A Sequel to ReCreating Hell
Chapter Seven: Summoning Trouble
By PasifikStar
Author's Note: Please don't let this chapter make you hate RJ. People do stupid things when they're in love. Also, I over did it with the descriptions around the later half of this. Sorry! ^_^ Part of me is happy with this chapter and part of me isn't..mostly isn't. @.@
* All Standard Disclaimers Apply: I do not own Final Fantasy or it's characters."A big advantage to battle in one's werewolf form is that their physical range is larger. The length of a human arm and the length of a werewolf arm can be a difference of almost a foot. This means that the reach is longer and the strokes more powerful."
Seifer flipped the page of the book he was reading from as he stood in front of a tired looking Hunter and a napping RJ. He stood next to a poster of the standard werewolf body and was using a laser pointer.
"I get the point," Hunter grumbled. "Can we go now?"
Seifer looked up from the thick book and bound. "No, you cannot go now," he snapped. "Your mother told me to tell you about this and I am."
"But you've been lecturing for three hours! I'm bored out of my mind," Hunter sighed. He looked over at RJ, who was curled up on the couch, hugging a pillow, and breathing lightly in her sleep. "RJ fell asleep two hours ago!"
"She's not the one whose supposed to be learning from this!" Seifer hissed. "So shut up and listen."
"I get it already! I can't take much more of your talking, old man!" Hunter grumbled.
Seifer's lip twitched at his title and was about to go off when Irvine walked through the door. "Oh...I remember that...the werewolf body map," he said as he saw the white poster next to Seifer. "Did you borrow it from the Garden?"
"No, Rinoa managed to dig one up," Seifer said. He snapped the book closed and looked at his brother in law. "What are you doing here?"
"Can't a brother visit my favorite brother?" Irvine said with a smirk.
"I am NOT your brother!" Seifer growled. "If you're not going to help, then get the hell out!"
"Relax," Irvine said, lifting a hand to ward off the near rabid Seifer. "I heard you outside and thought that the kid should see how two werewolves fight. I think he'll learn more from it than from you reading from a boring book. Has anyone ever told you that you're a horrible speaker?"
Seifer had a deep growl in his throat he glared at the smiling Irvine. "Are you challenging me, Kinneas?"
"Not so much of a challenge as an exhibition." Irvine offered.
*Oh, this is too perfect...* Seifer thought to himself. "You think you can take me on?"
"Hey, nothing fancy," Irvine said in his defense. "I've seen you and Squall go at it before...I'm a gunner, not a gunblader."
Seifer's eyes narrowed. "Go get a gunblade from Squall then. I'll meet you in the back garden, by the veranda in thirty."
"Okay," Irvine shrugged. He looked over at Hunter and grinned. "If he tries to kill me for real, try and stop him."
"Sure thing, Uncle Irvine." Hunter agreed. The tall cowboy turned and headed down the hall as Seifer, wearing an unholy smirk, turned to his son.
"I'll see you outside in thirty minutes. Be sure to watch carefully," Seifer said. "I'm going to grab my gunblade."
The tall blond stalked confidently out the room as Hunter fell back against the couch with a tired sigh. An arm fell over his lap and he looked down. RJ smiled as she tilted her head up from where it had been laying next to him. He smiled back softly and cupped her pale face with his hand.
"You look bored," she snickered as she slowly sat up. "It couldn't have been that bad."
"That's because you fell asleep before he was even half way through," Hunter mumbled. RJ curled up next to him, leaning her head against the crook of his neck as his left arm went around her shoulders. "At least it'll be interesting when he battles Uncle Irvine."
"Are you going to practice in werewolf form?" RJ asked as her eyes closed.
"Maybe...I'll try it alone at first and then maybe fight a novice like Uncle Irvine."
"Not your dad?"
"The next time I fight him, I want to be able not to just shove him back, but beat him into submission," Hunter grinned proudly. He looked down at her and kissed the top of her head. "You want to come?"
"Yeah..." RJ yawned. "Maybe I'll practice, too?"
Hunter chuckled as she stood up. She tugged on his hands to pull him up. "RJ, I doubt you can stop bad guys by twirling around and doing leaps in front of them during battle."
RJ frowned and dropped his hands. "Your dad is right. You are really cocky," RJ told him proudly as she turned around and headed out the door. "Don't underestimate your opponents! Even I know that!" She called back over her shoulder as she headed out the door.
Hunter let out a laugh. "Hey, if we're ever in a recital, I won't be against you!"
Thirty minutes had passed and Hunter was sitting on the steps of the veranda. The moonlight lit up the lawn clearing as Seifer and Irvine stretched out across from each other. Seraphim, Rinny, Zell, Torch, and Squall had all turned out to watch.
Rinny was wearing her dad's cowboy hat and holding his heavy leather trench coat as he stood out in the lawn. Seraphim was eating cheese puffs from a plastic bag and sharing it with Torch as they sat on one step below Hunter. Zell looked over at Squall, who stood behind them all, his arms crossed.
"Do you think this is a good idea?" Zell asked reluctantly.
Squall merely shrugged. His own gunblade was leaning against a stone column. "I'm sure it'll be fine," Squall mumbled. "Seifer won't killed Irvine."
Zell let out a breath of relief. "I'm glad to hear that. Selphie won't be happy when she comes out of the library and finds out that her husband was hurt by her brother."
"I never said that Seifer wouldn't HURT Irvine," Squall corrected him casually. "I just said he wouldn't KILL him."
Zell paled and looked back at the two lycans on the lawn and swallowed. "Uh...Mr. Leonheart...you won't really let my dad get seriously hurt, will you?" Rinny asked nervously.
"I'll intervene when it's necessary, Rinny," Squall assured her. "Seifer! Don't be so rough on him!"
"Yeah, yeah..." Seifer said, blatantly ignoring the vampire.
"Hey!" Irvine shouted. "I could use a little more encouragement here!"
"Oh...go, dad!" Rinny shouted. "You can do it!"
"That's my girl!" Irvine smiled.
Rinny turned to her cousins, a weak smile on her face as she spoke quietly. "But seriously, Uncle Seifer won't kill my dad, right?"
"Nah," Seraphim assured her elder cousin. "Your mom would freak and kill him or something."
"That's true..." Rinny agreed.
"Where's RJ?" Zell asked, looking around. He looked over at Hunter. "I thought she was with you at all times?"
"She went with her grandfather to get something," Hunter said. "She said she'd be out as soon as they got something from his study."
Squall raised an eyebrow. "Did she say she was going to practice?" he asked. Hunter nodded. Squall didn't make any outward expression, but rather just looked back at the two lycans. "Cue them, Zell."
"Right," the spiky haired blond agreed. "Irvine! Seifer! Take your places!"
Seifer smirked and looked over at his brother-in-law. "Don't think that marrying my sister is going to save you," he sneered. "You'll pay for all those 'brother' remarks."
Irvine merely smiled back. *I'm starting to regret this...* he gripped the gunblade handle in his hands as they stood about ten paces apart. Seifer looked calm and collected. To make things worse, Seifer had a predatory look on his face.
"Go!" Zell's voice shouted.
Immediately, Seifer sprung forward and Irvine lifted his gunblade. "He's still pretty fast," Seraphim remarked as she watched her father send an aggressive onslaught against her uncle. "And he's always complaining that we make him tired."
"He means your perpetual whining makes him tired." Hunter stated casually, earning him a deadly glare.
Squall kept his eyes on Seifer and Irvine. He knew that Seifer was holding himself back. He was probably just trying to make Irvine worried. However, occasionally, the pony tailed lycan would strike back, getting in a few good hits.
"Hunter, keep your eyes on them..." Squall said. Hunter nodded.
In the glow of the moonlight, in mid battle, Seifer and Irvine began to mutate. Their bones began to crack and enlarge as their muscles bulked up. Their skin began to darken as light brown and dark brown hair grew at an impressive speed.
Torch tilted his head to the side. "Daddy, what's going on?" he asked.
"They're changing, Torch." Zell told him.
"Why don't they turn silver?" the young shape shifter asked.
"Lycans don't change like we change," Zell said. "Their bodies grow and shrink."
Torch nodded and watched. Irvine and Seifer's heads began to elongate into jaws as glistening white teeth were blared in the moonlight. Their clothes all but vanished, but it was still easy to tell who was who.
Irvine was the more pure blooded of the two and was slightly larger. His eyes glowed as he let out a growl and lunged out at Seifer. Seifer was still much more skilled and easily fought back.
"A lycan's strength is easier to control when they're in this form," Squall said as he stood behind Hunter. "Your senses will be enhanced slightly and you'll do more damage in this form."
Hunter merely nodded as he watched the two forms battle on the grass. His father had been right - the reach of a werewolf was farther than that of them in their human form. Their movements were faster, less refined, but more powerful.
Their senses had risen a notch as glowing eyes flashed in the dark. "Oh!" Rinny and Seraphim winced as Irvine's shoulder was cut.
"Damn, Seifer! Not so hard!" Irvine growled as he took a few steps back and rubbed his shoulder.
"I'm not going easy on you just because you're Selphie's husband!" Seifer retorted. The tall blond continued his attack. Each turn was precise as the location in which his gunblade flew.
As Irvine was getting the hang of the weapon, RJ walked out into the veranda with her grandfather behind her. Zell turned and smiled. "You're just in time." he said.
"Did I miss anything good?" RJ asked. Torch scrambled over to her and hugged her black pants.
"Yeah! You should've seen them!" Torch said eagerly as he looked up at her. "They got bigger! That's Mr. Kinneas and Mr. Almasy! But they don't look like them!"
RJ chuckled and nodded as she stroked back Torch's hair. "It's different from how you change, isn't it?" she asked. Torch nodded.
"Do you want to practice after this?" Squall asked as he looked at his daughter.
RJ nodded. "It's been a while, dad...I think I need the practice." Squally contained his proud smile as he looked back at the dueling lycans.
Hunter had been too engrossed in watching his father battle his uncle to even acknowledge RJ's presence. The young vampiress watched as Seifer lifted up the gunblade and brought it down, slicing the hairs on Irvine's upper body, barely grazing the skin.
From the curled lip on the lycan's fierce jaw, it was evident that it was a warning stroke. Squall decided that it was time to intervene before Irvine was too overwhelmed. He grabbed his gunblade with a casual grace as he walked past Hunter and the other children.
Silently, he stalked through the lawn, his eyes focused on his prey as he approached. Irvine stumbled back, his hold loosening on the gunblade handle, as it was not the weapon he was used to.
Seifer was smirking as he brought down Hyperion. There was a loud clash of metal resisting against metal as a few sparks flew. "Whoa..." Seraphim mumbled as she and the others sat up straight from where they were sitting.
Squall stood between Seifer and Irvine, holding his gunblade up in front of him, easily resisting Seifer's restrained hit. "Well, well...you finally decided to come out and play?"
"I'll take him from here, Irvine." Squall said, without his eyes leaving Seifer's. The unflinching vampire pushed Seifer back with a movement of his blade as Irvine stood up and brushed himself off.
Tired and still bleeding from his arm and other minor cuts, Irvine limped off towards the veranda. Squall and Seifer stood behind him, silently measuring each other with competitive eyes. Rinny stood up as her father reached them.
"Rinny...honey, heal daddy's wounds." He smiled tiredly.
Rinny nodded as her father sat down next to her. He mutated back into a human revealing a large gash on his shoulder. "Wow...Uncle Seifer got you good, dad."
"Uh...don't tell your mom about this."
"Mr. Leonheart's really good, too." Seraphim said.
"They used to be big rivals when we were at the Garden," Irvine said as RJ knelt down next to him and helped Rinny heal some wounds. "Once they went off to spar...they came back with those slashes across their faces."
"I always wondered about those..." Seraphim mumbled.
"What do you think, Hunter?" Zell asked. He looked down at the blond who stared at the almost too fast strikes that occurred. Both were agile with excellent reflexes. As they turned away to prepare for another strike, they looked almost as if they were dancing. Their speed was incredible.
"He's not restricting himself..." Hunter mumbled as he watched his father bring down Hyperion against Lionheart with such strength. Neither blade was being held back. Strength, agility, speed, reflexes, and experience... both men had them. Both men used them. At one point, they became nothing more than blurs of glistening blades against the moonlight, crashing against each other in sparks of metal against metal.
"I haven't seen that in a while..." Zell said as Squall did a certain move.
*There is only one man up to my level...and you're not him,* Hunter remembered. "He was talking about Mr. Leonheart..."
"Do you think it's getting too serious?" Laguna asked from where he was standing to the side.
"No, this is normal," Irvine said as he stretched his newly healed arm. "Thank you, girls."
RJ stood up and walked over to where her grandfather was standing. She leaned over the railing he was leaning against as well. "Dad will be fine, grandpa." Laguna merely nodded.
"Did that help at all?" Irvine asked his nephew.
Hunter nodded. "Yes, it is actually," Hunter agreed. "I'm going to try practicing in werewolf form."
Irvine nodded. "I'll practice with you!" RJ piped behind him. Hunter rolled his eyes.
"Listen, you're going to hurt yourself..." his voice trailed off as he turned around and saw RJ for the first time since she went with her grandfather. RJ was dressed in leather black leather pants, combat boots, a belt and a baby blue tank top. Her hair was braided down her back and in her hands was a gunblade with a revolver handle. "What the hell happened to you? Did you raid your dad's closet?"
RJ's bright smile immediately fell as she poked him in the back with her boot. "For your information, NO. It's easy to move in these clothes."
"Yeah, but explain what you're going to do with the gunblade. Chop wood? Garden? Pick up litter on the street?" Hunter asked casually.
RJ's eyes flashed anger. "Hyne, I swear, you really are going to get your butt whipped, Hunter Almasy! I'm not was weak as you think I am! I'm not completely useless with a gunblade, you know!"
Hunter opened his mouth to reply, with a gloved hand went over his mouth. He tilted his head up and saw his father standing behind him. Seifer was in human form, sweating and slightly out of breath. "Don't answer," Seifer told him. "Let your gunblade speak for you."
He removed his hand from over Hunter's mouth and the young blond male rolled his eyes. "Oh, thank you for the words of wisdom, oh wise one." Hunter said sarcastically.
"About time you realized it." Seifer snorted, ignoring his son's tone. Squall stood at the foot of the steps as Seifer went up them.
"RJ, come on," Squall said. "Let's do some warm ups."
"Yes, daddy!" RJ said cheerfully. She practically skipped down the stairs, slapping Hunter upside the head as she passed him.
"Hey!" he hissed. He narrowed his eyes. "Why'd you do that!?"
"You know why!" she shouted over her shoulder. She stood in front of her father and lifted her gunblade.
As she leapt forward for her first attack, Squall easily blocked. It was obvious that he was many times better and stronger, but RJ was still her father's daughter and, against a novice, would be able to hold her own.
"Oh, Hyne..." a voice sighed behind him. He turned around and saw Rinoa standing there, rubbing her forehead with two fingers. She put her hand down and shouted. "Squall! Don't be too hard on her!"
"She just has to learn the basics!" Squall shouted back as his daughter's speed and agility countered his experience.
"Well, when she's done learning, come inside!" Rinoa added. "I think we might have figured it all out!"
The sun was going to rise soon and RJ stepped out of her shower. Hunter was in the room, continuing reading the book on being a knight. He had just covered the chapter on the history of the knights and the chapter on the Sorcerer's Knights, an elite group of white magic users that are sort of like personal body guards to certain sorcerers.
"Hey, Hunter," a voice said above him. He looked up as the pajama glad RJ walked towards the bed, a dark red towel around her neck as she rubbed it against her hair. "Are you sure you want to do this?"
The blond male raised an eyebrow as he rolled over on to his side and looked at her. "RJ, do you really expect me to leave you hanging when you're so deep in this? I'm not going to let you get hurt," he assured her. "I don't know what I would do if you were hurt."
"We've come a long way, huh?" the vampiress asked. Hunter grinned and nodded. She sat on the edge of the bed and fell down against him. "You know...when I was at school, one of my classmates said they saw you at Balamb Garden. They said you were really hot."
Hunter smirked. "I am. Smart, funny, incredibly sexy."
"Not to mention arrogant and self-absorbed." RJ grinned.
"Self-absorbed?" Hunter asked, raising an eyebrow as he sat up and looked down at her. "Look whose talking!"
RJ immediately sat up and frowned. "Are you suggesting that I'm self absorbed?"
"Not to mention spoiled and naive."
RJ's mouth dropped in shock, giving Hunter enough time to move in. His arms flew around her and kissed her deeply, making her nearly choke as she was in the middle of breathing. Growling, she pushed him away and glared. "Eww! Now I have Hunter cooties on me!"
"Oh please..." the blond said as he scooted up off the bed. "You know you liked it."
"There you go with the arrogance again," RJ said. She let out a heavy sigh. "Let's just go. I bet everyone is waiting for us."
"Yeah, let's before-"
Someone knocked on their door and RJ looked up. "RJ? Hunter, are you ready?" Rinoa's voice asked. "Your father and grandfather are getting antsy."
"Too late..." Hunter sighed heavily he headed towards the door. Hunter opened it and found RJ's mother standing there, smiling warmly. "Sorry it took so long, Mrs. Leonheart. RJ took her sweet time."
RJ rolled her eyes as she walked out behind him and closed their door. "I just took a shower. I wouldn't kill you to take one, too." RJ stated as she looked him up and down. They began to walk down the hall behind Rinoa.
"No way! You might watch me while I shower...I'd feel so dirty..." Hunter said, dramatically holding his arms around himself as he looked at RJ with suspicion.
"Psst..." RJ snorted. "Trust me, I'd probably go blind."
They walked down the stairs and into the tea room, which seemed to be the only room with one seats for everyone to sit in. Quistis had set up a map, had books on the coffee table, and was standing up. RJ and Hunter sat on the couch across from her next to Seifer. Rinoa sat on the arm of Squall's leather arm chair as Zell leaned against the back wall. Selphie and Irvine shared the other arm chair.
"There's so much here...I don't know where to begin," Quistis sighed. "But, first thing is first. Sephiroth is dead."
"What!?" a series of gasps came from around the room. Quistis held her hand up to silence everyone.
"Just let me explain!" she snapped. "RJ has been attacked by a ghost. He entered her dreams. She's the only one that has seen him 'solid'. Hunter has only seen him as a hazy coiling ball of smoke."
"So we did kill him?" Irvine asked. Quistis nodded.
"So why is he a ghost?" Selphie asked. "Does he have unfinished business or what?"
"We all already know how powerful he is. An ancient vampire with sacred blood carrying both vampire strengths as well as sorcerer like magic. When we killed him, his immortal spirit refused to die. He had unfinished business," Quistis stated. "RJ can communicate with him and see him in a way we cannot because she can connect with the dead. This makes her mind an easy target for Sephiroth. Now we know what he is currently. The reason he's after RJ is because she was born between worlds. She is the child of a sorceress and a vampire - both full blooded. If she had been born in the world of the living, RJ would've ended up like Adel and Ultimecia. Part of her would've been diluted - either her sorceress or vampire side."
"So because she was born at Hell's Gates...not the world of the dead or the living, neither part of her was diluted," Rinoa sighed tiredly as she ran her hand down her face. "That means that she is a full blooded vampire and sorceress. And because for her it's natural, she's more powerful than me."
"And to make things even more attractive to Sephiroth," Quistis continued. "RJ's blood combination is EXACTLY that of an ancient vampire's. He's drinking RJ's blood specifically because RJ's blood will help him retain his powers."
"But a ghost can't come back to life, can he?" Zell asked. "I mean, I know he's powerful, but the dead can't come back to life!"
"He can if he drinks all of RJ's blood. A vampire's blood is their life. He takes RJ's blood, he takes RJ's life and makes it his own," Quistis stated. "We all know how different RJ is from 'normal' vampires. She has ancient qualities. She can go out in the day for short periods and not burn. She can see her reflection in mirrors. But most of all, she can use magic."
"If the worst happens...and Sephiroth does succeed in stealing RJ's life," Rinoa took a deep breath. "He can use magic that even ancients couldn't use."
RJ looked up at her mother. "Angel Wing?" she whispered. Rinoa nodded. "But...he could destroy the world if he learns to control it."
"I know, honey," Rinoa said. "He's crazy."
"So what are we going to do now?" Hunter said, sitting up straight on the couch next to RJ. "You said that we needed to know what was happening first in order to counter it. Now you know - how do we counter it?"
"We have to return to the Island Closest to Hell," Quistis said as she pointed out the area on the map. "And we have to stop his spirit."
"HOW?" Hunter pressed on.
"We need to get him to accept death," Quistis said. "But we don't know WHY he's coming back in the first place."
"So we're just going to go to the island and draw him out? Are we just going to casually ask him what his problem is and then try to help him?" Hunter asked sarcastically. He took a deep breath. "What if he kills RJ before we can even do anything?"
"He's not going to kill RJ!" Squall snapped, earning everyone's attention. "You're her knight. It is your duty to protect her with your life."
"Hunter," Seifer grumbled. "A sorceress isn't killed until her knight is. Do you understand? You're going to be playing a big role in this play, boy. Even if you refuse."
"I'm not backing down," Hunter said with narrowed eyes and determination lacing his breath. "I said I'd protect RJ and I will. Even if it costs me my life."
"Those are strong words, Hunter," Irvine said from where he was sitting. "VERY strong."
RJ looked down at her hands. Hunter was putting himself on the line for her. Her family and family friends were allying themselves with her. She felt so...helpless. "May I go to bed now?" RJ asked quietly.
"Are you tired, RJ?" Rinoa asked.
"Is there anything else?" RJ asked. Quistis looked at her and shook her head.
"No...we'll call Raijin and Fujin and have them bring the Ragnarok over. We'll leave tomorrow evening."
"What!?" Hunter gasped. "That's so soon!"
"Okay," RJ nodded quietly. She stood up and smiled. "Tomorrow then."
"Have a good rest, princess." Squall told her softly. RJ nodded once more and headed towards the door. Hunter looked at his mother and the other elders around him with disbelief before growling and running after RJ.
As soon as they were out of hearing range, Quistis ran her hand down her face and closed her eyes. "What about the spell? Do you think she might use it?"
"It's RJ's decision," Rinoa whispered. "If she really wants to do it...we can't stop her. We can just hope she won't."
"What if she does and something goes wrong and she can't escape him?" Quistis stammered.
"Hunter will be there," Rinoa sighed heavily. She stood up and closed her eyes as she took a deep breath. "I always knew that RJ would become a spectacular sorceress...but I never thought she would ever even know about it."
"Rinoa...Quistis..." Selphie mumbled from her seat. She narrowed her eyes slightly. "What's going on?"
"We think RJ's going to use the Black Summon Spell," Quistis explained. Selphie sat straight up in her seat, her eyes wide. "Once she starts...we can't stop her."
"What's that?" Zell asked. The trio all looked away.
Rinoa turned her head away. "You don't want to know."
Hunter was snoring lightly and RJ finally opened her eyes. She could feel the steady beating of his heart as he laid next to her. She lifted her hand over his face slowly and secured his sleep with the most potent sleep spell she knew. When she was assured that he would not wake up any time soon, she quickly slipped out of his arms.
Her warm feet touched the cool hard wooden floors. She reached under the bed and pulled out an old spell book that had been used as a text book when she was in school. She opened it to a book marked page as she tugged out another box with her free hand. She had seen it the other day when she was with her mother in the basement. She remembered her mother told her never to open it when she was just a child. The dark wooden box contained what was needed for the spell. She had no idea for just WHAT spell it was to be used for until she studied it in school.
Just before she went to bed, she insisted for Hunter and herself to return to the basement to get something for her to read from her mom's collection of fantasy books. The wooden box had escaped Hunter's emerald gaze as they ascended the steps to their room. She took the small wooden box and carried it and the book under her arms to an area by the window. RJ walked towards one of the windows and unlocked it after she put the box and book down. She pushed open the windows and pulled the dark, heavy curtains to the side. A cool breeze swept past her body.
She took a deep breath and sat on the floor about three feet from the floor to ceiling length window. Her slender fingers opened the wooden box's lid and within it's posh velvet lined interior was a glimmering, insanely sharp dagger with an obsidian handle. She pulled out the five white candles and placed them around her in a circle. She lit them with a fire spell.
Dressed in her comfortable pajamas, RJ closed her eyes and lifted the steel blade to her left palm. She closed her hand around it's cold sting and pressed her hand into it. She paid no attention to the pain that sliced through her hand as dark blood bubbled to the top of the wound and dripped on to the cold floor. She dropped the dagger and lifted her hand.
The moonlight fell upon her slender figure as her blood was used to connect all the candles in a circle around her. On her knees, she turned her upper body, moving her hand over the burning flames of the thick, five inch tall white candles. As her sacred blood dripped over their flame, the yellow-orange flicker turned into a smoldering blood red and black, reacting to it's unearthly contents.
RJ brought her hand close to her body and opened her palm. Her pale, shaking hand was stained with dark red, thick blood. She lifted it up to her mouth and ran her pink tongue across the healing wound, making it heal much faster. All around her, the five candles connected by her blood, began to produce taller, darker flames in the blackness of the room.
The cool night breeze that swept through the room, rustling the curtains and the sheets of the bed where Hunter was sleeping, did nothing to move the rising flames as RJ ran her right hand's fingers down the worn, old sheets of the thick book. Her eyes followed and her mouth spoke in an ancient tongue, long left unused by modern Underworld folk.
As the ancient words left her mouth, the clear sky outside began to gather dark clouds. They coiled their soft haze against the glowing moon as the slight breeze picked up. RJ closed her eyes as her breath grew heavier. She could feel an unknown pressure against her body as her mind's eye raced across the plains of the world of the dead, searching for the one she was summoning.
What would've killed normal sorcerers would merely leave her drained afterwards, however, the feeling of being crushed beneath the waves of a bottomless ocean were not hard to ignore. As beads of sweat slid down her pale face, she caught her target and she quickly became the bait.
RJ ignored the calls of her grandparents. She paid no attention to the pleas of Julia, of Raine, and of General Caraway. They knew what the spell was to accomplish as RJ's summoning passed through the world of the dead, into it's deeper reaches and into hell.
Hyne's forsaken reached for her, wanting to escape the eternal torment they were imprisoned in for eternity. But RJ ignored them. Her target would not beg to be released. Her target would rip her away to take his place so that he could take hers.
As she drifted deeper and deeper into the swirling emptiness, she recalled the warnings of her teachers on the Black Summoning. It had long been forbidden to be used, as it normally killed those too weak to use it. Hybrids could not even perform it without lapsing into a state of shock and sometimes dying before they even reached the world of the dead.
But she needed answers. She needed to know his reasoning. She refused to let her family and those she cared about needlessly put themselves on the line for her. Perhaps she could coax him to allow him to help him herself. Perhaps she could spare Hunter. She couldn't loose Hunter.
For a brief moment her mind drifted to the blond guardian sleeping on his...no...their bed. His soft, feathery blond hair layered across the rich sheets. He was completely unaware of her plans. He had no idea she was now calling forth the creature who wanted her life for the sake of sparing him. She suddenly craved to be in his arms once more. Wrapped in his warm embrace rather than the cold void that engulfed her.
*No...* she told herself as she refocused. *First you must do this...* Her target was getting closer as she reached the lowest rings of hell. As she escaped the darkness, she found him. Surrounded by a ring of unholy fire, confining him to his cell. He was dressed in dark clothes and RJ found herself standing there, on the other side of the flames, calling for him.
And he turned his head. Long white hair was flowing behind him in a snowy cascade as he turned around. Glowing green eyes that had haunted her as a child turned to look at her, casting the spell that made her unable to turn away from his heated gaze. His lips curled into a smirk.
"You summoned me, my dear?"
RJ's eyes flashed open.
"The Black Summoning can only be performed by full blooded sorcerers. It is a summoning spell, but rather than summon creatures from the astral realm in a sort of shamanic dance, spell, or ritual, it is a blood ceremony that requires a lot of discipline, power, and concentration for even the best sorcerers to pull off safely.
In that spell, the summoner cuts themselves and creates a circle of blood around their body, connecting five white candles representing the elements. The blood is to go over each flame and the flames will react. They will darken and rise around the summoner, creating a magic shield that keeps others who wish to stop them away.
They must read the correct text using the ancient language. It renders their body still and allows their soul to transcend their physical bodies. It then allows them to travel into the world of the dead. But the spell itself is too powerful to be used for JUST the world of the dead. Rather, it propels one into the depths of hell.
The spell is used to summon Hyne's forsaken from hell to the world of the living to communicate with the summoner. The spell itself is dangerous, as many sorcerers have died just attempting to use it. Hybrid magic is too weak and they could die just trying. For a full blooded sorcerer, the risk comes in bleeding to death, for there is not enough time to heal the wound they inflict.
It can cause death if the sorcerer looses concentration and doesn't make it to hell. Their mind shuts down and their souls are trapped there. But the worst way maybe what happens if they succeed. If RJ uses the spell, or even BEGINS, we cannot stop her. And if she reaches hell and summons Sephiroth into the mortal world, he can attack her once more...and perhaps kill her."
Rinoa told the group as she covered her pale face in her hands. Her explanation was clear and almost horrifying to think about. Squall put his hand on her shoulder and squeezed it reassuringly. Zell sat up on the couch.
"But what would she have to gain from it?" Zell said. "If she knows she could get killed, why would she even try?"
"I don't know!" Rinoa cried out. "She KNOWS it's forbidden! She knows what will happen if she even tries it. I can't STOP her from doing it!"
"Why not?" Seifer asked. "You're her mother and a damn powerful sorceress."
"You don't understand," Quistis sighed heavily as she turned to her husband. "Once the spell starts, it CAN'T be reversed. If we even try, we won't succeed and we might even loose RJ's soul in hell if we do."
"Then we just have to make sure she doesn't use it." Squall stated simply.
"It's not that simple," Rinoa said in a low, almost growling voice. "All she has to do is start."
"But where is she going to get the stuff?" Irvine added.
Quistis, Selphie, and Rinoa looked at each other. "Rinoa, where is it?"
"Where's what?" Squall asked suddenly.
Rinoa shot up from where she was sitting and took off into the hall way. "When Rinoa moved in, she moved EVERYTHING she owned, right?" Selphie said as Quistis ran after Rinoa.
"Yes..." Squall nodded.
Selphie took a deep breath. "Rinoa is a top notch sorceress. She has EVERYTHING she'll need to cast ANYTHING. Including the five candles and obsidian dagger."
Squall's eyes went wide. "Do you think RJ might've found it?"
"Wait...wasn't RJ helping Rinoa the other day looking for a book in the basement?" Zell said.
"They were looking for something on the transcendental ghost issue..." Squall mumbled. "She could've found it."
"But what are the chances?" Seifer asked. "Even if she did find it, she'd still have to find the spell."
"Do you seriously think that out of the library and all the books in this palace that not ONE will have the spell?" Selphie asked. Her brother shut up.
Downstairs, Rinoa ran down a flight of narrow wooden steps to the basement where she and RJ had been looking for a book the other day. Hunter had been sitting on a pile of boxes, right next to where it was. Quistis ran down the steps after Rinoa and nearly ran into the brunette as she reached the bottom floor.
Rinoa stood there, her eyes fixed on the spot where the dark wooden box had been the evening before. She swallowed hard as blood red tears rimmed her eyes. "It's gone."
RJ's heart was beating rapidly as he stood there, on the sill of the window, almost floating. Against a halo of white moonlight, he looked down at her with luminous green eyes as sharp fangs escaped his lips. "Now that you have summoned me...what is that you want?"
He sounded amused and she hated it. His voice was calm and collected, almost mocking her from where he stood. RJ narrowed her icy eyes. "Why do you want to be alive?" she asked. "Answer me! Why do you want to live!?"
A sly smirk crossed his lips. "I have unfinished business." he said in a deep, bone chilling voice.
RJ could feel the goosebumps on her skin rising. "And what business is that?"
"Do you know of Princess Sara?" Sephiroth asked as the wind blew his silken white hair around his body. RJ nodded. "Do you know how she met Leon, the ancient vampire?" RJ shook her head and Sephiroth smirked once more. "Sara came to seek peace between the races. She looked a powerful ancient. They summoned me. However, before I could reach Sara, she had already met Leon and choose Leon over ME."
RJ's eyes grew wide. "Even if you are alive, you will never have Princess Sara. She's at Hell's Gates!"
Sephiroth let out a cold laugh. "You underestimate yourself. You are very special. Your sacred blood...One drop of it on the gates spilled from you will open it. I will take Sara for my own, as she was meant to be."
"You're obsessed..." RJ whispered.
"Call it what you wish," Sephiroth told her casually. He took a step forward and extended his hand. "You should've learned by now, my dear. You can't escape me."
RJ's eyes went wide as she tried to move her body backwards. Nothing. She was frozen, still caught and rendered helpless from the spell. He was reaching towards her, like in her nightmares. Approaching her with those cold, piercing fangs, thirsty for her blood. RJ's eyes rimmed with tears.
As her sapphire eyes were caught in his mesmerizing gaze, she saw him recoil and narrow his eyes. She took a deep breath of the air and recognized a scent belonging to someone she couldn't turn and see. His voice cut through the cold air with a swipe of a gunblade. "I thought I told you to LEAVE HER ALONE!"