Disclaimer: I do not own FF8, all my readers should know this by now …
Chapter Eighteen
For Rinoa Heartilly it seemed as if a large crevice had opened, swallowing her … feeding her to the underworld. However the numbing cold spreading throughout her body told her otherwise. The pain that her wounds were causing her seemed to double.
"That's not possible …" She whispered more to herself than to anyone else in the lushly decorated study.
"Sure it is … he told Ackroyde to fuck off …" Zell explained, slightly curious as to what was going on in Rinoa's head.
'He said he was going to quit … for me … what … have I done …' The greatest murder of all … the accidental one, the one for her own gain … to calm her raging soul, 'He was suffering too … I wasn't the only one … why didn't I see that?' Selfishness … 'I should have … oh my God …'
Caraway had been staring intently at his daughter for the past few moments, unmoving. Wondering if she would just let it be and accept things the way they were. Part of him wanted her t,o however the other part just wanted to rush out of the room … to save Squall Leonheart.
Rinoa didn't speak; she walked up to her father's polished rosewood desk and grabbed the pistol that had been lying there. She checked for sufficient ammunition … it was full. She disengaged the safety and turned it over in her hands, "Ok … I have to go."
"You're making another mistake." Caraway said in spite of himself.
"Yeah, you would know what you're talking about …" Rinoa shot back at him, avoiding his eyes at any cost, "Ok, be good … I'll be back. I will." She said firmly, looking at each of her kids in the eye.
She exited the study promptly before anyone really had the chance to convince her other wise. Riana and Julia both exited the room, it was the smaller girl who caught up with her mother first. "Mommy …"
"Riana … be good … stay here. I just have to take care of something real quick … you were right. Daddy is special to me, just like you and Alex are … so I should forgive him because I haven't done any better." Rinoa explained as quickly as she could.
"He doesn't need forgiveness, Rinoa … he needs to know you're safe." A wiser voice prompted from behind Riana.
"Mom … the man of my life is going to be assassinated in 57 minutes and 32 seconds. I can't give him anything right now. I can only return what he's given me for the last seven years."
"What's that?" Julia closed her eyes, visions of her only child … her daughter dying.
"Loyalty …"
"It's either you both come back alive … or you both die. Do you realize this?" Julia asked, choking back tears.
"Then I guess we'll both have to come back." She smiled, weakly but truthfully, and then she was gone.
***
She knew the town of Deling only too well. The streets engraved in her mind, a virtual map forming in her head. The Presidential Palace wasn't that far from this neighborhood. Though thirty minutes had ticked off the clock when she even began to approach the impressive structure. 'On the roof …' She remembered from Zell's words.
"Don't tell me its devotion that brought you here." A snarling voice from behind her emerged and she was roughly pushed to the floor.
"Quistis, funny running into you again." Rinoa spat, getting up and brushing herself off, trying not to make the pain too visible. "As a matter a fact, I specifically remember praying not to see your goddamn face again."
"Shut up, Heartilly." Quistis hissed, "You need to be taught your place in this world. There is no pedestal holding you up above me and there never was. You are no better than me …"
"From what I just heard you say … you aren't better than me either. Am I right?" Rinoa asked and in response got a fist aimed for her cheek. She stepped backwards to avoid it, "Listen, some other time … I have to do something."
"I don't give a care about your poor, little, miserable life that should be mercilessly ended." Quistis got into fighting stance.
"They're going to kill Squall!" Rinoa screamed, going on the
defensive.
"I know … I'm the one who ordered his murder … I hired those murderers up
there." Quistis hissed back, beginning an onslaught of punches. Rinoa stepped back, avoiding the wave of
hits with slight difficulty.
"Why the hell are you doing this?" Rinoa asked, wondering if she would really have to fight again.
"Give it a rest, Rinoa … I know you don't really give a shit anyways. Fight!" She yelled out, coordinating punches and kicks into a well-planned offensive.
Rinoa was pushed nearer and nearer to the train station that wasn't far off. Eventually, Quistis' punches met it's destination and Rinoa nearly crippled in pain as her abdominal wound screamed it's presence. "You seem to have a little weakness." Quistis remarked mockingly.
The station was deserted which was quite rare for Deling City. "I always found that trains were a grand way to die …" A sneering voice rang in her ears.
"Quistis … please … could you just …"
"Oh don't worry … you won't feel a thing." The blond sneered.
"That … isn't what I meant …" Rinoa said in a hoarse voice, looking around for anyone that would put a stop to this, "Save … Squall …"
"Oh right … fifteen minutes left and I still have to dispose of you … don't think I'll have enough time … sorry." Quistis explained sardonically.
"STOP THIS!" Rinoa screamed and with some of her remaining strength, slammed her hand into Quistis' shin, nearly tripping her over.
"Fuck, what are you playing at?" Quistis shrieked, "This isn't a little girl fight …" She watched the raven haired girl stand up, shaking on her two legs, "This is real, Heartilly … no more games."
"This was never a goddamn game." Rinoa answered, "I don't have any time to waste, Quistis! You can do whatever you fricken' want with me just please … I need to get to Squall."
"You can go to Hell." Quistis replied and stepped into fighting stance once more.
"I'm already there." This time, Rinoa was first to strike, aiming kicks to wherever she thought Quistis wouldn't be able to block. A few hit but they weren't strong enough to faze her for long.
"You've gotten too weak …" Quistis remarked, blocking with the palm of her hands a flung fist, "You lack coordination … speed … power … where have you been all these years?" She smirked.
"Raising Squall's children." Rinoa hissed back maliciously, "You want to know how we ended up with those?"
Quistis yelled out random obscenities and missed Rinoa's leg that hit her at the back of the knees. She lost her balance as her right knee was forcefully bent.
"What the heck?!" Someone cried out behind them, it was undoubtedly a watch guard who had heard the commotion and had come to investigate. The man met his fate as Quistis grabbed a gun from her belt and shot the man twice with pro aim. He fell to the floor as she got up and brushed herself off.
Rinoa only stared, "You … didn't have to do that." She stared back at Quistis, her eyes cold and hard, "You don't have to kill people off like flies! For Hyne's sake!"
"What's the matter, Rin? Lost your uncompassionate edge?" Quistis asked, suddenly she heard a sound … far down the tunnel, "Why look at the timing … I hear a train coming. It must be fate."
Rinoa instinctively lowered a hand to her abdomen where Quistis was launching kicks out. The inside of her palm burned as the fresh wound was cut open more. 'I can't stand much more of this …' Rinoa grabbed Quistis leg and tilted it upwards like Seifer had done to her.
Quistis hopped on one foot like Rinoa had done in her previous fight and unfortunately, had the same idea as her. Rinoa foresaw the familiar move and let go of Quistis' leg, backing up to avoid the spare foot that was aimed at her head.
The taller blond spun around in the air and slammed back down to the floor alone, "God damn it all!" She cried out in anguish and held her left arm that she had fallen on. It was broken.
"Is it painful?" Rinoa asked suddenly, a flare lighting up her eyes. The look in Quistis' eyes told it all, "Good." She kicked Quistis swiftly onto the train tracks that were only a meter away, "Do you still hear the train, Quistis?"
The blond got up immediately and stepped off the tracks but Rinoa was ready this time with a fist deep into her ribcage. She felt her false ribs cracking under the pressure and Rinoa suddenly felt the adrenaline rush of the old agency days … the enticing feeling of murder … of inflicting pain. It was coming back to her. Ruthless …
The train passed and Quistis felt the compartments wooshed past her. She was knocked to the floor by Rinoa's elbow to her neck. "Do you like the feeling of dying?" She asked, holding Quistis' head in her hands, near the tracks where the train was still passing though slowing down.
"Don't worry … it doesn't last long … it's about to end … now." Rinoa pushed Quistis' head on the tracks. Steel on steel detached her head from the rest of her body.
Rinoa felt the bile rising up through her esophagus but swallowed it back. 'I have no time to be sick …' She told her self and she ran out of the train station as fast as she could and back to the Presidential Palace.
She pushed through the unlocked double doors … left by the murderers that had come in before her. 'No time for the elevator …' She glanced towards it but took a detour to the stairs. She ran up as fast as she could, her own race against time.
Several times she tripped and fell down a couple of stairs, inducing pain on each of her limbs but she finally arrived at the door labeled 'Roof Top'. She burst through the door, her gun ready to fire, and saw three men who were kicking Squall around.
She aimed and fired at the first man without really caring whom she had to kill anymore. Squall's reflexes weren't as rusty as Rinoa's however and he took upon the intrusion quickly, grabbing the second man by the ankle and twisting it.
The third man was quickly upon Rinoa, knocking the gun from her hands before she had time to take good aim again. She dodged with ease the punches he threw at her, immediately noting that he didn't practice a particular martial arts.
She took this as an advantage and began ducking instead of moving away. When she ducked she has access to areas that he wasn't protecting. She slammed her fist in his abdomen, momentarily knocking the wind out of him.
She then did a low roundhouse kick to the lower part of his legs making him trip off the roof. Squall was slightly struggling with his opponent. Rinoa delivered a swift kick to the adversary's waist sending him flying off and tripping off the side of the roof.
"WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING HERE?" Her husband yelled out at her, "You are such a goddamn idiot! What the hell is wrong with you?!"
"Is this the thank you I get for saving your goddamn ass?" She shouted back just as loud, "If it weren't for me you would be dead right now!"
"I was handling the situation just fucking fine!" He screamed at her, his face was bloody and bruised and she didn't even doubt that his stomach and back were looking the same way.
"Oh yes … you seemed to be doing extremely well!" She spat sarcastically.
"Shut up! There was only one of me … against the three of them!" He defended his case, "Point still comes to point, I could have handled them."
"You know, next time I think I'll just let you die!" She screamed at him.
"Fine with me!"
They stayed silent for a minute, staring at each other in the eyes in anger at both their conflicting characters. Suddenly Squall broke out a sigh and muttered, "Fuck, I'm so glad you're ok …" And he pushed her against a wall, kissing her softly on the lips.
"I was so scared …" She said in between kisses. She opened her mouth making the kiss more intimate, placing her hands at the back of his neck.
He felt the bandages on her hands but didn't think too much of it, and he resumed kissing her. His hands slowly beginning to explore her waist he felt more bandages and so he took his thumb and applied pressure to her abdomen.
She moaned against his mouth but it wasn't one of pleasure. He immediately broke off and stopped pressing on her wound, "What happened?"
"Nothing happened, it's not important … come on … let's go back to my parents' …" Rinoa started but Squall had grabbed one of her wrists to examine it in detail. "Squall … let go …"
"Who the fuck did these?" He asked roughly, pressing down on them.
"Seifer! Squall! Stop … it hurts like a bitch!" Rinoa gasped at the sharp pain he was causing her.
"Sorry …" He said softly. The light of the moon, shining on her tired, but beautiful face, "For everything …"
"It's not all your fault." She whispered, "I think we're both … really … defective people." She smiled slightly, "Really defective."
"I guess we do have our issues, huh? Between me acting like a two year old all the time and you acting like you're an eighty-three year old midwife with her deaf husband." He cracked one of his innocent grins.
"Shut up, that's not funny!" Yet she could help smiling either.
"Then why're you smiling?" He asked.
"Because … I love you."
"You what?" His voice detained much surprise though it seemed extremely pleased, "What did you say?"
"Don't make me repeat, Leonheart." She smiled slightly.
"I love you too …" He replied kissing her again.
Life is road and I want to keep goingLove is a river I want to keep flowing
I'll be there when the world stops turning …I'll be there when the storm is through …
Sabam: Aww … see, I promised you guys that I wouldn't leave a cliffhanger here. Well, I don't own that last bit of poetry. It's a song from the Disney Movie 'Anastasia' so I don't own that either … (Last minute disclaimer). Anyways, please, please review and I'll see you guys next week for chapter … nineteen! We're certainly moving along fast here aren't we? By the way … Rinoa and Squall's problems are FAR FROM OVER!