Author's note: Now, if you don't remember ever reading the part on the last chapter where Irvine and others comes and saves Edea and Cid, you should really go and read it now I just thought I should tell this, cause I uploaded the same chapter twice, when I saw that the first upload had ate some of the text from the ending.
So if you remember reading that, there's no reason for you to read it again ^_^
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Feelings
Written by Terra Trepe
Chapter 21: Liberi Fatali (Fated Children)
Quistis bit her lips with great amount of pressure, ignoring the sour taste of the newly gushed blood inside her mouth. What was she going to do? Could she just agree and let Ultimecia possess her?
No, she couldn't do that, but then again Could she risk the lives of her friends?
Rinoa had been suffering greatly these past months and Quistis knew she was partly guilty from that pain and was deeply sorry for that. If this was the change to pay up those deeds then shouldn't she accept it Rinoa was dying, but Ultimecia would still stay alive and would surely find another way to exceed her evil plans she had been plotting inside her twisted mind past these many destructing centuries.
The pair of blue eyes filled with serious contemplation, made their way up to the throne like chair where the dark haired woman was sitting on, holding her hand on the other side of her face that had the look of mild pain and frustration hanging on it.
The possessed Rinoa sighed deeply, her voice deeper with the cold and hissing voice of Ultimecia, and her words having an echo of death sounding arrogance that made Quistis feel very tense, her hands now shaking slowly.
The time is now
Rinoa stood up slowly, hanging her head down and then lifting it up, the evil face of hers silent from any emotion, only cold and cruel as she glared down to Quistis with her cold eyes now completely black. ยด
Quistis sighed deeply with a trembling sigh that followed the cold waves of shivers that brushed across her body slowly when Rinoa lifted her other hand up, muttering some words unknown in this world.
Quistis lungs filled with air when she felt her chest lifting up from life, something powerful starting to move inside her. She closed her eyes hurtfully, gasping out loud when she felt the pain growing enormous, almost like something was squeezing her body tightly, crushing her shamefully and ignoring her fragile body that couldn't take this much longer.
This was Rinoa, she was fighting against Ultimecia, trying desperately to stop the unstoppable. S-Stop it Quistis could hear her weak plead, but couldn't open up her eyes as her face started to twist with look of unbearable pain she felt growing inside her.
A light of holy white started to flow through her chest, first faintly then suddenly bursting through her. Quistis moaned from this pain and fall down to the ground, her kneels against the floor and her hands also pressed against the cold floor as she lifted her weight with them, her face turned towards the floor.
Quistis suddenly shouted this, her lungs not being able to take this pain anymore, as neither was her body, which now trembled uncontrollably, the tears of pain and sorrow bursting from her tightly shut eyes. Rinoa's face was twisted with pain too, as all the power inside her started to fade away with uncontrolled speed, the hollow spirit starting to gather between them in the air.
The whole place was trembling with growing tremors, even some of the statues and pieces of the roof falling down to the floor, crushing the panelled floor and creating thumbs on them. The blond man, wearing his long trench coat, lunged into the room and stopped when his eyes fell to the horrifying sight. His green orbs started to look around the shaking room and soon found his eyes landed to the black haired woman, who was still standing, crouched slightly towards the ground and holding her hands around her body that trembled with tremors.
What the hell? The flow of white light that seemed so incredibly powerful and beautiful was gathering before the dark haired woman, and only then this man saw the weak form of the other woman, crouched to the floor behind the surging flow of growing light.
Seifer ran hastily down the stairs that led closer to this sight, his heart throbbing against his chest with loud beats. The blond woman heard her name called and recognised the voice belonging to him.
She targeted her gaze up to him, but couldn't keep it, as she now closed her eyes up when the pain grew unbearable again. Seifer saw her mouth opened up into a silent scream of help and suffering and he stopped on his steps, when the light in this room started to grew pure, too bright to his eyes that were used to a darker lighting.
Squall ran down the stairs behind Seifer, his face also filled with something that couldn't be described, when he recognised the two women, fighting back for their lives.
Gasping this to himself, Squall raised his arm in front to his eyes as a cover from the surging light that beamed with so many bright colours at the same time. His heart was stopped for a minute and he felt a great joy from seeing her again, only now truly realising how much he had missed her.
This passing feeling of joy went away quickly when it got replaced with fear towards the sight that he nor Seifer couldn't stop or even understand, the power pressing the two men away from getting closer to these women.
The loud shout came suddenly, surprising even Squall himself, as he tried to have a look from under his arm towards her form close to the bright light that blinded their eyes.
Rinoa bit her lips with a growing tension, when she used the rest of her powers to glance up to the man she had so missed and loved. The whisper came weakly from her mouth, that word and her face filled with love towards him and sorrow for what was happening.
But then, almost like a miracle, Rinoa stood up to her feet, fighting against the power that tried to control her and tried to stop her from moving through this progress. She struggled with the end of her lessening strength and then finally, she won, now standing up and fighting against with all her strength and power she could find inside herself.
This has to STOP! Rinoa shout this with the end of her strength and then the surging light between them burst out, covering the room with forceful waves that made the four fly through the air and landing down to the floor.
Seifer flew against the corner of one of the statues on this room and then he fell down to the ground onto his stomach. Squall flew against a wall, loud thud only confirming that the fall wasn't a pleasant one.
The men stayed unmoved on the ground when the room started to fill up with hazy white coloured smoke, some very tiny white light-balls flying up to the air. Quistis was on her stomach on the ground, when she started to raise her tired gaze up to look around the destruction that had come from all this. She could see Seifer and Squall faraway on the other end of this room, completely unmoving.
Her head was filled with comforting release, as she didn't feel any pain anymore, but her body was still sore, telling her that she hadn't survived without any damage.
Where is Rinoa? She flew her gaze quickly around the hazy room, trying to search the woman clad in dark. Then her eyes finally landed to her form, and Quistis' breath caught up on her throat when she realised that her state was even worse than her own.
Quistis lifted herself up from laying on the floor and then stood up to her legs, her face twisting with newfound pain.
She went next to Rinoa's laying form on the ground with her painful steps that dragged her body to her friend's side, before she dropped herself on to her knees on the floor. Rinoa was on her back, her face filled with relaxed expressions and it seemed almost like she wasn't feeling anything. But what scared Quistis even more, was the trail of blood sliding down from the corner of her mouth.
She lifted Rinoa up to rest against her laps, and this time Rinoa's eyes twisted with pain when she cringed slightly, telling Quistis that she was injured from somewhere.
As Quistis softly placed her hand to Rinoa's stomach, she felt her bare hand touching something itching liquid and she knew quickly what the liquid could only be. Quistis raised her hand slightly up and saw the palm of her hand being stained with the crimson blood. She sighed a shivering and a deep sigh and felt her hands starting to shiver softly, her eyes filling with tears that she tried to fight back.
Rinoa opened her eyes slowly up and Quistis could tell she hadn't much strength left anymore Nor time.
She hadn't been good enough with covering up her concern for this wounded woman on her laps, as Rinoa was now whispering this softly, seeing the tears on her friends eyes that told her what was coming.
I'm dying, huh She tried to sound as brave as she could, but her whimpered tone of voice did her in. Rinoa's tears started to overcome her eyes now filled with love and that fear she was feeling.
Don't worry I'm not going to let you--- Quistis eyes were filled with tears when she stopped on her sentence, as she just couldn't say the word she had always feared to confront.
Rinoa ended her sentence for her, knowing that Quistis was just trying to say that. Quistis started to brush Rinoa's tangled up hair from the way of her face with her trembling hand, when Rinoa kept continuing, ripping Quistis apart with the words she was going to say.
I'm dying, Quistis, there's nothing---
No! Don't say that She felt angry to Rinoa from saying that. She felt angry to herself from believing that it was true She was dying and they couldn't do anything.
You can still save her, Quistis
Rinoa's voice cracked suddenly, faded away as she closed her eyes peacefully, the feeling of just wanting to fall asleep getting more powerful now. Quistis shook her fragile body on her laps, trying to pull her away from the slumber state. Rinoa opened her eyes again, but they were even sleepier now, not having the strength to focus on anything.
Join me As one, we are going to be the greatest on this whole puny universe
Quistis eyes suddenly filled over with a gleam of steely determination, when she lifted her tear-gleaming eyes up to look to the fuzzy air above her, the room still filled with the hazy light.
Ultimecia! I am the one you want, right?!!! Then come and take me! I'm not afraid of you!!!
Q-Quistis, don't do it Even these desperate whispers of the dying woman on her laps, couldn't kill the flame of fire that had suddenly flamed inside Quistis' breaking soul.
Whatever it is, come and give it to me I'm ready!
And then the room lighten up with a new light that started surrounding the two women.
Rinoa's last whisper was muttered to the empty ears, when the light between Rinoa's chest and Quistis' chest rejoined together, creating a tight string between them. Rinoa closed her eyes up, only one tear slipping down her cheek when she felt the dreadful strength of Ultimecia's disappearing from inside her.
Quistis' closed her eyes tightly as she lifted her face up to the roof, and she felt the great power's moved into her, eating her soul up with the memories and the dark thoughts Ultimecia possessed.
Seifer got out of his trance-state when the fuzzy fog disappeared away from the room and he lifted his head up from the floor, his face twisted in pain as he landed his eyes to the form of Quistis', holding Rinoa on her laps and being surrounded with a light that was white on the middle and dark purple from it's edges. Squall looked up too and recognised the light getting transformed from Rinoa to Quistis being the soul light of Ultimecia's.
The light grew harder and then it disappeared into Quistis. Rinoa's body became limb on her laps and Quistis was still having her face towards the roof, her teeth gritting against her lips.
Quistis took a long breath in, her lungs getting filled up with air. She started to stand up slowly, carefully putting Rinoa's unmoving body to the floor, before she stood up completely and walked up to the throne that Ultimecia used for herself.
Squall stood up and ran next to Rinoa's body, his eyes filled with unseen tears when he cradled her limb body up to his laps.
Seifer stood up too, not taking his emerald eyes away from Quistis even for a second, as he started to walk closer up to her, stopping close to Squall's kneeled form. Quistis was sitting on the throne, her eyes still closed up from pain and her face twisted to a cruel look of anguish, as rubbed the side of her face with her hand slowly.
She's still breathing Seifer put his calm gaze down to Squall, who was whispering this softly, focusing all his thoughts down to Rinoa. Squall lifted his hopeful but still scared gaze to meet Seifer's calm one, and Seifer just stayed silent and nod to Squall.
You take her with you and go Squall's eyes filled with confusion when Seifer said this with a very calm voice that was unfamiliar to him.
But what about Ultimecia? What about Quistis
I will take care of it Seifer changed his gaze up to the form of Quistis' that was still shrugging from pain on the throne, her eyes still closed up. He hated to see her suffering like this and he was ready to anything to stop her pain.
This is personal, Squall
Still looking up to Seifer's solemn image of bravery, Squall gulped with the tears and thoughts that teased him now, before he cradled Rinoa's body closer up to his arms and then stood up, his hands wrapped around her legs and back.
When Squall was finally on his feet, Seifer didn't give even a glance on him as he got closer up to the throne, his green eyes so serious and deathful, targeted to the body of the woman he deeply cared about and the body that now had the mind of the woman he hated the most on this world. Squall walked away with Rinoa on his arms, but stopped on his steps when he was just getting out of this big room to the smaller corridors.
Seifer stopped for awhile and turned to face Squall who was facing him, his blue eyes filled with genuine thankfulness towards the blond.
Good luck The words were serious, even having the tone that never before had been targeted toward Seifer. They were friendly, truly hoping that nothing bad would happen to them.
Seifer nod this solemnly, his gaze locked with Squall the whole time, and it was like after that moment, their pasts had finally been left behind. The war axe they had so long held between them, now finally buried under the hard ground they were now leaving behind them. And then finally Squall walked away and disappeared to the shadows of the corridor.
Seifer sighed deeply, almost like preparing himself to meet the woman behind him, before he finally turned, his eyes meeting the sight of the woman sitting on the throne that was still trying to fight back the blackness that started to overcome her.
Quistis face was covered up with few black veins going down from her scalp to the sides of her face, and Seifer knew Ultimecia had possessed her now completely
Her eyes were still closed, but now she finally opened them slowly up as she lifted her gaze to meet his. Her eyes were black and empty and the deathless evil grin spread across her lips then, her voice hissing and threatening, filled with the satisfaction as she had finally gotten what she had yearned for past these centuries she had lived.
Aren't I pleased to meet you My shameless knight
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Author's note: OMG! This chapter sucked right?! What am I going to do??? God Well Heh I really, really hate the way this chapter turned out, but please don't flame me, at least not much!
