Part 5: The Stars Fade Away...
In the secret underground village of the Shumi Tribe, Squall was walking around. It may have been underground but there were trees, flowers, water and even light. He past by the Elder's hous and stopd next to the pond. He stretched up and took a deep breath. There was a moomba by his side.
"I had a dream," he said to the creature. "It must be a good omen. I dreamt Rinoa came and found me dead but with force kisses, she brought me back to life and that I became President! It must be a good omen, don't you think?"
"Laguna!" the small creature said with a small voice.
It was the only word these creatures could say. Nearly twenty years ago, Laguna ended up in that place and was treated for injuries. While he was recovering, he tried to teach a moomba to talk. Since then, all moombas can say 'Laguna'. When they saw Squall the first time, they called him Laguna because they have a special hability to recognize people from scent and blood. Squall has been hurt a little on his way and they identified him as Laguna, as they recognized someone from his blood.
"You understand, don't you?"
The sound of grass and sand being walked over disturbed him from his thoughts. The moomba jumped as it was startled and Squall turned around. He calmed down recognized Nida with his brown hair. Nida was the one to bring him any news from Kiros.
"News from Deling!" Squall exclaimed with joy as he walked to join his friend. "Well, Nida, what's up? Do you have a letter from the priest? How's Rinoa? Is my father well? How's my dear Rinoa? I repeat the question because if she's happy, nothing's wrong."
With sadness in his eyes, Nida kept his head down, trying to find the proper words to break the terrible news he was carrying to his friend.
"She's happy, alright. Her body lies in the Caraway's grave and her soul joined the angels. I saw her brought to her family's grave and I came right away to tell you."
Squall didn't say a word. He was surely not expecting such dreadful news. He slowly turned around and faced Nida his back.
"Dead? Rinoa... is dead?" he asked in a hoarse whisper.
"I'm so sorry, Squall!" Nida exclaimed putting a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Sorry to bring you such terrible news but I'm only fulfilling the task you gave me. I'm sorry, I know what she meant to you."
Squall remained silent. Feeling his sorrow, the moomba came to him and said 'Laguna!' which sounded like a cry. Squall crouched down and placed a hand on the small creature's head.
"Is that it?" he asked himself. "That's how it ends, then that's how it will end!"
He got up and turned around so fast the moomba startled and gave a protesting 'Laguna!'.
"You came in the Ragnarok, didn't you? Get it ready, I'm leaving tonight!"
"Calm down, Squall! You look pale and I feel something bad."
"You're wrong! Leave me and do as I said! Don't you have a letter from the priest?"
"No."
"Whatever, go and get the Ragnarok ready, I'm coming right away!"
Not toosure about this, Nida walked away to take the elevator on the edge of the village. It brought him to the surface and out the building. He went to the Ragnarok to do as he was told.
"Rinoa, I'll die with you tonight! How... I got it! Artisan! He knows so much he could help me. He must know about poisons, Even if it's forbidden, he could hand some to a desperate man like me."
He went to the house right in front of the pond and opened the door without knocking.
"Hey, Artisan!"
A shumi left his business and came to him.
"Artisan not deaf," he said. "Who calls?"
He saw Squall and his face seemed to lighten up.
"Ah... Laguna's son. What can Artisan do for you?"
Squall took a purse out of his belt. It was big and tingling from the gils inside.
"I know you're short on money to make new things and I know you've been researching poisons. I'll give you ten thousand gils if you hand me some. I want something strong, so strong that after the man tired of living drinks it, he falls right away."
"Hmm, Artisan has such a poison, but it's forbidden."
"What? I know you like to make vehicles and things and I know you need money for the materials so just give it to me and take this!"
He showed the purse, pressing him to take it.
"Artisan's needs accepts but not Artisan's will."
"I'm paying your needs, not your will."
Silent a moment, Artisan walked to the bed and took something out of the sheets. A small bottle with a clear blue liquid inside.
"Put this in any liquid and swallow. You'd have the strength of twenty men, you'd fall immediately."
"Take this money," Squall said handing him the purse. "This is a poison worst than any other for murdering countless men before. Farewell my friend. Use this money to build all kinds of things and make this world a better place."
He turned around, tightly holding the small bottle.
"You're no poison, you're a remedy. Come with me to Rinoa's grave, that's where you'll be of use to me."
He walked out of the house to leave the village.
In Dollet, Kiros was sitting in the dark. There were noises outside his cell, getting closer.
"Who is it?" Kiros asked getting up.
A big bald man appeared in the door frame. He was very tall and large, covering all the door frame. He was dressed similarily to Kiros.
"It's you, Ward! You're back from Trabia, already? So what did Squall say? Did he write? Give me his letter."
Kiros walked to him. His friend's face was empty as he showed a letter but Kiros recognized his own handwriting on the paper. The dark man looked up at Ward for an explanation.
"It's the letter I wrote? Squall didn't get it? What happened?"
Ward shook his head, silent. Seventeen years ago, Ward had an accident that ended up taking his voice away. But being a long time friends, Kiros could understand him without Ward saying a word.
"You met trouble, didn't you? Damn, this could bring even bigger problems. Ward, get me an iron bar."
Ward nodded and left.
"I have to hurry to the monument. Rinoa will wake up in three hours. She'll be mad at me for not telling Squall. I'll write again and send him a new letter. Poor girl, locked in a dead man's grave!"
He went out after Ward in haste.
The night has come on the place once known as the Tomb Of The Unknown King. The tomb was cleared of the monsters and transformed into a cemetery. There was one whole section of it owned by the Caraway family.
Seifer was walking that way, a young soldier with him.
"Give me the torch," he said. "Stay away... no, put it out, I must not be seen. Go hide yourself behind those rocks over there."
He pointed some fallen rocks by the entrance.
"If anyone gets close to this place, whistle to warn me. Give me those flowers. Do as I say, go!"
"I'm scared, but I'll do it," the soldier said to himself.
He went to hide as he was asked to. Seifer climbed the entrance stairs and entered the ancient tomb.
"Sweet flower, I'll give you these to bring some life back to you. I'll come every night to place new ones on you and cry."
There was the faint light of a torch away accompanied with the sound of footsteps. Then a whistling sound broke the silence of the night.
"Someone's coming! Who dares to trouble my farewells? A torch? I've gotta hide."
Squall arrive to the monument as Seifer was hiding in the shadows. Nida was right behind him, carrying a torch, a mattock and a crow bar.
"Give me the mattock and the crow bar," Squall said.
He then handed a paper to Nida.
"Take this letter. Tomorrow morning, make sure you give this to my father... Give me the light. Now listen: whatever you see or hear, stay away and don't try to stop me. If I'm going in there, it's to look at my love's face and take back a precious ring. So go away!"
He walked close to Nida, startling him, then threatened him with a finger.
"If you ever try to see what I want to do, I swear I'll tear you apart piece by piece! My mind's made up and my will strong."
"Alright, alright, I'm going!"
"That's good."
Squall took out a purse and threw it at Nida.
"Take that and leave. Good bye."
Nida turned his back on Squall, muttering under his breath to keep quall from hearing.
"If he thinks I'm just gonna leave... I'll just hide somewhere and wait. His face scares me and I'm concerned."
He went to hide.
Squall walked up to the door, the crow bar in hand.
"Stupid door! I'll force you open and give you a new prey!"
He slammed open the door and dropped the crow bar on the stone ground as some disgusting and moist air came to his nose, but that wasn't gonna stop him.
Seifer caught a glimpse of the intruder's face under the torch's light and he widened his eyes in surprise.
"That's that exiled bastard of Loire! The one who killed my beloved's cousin! She died in sorrow or what they say. He's here to cause a mess on the bodies, I have to stop him."
He walked forward, out of the shadows and to Squall's sight.
"Stop right there, damn Loire! I'll stop you! Come now: you must die!"
Expressionless, Squall looked back at him.
"Yes, I must and that's why I'm here. Whoever you are, don't taunt a despearate man," Squall warned before gesturing to the graves.
"Think of those dead people and leave. I beg you, don't push me and leave!"
Seifer took out a gunblade, keeping Squall from entering.
"I'm taking my chance! You will go further only on my dead body!"
"You want to push me? You asked for it!"
Squall took out his gunblade and dashed Seifer. The blonde man blocked a powerful strike, forcing him to tighten his grip on his weapon. He gritted his teeth. He was fighting to protect the monument, but Squall was fighting with the strength of a desperate man knowing he would die. But he didn't want to die this way, that's what gave him his strength and advantage. He was faster and more skillful than Seifer.
Their gunblade's clashes echoed in the monument, alerting Seifer's soldier.
"Hyne, they're fighting! I must tell someone!"
He left the site, unnoticed by the fighters.
Seifer blocked another powerful blow meant for his head and counter-attacked. Squall was already worn out from the recent events that were hard on his mind so he was able to unleash his limit break: Renzokuken. He unleashe a fierce series of blows, pressing the trigger at the right time, echoing through the tomb. Seifer barely blocked the fierce strikes. Exhausted from his attack, Squall stepped back, ready for more but these succesive blows allowed Seifer to unleash his limit break as well: Fire cross!
The fire from the fallen torch was still burning, allowing shadows to be cast on the wall, making them look like monsters
Seifer placed his palm facing Squall and cast a Fire spell. Squall quickly placed his gunblade in front of him to block, but he was thrown backward. Panting, he tried to get up, but Seifer was on him. He raised his gunblade and brought it down. Squall managed to move away but not far enough. The gunblade slashed across his face right between his eyes. If he wouldn't have moved, he would have been beheaded.
As blood was covering his face, rolling down on the ground, Squall turned a mad frown at Seifer and got back on his feet so quick, Seifer lost his confidence. Squall brought his gunblade up, the tip making sparks on the stone ground as it brushed it. Then Squall slashed diagonally Seifer's face as well but on the other side. This was the finishing move of Squall's limit break: Rough Divide. Surprised by this move, Seifer let his guard down, and that's all Squall needed. He thrusted forward and pierced Seifer's stomach.
Seifer stiffened and dropped his gunblade. He fell on his knees, clenching the wound,as the blood was rolling down his face.
"You... you got me..." he looked up at Squall almost pleadingly. "Please, take me close to Rinoa if you have any mercy..."
And he fell on the cold stone floor, dead. A large stain of blood appeared under him.
Squall dropped his gunblade.
"I'll do it...' he said crouching iver the body. "Now, who's this?"
He turned the body up to clearly see the face. He widened his eyes, which allowed blood to fall in so he tried towipe it away, spreading it across his face.
"From Zell's family, Seifer Almasy! What did Nida say earlier, I wasn't paying attention..."
While they were riding the Ragnarok, Nida told him about Seifer supposed to marry Rinoa."
"Did he say that or did I imagine? Or he talked of Rinoa and I was crazy enough to imagine that?"
He took some kind of a bandage from his jacket and wrapped it around his head to try and stop the blood. Then he took up Seifer's body and carried him in. Bleeding from the wound on his chest, but also from his face, just like Squall. The blood from this wound wasn't flowing anymore but he still couldn't clearly see where he was going and started getting dizzy.
"I'll rest you in this tomb... No, since Rinoa rests here, it's a joyful place."
He rested Seifer carefully on the floor of the monument. On a stone table surrounded with torches, Rinoa was exposed. Lifeless, her hands joind on her stomach.
"Stay here, rested by a dead man..."
Then he caught sight of Rinoa. He widened his eyes like he refused to accept it until he would have seen it.
"My love, my life..." he whispered bending over her. "Death couldn't atke your beauty, she must be mad..."
He walekd to an opened coffin behind her and recognized Raijin.
"So, you're here, Raijin? Your death will be avenged by the same person who caused it. Forgive me..."
He slowly came back to Rinoa. He placed his arms around her and looked at her. Tears rolled down his cheeks, washing them from his own blood.
"Why are you so pretty even in death? I'm gonna stay with you now, I promise."
He hugged her, allowing his arms one last embrace, his eyes one last look. He took the poison bottle out of a pocket and brought it to his lips after opening it.
"To my love," he said before withdrawing his head back and swallow the content in a single gulp.
Then he stiffened.
"Artisan didn't lie, it's strong. I feel the drug running in my veins... That's it then..."
He held Rinoa closer and brought his lips to hers.
"I'm coming..." he whispered.
He kissed her then the poison reached every part of his body, taking his last strength away. Squall died.
At the entrance of the tomb, Kiros was coming, a lamp in hand and a crow bar. He moved his lamp around.
"Hyne, help me! My feet are not young anymore."
By the entrance, he caught sight of Nida, hiding.
"Who's there?" he asked raising his lamp to spread it's light.
Nida got up, showing his hands.
"A friend, someone who knows you well."
"Thank Hyne! Tell me, my friend what is this light in there?" Kiros asked pointing the fade light inside the monument.
"My friend's in there, someone you like."
"Who's that?"
"Squall."
"How long as he been in there?"
"Oh, half an hour," Nida answered looking at his watch.
Kiros started getting worried.
"Come with me inside," he said stepping in.
"I don't think so. Squall thinks I left. He threatened to kill me if I would stick around."
"Stay here, then, I'll go alone. I've got a bad feeling about this, really bad."
"Well, while I was here, I think I saw him fight another man and kill him. But I might have dreamt that."
Kiros looked at Nida then entered the monument. He moved his lamp around to light the ground.
"Squall!" he called. "What's this?"
His lamp showed red liquid on the ground and drops heading further. The gunblades were mixed, covered with blood. His bad feeling grew bigger as he entered Caraway's monument.
"Squall!" he exclaimed seeing him just by Rinoa's side. "He's so pale!"
He caught sight of another man, laying close. He moved his lamp and recognized him.
"Seifer! Covered with blood? What in Hyne's name happened?"
He moved his lamp to Rinoa and saw her moving. She opened her eyes and sat up. At the sight of Kiros, she had a smile.
"I remember where I should be, priest and here I am... But where's Squall?"
There were sounds coming from outside the tomb, resonating on the walls.
"People are coming... Leave this place now! Some power from hell changed our plans. Here's your husband, dead by your side along with Seifer. Come, I'll find a place to hide you. Hurry, there're coming!"
The noises were closening in.
"I can't stay any longer..."
He left quickly.
"Go, then, I'm not leaving! What's that?"
She took the bottle out of Squall's hand.
"Poison? That's what caused your early death, my love? Selfish jerk! Why did drink it all? Not even a drop left to help me join you!"
She kissed him, hoping there would still be some left on him lips.
"Your lips are warm..."
"A voice was heard. Outside, Seifer's soldier was leading more soldiers in.
"Where is it? Lead us there," soldier said.
"Yes someone's coming. Let'S hurry then."
She snatched Squall's dagger from his belt, his family treasure. She stabbed herself, her eyes shut.
"Rest there and let me die..."
She died and fell over Squall's body.
The soldiers entered, Seifer's soldier leading them.
"Here it is," he said.
"The ground is ca=overed with blood... search the plave and arrest everyone you find!" the soldier ordered.
"Yes, sir!"
Some soldiers left and the others went further in.
"What? Sir Almasy killed? And Rinoa bleeding! Still warm: she died only a moment ago... She was for two days!"
He turned towards other soldiers.
"Get the President, run to the Caraway and wake up the Loire! Go!"
"Yes, sir!"
More soldiers left and hurried back to Deling.
"We can see where all this happened but why? We'll have to work to find it!"
Three soldiers came back in, holding Nida.
"Here's a friend of Squall, we found him hiding."
"Hold him until the president arrives."
Another soldier came in, bringing Kiros.
"Here's a sad priest, he seems desperate."
"Hold him too!"
The day was showing up when the president and his escort arrived.
"What's the meaning of this?" Deling asked.
Caraway and Julia entered, soldiers leading them.
"I was about to ask the same thing."
"People yell in the streets: Squall! Rinoa!... Seifer!... and they lead us to our monument," Julia said.
"Tell me what happened!" the president ordered.
The soldier showed the corpses.
"Seifer killed, here's Squall dead and Rinoa still warm and just killed."
"Search the place!" the president ordered. "We must know how that happened!"
"Look, Julia!" Caraway said. "This dagger lost itself in our daughter's chest. From Squall's sheat!"
"This is gonna hasten my death, I'm sure!"
Someone else entered the monument. Laguna, straight from Esthar. He looked devastated.
"Come here, Loire. You came to see your son gone early."
"Mister president, my wife died last night from sorrow at her son's exile. So I came to Deling to find the priest. What more?"
"Look, you'll see."
Laguna saw Squall and hurried to him as more pain added to the recent one he had. He took twenty more years at the sight.
"How could you! Why did you die before me?"
"Keep silent, we must find the cause of this. Bring the witnesses."
The soldier brought forward Kiros and Nida. Kiros was completely down.
"It's all my fault, I'm taking all the blame."
"Then tell us what you know."
"Alright."
He told everyone what he knew. That Squall and Rinoa loved each other and that he got them married. Until Squall was exiled. He told them about the plan to save Rinoa from marrying Seifer and see Squall again, which failed.
"What about Nida? What does he have to say?" the president asked once Kiros was done.
"I told him about Rinoa's death and he left Trabia to come here right away and he told me to give his father this letter. Then he came in, leaving me out."
"Give me the letter. Where's Seifer's soldier? Come here, what did he have to do here?"
"He wanted to place flowers on his finacé's tomb. I saw a man coming and then Seifer took out his gunblade at him. That's when I went to get help."
The president took a peek at the letter.
"This letter confirms everything. He learned she was dead so he got poison and came to die and rest with Rinoa... Where are those fools?"
He looked around.
"Caraway, Loire! Look what your hatres caused! For I didn't do anything, I lost two of my kinsmen, we're all punished!"
Caraway turned to Laguna.
"Loire, give me your hand."
They shook hands with sadness in their eyes.
"We were foolish... I'll have a statue of Rinoa dressed in Esthar so evryone will know how loyal and faithful she was," Laguna said.
"And I want Squall to lay with his wife. They're victims of our quarrels."
This dawn finally brought peace to the angry families but at what price? The price of blood, which cost the families more then they could ever pay.
Here ends this tale of an impossible love between a lion and an angel.
The end
Carole M.
Finished writing May 22 2002 at 10 o'clock
Finished typing February 21, 2003 at 9:48
Note: At last! It took me forever just to write it and then to type it! I was always post-poning it to write other I thought better... How's it?
I know it ends sadly. I really wanted to make it just like Romeo and Juliet. For those who think it sounds strange, consider this: Squall was raised in Esthar by both Laguna and Raine, which is enough to make him a whole different person. Just like Rinoa raised by Caraway and Julia and Edea!
I would like to apologize to The Wise who expected a twisted ending... Don't you think the story's twisted enough? If you want another story with a happy ending... Read any of my other twelve or so fanfics but Haunted. They all have a happy ending!
If you liked this one, hurry up and read my others, cause they're all much better than this one.
It was a twisted version of FF8, but not as twisted as my mind! Hehe... Thanks for reading! It's for you I write!