Crawls back into the story holding the newest chapter that she had promised to update ages ago... Umm hi everyone...as you an tell I am alive and well...mutters soon to be hacked to pieces by all of you for not updating.... And I have returned to continue this story. Throws the chapter at you and runs for the hills

Chapter 47

Battle Scars

"Eve?" Squall managed to say as he stared in wonder.

"Yea dad...it's me..." Eve whispered as she replaced a lock of rebellious dark hair behind her ear. She was about to stand up when surprisingly her father grabbed her and embraced her; holding her tightly to him.

"You have no idea how much I have been worried about you." His voice cracked a bit as he told her. Eve's face changed from surprised to an expression totally foreign to her: content.

"Come on Dad. We have to get going unless you prefer to just lie here. This time I won't save you." She said quietly with amusement hidden in her blue eyes.

Squall stood up and glanced at the young woman before her. She was slightly taller then her mother, had inherited her beauty, but he could clearly see his fighting spirit in her. No wonder he never could get along with her that easily. They were both stubborn fools.

He readied his Lionheart and glanced at Eve,

"You ready?" He stated. Eve nodded and both daughter and father ran into the swarming sea of enemies grinning.

Rinoa Leonhart stood her ground west of FH main headquarters. She was downing ethers like no tomorrow, hoping there would be a tomorrow. She grimaced as she cast a flare on a swarm of serpents scaling the walls, her magic deflating quickly. It seemed that no matter how many she killed, another batch of monsters were there to replace the fallen. People were dying all around her and she herself was struggling to stand her ground.

'Hyne help me.' she whispered.

The empress walked back and forth across the stone floor and glared as her minions ran in and out preparing to install the time compression machine she had ordered a year ago to be built. It was a machine only to be powered by the souls of dead sorceress from the past and she horded those souls in a vile she had hanging from around her neck. It was a surprise as how millions of souls could be trapped in such a small confinement; she grinned maliciously.

Hades walked in and bowed low before her. She lashed her green velvet robes back to reveal her pale flawless legs.

"Well?" she asked, frustration gnawing at the edge.

"It is on its way my liege." Hades answered.

"And where is Magama?" she inquired.

"She is with General Molokai and his armies currently at battle with one of the last human settlement."

"I want her here now! I trust Molokai can handle exterminating the pests. Oh and Hades?"

"Yes?" Hades asked.

"Kill the Galbadians as well. They are of no more use to me." she ordered and Hades nodded.

Hades, standing nine foot 3, walked out of the throne room into the grand hall. For an entire year he had been slaving away to build that damn machine that would bring them all glory and power. He wished there was another way he and Magama could rule. Why let the Empress have the first taste of supreme rule? His armies were obliterating the human race and devouring its villages, towns and cities one by one. Only Esther and Fisherman's Horizon remained.

He brushed his mane back and whistled inaudibly into the hot humid air. A black creature that resembled a hexadragon appeared and he mounted. Time to find Magama and set their plans in motion.

Magama stood watching Vanyel from afar fighting against her army. Her worry was easily seen in her emerald eyes.

'Have you chosen sides already my love?' she watched as a bite bug sliced at his head only to slash at empty air. His pony tail escaped its confinement and a lush of golden brown hair shimmered with blood underneath the hot sun. She loved Vanyel...Hades was just a temporary replacement. Sure Hades was powerful and clever, but she was always in love with Van no matter how tied she had become to the darkness, she always remembered Van and his kindness...his love.

'Please consider my love Van...I need you my knight.' she thought.

A shadow cast above her and she looked up to find Hades circling above before he landed on a pile of carcasses belonging to monsters and SeeD's alike.

"Your mother wants you at the palace." Hades said, his lush green-black mane blowing into his face.

"I don't want to go." she muttered.

"Magama, we will be rid of her soon enough." Hades answered.

Magama blew some of her red hair out of her face and sighed looking one last time at Vanyel before getting up behind Hades.

Rinoa was struggling when suddenly a neo dragon crashed down from the sky in front of her. It roared a tyranic sound that echoed off the building walls. Its silver scales reflected the hot suns rays as it's green lidless eyes glared at Rinoa.

Its claws threw her back against a pile of rubble. She groaned and cast for Angelo.

A golden white dog emerged from the shadows running at lightening speed past its master at the neo dragon. The impact didn't even scratch the surface and the dragon began to come down upon Rinoa. Rinoa tried to move out of the way but she couldn't move her leg. Only when a shot of pain spiraled up her leg did she quickly come to the conclusion that it was broken.

The powerful strike was tearing through the air directly at her and she froze with fear, her hand at her belly.

"Not like this..."she whispered. The neo dragon's claw fell short three feet from her and so did the rest of the headless body. She saw Squall and Eve standing there both their blades covered in thick blood; the dragons head lying several feet away.

"Mom are you all right?" Eve asked.

"I'm just shaken and tired...Squall..."Rinoa whimpered.

Squall walked over to his wife and helped her up while Eve cast curaga onto her mothers leg.

"We need to get you to safety."Squall said.

"I need to fight Squall..."Rinoa protested.

"Dad is right mom, you need to rest before you kill yourself. Next time we might not be there in time to save you." Eve explained.

Rinoa was staring at Squall and Eve...'she called him her father...does this mean?'

"Yes mom, Squall...I mean Dad knows I'm Eve." Eve said quickly. Squall shouted to one of the remaining SeeD's to come over to him and gave him strict instruction to take Rinoa to safety. The soldier nodded and saluted his commander quickly taking the raven haired woman by the arm and escorting her through the mass of creatures.

Eve looked around at the waging war and muttered incoherent swears. This war had been raging for no more then a few hours and already her soldiers were falling one by one. A large shadow caught her attention and her keen eyes noticed two beings upon what looked like a flying hexadragon. She widened her eyes when she saw the beast upon it.

'The beast is here..."

Anger began to boil and her entire body trembled with pent up rage. Where so much rage surfaced from she had no idea but she greedily drank up the power within her.

Squall turned toward his daughter and stepped back. Red gold flames encased her as she stared intently at one point...at what he had no idea. He looked toward the direction she glared on to see a beast and woman on a dragon rushing the opposite way from them through the crowds of soldiers.

Eve felt it course through her veins and she in haled a breath before rushing at her childhood enemy.

"Eve!" squall called out.

Lots of different view points and yes I better run and hurry and finish up with Ch. 48 before you guys kill me. Oh dear...I left you at a cliffhanger again...didn't I?