A/N: Well, here's the next chapter. Sorry for the delay, I needed to refuel my creativity.

Chapter 12

The room was dimly lit, the walls bathed in burgundy with the flickering of a few candles making shadows dance across the room. A woman lay in her bed, gasping for breath as her swollen belly heaved. Across the room, two men spoke, one a short, balding man sporting a pair of crude spectacles, and the other a man with long, dark hair, half-concealed within the shadows.

"She'll be all right, won't she?" he was asking, his voice filled with panic. "This'll go just like last time, right?"

The other man sighed, rubbing his small gray beard. "I don't know, honestly. She's not dilating.... if she continues this way, we'll have to cut her open to take the child out."

"What? Cut her open? Have you done this before?"

"Yes, a few times," the man replied reluctantly. "I'm afraid, it never goes well, for the mother or the child. But it is a risk we must take."

The dark-haired man shook his head. "I won't let you do it, not if it's going to endanger my wife."

"It has to be done, sir!" the other protested. "Think of your child's life."

"It's not worth her life," he said defiantly.

The old man sighed again and returned to his patient, who was screaming in agony at the pain. There was no other way, he knew, but he would never be able to do anything with her husband in the room. He turned to him suddenly and said, "Go get some hot water ready. It'll be soon."

He hesitated, shooting the doctor a suspicious look, before hurrying off to fetch the water. The doctor worked quickly, then, picking up his instruments and making the incision. He plunged his hands into the wound, his skin and the sleeves of his shirt quickly becoming stained with crimson. He pulled out a healthy child, and looked around for a place to set him. The midwife that was to help him had been unable to be there because of the raging storm outside. He sat the baby, still covered in fluids and screaming his lungs out into the makeshift bed the parents had made, before digging into the incision again. To his surprise, there was another child in there, this one smaller, and quiet as he came into the world. He laid it aside as well, though he was concerned over it's silence, and quickly tried to stitch the mother back up. It was at this moment that the babies' father came back in, a pot of still boiling water in his hands.

"What did you do?!" he demanded.

"Never mind that now! Get some towels."

A few moments later, and the chaos had died down. The doctor cleaned off the two children with the water and towels, then lifted the smaller one up. He still wasn't crying, or making a single sound. The doctor thought for a moment, then smacked his foot, causing the little thing to throw a fit. The doctor smiled.

"You got two healthy boys here," he announced to the father, who sat with his resting wife.

"Yeah, okay," he muttered, staring at his wife, who looked sickly. The doctor knew she had lost a lot of blood, but didn't have the heart to tell him.

"Well, Mrs. Loire, what are you going to name them?" he asked, placing her two little boys in her arms.

Despite her weakness, and the inner intuition that told her she was taking her last breaths, she smiled joyously at them, listening to the storm outside. Her attention turned to the smaller one, who seemed so tiny, and delicate with all his silence. "I'll name this one..."

The words faded out before she could hear the woman finish her sentence. Her eyes fluttered open, and very suddenly, she was back in reality.

Sunlight streamed into the room, and had burned through the protective shield over her eyes, forcing her awake. With a small groan of irritation, she rolled over and buried her head into the warm body beneath her, her mind drifting off again until a startling realization brought her back to reality. Placing a hand over the left side of his chest, she felt the steady thumping of a normal human heart, and watched as his chest rose and fell with each exchange of breath. These were both things that had not occurred within him before. But it was just Irvine's bullet, right? She reminded herself to ask him later, and tried to calm her worried mind into sleep again.

Just as she was getting comfortable, Squall stirred beneath her, his stormy blue eyes showing themselves in narrow slits.. He gave a contented sigh, slowly stroking his lover's back until she lifted her head to look at him.

"Good morning," she murmured sleepily.

"Good morning, beautiful," he replied, taking a deep breath as he stretched his muscles, then pausing as he realized what he was doing. "I'm.... I'm....." he found himself at a loss of words as he stared into the deep brown eyes of the woman next to him, searching desperately for answers. It had been so long since he'd taken his last breath.

"Don't worry about it now," Rinoa said, her voice a near whisper.

Squall only nodded, and rubbed his eyes. "I need a shower.... I haven't had one in almost a hundred years...."

She giggled, hoping to lighten the mood. "Then it's definitely about time you took one. I'm going to go ahead and go downstairs."

He nodded once more and stood from the bed, gathering up his clothes from the various places around the room. Rinoa just watched him with a little smile on her face, for a mere second forgetting the worry inside her and enjoying the moment. Once he was in the shower, she threw her clothes on and hurried downstairs.

What she found downstairs was a bit of a surprise to her. Lily, Anna, and all the others were sitting at the table calmly eating breakfast, with the exception of Quistis.

"This is awesome!" Zell was saying, a cluster of empty beer bottles sitting next to him on the table. "I can drink all I want and not get drunk!"

Irvine was the first to spot Rinoa, and let a large, perverted smile come over his face. "So, I take it Squall was better after he woke up."

Rinoa ignored the rude comment, what with all the other questions in her mind at the moment. "He has a heartbeat... he's breathing. Was that supposed to happen?"

Irvine's eyes widened, his fork slipping from his grip. "He what? I... that wasn't supposed to happen. He was just supposed to lose his powers for awhile, not become completely human!"

"What's wrong with him, then?" Rinoa demanded.

Silence filled the room, no one having any answers for her. Rinoa looked from one person to another, shaking slightly with fear. What happened? Would Squall be okay? No one dared to breathe a word in that moment, not even in comfort to her.

Finally, Rinoa lowered her head for a moment, then asked, "Where's Quistis?"

Zell pointed into the living room, where Quistis was duct taped to a chair. "She's been there since yesterday. We tried interrogating her, but we couldn't get anything out of her. Just that Seifer's in Timber. We already figured that much. I suppose Squall will want to leave as soon as possible?"

"Yeah, most likely," Rinoa answered, seating herself at the table. She looked at Lillian, who sat across from her, then looked to Shiva, shooting a quick glance back at the girl in an obvious question.

"We told them we were undercover cops," Shiva answered, leaning forward to whisper in Rinoa's ear. "And that we were searching for Quistis, and caught her hiding in the barn."

At that moment, Squall came down the stairs, hair slightly dampened from his shower. "Well... now what?" was all he said, looking from one person to the next, until his eyes finally came to rest on Rinoa, making the corners of his mouth tug upward, just slightly.

"Seifer's in Timber," Zell answered. "We should go after him... I mean, we want to help you go after him... If you'll let us."

"Yeah, we're real sorry, Squall. We didn't know... we just got confused," Ifrit apologized.

Squall nodded. "It's fine. Let's just continue on with our journey. We leave from here in..." he paused to check his watch, "fifteen minutes. Hopefully we can get a train."

"The trains don't run here anymore," Lily said, speaking up for the first time. "The only way to Timber is by ship... or by car. You can rent one near the hotel. Unless you'd rather walk, of course."

"Rent-a-car, huh?" Squall repeated. "Fine. Let's go."

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An hour later, Squall was ready to kill pretty much anybody in that vehicle that wasn't already dead. With the exception of his dear Rinoa, of course. They had all crammed into a van, Quistis included (although she was still duct-taped). Irvine, Zell, and Shiva had sat in the very back, with Shiva miserably seated between the two as they sang '100 bottles of beer on the wall' and drank the case of beer they'd stolen from Cid's house. Ifrit was watching over Quistis in the middle seat, practicing his best pick-up lines on the helpless woman, and Rinoa sat in the front with Squall, trying to calm his increasingly agitated nerves.

"Tell me again why I haven't killed them?" Squall asked of Rinoa.

She just sighed. "We're almost there. Just hang on a little longer."

Squall briefly allowed his eyes to close, fatigue making it's presence known as it set in behind his eyes. He was suddenly called back from his reverie, however, when he heard Rinoa yell for him to stop.

He threw on the brakes immediately, causing the van to lurch forward, before setting his eyes on the road once more. The stood what appeared to be a little old lady, hunched over and withered as she clutched her ragged clothes around her. She stood still in the middle of the road, her back still turned to the vehicle. Squall slowly got out, and approached her cautiously, as if there were something dangerous about her. Rinoa, her usually mischief-filled gaze now utterly serious, started to get out as well.

"You guys stay here," she said over her shoulder as she got out and joined Squall with the woman.

"Excuse me, miss," Squall began slowly, "do you know you're standing in the middle of the road?"

She looked up at him then, revealing for the first time her face. To his surprise, she was not old at all, only a few years older than him, at the most. Her skin was pale, as though no blood ran within her veins, and the light had long since died in her dull blue eyes. Even more peculiar than this, was the state of her clothing. They were of an old style, not worn for many years, and were tattered, emanating a vague scent of mold and decay.

"You look so familiar... I wish I could place you. Do you live in Deling City as well?" she asked.

"Miss, we're a very long way from Deling City. We're near the town of Timber now," Rinoa replied.

"Oh? I was born in Timber. I met my husband there as well, when I was a girl. But I live now, in Deling City. I do wonder how I got so far from home without my knowing."

"Are you traveling?" Squall asked.

"No, I don't believe so..." her voice trailed away. "You look so awfully familiar. But, I must get home somehow. I must tend to my babies. Can you give me directions, I wonder?"

"Down that road is Fisherman's Horizon," Squall answered, pointing back the way they came.

She shot him a suspicious look. "I've never heard of such a place. Not near Timber. Are you telling me the truth? I must get to me children. They are young, just a few days old. My husband knows nothing of child care. Just ask my oldest daughter."

"Ma'am, if you don't mind my asking, could you tell me what the last thing you remember is?" Rinoa asked, a strange feeling creeping slowly up her spine as she eyed the stranger.

"The last thing I remember? I named one of my sons, just after he was born. Then, I felt so sleepy... I must've fallen asleep before I could name the other. It was a deep sleep, and for the longest time, I could see, and feel nothing but darkness. I searched through this darkness for my family, but I could not find them. I found many people, but not them. It must've been a nightmare I'd had during the night, though it seemed like an eternity. I felt something then, that woke me from my slumber. I could feel the presence of my newborn child... the small, quiet one I loved so dearly. I could not see him, but I knew he was somewhere nearby, so I had to wake up and go after him. Things look so strange now... such as that thing you're riding in. A car, is it? You must be rich to have one of those. It is rather strange looking as well..."

Squall raised an eyebrow at her strange ravings. "Are you sure you're all right, Miss?"

"Now I know. You remind me of my newborn son, my smallest one, that is. Though I don't know why. I can't say you look alike, for you are so much older than he. Well, no matter. I must go."

As she began walking away, Rinoa tugged on Squall's arm, pulling him from his deep trance. "Squall, there's something strange about her... call me crazy, but I don't think she's living."

"Well, neither am I," he replied. "I can sense something odd about her, but not that she's dead. And I'm sure I would know."

"I don't know...." she began. "You haven't quite been yourself lately, either."

He looked over at her, a smile threatening to break loose. "I think that's your fault."

"Come, on Mr. Leonhart," she said teasingly as she dragged him back toward the van.

They continued they're journey from there, passing the strange woman a short distance down the road. A she watched the vehicle roar past her, she couldn't help but feel as though piece of her was going with it. She saw his face in her mind again, and felt her soul begin to grieve, as she could no longer cry.

"My baby...." she whispered, watching the van until it was no more than a speck upon the horizon.

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After nearly two hours of driving, the van pulled into the small town of Timber, and everyone piled through the doors as fast as they possibly could. They removed the duct tape from around Quistis' limbs, but Shiva and Ifrit stayed close by her side, ensuring that she didn't escape.

"Well, is he here?" Rinoa asked her.

"How should I know? I'm not really a fucking prophetess, remember!" she snapped in reply, her voice crude, and dripping with utter disgust. Now that her cover had been blown, she didn't feel the need to keep up her act of the wise, sophisticated seer.

"Then you can lead us to him.... he'll come to you, right?" Zell questioned.

"With you idiots around, no!" she answered rudely. Her eyes wandered away from her captors for a moment, focusing instead on a pair of suspicious looking people across the street. Though she said nothing, she noticably tensed.

Silently, Squall traced the path of her eyes, until he too, was looking at them. "You recognize them?"

She nodded, only slightly, having forgotten for the moment who she was with, thinking only of how desperately she had to find Seifer.

"Who are they?" Shiva asked.

"N-nevermind that," she stammered. "Just know this much. I have to get to Seifer and warn him, both for your safety and his."

"Why would you be worried about..." Rinoa began, but went silent as her mind traced back to a memory that didn't make any sense now. "When you and Squall came to get me, and those people came after us... You told us to hide, you didn't want us caught. But if you're working with Seifer, why would you try to.... they weren't Seifer's men, were they?"

"No, they weren't," she admitted. "My job was to ensure that you were delivered to Seifer first, as there was another that was after you."

"Who?!" Rinoa demanded.

"No time for that now. We have to find Seifer, before they notice us. Their power is much greater than anything you may have seen prior to this," she dropped her demure facade once more, as she turned to her enemies and smiled slightly. "You'll have an easier time kicking Seifer's ass than you will their's."

Squall nodded his understanding. "Fine. Let's just get going."

Quistis led the group away from their current position, to where an abandoned old pub, where she suspected Seifer might be hiding. When they arrived there, however, they found no one. In the room, there was only a burnt out candle, a rifle and shells laying on the table, and alongside it, a picture of a dark-haired young woman. Squall examined everything for a moment, especially the picture.

"Rinoa..." he called her over in a quiet voice and handed her the tattered, half-ruined black and white photo of the woman.

She stared at it for a long moment, the primitive technology of the camera used making it hard to see clearly. "It's the woman we saw on the road today," she said after a moment. "How...?"

"Hey, look at this," Zell, announced, pointing to a large stain on the wall and floor that was barely visible in the dimly lit room. Zell took out his lighter, which had been in his pants pocket since the day of his death, and held it close to the stain. It was a dull red color, and gave off a sickening scent. "Dried blood," he said. "Something really bad happened here."

"Someone was shot," Squall pointed out. "But who, and why? Who did it? What did he have to do with this woman?"

"Enough of that," Quistis snapped. "From the looks of it, it's all ancient history. We have to find Seifer, remember?"

Suddenly, darkness fell over the room as a large, darkened figure moved into the doorway, shutting out the light of the sun. "You were looking for me?"

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A/N: Well, the shit's all about to hit the fan people. Piece's are about to fall into place, discoveries are soon to be made. Which means we're nearing the end of our little journey. But I'm not letting you go just yet....