Chapter 9 Around the Corner

There was no need to say that Squall and Seifer hated each other's guts, but they don't hate each other. For the first time in maybe years, Seifer broke into a big smile. 'Commander Leonhart, huh?"

"Haven't seen you in a while," Squall shook Seifer's hand. The gesture obviously threw Cid off-balance. "Well.uh." He couldn't continue because the door opened and this time Laguna entered the room, beaming. "Sorry to interrupt, but I got lost." He saw Seifer and his face dropped. "Almasy?!"

"President Loire," Seifer nodded wryly. "Seifer, please."

"Oh, well."

Seeing Laguna however, gave Edea an idea. "President Loire - "

"Laguna, please."

"Laguna, where is Ellone now?"

"What?" Laguna blinked. "Oh! She's a teacher at a kindergarten in Winhill. Why?"

"There might be a way to trace your past," Edea smiled at Seifer. "Maybe Ellone can help find the answers."
Was it her, or the workload had increased in her absence, Quistis wondered as she pondered through proposals and requests piled high on her desk. Not that she was complaining - work was needed to take anything else off her mind. Darn it. she had only been in here for a few hours, and she's beginning to get dragged down.

"Working hard, Instructor?"

Quistis blinked at the figure leaning against the metal doorframe. 'Careful, Seifer, or you'll be squashed like a pancake. Those doors are pretty mean."

'Funny, I was about to ask you if you'll join me for coffee," He sauntered over to her and sat down on the opposite side of the desk. "You've been sitting here for the whole night, you know,"

Quistis looked startled. 'I was?" True enough, it was already six a.m. No wonder her back was screaming in protest. She smiled at Seifer. "I guess I should take a break."

"You should," He got up and firmly steered her towards the door. "Selphie has yet to convince Commander Puberty to eat something. The guy has been up to his ears in phone calls." They arrived at the cafeteria and saw Selphie trying to force Squall to drink hot Choco cocoa. The latter was paler than usual, but still refused. The only reason why he's still sitting is Zell menacingly glaring at him with his fists ready. Without his Lion Heart, Squall knew he was cornered. Selphie looked up as Seifer dragged Quistis over. "Got another one for you!"

"About time." Selphie huffed. 'I got you a salad, so don't you dare make any excuses!"

Quistis gave up laughingly and looked at the still sullen Squall. 'One bite, Squall, please." Selphie was saying through clenched teeth, attempting to feed him. Quistis dissolved in laughter. "You'll never be able to feed him - even Rinoa can't!"

The mention of Rinoa made him smile slightly. "Alright, I'll eat, but you'll leave me alone, alright?"

"Promise." Selphie said promptly and clicked her fingers. Immediately Irvine came whizzing over with a huge platter of food. 'You'll have to eat that, or else I'll start singing 'Trains' at the top of my lungs."

"No, Selphie, don't," Zell said with mock horror. "You'll make me choke - uh!"

"The last time you choked me and Quistis nearly made you barf," Selphie reminded him. Squall gingerly sipped his drink and realized he was hungry. He just didn't have the time to think about it. Selphie looked at him eat with pleasure on her face. "Good. After this you get some sleep. Me and Irvine will go out with the Ragnarok to search Trabia. You stay here and take care of Garden."

Quistis muffled a laugh at Squall's scandalous expression. 'But Rinoa - "

"Don't be daft." Selphie said impatiently. 'If she's here we'll find her. Garden needs you right now." Her tone softened. "It's been hard for us as well, but you need to understand the people who depend on you."

Quistis suddenly felt uncomfortable. "I'm full, thanks. I need to get back." She pushed her chair back and returned to the classroom. Suddenly she had lost her appetite - both for food and work. The pile lay on her desk like a small hill, waiting for her to pick up her pen and continue. Proposals from Timber, requests from lords all over the world. life has returned back to normal. But is it so?

Until now, Quistis could not shake the feeling that they didn't change a thing. Not one thing has changed. Somehow the feeling was there - it nagged until she just had to stop and listen. Was it just her, or is it jealousy at work? No. she was happy to see Squall change, and she knew it was because of Rinoa. But somehow. what would happen? She had fought alongside Squall during the last great battle. She had seen Ultemecia and something disturbed her.

The door slid open and Squall and Seifer entered. Quistis looked at them for a moment before returning to the mound of papers. "Never thought I'd see the day you two would walk in here together."

"You'd better take a rest.' Squall said. Quistis looked at him sharply. "And you don't?"

"What's on your mind?" Seifer asked calmly. Quistis blinked. Then it dawned on her that the two came because they were worried. For her.

Suddenly a headache came at full force. She clasped a hand to her forehead in Squall fashion and thought for a while. "I'm worried about Rinoa."

"Selphie's on her way with the cowboy," Seifer said curtly.

"You told me not to worry." Squall said after a while. Quistis laughed harshly. "I'm not really worried because of that. But. Something's not right. Squall, I need to tell you something. When we fought Ultemecia - "

"I saw something." Squall said softly. His head was bowed and his eyes were hooded. "When I was stuck in Time Compression. I saw Rinoa, and, somehow, after a while, I saw.Ultimecia."

Seifer too looked grave. "I was her knight before, and I was aware of everything. I remember her voice, and how it reminds me of someone I cared about. Quistis, I think you feel it too - who Ultemecia really is."

Quistis cupped her face in her hands. "I didn't want to believe it. But In our current situation.I couldn't help - thinking. Could it be?"

Squall sighed heavily. "She's Ultimecia, Quistis. Rinoa is our future Sorceress."

Images began to flash through her mind. Edea, almost the same age as Cid, but looked not a day over 23. Sorceresses never age. Rinoa is a sorceress. She will not age, and her powers will grow stronger. What will happen then? Will they still be alive to fight her? Or are they dead long before it began? Ultemecia - why does she hate SeeDs so much? And the phrases she uttered before she was defeated; "Reflect on your childhood. your sensations. time will not wait. no matter how you try. it always escapes you." To Quistis, her voice seemed to be reaching out to them. pleading to them. She could almost hear the sadness, the anguish. What was she really trying to achieve through time Compression? What was it in the past that she hated?

I've known since we fought her." Squall said softly. "She will one day become Ultemecia. The only thing I don't know is why. and how."

"And one day we will fight her again." Quistis said. "It's a never ending cycle. And I thought - when we defeated her - we had changed something. But all we did was follow fate." Her fist clenched. "What good did we do?"

Squall could not answer either. He had seen Rinoa - Ultemecia die. When Rinoa passed on her powers to Matron. The powers would eventually come back to her again. "No matter what, she's Rinoa now." Squall said determinedly. "Ultemecia is in the future. We can't treat her for what she hasn't done. And we can't tell her either."

Seifer got up and left the room.

Qusitis stared off into space. "Squall, did we do the right thing?" She asked softly. "By killing her in the future? Then nothing in the past changed. did it? Should we have just left her at the Sorceress Memorial? What is the right thing to do now?" She buried her face in her hands, feeling the questions choke her, feeling the tears spill into her hands. All the confusion. three years she had pondered over it, afraid of the answer. Three years she had watched Squall and Rinoa, wondering if this will be their downfall - wondering how many steps more would it take before the inevitable happened - was it inevitable?

She felt him gently wrap his arms around her, and she turned into his jacket for comfort. She wanted so much to believe she had done something. Anything to change the future, but it was so uncertain. she was helpless.

She wiped her eyes and sniffed, feeling sheepish. Then the oddity of the situation weighed down on her and she started to laugh. Laugh and laugh, until Squall tipped his head back and regarded her strangely. "Don't tell me you're going crazy.?"

Quistis chuckled and felt the fur around his collar tickle her nose. "No. let me guess.this is what you do when Rinoa starts to cry, huh?"

Squall frowned and realized she was right. Rinoa always wanted him to hug her if she cried, and he naturally assumed Quistis would welcome the same comfort. "What?"

"Nothing." She grinned and hugged him briefly. "Thanks, but you need to get going."

He nodded and got up to leave. "Come to the bridge if you're feeling up to it."

"Aye-aye, captain," She said with a straight face. After the door closed behind him, she sighed and picked up her pen again. Even though she knew he was being friendly. but she couldn't stop smiling.
"Hold still, you stupid girl." The man snarled as he tried to jab Rinoa. But Rinoa was not going to give in so easily. She had to buy time. She sneaked a glance at Cody. The boy had been tortured, abused - short of mutilated, that is. He was a frightening, sorry sight. And to top it off, he was still conscious. His gray eyes were narrowed as he watched the doctor try to jab Rinoa. "If I follow what you say, will you let her go?" he croaked. The doctor stared at him. "We'll let her go, of course."

Cody closed his eyes.

"Cody, no! They'll kill you!" Rinoa cried furiously. The jab was some kind of drug - and the only reason why they didn't jab Cody was because in consciousness, the boy could not be under any influence, except if he's aware of it. That was what the doctor said. The doctor, Rinoa spat. She overheard him talk to somebody about an 'escaped experiment' and that the 'experiment' was now at Balamb Garden. "We'll send this 'experiment' to kill the last one, then." The doctor had said with a gleeful smile. "Shall I choose the girl or the boy?"

"You can't do this." She hissed at Cody, but the latter was too bruised to listen. "Look, Rinoa. you have to keep alive." He said in a whisper. "There's somebody out there who would cry if you die."

"I'd cry if you die!" She said angrily. "Don't think you're insignificant!"

"I don't have anything to live for."

Rinoa bit her lip. She didn't understand why she was feeling so. desolate. Wasn't it the right thing to do? Wouldn't Squall also offer himself? But why did she care? Was it because she felt responsible for him? "Would it be asking too much. would you live for me, Cody?"

Cody jerked up in amazement. He stared disbelievingly at Rinoa, who was staring at her shoes. "My father hated me, and I thought. I could live for myself. But then. they showed me - in order to live, you have to have something to live for. My friends live to serve the people. to uphold SeeD. Even though I love Squall. I can't die for him. I know I can't. But if you would live for me, then I won't die. because you're alive." She said in a broken voice. She knew it sounded stupid, but. to her, it sounded right.

Cody suddenly burst into laughter. "This is a riot! You're amazing!" He chuckled, and Rinoa smiled sheepishly. She wondered if she said the right thing, but to her it sounded right. She couldn't die for Squall - knowing he would live. If she was going to die, she wanted him to die with her - at least she would not be alone. She knew it was selfish, but she couldn't help it.

'Alright, you've agreed, now come here." The doctor came to Cody with a long syringe. Cody gave Rinoa a grin. The latter looked on in horror at him.

"I won't die." He whispered, was the last thing he said before the strange purple liquid entered his systems.

Read and Review please!!! Teeheehee..