Original characters, world and backstory belong to Squaresoft, lucky folks.
I'm still a review junkie, so please tell me what you like and what you don't, here or by e-mail (fanfic@scribblemoose.co.uk) And many thanks to my regular reviewers, who keep me going when the chapters don't come easy ;)
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Chapter 24 - Retrieval
"Hey, Irvine, man… it's alright…."
Squall's voice. Awkward, thick with sleep, but reassuring. An arm around his shoulder, warm breath in his ear.
"Squall…"
"You were dreaming."
Dreaming? Selphie…
"We're too late," he whispered. "Too late."
"It was just a dream." Irvine realised he was sitting up, Squall kneeling beside him, arm about his shoulders. Naked arm, on naked shoulders. Warm. Comforting.
"It was…"
Fading. He couldn't remember much anymore. Just that they were too late. Selphie was gone.
His face was wet. Tears.
"Irvine…"
"We're too late."
"No, we're not. Come on, man. It was just a dream."
"I… " He couldn't shake it off. He tried to focus: on the tent, on his rifle, on Squall's knee, touching his thigh. But his heart was full of grief, and he didn't even know why.
"Junction something," said Squall. "It'll help."
Irvine obediently called Ether, felt the power of the junction straight away.
"Better?"
Squall's grey eyes looked unusually soft and gentle in the warm glow of the night light. His hair was rumpled from sleep, tumbling to his shoulders; his lips were slightly parted. Irvine could see the tip of his tongue.
~Want. Need. Take.~
Irvine didn't think, his brain was besieged with sadness he had no name for. He only had to lean forward a little, cradling Squall's skull in one hand, and their lips met. They kissed soft and long; Squall might have hesitated at first, but only for a second.
Irvine rested his hot forehead against Squall's cool one, listened to Squall's voice.
"It's Ether. It's hungry. You need to get control."
Of course. Ether.
"But…"
"Take Shiva. You need to think clearly. Let Ether go, Irvine," his voice was calm, gentle. "Trust me."
Always.
Irvine stole one last, brief kiss, before he let Ether slip, murmuring complaint, from junction. He welcomed Siren instead, and let her clear his head.
Squall still looked adorable, pale skin glowing golden, watching Irvine with a steady gaze.
"Oh, man, I'm sorry. I didn't… Ether…"
"It's okay," said Squall, steadily. "Not a problem. Are you feeling better?"
Irvine nodded. "A little. Just… gods, so sad… like… I think... I dreamed it was too late. That Selphie was already gone… I think… it's very fuzzy. It must have been too much for Ether to cope with, when I junctioned…"
"My fault. I should have been more specific about who to call."
"You didn't…" Irvine felt some of his strength start to return, as the dream faded. "You kissed me back."
Squall shrugged. "You felt like you needed it. Don't tell Rinoa, okay?" he said, with the faintest trace of a smile. "And don't do it again, or you'll get a severe case of gunblade up your arse."
Irvine laughed weakly. "I must have woken you," he realised. "I'm sorry."
"I'd only just come off watch," said Squall. "I hadn't been asleep long. Don't worry. And don't worry about Selphie. We'll find her. She'll be okay."
He sounded so sure. And it had only been a dream.
Hadn't it?
* * * * * * *
The tunnels went on forever.
The tunnels were getting narrower.
If she ran now, it would still take an hour to get back to daylight.
An hour. They were barely halfway, and already, it had taken an hour.
It was taking so long. They couldn't go fast, they had to be so careful, and Squall kept stopping to check they were alone, to decide what tunnel to take, as if it mattered, they were all the same, they all led straight to hell, they were all the same, running like the veins of a beast through the earth; all the same, tight, constricting, suffocating; all the same. She held her body away from the wall, jumping when her aversion to the rock forced her to brush against Frila.
"Sorry."
"'s okay. You alright?" the redhead whispered.
"Fine," lied Rinoa.
Squall shot an angry look over his shoulder. "Quiet," he growled. Then his eyes caught Rinoa's, saw the fear there even as she tried to cover it up, and his expression softened. "Sorry, Rin. We don't know who might hear us, okay?"
"Of course," she whispered, trying to smile for him. "Sorry."
The tunnel got narrower. Single file now. Squall organised them swiftly, himself in front, then Frila; two gunbladers to deal with immediate attack, then Rinoa; back up magic; and finally Irvine, ranged weapon, at the back. Standard formation.
She could feel the walls closing in, hard and clammy.
If she ran now, it would take more than an hour to get back to daylight.
She couldn't run. She couldn't slip away, she was sandwiched between Irvine and Frila, surrounded by cold, dark stone. She couldn't run.
~It'll be okay, Rin. You're with us.~
Ether? No… Irvine?
She looked over her shoulder at him, astonished. You're in my head! What the fuck… since when…
~I can't read your mind, Rin. I can only project my voice into yours. I just noticed you trembling. Is this OK?~
"Since when?" she mouthed, silently.
~It's one of those things Ether learned to do. I never really needed it before, it only works if I'm close to the other person, and if I'm this close there's no point, I can usually talk. Plus, I thought it would be a little scary to be on the receiving end of. Is it?~
She shrugged. There was no way she could answer that properly without speaking, in a tunnel with barely enough light for basic lip reading.
~See what I mean? It's like playing a guessing game where you can only answer yes or no, isn't it? But… I'm here. If you need me, just let me know. I can prattle away in your head incessantly, if you want.~
She smiled. That sounded comforting beyond words.
~It would have worked really well on Squall, back in the old days. Just like a regular conversation with him, seeing as he only ever said 'whatever' anyhow. I could have filled those in myself.~
She suppressed a giggle.
~See? That's better. Now, look where you're going or you'll bump into Frila again.~
She pointed to his head, and then to Frila, who was feeling her way along the tunnel behind Squall, one hand on each wall.
~No, she's too far away. Really short range, like I said, and only one person at a time. Pretty useless normally. Anyway, I'm sure it would freak her out. It's just you and me, babe. Now turn around and concentrate. I'll just keep talking, yeah?~
Rinoa smiled gratefully, and nodded.
She squeezed her shoulders in, making as much room between her skin and the rock as she could, and walked on, as Irvine kept up a commentary in her head, funny, familiar, comforting.
Irvine didn't tell her the other reason he didn't use this power often, or why it only worked at such short range.
He figured she didn't really need to know.
* * * * * * *
Quistis snapped her whip cleanly, taking the grat in one stroke, power flowing through her veins, into her junction. She located another and killed it in one stroke.
And again. And again.
Snap. Scream. Dead.
Snap. Scream. Dead.
Snap. Scream. Dead.
All gone.
She looked around the training centre hungrily, breathing hard, looking for any sign of movement.
There was none.
She was surrounded by green monster-bodies, twenty, maybe thirty grats, she'd lost count.
Enough?
She caught a flicker of movement out of the corner of her eye, turned and kicked without thinking, expecting to impact against grat skull, looking for more challenge than her whip could offer.
Her foot was efficiently caught and held securely.
"Shit." She cursed herself instantly for the error, and instinctively raised her whip, all her balance on one leg.
"Quistis." He held still, not using his grasp on her ankle to turn her. Trusting her. "Steady."
Her ice-blue eyes flared briefly in recognition; she slowly lowered her weapon and he released her foot.
"Laguna."
"That's right," he said. "No monsters. Just me."
"Sorry." She coiled her whip swiftly, neatly, avoiding his gaze without realising it. "Carried away."
"That's okay. An old man like me should know better than to go round creeping up on people in training centres."
"You're not old," the trace of a smile crossed her lips. "And you had me licked."
"Hmm… not convinced," Laguna considered. "I think that whip of yours would've got you out of trouble fairly quick."
"Except you could've had me on the floor in a second."
He gave her a slow smile, astonishingly like Squall's. "Maybe. Are you done here?"
"Yes." Pandemonia sang happily in her head, filling her with vibrant energy.
"Come have breakfast with me," Laguna suggested.
Quistis shook her head. "I've got to go through the rosters before we meet with Martine," she said.
"That's not 'til eleven o'clock," Laguna pointed out. "Come on, or I won't have anyone to talk to. Besides, I need to check some stuff with you. Kiros has been asking damn technical questions again."
Quistis considered. She hadn't eaten for… how many days? Still vibrating with the energy from the killing, she felt almost able to cope with the cafeteria. And it might just get Laguna off her back for the rest of the day.
"Okay," she smiled brightly. "Why not?"
* * * * * * *
~And then Duck put the chocoboy down for long enough to… oh, hang on, Rin. Look, it's opening out. I can see a light. ~
Rinoa brought herself back from the protection of Irvine's story to assess the surroundings she'd been blocking out for the past hour or more. The rock almost touched the bare skin of her arms; the tunnel smelt musty and damp. Frila's fire-red braid swung to and fro in front of her like a pendulum.
Then she could see the silhouette that could only be Squall's, and a soft, pink light.
Squall raised a hand to stop them, tantalisingly close to space, and air, and…
~Steady, Rin.~
She took a deep breath and worked hard to relax. She felt the wash of magic from Squall's scan spell flow over her. Reassuring, familiar.
"No life forms," he whispered. "Stay close."
The tunnel opened out into a small cavern, an emergency light in the ceiling casting gentle light and shadows over the rough walls. It was small, barely enough room for them to stand side by side, but after the confines of the tunnels it felt like a vast gallery to Rinoa. There was one exit: an archway with narrow, well-worn steps twisting upwards out of sight.
"That must be the way to the occupied levels," said Squall softly. "You remember the geophys. map, where the lines got darker… that should be about here."
Rinoa did remember the map. It was vast; she was reminded that they were looking for Selphie in a complex the size of Deling, and they had no idea where she…
"Once we get there we find something to beat up and interrogate, right Squall?"
Rinoa jumped: she'd got so used to having Irvine's voice in her head that it seemed strange to hear him speak out loud.
"That's the plan," said Squall. "We can't afford to hang around any longer than necessary. Come on, up the stairs. Same formation."
Rinoa half expected him to give her a look, or squeeze her hand encouragingly, but of course he didn't. She'd asked for no preferential treatment, and, being Squall, he was taking her completely at her word.
They headed up the narrow stone steps, twisting vertiginously up into darkness.
If the tunnels had felt bad, this was a million times worse. Rinoa stuffed white knuckles into her mouth to keep from screaming, eyes tight shut, and froze.
~Rin? It's okay. I'm here.~
She felt a reassuring hand on her shoulder. Irvine.
~Hey, did I ever tell you about the reconnaissance mission to Dollet where Duck decided she needed ice cream in the middle of this stake-out? So me and Zef were trying to find a store open at two in the morning, and we came across this club…~
Rinoa let Irvine's thoughts flood her head, and breathed again.
~…and I swear I didn't know it was that kind of place, although the guy on the front door was wearing a skirt, which I thought was a bit odd… hey, babe, you ready to try movin'?~
Slowly, Rinoa started to climb the stairs.
* * * * * *
Quistis massaged her temples, wondering if Laguna would ever leave.
He'd insisted on staying with her after breakfast, on going over the rosters with her, patiently asking intelligent questions, making useful suggestions. Refusing to let her work alone, insisting that he needed to share the responsibility, that it was what he was there for.
He thinks I'm incompetent. Like Squall does. In fact, Squall probably put his father up to this.
She thought longingly of the bottle of elixir in her desk drawer, so close, but so impossible to get to while Laguna was watching her. Pandemonia was still basking in the power of all those grats; she could take just a little…
"Quistis?" Laguna arched an eyebrow. "Have you heard a word I've said?" Gently, not accusing.
Of course, thought Quistis, the power she leeched from her Guardian starting to clear her mind. He's just concerned, is all.
"Sorry," she said. "I guess I'm a little tired. After all that training this morning. And there's so much to do…"
"Gods, of course. I'm sorry." Laguna rubbed the back of his head with one palm, looking a little guilty.
"I'm taking way too much of your time. It's so good of you to go over all this with me. It's a bit different from running a country, you know?"
There. See. It seemed obvious to Quistis' newly-energised mind. He's the one who needs help.
"It's time to go see Martine, anyhow," she said. "You're okay on what we need from him?"
"Yeah," said Laguna. "We need for him to do as we say."
Quistis laughed, a soft, genuine laugh that warmed her eyes and lit up her face. "Fat chance," she said. "But we can try."
"Heh." Laguna hooked his hair behind his ears, smiled that Squallish smile.
"I promise you won't see me after the meeting," he said. "Unless I can persuade you to meet me for dinner? I do get awful shy in the cafeteria, you know. Zell says I have groupies, and that frightens the life out of me."
"I'm sure you do," said Quistis. "And I'm sure you don't need me to help you handle them."
"Oh, but I do," said Laguna. "I get this leg cramp, see, and…"
"Alright then," Quistis found herself saying, even though her heart sank at the thought. "Call for me at seven. But you're a wimp."
"Probably," said Laguna, happily. "But you can't say it's held me back."
"Amazingly, no," she teased.
"You're doing a great job, Quistis," he said, softly. "We're lucky to have you."
Surprised, she looked up into his warm emerald eyes.
And just for a moment, she believed him.
* * * * * * *
There was a door at the top of the stairs. Squall swiftly scanned, found no life signs on the other side. He pushed it open, shouldering against resistance that suggested it hadn't moved in a long time.
They emerged at the end of a long corridor, clinical-white walls stretching off into the distance. He could see one door on the left hand side about eighty feet away, possibly more beyond.
He was painfully aware that if they were attacked now, they'd be effectively trapped. Fast movement was impossible on those stairs.
Best not get into a fight we can't win, then.
His eyes flicked towards Rinoa, and a lump came to his throat. She was gulping down air like she'd been held underwater, her cheeks deathly pale. He wanted to scoop her in his arms, hold her close and…
"Keep your eyes open," he said. "If you feel or see or hear anything unusual, tell me."
They were about halfway down the corridor when the door ahead of them opened, and a man came out. He was dressed in navy trousers and a stiff-looking jacket that looked like a uniform.
He'd only just finished punching numbers into the control panel by the door behind him when he was pushed against the wall opposite the door, Lionheart's edge cold against the pulse at his throat, Squall's intense glare boring into him.
"I'll keep this short," hissed Squall. "Help us, and you don't die."
"Okay," he gasped. There was fear flickering in his eyes, but no resistance. "What d'you want? I'm just a guard, I…"
"We're looking for a girl," said Squall. "Just over 5 foot high, green eyes, dark hair. Hums a lot."
The guard shot a glance over Squall's shoulder at the room he'd just emerged from. "In there," he said. Too willingly. Annoyingly willingly.
This has to be a trap. "Irvine, don't…"
But Irvine already had the cover off the door panel, ripping the electronic guts out of it, Rinoa right behind him.
Squall hit the guard neatly on the back of his head and threw him against the wall, unconscious. Fine. I'll stand watch, then, Kinneas, you fuckwit.
"Frila, watch the way we came. See anything, yell. OK?"
"Yes Commander," she nodded. If she was scared, it didn't show.
"And watch that guy. If he comes round, hit him again."
"Okay."
"I'm going to watch this way. Irvine, hurry up!"
"We're in," Irvine caught the door as it opened and wedged it with one foot before it had a chance to shut again.
He saw her straight away: a small heap that Rinoa's eyes dismissed as a pile of rags in the gloomy cell.
"Selphie," he whispered. She wasn't moving. Not even a sign of breath.
Too late.
"Where?" Rinoa still hadn't spotted her.
~Full-life~
~Curaga~
He shot the spells at Selphie so fast Rinoa had only just registered what he was doing before the magic was bounced back at them, so hard it took her breath away. Not reflected. Rejected.
"'Elf!" Irvine's heart thudded in his chest; at least he knew she was alive. Alive. Not too late after all… "'Elf, it's Irvy and Rin…"
The bundle uncoiled in front of them as Selphie pulled herself onto her hands and knees. Irvine felt a flash of revulsion that was nothing to do with the blood and dirt clinging to her bruised body; it was deeper, it was a hatred of something deep inside her. He put out a hand to stop Rinoa going any further into the room.
"Selphie," he said, slowly, "we don't have much time. We've come to…"
"Get out." Her voice was deep and rough, not a hint of her usual sunshine in her ragged tone. "Fuck off, Kinneas, and take your little whore with you!"
There was a beat of shocked silence.
Selphie's expression twisted from an angry scowl to a gruesome smile.
"Too late," she said, in a shadow of her sing-song voice, "he's here."
Irvine felt it before Squall shouted to them: a push at his mind, dark, strong, repulsive beyond words. Ether pushed back immediately.
~Ether? That was Bane.~
~It was. I don't like it.~
Irvine might have chuckled, under different circumstances.
~That's an understatement. Okay. Mind shield. I don't want any passing out or nasty headaches this time.~
Ether had the shield in place in the two steps it took Irvine and Rinoa to rejoin Squall in the corridor.
Chet stood casually a few feet in front of Squall, his arms folded across his chest, his dark hair curling wetly around his face. His eyes, black and brooding, showed no concern at the menace of Squall's blade, poised and ready to charge.
"Well, nice of you all to drop by," Chet looked them over, and Irvine wondered why Squall hadn't killed him yet, fighting down his own anger before it choked him. "Commander," he nodded to Squall, "the little witch, and our dearest sniper. And… oh, a cadet. The gunblade slacker. Interesting choice, Leonhart. Fed up of brunettes, are we? Fancy another redhead?"
Chet's voice flowed like sickly treacle through Irvine's mind. He could feel the pulsing presence of the man's Guardian, moving about in Chet's mind and beyond, probing, feeling.
"If you have a point I suggest you get to it," said Squall. "Before I kill you."
Chet smiled. "The point is, Commander, that you're here, and you need information from me, so you're not going to kill me. And I need information from you, so I'm not going to kill you, either. But I'm in charge, because this is my patch, and I could kill you in an instant if I really…"
He didn't get to finish his sentence before Squall clicked his fingers, and Rinoa obediently triggered her waiting spells.
~Triple~
~Aura~
~Aura~
~Aura~
Irvine felt the surge of power through him and raised his rifle, but even before he'd taken his first shot he realised it would be useless. Chet wasn't unprotected; his bullets bounced off the invisible shield and fell harmlessly to the ground.
He hated it when that happened.
Instinctively his eyes went to Squall for the signal; they'd done this so many times now, it was second nature. Squall flicked three fingers behind his back at them, as they watched Chet slowly draw his katana.
Guardians.
~Ether. Manifest. Attack.~
Manifest didn't really describe what happened when Irvine called Ether; it didn't have a corporeal presence like most Guardians. But it felt different, it detached itself somehow from Irvine's mind and pushed itself at Chet, just as Shiva, Leviathan and Bahamut materialised and started their attack.
Shiva? Well done, Hotshot.
He risked the time to grin at her over his shoulder, but she was concentrating hard.
The tentative link he still held with Ether rippled with reflected power as his Guardian attacked; for one gut-wrenching instant he was inside Chet's head with it, searching for a weak point. But there was nothing: the whole of Chet's mind was corrupted, every corner full of Bane's black, writhing essence. Irvine pulled back in horror, even as he felt the blackness thrust out in counter-attack. He forced his eyes open just in time to see Rinoa tumble backwards, clutching her head and screaming in agony. Leviathan's half-formed waterfall shimmered and faded. Irvine rushed to Rinoa's side and was about to reach for a potion when Ether came rushing back into his head.
~Sniper.~ The voice was weak, insubstantial.
~Ether?!~
Nothing. Out cold. Irvine swiftly junctioned Siren; Squall had already cured Rinoa, who was getting unsteadily back to her feet.
Bahamut and Shiva were keeping Chet busy for now, but they weren't hurting him enough. Not nearly enough.
"Leviathan's down," muttered Rinoa to him, "calling Gemini."
"No!" screamed Squall, "not…"
"She's promised, she won't hurt me." Rinoa closed her eyes, already summoning.
There was a blast of darkness, forcing them all back; Rinoa's protective spell held, but only just.
"Oh fuck," Frila murmured under her breath: Shiva was down, Bahamut fading with a last flap of its wings, and Squall was forced down to his knees, reeling from a flurry of blows from Chet's katana. She saw him signal to Irvine to wait with the cure; he was risking his own life so easily, knowing the aura spell would give him extra power while he was injured, trusting Irvine to time the heal just right to save him at the last minute.
She'd never seen heroism up close before, but it made her heart sing. At that moment, she was so hungry for it she would have charged at Chet herself, flashing her blade to die in a blaze of glory at Squall's feet.
~Child. Be still. There is no need to die.~
Irvine cursed Squall for risking him life yet again, and forced himself to wait while Squall surged forwards with Lionheart and slashed again and again, oblivious for that moment to the pain his body must have screamed at him. The moment came and Irvine released his spell, felt the surge of Bane's power retreat under the pressure of Squall's attack. Squall fell to his knees again, breathing hard as Irvine's cure washed over him at last.
* * * * * * *
Frila thought quickly. One Guardian down, one to go. You weren't supposed to call your last Guardian unless there was no other choice.
She wondered if these people actually played by SeeD rules anymore; they had their own way of fighting, she realised, a team effort honed by years of back-to-back battle. They worked instinctively, completely in harmony. She felt lost, having to concentrate hard to pick up Squall's orders. She was hungry to join the battle, her blade singing in her hand, but Oceanus' voice was insistent in her head, restraining her. Protecting her.
The guard was stirring; she heard Chet yell above the clank of his katana on Squall's blade.
"Kill the prisoner!"
Frila understood instantly what Chet was trying to do; she could sense that Irvine was already moving away from the fight to protect Selphie, reducing the odds nicely towards Chet's favour; Irvine had been healing Squall as fast as Chet could injure him and that had to be annoying. Rinoa was lost in a trance of summoning, coloured lights flickering under her skin.
Frila knew what to do straight away.
"No!" she yelled to Irvine. "Let me. You're needed."
She was gone before Irvine could stop her, charging at the guard with all the energy she could find, Oceanus singing in her ears.
It only took one slash, one shot. Her gunblade sliced open his chest as if making way for the bullet to find his heart; there was a lot of blood, and he slumped back to the floor, a surprised look on his still face.
What have I done?
She stepped back in horror. She'd killed someone. Not a monster. A person. And not because he was threatening her life. Not reluctantly.
She'd wanted to.
~It's alright Child. You mustn't falter now. I will protect you.~
Even as she heard Oceanus' voice in her head she could feel the energy running through it, and across the junction, to herself. It helped: the guilt and horror receded from her brain, she could think.
Selphie.
She ran to the door as fast as she could, catching a glimpse out of the corner of her eye of two shimmering forms taking shape in front of Rinoa as she plunged into the gloom of Selphie's cell.
* * * * * * *
Rinoa exulted in Gemini's presence.
The strength and power of the fire cavern came rushing back to her a hundred-fold; she felt vibrant, and alive, and she knew they could win.
She caught Chet in her rainbow gaze, and smiled.
~Kill him.~
Gemini Pandora filled the corridor with her song, and Squall saw fear in Chet's eyes for the first time.
* * * * * * *
Frila rushed to Selphie's side; she didn't really recognise her as such, but she figured there was only one bruised and beaten woman sobbing in the room, so that was likely to be her.
"Selphie?"
"Who the fuck are you?" Selphie asked, more confused than angry.
"I'm Frila. I'm here to, um, rescue you. Come on."
Selphie gazed at her, open mouthed.
"What?"
"We have to go. Home. Come on."
Selphie shuffled onto her knees, and Frila suddenly noticed details: that Selphie looked too weak to stand; that she was very, very dirty, and that she was shackled to the wall.
"Fuck, I'm sorry," she said, "I haven't done this before. Here." She brought her gunblade crashing down on the chain, as close as she could to Selphie's ankle. She felt a surge of satisfaction as the links shattered, but Selphie screamed and hunched into a ball, cringing away when Frila tried to touch her.
Frila put her arm around her anyway, and held her close. After a moment Selphie started to relax, even cuddled into her a little.
"'s okay. I'm not that incompetent," Frila soothed. "We have to get you out of here, is all. Just trust me. I'm gonna cure you, 'kay?"
I won't mention I've not done this before, either.
~Cura~
~Esuna~
~Cura~
It wasn't enough, but it was something. Frila pulled a vial out of her pack, ripped out the stopper and held it to Selphie's trembling lips.
She resisted at first, but Frila just rubbed her back and hoped, and eventually she started to drink.
* * * * * * *
Squall was shouting something at Rinoa, but she didn't hear him. She was too focused on Gemini, on the power rushing through her from every blow. There was no fear, no need to worry.
Multicoloured blades flashed and whirled, and Chet looked at them in horror and revulsion as they sliced his flesh like soft fruit.
She'd lost her magic, but it didn't matter.
She was just getting started when he turned and fled.
* * * * * * *
"Okay, can you walk?"
Selphie nodded. "I think. Don't know if I can stand, though," she mumbled.
"Let's give it a go, eh? Come on, lean on me. I'm stronger than I look."
Selphie grunted, and slowly, painfully, pulled herself to her feet.
"See? Standing?" Selphie said, with a trace of triumph. "Except… oh."
She tumbled back to the floor, only saved from yet more bruises by Frila's strong arms.
"Okay. I'll carry you. Just hold on round my neck. Once we're outside we'll see if we can get you junctioned or something."
Selphie obediently wrapped her frail arms around Frila's neck, and Frila lifted her onto her back with a grunt. It felt a little awkward, but Selphie hardly seemed to weigh a thing.
There were some advantages to gunblade training, she thought.
She heard Rinoa's scream of triumph as she returned to the corridor; Chet was running for his life in the opposite direction.
Selphie started to growl into her neck.
"Hey, shh," she said. "I rescued you."
"Fucking Kinneas."
Well, no. Not that I wouldn't like to. "What?"
"Keep him away from me."
"That's okay. Squall's here, too, and Rinoa. See, she's running after Chet, and…"
Selphie convulsed against her back, "no, not him, no more, no, no, no…"
"Shhh…" Frila cursed her own stupidity Why can't I keep my mouth shut for once… "It's okay. He's gone. You're with friends. Shhh…"
She was struggling to escape Frila's hold, sobbing and working up towards screaming again.
Then there was a wave of gentle magic, and she fell still against Frila's back.
"Well done, Cadet."
She looked up to see Squall standing in front of her, sweat-damp bangs in his eyes, relief plain on his face.
"Thanks," she smiled at him.
"Wait here," he said, "Selphie should sleep for a while. If she wakes up, just use an ordinary sleep spell. It'll be easier to get her out of here if she's unconscious. I'll be back in a second."
He turned and chased off down the corridor after Rinoa and Irvine, leaving her alone with Selphie and the dead guard.
The guard.
She lowered Selphie carefully to the floor, propping her up against the wall, and forced herself to look at the first man she'd killed.
Killed?
There was blood everywhere, although she realised now that she'd probably missed his heart after all; too low. She must've got a lung, only…
He was breathing.
Hardly at all, but there was a flutter, in his chest.
She darted a look up the corridor: Irvine, Rinoa and Squall were standing in a pool of multicoloured light. Chet was no-where to be seen.
She reached out one hand to cover the guard's wounded chest.
~Cura~
~Cura~
~Sleep~
She sat back on her heels, breathing hard from the effort of unaccustomed spell-casting, watching as his wounds healed, not completely, but enough. His breath stuttered back to something like a workable rhythm. She pulled his tattered jacket back over his chest. He was still covered in blood, and deathly pale.
It wasn't like anyone would ever know.
* * * * * * *
"Rin, stop, let him run! That's an order!"
"Rin, please! Listen to Squall! We don't know what's down there!"
They sighed unanimous relief as Rinoa stopped. Neither of them had been looking forward to trying to physically restrain her. She turned to face them, Gemini standing by her side, the two shimmering forms blending back to one.
She looked stunningly beautiful, her face washed in colour, her skin glowing. Strong. Powerful. Triumphant.
Irvine and Squall stood in her reflected glory, awash with pride, fear and lust.
Gemini faded out, unsummoned, and the corridor fell back to white. The three of them looked at each other for a moment.
"You okay?" stammered Squall, uncertainly.
"Fuck, yes," said Rinoa, grinning at him, and running rainbow-tinted eyes over Squall's body so blatantly that Irvine felt the need to look away, feeling distinctly voyeuristic, and just a tiny bit jealous.
Squall cleared his throat. "Frila's got Selphie," he said. "Let's get out of here."
"Great," said Rinoa, "lead on."
Irvine and Rinoa fell in behind Squall, side by side.
"You alright, Rin?" murmured Irvine. "I'm afraid I won't be able to talk to you this time. Ether's out of action."
"What?" she looked puzzled for a moment. "Oh, that. No, that's fine. It's only tunnels."
"You don't have to pretend to be brave, Rin. Not with me."
She gave him a warm smile. "No, really, I don't mind. There's nothing to be afraid of, after all."
Irvine smiled back, and squeezed her hand, and hoped very hard that she was right.
* * * * * * *