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 (Oh, and read his fics. Top notch!)
A/N – Fairly large chapter, hold on to your hats folks! Things are going to get interesting…
Chapter 19 – P R 0 P H 3 C Y
'Let's all make believe, that we're still friends and we like each other' – Oasis (Let's all Make Believe)
(The Tower Of Deling City – Floor 19)
Squall says nothing, does nothing, except turn around slowly, very slowly, to face her.
Quistis?
Quistis stands there, also doing nothing. Her face is stern, straight, and impassive.
President Gilned walks behind Quistis, then turns back. Facing Squall.
"I think you're going to see why I willingly told you everything Squall. Goodbye." He leaves through the elevator. The doors close. Now it was just the 2 of them, alone.
The rain seems to have died.
"Aren't you going to say something? Or are we just going to stand here all night?" she asks him.
Squalls face is one of confusion, Quistis sniggers.
"Oh please Squall, I am amused at your face right now, so you are human after all, never before have I ever seen you at a loss for words, or unable to think of something. Oh very well, I'll answer your unasked question, and that is yes, I am the traitor/mole/whatever."
Squall simply shakes his head slightly. "No…"
"Oh but yes" she says, walking silently back and forth across the room, Squall turning to face her all the time. "It's very much yes." Her face is now deadly serious. Squall shakes his head and suddenly becomes angry.
"Why?" he whispers. Quistis snarls at him.
"Why? WHY?" she yells, "I'll tell you fucking why. Simply put Squall, I was sick to the back teeth of you lot, of your stupid little romances, of your idiotic ideas that Garden was the greatest, that you were the best fighter in the world. You were the hero. I fucking hated you, I fucking hated them, and I fucking hated her."
Squall snarls back "What the hell are you on about? You were part of the team, part of all of this, bringing down Ultimecia, you were a valuable asset!"
Quistis waves her hand "not her, she was a bitch yes, but hell, at least she never got pissed about, like me!"
"Like you?"
"You genuinely are stupid Squall. What do you think?"
Squall says nothing, the hand holding his gunblade trembles, balling his other hand into a fist…
"Did you kill my friends?"
Quistis stops and stares at him. "Yes Squall, I did. Only 2 of them personally though."
Squall looks up at her, his head shaking in a no fashion. "Only 2 of them?"
Quistis smirks, "yes, Seifer, and Rinoa. Oh you had no idea how much I enjoyed killing her, the cow."
Squall whirls his blade up in a flash, aiming for Quistis' throat, she smirks and vanishes, reappearing sitting behind the desk. Squall wheels round.
"Don't try that again, I could do that all day if need be."
Squall lowers his sword. He decides it's best to keep her talking while trying to figure out a strategy…
"Why do you hate me?"
Quistis face goes from angry to sad in an instant, then to sternness again. In a soft voice, she says a single sentence.
"Because Squall, you never took the time to know me, to see what was there."
"Explain, if you want to."
Quistis leans back in the chair. "You see Squall, ever since childhood, when I looked after you in that orphanage alongside Ellone, I used to think we would get married and stuff. Childish things yes, hell, I was only 8, but then I came to Garden, after leaving my foster home, and then I saw you. I was 13 Squall, SeeD at 15, then Instructor at 16. I was thrilled when I realized I would be teaching you. I thought 'there you go, he will recognize you now.'
Squall says nothing.
"You know how I said that it was feelings as a 'big sister' that lingered? I was lying Squall, lying to myself and to you. But then something happened. Something I didn't bet on."
Squall guessed what was coming.
"She came, Rinoa. I didn't think much of her, just a pretty little girl needing help. I was biding my time, even after you gave me the cold shoulder at the Training Center, I kept waiting, I thought 'stick by him, get conversation going with him, he'll come out of his shell. I loved him enough to wait."
She sighs. "But you didn't. Then Rinoa came along, and she managed to get you talking, she managed to get you to open up, and your antics in space were the last straw. I heard enough of that shit from Rinoa to finally realize that you were no longer going to be mine."
"That's why you hate Rinoa, isn't it?"
Quistis' eyes narrow. Squall makes a mental note that Rinoas name seems to annoy her.
"Like I said, you have no idea how much fun I had killing her."
Squall grits his teeth against the slur. "Is that is all this is, Quistis? A fucking jealousy thing?"
Quistis sniggers. "No Squall, it's a hate thing. You think you were the only thing I wanted rid of? As well as Rinoa? No, I wanted the Garden to fall too. I wanted to see it burn."
"Why the Garden? If it was just us you were after, why not just us?
"I lost you, more or less, on the same day I lost my Instructor license. So I owed them. They also said I would never get the chance to get it back. You think it would be a small price to pay, wouldn't it? Defeat the strongest Sorceress in the Universe, get my old license back, not much to ask."
Squall looks at her, eyes narrow.
"So after the Training Center business, I had nothing to do when you left for Timber. I went into the library, day after day after day, just poring over books, then… I found something… A book, which could teach me how to sense people, kind of like telepathy you know? I thought it was all mumbo-jumbo pass the time stuff. But upon reading the book, I was suddenly aware that magic had opened up in me that I never knew I had."
She draws her finger along the table absent-mindedly; a small glow trail is left. She continues.
"I sensed a huge power from someone, actually, I sensed thousands. It was like having Scan permanently implanted in me. Just by looking from my room, I found him…
"Mirror." Squall whispers. Quistis smiles.
"Yes. I looked at his magic and saw what he could do. I turned to catch a train when suddenly I used the Scan on myself, to check my stats were ok, and guess what I found?"
She suddenly vanishes and reappears at the other end of the room. Then vanishes again, appearing back in the seat. As if she had never left.
"I had read this ridiculous ability on teleportation, and it turns out only Blue magic users can do it. And I'm a Blue magic user."
Squall looks at her, wearing a grin the size of a billboard on her face
"So you went to Deling, and met President Gilned."
"Yes, then I met Mirror. I went up to him and told him directly what he could do, then we started planning…"
Squall cuts her off. "Before Ultimecia! You were planning Gardens downfall before it!"
Quistis nods her head.
Squalls anger rises, but he composes himself. Quistis' grin fades.
"Squall, I just wanted to destroy the faculty, the assholes who sacked me, and I thought I could use Mirror to do it, thereby getting me my payback and no-one knowing it was me."
Squall looks away, disgusted.
"Oh fine Squall, let's fast forward to now Eh? Or rather, 6 ½ months ago, when I decided that after everything that has happened, I would end it. I hated Rinoa and never wanted to harm you, but now I figured why not? Hurt you for ignoring me."
Squalls eyes stare into hers as she speaks, his anger still rising.
"You stole the documents didn't you? From Cid's office?"
Quistis nods. "Too right, it was easy. By then, I had power no one could have imagined. I simply ripped the doors off and got inside. I could then re-attach the doors, looking as if nothing had happened. I took the folders to Deling, where the tower was being built, and I let Mirror read them and learn, as proof of what he could do, then I saw him train… He was amazing. I knew right there and then, that he would destroy you, therefor again, leaving me in the clear. I could fight him yes, but we would make it look like he had killed me, then I would simply get up, feign I survived, and carried on, without you lot."
She laughs, it cuts through Squall.
"And he has succeeded, apart from you. You are a problem, aren't you? Even I was amazed at your fight with Mirror. You defeated him, it was incredible."
Squalls head all but spins with this information, his mind still trying to come to terms with the fact that one of his supposed friends had been responsible for the death of all his other friends, and the woman he loved.
"Something went wrong though," says Quistis, bringing Squall out of his thoughts.
"I survived, right?" he spits. Quistis shakes her head.
"The plan went awry. Mirror storming the Garden like that, we were meant to bring you to the location I said, the Deep-Sea Research Center, you were to be killed there. But Mirror always lacked patience, and it almost cost me. Hyne, it almost cost him, when he came face to face with the Sorceress. A person I knew he would never be able to take."
Squall smirks slightly. "Too right, Rinoa kicked the shit out of him."
Quistis snarls again. Squall smiles inwardly.
"Yes, she did, but then she came up against me…"
Squall growls at her, spitting on the desk.
"You killed her, no way, you would have to have had help, she would have taken you anyday."
Quistis suddenly gets up and teleports to the bookshelf on the right. Turning round slightly to face him she purrs at him.
"You're right Squall, until 3 months ago, that is."
Squall says nothing. Quistis fingers the books lovingly with a finger.
"You see, again, a sign of you ignoring me, you never did ask what I could do, did you?"
"In terms of what?" asks Squall.
"In terms of Blue Magic. I have a Blue called 'Monster Object Identifier Blue', which is what you have seen me use before. I need an item to look at belonging to a specific monster to learn it."
"So?"
"So, you idiot, you never did ask what I was doing after Ultimecia, apart from plotting your demise."
"Like I care?"
Quistis turns to face him, deadly serious. Red lightning suddenly crackles about her. Her voice is distorted slightly as she speaks.
"Yes, you should have. By then I had read hundreds of books concerning Blues. Then I found one, a very very old book, concerning a group of people called 'Prophecies'."
That's what Gilned was talking about, calling her Prophecy…
"It turned out that certain Blue magic users could become a Prophecy, depending on what magic they had, and what level they were at. Well, as you know Squall, I am at Lv100, like you. And I had learned all my Monster Blues, and oh yes…" her face grew excited, "there was one in particular I had… and when I read up on it… I realized where I had seen it from, and why I had it."
"Seen it from?" asks Squall. A horrible feeling was seeping into his stomach. He was thinking something rather unpleasant, but at the same time, possibly true. He had seen her use it only once, against a Red Dragon…
"I am a Prophecy Squall, and the more common name for Prophecies these days are Guardian Forces."
Squall stepped back a bit. "Impossible! How can you be a GF?"
Easy, a book I read told me, and like I said, I have a Blue that not only have you seen before, you have experienced before…"
She begins to glow brighter. Squall swings his blade up in a ready stance. Quistis laughs, her voice rumbling.
"It taught me all I needed to know, and I mastered it about a month ago, out training by myself. You're about to see why your precious bitch Rinoa lost!"
She glows more brightly, turning a red colour, like the colour of blood. Suddenly 2 huge red wings sprout from her back. Unlike Rinoas beautiful white angel wings, these are an evil jagged shape, crimson colored. Quistis looks him dead in the eyes, hers glowing yellow.
"That's it Squall, remember where you have experienced this before, before I destroy you by it…"
Squall steps back again slightly, then it hits him.
The magic she had… her final Blue attack.
He suddenly remembers a book, a book Selphie had…
Suddenly an ear splitting roar fills the room. Squall can only look up in horror as a huge black shape dominates the room, crashing a hole in the ceiling with its powerful head.
A lion-beast stands there, red horns formed on its head to form a natural headdress. Two wicked sharp claws adorn the elbows of the beast. Huge feline feet stomp on the ground, long sharp tail swishing back and forth. It crouches slightly, looking at Squall.
"Now you know what a Prophecy is, Squall. Now you know what I am, I can no longer let you live."
Squall thinks nothing, sees nothing as a huge black fist rams into him, lifting him up, and smashing him through the ceiling up onto floor 20. He sprawls onto his back.
Squall spits out blood as the beast jumps up through the hole, floor booming as it lands. It crouches again as Squall struggles to his feet and backs off. The beast growls slightly.
"Very cramped in here. Let's rectify that."
It roars and raises its arms. The roof suddenly blows off and explodes in the air. The entire building is rocked to its foundation. Rain now begins to pour in. Squall can barely stand.
"Griever… Shockwave Pulsar… Quistis…"
Griever smiles a huge grin, before beginning to glow. Suddenly it transforms back into Quistis. She stands there, the rain pelting down on her.
"Like what you see Squall, now you know, like I said."
Squall is wanting to rush her, but finds he can't. Looking down, he sees blood, and feels a lot of broken ribs. He breathes irregularly. And even if he could, she would just teleport away.
"Feeling a bit woozy Squall, don't worry, it'll be over soon" she purrs. She walks up to him slowly. Raising her hand, she knocks him down. Standing over him, she crouches down with a look of concern and sadness on her face.
"Poor Squall, you see what this has lead to? This is your entire fault. All you had to do, was love me, like I love you."
Squall moves his head away as she strokes his cheek. She kisses him slightly.
"What's that? I thought you said something,"
Squall smiles at her, puzzling her.
"I do, and it's this, Rinoa was 10 times the woman you'll ever be."
Quistis snarls and gets up, raising her hand, Squall suddenly lifts off the ground and slams into it. Holding him by his shirtfront, she holds up her left hand. A ring adorns her wedding finger.
"Recognize this Squall?" She says menacingly. Squalls eyes widen at it.
The Griever ring. Quistis can tell that he recognizes it.
"That's right, I took it from her, right before I blew her away. I would have taken the other one, but it was a useless bit of metal. You see Squall, when I read the same book telling me about the Prophecies, there was a picture of this ring there, and all I needed to do was acquire it, that way I could harness the power of Griever, without staying that way. I didn't stay that way before because I was too weak. Rinoa gave me a fright oh yes, but I won, and now look, I have your ring, and… oh, you have the other. I think I'll take it after I kill you, and wear it also, a fitting insult to the memory of that dead co…"
She is suddenly cut off as a huge explosion rams into her from behind. Her and Squall are both sent flying along the ground, skidding short of the edge.
"Wha?" stammers Quistis. She flips up and wheels round.
To be greeted by the sight of Sorceress Rinoa, Zell, Selphie, Irvine and Seifer.
"What in Hyne?" she yells teleporting away from the next blast that comes her way. She reappears behind them; Selphie and Zell run towards Squall. Seifer, Rinoa and Irvine all stand in front of her. Quistis is quite clearly shocked.
"How?"
"Hi, bitch, remember me?" snarls Rinoa. She suddenly leaps up. Crossing her arms over her chest, two huge angel wings fly out of her back. Lightning crackles around her as she lands.
Quistis snarls at her. "I don't know how you did it, but you won't be alive after this to tell me!"
"You won't be alive after this to hear it, you loser," says Rinoa. Seifer and Irvine step back towards Selphie and Zell, who has Squall over his shoulder.
"Where do you think you're taking him? I still have to destroy him… oh well, to hell with this; I'll just kill you all at once. You first, Sorceress. I shall take great pride in doing it again!"
Rinoa suddenly throws out her hand, but not at Quistis, at behind her, the blast suddenly stops short of Selphie. It breaks up, suddenly forming a web around them.
"You're not the only one who can do that you know."
"Do what?" snarls Quistis.
"This" Rinoa says simply, and snaps her fingers. The entire party disappears under the web. Quistis looks shocked at the disappearance.
"No!"
Rinoa shrugs her shoulders.
"I'm the Sorceress, so I think that's a yes actually."
Quistis grits her teeth. "I will find them Sorceress, you know that."
"No you won't Quistis," says Rinoa sadly. "No you won't."
"You going to stop me?"
Rinoas eyes glow brighter.
"Yes, I am. Even with your power."
"So be it, Angel Wing." Says Quistis, crossing her arms over her chest. The blood red wings appear again. Burning with fire this time, her eyes are also red.
(Squall – Timber)
Squalls eyes blink open, to be greeted by the faces of Selphie, Zell, Irvine and Seifer.
"Am I dead?" he whispers. He recalls seeing Quistis, and a ring…
"No, you're alive Squall, as are we" says Selphie cheerily. "We all are."
Squall sits up so fast that he almost falls off the bed.
"What? How? Where am I?"
"Settle down man!" says Seifer quickly. "We'll tell you everything…"
(*Flashback 1 – Floor 13)
The lights flick out as the lift goes up. Suddenly a white glow appears in the room. A woman, with angel wings that quickly disappear, appears in the room, crouching over Selphie. She checks that her body is still warm. It is, after dying only minutes before, she quickly casts Full-life on her. Selphie splutters and opens her eyes; there is no light save for the glow from Rinoa.
"What happened?"
"You died, but I brought you back."
"I thought you were dead."
"I was, kind of, but I barely survived, I was flung for miles through the countryside, and crashed on top of some mountains. I came to a few hours later and stayed hidden until my strength came back. Because Squall is my Knight, I was linked to him, and I followed you here. I am sorry I couldn't help earlier, but I need to know, like you, who are behind this.
"You know who?" asks Selphie. A huge number of bangs can be heard from above.
"Yes, and it isn't pleasant. Touch my arm, I can transport us out of here, then I can tell you everything.
(/Flashback*)
(**Flashback 2 – Outside the tower)
Seifer wakes up, healed fully, Rinoa places a hand on his chest.
"Relax Seifer, I am going to tell you everything."
"I though you were dead."
"That's the 4th time I have heard that today."
"Where's Quistis? Isn't she here?"
"No, Seifer, she's not, because I think she was the one responsible for this."
"How?" asks Irvine.
"I felt it."
"Where's Squall?" splutters Seifer, the rain hitting him hard. Rinoa looks up, her eyes a pale green.
"Fighting Mirror, as we speak."
"We got to get up there!" Seifer says, jumping to his feet. Rinoa forces him to stop.
"No! He can do it, we need to regroup, I'll heal Squall then we can see what the deal is!"
"When do we make our move?"
" Asks Zell.
"As soon as we can… Zell, as soon as we can."
(/Flashback**)
Squall sits there and listens. He shakes his head.
"So, you were all ok, all the time?"
They all smile as one. Squall can't help but laugh. "Rinoa! That's my gir…" he cuts off.
"Where is she?"
(The Tower Of Deling City – Floor 20)
Rinoa wings glow brighter, illuminating the rain, the floor, everything around her.
Quistis wings glow the colour of fire, emanating heat. Rain hissing as it connects.
"I'm going to enjoy this, Sorceress, and don't worry, Squall will be joining you in the afterlife. I promise."
"You're a bitch Quistis, you know that?"
Nothing more is said as the suddenly fly for each other. Taking off from a standing point at almost the speed of sound. Both raise a hand as they prepare a spell. The spells collide together in such a force that the shockwave races down the tower. Everything made of glass explodes, shattering outwards almost in slow motion. A huge white pillar bangs from above.
Rinoa watches Quistis teleport away, scanning quickly she sees her above. Quistis crosses her palms over each other and lets rip. It starts out small, then stops, draws a circle in mid air, then blasts down about 5 times as large as it was. Rinoa watches it come. Her powers analyzing the spell and it's force.
By Hyne it's massive…
She throws her hands out and creates a huge silver shield. The shield catches the spell, sucking it in. Rinoa flicks her fingers and the spell bounces back off it, straight up at Quistis, as if the spell had hit a trampoline. Quistis simply teleports away, but not before having to activate a Shell as soon as she appears, the orange flashes violently as the Flare hits her. Standing where she is, she allows the spell to hit. It rockets into her and makes her go flying. She spins in mid air and stops.
Spotting Rinoa just in front of the tower, she blasts an Ultima at her. It smashes into Rinoa and the tower. The tower finally caves into the onslaught it has had from inside and outside, and collapses halfway up, floors 15-20 crumbling like a sandcastle. Screams are heard from below as people flee for their lives.
That spell engulfed her, she must be dead!
She feels a sharp pain as Rinoa suddenly slams into her; Quistis spins round but can't quite stop herself from careening into the Presidential Palace. An explosion rocks her being as some of that building is leveled. Shaking slightly, she watches as Rinoa floats down to her level, facing her. Lightning crackles around her.
"How! I saw that Ultima ram right into you!"
Rinoa smirks. "After image, and here I though you were powerful…"
Quistis snarls. "Enough Rinoa! I hate you! It's time!"
"You only hate me because Squall fell in love with me! Would you be doing this is he fell in love with you?"
Quistis was about to blast something at her, but she lowers her arms. The rain seems to go quiet as she speaks.
"No, I wouldn't have done this."
"Then why?"
"It doesn't matter! Now die Sorceress!"
Rinoa could have seen she saw tears in Quistis eyes, but that thought is suddenly wiped out as a huge red glow engulfs Quistis. There is a flash, and Rinoa comes face to face with a huge, 9-foot tall lion beast.
Griever! That's what I fought… Quistis is Griever?!?
"Let's see how a Sorceress does against a Prophecy, shall we?" It roars.
Rinoa suddenly dives out the way as Griever rushes her, its speed triple that of Quistis. She barely dodges as it comes at her again. Teleporting out the way the third time, Rinoa is caught off balance. She flies a shield up as a huge black fist collides into her, the fist smashes into the shield, but not before Rinoa is rocked to her core by it. She flies backwards and stops a fair bit away from Griever.
How the Hyne do I beat this? No wonder I was defeated, I'm lucky to have lived….
Griever appears out of nowhere and charges a Flare spell, the speed it builds up is astonishing, in a matter of seconds it is already roughly 15 times the size of Griever itself.
Rinoa closes her eyes. Allowing the power to take over her. Holding up her hands, her wings glow a spectacular white.
"Die Sorceress! Say hi to Hyne for me!"
Griever throws the spell. Rinoas eyes are no longer the yellow, they are pure white. They glow of their own accord. Suddenly they fire out, like lasers, as do her fingers, as do her wings. They criss-cross in front of her, making a massive net like shield. The Flare connects with it. The net bends inwards very quickly, but then steadies itself. She can feel Griever pushing it with its mind.
Rinoa screams a death scream and begins to push back. She also hears screams from below as Galbadian citizens scream in panic and fear. Some of them are even calling on her cheering, urging her on to push it back…
She screams again; the Flare is becoming unbearable. Griever is concentrating with all its might to push it down. Her wings are actually beginning to burn her as they glow brighter. Rinoa focuses on the net. It begins to take a bit of shape, starting to move upwards…
She senses something, something coming.
She smiles at herself, and begins to push back slowly; she only needed a small distraction…
Griever roars with all its might, the Flare spell enveloping the white net that the Sorceress had created.
I have the power
I have the mind
I can do this
It thinks these thoughts over and over again. It won the last time; it will win this time. It detects that the Sorceress is using almost all her mind to keep this at bay, it decides to go the full haul…
A huge explosion rocks it to its core. It drops its hands and looks as a huge red dragon ship fires a series of missiles at it. Grievers' eyes widen in shock as they come at it. It swats them away, the explosions doing nothing to the shield it has up.
(Ragnarok)
Selphie pilots the ship with expertise, dodging the beasts attacks as it goes after them, almost crashing into the Flare that Rinoa was keeping at bay. Squall and Seifer are manning the missile launchers, Irvine in the co-pilot seat, Zell manning the machine guns.
"That's it, just keep at it!" shouts Seifer. He quickly nods to Squall. Squall nods back.
Rinoa… he thinks. I have an idea.
(Rinoa)
Rinoa hears him, and understands. She can't see anything with this huge orange and white thing in front of her, but she has to trust her instincts that they will get away…
Sensing Griever is busy with the Ragnarok, she uses her entire power and might to push the Flare back. Her net shield spell envelops the Flare in a huge white ball and fires it straight at Griever.
Griever stops firing spells at the Ragnarok as it is aware something is coming, something huge. It looks to its left…
Before being engulfed in a huge white ball of light, smashing into it, enveloping it.
Griever crosses its arms, before the huge ball explodes, illuminating the sky. A white ring flies out from it, smashing into the Ragnarok. The ship spins wildly before regaining level base. A figure dives out of it with a parachute on, opening the parachute, the figure caches the angel winged girl before she hits the ground.
People race to see them, a boy with a scar on his face, rain soaking him, looking down at the girl with the white wings, which vanish into her back.
"We got her Squall. I know this, there isn't a trace of her left."
"You are sure?"
"I can't sense her anywhere, unless she disappeared underground, she's gone. But no-one would have survived that, not even me."
He smiles and kisses her, casting a Cura on her, before she falls asleep. The rain not bothering him one bit.
(2 days later)
Squall looks out of the window of Balamb hotel, the sun shining down on him. He stretches, then winces. Even though magic was used to heal him and everyone else, he still winced in pain. Some things magic can't heal.
He thinks about Quistis and her reasons why she did it. She hated him, Rinoa, Garden, everyone.
Whereas part of him had not condoned her actions, part of him was saying she was right. She had been dumped by the Garden, had been ignored by him, had every right to be jealous. Of him and Rinoa, of Selphie and Irvine, of Zell and Anya, his library girlfriend. Seifer? I doubt that.
His thoughts travel to the book that he and Selphie had seen in the Ragnarok. Now he had a good look at it, it was true everything Quistis had read and said.
GF's were known as 'Prophecies', more or less Gods of power, if the correct person was found, and the correct ritual performed.
Quistis ultimate Blue attack was Shockwave Pulsar, the maneuver that Griever used against them against Ultimecia…
Ultimecia? Griever? No…
Squall shook that thought from his head. Griever was no more. So how does that work out?
He feels 2 arms wrap around his waist. A face buries itself into his back, then turns him around.
"Squall?"
Squall looks down at her. "Hmm?"
"You're thinking about her, aren't you?"
Squall doesn't snap, or say anything. He closes his eyes and nods. "Yes, I am."
"She chose that path Squall, you know that."
"Do you think she could have seen sense? I would…have forgiven her you know."
Rinoa strokes his cheek.
"I know you would have. I would have too hun."