l..ll.." Quickly he lifted his head, and glanced to his right.