Chapter 2: The Curse of Gashar.
Squall woke up very early that morning. He just opened his eyes and laid in his bed, still. He heard a lonely bird chirping out of his window. He got up. He went straight to a cupboard next to his desk, knelt in front of it and opened it. It was filled with small, plastic bottles, which had a brown-red liquid it them. He took one, opened it and drank what was in it.
"Yuk!" he thought. "I hate this thing." He hated it, but he HAD to drink it. Why? Well, it's a long story… It was only a couple of weeks ago. Squall had just returned from Esthar. He had gone there to talk to Laguna about Griever and the revealed truth, that they were father and son. Laguna was far from surprised.
"She came to my dream the other night, with Griever by her side and prepared me…I understand what her words meant 'I gave birth to your little lion Laguna'. She meant you Squall… I'm sorry I've been such a horrible father to you…I left Raine when I shouldn't have… But I had to save Ellone… Those two, Raine and Ellone were my family. And I lost Raine. But, you're here. Griever was right…you do look a lot like Raine. That's what surprised me when I met you Squall, that resemblance…I hope you will forgive me…But Tania, the midwife that must have helped Raine to give to you had been killed by Esthar soldiers while I was away… No one told me you were born…I can't believe it…" Laguna had said.
" That's alright Laguna…father…dad…Geez…I don't even know how to call you anymore…I hope you forgive me too for thinking you were a clown…" Squall had responded
" That's Ok Squall, I know how to forgive people, and besides, you aren't the first and certainly not the last to have that opinion about me…and Squall, call me the name your heart thinks I deserve…" Squall had smiled to those words.
"Ok…Dad…." So, it was only a while since Squall had returned, and a strange, terrible illness broke out. People who got infected, got weaker day by day, and eventually fell into a coma. Some had died. In Esthar, Dr. Odine was trying to figure out a cure, but till now, it was no good use. The only thing they had managed to do was to create a remedy that prevented you from being infected. You had to drink a little bottle every morning. Yet, the illness had stuck Balamb Garden too. To the team's grief, Zell was one of the first to get ill. He fell into a coma in the Training Center and Squall and Seifer were there just in time to save him from a Grendel. Selphie was next. Irvine found her lying face down in her room. Many more students were ill. Dr. Kadowaki was in grief. She didn't know what to do. Although Quistis and Rinoa tried to help, nothing could be done. Not even magic helped. Rinoa had tried all the healing spells and actions she could do, but nothing. The illness seemed to be unbeatable. Squall got dressed, with all those in mind, took his Gunblade, and walked out of his room. The corridors and halls were empty. Everyone was still sleeping. After all it was still 4:30 in the morning. He went straight to the Training Center. When he got in, he looked all around him, then brought his fingers to his mouth and whistled. A puny dragon with sparkling eyes hopped out of the bushes near him and ran up to Squall.
" Good morning, master Squall! How's Zell and Selphie?" Caesar always called Squall 'Master', because he believed he was obliged by his appreciation to Andros, Squall's ancestor.
" [sigh] Still in a coma Caesar…" he said and knelt down to scratch his little friend's chin.
"Ohh…. I'm so sad…can I do anything for you Master Squall?" Caesar asked flittering his wings.
" Yeah…I think I'll go for a walk now, on my own. I need to think of some things. So I'd like you to tell it to the others once they wake up, ok?"
" Yes, Master Squall!!"
"Thanks…" Squall walked out of the Training Center sadly. He knew that Zell and Selphie were in danger of dying. As he walked past the Front Gate, he saw it was a lovely day.
"How can it still shine?" he asked the sun as he walked through the Galbadian planes. Even the monsters seemed to be hiding from the illness. He walked a long way. He though of his friends, his father, Rinoa and all the people he loved as his family and friends. It must have been about 10:00 when he decided to head back to Garden. As he went through a forest, he suddenly felt like he was being watched. But by who…or what? He stood still and started looking all around him carefully. To his surprise, something hit him on the back and he fell heavily on the ground. Squall lifted his head from the dirt and faced what had hit him. It was a huge snake. Not an Anacondaur or any kind he knew. It had a flat, rectangular head, with ruby colored eyes, a long thin body, with scaly, brownish-gold skin with white patches. It was big enough to eat him all in one gulp. Before Squall could reach for his Gunblade, the snake wrapped itself around him.
"Uh-oh…I'm in deep trouble now" Squall though to himself. He tried to use some magic, but the snake seemed to have covered him in an 'anti-magic' field. But, it didn't do anything to harm Squall. It just stared at him, right in the eyes. Squall lost his patience, as the adrenaline rushed through his veins.
" Now what snake? You either eat me or let me go! Don't keep staring at me like that!" Squall said. He didn't really like people he didn't know, even monsters staring right through his eyes. It exaggerated him. That bravery surprised the snake for a while. Then it gazed at Squall even deeper in such a manner; Squall felt like it was reading his soul. To Squall's greater surprise, the snake started groping him with its tongue, examining him.
"Ewww!……. Hey! Stop it!" Squall wasn't really enjoying that. "What is it gonna do now? Eat me?" he thought to himself. The snake drew it's head back and hissed. It moved its body and released Squall's left arm.
" Oh no! It…It's gonna bite me!" Squall thought in slight panic. The snake opened its mouth and revealed a pair of large fangs. Squall started breathing faster and felt just like the moment Seifer gave him his scar on the forehead. The snake plunged its fangs in Squall's arm and a loud cry, the loudest cry he had, burst out of his chest. "AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Then all went black. He had passed out cold.
" He's gonna live, right Dr Kadowaki?"
" Only time will show my dear…. He's passed out cold for now……"
" Oh…Squall…. Why did you run out on your own? Why?…. Please open your eyes…" Those words brought Squall back to reality.
"Huh?… I'm not…… dead? What happened?" He heard footsteps and he felt a slight weight on his chest.
" Where am I?" he though to himself. He opened his eyes. He blinked a couple of times to get his eyes used to the strong light and get them focused. He was in the Infirmary. He lifted his head slightly and saw Rinoa. She was kneeling by his side and her hand was holding his.
" Rinoa…" he lifted his hand and touched her hair. Rinoa quickly lifted her head and faced him. She just couldn't believe her eyes.
" Dr. Kadowaki! He opened his eyes! He's alright!" she cried out, but Dr, Kadowaki was away.
" Shh…Rinoa don't shout…. Rinoa, w-what happened…Th- The snake…." He stammered still weak. He felt sick, like throwing up and his head ached.
"Oh…Thank Seifer… He followed you this morning and he lost you for a moment in the woods. Then he heard your cry…He found you lying unconscious on the ground with blood all over you.... but, he didn't see the snake you're talking about…" Rinoa said. Squall sat up. He looked at his arm. It was all bandaged up. " The wounds were big. And they have been infected by both poison and magic. How large was that snake anyway?…." Rinoa asked him.
"Pretty huge…" Squall said. Then he noticed Rinoa was crying. "Oh…Rinoa…I…I'm sorry… I shouldn't have ran off on my own…" He said wiping the tears from her beautiful eyes. "It's just that…I wanted to think about some things and get some fresh air…I have a lot on my mind lately you know…. That's all…" he said and kissed her. A crashing sound of breaking glass and screams interrupted them.
"OUT!!!!!! Out!!! I said get out!!! No animals allowed ion the Infirmary!" Dr. Kadowaki shouted. Squall and Rinoa turned around. Caesar rushed, flying in the room, away from Dr.Kadowaki and crashed landed in the room. Once he lifted his head, dizzy and saw Squall, he started jumping up and down in excitement.
"Master Squall! Master Squall! You're alright! Yahoo!!" he squeaked and waged his tail, full of joy.
" Yeah…I'm ok Caesar, but better stay out of the Infirmary, before Dr.Kadowaki calls the disciplinary committee…" Squall told him.
" Yes, Master Squall!" Caesar said and rushed out of the room. Just then, Dr.Kadowaki came in.
" Finally he got out….Oh! Squall! At last you're awake. I so glad you're all right. And…Seifer and Irvine want to see you…" she said. The two young men followed her in.
" How's it going Squall? Did you decide to stay here a little longer anyway?" Seifer said sarcastically. Yet Squall could read a bit of satisfaction in his voice.
" Yeah, I guess I did…" Since they had defeated Ultimecia, Seifer had regretted what he had done and truly apologized to all. Squall was really happy Seifer was their friend now. He always cherished Seifer for his quick reactions, strength in battle, steady mind and logic. There actually was some sort of sympathy between them now, but despite they didn't fight or argue anymore, they weren't exactly best friends either.
"Gosh, Squall you scared me for a moment. When Seifer brought you in knocked out cold, with blood flowing all over the place from your arm, man I though you were dead!" Irvine exclaimed, still slightly pale.
" So did I." said Rinoa. "Oh, by the way, you must have been seeing nightmares because you were murmuring things…" Rinoa said.
" Huh? Like what?" Squall enquired. "I'm not sure." she responded. I think about…some sort of monster or something…"
"Well, all that matters now is that you're ok, man. Oh yeah, I got your Gunblade Squall; I left it in your dorm." Irvine said.
"Yeah…Thanks Irvine…" Squall said attempting to get up.
"OH NO! You'll be staying here for a while!" Dr.Kadowaki said.
" But, I'm Ok! Honestly!…It's nothing!" Squall protested.
"I'll be the judge of that. You'll stay here for at least a few days!" Dr.Kadowaki continued. "Rinoa! Don't let him get up until I say so!" She left, murmuring. Seifer was about to leave too.
" Hey Seifer…" Squall said.
"What is it?"
"Thanks Seifer. I owe you one. You saved my life. Thanks."
"Don't you think I saved you because I like you or anything. You're just one of my comrades and I want my name clean. That's all!" Seifer said and walked out of the room. Irvine giggled,
"Some people never change!" Squall had to remain in the Infirmary for a couple of days, due to his wound's infection. Rinoa spent a lot of time with him and the others even Seifer, popped up from times to times, just to say hi and see how he was going. He had decided not to oppose Dr.Kadowaki and Rinoa, knowing that doctor could strap him on the bed and he knew Rinoa's Sorceress' powers. He didn't fear Rinoa, but he just didn't want to upset her. Speaking of Rinoa, she had improved her abilities and dexterity with her sorcery magic. She found that giving temporarily life to things was very amusing. She had a book that turned it's pages on it's own, her dresser gave her it's opinion about what to wear and her reflection on the mirror told her whether she had something wrong. Yet she still had trouble in transforming a creature into another creature (she was responsible for the mutated T-Rexaur which was half Marlboro and it took the guys a load of effort to get rid of it….) At the bed next to him laid Zell. As cold and as still as dead. Squall looked at him and some sort of 'anger' rose and boiled in him. His friends were dying and he couldn't do anything. He hated it. Yet, he didn't talk about it…
Meanwhile, he had strange dreams and even hallucinations. Most often, he saw himself and someone else-fog was covering him-fighting a beast. He saw other things too. Like things he had seen in the 'dream world' Ellone sent them in. Yet, it was different. Much different. He didn't always see people he knew. Some times he saw strangers. Then, one day, he realized he saw the future. He was resting in his bed, thinking about what he could do about Zell and Selphie, when he felt his head aching. It ached so much, he thought it would break apart. He got into a 'dream world' of some sort.
Squall was out side Balamb Station. A train was coming. Suddenly, a compartment exploded and caught fire. Then the train derailed and fell into the fields, into a fire blaze! Cries were heard and explosions. Squall tried to move closer to help but he couldn't control his body. He couldn't even see it! Squall was out of his mind. What was this? Past? Then he noticed a newspaper flying by. The front-page landed in front of him. He looked at it.
"Huh? What the heck?! March the 21st? What? But today it's 19th of March…" Squall thought. He froze. He turned around and looked at the town clock. 6:30 in the evening. "???? I…I saw…the…the future?!" he gasped. Then as suddenly as it came, all around him faded. He opened his eyes. He was lying in the Infirmary. Dr.Kadowaki came in and checked his arm.
"You can go now…"she announced after the examination. "Finally….." Squall murmured as he wore his jacket and left in a hurry. He had to find the others. First, he went by the Dormitories, to his room and picked up his Gunblade. When he opened the window a ray of sunlight fell it the Lionheart and it shined, just as if it was greeting it's master. He got out and went straight to the Cafeteria, hoping to find the others. Quistis, Seifer and Irvine were there.
"Wazzup Squall?" Irvine said as Squall sat in a chair. "Man…you look worried…" Irvine continued fixing his eyes on his friend's slightly pale face.
"I think I'm going mad or something… I just came out of a 'dream world', but it wasn't Ellone. I saw there's going to be a train accident outside Balamb Station on the 21st at 6:30 in the evening…. " Squall answered.
"Yeah, sure…." Seifer said sarcastically. Quistis frowned.
"Hold on guys…I remember something…last week I read in a book about the Prophets. They are humans, that have been given the power to predict the future and view past and present events they weren't present at. The charisma is so rare, many say it's only a legend. It's unknown how the ability may be given to one…Squall? What's going on?" Squall was looking at a couple of girls chatting. He got up and walked at them. He asked one of the girls something, and when she nodded affirmatively, he dashed off, out of the Cafeteria.
"Hey Squall!" Irvine shouted and ran after him, followed by Quistis and Seifer. Squall ran like crazy, to the Training Center. He rushed in and looked all around him. He heard a scream and ran towards that direction. He came across a junior classgirl, on the ground crying. A huge Granaldo was filtering over her. Squall drew out his Gunblade and attacked in his usual, cunning style. Compared to other monsters, it was piece of cake for him. In a minute he had killed it. Then he rushed over to the girl. He knelt beside her. She wasn't harmed and was still crying. She wasn't older than 6 or 7 years old.
"Are you Ok?" Squall asked her as he helped her on her feet.
" Y-yeah…[sob] I…I think so…. Thanks…" She said and ran out. Just then, Irvine, Quistis and Seifer emerged from the bushes.
"Oh man! Squall! How in the world did you know the girl was in trouble?" Irvine asked amazed.
" Let me guess…you dreamed of it?" Seifer said still sarcastic.
"Yeah, but I was awake. It was like a hallucination…an oracle…I don't know for sure. By the way Seifer…did you find your key holder? The Silver Cross key holder of yours? If not, I'd look under the bed, if I were you…" Squall said with an enigmatic smile on his face.
" NO I didn't!…. Hey! How did you know I lost it?" Seifer lost his sarcastic expression, his jaw dropped and he stared at Squall as if he had seen him for first time.
" Let's say I saw you losing it…" Squall answered.
"By the way, where's Rinoa? I didn't see her anywhere tod…AAAHHH!!! My head!" He put his hands at his head. It was a terrible pain with the temples as centers, and was conquering his mind. All around him faded slowly… Rinoa was in the Library looking for a book. A girl, member of the library committee, went near her.
" Looking for a book?…Oh…Rinoa? What's up? You…gosh! You look really pale!" Rinoa turned around. Squall saw she was pale.
"Oh…I'm just not feeling very well…Since Thursday…I don't know…My stomach aches, my head aches and my feet can't keep me up…" Rinoa stammered with a weak voice. Squall wanted to rush to her and hold her in his arms, ask her what was wrong. But, he couldn't move.
" Rinoa, you'd better go see Dr.Kadowaki before…My God! RINOA!!!" the girl shouted as Rinoa collapsed unconscious on the floor. The other people in the Library gathered around her to see what was wrong. Someone was calling the Infirmary. Then everything faded again… Squall was being slapped. He opened his eyes and faced the worried faces of Irvine, Quistis and Seifer leaning over him.
"Rinoa! Rinoa! Rinoa's in a coma!" Squall shouted in grief struggling to get up. " I must go… to the Infirmary…Irvine! Let me go!" he continued shouting as Irvine held him. Squall pushed Irvine, who fell flat on the floor. Then, he ran off with a face of grief. He rushed into the Infirmary. Dr.Kadowaki and several students were there. Doctor looked at him sadly.
" Poor Squall…"
"I feel so sorry for him…"
"How's he gonna take it?…"
"Do you think he might suicide?…" Squall heard the people saying as he passed by. He found her.
"Rinoa…No…" he murmured as he drew closer to her. He leaned beside her. Dr.Kadowaki came in.
"It's the most serious form…Squall…she may not make it…"she said in sobs. Then she left and closed the door behind her.
"Rinoa…" Squall whispered. He took her hand in his. "Rinoa…Please, don't die…don't leave me alone… Please… I can't move on…I can't move on in this world with out you Rinoa… I just can't…" A silver tear ran from his eye. Onto Rinoa's hand. Lyrics came to tangle his mind…
'Soledad *'
By Westlife
If only you could see the tears
In the world you left behind
If only you could heal my
Heart just one more time
Even when I close my eyes
There's an image of your face
And once again I come to realize
You're a loss I can't replace
Soledad
It's a keeping for the lonely
Since the day that you were gone
Why did you leave me Soledad?
In my heart you were the only
And your memory lives on
Why did you leave me Soledad?
Walking down the streets of Nothingville
Where our love was young and free
Can't believe just what an empty place
It has come to be
I would give my life away
If it could only be the same
Cause I can't still the voice
Inside of me
That is calling out your name
Soledad
It's a keeping for the lonely
Since the day that you were gone
Why did you leave me Soledad?
In my heart you were the only
And your memory lives on
Why did you leave me Soledad?
Time will never change
The things you taught me
After all we're meant to be
Love will bring us back to you and me
If only you could see
Soledad
It's a keeping for the lonely
Since the day that you were gone
Why did you leave me Soledad?
In my heart you were the only
And your memory lives on
Why did you leave me Soledad?
Why did you leave me Soledad?
…… *Soledad - my loved one
The anger that boiled in him exploded. "Why?! Why Rinoa?!!!" He screamed from inside him. "WHY!!!!???" He couldn't help it anymore. It was too much. He needed to calm down the demon that was roaring in him. He had to kill something. Yeah…killing something big would help him give it all out… He rushed out of the Infirmary and ran to the Training Center. The world around him just didn't exist. The colors, the shapes, they were all like a colorful dream. In the Training Center, the first thing to cross Squall's path of madness, a big, male Ruby Dragon, got slaughtered. He didn't mind to use any magic. The anger in him was enough to empower his Gunblade ten times the normal. In every strike he said the same words:
"For Rinoa! For Zell! For Selphie!" It took him only ten seconds to finish it off. Squall stepped back. He breathed fast. Then, he fell to his knees. He supported himself on his Gunblade. And cried. Silver tears burst out of his eyes and flowed on his face.
"Rinoa…I don't know what illness is this but, I'll find a way to cure you…I'll do anything it takes…Anything…I promise…" he said.
'Anywhere For You'
By the Backstreet Boys
I'd go anywhere for you
Anywhere you asked me to
I'd do anything for you
Anything you asked me to
I'd walk halfway around the world
For just one kiss form you
Far beyond the call of love
The sun, the stars, the moon
As long as your love's there to lead me
I won't lose my way believe me
Even through the darkest night you know
[Chorus]
I'd go anywhere for you
Anywhere you ask me to
I'd do anything for you
Anything you ask me to
Your love is as far as I can see
Is all I'm ever gonna need
There's one thing for sure I know it's true
Baby, I'd go anywhere for you.
I used to think that dreams were just
For sentimental fools
And I'd never find some one
Who'd give their love so true
But I knew the very minute
Couldn't live my life without you in it
And now I want the whole wide world to know to know
[Chorus repeat]
Hey baby, hey baby, hey baby oohhh (x3)
[Chorus repeat (x2)]
He looked at his hand. He had cut himself and he was bleeding.
"I swear to this blood I will…" he said. A hand touched his shoulder.
"I promise too…for Selphie…I'll help too Squall…" It was Irvine.
"Huh? Oh…Irvine…"Squall said. Irvine helped him on his feet. Seifer was there too.
"Mind if I join in too?" he asked. Squall was surprised.
" Of course…you're welcome…" He just couldn't believe it. Seifer wanted to help him. Irvine looked at the dragon's corpse. He whistled in amazement.
"Wow…man, you ripped this thing apart… Squall, what do we do now?" he asked Squall. A voice made them turn around.
"What you must do…" It was Matron. Cid was with her too.
"Squall, Quistis told us you've been seeing hallucinations of the future, don't you?" Cid asked.
" I believe so Sir…"
"That could mean you've became a Prophet, that a rare charisma…Squall, this must remain a secret. If this reaches Dr. Odine's ears, who knows what he'll do…"
"But his father is president of Esthar! He won't allow his own son to be harmed!"
"Yeah, Laguna may be my father, but that won't stop Odine. You know how he does if a strange human ability comes up! He just has to examine it!" Squall said frowning to the thought of the scientist. Thank goodness he hadn't allowed him to examine Rinoa…
"Anyway, Sir, what can I do with this charisma?" Squall continued.
"Many things. Quistis has already informed Balamb Station for a possible bomb on the train…Yet, what is most urgent now is to find a way to cure the people who are in a coma." Matron said. Squall got confused.
That night, Squall's sleep was short. In the middle of the night, he sat up after another oracle, breathing fast and sweating.
"The Twin Forests in Galbadia! The two forests near Obel Lake! The answer is there! I know it!" he thought to himself. He didn't sleep at all the rest of the night. The next morning, he got up, got dressed quickly and ran off to find Seifer and Irvine. They were in the Cafeteria. He told them in a hurry about his oracle and they all agreed to go see Cid. He gave them the green light to go ahead right away. They rushed of to Balamb to take the first train to Galbadia, and got off at Timber. From there, because they couldn't find a car to rent, they were obliged to rent…motorcycles. None of them had a previous experience on riding a motorcycle, but after a while they could ride in quite a satisfactory manner. Squall turned out to be a rider by natural. He surprised even himself. When they reached the Twin Forests, Squall had a strange feeling. Like he knew where to go.
"Now? Where do we go?" Irvine said after they got off their motorcycles.
"I guess we enter that forest…the right one…" Squall said. And so they did. As they were walking through the forest, Seifer spotted a dark figure walking in front of them.
"Let's follow it." He suggested. That last one was easier said than done. Bushes often blocked their way and they tripled over stones and twigs. Suddenly, Irvine, who was ahead of the others left a cry and fell into a hole! Squall and Seifer ran up to the hole, careful not to fall in themselves.
"Irvine!" Squall shouted, but he took no response.
"What do we do now, Mr. Prophet? Follow him perhaps?" Seifer said. Squall took his decision right away.
"Exactly…This is a tunnel. Go ahead."
"W-WHAT?" Seifer gasped.
"Hey Squall…you gotta be joking, right? I mean…"
"Seifer, you heard what I said. No, I'm not joking. Jump in. Wherever Irvine is going, I'm sure there's the answer to this illness. Now go ahead and I'll follow." Squall continued in a calm tone.
" No way! There's no way I'm doing this!" Seifer protested.
"Oh really…" Squall moved quickly and grabbed Seifer's arm. Seifer tried to fight back, but Squall tossed him over his shoulder into the hole.
"AH! Oh shit!" Seifer shouted. Squall shook his head in disapproval and then jumped in. It sure was a long tunnel and it turned and swirled. He heard soft thumps as he took the turns in speed. After the long fall, he landed on a thick pile of leaves, next to Irvine and Seifer.
"I hope you two enjoyed the ride as much as I did…" Irvine groaned fixing his hat.
"Very…" Seifer said sarcastically. He was about to say more, but Squall put his hand in front of Seifer's mouth.
" Sshhhh…! We're being watched. Someone is there…I can…sense him." He said. All of a sudden, a loud voice called them.
"Approach me fighters!" Squall nodded to the others and they all got up. In a glance they saw they were in a cave, like a gopher's nest. Torches and a fire in the middle of the cave lit it. As they walked towards the place the voice came from, Squall felt weird. He could sense someone in the dark watching him. Something in him told him he should show respect to whom he was going to see. From a corner, came an old man, dressed in rags.
"Approach Prophet!" he said and looked at Squall. His voice infused respect. He held a tall walking stick. He raised his punch and placed at his forehead. It was a greeting that to Squall seemed strangely familiar. He repeated it. " Have a seat." The old mad said to all of them. Then, he looked at Squall again. "So Young Prophet, yes I know what and who you are!" he said as a response to Squall's puzzled look. "So, A snake bit you eh? Tch..tch..tch…Still the old painful way…Well now, as you already know, I am a Prophet too and I know what happens to you and your friends and to everyone everyday! Hmm…I see a brave and proud soul in there…There's no drought why Apollo chose you…" Squall got even more confused.
"Who chose me? For what?" he asked.
" Ahh…the ancient gods are being forgotten…Apollo is the god of light, prophecy and music. Along with Ra, the hawk-headed god of sunlight and Sehmet, the lion- headed goddess of medication, he chose you to be a Prophet. He once gave to the world the gift of the Prophets to help people. But, the people he wanted to help hunted the Prophets fearing their powers. Because, mature Prophets can also use the power of their minds to control minds and move objects. Even to cause pain to others by simply 'replaying' bad memories of their victims in their minds, discouraging them and causing pain sometimes. We can sense each other. So we hide and that's why we are regarded as a legend. Hehe! We are living legends! Yet, I wonder why he chose a warrior. It is strange…That happens only once in 10.000 years when our world is bound to face great threats…Oh Apollo! What is it we shall face this time?" the old man murmured. " So, Apollo turned into a snake and bit you, delivering you the powers of a Prophet. He actually poured a little ihor in your veins. Ihor is what gives the gods power."
" Sir, I'm confused." Squall said.
"Why me?"
"First of all call me Kalha. Secondly, I may be a Prophet, but Apollo's gift has limits. He won't allow us to see everything. So, how a god thinks, I do not know…Now, enough with questions. Let us seek for answers…Do you want to be my student?" Kalha asked Squall.
"…Yes…" he answered.
"Very well…Tell me, can you control your powers?"
"I haven't even realized them, much more control them. I don't even know which time period I see!"
"Hm…that's ok. It's normal. In fact, I'd fall from the clouds if you could…Then, let me teach you…" Using his stick, Kalha drew a circle in the ground. "See this? I call it the Time Circle. Pay attention now! For normal people, time is a circle whose center is everywhere and circumference, nowhere. Right? Right. BUT! For Prophets, time is captured! You are everywhere in this circle and only somewhere. Understand?" Seifer and Irvine frowned.
" Huh?" they both though. But Squall smiled. He had got a point.
"Everywhere I am is everywhere I can see, past, present and future, and somewhere where I am IS where I am. It's right now. This moment." Kalha hit his stick on the ground
" Correct! You're learning fast! My last student took a whole year to understand it. You got the bottom line. Now, I'll teach you how to control what you see…Wait! Hmm… I see a girl, no two girls and a boy, ill in a coma…Worried about them eh? Don't worry, don't worry…You'll take care of that later…" Kalha sat in front of Squall. " Now, to see the specific time period, or the event you want, you just concentrate and ask your mind a question. You must be specific. Go ahead, try!" Squall concentrated. He closed his eyes to focus on his thought.
"I'll chose a period of the present." He thought to himself. "Let's see…What's Ellone doing now?" He saw a white flash in front of his eyes and there she was. Ellone was walking in a green field. Squall could see Winhill in the distance. " Oh… There's Raine's….my mother's grave." Ellone stood there and looked at the tombstone smiling. Squall cleared his mind. He was back in the cave. " I did it." He said.
" Excellent!" Kalha exclaimed. " Try again" Squall went through three different time periods, three different events.
" I think I got it now." he ended. " Good! Good!" Kalha said. "You're the best student I've ever had! I believe you are now ready to face Gashar's Curse. Long ago, a mage called Gashar from Centra, unleashed a curse. He said that a terrible illness would strike the world the 3rd day after his death. But he made a mistake. The curse struck 3000 years after his death. Today. And here we are, Apollo, Ra and Sehmet send me three teenagers to face that curse…Anyway, you two have no problem" he said looking at Seifer and Irvine "but, you Squall do have. And we must deal with it..."
"What problem do I have?!" Squall asked. Kalha frowned.
" You hold onto the past Squall! The curse is counting on that! Tell me son, what are you holding on?" Squall could not avoid revealing his unhappiness after all. He decided to open his heart.
" I guess it's my unhappy childhood, the fact I never knew who were my parents, the fact Rinoa and the others are ill… There's too many to count… I guess I keep running from that past…" To those words Kalha frowned even more. Suddenly, he swiftly lifted his walking stick and hit Squall on the head!
" OUCHH!!!!!…Geez! What was that for?!" Squall shouted. "Why did you hit me?" Kalha seemed angry but Squall could almost swear he was smiling. Squall rubbed his head where the stick struck him.
"Forget about it. It's past and it's gone now. Why do you stick to the past?" Kalha said.
"Yeah…past, but it still hurts!"
"Ahh…yes, the past can hurt, even if it's a past long gone." Kalha said sadly.
" But, the way I see it, you either run from it or, learn from it!" he said, while attempting to hit Squall's head again. This time Squall was ready and ducked as Kalha's stick swung over his head. " Hah! See what I mean?" Squall smiled.
" Yeah…the past is past. I can't change it. Only make up for it and deal with its consequences. I must always learn from the past. It has no sense anymore. What matters is right now, this moment, right?" Kalha smiled.
" That's right…Now, are you ready to face the Curse?" Seifer, Irvine and Squall looked at each other and nodded. They were ready. " Very well…Now we must hurry! To break the Curse, you must defeat its incarnation. To find it you must travel to its dimension where it takes its true form. Once you get there, the Curse will appear. Trust in your allies, know they are your friends. I'm sure you can make it. Your GF's will be able to find you there. Oh… speaking of GF's let me give you present you with one." Kalha said. He walked over to a hole in the stone and hit the rock above the hole. "Come out Viper…" he said softly but steadily. A loud hiss came as an answer. Then silence. "Darn reptile… I SAID COME OUT!!!!!!" Kalha shouted banging the rock over the hole. A louder hiss was sounded and a two-headed snake came out, looking annoyed.
" Did you call me Kalha?" it hissed. " Yes I did! It's about time you behaved like a proper GF! Join them!" " Ok ok ok! You don't have to shout…My name's Viper and I'm the Snake Guardian, ruler of the elements. Call me when in need." It said and vanished in thin air.
" Darn reptile…" Kalha murmured. " Now, wear these amulets. They'll travel you to the Curse's dimension." He continued and handed them 3 three amulets. "Once you defeat the Curse, take them off, and you'll come back again. Be careful, and believe in yourselves and in each other. Now go. The world's fate hangs in your hands…" The guys wore the amulets. Squall felt like there was a rope tied around his stomach that pulled him upwards. He closed his eyes, not to see the daze of colors that passed before them. Then he fell to the ground with a loud thump. He opened his eyes. They were in a between-worlds dimension, like the one they had fought Diablos in. The men got up and looked around them.
" Now what?" Irvine asked.
" Now…we wait." Squall responded. A breeze came to awaken their senses. Laughter, a cruel, cunning laughter filled their ears. A worm-like creature that looked like a huge piece of slimy, rotten meat, emerged from the earth, laughing.
" Gashar's Curse…" Seifer said. It was horrible. " HAHAHAHA! Fools! Kalha has sent you eh? Hahahaha! Apollo, Ra and Sehmet are fools to think that children and a Prophet can defeat the Curse! Master had a special hatred for Prophets. And thou shall pay! Hahahaha!" Seifer's face was red with anger. Squall boiled silently, like a volcano ready to explode. Irvine was angry too but kept his calm, cool expression and responded:
" Ahem…First of all, we ain't children. Secondly, you've kinda pissed us off here, and you'll have to face the consequences…" The guys pulled out their weapons.
"How you dare challenge me? Don't you feel fear?!" the Curse asked them.
"Nope!" Seifer answered. A fierce fight begun. Irvine's Exeter, Squall's Lionheart and Seifer's Hyperion, raged. Spells flashed lighting the dimension. The GF's did their best. The Curse had a good defense. It resisted most spells and elements. Suddenly, Irvine pulled some Pulse Ammo out of his pocket, filled the Exeter and started firing at the Curse in full speed. It was his Limit Break, "Shot".
"Huh?" Squall thought. "Did he use an Aura spell?" No. Irvine wasn't very well. He was covering the others and healing them, leaving himself unhealed. He was in a bad condition. Squall just realized that.
"Seifer! Squall! It's up to you guys!" Irvine said just before he fell unconscious. Squall was thinking. The Curse seemed unbeatable. Then, Kalha's words ran though his mind again.
" Seifer!" Squall shouted. "Seifer, it's no good use trying to fight the Curse as independents! We need to unite our actions!"
"What do you suggest Squall?" Squall thought. Then, as he was striking the Curse with a Triple Blizzaga spell, a crazy idea hit him. What if that was it?
"Seifer! Let's try and combine our Limit Breaks!" Squall said. Squall and Seifer looked at each other. They read each other's mind.
" Let's do it!" Seifer said. They both cast Aura on themselves. Then they both concentrated. The blue light that rinsed them lit the dark dimension. Squall and Seifer, the Lion and the Knight, grabbed each other's arms. They started running in a circle, with their Gunblades extended towards the outer circumference of the circle. A tornado of wind and dust formed from the speed. The clouds above them, followed the tornado. This was the "Tornado Blades" The tornado fell on the Curse who was stunned. Nothing similar had ever happened before. Never had two people been able to unite their Limit Breaks. The Gunblades empowered by the speed, hit the Curse hard. It was actually sucked by the tornado, then tossed off by the top, and slammed to the ground. The Curse roared in pain.
"Ahh!! Y-you! You are strong!" Squall and Seifer stopped swirling and looked at the Curse.
"Hey Squall, I think it works!" Seifer said.
" Yeah, and it's quite a strong one. I bet you anything this has never happened before. Wanna try it again?"
" Of course I do!" The 'Tornado Blades' stuck again and again. With the same power, the same accuracy.
" Let's finish it!" Seifer said, seeing the Curse was weak, in a pool of blood.
"After you Seifer!" Squall responded. Seifer called onto his " Bloodfest" which did a whole blast at the Curse, but didn't kill it.
" Your turn Squall!" Squall was surrounded in the blue light once more. He ran up to the Curse.
"RENZOKUKEN!!!!" Squall hit it multiple times and pulling the trigger at the right moment. He got a Perfect. Then, he jumped back. Another black flash and Squall called upon the hit that finished off Ultimecia. "LIONHEART!!!!" Squall tossed the Curse in mid air and started hitting it, blow after blow, about 30 times. The final blow threw the Curse on the ground. Still, it didn't die!
"Man, what does it take?" Seifer snorted, seeing the Curse was still alive.
"Seifer, call Viper…." Squall panted, trying to catch his breath, breathing deeply and fast.
"O.k.…." Seifer concentrated. He communicated with Viper and she answered. Squall and Seifer disappeared. The ground shook hard. The ground cracked open and Viper's two-headed body emerged from the crack.
"I am Viper…" it hissed. "This is my 'Elemental Dance'!!!" The ground started shaking harder and stone spikes rose and fell, hitting the Curse like needles. Then, a geezer of steamy, hot water struck the Curse from under its body. Viper was ordering the elements and was swirling and dancing to a crazy dance with chaotic music. From the crack, a river of lava; red, hot lava flowed the Curse, making it to scream. Viper used its 'Frost Breath' on the Curse and covered it with ice. A pillar, made out of green stone, emerged and a mystical, Holy light that came from it, surrounded the Curse shocking it. From the clouds above, a mighty thunder hit the Curse, toasting it. A Tornado spell, 2 times more powerful that normal lifted the Curse and smacked it down again. Then, Viper bit the Curse with its poisonous fangs, and the Snake GF disappeared and Seifer and Squall reappeared. The Curse left a death sigh, and died. Just like that.
" WO-HOOO!!!!!!!!!! We did it!!!" Irvine shouted once the guys used a Full-life on him.
" Com'on, let's go back…" Squall murmured and took of the amulet. The swirling daze of colors passed in front of his eyes once again before he found himself back in Kalha's cave. The old man was sitting on a rock. From his snoring the guys realized he had fallen asleep. Irvine softly pushed the old man's shoulder to wake him up.
"Hey old timer…rise and shine…" The elderly Prophet jumped up.
" Huh? What?! Who?!…Oh! It's you! So, did you defeat the Curse??" he asked in agony.
"You bet we did…" Seifer answered. "Excellent!…Uh… please excuse me for a moment…" Kalha said and moved towards a socket in the stone, covered with a cloth. He pulled the cloth aside, revealing a bed behind it. On it, laid a young boy. " He's my grandson. He's a Prophet too, but too young to use his powers." The little boy opened its eyes, awakened from the sudden light.
"Grandpa? What happened? Who are these guys?" the little squirt asked.
"Shh… Don't speak, you're still weak Tiresias, but you'll get better. These three young men defeated the Curse I was telling you about." Kalha said, looking at the child kindly. The Prophet turned around and face Squall, Seifer and Irvine. He looked at each of them with satisfaction.
"First, I would like to thank you. You did something common humans could have never managed to do. By defeating the Curse, the illness has broke. Sehmet will now heal everyone, and Anubis, the jackal-headed god of death will rest the souls of those who died. Your friends shall be airtight. You may leave now…" Kalha said and showed them a door. To Kalha's last words, Squall dashed out the door, followed by Seifer and Irvine. They ran to the place they had left their motorcycles, got onto them and rushed to Timber. Squall was so happy, he just couldn't resist the temptation to show off his biking abilities. He did a few meters wheelies on the back wheel of the motorcycle and jumped of a cliff instead of going around with the other two. Seifer and Irvine were laughing. They couldn't believe it.
Squall, shouting out "YAHOOOOO!" in joy. They were as happy as he was, but not so good riders. Once they reached Garden, to their pleasant surprise, Zell was all well and waiting the greet them. Once he saw them, he dashed up to them, and hugged all three of them in a tight 'bear hug".
"OH MAN! Guys! You did it! I can't believe it! Everyone's alright!!!" he cried out. "Heheheh…It was nothing…piece o' cake…" Irvine groaned.
"Hey! Let me go you Chicken-wuss!" Seifer said, choking.
" Yeah, Zell let go…there's people watching us…" Squall said, hardly keeping himself from laughing with his friend's reaction. He was sure happy to see Zell was ok. Just they had gone out of Zell's hug a scream came to their ears.
"IRVY!!! Where were you?! I'm Ok now baby!!!!!!" It was Selphie. She ran through the people who had came out of Garden to see them, and actually jumped into Irvine's arms. She kissed him all over and hugged his head… Irvine seemed to be in paradise. Seifer, walked over to Quistis who was standing at a corner.
" Instructor…Quistis, I was...thinking of…you before…and…I…I was wondering…Um…are you doing anything tonight?" Quistis tried to keep her face calm, but no use. She was as red as a poppy. Squall was for Rinoa through the crowd, ignoring the people who came over to him to speak to him, or ask him how he did it. He wanted to see Rinoa. He couldn't find her anywhere and was getting rather worried. Then, she spotted Angelo, sitting in the Directory hall. He was looking at him, panting with his tongue out. Squall whistled at him. Angelo ran up to him. He looked at Squall eagerly. Thank goodness they two understood each other.
" Angelo, where's Rinoa? Where is she boy?" Squall asked him. Angelo barked and ran off with Squall running behind him. They ran through Garden, but Squall could not understand. Where was Rinoa? Angelo stopped outside the ceremony hall. He pointed the door with his nose. Squall seemed to understand. He went in silently. Rinoa was standing at the balcony. The balcony he first thought of her after that waltz they shared, the balcony they first kissed. He went silently behind her and she didn't hear him. She was startled as he covered her eyes with his hands.
"Squall…" she said without hesitation.
" Yup…" She turned around. They gazed in others eyes. For a moment that looked like an eternity, Rinoa wondered how could someone have so blue eyes, like the sky. Then they hugged each other. Squall thought how lucky he was to have such a lovely girlfriend. Because to Squall, Rinoa was more than a simple girl. She was an angel… "Rinoa…You're an angel…"
'Angel's Wings'
By Westlife
I would die for you
Lay down my life for you
The only thing that means
Everything to me
Cause when you're in my arms
You make me prouder
Than anything I ever
Could achieve
And make everything
That used
To seem so big
Seem to be so small
Since you arrived
[Chorus]
On angel's wings
An angelic formation
Angel's wings, like letters in the
Sky
Now I know no matter what
The question
Love is the answer
It's written on angel's wings
And I often wonder why
Someone as flawed as I
Deserves to be as happy
As you make me
So as the years roll by
I'll be there by your side
I'll follow you wherever your
Heart takes me
Cause you make everything
That used
To seem so big
Seem to be so small since
You arrived
[Chorus repeat]
Now anyone who's felt the touch
Of heaven in their lives
Will know the way
I'm Feeling looking
In my baby's eyes
That's why I can't bear to be
Too far away I know that God must love me
Cause he sent you to me on angel's wings
[Chorus repeat]
"Squall…I was so worried" she said
"You didn't have to worry about me, my little sorceress…" Squall giggled
"Oh…it isn't funny! I thought you might do anything crazy!"
"Crazy? Me…?" Squall pretended innocent
"Stop that…" Rinoa laughed tenderly and pushed his cheek with her fist.
"You know, I think that after all this, we should have a party... let's go get the others, hop onto the Ragnarok and go somewhere!" Squall suggested.
"Yeah! That's a wonderful idea, my knight. Let's go to Deling! There are some wonderful places we could go to!" Rinoa answered delighted by her knight's suggestion.
"Then, what are we waiting for?" And they ran of, holding each other's hand, to get the others. Caesar and Angelo stood in the middle of the hall looking at them. Caesar snorted. He and Angelo were good friends and talked to each other.
"Don't tell me we're gonna lose it…" Caesar said.
"No way…" Angelo replied silently
" Then, let's HIT IT!!!" Caesar screamed as the two four legged critters ran off behind Squall and Rinoa. Yet, our friends have no idea who is watching them and plotting against their happiness. A dark, evil opponent is about to rise. And very soon…
Another chapter finished! People! Review! The button is down here!
Squall woke up very early that morning. He just opened his eyes and laid in his bed, still. He heard a lonely bird chirping out of his window. He got up. He went straight to a cupboard next to his desk, knelt in front of it and opened it. It was filled with small, plastic bottles, which had a brown-red liquid it them. He took one, opened it and drank what was in it.
"Yuk!" he thought. "I hate this thing." He hated it, but he HAD to drink it. Why? Well, it's a long story… It was only a couple of weeks ago. Squall had just returned from Esthar. He had gone there to talk to Laguna about Griever and the revealed truth, that they were father and son. Laguna was far from surprised.
"She came to my dream the other night, with Griever by her side and prepared me…I understand what her words meant 'I gave birth to your little lion Laguna'. She meant you Squall… I'm sorry I've been such a horrible father to you…I left Raine when I shouldn't have… But I had to save Ellone… Those two, Raine and Ellone were my family. And I lost Raine. But, you're here. Griever was right…you do look a lot like Raine. That's what surprised me when I met you Squall, that resemblance…I hope you will forgive me…But Tania, the midwife that must have helped Raine to give to you had been killed by Esthar soldiers while I was away… No one told me you were born…I can't believe it…" Laguna had said.
" That's alright Laguna…father…dad…Geez…I don't even know how to call you anymore…I hope you forgive me too for thinking you were a clown…" Squall had responded
" That's Ok Squall, I know how to forgive people, and besides, you aren't the first and certainly not the last to have that opinion about me…and Squall, call me the name your heart thinks I deserve…" Squall had smiled to those words.
"Ok…Dad…." So, it was only a while since Squall had returned, and a strange, terrible illness broke out. People who got infected, got weaker day by day, and eventually fell into a coma. Some had died. In Esthar, Dr. Odine was trying to figure out a cure, but till now, it was no good use. The only thing they had managed to do was to create a remedy that prevented you from being infected. You had to drink a little bottle every morning. Yet, the illness had stuck Balamb Garden too. To the team's grief, Zell was one of the first to get ill. He fell into a coma in the Training Center and Squall and Seifer were there just in time to save him from a Grendel. Selphie was next. Irvine found her lying face down in her room. Many more students were ill. Dr. Kadowaki was in grief. She didn't know what to do. Although Quistis and Rinoa tried to help, nothing could be done. Not even magic helped. Rinoa had tried all the healing spells and actions she could do, but nothing. The illness seemed to be unbeatable. Squall got dressed, with all those in mind, took his Gunblade, and walked out of his room. The corridors and halls were empty. Everyone was still sleeping. After all it was still 4:30 in the morning. He went straight to the Training Center. When he got in, he looked all around him, then brought his fingers to his mouth and whistled. A puny dragon with sparkling eyes hopped out of the bushes near him and ran up to Squall.
" Good morning, master Squall! How's Zell and Selphie?" Caesar always called Squall 'Master', because he believed he was obliged by his appreciation to Andros, Squall's ancestor.
" [sigh] Still in a coma Caesar…" he said and knelt down to scratch his little friend's chin.
"Ohh…. I'm so sad…can I do anything for you Master Squall?" Caesar asked flittering his wings.
" Yeah…I think I'll go for a walk now, on my own. I need to think of some things. So I'd like you to tell it to the others once they wake up, ok?"
" Yes, Master Squall!!"
"Thanks…" Squall walked out of the Training Center sadly. He knew that Zell and Selphie were in danger of dying. As he walked past the Front Gate, he saw it was a lovely day.
"How can it still shine?" he asked the sun as he walked through the Galbadian planes. Even the monsters seemed to be hiding from the illness. He walked a long way. He though of his friends, his father, Rinoa and all the people he loved as his family and friends. It must have been about 10:00 when he decided to head back to Garden. As he went through a forest, he suddenly felt like he was being watched. But by who…or what? He stood still and started looking all around him carefully. To his surprise, something hit him on the back and he fell heavily on the ground. Squall lifted his head from the dirt and faced what had hit him. It was a huge snake. Not an Anacondaur or any kind he knew. It had a flat, rectangular head, with ruby colored eyes, a long thin body, with scaly, brownish-gold skin with white patches. It was big enough to eat him all in one gulp. Before Squall could reach for his Gunblade, the snake wrapped itself around him.
"Uh-oh…I'm in deep trouble now" Squall though to himself. He tried to use some magic, but the snake seemed to have covered him in an 'anti-magic' field. But, it didn't do anything to harm Squall. It just stared at him, right in the eyes. Squall lost his patience, as the adrenaline rushed through his veins.
" Now what snake? You either eat me or let me go! Don't keep staring at me like that!" Squall said. He didn't really like people he didn't know, even monsters staring right through his eyes. It exaggerated him. That bravery surprised the snake for a while. Then it gazed at Squall even deeper in such a manner; Squall felt like it was reading his soul. To Squall's greater surprise, the snake started groping him with its tongue, examining him.
"Ewww!……. Hey! Stop it!" Squall wasn't really enjoying that. "What is it gonna do now? Eat me?" he thought to himself. The snake drew it's head back and hissed. It moved its body and released Squall's left arm.
" Oh no! It…It's gonna bite me!" Squall thought in slight panic. The snake opened its mouth and revealed a pair of large fangs. Squall started breathing faster and felt just like the moment Seifer gave him his scar on the forehead. The snake plunged its fangs in Squall's arm and a loud cry, the loudest cry he had, burst out of his chest. "AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Then all went black. He had passed out cold.
" He's gonna live, right Dr Kadowaki?"
" Only time will show my dear…. He's passed out cold for now……"
" Oh…Squall…. Why did you run out on your own? Why?…. Please open your eyes…" Those words brought Squall back to reality.
"Huh?… I'm not…… dead? What happened?" He heard footsteps and he felt a slight weight on his chest.
" Where am I?" he though to himself. He opened his eyes. He blinked a couple of times to get his eyes used to the strong light and get them focused. He was in the Infirmary. He lifted his head slightly and saw Rinoa. She was kneeling by his side and her hand was holding his.
" Rinoa…" he lifted his hand and touched her hair. Rinoa quickly lifted her head and faced him. She just couldn't believe her eyes.
" Dr. Kadowaki! He opened his eyes! He's alright!" she cried out, but Dr, Kadowaki was away.
" Shh…Rinoa don't shout…. Rinoa, w-what happened…Th- The snake…." He stammered still weak. He felt sick, like throwing up and his head ached.
"Oh…Thank Seifer… He followed you this morning and he lost you for a moment in the woods. Then he heard your cry…He found you lying unconscious on the ground with blood all over you.... but, he didn't see the snake you're talking about…" Rinoa said. Squall sat up. He looked at his arm. It was all bandaged up. " The wounds were big. And they have been infected by both poison and magic. How large was that snake anyway?…." Rinoa asked him.
"Pretty huge…" Squall said. Then he noticed Rinoa was crying. "Oh…Rinoa…I…I'm sorry… I shouldn't have ran off on my own…" He said wiping the tears from her beautiful eyes. "It's just that…I wanted to think about some things and get some fresh air…I have a lot on my mind lately you know…. That's all…" he said and kissed her. A crashing sound of breaking glass and screams interrupted them.
"OUT!!!!!! Out!!! I said get out!!! No animals allowed ion the Infirmary!" Dr. Kadowaki shouted. Squall and Rinoa turned around. Caesar rushed, flying in the room, away from Dr.Kadowaki and crashed landed in the room. Once he lifted his head, dizzy and saw Squall, he started jumping up and down in excitement.
"Master Squall! Master Squall! You're alright! Yahoo!!" he squeaked and waged his tail, full of joy.
" Yeah…I'm ok Caesar, but better stay out of the Infirmary, before Dr.Kadowaki calls the disciplinary committee…" Squall told him.
" Yes, Master Squall!" Caesar said and rushed out of the room. Just then, Dr.Kadowaki came in.
" Finally he got out….Oh! Squall! At last you're awake. I so glad you're all right. And…Seifer and Irvine want to see you…" she said. The two young men followed her in.
" How's it going Squall? Did you decide to stay here a little longer anyway?" Seifer said sarcastically. Yet Squall could read a bit of satisfaction in his voice.
" Yeah, I guess I did…" Since they had defeated Ultimecia, Seifer had regretted what he had done and truly apologized to all. Squall was really happy Seifer was their friend now. He always cherished Seifer for his quick reactions, strength in battle, steady mind and logic. There actually was some sort of sympathy between them now, but despite they didn't fight or argue anymore, they weren't exactly best friends either.
"Gosh, Squall you scared me for a moment. When Seifer brought you in knocked out cold, with blood flowing all over the place from your arm, man I though you were dead!" Irvine exclaimed, still slightly pale.
" So did I." said Rinoa. "Oh, by the way, you must have been seeing nightmares because you were murmuring things…" Rinoa said.
" Huh? Like what?" Squall enquired. "I'm not sure." she responded. I think about…some sort of monster or something…"
"Well, all that matters now is that you're ok, man. Oh yeah, I got your Gunblade Squall; I left it in your dorm." Irvine said.
"Yeah…Thanks Irvine…" Squall said attempting to get up.
"OH NO! You'll be staying here for a while!" Dr.Kadowaki said.
" But, I'm Ok! Honestly!…It's nothing!" Squall protested.
"I'll be the judge of that. You'll stay here for at least a few days!" Dr.Kadowaki continued. "Rinoa! Don't let him get up until I say so!" She left, murmuring. Seifer was about to leave too.
" Hey Seifer…" Squall said.
"What is it?"
"Thanks Seifer. I owe you one. You saved my life. Thanks."
"Don't you think I saved you because I like you or anything. You're just one of my comrades and I want my name clean. That's all!" Seifer said and walked out of the room. Irvine giggled,
"Some people never change!" Squall had to remain in the Infirmary for a couple of days, due to his wound's infection. Rinoa spent a lot of time with him and the others even Seifer, popped up from times to times, just to say hi and see how he was going. He had decided not to oppose Dr.Kadowaki and Rinoa, knowing that doctor could strap him on the bed and he knew Rinoa's Sorceress' powers. He didn't fear Rinoa, but he just didn't want to upset her. Speaking of Rinoa, she had improved her abilities and dexterity with her sorcery magic. She found that giving temporarily life to things was very amusing. She had a book that turned it's pages on it's own, her dresser gave her it's opinion about what to wear and her reflection on the mirror told her whether she had something wrong. Yet she still had trouble in transforming a creature into another creature (she was responsible for the mutated T-Rexaur which was half Marlboro and it took the guys a load of effort to get rid of it….) At the bed next to him laid Zell. As cold and as still as dead. Squall looked at him and some sort of 'anger' rose and boiled in him. His friends were dying and he couldn't do anything. He hated it. Yet, he didn't talk about it…
Meanwhile, he had strange dreams and even hallucinations. Most often, he saw himself and someone else-fog was covering him-fighting a beast. He saw other things too. Like things he had seen in the 'dream world' Ellone sent them in. Yet, it was different. Much different. He didn't always see people he knew. Some times he saw strangers. Then, one day, he realized he saw the future. He was resting in his bed, thinking about what he could do about Zell and Selphie, when he felt his head aching. It ached so much, he thought it would break apart. He got into a 'dream world' of some sort.
Squall was out side Balamb Station. A train was coming. Suddenly, a compartment exploded and caught fire. Then the train derailed and fell into the fields, into a fire blaze! Cries were heard and explosions. Squall tried to move closer to help but he couldn't control his body. He couldn't even see it! Squall was out of his mind. What was this? Past? Then he noticed a newspaper flying by. The front-page landed in front of him. He looked at it.
"Huh? What the heck?! March the 21st? What? But today it's 19th of March…" Squall thought. He froze. He turned around and looked at the town clock. 6:30 in the evening. "???? I…I saw…the…the future?!" he gasped. Then as suddenly as it came, all around him faded. He opened his eyes. He was lying in the Infirmary. Dr.Kadowaki came in and checked his arm.
"You can go now…"she announced after the examination. "Finally….." Squall murmured as he wore his jacket and left in a hurry. He had to find the others. First, he went by the Dormitories, to his room and picked up his Gunblade. When he opened the window a ray of sunlight fell it the Lionheart and it shined, just as if it was greeting it's master. He got out and went straight to the Cafeteria, hoping to find the others. Quistis, Seifer and Irvine were there.
"Wazzup Squall?" Irvine said as Squall sat in a chair. "Man…you look worried…" Irvine continued fixing his eyes on his friend's slightly pale face.
"I think I'm going mad or something… I just came out of a 'dream world', but it wasn't Ellone. I saw there's going to be a train accident outside Balamb Station on the 21st at 6:30 in the evening…. " Squall answered.
"Yeah, sure…." Seifer said sarcastically. Quistis frowned.
"Hold on guys…I remember something…last week I read in a book about the Prophets. They are humans, that have been given the power to predict the future and view past and present events they weren't present at. The charisma is so rare, many say it's only a legend. It's unknown how the ability may be given to one…Squall? What's going on?" Squall was looking at a couple of girls chatting. He got up and walked at them. He asked one of the girls something, and when she nodded affirmatively, he dashed off, out of the Cafeteria.
"Hey Squall!" Irvine shouted and ran after him, followed by Quistis and Seifer. Squall ran like crazy, to the Training Center. He rushed in and looked all around him. He heard a scream and ran towards that direction. He came across a junior classgirl, on the ground crying. A huge Granaldo was filtering over her. Squall drew out his Gunblade and attacked in his usual, cunning style. Compared to other monsters, it was piece of cake for him. In a minute he had killed it. Then he rushed over to the girl. He knelt beside her. She wasn't harmed and was still crying. She wasn't older than 6 or 7 years old.
"Are you Ok?" Squall asked her as he helped her on her feet.
" Y-yeah…[sob] I…I think so…. Thanks…" She said and ran out. Just then, Irvine, Quistis and Seifer emerged from the bushes.
"Oh man! Squall! How in the world did you know the girl was in trouble?" Irvine asked amazed.
" Let me guess…you dreamed of it?" Seifer said still sarcastic.
"Yeah, but I was awake. It was like a hallucination…an oracle…I don't know for sure. By the way Seifer…did you find your key holder? The Silver Cross key holder of yours? If not, I'd look under the bed, if I were you…" Squall said with an enigmatic smile on his face.
" NO I didn't!…. Hey! How did you know I lost it?" Seifer lost his sarcastic expression, his jaw dropped and he stared at Squall as if he had seen him for first time.
" Let's say I saw you losing it…" Squall answered.
"By the way, where's Rinoa? I didn't see her anywhere tod…AAAHHH!!! My head!" He put his hands at his head. It was a terrible pain with the temples as centers, and was conquering his mind. All around him faded slowly… Rinoa was in the Library looking for a book. A girl, member of the library committee, went near her.
" Looking for a book?…Oh…Rinoa? What's up? You…gosh! You look really pale!" Rinoa turned around. Squall saw she was pale.
"Oh…I'm just not feeling very well…Since Thursday…I don't know…My stomach aches, my head aches and my feet can't keep me up…" Rinoa stammered with a weak voice. Squall wanted to rush to her and hold her in his arms, ask her what was wrong. But, he couldn't move.
" Rinoa, you'd better go see Dr.Kadowaki before…My God! RINOA!!!" the girl shouted as Rinoa collapsed unconscious on the floor. The other people in the Library gathered around her to see what was wrong. Someone was calling the Infirmary. Then everything faded again… Squall was being slapped. He opened his eyes and faced the worried faces of Irvine, Quistis and Seifer leaning over him.
"Rinoa! Rinoa! Rinoa's in a coma!" Squall shouted in grief struggling to get up. " I must go… to the Infirmary…Irvine! Let me go!" he continued shouting as Irvine held him. Squall pushed Irvine, who fell flat on the floor. Then, he ran off with a face of grief. He rushed into the Infirmary. Dr.Kadowaki and several students were there. Doctor looked at him sadly.
" Poor Squall…"
"I feel so sorry for him…"
"How's he gonna take it?…"
"Do you think he might suicide?…" Squall heard the people saying as he passed by. He found her.
"Rinoa…No…" he murmured as he drew closer to her. He leaned beside her. Dr.Kadowaki came in.
"It's the most serious form…Squall…she may not make it…"she said in sobs. Then she left and closed the door behind her.
"Rinoa…" Squall whispered. He took her hand in his. "Rinoa…Please, don't die…don't leave me alone… Please… I can't move on…I can't move on in this world with out you Rinoa… I just can't…" A silver tear ran from his eye. Onto Rinoa's hand. Lyrics came to tangle his mind…
'Soledad *'
By Westlife
If only you could see the tears
In the world you left behind
If only you could heal my
Heart just one more time
Even when I close my eyes
There's an image of your face
And once again I come to realize
You're a loss I can't replace
Soledad
It's a keeping for the lonely
Since the day that you were gone
Why did you leave me Soledad?
In my heart you were the only
And your memory lives on
Why did you leave me Soledad?
Walking down the streets of Nothingville
Where our love was young and free
Can't believe just what an empty place
It has come to be
I would give my life away
If it could only be the same
Cause I can't still the voice
Inside of me
That is calling out your name
Soledad
It's a keeping for the lonely
Since the day that you were gone
Why did you leave me Soledad?
In my heart you were the only
And your memory lives on
Why did you leave me Soledad?
Time will never change
The things you taught me
After all we're meant to be
Love will bring us back to you and me
If only you could see
Soledad
It's a keeping for the lonely
Since the day that you were gone
Why did you leave me Soledad?
In my heart you were the only
And your memory lives on
Why did you leave me Soledad?
Why did you leave me Soledad?
…… *Soledad - my loved one
The anger that boiled in him exploded. "Why?! Why Rinoa?!!!" He screamed from inside him. "WHY!!!!???" He couldn't help it anymore. It was too much. He needed to calm down the demon that was roaring in him. He had to kill something. Yeah…killing something big would help him give it all out… He rushed out of the Infirmary and ran to the Training Center. The world around him just didn't exist. The colors, the shapes, they were all like a colorful dream. In the Training Center, the first thing to cross Squall's path of madness, a big, male Ruby Dragon, got slaughtered. He didn't mind to use any magic. The anger in him was enough to empower his Gunblade ten times the normal. In every strike he said the same words:
"For Rinoa! For Zell! For Selphie!" It took him only ten seconds to finish it off. Squall stepped back. He breathed fast. Then, he fell to his knees. He supported himself on his Gunblade. And cried. Silver tears burst out of his eyes and flowed on his face.
"Rinoa…I don't know what illness is this but, I'll find a way to cure you…I'll do anything it takes…Anything…I promise…" he said.
'Anywhere For You'
By the Backstreet Boys
I'd go anywhere for you
Anywhere you asked me to
I'd do anything for you
Anything you asked me to
I'd walk halfway around the world
For just one kiss form you
Far beyond the call of love
The sun, the stars, the moon
As long as your love's there to lead me
I won't lose my way believe me
Even through the darkest night you know
[Chorus]
I'd go anywhere for you
Anywhere you ask me to
I'd do anything for you
Anything you ask me to
Your love is as far as I can see
Is all I'm ever gonna need
There's one thing for sure I know it's true
Baby, I'd go anywhere for you.
I used to think that dreams were just
For sentimental fools
And I'd never find some one
Who'd give their love so true
But I knew the very minute
Couldn't live my life without you in it
And now I want the whole wide world to know to know
[Chorus repeat]
Hey baby, hey baby, hey baby oohhh (x3)
[Chorus repeat (x2)]
He looked at his hand. He had cut himself and he was bleeding.
"I swear to this blood I will…" he said. A hand touched his shoulder.
"I promise too…for Selphie…I'll help too Squall…" It was Irvine.
"Huh? Oh…Irvine…"Squall said. Irvine helped him on his feet. Seifer was there too.
"Mind if I join in too?" he asked. Squall was surprised.
" Of course…you're welcome…" He just couldn't believe it. Seifer wanted to help him. Irvine looked at the dragon's corpse. He whistled in amazement.
"Wow…man, you ripped this thing apart… Squall, what do we do now?" he asked Squall. A voice made them turn around.
"What you must do…" It was Matron. Cid was with her too.
"Squall, Quistis told us you've been seeing hallucinations of the future, don't you?" Cid asked.
" I believe so Sir…"
"That could mean you've became a Prophet, that a rare charisma…Squall, this must remain a secret. If this reaches Dr. Odine's ears, who knows what he'll do…"
"But his father is president of Esthar! He won't allow his own son to be harmed!"
"Yeah, Laguna may be my father, but that won't stop Odine. You know how he does if a strange human ability comes up! He just has to examine it!" Squall said frowning to the thought of the scientist. Thank goodness he hadn't allowed him to examine Rinoa…
"Anyway, Sir, what can I do with this charisma?" Squall continued.
"Many things. Quistis has already informed Balamb Station for a possible bomb on the train…Yet, what is most urgent now is to find a way to cure the people who are in a coma." Matron said. Squall got confused.
That night, Squall's sleep was short. In the middle of the night, he sat up after another oracle, breathing fast and sweating.
"The Twin Forests in Galbadia! The two forests near Obel Lake! The answer is there! I know it!" he thought to himself. He didn't sleep at all the rest of the night. The next morning, he got up, got dressed quickly and ran off to find Seifer and Irvine. They were in the Cafeteria. He told them in a hurry about his oracle and they all agreed to go see Cid. He gave them the green light to go ahead right away. They rushed of to Balamb to take the first train to Galbadia, and got off at Timber. From there, because they couldn't find a car to rent, they were obliged to rent…motorcycles. None of them had a previous experience on riding a motorcycle, but after a while they could ride in quite a satisfactory manner. Squall turned out to be a rider by natural. He surprised even himself. When they reached the Twin Forests, Squall had a strange feeling. Like he knew where to go.
"Now? Where do we go?" Irvine said after they got off their motorcycles.
"I guess we enter that forest…the right one…" Squall said. And so they did. As they were walking through the forest, Seifer spotted a dark figure walking in front of them.
"Let's follow it." He suggested. That last one was easier said than done. Bushes often blocked their way and they tripled over stones and twigs. Suddenly, Irvine, who was ahead of the others left a cry and fell into a hole! Squall and Seifer ran up to the hole, careful not to fall in themselves.
"Irvine!" Squall shouted, but he took no response.
"What do we do now, Mr. Prophet? Follow him perhaps?" Seifer said. Squall took his decision right away.
"Exactly…This is a tunnel. Go ahead."
"W-WHAT?" Seifer gasped.
"Hey Squall…you gotta be joking, right? I mean…"
"Seifer, you heard what I said. No, I'm not joking. Jump in. Wherever Irvine is going, I'm sure there's the answer to this illness. Now go ahead and I'll follow." Squall continued in a calm tone.
" No way! There's no way I'm doing this!" Seifer protested.
"Oh really…" Squall moved quickly and grabbed Seifer's arm. Seifer tried to fight back, but Squall tossed him over his shoulder into the hole.
"AH! Oh shit!" Seifer shouted. Squall shook his head in disapproval and then jumped in. It sure was a long tunnel and it turned and swirled. He heard soft thumps as he took the turns in speed. After the long fall, he landed on a thick pile of leaves, next to Irvine and Seifer.
"I hope you two enjoyed the ride as much as I did…" Irvine groaned fixing his hat.
"Very…" Seifer said sarcastically. He was about to say more, but Squall put his hand in front of Seifer's mouth.
" Sshhhh…! We're being watched. Someone is there…I can…sense him." He said. All of a sudden, a loud voice called them.
"Approach me fighters!" Squall nodded to the others and they all got up. In a glance they saw they were in a cave, like a gopher's nest. Torches and a fire in the middle of the cave lit it. As they walked towards the place the voice came from, Squall felt weird. He could sense someone in the dark watching him. Something in him told him he should show respect to whom he was going to see. From a corner, came an old man, dressed in rags.
"Approach Prophet!" he said and looked at Squall. His voice infused respect. He held a tall walking stick. He raised his punch and placed at his forehead. It was a greeting that to Squall seemed strangely familiar. He repeated it. " Have a seat." The old mad said to all of them. Then, he looked at Squall again. "So Young Prophet, yes I know what and who you are!" he said as a response to Squall's puzzled look. "So, A snake bit you eh? Tch..tch..tch…Still the old painful way…Well now, as you already know, I am a Prophet too and I know what happens to you and your friends and to everyone everyday! Hmm…I see a brave and proud soul in there…There's no drought why Apollo chose you…" Squall got even more confused.
"Who chose me? For what?" he asked.
" Ahh…the ancient gods are being forgotten…Apollo is the god of light, prophecy and music. Along with Ra, the hawk-headed god of sunlight and Sehmet, the lion- headed goddess of medication, he chose you to be a Prophet. He once gave to the world the gift of the Prophets to help people. But, the people he wanted to help hunted the Prophets fearing their powers. Because, mature Prophets can also use the power of their minds to control minds and move objects. Even to cause pain to others by simply 'replaying' bad memories of their victims in their minds, discouraging them and causing pain sometimes. We can sense each other. So we hide and that's why we are regarded as a legend. Hehe! We are living legends! Yet, I wonder why he chose a warrior. It is strange…That happens only once in 10.000 years when our world is bound to face great threats…Oh Apollo! What is it we shall face this time?" the old man murmured. " So, Apollo turned into a snake and bit you, delivering you the powers of a Prophet. He actually poured a little ihor in your veins. Ihor is what gives the gods power."
" Sir, I'm confused." Squall said.
"Why me?"
"First of all call me Kalha. Secondly, I may be a Prophet, but Apollo's gift has limits. He won't allow us to see everything. So, how a god thinks, I do not know…Now, enough with questions. Let us seek for answers…Do you want to be my student?" Kalha asked Squall.
"…Yes…" he answered.
"Very well…Tell me, can you control your powers?"
"I haven't even realized them, much more control them. I don't even know which time period I see!"
"Hm…that's ok. It's normal. In fact, I'd fall from the clouds if you could…Then, let me teach you…" Using his stick, Kalha drew a circle in the ground. "See this? I call it the Time Circle. Pay attention now! For normal people, time is a circle whose center is everywhere and circumference, nowhere. Right? Right. BUT! For Prophets, time is captured! You are everywhere in this circle and only somewhere. Understand?" Seifer and Irvine frowned.
" Huh?" they both though. But Squall smiled. He had got a point.
"Everywhere I am is everywhere I can see, past, present and future, and somewhere where I am IS where I am. It's right now. This moment." Kalha hit his stick on the ground
" Correct! You're learning fast! My last student took a whole year to understand it. You got the bottom line. Now, I'll teach you how to control what you see…Wait! Hmm… I see a girl, no two girls and a boy, ill in a coma…Worried about them eh? Don't worry, don't worry…You'll take care of that later…" Kalha sat in front of Squall. " Now, to see the specific time period, or the event you want, you just concentrate and ask your mind a question. You must be specific. Go ahead, try!" Squall concentrated. He closed his eyes to focus on his thought.
"I'll chose a period of the present." He thought to himself. "Let's see…What's Ellone doing now?" He saw a white flash in front of his eyes and there she was. Ellone was walking in a green field. Squall could see Winhill in the distance. " Oh… There's Raine's….my mother's grave." Ellone stood there and looked at the tombstone smiling. Squall cleared his mind. He was back in the cave. " I did it." He said.
" Excellent!" Kalha exclaimed. " Try again" Squall went through three different time periods, three different events.
" I think I got it now." he ended. " Good! Good!" Kalha said. "You're the best student I've ever had! I believe you are now ready to face Gashar's Curse. Long ago, a mage called Gashar from Centra, unleashed a curse. He said that a terrible illness would strike the world the 3rd day after his death. But he made a mistake. The curse struck 3000 years after his death. Today. And here we are, Apollo, Ra and Sehmet send me three teenagers to face that curse…Anyway, you two have no problem" he said looking at Seifer and Irvine "but, you Squall do have. And we must deal with it..."
"What problem do I have?!" Squall asked. Kalha frowned.
" You hold onto the past Squall! The curse is counting on that! Tell me son, what are you holding on?" Squall could not avoid revealing his unhappiness after all. He decided to open his heart.
" I guess it's my unhappy childhood, the fact I never knew who were my parents, the fact Rinoa and the others are ill… There's too many to count… I guess I keep running from that past…" To those words Kalha frowned even more. Suddenly, he swiftly lifted his walking stick and hit Squall on the head!
" OUCHH!!!!!…Geez! What was that for?!" Squall shouted. "Why did you hit me?" Kalha seemed angry but Squall could almost swear he was smiling. Squall rubbed his head where the stick struck him.
"Forget about it. It's past and it's gone now. Why do you stick to the past?" Kalha said.
"Yeah…past, but it still hurts!"
"Ahh…yes, the past can hurt, even if it's a past long gone." Kalha said sadly.
" But, the way I see it, you either run from it or, learn from it!" he said, while attempting to hit Squall's head again. This time Squall was ready and ducked as Kalha's stick swung over his head. " Hah! See what I mean?" Squall smiled.
" Yeah…the past is past. I can't change it. Only make up for it and deal with its consequences. I must always learn from the past. It has no sense anymore. What matters is right now, this moment, right?" Kalha smiled.
" That's right…Now, are you ready to face the Curse?" Seifer, Irvine and Squall looked at each other and nodded. They were ready. " Very well…Now we must hurry! To break the Curse, you must defeat its incarnation. To find it you must travel to its dimension where it takes its true form. Once you get there, the Curse will appear. Trust in your allies, know they are your friends. I'm sure you can make it. Your GF's will be able to find you there. Oh… speaking of GF's let me give you present you with one." Kalha said. He walked over to a hole in the stone and hit the rock above the hole. "Come out Viper…" he said softly but steadily. A loud hiss came as an answer. Then silence. "Darn reptile… I SAID COME OUT!!!!!!" Kalha shouted banging the rock over the hole. A louder hiss was sounded and a two-headed snake came out, looking annoyed.
" Did you call me Kalha?" it hissed. " Yes I did! It's about time you behaved like a proper GF! Join them!" " Ok ok ok! You don't have to shout…My name's Viper and I'm the Snake Guardian, ruler of the elements. Call me when in need." It said and vanished in thin air.
" Darn reptile…" Kalha murmured. " Now, wear these amulets. They'll travel you to the Curse's dimension." He continued and handed them 3 three amulets. "Once you defeat the Curse, take them off, and you'll come back again. Be careful, and believe in yourselves and in each other. Now go. The world's fate hangs in your hands…" The guys wore the amulets. Squall felt like there was a rope tied around his stomach that pulled him upwards. He closed his eyes, not to see the daze of colors that passed before them. Then he fell to the ground with a loud thump. He opened his eyes. They were in a between-worlds dimension, like the one they had fought Diablos in. The men got up and looked around them.
" Now what?" Irvine asked.
" Now…we wait." Squall responded. A breeze came to awaken their senses. Laughter, a cruel, cunning laughter filled their ears. A worm-like creature that looked like a huge piece of slimy, rotten meat, emerged from the earth, laughing.
" Gashar's Curse…" Seifer said. It was horrible. " HAHAHAHA! Fools! Kalha has sent you eh? Hahahaha! Apollo, Ra and Sehmet are fools to think that children and a Prophet can defeat the Curse! Master had a special hatred for Prophets. And thou shall pay! Hahahaha!" Seifer's face was red with anger. Squall boiled silently, like a volcano ready to explode. Irvine was angry too but kept his calm, cool expression and responded:
" Ahem…First of all, we ain't children. Secondly, you've kinda pissed us off here, and you'll have to face the consequences…" The guys pulled out their weapons.
"How you dare challenge me? Don't you feel fear?!" the Curse asked them.
"Nope!" Seifer answered. A fierce fight begun. Irvine's Exeter, Squall's Lionheart and Seifer's Hyperion, raged. Spells flashed lighting the dimension. The GF's did their best. The Curse had a good defense. It resisted most spells and elements. Suddenly, Irvine pulled some Pulse Ammo out of his pocket, filled the Exeter and started firing at the Curse in full speed. It was his Limit Break, "Shot".
"Huh?" Squall thought. "Did he use an Aura spell?" No. Irvine wasn't very well. He was covering the others and healing them, leaving himself unhealed. He was in a bad condition. Squall just realized that.
"Seifer! Squall! It's up to you guys!" Irvine said just before he fell unconscious. Squall was thinking. The Curse seemed unbeatable. Then, Kalha's words ran though his mind again.
" Seifer!" Squall shouted. "Seifer, it's no good use trying to fight the Curse as independents! We need to unite our actions!"
"What do you suggest Squall?" Squall thought. Then, as he was striking the Curse with a Triple Blizzaga spell, a crazy idea hit him. What if that was it?
"Seifer! Let's try and combine our Limit Breaks!" Squall said. Squall and Seifer looked at each other. They read each other's mind.
" Let's do it!" Seifer said. They both cast Aura on themselves. Then they both concentrated. The blue light that rinsed them lit the dark dimension. Squall and Seifer, the Lion and the Knight, grabbed each other's arms. They started running in a circle, with their Gunblades extended towards the outer circumference of the circle. A tornado of wind and dust formed from the speed. The clouds above them, followed the tornado. This was the "Tornado Blades" The tornado fell on the Curse who was stunned. Nothing similar had ever happened before. Never had two people been able to unite their Limit Breaks. The Gunblades empowered by the speed, hit the Curse hard. It was actually sucked by the tornado, then tossed off by the top, and slammed to the ground. The Curse roared in pain.
"Ahh!! Y-you! You are strong!" Squall and Seifer stopped swirling and looked at the Curse.
"Hey Squall, I think it works!" Seifer said.
" Yeah, and it's quite a strong one. I bet you anything this has never happened before. Wanna try it again?"
" Of course I do!" The 'Tornado Blades' stuck again and again. With the same power, the same accuracy.
" Let's finish it!" Seifer said, seeing the Curse was weak, in a pool of blood.
"After you Seifer!" Squall responded. Seifer called onto his " Bloodfest" which did a whole blast at the Curse, but didn't kill it.
" Your turn Squall!" Squall was surrounded in the blue light once more. He ran up to the Curse.
"RENZOKUKEN!!!!" Squall hit it multiple times and pulling the trigger at the right moment. He got a Perfect. Then, he jumped back. Another black flash and Squall called upon the hit that finished off Ultimecia. "LIONHEART!!!!" Squall tossed the Curse in mid air and started hitting it, blow after blow, about 30 times. The final blow threw the Curse on the ground. Still, it didn't die!
"Man, what does it take?" Seifer snorted, seeing the Curse was still alive.
"Seifer, call Viper…." Squall panted, trying to catch his breath, breathing deeply and fast.
"O.k.…." Seifer concentrated. He communicated with Viper and she answered. Squall and Seifer disappeared. The ground shook hard. The ground cracked open and Viper's two-headed body emerged from the crack.
"I am Viper…" it hissed. "This is my 'Elemental Dance'!!!" The ground started shaking harder and stone spikes rose and fell, hitting the Curse like needles. Then, a geezer of steamy, hot water struck the Curse from under its body. Viper was ordering the elements and was swirling and dancing to a crazy dance with chaotic music. From the crack, a river of lava; red, hot lava flowed the Curse, making it to scream. Viper used its 'Frost Breath' on the Curse and covered it with ice. A pillar, made out of green stone, emerged and a mystical, Holy light that came from it, surrounded the Curse shocking it. From the clouds above, a mighty thunder hit the Curse, toasting it. A Tornado spell, 2 times more powerful that normal lifted the Curse and smacked it down again. Then, Viper bit the Curse with its poisonous fangs, and the Snake GF disappeared and Seifer and Squall reappeared. The Curse left a death sigh, and died. Just like that.
" WO-HOOO!!!!!!!!!! We did it!!!" Irvine shouted once the guys used a Full-life on him.
" Com'on, let's go back…" Squall murmured and took of the amulet. The swirling daze of colors passed in front of his eyes once again before he found himself back in Kalha's cave. The old man was sitting on a rock. From his snoring the guys realized he had fallen asleep. Irvine softly pushed the old man's shoulder to wake him up.
"Hey old timer…rise and shine…" The elderly Prophet jumped up.
" Huh? What?! Who?!…Oh! It's you! So, did you defeat the Curse??" he asked in agony.
"You bet we did…" Seifer answered. "Excellent!…Uh… please excuse me for a moment…" Kalha said and moved towards a socket in the stone, covered with a cloth. He pulled the cloth aside, revealing a bed behind it. On it, laid a young boy. " He's my grandson. He's a Prophet too, but too young to use his powers." The little boy opened its eyes, awakened from the sudden light.
"Grandpa? What happened? Who are these guys?" the little squirt asked.
"Shh… Don't speak, you're still weak Tiresias, but you'll get better. These three young men defeated the Curse I was telling you about." Kalha said, looking at the child kindly. The Prophet turned around and face Squall, Seifer and Irvine. He looked at each of them with satisfaction.
"First, I would like to thank you. You did something common humans could have never managed to do. By defeating the Curse, the illness has broke. Sehmet will now heal everyone, and Anubis, the jackal-headed god of death will rest the souls of those who died. Your friends shall be airtight. You may leave now…" Kalha said and showed them a door. To Kalha's last words, Squall dashed out the door, followed by Seifer and Irvine. They ran to the place they had left their motorcycles, got onto them and rushed to Timber. Squall was so happy, he just couldn't resist the temptation to show off his biking abilities. He did a few meters wheelies on the back wheel of the motorcycle and jumped of a cliff instead of going around with the other two. Seifer and Irvine were laughing. They couldn't believe it.
Squall, shouting out "YAHOOOOO!" in joy. They were as happy as he was, but not so good riders. Once they reached Garden, to their pleasant surprise, Zell was all well and waiting the greet them. Once he saw them, he dashed up to them, and hugged all three of them in a tight 'bear hug".
"OH MAN! Guys! You did it! I can't believe it! Everyone's alright!!!" he cried out. "Heheheh…It was nothing…piece o' cake…" Irvine groaned.
"Hey! Let me go you Chicken-wuss!" Seifer said, choking.
" Yeah, Zell let go…there's people watching us…" Squall said, hardly keeping himself from laughing with his friend's reaction. He was sure happy to see Zell was ok. Just they had gone out of Zell's hug a scream came to their ears.
"IRVY!!! Where were you?! I'm Ok now baby!!!!!!" It was Selphie. She ran through the people who had came out of Garden to see them, and actually jumped into Irvine's arms. She kissed him all over and hugged his head… Irvine seemed to be in paradise. Seifer, walked over to Quistis who was standing at a corner.
" Instructor…Quistis, I was...thinking of…you before…and…I…I was wondering…Um…are you doing anything tonight?" Quistis tried to keep her face calm, but no use. She was as red as a poppy. Squall was for Rinoa through the crowd, ignoring the people who came over to him to speak to him, or ask him how he did it. He wanted to see Rinoa. He couldn't find her anywhere and was getting rather worried. Then, she spotted Angelo, sitting in the Directory hall. He was looking at him, panting with his tongue out. Squall whistled at him. Angelo ran up to him. He looked at Squall eagerly. Thank goodness they two understood each other.
" Angelo, where's Rinoa? Where is she boy?" Squall asked him. Angelo barked and ran off with Squall running behind him. They ran through Garden, but Squall could not understand. Where was Rinoa? Angelo stopped outside the ceremony hall. He pointed the door with his nose. Squall seemed to understand. He went in silently. Rinoa was standing at the balcony. The balcony he first thought of her after that waltz they shared, the balcony they first kissed. He went silently behind her and she didn't hear him. She was startled as he covered her eyes with his hands.
"Squall…" she said without hesitation.
" Yup…" She turned around. They gazed in others eyes. For a moment that looked like an eternity, Rinoa wondered how could someone have so blue eyes, like the sky. Then they hugged each other. Squall thought how lucky he was to have such a lovely girlfriend. Because to Squall, Rinoa was more than a simple girl. She was an angel… "Rinoa…You're an angel…"
'Angel's Wings'
By Westlife
I would die for you
Lay down my life for you
The only thing that means
Everything to me
Cause when you're in my arms
You make me prouder
Than anything I ever
Could achieve
And make everything
That used
To seem so big
Seem to be so small
Since you arrived
[Chorus]
On angel's wings
An angelic formation
Angel's wings, like letters in the
Sky
Now I know no matter what
The question
Love is the answer
It's written on angel's wings
And I often wonder why
Someone as flawed as I
Deserves to be as happy
As you make me
So as the years roll by
I'll be there by your side
I'll follow you wherever your
Heart takes me
Cause you make everything
That used
To seem so big
Seem to be so small since
You arrived
[Chorus repeat]
Now anyone who's felt the touch
Of heaven in their lives
Will know the way
I'm Feeling looking
In my baby's eyes
That's why I can't bear to be
Too far away I know that God must love me
Cause he sent you to me on angel's wings
[Chorus repeat]
"Squall…I was so worried" she said
"You didn't have to worry about me, my little sorceress…" Squall giggled
"Oh…it isn't funny! I thought you might do anything crazy!"
"Crazy? Me…?" Squall pretended innocent
"Stop that…" Rinoa laughed tenderly and pushed his cheek with her fist.
"You know, I think that after all this, we should have a party... let's go get the others, hop onto the Ragnarok and go somewhere!" Squall suggested.
"Yeah! That's a wonderful idea, my knight. Let's go to Deling! There are some wonderful places we could go to!" Rinoa answered delighted by her knight's suggestion.
"Then, what are we waiting for?" And they ran of, holding each other's hand, to get the others. Caesar and Angelo stood in the middle of the hall looking at them. Caesar snorted. He and Angelo were good friends and talked to each other.
"Don't tell me we're gonna lose it…" Caesar said.
"No way…" Angelo replied silently
" Then, let's HIT IT!!!" Caesar screamed as the two four legged critters ran off behind Squall and Rinoa. Yet, our friends have no idea who is watching them and plotting against their happiness. A dark, evil opponent is about to rise. And very soon…
Another chapter finished! People! Review! The button is down here!