WOW! This chapter took me an hour to type out. It's long, but also very good. It doesn't talk a lot about Hyne's Destiny, but it's action packed to the very end. It's also a little sadistic too. I've been reading way too many Stephen King books. You'll know when it gets freaky. But anyways...this is the prelim to Esthar and it really starts the story. You'll also see Rinoa and Cheryl's relationship develop too. I have a hard time writing female relationships because they kind of sound like two guys that are best friends. But I tried...so don't hurt me with your reviews. Anyways...I would also like to announce that I'm going to be starting another story that intertwines with the Sorceress series. It's kind of a little thing of short stories of Rinoa and Cheryl in Esthar. But it won't come out 'til I finish the Esthar chapter(s). So please r&r.

DISCLAIMER: DON'T OWN FF8, BUT WOULD LIKE TO

Chapter IV

Rinoa thought a lot along the way about what was going to happen. This whole journey had just started from an old legend. She was caught up in this mess because of her powers. She just had to be the one picked to carry the weight of the world on her shoulders. Of course, she no longer had to do it alone with Cheryl on her side. But some things still worried her. What was she supposed to find in Esthar? Why was she supposed to go there? There had to be something there that was to tie into this entire thing. Rinoa knew that if she found Dr. Odine, she could solve a few mysteries about Hyne's Destiny. Other than that, she was clueless.

Cheryl began to hum as she walked along side Rinoa. It was a little strange of how happy Cheryl was because of all the consequences of her actions. She didn't realize that leaving the garden like this would get her expelled, or maybe even worse. Rinoa started to shudder at the fact of garden. She kept thinking about Squall over and over again. By now, he would've found out she was gone and would be going crazy. However, Rinoa didn't know what to do. She was just as confused as he was.

FH began to fade behind the two as they entered the barren lands of the Great Salt Lake. This was where Rinoa would be entering Esthar. She didn't remember ever being here, even though she was. When she was in a coma, Squall had carried her on his back across this desert of salt to save her. Back then, things were simple. Back then, things were beautiful.

Cheryl stopped humming once the train tracks ended and froze in one spot. Rinoa also stopped beside her in surprise.

"What is it?" Rinoa asked her.

"This is where it begins." Cheryl replied in a dark voice. It was if she was out of it again.

"What do you mean?" Rinoa pushed.

Cheryl looked to the sky for a few seconds and took a deep breath of the salt air before turning herself back to Rinoa.

Are you ready?

Rinoa shivered as she heard that voice again. She then looked at Cheryl to see if it had come from her.

"Purz shelda relo." Cheryl said to Rinoa as she looked back to the desert.

"What did you say?" Rinoa could've sworn she just said something in a complete different language.

"What?" Cheryl had a queer look on her face as if she didn't even realize she had said though words.

"You just said something in a completely different language and now you don't even remember." Rinoa threw her hands up in the air.

"You ARE crazy, you know?" Cheryl smiled.

"Tch...WHATEVER! Act as if nothing happened! I don't even know why I brought you along if you just tell me I'm crazy." Rinoa began to walk ahead.

".........What a bitch." Cheryl smiled even wider and followed on.

Rinoa didn't like the Great Salt Lake. It wouldn't be so bad if she had been here before, but she was all alone. Alone in a world she no longer understood.

"You need to lighten up, you know." Cheryl tried to cheer up Rinoa, again.

"I'm not depressed. I'm just thinking." Rinoa replied to her obscene comment.

"Sure...whatever you say. I think you're stupid." Cheryl giggled.

"You want me to drop kick your ass downtown." Rinoa held up her fist at her.

"Let's go!" She held up hers too. They both stood there in that position for a few seconds before they began to bust up laughing. They laughed for a minute, holding their sides and tears coming out of their eyes.

"Geez...where are we?" Rinoa looked around while wiping the tears from her eyes.

"I don't know, Ms. know-everything. Did you get us lost?" Cheryl also looked around.

"No...I'm pretty sure we're going the right way to Esthar. It just seems really weird." Rinoa felt a cold breeze of air from the hollows of the lake.

"I think you're just paranoid. There's nothing here. Plus, we're going the right way, because I remember this crevasse in the lake from training. Esthar should be right around this next cliff." Cheryl was very confident from her training. Rinoa thought it was nice to have a person with SeeD training with her.

"I feel something's here though. Something very...odd." Rinoa looked around some more, but this time, much more frightened.

"Will you stop that already? All the monsters go into hibernation during the spring. This means that the only thing that could hurt us is YOUR TOTAL ABILITY FREAK THE CRAP OUTTA PEOPLE!!!" Cheryl screamed at her, trying to break the tension, but Rinoa just stood there. She didn't pay one second of attention to Cheryl's words. She kept hearing a heart beat. It wasn't hers though. It was one that sounded....evil.

"That's it! If you don't stop this...I'm going on without you." Cheryl began to stamp her feet towards Esthar.

"Stop." Rinoa said.

Cheryl did, but not in a very good mood. "What now!?"

"DON'T MOVE!" Rinoa screamed.

Cheryl began to freak out now. "What is it!?"

"JUMP TO YOUR LEFT...NOW!!!!" Rinoa screamed as she shuffle to her left.

Cheryl did as she was told and hurled herself to her left while falling to the ground.

Cheryl looked up from the kicked up dust to see what Rinoa was screaming about, but there was nothing. Just the blue sky that showed the a cloudless sky.

"RINOA!!!! WHAT DID I TELL YOU ABOUT FREAKIN' PEOPLE OUT!!!!" Cheryl got up and dusted herself off.

"All right, Cheryl. This time I need you to somersault forward and don't hesitate." Rinoa said in a calmer voice as she was looking upwards a little bit.

"You are insane, you know." Cheryl said as if she wasn't going to do it, but she knew was.

"NOW!" Rinoa commanded.

Cheryl did as she somersaulted in front of herself and turned around to see if something was there, but just the cliff side she had been in front of before.

"This is getting very tiresome, Rinoa." Cheryl rolled her eyes.

But Cheryl soon wiped the dumb look off her face as she began to feel something. Something...like a vibration. She heard a soft hum as a negative energy began to fill the atmosphere around her.

"Rinoa....What's happening?" Cheryl began to look to her sides to see something, but there wasn't. There was just the steady hum the began to grow.

"Quiet Cheryl!" Rinoa said as she began to concentrate herself.

The hum became very intense now and Cheryl could feel the vibration pummeling her body. The negative energy began to weigh her down as she could feel that something was going to hit her. She couldn't move. She was frozen in that solitary state of confusion. The hum became a screech as Cheryl's eyes widened in fear of something she could not see. But she saw a pink light appear in front of her. It grew bigger and bigger like the hum. The pink light blinded her eyes as it was charging to fire at her. She tried to scream, but it was too late to. Nothing could save her. She just let her muscles go as she collapsed on her knees with her mouth wide open.

The screech became a large boom as the light moved from it's holding place towards Cheryl. It came straight at her in the blink of the eye as Cheryl knew that this was the day she was going to die. This was the day that everything would end for her as the pink light zoomed towards her. Everything slowed down incredibly to where she saw a face in the pink light. That face was of some twisted figure. It looked at her with a grin on its face and winked at her.

Cheryl...Papa's comin' for ya. You been a naughty girl and Papa comin' to punish his naughty girl. Oh yes he is. And when he does...he gonna blow you up so nice and fine that it gonna take all the kings horses and all the kings men to put the hoe back together again.

"REFELCT!!" Rinoa screamed as a green shield created itself in front of Cheryl as the pink face came at her. At that instance it ran splat into that wall like a bug on a windshield.

The light lost its form as a face and shot back in the other direction in a radiant beam of pinkish-white light. And Cheryl was saved by Rinoa's spell.

The light zoomed up and down 'til it came into contact with something. Something that wasn't there, but really was. Cheryl felt the ground to see if she was still there and closed her mouth up slowly. Rinoa dashed to her side to help her up from the ground and they both looked at to what the pink light had made its target.

A shadowy figure began to emerge from it's invisible cloak it had hidden itself behind. Rinoa had seen it with her powers as Cheryl hadn't. The thing had come after her with its mighty claws twice before, but Cheryl had dodged them, thanks to Rinoa.

Cheryl squinted her eyes in disbelief as she saw an enormous creature that she had never before seen. A T-Rexaur was like chicken feed to this beast. Its long claws scratched its large black eyes and began to clean its tusks. Cheryl couldn't believe that she saw a gigantic zombie like creature if front of her that had made itself invisible to her.

"W-w-w-w-w-what is that thing?" Cheryl muttered.

"Abadon...guardian of Esthar. A gigantic zombie creature that stops trespassers from entering the city. But I didn't think it was able to make itself invisible, or create such a powerful attack. It must've evolved somehow." Rinoa let go of Cheryl as she walked a towards the creature.

Abadon took its claws from its face and leered down at the sorceress who had shot his attack right back him.

"Rinoa...get away from it. It's gonna kill you." Cheryl muttered. She couldn't say it any louder because she was still in a state of shock.

Abadon crouched down onto the salty ground and scratched his enormous claws on the earth. He roared in Rinoa's face making her hair fly back. But she stood still. She stood there with courage and looked it in the eye.

The creature jumped high into the air as it lifted its claws for attack. Rinoa stood there still, confident that she could take it down. Its steel-like claws glimmered in the sun as the came crashing down. Rinoa jumped to her side as the claws ran straight into the ground below them. A large fissure began to form underneath them that slowly cracked the dry earth. Rinoa glanced at Cheryl from across and didn't know if she could make it across the her. Cheryl was standing near the exit where she had to be. Cheryl looked at her and began to motion for her to jump, but Rinoa couldn't. She would surely fall to her death as the Abadon was about to.

"RINOA! NOW! JUMP ACROSS!" Cheryl screamed at the top of her lungs now.

Rinoa couldn't jump, but she could float across.

"FLOAT!" Rinoa yelled as she felt herself lifting off the ground slightly. She looked to her side to see the Abadon frantically trying to get its claws free from the ground. She pushed herself over the massive crack towards Cheryl and landed safely next to her.

"Cheater." Cheryl got some of her humor back already.

"No time! Let's go!" Rinoa grabbed her hand and began to sprint to the other side of the cliff away from the large crack.

The earth underneath the Abadon began to give way. A shriek was heard from the creature as it groped the air to hang on, but there was nothing there. They salted earth crumbled into fragments that hurled themselves to the darkness below. The Abadon shieked more as it, too, fell through. The shriek began to fade as soon a large crash was heard below.

Cheryl and Rinoa both gave a deep breath of relief.

"You...got...lucky...you...know." Cheryl was breathing frantically from the intensity.

"I...know." Rinoa joined her as they both were wheezing.

"Well...thanks." Cheryl smiled.

"No...prob." Rinoa smiled back as she patted Cheryl on the back.

"Same to...you...buddy." She patted her on the back also, but Rinoa fell over. She had collapsed onto the ground all of a sudden and Cheryl was in a panic. Had that taken that much out of her? Cheryl could tell the answer to her question when she saw a tiny dart in the side of Rinoa's neck. She shrieked as she felt a numbness in her thigh. She looked over her shoulder to see a figure in a cape walking towards her. She couldn't quite make it out, but it was coming for them. Darkness filled her eyes as she fainted on top of Rinoa.