Her Own World

Chapter 12: Dawn

"Destiny is not a matter of chance – it is a matter of choice. Destiny is not something to be waited for; it is something to be achieved"

- Jeremy Kitson

~

She rolled over and yawned. Her head hit something hard and she opened her eyes to see the base of the shower. Small lines of water dribbled out from the tiles and onto her hair, leaving a small portion of her hair wet. Rinoa frowned and sat up. Not only had she neglected to turn off the lights in the bathroom and left the shower dripping, she had fallen asleep there too.

Oops…

Squall appeared in the doorway. He ran over, his voice full of panic.

"Rinoa!" He bent to her and wrapped his arms around her. "I was so worried…I woke up and you were gone. I thought something had happened…"

She smiled and pulled away to look at his face. "Why?" Her voice was slightly croaky and her eyes drooped with fatigue. "I was just here…why were you so worried? What did you think I'd done?" Guilt began to rise in the pit of her stomach.

Does he know?!

 He shook his head and tightened their embrace, standing up and lifting her up with him. "It doesn't matter…" He mumbled. "I was just worried with all this weird stuff going on lately" He lowered her into the bed and pulled the covers over her.

"Thank you" She whispered, and closed her eyes. "Today we can have a talk with Ellone, and if she can't help us then we can talk to Edea"

"And if she can't help us?" He asked softly. She looked up at him and placed a hand on the side of his face. "Then we have each other…" She felt the corners of his mouth move up and he lay down next to her.

I'll tell him…soon...and he'll understand

..~**~..

She paced up and down, her hands behind her back.

"Damnit…" She muttered. Squall looked up, sitting in the corner of the room and cocked his head to the side. "What?"

Rinoa stopped and turned on her heel to face him. "I can't get rid of them. I'm not strong enough to. My powers are still weak from before. They have an army this time…you saw it as well" She brought her hands up to her head. "They'll be able to get through. They'll get to us…unless…"

"What are you thinking?"

A cruel smile formed on her lips and she looked him in the eyes. He began to feel uneasy and tried to look away. Somehow, she held his gaze.

"I may not have the power to defeat them…but I can give you the power to…Imagine it Squall. You'll be so strong and so undefeatable…I'll make you immortal!" She ran over and through her arms around him. "Will you do it?!"

"Yes. Anything for you"

Her smiled increased and she kissed him lightly above his eyes. "Then let's begin. We need to get them where it'll hurt. Right in the center" Placing her hands in his, she slowly stood, taking him up with her. His face was inches from hers. "Then…when they've turned their backs on us…we'll strike. Or better yet... you will"

A warm surge of energy began to filter through her fingertips and enter his body. He closed his eyes as the aura became stronger…

..~**~..

"Squall!" She burst forward. As a few beads of sweat trickled down her face. She placed her hand on the pillow next to her. He was gone.

"Oh no…" She wailed. "Oh no…where are you?!" She stepped out of bed and almost began to run when she saw a white piece of paper on his pillow. Carefully she picked it up.

Rinoa,

I've gone to see Laguna quickly. I'll be back at 10.

She sat back down in a depression of blankets. Slowly she lowered herself onto the bed. She was still shaking from her dream. Out of mostly tiredness and defeat, she lay back down and cried, curling her legs up around her. She stifled her sobs into a pillow and punched the mattress with her free hand.

Someone had been showing her the future.

Telling her what she was going to do. Who she was going to hurt. How bad she would feel when the realization hit her that she had taken innocent lives.

But the person I see in my dreams…myself…she has no guilt. She understands what she's doing and she doesn't care!

She tried to push the thought away…but she couldn't escape it. She lifted her head from the tear stained pillow.

But why do I need to know? To prevent it? How do you change the future…I already know you can't change the past. But what about the future… Maybe I can't. Maybe it's all a lost cause and I can't change who I am

"Squall…"

I don't even know what's going on…I'm still confused. But atleast I know what I need to do. I can't change anything. I'll let time flow and everything will fall in place

"It doesn't matter!" She yelled, throwing a pillow across the room. "Just go the hell away! I don't need this!" Even fighting the demons of her sleep weren't enough. She resorted to fighting herself.

"I'm only trying to help you"

"I don't need you help damnit!"

"Please Rinoa…"

"Go away!"

"Goodbye"

She waited. But they didn't return. She hadn't even expected anyone to speak to her in the first place. But when that voice had spoken…she knew it was the same one she had heard in the hotel room, the day that seemed so far away now. She recognized the voice…but it never seemed to come to her.

Until now.

"Oh my god…Squall…" She threw her hands to her head. "It was you…you spoke to me. In my dream…just now. It was you all along. You're the one I followed…the one that's been stalking me this whole time. How?" She looked up to the ceiling. "How the hell could you be in two places at once? I don't get it" She stepped off the bed and walked to his jacket. "It doesn't make sense" She reached into his pocket. "But I know it was you…" And pulled out a small crumpled photo.

Is that me? Is that him?

But then a more worried thought entered her mind.

Why did I go to your jacket…why am I here right now…what just happened?

She stepped backwards and sat on the edge of the bed. While still holding the photo, she curled her legs up underneath her and closed her eyes. The hum of the fan became a welcome noise and she creased her brow, thinking deeply.

Show me…Show me…Show me

She lay back, while chanting in her head.

Show me…

Underneath her eyelids, everything went white. Her head buzzed and blurry images appeared. The blurs turned to shapes, the shapes turned to silhouettes and the silhouettes turned to people…all lying down in a pool of their own blood.

A/N: Next chapter: Everything begins. A well rounded critique will be gladly appreciated.