Re-Creating Hell
Chapter Fourteen: Dream World Secrets
By PasifiKStar

Author's Note: In my sick little quest to include as many FF characters as I can, I've created this chapter. It's a complete filler chapter, with only the end meaning something. Containing: Julia + Laguna, Julia + Caraway, Laguna + Raine, Ultimecia's REAL Reason, and the explanation of Hell's Gates.
Terra & Locke - Final Fantasy VI

*All Standard Disclaimers Apply: I do not own Final Fantasy or it's characters.

"Julia, come on!" Terra said. "He's been here since we opened!"

"We've only been open for a few minutes, Terra," Julia sighed. "I'll be done there in a minute...and whose watching the counter if you're here?"

"I got Locke to cover for me!"

"You can get Locke to do anything for you."

"I told you, we're not LIKE that!!" Terra gasped. Julia giggled as she changed into a dark colored dress.

"I'll be there in a big!" Julia sighed. Terra let out a grumpy 'fine' and left. Julia Heartilly, skilled musician and sorceress, smiled as she looked into the mirror and swept her dark brown hair into a bun. She left a few bangs over her face and surveyed herself in the mirror. *Okay...I look fine...*

Tonight, she would play in the lounge of the hotel she worked in. She had a new song she had been working on and would showcase it that evening. It was special to her, as a certain vampiric soldier had asked to speak to her after tonight's performance. She suddenly felt giddy.

Finally, Julia stepped out of her room. She had woken up later than usual and it was already dark outside. She would make it up by working over time. She took the elevator to the lobby of the hotel and saw Terra and Locke, two blonds, at the front counter. Locke was busying helping a customer as Terra, with her blue eyes and blond hair in a pony tail, eagerly pointed into the lounge.

Julia rolled her eyes nodded, saying she understood and took a deep breath. Hyne, she could feel him near by. Her heart began to race in her chest and it's pounding grew harder the closer she got to the lounge. Once she stepped into the dim room, she immediately saw him in the booth closest to the stage where she would perform. However, she saw one thing...or rather two people missing.

Laguna turned his head, as if knowing she hand entered and smiled sheepishly as he gave her a little wave. She smiled warmly. *Hyne, he's hot...* She walked past his table to talk to him. "So you wanted to talk to me afterwards?"

"Yeah," Laguna stammered as his face tinted into a slight pink. "Is that okay?"

"Sure!" Julia beamed a brilliant smile, making Laguna's leg cramp up again in his nervousness. "I'll come by right after I play okay."

"Great!" Laguna smiled. *She's so beautiful...*

"Umm..." Julia blushed. "I wrote a new song...tell me what you think, okay?"

Laguna nodded energetically and watched as she headed up to the stage, where soft yellow lights, friendly towards vampires like himself, were focused on the grand piano that awaited her.

She sat down on the bench and prepared to play. As her slender fingers danced over the keys, the room filled with music and Laguna would forever remember her for this song. The song that she had written for him.

She was now laying on a bed, her head rested against a pillow as she curled up under her blanket. Someone knocked on the door. "Julia?" a soft voice said from the other side. "Julia, can I come in?"

The brunette on the bed closed her swollen eyes tightly. "Come in, Terra..." Julia croaked from her bed. The door opened slightly and a worried blond stepped into the room. In her hands, she carried a brown plastic tray with a bowl filled with soup on it.

"Hey..." Terra said as she placed the tray on Julia's table counter. "I brought you something to eat."

"I don't feel like eating..." Julia whispered.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Terra asked as she sat on the side of Julia's bed. The brunette had her eyes shut tightly and shook her head. "Julia...it'll make you feel better..."

"I can't believe it!" Julia nearly screamed as she buried her face in her pale pillow. She clutched it tightly as she turned to look at Julia. "Why didn't he tell me!?"

"He told you he was leaving..." Terra whispered. Gently he stroked her best friend's head, trying to console her.

"Why didn't he tell me from the beginning?" Julia whimpered with tears in her eyes. "I wish I had known..."

Terra's eyebrows knit together in question as she looked at Julia with concern. "What do you wish you had known?"

"Terra..." Julia whispered. "I knew he was a vampire."

"Well, we all knew that," Terra said. "Any underworlder would know if another was and of what race..."

Julia shook her head. "He's the heir of the Loire clan."

Terra's eyes went wide. "THE Loire clan?" Julia nodded her head tearfully. "But... what was he doing here? In Deling City?"

"He was on a mission," Julia whispered quietly. She sat up, dressed in a long white night shirt. She pulled her knees up to her chin and rested her arms around them, burying her head in her arms. "He has a fiancée, Terra."

"WHAT!?" Terra gasped. "He NEVER TOLD YOU!?"

Julia's eyes were shut tightly. "He spent a whole month here...and I always saw him looking at me and I really thought...I REALLY believed that we had something..."

"You didn't care that he was a vampire?" Terra asked gently.

"Of course not!" Julia gasped. "My family's been inter-marrying for years. It's perfectly acceptable! But the worst part was he told me he loved me..."

"Julia..." Terra said softly. "Honey, I think he really did..."

"Then why didn't he tell me!?"

"Julia...you know that vampire clans tend to have arranged marriages," Terra assured her. "Especially those high society ones..."

"But he still has one!" Julia gasped. "It doesn't matter if he's in love with her or not. Or if he does have an arranged marriage! The point is that he HAS one!!"

"Would it have made a difference?" Terra asked. "Would you not have fallen in love with him knowing he had one..."

Julia sat there in silence. She diverted her brown eyes from Terra's blue ones. "No..."

Terra thought as much. She reached over and gave her friend a hug. "It's been two months, Julia..." Terra said. "I know you loved him, but you can't do this to yourself. You need to move on."

"I just keep praying that he'll come back..." the brunette whispered quietly. "But I know he won't..."

"We're all worried about you, honey," Terra told her as she held her friend in a tight embrace. "But this just wasn't meant to be..."

"I'll never forget about him, Terra..."

"You never forget your first love..."

Clapping surrounded her ears as she smiled and offered the crowd a 'thank you'. Julia stood up off the bench and headed straight for the bar where Locke was waiting with her usual drink.

"Thanks..." she told him as she slipped on to a black leather stool at the bar and Locke handed her a drink.

"You look better today, Julia," he assured her. "We're glad to see you back up there. We swear we started to loose customers."

Julia merely chuckled and shook her head. "Thanks, Locke," she said and took a sip of her drink. He watched as she drank it and smirked when she drew her head back and glared at the drink. "Locke, did you weaken it!?"

"Terra found out and threatened me," Locke said. He put the class he was cleaning down and put a hand on his waist. "Next time you tell her, don't mention my name."

"I swear, it just slipped out." Julia shrugged

Locke shook his head and looked over her shoulder. "Oh yeah...the General is here again."

"General Caraway?" Julia asked, tilting her head slightly in question. He smiled and nodded.

"I think he as little crush on our Julia..."

"Shut up, Locke...General Caraway does NOT have a -"

"Excuse me, Miss Heartilly?"

Locke struggled to hide his grin and he turned around and headed for the other side of the bar as Julia swallowed her drink and slowly turned around. There she saw a middle aged looking sorcerer smiling warmly at her.

"General Caraway, right?" Julia asked, putting a smile on her face. She extended her hand. "I've heard so much about you."

Chuckling slightly, he lifted his hand and rubbed the back of his neck. He wore a military uniform of a high ranking officer and Julia was once again reminded of Laguna. "I heard you playing," he said. "I just wanted to tell you in person that you were absolutely magnificent."

Julia took this to heart and nodded gratefully. "Thank you, sir, I'm honored to earn such high praise from a man of your stature."

"Oh, no please..." he chuckled. "That's not necessary. Your performance was...breath taking," he blushed slightly and diverted his eyes to the ground. "I admire you very much."

"Thank you, sir," Julia smiled. "Please, join me for a drink."

"Where are you going?" a voice asked behind her. Julia froze in her spot and bit her bottom lip. She had a thick coat on and was hoping that no one would notice her leaving. Unfortunately, she hadn't counted on the blond woman at the front counter to spot her so easily.

"Uh..." Julia turned around slowly. "Out...?"

"You're not trying to run away, are you?" Terra asked. She walked around the counter with her hands around her waist. "For crying out loud, you're getting married tomorrow!"

"I'm not running away!" Julia sighed. "I'm just going to see Faith..."

Terra looked surprised and let her arms fall down at her sides. "Faith?" she asked, a bit shocked. "You want to see your destiny?"

"I'll have you know it's a family tradition to see Faith before marriage!" Julia insisted. Terra sighed.

"Okay, okay...do you want me to go with you?" Terra asked. Julia shook her head.

"No, I have to do this alone," the brunette said. "I'll see you later." Terra said good bye and watched the young sorceress leave the building.

Outside, the sun hadn't set yet and so Julia felt relatively safe. She quickly walked down the streets of Deling City to get to cathedral where she would be married the next day to General Caraway.

Two years had passed since Laguna left her, yet deep within the depths of her heart, she still loved him. And much of her felt guilty for it. Yes, she loved Caraway was well, but Terra had been right. One never forgets their first love. And Laguna was her first love. She couldn't thank Hyne enough for having found such a loving and caring man like Caraway who accepted the fact that part of her heart still belonged to Laguna.

But Caraway had been kind of her. Treating her very well and visiting her whenever he was back home in Deling City from the wars. He offered her protection under the Caraway clan and everything her heart could ever desire. Except Laguna.

Slowly, Julia's steps slowed down and she took a deep breath. She hated herself for loving another man when she knew she loved Caraway as well. She couldn't understand why, but the strong feelings she had towards Laguna hadn't died down. She shook her head. It was better this way. Caraway was, like her, a sorcerer. And he loved her greatly. Even in her haze filled heart, she could see that.

Before she could finish her thoughts, she stood before the steps of the cathedral and looked up at it's domed towers. Taking a deep breath, she walked up the steps and entered the hallowed room within the great building. Her foot steps echoed off the walls as she approached the alter. Looking around, she saw that it was basically empty. Even half the candles had not been turned on yet.

She reached the alter and knelt down, assuming a kneeling position and began to summon Faith. Hearing the summons of a blood sorceress, a childlike hooded figure approached her. It's body was almost transparent as it's dark blue hooded robe fell just at their knees over their bare legs and feet.

"You have summoned me, Julia Heartilly?"

"Faith," Julia began. "I would like to know my future with General Caraway."

"Why is it that you wish to know the future?"

"To assert that what I am doing is correct." Julia explained.

"I will tell your fate with Caraway, however you must realize that there is no wrong or right. There is only what you perceive is wrong or right. Do you understand?"

Julia nodded. She would contemplate it later. "I will keep that in mind Faith."

"Very good," the child like voice from the hooded figure replied. "The peak of your life with Caraway will come in the form of a female child that will be birthed some years from now. She will possess the blood lines of generations of sorcerers. While your blood lacks one, her blood will contain all as her father, Caraway, will have the missing piece."

"I'll have a daughter...?" Julia asked, a smile drawing on her face. "What will she be like?"

"Sadly, Julia...you will not see your daughter as a woman. At least not as your are now."

Slowly, Julia's smile faded into a concerned frown. "What do you mean?"

"Your question was your future with Caraway, not the question of your life," Faith told her. "As you know, only one question at a time can be answered."

Julia nodded and closed her eyes, letting out a heavy sigh. "I understand."

"Good," Faith replied. "While your future with Caraway will be bittersweet, as you will spend the rest of your life carrying the burden of another love in your heart, you will find that you truly do care for Caraway. And thus your daughter."

"Faith, since my daughter is in my future with Caraway...will there be something special about her?" Julia asked earnestly. Already, she had begun to mentally sort out possible names for her future daughter.

"There is something special about every child, Julia," Faith said with a hint of amusement in it's voice. "But there will be several children born that will determine the future. They will be the key to the survival of this world."

"What part will my daughter's be? At least tell me that, Faith...if my daughter... Rinoa, will be the peak of my life with Caraway, I wish to know as much about her as possible." Julia pleaded.

"Ah, so you have chosen the name already," Faith chuckled. "Rinoa will be said to have all the blood lines in her. But in reality, she will have the purest blood of all sorceresses. The last to have such was The Lady, who had helped seal Hell's Gates. Your daughter and the son of Leonheart will be the key to the survival of this world."

"How...?"

"The dawn will break and a fate is sealed. The past relived and then revealed." After that, Faith began to vanish - slowly turning invisible and disappearing before Julia's eyes.

"Faith wait! Wait!"

The vision shimmered and Rinoa blinked her eyes. *What the hell was that...? My mom... and LAGUNA?* Slowly her thoughts played back. The first time she had met Laguna Loire... at that event between the clans...the night she had met Squall. Or danced with him rather.

"I loved your...mother's music..."

*Oh Hyne...* Rinoa closed her eyes as all she saw around her was white light. She seemed to be floating there, in that dream world. *Why did I see all of that?"

*Her first love...* Rinoa's eyes watered. She had felt all of her mother's emotions. The unadulterated joy she felt when she was with Laguna to the sheer pain when she realized she could never have him.

The brunette began to feel resentment towards Laguna, but then she remembered the look on his face when he had met her. He seemed so happy to meet her, as if she were Julia herself. And he had seemed sincere and his eyes didn't seem to lie when he told her that he loved her mother's music.

*He had paused...* she thought to herself. *He wanted to say he loved my mother...and what was Faith saying? Did my mom know she was going to die...?* Rinoa thought to herself behind wet tears. *She knew and she always kept a smile on her face...never telling me or father...*

She closed her eyes once more. Even if it was in a dream, she felt incredibly close to her mother at that moment. The woman's voice filled her mind and all she could think about was how much she missed her mother. As she blinked the tears back, her surroundings began to change around her.

"Auntie Raine..." a quiet voice whispered as she peeked into a room. The woman on the chair turned around to look at the door. There, a little girl with brown eyes and short brown hair looked in shyly.

"Ellone!" Raine gasped as she saw the child. "Honey, what are you doing up this late? I was going to carry you home."

"Someone needs help..." Ellone said. "I can hear them..."

Raine's eyes went large and she stood up from her chair immediately. "Where, Ellone?"

"Outside," Ellone said, pointing to the closed door of the bar. Raine nodded and headed towards the door. Just as she reached it, someone knocked and Raine jumped back. She looked back at Ellone. "It's okay..." Ellone assured her. "They don't think mean."

Raine smiled softly and slowly opened the door of Loveless. "Oh Hyne!" she gasped. She threw the door open and Ellone gasped. There were three men standing there and from what she smelled, they were all vampires. Between the tall dark man and the big pale man was a limp, bloody figure.

"Miss, we are in dire need of assistance!" the dark man gasped as he held his friend. "Please-"

"Just bring him this way!" Raine gasped. "Ellone, open the side door!" She ushered them inside as the vampire child ran to the door hidden within the bar and pushed it open. "Put him on the couch! Ellone, go and get the medical kit. I'll be right back with some water!"

"Thank you!" the dark man said. "Ward, help me put him on the couch."

The big pale man nodded and lifted the long haired vampire on to the couch. A little girl ran in, carrying a box and putting it on the coffee table. "Auntie will be right back." she told them quietly.

"I hope we're not scaring you, little one," the dark haired man told her with a sad frown. "My name is Kiros and that is Ward. This wounded one here is Laguna."

"My name is Ellone!" she piped. "I heard you outside."

"Heard us..." Kiros asked, his eyebrows furrowing.

"In here," Ellone said, tapping her head with her tiny finger. "I'm gifted!" she said proudly.

"I'm sure you are," a voice gasped from the couch. Ellone looked down at him, as if studying him scientifically. "Hello..."

"Hello," Ellone said, waving slightly and looking at him with large brown eyes. "My name is Ellone."

"Pleased to meet you." he said. He tried to smile, but winced as he grasped his side.

"Laguna, don't move!" Kiros barked.

"I'm sorry I took so long!" Raine gasped. She came into the room carrying a heavy white porcelain basin and several white towels. Ward immediately went to help her and took the basin from her hands, placing it next to the coffee table.

"I'm sorry to disturb you so late, miss..." Laguna gasped as he winced. "But we were attacked..."

"Don't apologize when you're the one hurt," Raine told him sternly. She looked at his comrades. "Please help yourself to some of the blood packets behind the counter of the bar. You all look famished."

"Thank you..." Kiros said, smiling weakly.

"I'll show you!" Ellone said. Grabbing each of their hands in her tiny ones, she proceeded to lead them out the door.

"If he complains, just call us!" Kiros said as they were dragged out by the child. Laguna would've glared at him had he the strength.

The woman smiled as she lifted a wrung out white towel to his forehead. "Let's see the damage," she said. She removed a pair of sharp scissors from the medical case and began to cut his shirt open. It was bleeding heavily and she winced as she saw the large gash on his side. "Oh, Hyne..."

"Sorry..."

"I told you not to apologize," she scolded. She took another towel and began to wipe the blood away from the gash. He was healing well for a vampire, but it seemed that multiple gashes had made this particular wound heal slower. And as a result, he had lost a lot of blood and was thus healing slower. "So..." she said as she but the hot towel around his body to wipe away the excess blood. "What is your name?"

"Laguna..." he gasped. "And yours?"

"Raine," she told him as she mechanically began to bind his wound. Beautiful blue eyes met his and she smield. "My name is Raine."

"And that's the story..." Kiros said. "I'm sorry to trouble you so much, Raine."

"That's all right, Kiros," Raine assured him. "I'm sorry to hear about that...does he know yet?"

"I told him earlier this evening." Kiros sighed. He shook his head as he held the cup in his hand.

Raine's gentle eyes softened even more. "How did he take it?" she asked quietly.

"How does any man take hearing that the woman he loved married another?" Kiros snorted. "He was devastated."

"I guess deep down he hoped to go back to her," Raine murmured. "What a lucky woman..."

Kiros smiled. "She had her heart broken by that idiot sleeping in the other room," Kiros added. "How lucky is that?"

"Did he really love her, Kiros?" Raine asked quietly.

Kiros looked back down at the cup. "I think he did..." Raine nodded understandingly. "Ward and I are going to go on patrol...do you mind watching him?"

"I will," Raine agreed. She smiled slightly. "I just have to pry Ellone off him first. She's grown quite fond of that man."

"That's because they're at the same intelligence level." Kiros laughed.

Raine shook her head. "Now, now...don't bring Ellone down to THAT level." The two of them laughed as Ward came out from the room where Laguna had spent the last week recovering.

"Ready?" Kiros asked. Ward nodded and the other vampire slipped off the bar stool. "We'll be back later, Raine."

Raine nodded and watched as the two vampires left the bar. She looked around her tavern. It was a relatively slow night. *Slow...that's an understatement...it's empty!* Sighing, she walked to the door and put the closed sign in the window. She began to lock up everything.

As she passed by the side door, she heard voices whispering inside. "No, Uncle Laguna!" she heard Ellone gasp. "You're coloring it wrong!"

"I am?" he asked, sounding surprised. "But I thought you said to color this green."

"I said to color THIS green...you're coloring on the wrong side of the lines, Uncle Laguna!" Ellone scolded.

"Opps! You're right..." he chuckled. "My mistake."

"Now we have to start ALL over...!" Raine smiled and shook her head.

"Raine, is that you?" the male voice asked. "I can smell your scent, you know."

"Oh..." *Well, so much for hiding...* Raine slowly stepped into the room and smiled slightly. "Did you need anything, Laguna? Are you hungry?"

"No, I'm fine..." He turned to look at her and she frowned. His eyes were puffy. He had been crying. She could see the red tissues in the trash can by the door.

"Uh..." Raine looked from the trash can to the vampire sitting at the edge of the couch, with bandages around his mid section as he held a green crayon in his hand. "Ellone, honey, can you go upstairs and water my plants?"

Ellone wrinkled her nose and turned around. "But I thought that..." She saw Raine's head kind of jerk towards the door. "Oh...okay!" The little girl sat up from where she was sitting on the floor and dropped her blue crayon on the coffee table were her coloring book was and headed out the door.

Laguna looked up at Raine from where we was sitting and motioned for her to sit down. Raine looked out the door to make sure that Ellone had gone to the roof top to water her plants before sitting down next to Laguna on the couch.

She looked at him sadly. "Laguna...I heard about Julia..."

Laguna's eyes went wide and immediately diverted his eyes to the coffee table and Ellone's coloring book. "Kiros...he has such a big mouth..."

Raine nodded. "Well...if you need to talk, I'd be happy to listen." she assured him. Laguna nodded slowly.

"I knew that I shouldn't have fallen in love with her," Laguna whispered quietly. "I knew I should've stopped going to watch her play...but I couldn't stop myself."

Raine put her hand on his shoulder and squeezed it gently. "You can't help who you fall in love with, Laguna."

Laguna nodded and looked at Raine, smiling weakly. "Raine...I never got your last name..." he said.

She smiled warmly. "Leonheart," Laguna's smile faltered and faded from his mouth. At this, Raine also frowned. "Is something wrong?"

"You're Raine of the Leonheart Clan?" Laguna whispered. Raine nodded steadily.

"Have you heard of my clan?" she asked innocently. Laguna diverted his eyes.

"Yes," he mumbled. "Raine...may I please have a moment by myself?" he asked quietly.

"Of course, Laguna," She nodded and stood up exited the room, leaving the vampire by himself. She closed the door and leaned back against it, her eyes closed. *You can't help who you fall in love with...sometimes it's best not to tell them...*

"What...?" Raine dropped the glass she had been drying as her entire body froze. She stood there, behind the bar counter, as Kiros watched the glass fall and shatter on the hard counter top.

His eyes slowly went back up to look into the deep blue eyes of Raine Leonheart. "How could you not know?" Kiros asked quietly. "It's been a year, Raine..."

"But..." Raine stammered. Shaking hands slowly began to pick up the glass shards as she struggled to keep her composure. "Why didn't he tell me?"

"I don't know, the man's a fool!" Kiros sighed. *I swear, Laguna...you're as dense as a brick...* "Raine, how could you go a year without knowing that Laguna is Laguna Loire?"

"He never told me his last name," Raine explained. She pricked herself on a shard and pulled her hand back. "I never asked..."

"Raine, we're leaving tonight," Kiros said. "You have to tell him how you feel."

"What do you mean 'how I feel'?" Raine jerked her head up to look at her friend.

He merely let out a heavy sigh. "You know what I mean..."

"I can't tell him, Kiros!" Raine gasped. She turned around, the shards of glass in her hands, as she went to throw them away. "He's still in love with Julia."

"And...?"

"I can't tell him! No! Forget it!" Raine. "I don't CARE if we are engaged! It's all a formality between clans!"

Unknown to Raine, standing past the door way to the roof was Laguna. He leaned against the narrow corridor and closed his eyes. Had he misread? Did Raine not love him? His breathing shortened as he slid down to the steps. *First Julia and now Raine...Hyne, I really thought that Raine and I...what am I thinking!? We never said a word to each other about that...and she doesn't even WANT to marry me...*

"Raine," he heard Kiros saying. "You can't do this."

"No, Kiros," Raine said, shaking her head. "It won't work..."

"I'll catch up..."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah..." Laguna said. "I just want to take in Esthar a little more..." Kiros and Ward looked at each other reluctantly, but nodded. They turned their backs to the vampire as they set down the other side of a grassy hill. They were to take a train to Trabia to visit another vampire clan.

The night wind swept through the park by the train station and Laguna stood there. Many times in the last year, Raine had accompanied him on his walks through the park. Patiently listening to him as he babbled on and on about his life.

Somewhere along the line, the park became a place where he could spend time with Raine. He had never told her that he was a Loire. He knew she would realize that he was the man she was supposed to marry. And he knew she felt bad that he had to leave his beloved Julia for a woman he never met.

He mentally swore. Did she not want to marry him because of that? Even after he had fallen in love with her. Then he cursed himself for loving two women. Julia would always be in his heart. But then, so would Raine. He looked down at the silver ring on his finger and thought of the matching one he had purchased a few weeks ago, when he made the decision.

The decision he had just left behind. Lost deep in thought, he didn't even hear the foot steps climbing up the hill. "Laguna?" a soft voice called.

Surprised, he whirled around and saw Raine standing there. Dressed comfortably in jeans and a yellow sweater and head band pulling black a beautiful shade of brown, silken hair, she stood. Her ever present smile graced her face. "Raine...hi..." he stammered nervously as he raised his hand and scratched the back of his head.

"You didn't come to say good-bye," she said as she stepped closer to him. "Kiros said you were leaving tonight."

"Yeah...the train's going to leave soon..." He looked around and took a step back. "I should get going..." He raised his hand. "Uh...bye..." He turned around.

"Laguna, wait," Raine said. She began to walk after him, her heart pounding in her chest as it screamed for her to tell him. "I have to tell you-"

"Raine," Laguna said suddenly as he turned around. He reached out and took the hand that had been reaching towards him. He took the ring he had been holding and slipped it on to her finger. "I'm not saying good-bye..."

"Laguna..." the vampiress' eyes went wide as she looked at the glistening silver band around her finger. Her heart felt like it was about to burst in her chest as she brought her hands up and looked into Laguna's eyes.

Shyly, the vampire blushed as he lifted up his own hand, showing the matching ring that was already placed on his ring finger. "Well?"

Speechless, Raine's eyes began to water as she raised her own hand to show that she was accepting. "Laguna!!" Letting out a gasp of air, she ran into his arms and threw her own around him. She buried her head against his chest as she clung on to him.

Laguna's hands went around Raine's figure, feeling her warmth underneath her yellow sweater. He leaned his head against hers as he felt a serene warmth surround his body. He could feel her heart beating against his chest and he closed his eyes.

"I love you, Raine..."

Raine opened her eyes slowly. She felt tired, like she had every morning recently. She waited for the wave of sickness to hit her, but didn't feel it at all. Narrowing her eyes, she sat up and looked around the room.

"Laguna...?" she called quietly. He wasn't there. She looked around. She wasn't even in their bedroom any more. She was in a vacant space filled with only white light. She'd never been in a brighter room and looked wondrously around realizing that she wasn't being burned by the light.

"Raine Leonheart," a voice said behind her. Turning around, Raine saw a child like figure dressed in a blue hooded robe. "My name is Faith."

Raine tilted her head to the side. "Faith..." she asked. "Are you lost?"

The child chuckled. "No, Raine," she said. "I am here to tell you about your child."

"My...child?" Raine asked. As far as she knew, she didn't have any children. Her eyes went wide. "My child..." Her hands went to her still flat stomach. *The morning sickness!*

"You have always been special Raine Leonheart," the child like figure told her. "You must do your best to see to it that your son will be born into this world."

"A boy!?" Raine gasped. She smiled from ear to ear. "Laguna will love hearing that..."

"Your son is the key to saving the world."

"Saving the world...?" Raine asked in disbelief. "What are you talking about? He hasn't even been born yet."

"Soon the war will end and another threat will arise," Faith told her. "And it will be your son who will join the ranks of the heroes."

"Why are you telling me this?" Raine asked.

"Because you will have to protect your son," Faith answered. "Even when you are not there..."

Raine's eye brows furrowed. "Not...there? I don't understand..."

Faith slowly began to disappear from Raine's vision as her surroundings began to shimmer and change. The last words she heard echoed in both her and Rinoa's mind. "The dawn will break and a fate is sealed. The past relived and then revealed."

Rinoa smiled slightly as tears streamed down her face. It amazed her how the Dream World could push the emotions of these people on to her so that she knew how each of them felt at that particular time. *So Laguna fell in love with Raine Leonheart...Squall's mother...* Slowly her eyes closed as she felt that she knew the woman in the picture better than she realized. *That must've been her who first spoke to me...* She smiled widely.

It had been a beautiful story so far. While it saddened her that Laguna and Julia's romance was torn, it made her happy to know that they had each found someone else to love. And as a result of those loves, she and Squall were born.

She and Squall were born... *Faith appeared twice...and ended on the same note... I have to remember this and tell Quisty... "The dawn will break and a fate is sealed. The past relived and then revealed."*

And as many times before, Rinoa's surroundings had began to change, but founder herself unprepared for what she was about to discover.

The castle was magnificent. Tall white keeps towered over the river surrounded town. The town surrounding the dark blue toped castle was made of small cottages and buildings. Everyday, it's streets would be filled with humans and in the night, the underworld folk would appear.

They lived their own lives, sometimes mingling with the humans and sometimes not. But in Ultimecia's kingdom, many gladly joined in the lives of humans and shared the same culture.

Deep within the heart of palace, within the windowless room of a massive underground area, candles lined the room, casting and eerie glow around the gothic style underground of the castle.

There, before Hyne's alter, was dark obsidian casket. The contents, too mangled and torn to be kept within a traditional glass casket, had been prepared for burial and a long dark blue silk cloth had been draped over it.

She stood before the casket, alone. She had been standing there far before mourners came and remained there far after they left. She could not, WOULD not leave him. The man she loved and chosen as her mate had left her.

Her body was shrouded in white. She would wear white until the day she would leave that world, she decided. To the world, white was the symbol of purity. *It is only pure because it is empty. White is void of color. Void of life.* she had been told. Her hair was bound and kept hidden behind white cloth, as a long, off the shoulder dress reached the floor and covered her feet.

Her long nails were painted black and she continued to wear the wedding ring that her precious husband had given her. Up until the day she met him, she and her sister were alone. children of a mixed marriage. A hybrid in a puritanical world.

He, a pure blood belonging to the socially elite of the underworld did not see her as the hybrid that she was but merely for her. And his utter devotion and kindness to both her and her sister made her fall in love with him. Centuries of wedded bliss had finally come to a crashing end.

Why had they taken him? Why!? She did not understand. He was good natured man without a hint of hatred. He cared for all the underworld, not just his kind. He was sorcerer of the highest order and he never once looked down on those who were not. He had reminded her so much of her parents.

They were the first two wed and birth two hybrid daughters. Both vampire and sorcerer. Red tears slipped down her pale face, staining the purity of the white cloth she wore. Slowly her hand reached up and felt the tears of blood slide down her face. When was the last time she cried? When her parents vanished? She believed it was so.

"Elder sister?" a voice said behind her. "You must rest for tomorrow's ceremony," She continued to stand there as the voice of her younger sister and only family called back to her. "Please, elder sister..."

"I will not leave him, Adel," she began. Her voice was unnaturally calm. "I will not leave him until tomorrow's ceremony."

Adel looked at her older sister with worry and slowly entered the room. She walked down the corridor, her foot steps echoing in the emptiness of the room. "Elder sister," she said quietly. She turned and faced her, gasping and covering her mouth as she saw her sister's face. "Oh, Ultimecia..."

"They made me shed blood..." the vampiric sorceress began. "For thousands of years, I have not shed a tear. Not since the disappearance of our parents. For them, I was selfish. It was because I wanted them to stay despite their selfless acts. But for him..."

Adel stared at her sister in horror. Ultimecia's tears left long marks on her cheeks and had started to completely stain the entirety of her white dress. "Your tears..."

"He only left to make peace with them," Ultimecia whispered softly. "He left to try to quell the rumors of re-creating hell by unsealing Hell's Gates. And they murdered him...No. Not murdered. Mutilated. If it were not for his scent, I would had even realized that he was the mess hanging from the iron gates of the castle..."

"Ultimecia..."

"All because they wanted to re-create hell..." Ultimecia's eyes narrowed as her hands turned into fists as her sides. "I will give them hell. I will show them what HELL really is. I will make them shed blood for all the blood that they had made ME shed! If they want hell, I will give them hell and I will make it so they will feel the pain I feel of loosing someone they love!"

"My sister...your tears..." Adel stammered, herself half way to tears.

"Hell is loving someone and then having them ripped away from you!"

Adel fell to her knees as she watched the final touches of her sister's white dress turn. "Your tears..." Adel gasped. "Your tears are black."

Rinoa's eyes flew open and she sat up straight. Her heart was pounding in her chest as sweat went down the sides of her face. She clutched the blanket against her bare chest as she brought her knees slowly up to her chest. Her wide eyes searched the room as she swallowed hard.

Next to her, the bare figure stirred at the sound of shallow breathing. Blue eyes blinked open and a tired, brown hair topped head, that had been laying on a soft pillow turned to look up at the shaking figure. *Oh shit!* Squall's mind screamed as he sat up immediately. "Rinoa!?" he gasped as she turned to look at him sharply. Her bottom lip trembled as she threw her arms around him and buried her face against his shoulder. "Rinoa, what's wrong?!"

"I know why..." Rinoa stammered tearfully. "I know why the war started..."

"Quistis!!" Rinoa's voice ran through he halls of the presidential palace as Rinoa, dressed in a thin dark blue robe, rushed down the stairs with Squall, dressed only in boxers ran after her. "Quistis!!"

"Rinoa!?" Quistis' door flew open as a blond ran out, tying a pink robe's belt in a knot as she ran out of her bedroom. Her hair was up and she looked like she had just gotten out of bed.

On the second floor, numerous doors opened as Selphie and the others came out of their room. "Rinoa!!" Selphie cried out as she ran out of her room, still dressed in yellow train print pajamas. Her arms were wide open as she ran into the sorceress vampire and hugged her tightly. "You're okay!!"

Rinoa hugged Selphie back. "I'm fine. I need to talk to Quistis." Rinoa explained.

"Good," Quistis said. "Because I need to talk to you and Squall," She cupped Rinoa's face and then drew the girl into a hug. "Hyne, we were so worried about you..."

"Quistis, please," Rinoa gasped. "I know why!"

"Why what?" Quistis asked solemnly. She pulled away, wondering if it had something to do with Rinoa being a vampire.

Meanwhile, Irvine had approached Squall with a grin on his face. "So...have fun?" Squall glared at him and didn't even bother to dignify the cowboy's question with an answer. "I'm going to take that as a no..."

"Irvine, just shut up." Squall hissed.

"Ultimecia didn't start the war to prevent the races from working together," Rinoa gasped out as she gripped the sleeve's of Quistis' robe. "She did it to PUNISH the world. The people who killed her wanted to unleash hell on earth by opening Hell's Gates. She swore that she'd give them hell and she did that. The drop in the underworld populace, the battles between rival clans...she gave the world the hell that she was given."

"What hell?" Quistis gasped.

"She said that hell is loving someone and having them ripped away..." Rinoa whispered. Her eyes rimmed with red tears as the emotions she had felt through Ultimecia coursed through her. She closed her eyes tightly and took a deep breath. "She made sure many people were killed so their loved ones could experience the hell she was put through..."

Quistis' eyes went wide. "How do you know this?"

"I...I entered the Dream World..."

"The Dream World!?" Selphie gasped. "Rinoa...HOW!?"

"I don't know!" Rinoa gasped. "I was sleeping and then...it happened!"

"Come in to my room," Quistis said. She looked at Squall. "Both of you...I have a lot to tell you," she looked at the group. "The rest of you get some sleep!"

Reluctantly, they headed back to their respective rooms as Quistis lead the couple into her room. She motioned for them to have a seat on her bed as she sat down by her desk. "What did you find out?" Rinoa asked quietly.

"A lot," Quistis said. "I'll start out like this...The Blood Moon will rise in two days. We must go to the place where Hell's Gates were sealed and that is the forsaken island - the Island Closest to Hell. I went through the unsealing ceremony, which is almost exactly the same as the sealing ceremony, only that the gates will be opened."

"How long does it take to open?" Squall asked as he put his arm around Rinoa.

"It depends on the strength of the magic user opening it," Quistis explained. "The stronger Adel is, the faster the gate will open. That was the reason she was collecting magic energy."

"What about the ring?" Rinoa asked quietly, looking at the blond with a concerned look.

"The ring Griever will be placed in the very center of a magic created pentagram over Hell's Gates," Quistis explained. "The vampire will be the first to shed his blood over the ring and the glowing pentagram will turn into a physical sign created by the blood that will spread out from the ring."

"That's a lot of blood!" Squall countered. "No one could survive that much blood draining!"

"The ring multiplies the amount of blood poured over it a hundred fold," Quistis said. "The ring ensures survival of the vampire. Next, the shape shifter and the lycan will shed their blood on to the outer ring of the pentagram. They are the protectors of the seal. Once a drop of their blood reaches the blood of the vampire, the pentagram will turn black. Then in the center of the pentagram, the sorcerer need only spill a drop of their blood over the ring and the pentagram will glow white."

"Will that unseal the gates?" Rinoa asked.

Quistis nodded. "It will begin the unsealing process. From the very center where the ring is, a hole to hell will open and the stronger the sorcerer and their blood, the faster the gate will open."

"How strong is Adel at this point?" Squall asked.

Quistis took a deep breath. "Stronger than Rinoa..."

"Oh Hyne..." the brunette gasped and buried her face in her hands.

"Wait a second, Rin," Quistis cut her off. "There is a chance that she isn't as strong as she should be. She CONSUMED the powers of others. There is a chance that many of those powers did not bond well with her and each other. Yours might be more potent just because you were born with them."

"So there is still a chance?" Squall asked. Quistis nodded.

"We're praying."

"When do we leave?"

"Tomorrow night," Quistis told her. "Laguna just got back from Deling City and has told the other clan members that we will not be working under them again. However, he says that an entire vampiric army as well as a lycan army arranged by Master Cid will be escorting us there."

"Why such a big group?" Rinoa asked. "A whole magic less army can't take on Adel!"

"It's not Adel they'll be fighting off, Rinoa," Quistis explained. "It's her followers."

Squall let out a breath and swore. "Is our transportation set up?"

"Everything is in order," Quistis said. "Rinoa...are you sure you want to go through with this?"

Rinoa smiled weakly and looked at Quistis with sad eyes. "It's too late for that, Quisty," she whispered. "If I turn back now, I might as well vanish. I was born for this purpose. WE were born for this purpose."

Quistis raised an eyebrow. "Who told you that?"

"Faith."

Quistis looked surprised. "What else did 'Faith' say?"

Rinoa narrowed her eyes as her mind searched for the words that had been spoken twice by Faith. "The dawn will break and a fate is sealed. The past relived and then revealed."

Squall stared at her. "What does that mean?"

"Do you think..." Quistis began. "That you might relive something?"

"Like what?" Rinoa asked.

Quistis opened her mouth, but quickly closed it. She shook her head. "Nothing," she sighed. "Go back to bed, Rinoa. You need your rest."

Rinoa didn't argue. Squall stood up and helped her on her feet. They exited Quistis' room and the blond closed her eyes tightly. *What if Rinoa is meant to relive Ultimecia's past? If something happens to Squall...what will Rinoa do?*

Author's Apologies: Okay, I know! This chapter sucked big! It was long and boring and not focusing at all on the main characters. I just wanted to do to a Dream World thing and include their parents. However, you'll be happy to know that the end is near. Maybe within one or two chapters.