Re-Creating Hell
Chapter Four: Loyalty
By: PasifikStar
*All Standard Disclaimers Apply: I don't own Final Fantasy or it's characters.
"What?"
Quistis pointed back to the files she had intercepted and scrolled down. "Your DNA code has been studied here...it says genetic experiment...success...commencing with replication."
"But...WHY?" Rinoa whispered. She looked into Quistis' blue eyes for answers and found none.
"Rin, they're already starting to clone you," Quistis said in a shaking voice. "We need to find out where they are and destroy the research before they can!"
Rinoa's heart was beating rapidly in her chest. Cloning. Her. Quistis was right, they had to find out where they were and destroy the research before she could be cloned. *But how...? WHY?*
"Do you know what would happen if Adel was in control of hundreds of people with YOUR magic capability?" Quistis asked. "She could unseal the gates like that." She snapped her finger.
Rinoa still stood there, droplets of water falling to the ground as she let the realization hit her. Without another word, she turned around and rushed out of the room. "I have to go see him!" she mumbled.
"Rinoa!?" Quistis said. She got off the chair and ran after the brunette. "Rinoa, what are you talking about!? Where are you going!?"
The brunette was already up the stairs, heading towards her room to change. *He can find out for me...he'll know...* Rinoa thought to herself, completely agreeing with her idea. She threw off her robe and put on a black dress and her favorite duster. She ran her hand through her wet hair, not caring if it was still soaking as she sped down the stairs and to the door.
"Rinoa!"
"I'm going out!" she shouted from the doorway as she shoved her boots on.
"Where?" Quistis gasped. "I'll come with you-"
"No!" Rinoa told her. She lifted up her cell phone. "You stay here and try to find out more! Call me if you find out anything."
"What about you?"
"I'll be fine." Rinoa mumbled. She slammed the door behind her and rushed to the parking garage under the building. She sped down the elevator and burst through the doors of the garage. Neatly aligned next to the red and yellow one, a dark blue motorcycle glimmered in the dim light. Grabbing her helmet, she strapped it on and got on the bike.
Ten minutes later, she stood in front of a closed off, black iron gates brandishing the seal of the Loire clan. She looked at the sky. It was just barely sunrise. If anything, the vampires within had already went off to bed. Regardless, she pressed the button on the side of the gate and removed her helmet.
"Rinoa?" a familiar voice sounded. "Hey, what's up?"
"Zell, let me in!" Rinoa gushed out over the sound of her motorcycle.
"Sure, just hold on a second..." Rinoa waited and the sound of the iron gates creaking open sounded. As they were pulled to the side, Rinoa rode her bike into the compound, taking note of how different it looked in the day. She stopped in front of the main steps, where she had been abducted just a few nights before.
One of the double doors opened and Zell came out, looking confused. Rinoa dashed up the stairs. "Where's Squall?"
"Rinoa, what are you doing here?" Zell whispered. "This is a vampire lair!"
"Zell, what are YOU doing here?" Rinoa asked back.
"My family works for the Loires," Zell stated. "What's wrong? You seemed freaked."
"WHERE is SQUALL?" she repeated, more urgently this time.
"Upstairs sleeping-"
"Which room?" she asked as she went around him and headed up the stairs.
"Rinoa! You can't go up there!" he gasped. "There are dozens of sleeping clan members there-"
"WHICH ROOM, ZELL?" Rinoa growled, lifting up her hand and creating swirling light around it. Zell swallowed hard.
He looked around nervously. "Third floor, make a left...he's in the very last room directly at the end of the hall."
"Thank you." she said. The light in her hand disappeared and she ran up the stairs. Zell chewed on his bottom lip.
"Oh man..." Zell grumbled. *Squall's really bitchy when he's woken...I hope she's ready for that.*
Rinoa rounded the third floor and stopped. She turned left and looked around. There were high ceilings and the floor was lined with black wood. There were no windows, but very dim lights on the walls providing a little light. The carpet runner, as far as Rinoa could tell, was a dark red color that went over a hard wooden floor. Between heavy oak doors were framed paintings of members of the Loire clan.
There were probably paintings there from before the war. Rinoa couldn't help but look up at the shadowed pictures depicting men and women dressed in elaborate clothes holding swords or sitting on posh chairs. She stopped by a large painting of a beautiful woman. She wore a dark red head back, thus pulling back long, straight brown hair.
She was smiling intently and sitting on a large wooden chair with soft cushions. Her dress was dark red covered with a layer of black lace. She had a choker of the same material around her neck and blood colored earrings hung from her ears. Her hands were crossed neatly on her lap and on the ring finger of her left hand was a silver band engraved with something. Rinoa couldn't make it out.
She passed the smiling woman and went on to another portrait. It was a couple and Rinoa realized who they were. The man standing behind the woman on a chair similar to the one in the previous painting was Laguna Loire. His hand was on the bare shoulder of the woman, dressed in an elaborate dark red gown with matching gloves. He was smiling proudly behind her.
*That must be Squall's mother...* Rinoa thought to herself. She smiled softly. *It has to be...those are his eyes...* Walking quietly down the rest of the hall way, she sought out the last room. There were double doors with brass handles waiting for her. Large metal seals were on the door. On the right was a the seal of Loire. And on the left was a seal depicting a winged lion. *Leonheart...*
She stopped by the door and lifted her hand to knock. She placed her other hand the door and jerked her head back slightly when it opened. Rinoa looked behind her cautiously and slowly pushed the door open just enough so she could get through. "Hello...?" she whispered quietly.
Her heart was beating rapidly in her chest as she felt her palms get sweaty. She took a deep breath before finally slipping all the way through. She closed the door behind her and paused as her eyes struggled to get used to the darkness of the room.
*This place is huge...* Her brown eyes scanned the open expanse of Squall's bedroom. She saw a desk, and two closet doors on either side of another hall way which she suspected was his bathroom. There was a sitting area close to the door with a sofa, two large chairs, and a low table, probably for guests. A few slits of light could be seen peeking between the black curtains, telling her that there was a large window there.
However, the crowning piece of the room had to have been the massive bed with it's head against the wall. It's tall canopy reached half way up the to the ceiling as thick, heavy black drapes fell around it and touched the floor. There was a lion's head at the top of each post and at the very peak of the canopy was a lion with wings. It was elevated up on a rounded marble platform and had a night stand on either side. There seemed to be a cordless phone on one of them along with a digital clock.
"Squall...?" she whispered quietly. *Oh yes, Rinoa...whispering his name so he can barely hear you is good...*
Her boots made soft sounds on the cold stone floor as she approached the bed. Cautiously, she took a step up on the platform. She reached her hand out to move the drapes.
A pale hand shot out from between the drapes, gripping her wrist and pulling her forward. Rinoa gave a yelp as she tumbled forward and was swallowed into utter darkness. She was turned and thrown, back first, on to the soft warmth of someone's bed. She looked up and gasped, her breathing became even more shallow as glowing red eyes peered down at her as if raping her soul.
"Rinoa...?" a gruff voice asked in confusion. The pressure on her wrists lifted and she blinked, trying to get used to the darkness. "What are you doing here?"
"Squall?" she whimpered quietly. Her eyes got used to the darkness as red eyes that had been looking at her were slowly dimming. A shaking hand lifted to brush away the brown bangs that were falling over his face. His fangs had been blared, ready to bit into her had she been an attacker. Regardless, with his glowing eyes and his blared teeth, Rinoa found it even more sexy than he usually was. *I can't believe I just though that... even if it is true...*
"Sorry about that," he mumbled. He moved away from her and reached up, pulling on a chord that hung down by the corner of the bed. Two heavy drapes, from where she had been pulled in, were lifted slightly to let in some light. He studied her as she slowly sat up, looking around his bed curiously. "What are you doing here?" he repeated.
She turned and tilted her head. "I...I needed to talk to you..." she said. Her blood was still pumping quite fast.
Squall leaned back against his head board and lifted up his arms. "Here I," he grumbled, some what annoyed. "What is it?"
Rinoa felt her face grow warmer. *Look up! UP! Dammit, Rinoa, don't stare at his chest!* her mind barked. *But it's so...defined and...naked...* she countered.
"Rinoa," Squall's voice cut into her thoughts. He smirked to himself. "Are you going to tell me why you snuck into my room and are staring at my chest?" As if on cue, Rinoa's face turned even redder.
"I...I...I'm not staring!" she stammered. Her eyes went wildly in another direction, trying to find someone else to look at.
Squall shook his head. "Rinoa, what's going on? You wouldn't be here if there wasn't a problem. Did you find out something about Adel?"
Adel. The name froze Rinoa's blood in it's place and she stiffened. Squall tilted his head, realizing he hit a nerve. The sorceress' brown eyes slowly drifted back to look into his blue ones. "Quistis found something," Rinoa breathed out unevenly. "She intercepted a message about my blood sample."
"What is it?" Squall asked, now sitting straighter and leaning forward. Her voice was starting to get lighter and more distant. "Do they know that you're the blood magic carrier?"
Rinoa took a sharp breath. "They already knew that," she whispered quietly. "They used my blood sample for something else..."
Squall narrowed his eyes. "For what?"
Her eyes looked vacant for a moment as her mouth opened slightly. "She wants...she doesn't want to consume me, Squall..." Rinoa whispered. "She wants to clone me."
"What?" Squall gasped. "Wait, how do you know this-"
"Quistis was reading over the sent files and said that's what they're doing!" Rinoa gasped out, slamming her palm against the soft, silken covers. "She's still analyzing them, but she's really freaked out! Do you know what would happen if Adel controlled a whole ARMY of people with MY powers!?"
"Rinoa, calm down-"
"How can I calm down!?" Rinoa nearly screamed. She was shaking and Squall reached out and put his hands on her shoulders to steady her. "There is a mad woman out there making copies of ME!" Tears began to fall from her eyes and Squall pulled her up against him.
"Rinoa..." he mumbled, unsure of what to say. Her arms held on to him as if her life depended on it as she cried against his shoulder.
"I can barely control my own powers sometimes," she whispered in broken sobs. "How can she possibly control all of theirs? Do you know how many people will die? How many children will suffer because my blood is the way it is? It's all my fault..."
Squall squeezed her and shook his head. "How could it possibly be your fault?" he asked quietly. His hand gently stroked her hair as he leaned his head against hers. The scent of her was flooding his senses. "There is no fault in being alive, Rinoa."
"But if I wasn't alive, there wouldn't be this threat-"
"NEVER be sorry for being born," Squall scolded her. He gently pulled her away. "You don't know who worked so hard for you to be safe and alive. If you feel sorry for being born, you've made all their effort useless." He closed his eyes slowly and took a deep breath before opening them.
"Their effort..." she whispered, sinking into thought.
"My mother died giving birth to me, Rinoa...I hated myself for the longest time. The more I thought about her, the more I hated myself for causing her death. But one day I was talking with Zell - ZELL of all people...and he said that no matter what people said about him or his hot dog fetish, he would never be ashamed because Ma Dincht...his mother...worked hard to raise him and bring him into this world. And if he regretted being born, it would've made her efforts worthless. And he couldn't live with that. And when I thought about it...neither could I."
"Squall..." Rinoa mumbled. Her hands cupped his face and gently stroked his pale cheeks. He was right. Her parents weren't perfect, but they loved her. They both worked so she could be safe and hold her own against a world that could easily turn it's back on her. For that, she was thankful.
"As far as I'm concerned," Squall whispered. "There is only one Rinoa and there will always be only one."
He leaned over slowly, drawing her deeper into his blue eyed gaze. Her eyes closed slowly, tears still managing to escape past her dark lashes as soft lips pressed against hers. *There will only be you, Squall...* she thought to herself as his masculine scent surrounded her slim body, wrapping around her like a warm blanket. *To me, there will only be you.*
Squall felt her heart beat slowly relax as her body melted against his. His hands ran up the side of her body, making her shiver as she leaned against him. Her left hand memorized the muscles on his back as her right hand ran through his silken brown hair.
"Squall!" a voice shouted from the door way. "I heard screaming! Are you all right!?"
Rinoa ripped herself away as the voice cut through her senses. Shaken and confused, she looked up and saw Squall looking particularly pissed off. She followed the direction of his glare to the door way, where Laguna was standing, brandishing a gun and looking rather sheepish as he stood there, wearing nothing but a pair of silk pajama pants and slippers that were shaped like bear feet.
Although, blushing furiously, Rinoa couldn't help but giggle at the older vampire's attire. She turned her head away as Squall grabbed the chord and tugged it, sending the drapes that hid his bed away, tumbling down.
"Laguna, get the hell out of my room!" Squall growled.
"Sorry!" the clan leader stammered. "It's okay, Ward! It's nothing." They heard him say.
"I told you," another voice said. "Hyne, you woke us up for nothing."
"Just close the door, Kiros..." Laguna mumbled sheepishly. The door closed with a click.
Squall was mumbling curse words directed at his father. Rinoa tilted her head and looked back up at him. She was still firmly held in his arms. "We'll go to a club tonight," Squall said as he laid back down. "There's an informant there."
Rinoa was left sitting on the bed and looking down at where he now laid, with his arms behind his head. He looked straight up at the top of the canopy. "Should we wait for your call?" she asked quietly.
He looked at her and raised an eyebrow in question. "THEY will wait for OUR call," he told her. "I'll tell Zell to inform Irvine and your friends. The smaller the group the better. It'll attract less attention."
"What club?"
"Al Bhed," Squall answered. Rinoa's eyes went wild. Al Bhed was supposedly the wildest club in the entire underworld. It was notorious for it's four stories of music and dancing. Not to mention how it served the strongest blood and alcohol mixes. Squall noticed her panicked face. "You'll be fine."
"I thought sorcerers weren't allowed in Al Bhed." Rinoa mumbled.
"Lies," Squall mumbled. "Get to bed. Al Bhed is for true night creatures. That's why sorcerers don't go."
Rinoa nodded and maneuvered herself to the edge of the bed. A hand gripped her wrist and she snapped her head around. "What is it?" she asked. "Oh, yeah...do you want me to meet you there?"
Squall sighed. *She's making this difficult...* "Just get in the damn bed," he ordered, annoyed. "I'll wake you up before we go."
"In bed..." she mumbled. "With...you?"
"You have a problem with that?" he snapped. She shook her head and removed her boots. Quietly, she crawled in bed next to him and got underneath the blanket.
Rinoa laid there nervously, her entire body flushing with the knowledge that HE was a foot away. Squall rolled over and put his arm around her waist, pulling her closer to him. *Well, there goes that foot...* "Umm...why am I in bed with you?" she asked suddenly.
*Oh for crying out loud...* Squall opened his eyes and gave her an annoyed look. "You want to go into that club with your scent and get targeted?" She shook her head. "Then stay still. My scent will rub off on you and no one will touch you, got it?"
"Got it." He felt her try to relax her body and he closed his eyes. He buried his face against her head, listening to her pulse.
He grinned. *I can't believe she bought that...*
"Where the hell were you!?" Quistis growled as she looked up from her coffee cup. She was sitting on the glass dinner table, her hair held up messily and looking stressed. She had papers scattered around the table as her lap top flashed numerous words and numbers.
Selphie froze on her spot at the entry way. "Uh...out..."
"I called your phone a dozen times!" Quistis said, standing up and shooting daggers at Selphie. "Where were you!?"
"Out with Irvine!" Selphie gasped, tossing her bag on to the couch and living up her hands to ward off the blonde.
"Yeah, I figured that much since you're wearing his fucking hat!" Quistis hissed. Selphie looked up, forgetting completely that she had been wearing Irvine's cowboy hat. "I haven't seen you for almost twenty four hours!"
"Quistis, calm down!" Selphie said. "We just really hit it off and stayed out longer than expected."
"Selphie, Rinoa is out there right now about to go to Al Bhed!" Quistis snapped, pointing out their window that took up most of their west wall that over looked part of Esthar.
"Al Bhed!?" Selphie gasped, her eyes nearly falling out of their sockets. "WHY!?"
"I don't know!" Quistis gasped. "Zell called and said that Squall and Rinoa were going to Al Bhed to find out something!"
"Should we go after her-"
"No!" Quistis gasped. "Zell said that the less people the better and I'm not about to put Rinoa in more danger! Hyne, what was she thinking!?" The tired blond fell back against couch, her eyes closed.
"I don't understand...why would Squall bring Rinoa to Al Bhed?" Selphie mumbled quietly. She fell down and sat next to Quistis. "He's got to know that it's dangerous."
"I don't know..." Quistis looked up at the ceiling. As they sat there, Quistis decided to drop the bomb on Selphie. "Adel wants to clone Rinoa."
"What!?" Selphie turned her head sharply to the blond. "What are you talking about?"
"If you got my messages or answered your phone, you'd know," Quistis retorted. "I intercepted a message and some data. Rinoa's blood sample wasn't used to find out if she was a carrier. They already knew that. They want to use her blood to clone her."
"She wants to make an army?" Selphie asked.
Quistis shrugged. "An army of the most powerful sorceress in the world..."
"But...Rin's powers are strong...how can she, even if she is really strong, control an army of Rinoas?" Selphie commented in confusion.
Quistis shook her head. "That's what's bothering me..." she admitted. "Something about that isn't right...but what else would she do with Rinoa clones?"
Rinoa stole another glance at Squall. One hand rested casually on the steering wheel of the black sports car they were driving while the other was placed on the stick, occasionally moving to change gears.
The car windows were, of course, tinted. Squall was wearing a leather jacket, lined at the collar with soft fur like material. He had a white shirt underneath and wore a heavy looking silver pendent of the Leonheart seal. He wore two belts loosely around his hips.
Rinoa's eyes slowly slid down to his pants. *Why does he wear belts that don't even hold his pants up?* she wondered. Turning her eyes away from the tight leather she smirked. *Who cares.*
Squall tried to keep his eyes the road. He had awoken Ellone and thrusted Rinoa in her hands with the words 'Dress her for Al Bhed'. The vampiress looked surprised as Rinoa stumbled into her room. When she had emerged, Rinoa was wearing black. All black. All tight black leather that caused male clan members' heads to turn when they walked through the lobby to find Zell.
She had a low cut tube top and a tight black mini skirt. She wore black heeled boots up to her thighs that were laced up and matching gloves. She had on a black lace choker and was wearing a thin silver necklace with a ring around her neck. He remembered that she had been wearing that earlier.
Dressed in all black, her pale skin seemed even more creamy than usual. Subtle make-up made her features stand out more. He hadn't meant for her to attract attention, but he guessed it couldn't be helped. While they were at the palace, she was talking to Zell about the numbers to call and who to inform. The blond had been trying in vain not to stare.
Squall had sent some glares and even threw him some threatening hisses at his own relatives when they eyed Rinoa with a predatory gaze. And she wasn't eyed for a meal.
The club could be seen in the distance. It was a tall warehouse like structure surrounded by underworld's most seedy characters. Squall pulled up directly in front of the club and got out.
Rinoa sat rigid in her seat, her fingers twisting nervously on her lap. Her door opened and Squall's gloved hand was extended. She took it and was hoisted out of the car. His arm went around her waist as he tossed his keys to a valet as they walked towards the door.
As they approached it, Rinoa felt eyes on her and shivered slightly. He leaned over and whispered in her ear. "Don't be nervous..."
*Oh, Hyne! Then don't whisper in my ear like that!* her mind screamed. She nodded slightly, trying to keep a stern look on her face as two large lycan bouncers opened the doors for them and bowed their heads slightly. Noticing this, she eyed Squall. *Why the hell are THEY bowing to HIM?*
Upon stepping inside, they were violated with blaring music and a room of moving bodies to the beating bass. "We're going to the fourth floor." he mumbled in her ear. She nodded as he headed to a cage like elevator, one of three that surrounded the massive room.
The sorceress couldn't help but be in awe as the side of the elevator enclosed them in it's cage and began to rise. As they went up, she realized that the five story club was made up of a warehouse with three tiers of balcony that surrounded it. The upper balcony was always larger than the one below it. The arching ceiling had it's center lined with glass, letting in the moonlight that fed the werewolves dancing in the crowds.
The fifth floor was the roof top. She could hear noises from the ceiling, but couldn't make out what was going on. "Squall, what's on the fifth floor?" she asked quietly.
"Underworld fights," he stated simply. "Sometimes a feasting."
Rinoa's eyes went large. Shivering, she closed her eyes and turned away from him. 'Feasting' was the term used by lycans and vampires when they fed on humans. From what she understood, it was socially looked down upon, but a fetish hidden behind the facade of sophistication in those races.
In her finishing school, where she had met Quistis, her part vampire friends explained that a true feast was when a whole human was devoured. Typically, when vampires fed on humans, it was only enough to make sure the human didn't die.
"What's the point if you kill your food source when you don't even have to?" One of her classmates had shrugged.
Before she realized it, Squall was leading her out of the elevator and they were on the fourth floor. It was much more extravagantly decorated than the other floors and she realized it was for people with Squall's high status. She walked next to him, every fiber of her body alert. The heavy scent of alcohol mixed with blood and smoke reached her nose and she took notice of the smoking guests.
Vampires. All of them. She could tell right away. They held a kind of sophisticated danger that oozed out of them like their trademark extravagance and sensuality. Squall dripped with it and it was as intoxicating as a drug. She had to admit that even Laguna put out that aura.
Arrogant eyes set upon Rinoa, knowing she wasn't a vampire as she walked along side of Squall. Vampiresses in elegant, dark dresses, eyed her with annoyance as if she were some pest intruding on their little get together. The sorceress responded, by leaning her head on Squall's shoulders and putting her hand on his chest, resulting him in pulling her closer.
"Don't make them mad." he whispered in her ear.
She pulled away and looked at him with a smirk on her face. "You should tell them not to make me mad." she said sweetly.
Squall smirked slightly and lead her to a table in the corner, over looking the dance floor at the bottom. It was then that Rinoa saw the six hanging cages over the dance floor where naked underworld creatures danced to music all their own as if lost in their own world. The flashing lights below danced across the sweating bodies and Rinoa tapped her fingers along with the beat.
"Master Squall," a voice said, bringing Rinoa out of the mesmerizing sound and back to the real world. She turned her head and saw a large dark skinned man with short black hair and goatee. She studied him and figured he was a lycan. "Welcome back. Same as always?"
"Yes," Squall said. Cold steel blue eyes turned to look up at the werewolf. "Where is Kuja?"
"He's not here."
"Don't fuck with me, Barret," Squall hissed. His eyes flashed a bloody red color. "Where is he."
Barret swallowed hard and nodded. "He's in the back room, Master Squall."
"Good," Squall said. He turned his head back to look over the balcony. "Go tell him I want to speak with him." His voice was cold and full of authority.
Barret nodded. He turned to Rinoa. "Would you like anything?"
"Strawberry daiquiri." she said quietly. The lycan nodded and turned back to the bar.
Squall turned back to Rinoa. "I'm going to go talk to Kuja. He's my informant here," he told. His eyes locked on to hers. "You have to stay."
"What!?" she nearly shouted. She narrowed her own eyes and leaned forward, glaring at him. "There is NO way I'm sitting out here alone!" she hissed.
"My scent is all over you, you'll be fine." he said. Rinoa looked doubtful.
"I'm not stupid, Squall," Rinoa hissed. "I can see the blood lust in your vampire folk's eyes."
Squall pulled off his glove. He tugged on something on his finger and held it out. It was a shining platinum ring with a winged lion engraved on it. "This is Griever," he explained. He took her hand and put the ring in her palm, closing her fingers around it after it was in there. "Wear it. No vampire in the right mind will fuck with you if you carry it."
"Are you positive?" she asked, her eyes narrowed.
Squall nodded. He cocked his head to the side. "You shouldn't even need it, seeing as how you're not weak." he retorted.
She shot him a dangerous glare. "I'd rather not invite trouble." she snapped back. She unclasped her necklace and slipped the ring through, so it dangled along with her mother's and rested over her chest.
Two drinks were placed in front of them and Rinoa took a drink from hers. Her eyes went wide as strange taste stood out. "Blood?" she gasped in near horror.
"You're with a vampire, it's expected." Squall stated as he lifted the tall darkened cup to his lips.
"I'm not drinking this." she said, pushing the drink away.
Squall narrowed his eyes. "At least FAKE it."
"No!"
"Fine..." he tilted his head back and drank the rest of his drink. Barret walked back and bent down.
"Master Kuja will see you now."
Squall nodded and put the now empty cup back on the table. He leaned over to Rinoa once more. "Don't draw any attention to yourself and stay put."
She nodded and watched as he stood up and turned his back to her. He followed Barret to a door and waited until he disappeared inside. The door closed and Rinoa gently brought his cup over to her. It was empty and too dark to see the contents inside, but one smell told her right away.
She pushed the cup that had been filled with blood away from her, closing her eyes as if to forget the scent and the knowledge that it had been Squall who just drank from that cup.
"Hey there," a smooth female voice said. Rinoa looked up to a brunette with long brown hair wearing dark orange and black. She was backed up with woman with blonde hair that curled at the edges. "You're new here, right?"
"Possibly," Rinoa replied casually. She tugged at her necklace, trying to subtly tell them that she was not to be messed with. "Can I help you?"
"I thought that maybe we could help you," the blonde smiled. "Dagger and I saw you looking out earlier. You've never danced at Al Bhed before have you?"
"What does that matter?" Rinoa asked coolly.
"Why don't you join us?" Dagger asked with a sweet smile. "I'm sure Master Squall wouldn't mind if you enjoyed yourself just a little."
*He'd probably kill me...* Rinoa thought to herself. She looked back down at the mass of swaying bodies. The music was calling to her. *But I'm a big girl, I can handle myself.* Tucking the necklace between her breasts, under her top, she stood up. "Sure," she smirked. "Why not?"
"He took her WHERE!?" Seifer was furious. He was out of his seat in a moment's notice. He grabbed his coat off the back of the couch as Fujin and Raijin stood up with him. "Hyne! How can you let him take her there?" he hissed.
"Seifer, she'll be fine! She's with Squall!" Selphie assured him.
That fact only seemed to agitate the tall blond male further. "Ugh! You don't understand!" Seifer growled. "The company in Al Bhed comes as second nature to Squall! The most dangerous thing with Rinoa is the person you trusted her with!"
"Seifer, just because he's a vampire-"
"It has nothing to do with that!" Seifer hissed. Frustrated, he slammed his hand on the counter.
"They say that Squall isn't as innocent as he looks, ya know," Raijin said quietly. "He still has connections to the underground, ya know."
"Worried." Fujin mumbled.
"Well, what can we do?" Quistis gasped as she stood up. She refused to believe that Rinoa was in danger with Squall. It was a gut feeling she couldn't explain. "We can't just barge into Al Bhed!"
"Seifer, our kind isn't welcomed!" Selphie added. "Hybrids, shifters, and sorcerers aren't liked there!"
"She's right," Quistis agreed. "If we even try to get in, they'll turn us away."
"Restricted." Fujin agreed.
"We can't just sit here and leave Rinoa with Squall in Al Bhed," Seifer said tiredly. "She won't even have a chance to use her powers if they attack her."
"I hate it when you're right," Selphie mumbled. "But...I just don't think Squall would hurt Rin...Irvine speaks so well of Squall-"
"Of course he does," Quistis sighed. She fell back on the couch and shook her head. "That's his friend."
"No," Selphie said. She stood up and glared at Seifer. "Squall wouldn't hurt her. I just know it! If you go after Rinoa now, you'll have to go through me."
Seifer narrowed his eyes. "Selphie-"
"I'm serious!" Selphie said. "If you don't have faith in this, we might as well give up now!"
Behind Seifer, a whip cracked and he turned around. Quistis was leaning against the couch, her Save the Queen being toyed in her hands. "I agree with Selphie," she said. "Rinoa will be safe with Squall."
Squall stood up and nodded his head at the man sitting on the black leather couch. He headed towards the door and left the room. He closed the door behind him and looked around the forth floor. His eyes narrowed as he took a step forward. Rinoa wasn't where their table was. In fact, she wasn't any where on the level.
"Barret," Squall hissed dangerously, his sharp canines peeking from behind his lips as he spoke. Blue eyes turned red as he looked at the bartender. "Where is she?"
Barret swallowed hard once more and pointed to the elevator. "Some vamps took her downstairs, master Squall."
"For WHAT." the brunette demanded.
"I don't know, master Squall." A low growl settled in Squall's throat as he stalked over to the elevator, his face set in a fierce look as he nearly broke the elevator slamming his hand against the elevator button.
He got inside the cage and pressed the button for the first floor. *I told her to stay put! Hyne, what was she thinking!?* Squall gripped the sides of the elevator, nearly bending the metal.
Back inside the back room, Kuja lifted a pipe to his mouth and took a hit, his eyes dangerously centered on the door. The other people in the room, mostly female vampiresses, were lounging around the well furnished room, drinking and smoking heavily.
A white haired vampire seemed to melt from the shadows as greenish eyes looked at Kuja. The informant felt eyes on him and turned in the direction where a vampire in a black trench coat seemed to be appearing.
"I told him," Kuja said simply. "Are you sure about this?"
A black leather briefcase was handed to Kuja by the white haired vampire. "It's well worth your while," he replied in a deep voice. "Trust me."
"Is it all in there?"
"Every single gil."
Kuja nodded and took the briefcase and put it on his lap. The white haired man exited the room and closed the door behind him. As Kuja opened the brief case, his eyes went wide. "The fuck is this!?"
An silent explosion of white light leaked from the crack beneath the door as the man in the black trench coat stood there, his hand still on the door knob. Grinning, he lifted up a sword, stopping Barret, who had seen the white light, from coming any closer.
Dangerous greenish eyes looked at the bartender. "You say anything and you're next. Understand?"
Barret nodded his head slowly and the vampire lowered his sword. Silently, he moved back into the shadows and seemed to disappear. When he couldn't smell his scent any more, Barret opened the door. He paled and shut the door quickly. Fifteen vampires had been burned alive.
Downstairs, the pounding music attacked Squall's ears as he got off the elevator. Narrowed eyes surveyed the dance floor. He slipped through the pulsating bodies, weaving through the heated mix of lycans and vampires as he searched for Rinoa. He could smell a mixture of scents that easily hid hers.
*Where the hell is she!?* his mind screamed. He was pushed around to a point where he blared his fangs to have dancers back off. Finally he caught sight of her wedged between several male vampires and a lycan or two. Her arms were in the air waving to the beat as the others around her. Her hair swished around her head and it turned from side to side, following the sound the music. She seemed just as pumped up as the rest of the crowd, if not more.
"Rinoa!" he shouted. He mentally swore. There was no way she could hear him over the thumping sound. Squall made his way towards her. She turned to face him and raised her head. *Oh shit...*
She smiled, intoxicated by the atmosphere. Her eyes were glazed over, having a far off look to them as her body was moved in ways that would normally have embarrassed her. He called out to her again, but received no answer. As she jumped around, she looked almost surreal. The flashing lights swirled around her surroundings and the moonlight cast it's pale light on her even paler skin.
She was, at that moment, the most ethereal creature Squall ever laid eyes on.
Suddenly he heard the sound. He looked up and saw the massive sky light begin to open. He took the final steps towards Rinoa and grabbed her wrists.
"Where do you think you're taking her!?" someone hissed behind him. Squall turned sharply and glared at the vampire who had spoken. He grabbed him by the throat and raised him off his feet as his fangs elongated and blue eyes turned red.
Blood red eyes quickly silenced the other vampire as he was throw side ways. Rinoa, completely drunk off the music pulled away from him, giggling. "Rinoa!" he gasped as he whirled around. She began to go back into the dancing crowd, who was growing more and more euphoric by the second.
Squall looked up and saw the workers on the ceiling prepare the climax of the night. He had practically forgotten about it and cursed himself for bringing her there. Viciously, he tore through the crowd, drowning out the music and focusing only on finding Rinoa.
Through the swaying crowd, he saw her. Her head was tilted up, looking up curiously at the opened ceiling. He had to get her out of there. She would be eaten alive if she stayed any longer. Around him people started to let out screams of pleasure as the workers on the ceiling let loose gallons of blood.
Dark red liquid fell like rain into the warehouse, right over the swaying bodies, as the smell of iron filled the room. Rinoa's eyes were huge with wonder as she raised her arms to touch the red rain drops. Squall shoved several people around and grabbed her wrist tightly. Without a second thought, he turned around and began to drag her off the dance floor.
He looked back at her and saw he reaching out, trying to get back to her spot where the blood was falling. Turning back, he could hear the shouting and screams as it began. Red drops fell on his hair and his clothes, creating little stains everywhere. He knew what the lycans and vampires would look for. They would look for someone not like them. They would look for Rinoa.
He pushed both doors open, nearly tearing them off the walls as he dragged Rinoa out of the building. He kept a firm grip on Rinoa as he shot a look at the valet. In a matter of seconds, his car pulled up to entrance and the valet opened the doors for him and Rinoa.
Squall pulled the front chair forward and tossed Rinoa in the back before locking the chair in place to avoid her escaping. He slammed the door and got in the driver's seat and peeling away.
He looked in the rear view mirror. Rinoa was coming out of her haze. Her head wobbled back and forth slowly as her eyes squinted every so often, as if trying to regain her sight. Suddenly, her head began to pound and she moaned. She curled up into a fetal position in his back seat and clutched her head. Squall swore once more.
"I'm sorry, Rinoa..." He whispered quietly as he drove. Rinoa's vision began to blur and her eyes rolled back into her head.