Long Live the King
A/N: Wow, it's been a while, hasn't it? I lost interest in FF8 and started falling in love with Yuffentine again. .; Woops. Anyhow... While in my 'break', I planned out how the story was going to continue and how it was going to end. One problem, I have three endings that I could use, but I don't know which one. You'll help me figure it out when we get closer to the end. :O
Chapter 7: Into Your Unknown Land
The six regrouped in the second car of the Hell Train, all looking a little shaken from their possibly life-threatening jump into the moving Guardian Force. Selphie took a good look around and let out a whimper as she clung to Quistis at her right.
"What's wrong with this thing?" the once spunky girl questioned, wide emeralds staring at the walls of flesh and handles of bone.
Quistis put a free hand over her nose and mouth, as she looked over the intricate designs that the flesh of both creatures and humans had been molded. "Doomtrain lives up to its name," she managed to say without throwing up. All persons of the party had their own unique look of disgust as they attempted to stay in the center of the car.
Doomtrain came to a screeching halt and Zell felt as if he could have died when he fell against one of the soft walls. "Holy Shiva! It's all gooey and everything!"
Squall looked around calmly then stepped towards the door of bones. "It's our stop."
The others watched cautiously, none moving. Irvine took a step forward and held a hand up. "Um... is there another way to get out of the train without actually... touching anything? You know, 'cause the girls don't like it."
Rinoa frowned and took a defiant step towards Squall - and that horrid door made of bones. "I'm not scared! Come on, let's go." She pointed forward and grinned as well as she could in the dead train. Squall shrugged and headed forward, gloved hands grabbing the bones and opening the doorway.
The sorceress started out after him, only to have a force of black energy send her flying back and into a wall.
"Rinoa!" Squall went to re-enter the train, but he was too late. The Guardian Force left him. It wasn't a slow start, either. The force of the immediate speed threw the others to the ground, all struggling to get back to their feet.
And this left Squall alone in the everlasting darkness.
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Another screeching halt and the five carefully edged towards the doorway together. "Maybe if we all try to squeeze through, it'll let us all leave together..?" Selphie suggested, never loosening her grip on what was now Irvine's arm. Quistis looked over at her over Zell's head and shrugged.
"It couldn't hurt to try..."
And, with the words of doom, the five shuffled to the doorway all together. Once they got there, another problem arose.
"Who's going to open the door?" Zell asked.
Rinoa looked around and smiled. "Whoever's wearing gloves... Zell, you're the lucky one."
Zell could have cried.
The door was open ten minutes later, after much arguing and complaining, and the five once again began to shuffle out. The energy blast seemed to be much stronger this time, as four people were shot back. This time, they knew not to try and get up. Once again the train sped off, leaving Zell to stand quietly in a land that could resemble every child's vision of Hell.
A silence fell over the four as they slowly stood. "Doomtrain is picking where it wants us to end up. Probably where it wants us to die." Quistis spoke quietly. "If we don't want to be blasted away every time we try to get out, we need to just find a way to figure out who leaves at those certain times."
Rinoa looked around at the flesh walls and reached out, fingertips running lightly over the stitches and molding. "You're saying that it's okay if we get separated." At first she seemed calm, but it was only a few more seconds before her nails dug into the flesh. "That's not okay! Why can't we just sit in the train? Even when it stops? Then Zell and Squall can find us and we can just leave!"
She was scared, and wasn't going to hide it. Selphie made her way over and gently hugged her. "We have to face this." Now that wasn't something they'd expect from Selphie, but that's where it came from. Rinoa relaxed in the comfort and let out a sigh.
"I know," then she pulled away and sat in the corner. Irvine glanced to the wall that Rinoa had taken her pain out on and noticed something strange.
"Not that I want to interrupt this lovely moment, but can flesh bleed? I mean, when there's no body?" The others turned to look and noticed the nail marks left blood trickling down the side.
There was a long pause before Selphie took a step back. "That's gross."
No one had realized that the train had stopped. Not until now. The doors had opened themselves and there was a wall of darkness. "So, how do we figure out who goes next?" Irvine asked quietly.
Rinoa took a step forward and held a hand out. She could already see the crackling energy forming into the spot her hand would land. The sorceress took a step back and shrugged. "It's not me. Just hold your hand up to it."
Quistis nodded and took a step forward. She copied Rinoa's movements and frowned. "Maybe only you can see it..?" She asked quietly. Rinoa shook her head and put a hand onto Quistis' shoulder.
"Be careful, Quistis. We don't know what's out there." Rinoa said softly, giving the girl a hug before stepping back. Selphie jumped forward and hugged the instructor tightly.
"Don't get hurt, 'kay? If you do... Well, I'll come back and kick you in the ass, got it?" She smiled as well as she could and Quistis nodded. The instructor waved to the cowboy, then left the train car. A silence once again fell over the remaining three as the train started up again.
Irvine looked over the two girls and grinned. "Well, now what?"
One... Two... Three seconds of silence before there was a loud double-slap.
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Squall had watched the train leave, and he knew he couldn't do anything about it. Running after it would resolve in nothing but tiring him out. He turned around to look into the darkness.
A bat flew by and suddenly Squall was on the defense. The gunblade was raised and stormy eyes quickly glanced about.
"You're going to fight me?" the words boomed inside of his head. "Puny human... You fought me once and barely made it out with your life. Now you intend on attempting such a battle by yourself? You really are stupid." And the bats increased. There were more, and more, and even more after that. They molded into each other to form a ball of darkness equal to that surrounding Squall.
The legs came out, bat wings flapped and the red and black face was soon glaring down at Squall from above. The demon dropped from above and sharpened fangs showed in what Squall could only guess was a smile.
"Diablos... I don't plan to fight you. You were on our side, weren't you?" He let the gunblade stand at his side to prove he didn't want a fight.
Diablos tilted his head back and let out a choppy screech.
He's laughing at me... Squall thought to himself as he readied the weapon again. "Alright. We beat you once, I can do it again."
The 'laughing' stopped and Diablos glared at him with eyes of black fire. "It is your funeral, human."
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Zell took a step forward, then another. Although the sight around him was of a flaming inferno, he didn't feel the heat at all. "Jeez, a little redecorating and this could be my new home," he said sarcastically. Geysers of flames were at his sides as he continued forward.
"You don't belong here." The fire around him shot up in unison and Zell threw his arms up to protect himself from the falling rocks of dried lava. "Pathetic excuse for a human, aren't you?"
Zell frowned and looked forward, only to see the brown and red form of the beast better known as Ifrit. "You! Why didn't you come to me when I called for you back then?" He shouted out in frustration. Ifrit lifted his head and grinned, showing his set of sharpened canines.
"Why would I appear for someone as weak as you?" He questioned the smaller boy before leaping forward, elongated claws ready to rip the fighter to shreds.
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The train came to a halt and Rinoa looked up at the opening doors. "I'm the only one left, so I guess it's for me, huh?" She tried to smile bravely, but failed miserably. Slowly, she stood to her feet and brushed away at her clothing. "Nothing else to do but go forward. Wish me luck," she spoke to the empty train car and exited Doomtrain.
Everything surrounding her was dark. She could make out the silhouette of a tower in the distance and the grovel beneath her feet, but that was the only sense of reality that the unknown realm had.
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Squall let out a cry as he leapt forward, blade slicing through Diablos as he pulled the trigger. The flames of the attack faded away and Diablos stood there defiantly. One black eye was shut with a cut down the center, and a bat wing had gone limp. Despite his conditions, Diablos wasn't finished with the lone gunblade wielder.
The demon leapt forward, claws slashing away at what was left of Squall's shirt. Blood trickled from the numerous cuts and his entire left leg had gone numb only a few minutes ago. But Squall, equal to Diablos, wasn't about to give up just yet. He pulled a Cura out of his magic junction and felt energy return to him as the blue light faded away.
"We're not done yet, Diablos. Your victory dance will only get you killed."
Diablos glared with his one good eye and let out a snarl. "Boy, you will eat your words before I'm through with you."
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Ifrit stood over the shooting geysers of flames while Zell did all he could to avoid them. "You don't have what it takes to control me! You shouldn't have even tried..." Ifrit growled out, claws playing with stray flames.
Zell was getting tired and didn't know how much longer he could take. "For a Guardian Force, you sure talk a lot," he grumbled before jumping at the beast again, fists and ego ready to give Ifrit a black eye to match the few bruises Zell had actually managed to give him.
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Selphie stood quietly in the dark cave. She didn't dare to move. A puff of air sent shivers down her spine, and not because it was cold. The girl turned her head slowly to look at the dragon sleeping behind her, then to the others that came around her. Red, Blue, Tri-Face, etc. Even Tiamat was among them, sleeping in what made the circle around the scared form in yellow.
There was a shuffling off to the side and she let out a quiet yelp. Shakily, she pulled the Strange Vision from her back and turned to face where the noise came from. A wing stretched, and then another, and soon the creature was off the ground and hovering above her.
"It's a child... Young girl, what do you think you're doing in my realm?" Bahamut's voice came as a calm yet deep rumble in her mind. Selphie looked from one side to the other before looking back up to the Guardian Force.
"Uh... I don't know? Could you lead me to Carbuncle's realm, maybe?" She asked as innocently as possible. There was a rumble around her and she fell back. Earthquake? She thought to herself.
Then she noticed it. The other dragons of the realm were laughing at her. She tried to smile, but it wasn't coming on. The rumbling continued until there was a familiar sound. A voice. An actual voice that she could hear with her ears.
"Selphie! Are you in here?"
It was Irvine. Selphie got onto her feet and cupped her hands around her mouth. "Irvine! Help!" She screamed as loudly as she could. The laughing from the dragons had stopped and Bahamut snarled.
"I see how it is. Teaming up against me? Well, you won't win..."
A/N: Yes, this is my way of avoiding the fight scenes. .; That's right. Use your imagination for Zell and Squall. Selphie and Irvine should be coming up next, and don't worry, so is Quistis. She gets to have a special part. :D And Rinoa will get... little parts. (As we can tell, I was getting a bit tired of writing them all together. It gets hard. ;;) So, wait a few days – tests are coming up, I hafta study – and you'll have the next chapter. I think I'm gonna end this at chapter 15. Yep-yep. I really have this planned out.
Review, Review!!