BREAKING THE MIRROR
Disclaimer – I don't own any of the FF8 characters etc, but I do however own some original characters that are going to be included in this story, and the imagination I have to give them life. Hope you like it…
Also huge thanks to Michael Kenny for letting me use a technique he invented (will use it in due time! Oh, and read his fics. Top notch!)
Chapter 17 – Squall Vs Mirror
'Nobody knows you better than you yourself.'
(The Tower Of Deling City – Floor 19)
President Gilned sits in a seat. Ignoring the fact that the room is shaking slightly. He watches on a large TV screen, images being transmitted by a hidden camera, the fight between the two boys, happening just in the floor beneath him. One hand smokes a cigarette, the other hand drums on the desk.
"Please don't do that." Says a voice next to him. Gilned does not turn around, nor does he flinch. He was too used to them doing that now.
"Sorry, you think Squall will win?"
"I do not know. I know he has vastly improved since the fight at Garden. Also, I think he has been training in secret. I don't know why though, what can he do that's a big secret?"
Gilned looks up at them. "You think so?"
They nod. "Yes. Don't worry though, I feel Mirror will win."
Gilned turns back to the screen.
"And if he doesn't?"
There is a long pause. The room shakes again. Gilned begins to think that they will not answer. Suddenly they do.
"Then I will personally kill him, as I did with Seifer and Rinoa."
(Floor 18)
The battle had begun. The exclamation point being the room thunders and shakes as Squalls Lionheart collides with both Mirrors Lionheart and Hyperion. Mirror screams and swings his swords expertly. Each blow pushing Squall back, despite Squall blocking them. Mirrors mind is focused, determined, and ready. He knows this is the last fight. Squall will die here; but the silence from Squall makes him uneasy. He doesn't even hear so much as a grunt from him as the swords ram into his, nor even a sharp intake of breath.
Squalls eyes never leave Mirrors. His arms seem to go invisible, his sword swings and flashes in front of him. His picture is one of colors. Colors of blue, gold, silver and red flicker and flash in front of him. He sees it all in Mirrors eyes; the look of determination and focus. It seems nothing will dent that stare or the passion and ability in which Mirror fights. But Squall thinks of all those fallen thanks to this man. The thoughts of him make him strong, and he begins to drive back Mirror. Despite the fact his opponent has two gunblades and is handling them like he was born with them attached to him, Squall presses back.
Mirror spins round and distances himself from Squall. Scraping both gunblade along the floor, leaving gouge marks in it as he races towards Squall. Squall stands there, waiting for him. Mirrors eyes widen as he realizes that Squall doesn't even have a guard up, but he does see Squalls lips move. He swings both blades up. Squall reacts like lightning and brings his own blade up to stop them. His arms are flung upwards as the swords collide. Mirror watches them go up and uses his speed to try to skewer Squall with his Hyperion. Suddenly he feels pain as Squalls boot lances into his stomach. He instantly recognizes a purple shadow fly from Squalls hand, but not before the fist smashes into his face. He goes flying as Squall disappears, suddenly reappearing behind him and swinging his sword, aiming for his head. Mirror swings his own Lionheart upward and takes the blow. Squall vanishes and slams both feet into him again. Mirror gasps as Squall swats Hyperion out the way. Balling his strength up, Mirror pushes Squall off him and flips up, but again Squall has vanished.
Gut reaction again saves Mirrors skin, as Squall appears behind him to again attempt to turn him into a piece of meat on a pole. Squall then launches into a frenzied attack. The Haste is no longer on him, but the speed at which he moves at makes Mirror grimace and move back faster. He tries to distance himself between them, but Squall keeps up, still expertly swinging his Lionheart in various angles and thrusting it at him at various degrees. Mirrors Lionheart blocks them, but not easily. He leaps backward further. Squall stops and points Lionheart at him, arm outstretched. Mirror looks on half shocked.
He…he is using that gunblade as if it is made of paper! He was nowhere near as good as this the last time!
Squall notices Mirror breathing heavily. He too feels a bit tired, but he trained himself to hide it, and to go further. Watching Mirror, he knows that he is not toying. He really is pushing Mirror. He smiles inwardly to himself. But he doesn't allow it to go to his head. Lionheart shimmers in front of him, it feels like paper to him, as if it weighed nothing. He too trained on this, doing extensive weight training with the purpose of not bulking up, but to carry a weight effortlessly. One of his little secrets he was using, without Mirror being aware of it.
Not wasting any more time, he goes for Mirror again, who is quite taken aback at this speed. He is ready though and his own Lionheart bashes into Squalls. Their swords go up, down, up, down, left, right, various angles and forces boom from them. They both run around the room, circling each other, even though they aren't aware of it. Squall then spins, taking Mirror by surprise, he bashes his sword out the way and skewers his Lionheart into Mirrors right shoulder. Mirror calls out in agony, and quickly summons a spell with his left hand. Squall narrows his eyes and dives backwards as Mirror launches a Firaga at him. He dives out the way as it thunders into the wall. Mirror casts Cura and the wound closes.
"Enough of your shit Squall, die!" he yells, kicking up and grabbing his abandoned Hyperion. Squall goes for him without mercy; each blow he delivers is for Rinoa, for Garden, for everyone.
Mirror snarls and screams, mainly at Squalls attacks, but also at this stony silence Squall is maintaining. Both of his swords are blurs as they go for Squall, but Squall seems, no is faster, as he blocks all of the attacks. Running backwards away from Squall, he speaks up.
"Good Squall, my, you have improved."
"That's not all, asshole," he snarls. Mirror ignores the insult.
"Oh no?" he pants. Squall does not reply.
"You won't have time to do whatever it is you have Squall, like I said, I already know what you can do. And I am learning all the time. As a matter of fact, I am learning now, just by looking at you."
Squalls eyes narrow. What did he mean by that?
"But enough chat Squall. You are fast, let's see you keep up with… this…" his last word vanishes as purple haze envelops him. Squalls icy stare finally breaks and he readies himself as he hears Mirror utter one word:
"Haste."
Time to see what you can really do, Mirror thinks Squall, casting Haste himself.
(Floor 19)
The two of them stand; Gilned no longer seated, watching the large screen. He looks back at the figure just behind him. They too watch with a half-open mouth and wide eyes.
Man, Squall must be good, if even they are amazed.
"This… is not Squall, it is as if Mirror is fighting someone else." They say. Gilned nods.
"How? Mirror learned everything from Squall… and he can't seem to copy him now. How?"
"I don't know. Every single move Squall can do was recorded in the SeeD dossiers I stole. There is nothing in that dossier that Mirror cannot do regarding Squalls fighting technique."
Gilned doesn't answer. He watches as two purple blurs collide with each other. The odd flash of gold, silver and blue is seen. A thud is heard on the floor.
"No way!" they both shout together.
(Floor 18)
Squall and Mirror seem to vanish. The only presence being the odd rush of wind followed by a purple blur; Holes appear in the wall, the floor, the ceiling as the swords collide. The force and shockwave from the swords colliding race out and smash into various parts of the room.
Mirror spins and ducks, thrusts and parries. He swings his blades in every direction, keeping his balance, dancing on the floor, the walls, all over the place, trying to hit the blur that was Squall. Squall is keeping up with him effortlessly, raining his own blows down on him. Though totally concentrated a small part of Mirrors mind begins to yell at him.
How is he doing this! This is impossible!
Squall, like Irvine, sees the room as nothing but a blur of colour. Even though he has Haste on, he feels he is moving in slow motion. Also like Irvine, he is able to pick out the minutest of details. The most apparent being that Mirror is starting to make slight mistakes. Squall uses this, raining blows down on him. Mirror moves incredibly fast, leaping around the room, off the walls, off the floor. But Squall too trained like this, another little secret of his. Also there was yet another that Mirror did not know of. Because he trained to the point that his gunblade felt weightless in his hand, he was moving faster, thus he was able to keep up with Mirror.
None of that mattered now though. It was helping yes, but only Mirrors death would be the reward for it all. He spins again, like a helicopter. Mirror yells as Lionheart is ripped from his hand and thuds into a wall. Mirror looks into his eyes once, then copies Squall instantly.
Wait, I didn't know he could do…
This is all he thinks of as a fist is smashed into his eye; Squall pelts across the room and rams into the wall. Still with one eye open, he times himself to duck under Mirrors sword at the last minute. He rams his head into Mirrors stomach and, coupled with the Haste, Mirror flies upwards, smashing into the ceiling and yelling loudly. Coming to, he levels Hyperion and fires at him. Squall dives out the way and feels his Haste start to wear off. Launching himself at Mirror then twisting at the last minute, his sword scythes through Mirrors right arm. With the same twist, he hammers a fist into Mirrors face. Sweat and blood flash out Mirrors face as he rattles to the floor with astounding force. Squall, not thinking, begins to summon an Ultima spell. Mirror groggily gets to his feet. Screaming, he throws his arms up as he is engulfed in a green cloud of energy. The blast rocks the room, throwing Squall all the way across the room and making him hit the floor. He shields himself with his arms as the explosion rocks the room. A blast of wind is heard as parts of the wall rips out. Then it all goes quiet for a brief moment.
Squall goes to cast a Cure spell, but suddenly Mirror flies out from the cloud of smoke. In one swing of his blade, he slices open Squalls left shoulder. Blood spurts out. Squall looks at it, but thanks Hyne, as had he moved a split second later, it would have been his head. But there was not time to think. He throws his sword over himself as Mirror bears down. Hyperion booms down onto his Lionheart: Mirror screaming as he presses down. Squalls eyes flicker wide as he sees a crack appearing in his Lionheart.
Chopping Mirror down with his legs, he swings up and attempts to split Mirror in two. This time the roles are reversed as Hyperion holds off Lionheart. Squall grimaces, his face no longer showing a blank look. He couldn't keep that up now. No more mind games. It was truly business now.
Mirror attempts to trip him, but Squall is one step ahead and dives back a bit. This is all Mirror needs as he flips to his feet. Squall is momentarily surprised by Mirrors agility, but is ready for him. Again, their swords clash at various degrees of strength, speed, and angles. Squall vaguely wonders how he is keeping this up. He has never fought at this intensity before, even Ultimecia herself was not this hard…
Mirror thrusts low and Squall blocks it. They are absent-mindedly moving about the room. Thick smoke hangs overhead. There is a huge hole in the wall where Squalls Ultima spell hit. Actually, there was no wall.
Mirror gasps, still fighting Squall with all he had. His mind is split in two halves. One of exhilaration, as this is the fight he has always wanted, he has never fought anyone like this.
But the other half is of fear and doubt, a he never thought anyone could fight like he could. But then again, Squall was fighting himself. And no one knows you better than you yourself.
Time to end this, with a few tricks of my own, he thinks. He registers a flash of silver on the floor. Moving the battle round, dictating the pace and direction, he lets Squall come at him. He breathers heavily too. The Haste has definitely taken its toll on him. They fight; the blows coming from Squall are getting faster, harder, stronger, more intense.
A few more steps… come on! His mind screams.
Squall keeps up the pace, his mind too, is split in half.
One half want's to end this, he will destroy Mirror.
The other half seems to be screaming doubt at him. That he cannot beat him, he hasn't twice before. It took a Limit Break the first time, and the Garden crashing the second time. And even then, he lost the second time.
Wait a minute… his mind thinks.
He stops only briefly.
But it was too briefly.
In one fluid movement, Mirror kicks up Lionheart from the ground and stabs Squall through the chest; the sword drills through him just above his heart. But it is enough. Mirror pulls the blade out while kicking Squall in the stomach. Squall falls backwards and hits the floor. He lies there. Silent.
(Floor 19)
There is silence as the two of them watch what has happened. They watch Squall hit the floor and not move. After a moment Gilned looks around at the other person.
"By Hyne… he did it."
They smile. Suddenly the smile vanishes; their face is lined with a frown.
"What is it?" asks Gilned.
Nothing more is heard as the TV screen suddenly explodes with power.
(Floor 18)
Mirror looks down at the comatose body of Squall. Kicking him once, he observes the pool of blood pouring around him.
"Goodbye Squall. The best man won, I think" he pants. Turning, he begins to walk slowly away. Only to be frozen to the spot as a crackle of electricity causes his skin to break out in bumps. Turning around slowly, dreading what he is about to see.
"No…fucking…way" he gasps.
Squall stands there, hand over the wound. Lightning crackles around him. A soft yellow glow surrounds him. Mirror has seen this before, coming from Selphie, he also remembers seeing Squall do this when…
NO! His mind screams. He levels his blades and goes for Squall. Squall grabs his Lionheart and spins around. Blood spurts from his wounds, but he does not seem to notice.
Mirror bashes into his sword. Power erupts from Squall and Mirror is blown off his feet. Getting back up, he charges again, but again he cannot seem to get near Squall. Squall backs up into a wall. Mirror smiles, leveling both Gunblades at him, fingers on the triggers.
"Squall, I don't give a shit about your fancy little light show. What I do give a shit about is the fact you just got up from what was a fatal wound. But that doesn't matter. Both these gunblades are loaded with Pulse ammo. So no matter where you run, they will destroy you."
Squall looks at him. His eyes, with a hint of sadness in them, glint menacingly. Lionheart shimmers in his right hand. Ignoring the pain, he raises his left arm, grabbing something off the wall.
A Hyperion gunblade. This one, black and shining, dark and menacing, somehow seems to stand out from his own blue Lionheart, and especially against the gold and silver blades that are Mirrors.
Mirror looks at him with a bemused expression.
"Oh go on Squall, let's see what you can do. Got a trick up your sleeve I suppose?" He shuts up as Squalls eyes lock with his.
"Yes Mirror, I do." He says in a voice barely above a whisper, but Mirror hears every word.
"One last trick."
The energy crackles around him. Mirror spits out some blood. He levels his blades at him in a fighting position, abandoning the idea of shooting him.
"Come on then Squall, I'm ready for your stupid Renzokuken Limit Break."
Squall cocks his head slightly to his left. He mouths two words.
"Double Renzokuken."
Upon hearing these words, Mirrors eyes open in shock. Suddenly Squall is upon him, charging at him with a speed unknown. Mirror screams as, as one, he swings both gunblades at him. He aims his own swords to block it, but the velocity and speed of the blows cause him to stagger back with each hit.
Squall swings up once, both blades hit. He pulls out his Limit Break, if he manages the right amount of hits…
The second hit, he swings both blades to his left. Mirrors arms jar with the assault.
The third hit, he swings back. It looks like he is going very slowly, but they are actually going so fast that Mirror is lucky to react.
The fourth hit, swings downwards. Mirror is wide open, but he is going on pure Limit now, the flow cannot be interrupted, and he wants to go on.
The fifth hit, it swings back up, clanging his blades right up. It hits with such a force that Mirrors arms and swords fly upwards. He manages to hold on to his swords.
The sixth hit. This one goes straight for his heart. Mirror blocks it, but his own blades bang into him. He gasps.
Squall feels it building. I've got it. Now it's time…
The seventh hit. Burling both blades round, he wallops into Mirrors side. The blow would have cut anything else in two. But he manages to get the swords down in time. He sees one of Mirrors arms bend in a way it shouldn't have. He doesn't register anything. No noise apart from the swords colliding.
Eighth hit. The last one. This one scythes down and batters into him. Crossing his swords over his head. Squalls weapons blast into them. His blades, on top of Mirrors, bash onto his skull. Mirrors eyes loll about in his head. Squall stops, and crosses his own swords behind him.
It is time. Whether I survive this. I do not know. I guess we will find out. But if it kills Mirror, I will be satisfied. It will kill him.
He can hardly believe he is thinking this, but his wounds ache, blood flows, he is hurt, tired and sore.
"Mirror" he sputters. Mirror gets to his feet. He cannot run. The energy coming from Squalls Limit Break roots him to the spot.
"The best man, is going to win. Me. This is for everyone you killed. May they destroy you in the afterlife."
"NO! NEVER!" screams Mirror. He does not hear Squalls next two words. Squall himself wonders if he can pull this off.
"Double Lionheart."
Energy crackles around him. How his body is holding together is beyond him. Everything goes dark. Only two things shine light. Himself and Mirror. Mirror, though frozen to the spot, suddenly ignites with power. His hair flies up and stands on end. He readies his swords.
Squall races at him, gaining speed. Even though they are only a few feet apart, Squall is already a blur.
He swings both blades in a circle, upon completing the circle, they hammer into Mirror and he goes flying upwards, screaming. Squall dives up after him.
The first hit goes upwards, the next downwards, the next left, then right, then left, then down, then up, then left…
Mirror continues to scream as the blows hammer into his swords. Blocking them is useless now, but he tries all the same.
Then right, then left, then down again…
Squall backs off. There is no gravity in this space in this Limit Break. He feels like he is standing on a floor, but he is not. He joins both blades together and charges them. A beautiful golden and white light builds up. He swings it left. The arc cuts through both of Mirrors blades. His scream grows louder as both his swords shatter in his hands, both falling in hundreds of pieces in a gold and silver rainfall. His scream is silenced as a huge explosion erupts and engulfs him.
The world comes back as Squall lands on his feet, then falls onto his back. He blacks out, but not before he hears the unmistakable thud of a body hitting the floor just in front of him...
(Dream)
Selphie spins at him, then stops, vanishes.
Irvine levels two guns at him, blasts boom from them. He vanishes.
Zell flips and dives around this space (?), then vanishes.
Seifers scream echoes through his mind as a crumbling noise is heard, like a wall collapsing.
It all goes black, then white. Rinoa smiles at him.
He walks through a meadow. The grass is a beautiful yellow sunshine colour, mixed with green. It feels gentle when he touches it… there is an old building nearby. A lighthouse stands at the end of a row of rocks.
Suddenly he is aware of a presence behind him. He turns around, and sees Rinoa standing there. Still wearing the same white dress as in his last dream. Her white wings unfurl and flap gently.
"Wake up Squall" she says.
Squall shakes his head.
"I'm dead. I couldn't contain the power of that Limit Break. I must be dead."
Rinoa shakes her head.
"No, you're not Squall. Wake up, it is not over yet."
"I want to stay here, with you," he says quietly. Rinoa walks up and kisses him.
"You're not alone Squall, trust me. We are all there."
"What do you mean?" he asks.
(/Dream)
(Floor 19)
Gilned watches as Prophecy glows slightly, their eyes closed.
"Prophecy?"
Prophecy stops and turns around to face him.
"When Squall gets here, tell him everything, then I will destroy him."
Gilneds eyes open in shock
"No! He couldn't have! You must be-"
"Do it!" they yell, before disappearing.
(Floor 18)
Squall wakes up, staring at the ceiling. Blinking a few times, he tries to sit up. Something hits him as he touches his body in various places.
I'm… I'm healed! What?
He gets up to his feet. He is fully healed. His shoulder wounds is gone. The wound made by the Lionheart going through him is completely healed. He feels amazing. Strong and healthy.
How did that happen-
He breaks off as he looks at the sight in front of him. Grabbing his Lionheart he dropped, he walks over to it.
Mirror lies there, on his back. His arms are splayed out at either side, so he resembles an X shape. Crouching over him, Squall realizes the truth.
Mirror is dead.
Squall crouches down, and slowly closes Mirrors eyes, as they were open, staring blankly out in shock. Squall goes to close his own eyes briefly, when something catches his eyes. A shape. He barely catches sight of it as the lift doors close. Getting up and looking down at the body of Mirror one last time, he walks off to the lift. It opens as soon as he reaches it. Something, he does not know what, is telling him to go to floor 19. Pressing the button, the doors close almost instantly. The lift goes up quicker than he thought and open. He barely has time to fathom about how he has been healed fully when he sees who is sitting at the end of the room, behind a desk in a large armchair.
President Gilned.
Squalls eyes narrow as he steps off the lift. His training, coupled with the fight with Mirror, has now given him a sixth sense to warn him of danger. There doesn't seem to be any as he slowly walks up to the desk. President Gilned is not smiling, nor does he speak. His face is set in a serious visage, watching Squall step over the remains of a TV monitor. His hands are clasped together in front of him. It was almost as if he was waiting for him.
Squall reaches the end of the desk and presses his Lionheart into Gilneds chest. Gilned flinches slightly.
"Give me one good reason why I should not kill you right now, Gilned," says Squall, with no emotion.
President Gilned shifts slightly. The point of the Lionheart is wicked sharp and scrapes into his suit. Trying to keep his voice calm, he answers Squalls question.
"Because then you will not learn the truth Squall."
"About what?" says Squall, his eyes narrowing.
"Everything. About me, about Mirror, everything."
Squall raises an eyebrow. "Why the hell should I believe you? Even though Mirror did it, you ordered him to kill my friends, including those at Garden. Your life is fuck all next to theirs. I have destroyed Mirror, I should destroy you."
Gilned nods at him.
"You will believe me Squall, because it's the least I can do before you kill me."
Squall hesitates. Not taking his blade away from him, he says, "Talk. I read your invite you sent personally, and followed the order to come here and destroy you and Mirror. So yeah, you're right, I am going to kill you. So it is the least you can do."
Gilned smiles. Squall presses further onto his chest. Suddenly Gilned starts laughing.
"Squall, you truly think you were ordered here? You think that you were told to come here by your superiors?"
Squall looks at him uneasily. "What do you mean?" he asks. Gilned looks up at him, an evil glint in his eyes.
"You weren't ordered here Squall, you were lead here, the letter was a front, knowing fine well that your higher-ups would send you."
"What's that supposed to mean? We were lead here?"
Gilned suddenly stops laughing. His voice is one of seriousness as he speaks.
"You have been played for a fool Squall, you and your friends. And this is the result. The death of almost all those you love, and the destruction of your Garden."
"No-ones been playing me for a fool."
"Oh no?" says Gilned, still not smiling. "I think you are wrong there Squall, and I will be more than happy to tell you why."
Squall feels an evil feeling spread through him as Gilned says this.
"Go on" he whispers. Gilned fixes his tie, then looks Squall dead in the eyes.
"There is a traitor inside your Garden Squall, and they have been manipulating, distracting and playing you for a fool since day one."
Squalls blood turns to ice. "Day one?"
"After, during and even before you fought Ultimecia, Squall."
(The next chapter will tell all folks! Reviews welcome, hope you liked the fight. Took ages with it. Craig)