Author's Note: Would you guys prefer I write responses to your questions at the beginning or the end of the chapter? With that said, I'm going to write it at the beginning unless you guys want it otherwise. Sorry for the slow posting, lots of schoolwork as always. And yes! Lol, this is the Rinoa's Secret chapter that you guys have all been dying for. Hope it meets your expectations and more =) Anyone want to guess where Selphie, Zell and Irvine come in on all of this? =P

Dedication: KinofDragons. Lol, you were the reason I actually got working on this chapter. (They e-mailed me asking when the next chapter was coming out, so I began to write . . .  lol, and here it is!)

Light_of_the_Moon: Yeah, lol, I always imagined Squall to be the charming sarcastic bastard with irresistible charm in his mysteriousness. =P

DarkRaion: I wonder if you've guessed what happens…

Mariko: Towards the beginning of last chapter is the answer to your question. Rinoa is running b/c she wants to warn Squall that the villagers are after him (due to the kidnapping of Quistis and the Seifer's demand that he will only return her with the capture of the outlaw, Squall)

FFgal: Thanks for the consistency in reviews.

FloralBlackMoon: Thank you. *Humbly bows* I try =)

Keiry: I'm honored =)

Optical Goddess: Lol.

Jason: Thanks for pushing me to write this chapter. Be expecting a confrontation with Squall and Seifer soon. Hopefully I can have more time to write and we'll see what happens to Squall, Rinoa, Seifer, and Quistis.

Vindemon64 and Angelprinczess29 and Sandra Leonhart: Thanks for the reviews =)

Chapter 8 – Rinoa's Secret

Squall stood shocked and rooted to the floor of the cave. How could someone like Rinoa be scared of herself. Hell, he was scared of himself sometimes, but he was a mercenary, a bred killer. Confused blue eyes met terrified brown ones. Squall narrowed his eyes, thinking to himself but remained still close to Rinoa. It was his symbol of support.

Rinoa was scared of the rejection she knew would come. Instead of normally shying away from his stare, she matched it. She needed strength to tell him and cowardice would have to hide in shadows for the moment. She clutched at her ring and began to whisper in a tone of voice that would unnerve Squall's very soul. "Remember when I told you I was the reason I am an orphan?"

Probing eyes encouraged her to continue.

"Heh," she coughed nervously from the cold of the weather, but mostly from the chill in her heart. "You must understand I had no choice. No choice! I wish they would have taken my own life instead of theirs." The numbness Rinoa felt allowed her to pretend she felt nothing, no pain or sorrow that would cause her to weep once more. "My parents . . . they refused to help the mercenaries, saying they didn't know where the sorceress was –" she began to rant.

Squall began to remember the history lesson. Sorceress Edea lived in Deling, peacefully, or as he'd like to think, they could never attach any crimes to her. She must have been more dangerous than the rest.

Edea had been hiding her powers, he recalled, hiding and seemingly ashamed of the fact she was touched with Hyne's power. She was one of the people the mercenaries, his instructors and comrades could never understand. Sorceress Adel had found out another sorceress existed, this one without any mercenaries at her command – in other words, weak, and waiting to be killed. Adel craved power and killing another sorceress would give her that. She had sent her troops into Deling to find the Sorceress and bring Edea to her while killing everyone in sight and burning down the city. It was a rebellious civilian town and would be tolerated no longer.

"Squall?" Rinoa timidly asked. His cloudy gaze received from his 'daydream' cleared to a crystal blue, intently focused on Rinoa. "You look a bit distracted . . . should I stop?" She had noticed his distaste and aversion to anything about Sorceresses. She was very nervous to say the least. Her white palms were sweaty and sore from grasping her mother's ring so tightly. One hand shifted to her pocket, unnoticed by Squall. She gently ran her fingers across soft petals of the Winter Rose she had managed to grab before running away.

Squall shook his head and his gaze continued to evaluate her.

Rinoa shivered from the intensity and the pressure. "Did you know that . . ." she paused, "Sorceress Edea died that day?"

Squall's head tilted ever so slightly to the side. "No . . ." he paused, indicating for her to continue. She hadn't died? Why didn't they tell us? Did Adel kill her and receive the powers? Thoughts raced through his head, and caused him to mentally yell at himself. His pondering was giving him a terrible headache.

"One of Adel's SeeD's accidentally wounded Edea and -" Rinoa relaxed slightly, but was jolted out of her small comfort by Squall's blunt interruption.

Squall's patience snapped. "Ok, whatever. Adel received Edea's power. I don't understand why you're telling me this history. What does this have to do with you?"

Rinoa slightly winced from his harsh tone. Squall immediately felt guilty but pride and confusion prevented his apologies. ". . . Edea managed to flee because she knew of Adel's purpose Squall. She didn't want an obviously corrupted person to gain more power. Do you believe there are good sorceresses Squall?" Rinoa interjected in her history lesson. She needed to know – the ache, the pain, it had to have been worth something. Please, please say yes.

Lonely brown eyes pleaded with shielded icy eyes. She knew the answer before he even uttered a word or made any gesture and her heart wrenched in sorrow. I should have expected no less.  And for the second time in her life of hardship, Rinoa felt heartbreakingly alone.

"No," he said forcefully, and Squall became suspicious, yet naive. He wanted to deny the seed of thought that was threatening to grow at further suggestions.

This was where the story became difficult. This was where history had not been written. No one alive knew except for two souls, and now there would be three. "I found her Squall, dying in an alleyway, barely managing to avoid the SeeD's that were patrolling the streets, frantically searching for her." Rinoa wrung her hands in desperation.

Squall's eyes widened in surprise. He had not expected this. This means . . .NO! She can't be! Coldness replaced warmth in Squall's body language, and most importantly in his wintry blue eyes.

Rinoa recognized Squall's expression. He was no different. Quistis was right.

She was bitterly alone.

Anger surged through her body; it served as her defense mechanism against hatred. "Yes Squall! I'm a sorceress! I never asked to be one! What are you going to do now all mighty mercenary! Scared Squall?! You should be!" Rinoa began her tirade, the all too familiar and resented power coursed through her veins.

"Edea gave me her powers! My parents saw the whole thing but couldn't stop me. When we were cornered a few minutes later by the mercenaries they hid me!" Tears flowed down pale cheeks despite the desires of their owner. "They killed my parents because they claimed they didn't know where the sorceress was! And it was entirely my fault! I hid in the corner like a little coward! They gave their lives for what?! Nothing! I'm just some pathetic existence that Sorceresses want to kill and civilians would love to be rid of!"

Rinoa stood up defiantly, angrily. She could hate him too. "Are you happy Squall?! Too shocked for words?! That's the big secret! Why don't you run Lionheart through my heart! You know you want too. I've seen you talk about Sorceresses and I know you want revenge. Well here I am! Kill me! I'm the evil Sorceress!"

She threw her hands widely to the side, exposing vital parts of her body, easy for a trained warrior to kill. Rinoa tempted his darker, hidden character, and she reveled in it. The moment she had lost everything that had any meaning to her, her morbid wishes rose from the subconscious of her mind into the conscious. She wanted to die and she wanted Squall to be the instrument of her death.

Squall thrust himself up from the floor. The shade of his eyes became gray, distant and icy. He was furious with her. "Shut up!" He yelled at her. Squall shoved her small frame against the wall of the cave and a strong gloved arm kept her pinned. She's gone insane.  Kill her?! Contradicting voices gave their opinions to Squall. You know she's right. She's one of them – the Sorceresses. She killed your parents. She's responsible for their deaths. Closing his eyes, the troubled and terribly confused man managed to clear his head for the moment.

"I need to think!" he growled at partly at himself but also at Rinoa, who was still pinned and currently glaring at him.

Fuming from her position on the wall, Rinoa could not longer keep her raging emotions in control. She felt the change coming and was initially horrified that Squall would see. He would see her as a freak, a monster. And then she was glad. He would push her away and in doing so . . . would save his life.

Squall took in deep breaths, inhaling the cold winter chill. The storm was raging outside, and for once he was thankful. No sane person would be tracking him for the time being. He was confused. He knew the life of an outcast, he knew of her pain, but she was a Sorceress. She couldn't be trusted, could she? Did the power control the person or the person control the power? Would she become corrupt? Would she . . . "Damn it!" Squall slammed his free fist onto the side of the cave, very close to Rinoa's figure.

He was too preoccupied to notice her current condition.

"Ahh!" Rinoa cried in pain as her head slumped forward and white, angelic wings began to sprout from her back. The transformation was beginning.

Squall, stunned for the countless time in that day stood back as large feathery wings formed from Rinoa's shoulder blades. What the?

The sheer force and length of her soft wings threw Squall off guard and he flew a few feet from Rinoa. No . . . I can't think of her as Rinoa. She's a Sorceress! That's all she is! Squall battled within himself for the morals he knew he possessed.

Rinoa, a few feet from the ground, decided to push his limits. She had chosen him as the one who would end her life, end her suffering. The raven haired woman was tired of being stereotyped, tired of being hated and in her suffering she chose the cowardly way out. "And you want to know the best part Squall?" She whispered in a voice filled with hatred, sorrow and resentment.

The ex-mercenary dared to meet the deceivingly calm Sorceress's gaze.

Rinoa narrowed her eyes and taunted him. "I wanted her powers."