Note: Who owns Final Fantasy VIII? I'm gonna guess… Squaresoft… in the library… with the candlestick!
I Forgot Your Name
By Kupo
Chapter Fourteen: The Things That No One Knows…
--Void.
(flashback to previous day)
Rinoa had watched in growing terror as her imposter had begun to address the SeeDs assembled in the briefing room.
"Are you ready to fulfill your purpose?" she had questioned the group. "A new era has come, an era of revolution. Of change. The machine of war is ready. You shall be the tools with which I shall begin the reshaping of our world. You are blessed."
Rinoa watched as the SeeDs stood, confusion and apprehension written on their faces. Seeming to sense that something was very wrong, they began to move towards the door.
"Stop!" the other had hissed. Raising one of her arms from her side, she pointed her index finger at the group. "You are mine."
The soldiers had fallen to the ground in a synchronized movement, while her imposter stood over them, saying nothing. A light began to flow from her and diffuse throughout the room. As it grew brighter, the men on the floor first stirred, and then stood. They moved back to their seats and sat attentively, while the light continued to intensify. It grew too bright for Rinoa to watch, and she diverted her eyes.
"No!!!!" cried a familiar voice.
"Zell!" called Rinoa, overjoyed to hear and see her old friend again.
He will know for sure that something's wrong this time. There's no way to hide that something huge just went down in here. Oh thank you Hyne…
As the light dimmed, Rinoa turned to watch. To her horror, her enemy was standing beside a window, explaining how she had opened the shade to let some light into the room. Hope rose in her heart as for a moment Zell appeared to not buy the explanation, but it was dashed upon the rocks as he shrugged and then allowed her to leave the room. Once again, her strange window into the real world followed her other self down the hallway and to the elevator. As she stepped in, she again turned to Rinoa and held her gaze. Frightened, Rinoa looked away.
"You should not look away."
The voice echoed in the void where Rinoa was trapped.
"You should not look away."
She heard the admonition again, and looked up. Her other self was watching her, but not with malice or anger. Just with interest. When Rinoa met, and then would not drop her gaze, the imposter smiled in an almost maternal way.
"Ah, there you are. Or should I say, there I am, yes? How is everything in there? Is it comfortable enough for you?"
Rinoa shrieked in anger, enough was enough.
"Who are you? Get out of my body! You can't just do this! Someone's gonna notice that something's up! Squall will know, and then it will be all over for you! Leave, while you have one last chance!"
Rinoa paused for a breath, hoping that her words sounded more forceful than they felt. She watched as her double pushed the "elevator stop" button between the second and third floor, and then winked at her.
"You could get out, you know."
Rinoa frowned.
"If what? If I join you? Never in a million years. Tell me who you are."
Her enemy ran a hand through her dark hair and put a hand on her hip.
"Can't you see? I'm you."
"No, no you're not! I'm here!"
Suddenly, she felt as if her insides had turned to ice. She remembered time compression, finding Ultimecia's castle in the flower field, how Ultimecia had somehow come to possess Griever, Ultimecia's black angel wings.
Oh Hyne, no. It can't be true. I'm not Ultimecia, never! I'm good! I'm a good person!
"Ultimecia…?" she questioned in a quavering voice, fearing the answer more than she had ever dreaded anything else in her life.
"Silly, silly girl. Just like when you were five and you thought that your father would remember your ballet recital. Don't ever assume, or you'll end up as brokenhearted as you did that night, crying in the garden, watching the moon, wondering if there would ever be someone who saw you for what you really were," admonished her antagonist, shaking a finger at her playfully.
"How could you know that? No one knows that…" Rinoa spoke softly to herself. Her thoughts wandered for a moment, remembering the day so long ago when she had begun to shut her father out of her life. Then, remembering where she was, she replied to the woman in the mirror.
"Well… if you're not Ultimecia, who are you? Don't lie!"
"Ultimecia is gone. We both know this. How many times must I say it? I am you. That's why I have your memories. And you? You're the last part of me that hasn't given in to the immense power that's been offered. The last soldier standing, so to speak. And I know it's lonely. But you don't have to be alone. You can come back to the real world. Just give me back that one last piece of consciousness. It's a good trade, Rinoa. Take it," her enemy smiled cunningly, and held out her hand.
Rinoa jumped back in shock as her hand emerged through the mirror. She knew that if she touched it, it would be real. That it would pull her back into the real world, into her world. But then realization dawned again.
"If I take your hand, there will be nothing to stop you, will there? I'm what's holding you back, why you don't have all your powers yet, right? But… if I give in this last little part of myself… it's all over, isn't it?" Rinoa accused the woman in the mirror.
With a snarl, the hand withdrew. The smile which had played on her foe's face vanished and was replaced with a cruel snarl. Her eyes blazed with fire as she hissed at Rinoa.
"I don't need you; I merely offered you once last chance to save yourself. You were, after all, a part of me. But you will see. The mind cannot live without the body. Soon, you will die, and the last part of your consciousness resisting me will rejoin the rest. It's only a matter of time."
With a final glare at Rinoa, the window went dark. All the anger and adrenaline that Rinoa had been depending on to keep up her strength left her, and she sunk to the ground. She rested her head on her knees and let her hair fall into her face.
It's me… Oh Hyne, it's me. I have no excuse, no one to hate but myself. How could I have given in? Why don't I remember? There must be something I can do, it's never too late.
Feeling a strength that she had realized she possessed, she rose to her feet again. Looking about her into the blackness, she made a promise to herself.
I won't allow the world to sink into despair. I will resist. I will win.
(end flashback)
--Balamb Garden, 3F Office.
Squall stood, watching his dozen top officers, his hands clasped behind his back. They were taking the news relatively well, considering he had just told them that the most technologically advanced nation in the world was contemplating war against Garden. He had already given them the necessary orders.
All underclassmen were to return home or to a secured location. There would be no repeat of the chaos that had occurred when the Galbadia and Balamb Gardens had clashed almost two years ago. All graduated SeeDs were to remain on board, pending further instruction.
With a salute, he dismissed his officers and waited for them to exit his office. Once they were gone, he moved to his desk chair and slumped into it. In a move uncharacteristically unlike him, he put his head down on the cool surface of his desk and closed his eyes.
Why does everything bad always happen at once…how am I supposed to fix this mess? I'm supposed to be some mythic commander… when really I'm just 19… still learning about myself, what I want… how can I be what this world demands that I be? I don't have the knowledge or the power that I need.
The shrill ring of his telephone shattered his thoughts. Lifting his head, he picked up the phone.
"Leonhart."
"Squall?" questioned the male voice on the other end.
"Kiros?"
"Yeah Squall, it's me. Things are crazy here… I need to speak to you in confidence, is this line secure?"
"Yes, it's my personal line. Please, tell me what's going on!" Squall implored.
"The SeeDs that you sent, they went crazy, Squall. A security guard was watching in the control booth and saw it happen. He called for backup and ran to try and stop them. He and his reinforcements eventually overpowered them, but while they were fighting, someone stole the tape from the control room. It leaked out and too many people have seen it for Ward and me to control it. There's huge public outrage here right now," Kiros explained, and Squall could hear the dismay and genuine worry in his voice.
"There must be some way to stop this. We can hold a conference, or a press hearing, or something where we can get the word out that Garden as a whole is not responsible."
"That's just it, Squall. It's not just Garden that the people are holding responsible. Someone claimed that they looked hypnotized, and hypnotism led to mind control, mind control led to sorcery, sorcery to sorceress, and sorceress…."
"To Rinoa," Squall finished the sentence, his voice heavy with defeat.
"I'm afraid so, Squall. There's now a public cry against Garden harboring a sorceress. I think it would be best if you took Rinoa away from Garden for a while."
Squall sighed, as his worst fears seemed to come true. Rinoa had always brushed off the idea that the world would ever fear her power, because she has always pledged not to use it. She had always pretended that it was never even there.
Rinoa… I'll protect you from anyone, from everyone. From the world, if I have to.
"Thank you, Kiros. Please do your best to keep everything under control until I get back. I'm placing Quistis in charge pending my return. She will know how to get a hold of me should you need me."
"Take care, Squall. Please be careful, Laguna would never forgive me if I let something happen to you."
"…. Alright. I'll be in touch with you soon."
Squall hung up the phone and stood, but had to fight back the wave of nausea that the movement brought. Rubbing his temples with his fingers, he tried to orchestrate his next move.
I need to get Rinoa out of here. To someplace safe until all this blows over. Where can she go? Where will no one know her or think to look for her?
Pulling on his leather jacket and gloves, he covered the distance from his desk to the door in three wide strides. There was no time to waste.
--The House in Balamb, Kitchen.
Quistis sat at the small kitchen table, sipping her coffee uneasily. Rinoa sat across the table from her, staring down at her hands. The blonde smiled sympathetically and reached across the table for her friend's hand.
"Rinoa, don't worry. Squall will straighten everything out, I'm sure that there's been some kind of misunderstanding, but it can certainly be talked out. He won't have to go to war," she consoled, as best she could.
Rinoa looked up at Quistis, her eyes filled with tears.
"Oh Quistis, I cannot lose him! Everything, my whole world will fall apart…" she said brokenly as the tears spilled down her cheeks.
Quistis moved to stand up and go around the table to hug her friend, but paused and listened to the sound of a car roaring down the street, and then screeching to a halt in their driveway. Almost immediately, the front door opened and Squall strode into the kitchen. Seeing Rinoa's tearstained face, he went directly to her and knelt down in front of her and held one of her hands, much as he had done aboard the Ragnarok while they were stranded in space.
"Rinoa, let's go," he said simply. She stood weakly and Squall put an arm protectively around her shoulders. As he was ushering her out the door and towards the idling car, Quistis realized that she had no idea what was going on.
"Squall!" she called from the doorway. "What's happened? Where are you going?"
After making sure that Rinoa was buckled safely into the passenger seat, Squall turned and moved to open the driver's side door. Quistis ran down the driveway to catch him before he left.
"Squall, wait! Tell me what's going on," she implored, her hand on the car door. Squall turned and spoke quickly and quietly to her.
"I've got to get Rinoa out of here. We've got a war on our hands and they want her. I can't let that happen, Quistis. I've got to keep her safe, I'm sorry. I'll be back as soon as I can. Until then, there's no one I trust more than you to be in charge." With a quick salute to his former instructor, he got in the car and closed the door. Throwing it into reverse, the vehicle rocketed down the driveway.
Quistis held up a hand.
"How will we find you?" she cried out. "Where are you going?"
Rolling down the window as he shifted the car into drive, Squall called out a town across the sea.
"Winhill…!"
Quistis watched in shock as the car sped away, a hand to her throat.
What was happening?
Word up! Chapter Fourteen! Yay! It feels like only yesterday I was writing Chapter Two… *sniffle* they grow up so fast ^_^. I spent a good long time this morning mapping out the rest of this fic, and I plan to wrap it up within six more chapters. 20 chapters is not too shabby for a first fanfic, ya? And look! Rinoa's not Ultimecia! I love her too much to ever turn her into that mean 'ol sorceress in one of my fics, hehe.
I hope everyone liked this chapter, please take a moment to review and give me your feedback, I appreciate all of it so much =)
Ok, now its time to thank my reviewers! I know that this update is only two days after my last one, so if you didn't get a chance to review chapter thirteen yet, please still do so. Also, if you submitted a review for chapter thirteen but I didn't thank you here, its only because I didn't get a notification yet and I will make a note to you in the next one.
DemonRyu- Hehe, you liked the part with Rinoa opening the blind? Sweeet, I kinda giggled when I wrote that part, myself. And I'm so glad that you caught my parallel between how Squall is being drawn to Rinoa in much the same way as Seifer was drawn to Ultimecia. Wahoo! I hope you like this one!
Noacat- Ooo… can I steal your idea about Angelo for my next chapter? That's so smart! *trophy for you* I'm glad you liked all my little plot twists. Thanks for such a nice review ^_^
Rinny Leonhart / Rikku- Hehe, yep, bad Rinoa! Please review this one too and let me know what you think!
Rebekka- *blinks* the best story you ever read? Oh, wow! I must disagree… but thanks so much for the praise! I hope you enjoy this chapter! =)
Evan'sRinoa- It's true, we are all evil at times, ya? And I tried to put a lot of Rinoa in the chapter just for you! Send me a review and some more nice feedback, hehehe.
Karla3- What can I say? Great minds must think alike! Lol! I think we're going in somewhat different directions though, so it's still all good… let's just blame it on the monkeys! ^_^ I sent you an email at the addy you have posted off of your author account, so be on the lookout, mwahaha! Thanks for yet another super awesome great review!
Eon- Thank you! Was this update soon enough for you? Let me know what you think about this chapter =)
Thanks very much, everyone! Remember, if you read it you might as well review it, ya? Because then you get a special shout out from me at the end, and who doesn't want one of those? *winky* Te amo~ Kupo
