Disclaimer: I forgot this at the first of the story. With my luck, someone's gonna sue my broke-ass. I don't own anything! At least, not the FF8 locations and people. Anyway, here's chapter 3. Meant to put it up pre-vacation, but it didn't work out.

Executioner Ch. 3

The sky stretched overhead, a soft, heavenly pink mingling with the blue as it gave its last cry of color before surrendering to the morbid darkness. Outlines of the only living people in the town of Balamb could be seen against the fiery orb as it slipped beneath the rim of the earth. They walked on, in search of a place to rest for the night, before they would be forced to flee the scene of devestation the next day.

Shiva walked ahead, her staff gripped in her slender fingers while her colorless eyes searched ahead for any oncoming danger. Quistis walked a few paces behind her, still over-come with the shock of seeing her home town in shambles. Ifrit walked in the very back, watching the people ahead of him. Finally, in the middle of a large gap between Quistis and Ifrit, Squall walked with a half-sleeping Rinoa still attached to his arm. Unbeknownst to the others, whose focus was drawn either to their surroundings, or their growing weariness, Squall eyes rested intently on the silent woman at his side, his thoughts speeding through his mind with unnparelled force.

He wasn't use to having someone cling to him. Even when he had been human, all those years ago, he had never had someone be this way around him, nor had he wanted it. Now, however, he was startling himself that he didn't mind it so much. There was the sound of her light, but steady breathing, and her warmth seeped through his clothing, making him aware of heat, but not much else. Had he been able to really feel it, the warmth would have grown uncomfortable after so long. He couldn't really explain it, but somehow he was more relaxed with her there, right by his side.

Finally, after walking from one end of the town to another, they found a hotel, empty of course, where they would sleep for the night. Quistis chose a room to stay in, and Shiva decided to room with her, for her safety. That meant that either Squall or Ifrit would have to stay with Rinoa in order to guard her. Ifrit offered, of course, but Squall didn't trust him in the least, so he decided he would take the job of guarding her. After all, he really didn't need to sleep.

She was still sleeping after roommates were chosen, so Squall picked her up and put her into bed, pulling the blankets out from underneath her and covering her up. And as she shifted comfortably in her bed, he leaned against the wall of the room, his eyes resting on her, though his thoughts were a million miles away.

What could be so special about this small, frail woman that she would need four other people to guard her life, he wondered. As those thoughts passed through his mind, he felt his inner senses begin to tingle, his deathly intuition telling of yet another departing soul that required his assistance.

Thinking that everyone would be safe if her left for the night to tend to his recently over-looked duties, he stood and headed for the door, never once casting a single glance back at the raven-haired woman behind him. That is, until he heard her give forth a small cry.

It was quiet, so low that the ears of a human could never have heard it. He knew she was probably just having a nightmare, and that he should leave it well enough alone, but hard as he tried, something else was calling him back to her.

She tossed frantically in her bed, face twisted in an expression of scorching pain that flooded her veins like liquid fire. Her small lips opened as whimpers parted from the shelter of her throat, rippling the air with unsteady sound waves.

He wheeled around and came to stand at the side of her bed, placing his hands on her shoulders with the intention to shake her awake. He was startled, however, to find that her skin was ablaze, every cell in her body seeming to writhe with the torcherous flame of hell. It was an unusual thing for him to be able to feel body heat so well, as it was such a subtle sensation, but her skin was nearly burning his glove-clad hand.

He carefully pressed his palm against her forehead and was flooded with chaotic images. Visions of people and places he had never before seen with his own eyes flashed through his head, until they all seemed to melt down into one scene, one moment, eternally adrift in the recesses of time.

He could see it, feel it clearly, all the things that he had tried to forget, and had succeeded in doing after a century or so. He could see the fresh crimson staining the thick beige carpet while lightening flashes lit the darkened room. Hushed voices murmered as their owners surveyed the scene, the mood of the room that had seen lively parties and romantic evenings in it's lifetime having taken on the air of a cemetary. He had seen this all a million times after the first time it had occured, the memory repeating itself like an ever-present nightmare in his mind. It wasn't so much the image itself that sent a shock through the frozen depths of his buried soul, however. It was the knowledge of how it had all come to pass, and why that made his mind shudder everytime he thought about it. But as he looked over the all-too-familiar moment once more, he noticed something that hadn't been there before.

There, in a neglected corner of the room, she stood, her hauntingly dark eyes swollen and screaming red, as if she had been crying tears of blood. Tears that had been shed for the horror she had witnessed, and the knowledge she now possessed. Tears that had been shed for him.

As his focus centered on her, he became aware of a powerful force tugging at her mind, trapping her within the trecherous instant that sent venomous fear pounding through her arteries, and acid sizzling the interior of her stomach. Something had brought her into his private hell, and was refusing to let her go.

Using his own mental force, he attempted to pull her free. The next thing he knew, they were back in the hotel room, and she was sobbing into his chest.

This was an awkward situation for him, as he certainly wasn't used to comforting people. He didn't try to speak, or touch her. He just let her cry for a moment, until finally she pulled away from him, a look of confusion replacing her pain.

"What happened?" she asked.

"You just had a nightmare," he explained. "Go back to sleep."

"Where am I?"

"At a hotel," he replied, prying her death-grip off of him. "Just go back to sleep. You need the rest."

She nodded slowly and laid back down, pulling the blanket over her and cowering beneath it. He stood to go, but was abruptly halted by the small, slender hand that locked around his wrist.

"Please, don't go yet," she whispered. "Stay, at least until I go to sleep."

He sighed heavily, but nodded, taking a seat near the bed and watching as he eyes slowly drifted closed. A few moments later, he closed the door to the room behind him as he headed out. In the hallway, he was greeted by Shiva's stern face, her colorless eyes seeming to glitter at him in the near darkness. Somehow, she must have sensed what had happened herself.

"Someone wants her to know..." was all she said.

Squall nodded. "Yeah, but who? Why? It has nothing to do with her, it never did. It all hapaned long before her time."

"It doesn't matter," Shiva pointed out. "You managed to deter it, this time. You'll just have to keep an eye on her from now on. It would not do for her to know, whether it involves her, or not. Does she remember anything?"

"No," he replied, shaking his head. "I don't think so."

"Don't say a word about it, then" Shiva warned.

"How is it that you know?" Squall asked quietly, looking away from her as he spoke.

"I may possess a human body, but I've been working at this job for quite awhile. Granted, not as long as you, but still... Everyone that's been around awhile knows. You're practically a legend."

He looked back to her, his unusually surprised face masked by the darkness. "A legend?"

She nodded. "Everyone up there knows, Squall. They talk about it, speculate. But no one knows the truth. Only you and the higher powers..."

With that, she turned away from him, heading back into her own room. "Don't be out too late. I have the feeling Rinoa will need you tomorrow."

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When Rinoa awoke the next morning, she was alone, and a bit disoriented at first. That is, until the memories of the previous night came rushing back to her. Squall had said she'd had a nightmare, but from the little bit she could recall, it was much too real to be a mere nightmare. She had felt the agonizing pain of a brutal death, the sensations of her skin tearing open, and warm fluid seeping out of her body onto the floor still alive within her mind. She had felt every bit of burning pain that was to be had with that death. And when it was all over, it was not her, but someone else who had suffered her fate. She remembered looking down on them, and grieving for them, but now she had no recollection of who it was, or why she was seeing it.

Now, as she sat alone in the room amidst the deadened air and hollow silence, an irrational fear of what had happened began to creep up her spine once more, slowly leaking into her limbs. Fortunately, she was saved from reliving the pain as a knock sounded on her door.

She pulled the door of her room open to reveal her comrades standing there, somewhat impatient. All but one, that is.

"We need to leave this place," Shiva said. "Any moment, someone will arrive to investigate. It's a miracle they haven't already, in fact. We're going back to the city a little early."

Rinoa nodded. "That's fine. Let's just get out of here," she said. "But where's Squall?"

"He should have been back by now," Shiva speculated. "But I suppose he'll join us whenever he can. After all, he hasn't been able to keep up lately, what with this mission and all. But he still has a job to do, and he has to take care of it whenever he can."

Before another word could be spoken, Squall stepped into the hallway, his dark form casting a sudden gloominess over the area. "Are we ready?"

There was a quiet collection of replies, before, without a word, he turned and began to walk out the way he came, knowing the others would follow. They caught another train in a nearby town, and left to return to the city.

The journey back was mostly quiet, save the sounds of Shiva and Ifrit's constant arguing. Quistis had seated herself by the window again, never once opening her mouth to speak. Everyone thought that she was still in shock. After a moment, however, she turned to Rinoa, who was also sitting near a window, and said, "Do you have the eulogy written yet?"

Rinoa looked up, startled out of her thoughts. "No... I really don't know what to say. I've never done this kind of thing before."

"You just say how much you'll miss the person, and what they meant to you, and how they made an impact on your life, and the lives of others. That type of stuff," Squall answered. When he noticed the strange stares he recieved, he said, "What? Funerals are kinda my department, you know."

Rinoa shook her head. "I don't see how you deal with it, honestly. I couldn't stand to see so many people dying."

"Death isn't really that bad," he replied. "People always say how a person was cut down in their prime... that isn't necessarily true. People go when their time comes. And to some of them, it's salvation."

"And what about Seifer? Is he not killing people before it's their time to go?" Rinoa asked.

"Seifer's a different story. I don't know... something definately went wrong with him," Shiva commented. "I never worked along side him, though," she added, glancing at Squall.

He shook his head. "Don't ask me. I've known him for a hundred and thirteen years, in life and in death... that doesn't mean I understand him."

"How did you know him before?" Rinoa asked.

"Unfortunate coincidence, if you ask me," he grumbled. "I knew him all of my life, though not well. I never knew much about him until..." his voice trailed off as he caught sight of Shiva in the background, shaking her head. He realized then that what he was about to say might have brought up foul memories. And anyway, what business was it of hers to know that Squall and Seifer had died at the same time, by the hand of the same person.

"What?" Rinoa asked, looking around the room in confusion. "Until what?"

"It's not important," Squall replied. "Let's just drop it. You have a eulogy to write, anyways."

Rinoa nodded, then stood. "Fine. I'll be in the other room, if anyone needs me."

Before anyone could protest, or remind her that she wasn't supposed to be alone, she walked out of the room and into the next one, searching all over the place for paper and something to write with. Shiva looked pointedly at Squall.

"I know what you're thinking, and the answer is no," he said. "I watched her last night. It's your turn."

"She's not my responsibility."

"I'll watch her," Ifrit answered suddenly.

"No!" both replied in unison. "Do you wish to keep your job?" Shiva asked of Squall. "There are plenty of others who would jump at the chance to take it."

"Are you threatening to fire me?"

"No. That's not in my power to do. I'm just saying..."

"Would it shut you the hell up if I went in there?" he asked, standing up. When she smiled and nodded, he turned abruptly and headed for the door, leaving a string of foul words behind him.

He didn't bother to knock, but let himself in. He looked around, but didn't see any sign that anyone had been in the room. That is, until he noticed a few sheets of white paper scattered over one of the bunk bed, along with a pen. Seeing no one around to catch him in his unusually curious mood, he walked over and picked the papers up, reading over them as best as he could. The ink had run a little, possibly from tears falling onto the paper. Before he could even finish reading the small paragraph that had been written, the papers were snatched out of his hand, and he found himself staring into a pair of angry, yet red and puffy brown eyes.

"What do you think you're doing?" she demanded, placing a hand on her hip and narrowing her eyes.

"I'm being forced to baby-sit again," he replied.

She smacked him in the arm, somewhat playfully and said, "I don't need to be watched over, so you can leave. I have things to do, and I know you hate being stuck with me all the time."

He opened his mouth to speak, then stopped, and simply stared at her for a moment.

"What?" she asked, arching an eyebrow at him.

"You've been crying." It wasn't a question, just a fact that he had pointed out.

"So, what's it to you?" she asked, sniffling a little.

He shook his head. "She's in a better place now. She doesn't have to deal with the pain of living anymore. You should be happy for her, instead of crying all the time."

"I know she was in a lot of pain," Rinoa replied. She lived with that pain for far too long, and I didn't want her to have to suffer anymore. But that doesn't mean I don't wish things could've been different!"

"Wish what you want, it won't get you anywhere. It won't bring her back, it won't chang what happened, so just deal with reality, and move on with your life."

She looked away from him a moment, trying to control her anger before saying. "You're a real ass hole, you know that? They couldn't have gotten a more uncaring, insensitive person for the job. I guess you should be proud," she spat.

"I am," he replied. "Thanks for the compliment."

Her mouth fell open as she watched him struggle to surpress a grin. "You're impossible, do you know that?!" she exclaimed, half-amused, half- infuriated with his behavior.

"I know. And you're no longer crying," he pointed out before walking out of the room.

She stared after him for a moment, startled with the realization that he was right. She was so busy being mad at him that she didn't feel like crying anymore. She gathered up her papers, with a small sigh, and shoved them into one of her pockets, decideding that she would write more later. For the moment, she was preoccupied with wondering if he'd been trying to cheer her up all along.

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A/N: *cringes* That was bad, wasn't it? You wait all that time for an update, and it's that bad... I know some of it doesn't make a lot of sense now, but it will come together in later chapters.....