Mythology
Chapter Eleven: Rebirth
By PasifiKStaR
Author's Note: I'm sorry I took so long! I'm sorry I've been so tired lately and I've just bee completely drained. I'm really sorry! I'm REALLY sorry! I have not lost interest in ANY of the fics! I will finish them ALL! Except maybe 'Drifted' because that's a pointless, plotless story. Anyway, I'm sorry for taking so long!
All Standard Disclaimers Apply: I do not own Final Fantasy.
"What?" Quistis looked up as she slipped the silver ring on to her right hand's ring finger. She frowned as Squall and Seifer rushed into the fallen old shop, sending dust and sand everywhere. Rinoa's eyes went wide as she lifted her hand to shield herself from the flying dust.
"What are you two doing-" she began, but Seifer cut her off.
His green eyes landed directly on Quistis. "Quistis, take off the ring!" he snapped quickly. "Now! Take it off!"
"What!?" Quistis growled. Her blue eyes narrowed into slits as she stood up straight and glared at Seifer. "Don't tell me what to do-"
"Quistis, now's not the time to be a feminist!" Seifer nearly shouted as Rinoa slowly stood up between them.
"Seifer, what's wrong?" Rinoa asked calmly. "What's the problem-"
"The problem is that-" Seifer began, but Squall clamped his hand on the blonde's shoulder. Seifer whirled his head around and saw Squall shake his head. Ice blue eyes were narrowed and looking directly at the ring still placed on Quistis' slender finger.
"Never mind," Squall stated. "It's nothing."
Seifer narrowed his eyes slightly and turned back to look at the ring. Quistis followed their eyes to her hand and slowly closed her other hand around it. She brought both to her chest and looked at them suspiciously.
"What's wrong with the ring?" Quistis asked quietly.
"Nothing's wrong with it..." Squall said. He took a deep breath and shook his head. "You know that it's my ring," He mumbled, his gaze lifting to meet Quistis'. She nodded slightly. "May I have it back?" Slowly, he extended his open palm towards Quistis.
Quistis looked over to Rinoa. The other young woman's eyes met hers and gave a slight nod. Reluctantly, Quistis removed the silver ring from her finger and placed it back into Squall's hand. His fingers immediately wrapped around it and he slipped it into his pocket.
"Quisty," Seifer said, putting himself between Quistis and Squall. She turned to look up at him questioningly. "You over heard them...?" he asked slowly, although he already knew the answer. The female blond closed her eyes and nodded slightly. Seifer's head dropped as he let out a heavy sigh. He swallowed nervously and took a step closer. "Thank Hyne..."
His arms wrapped around her narrow shoulders and Quistis' eyes went wide. She lifted her head slightly as she felt his clean shaven face run along the sides of her head, messing with the position of her golden bangs. She could feel his heart beating rapidly against her as he seemed to envelope her for eternity. "Seifer..."
"Just shut up for a moment and let me hold you." Seifer snapped, slightly annoyed. Behind him, Rinoa cracked a small smile and turned to Squall. His eyes were down cast and she gently tugged on his jacket sleeve. Quietly, he turned his head towards her and she motioned to the remnants of the door.
Squall gave a small nod and allowed the petite brunette to lead him away. Back inside the room, Quistis gently tried to push herself off of Seifer, but found that he wouldn't allow her to. "Sei...Seifer..." Quistis whispered quietly. "Please...let go..."
"No," Seifer stated sternly, almost desperately. He closed his eyes. "I let go all those years ago and I lost you. I'm not letting go again."
Quistis felt her heart skip a beat. His words were filled with such conviction and she could almost feel his emotions blanketing over her. "So it's true...?"
Seifer nodded slightly, his head rubbing against hers. "I don't know how much you heard..." he mumbled against her head. "But It's all true."
Quistis closed her eyes and pushed against him once more. "Seifer...please..." she told him softly. He felt her straining against him and he reluctantly loosened his hold. She was now trapped at arms length from him. Her blue eyes were down cast as she searched for the words to say.
"Is it...THAT hard to believe?" he asked. His heart began to beat quicker in anticipation. Part of him wondered if she would reject him and tell him that she didn't want to be with him, regardless of the knowledge she now carried. He could almost feel the beads of sweat trickling down the side of his head as her elegant face rose to meet his expectant one.
"I just need some time," she finally said. Seifer felt his heart stop as he closed his eyes. His hands froze against her shoulders. "I just need time to sort it all out..."
Seifer bit his lower lip and turned his head away. "What's there to sort out?" he asked, almost snapping at her. "You know everything-"
"Then I need the time to let it all sink in," She told him. His eyes rose to meet hers and her heart stopped as she saw the fear bubbling in their emerald depths. Was he afraid? Of WHAT? Then the reality hit her. Her lower lip trembled as she lifted up one hand and gently caressed the side of his face. "Seifer, I'm not going to leave you..." she gasped out.
"Wh...what?" he stammered. Seifer's face contorted in confusion as he stared back at her.
Quistis smiled weakly and cupped his face in her smooth, warm hands. Slowly, they ran through his set back hair, running the tips of her nails gently against his scalp. "Seifer...I'm not going to just leave you. I just want time to let it sink in."
"I just want to know..." Seifer began. His eyes squinted as he struggled to find the correct words. For the life of him, he couldn't find the words to express what he wanted to know. His tongue stumbled over various syllables before he finally shook his head.
She felt his breath momentarily sear her face before strong lips were planted on hers. Her breath slipped out of her mouth just as he sealed his mouth against hers. An overwhelming sensation coursed through her body as he seemed to focus all his energy on her. She could feel his body against hers, holding her close. She felt her heart skip a beat as her blue eyes fluttered closed.
He felt her hands fall from his head to the area around his shoulders. They snaked around his broad shoulders and met behind his neck. He felt her lean upwards to meet his kiss rather than hide from it. That was her answer to his question and a wave of relief washed over him.
Squall was walking quickly, his mind lost in a haze of questions. He was sure that Quistis should've immediately turned into Ultimecia. At least, that's what he had always thought. His eyes were down cast as he walked.
"Squall?" a voice piped behind him. Squall didn't hear anything. His mind was still trying to comprehend all the scenarios possible. "Squall!" A small hand grabbed on to his jacket sleeved and tugged hard enough to jerk him back. He turned and saw Rinoa looking up at him with a questioning look.
"Yeah?"
"Are you okay?" she asked, worried. "You haven't said anything the entire way..." she trailed off and Squall looked past her to the path way they were walking on. They were almost to the camp and at the bottom of the path were the ruins. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing's wrong," Squall mumbled. He offered her a weak smile. "Don't worry."
"No, something's wrong," Rinoa persisted, her brown eyes reading his usually stoic face as best as she could. "What's wrong? Tell me."
Squall let out a heavy sigh and ran his right hand through his thick hair. "Nothing is wrong, Rinoa," he insisted sternly. "Don't worry about it."
"If nothing is wrong then why did you and Seifer come running into that old shop yelling for Quistis to stop," Rinoa asked. Her eyes narrowed as her mind began to make numerous mental connections. "What's with the ring? Why were you so against Quistis wearing it?"
Squall took a deep breath. "I don't know what the side effects will be if Quistis wears a ring that was meant to contain a sorceress," he told her. Rinoa's eyebrows furrowed. "Something might have happened. What if she released the sorceress?"
Rinoa's eyes dropped slightly and she nodded. "I see...so...what are you going to do with the ring now?" she asked quietly.
Squall took a deep breath. "For now I'll keep it."
"What are we going to do?" Rinoa asked softly. Squall's blue eyes refocused on hers. "She's going to come, isn't she? It's not if, it's a matter of when..."
"I don't know, Rinoa," Squall told her tiredly. "It's late," He mumbled. "Why don't we go get something to eat and-"
"I don't WANT to get something to eat!" Rinoa shouted, making Squall jerk his head back in surprise. Her eyes were rimmed with clear tears as she stood there, shaking. "Squall, I have no idea what's going on any more, but I know something is going to happen! Something BAD," she insisted. Her eyes narrowed. "That's why you were woken up, right? To stop something from happening? To stop HER? How are you going to do that?"
Squall stared at her, unsure of what to say. He took a deep breath. "I don't know, Rinoa..." he answered softly. Rinoa bit her lower lip. "I'm sorry..." he told her. "I wish I knew, but Hyne, Rinoa, none of us are sure how to stop her. The last time I had to..." his voice trailed off as a pain washed over his face.
Rinoa nodded understandingly. "I know..." she replied in a quiet voice. "You had to kill my body."
"I don't want to have to do it again, Rinoa..." Squall insisted. "But we will find a way to save you this time."
"It's not just me, though..." Rinoa mumbled. "It's Quistis, too, isn't it? She told me she found the ring first."
Squall closed his eyes slightly and nodded. A cool night wind blew past them and Squall tilted his head back and looked up at the stars silently. Rinoa slowly followed his gaze to the clear night sky that was speckled with thousands of diamond stars. "Whenever I was lost, I'd try to look at the stars to guide me..." Squall mumbled. "But now nothing makes sense..."
"Is it that nothing makes sense or is it that nothing can yet be made sense of?" Rinoa asked quietly. She looked back at Squall before walking past him in silence. She paused a few steps from him, her back still turned to him. "Don't hide anything else from me, Squall," Rinoa said. "I need to know before it's too late."
He listened to her foot steps fade in the background. He could make out the faint shouts of welcome from Selphie, Zell, and Irvine as Rinoa arrived back at the camp.
Rinoa sat in the research tent, finishing up the last tablet of the night. It was about four in the morning and she couldn't sleep. She had spent a good thirty minutes in bed, shifting and kicking off her blanket before she got up and decided to do some work.
The camp was almost silent. She could hear loud snoring from Irvine's tent and heavy breathing from Zell's. Squall's tent was silent as she passed it. Rinoa was wearing a pair of light blue, cotton, draw string shorts with her name in white letters on her bottom, plus a matching tank top. She tugged on a dark blue button up cotton work shirt and slipped into some flip flops before heading out of her tent.
For the last three hours, she had been in the research tent, cleaning off some tablets and scanning them. Her diligent work had given her one finished tablet and another tablet ready for scanning. As she put her brush aside, next to the tablet, she let out a yawn. Tired brown eyes looked over the engraved writing.
As she stared at it, she blinked her heavy eyes. For a second, she could almost read them. Her knowledge of ancient Centran was very limited and as she sat there, it seemed to get better. Rinoa lifted her hand and gently rubbed her temples. Okay...I think it's about time for me to go to bed... she thought to herself. She took a deep breath and began to shut down the computer. She lifted her hand over the mouse and froze.
Her eyes landed on the script in front of her of the tablet that she had just scanned. She could feel her heart starting to quicken in her chest as she began to read the text flawlessly. She never stumbled over any of the words and felt as if she were reading them as if she were reading the language she had used all her life.
Her mouth grew dry as she sat there, her eyes fastened to the screen. She found herself unable to tear herself away from it as each word engraved themselves in her mind.
Her hand reached forth and cut the life from two life long friends. The future queen and the shop keeper's niece fell to the ground, their bodies limp and void of energy as empty eyes looked back at the imposing sorceress above them, as if asking her why she had killed them. And while the sorceress laughed and said that the general's daughter was now dead, tears streamed down her face. The general's daughter's body was dead, but now her soul was trapped.
"Trapped..." Rinoa's breath slipped through her thin pink lips unconsciously. Her closed eyes let warm, salty tears escape the corners of her eyes. She winced as she felt her body being shaken from her shoulders.
"Rinny?" a quiet voice asked reluctantly. "Rin? Are you awake?"
I know that voice... Rinoa's mind told her. Slowly, she blinked her eyes open and saw two large green orbs staring back at her. "Ah!"
"AH!" Selphie jumped back, almost falling on her butt as Rinoa jerked herself up. "Rinoa!"
"Selphie..." Rinoa gasped out. She was breathing deeply and didn't even realize it. She turned her head and looked around the room. The sun was up. It was probably an hour or two past sun rise at the most. She was sitting up straight on her chair. "The tablet..." she mumbled. She whirled around to the monitor and narrowed her eyes.
"Rinoa?" Selphie asked, confused. "Are you okay?" the petite brunette asked quietly.
Rinoa's narrowed eyes surveyed the computer before her. The screen was blank and the monitor shut off. "What the..." she murmured. Her hand went down to the tower and found that it had been shut down as well. "I could've swore that I left this on..." She turned to look at Selphie. "Selphie, did you turn this off?"
"Nope, I just got here," Selphie told her. "I heard mumbling when I was going to the bathroom and so I came in. You were passed out on the keyboard."
"Oh..." Rinoa mumbled. She rubbed her head and ran her hand through her hair. "I must've fallen asleep when I was working on the tablets last night..."
"How long were you up?" Selphie asked as she leaned over and studied Rinoa's face. "You look tired."
"I don't know..." Rinoa shrugged. "Late, I guess. I couldn't get to sleep so I worked on the tablets."
"That's great, but if Quistis found out that you're working yourself ragged again..." Selphie trailed off. Rinoa chuckled slightly and nodded.
"I know..." she sighed. She stood up and pushed her chair underneath the desk. "I'm going to head over to my tent and grab a towel. I'll hit the showers before breakfast."
"Are you sure you don't want to keep sleeping?" Selphie asked quietly. "I mean...you like kind of tired."
"Rough night," Rinoa shrugged. She stretched her arms out and walked past Selphie. "I'll see you at breakfast!"
"Okay!" Selphie piped. She exited the tent after Rinoa and headed for the showers. In the meantime, Rinoa walked up the pathway to her tent. She silently wished that they didn't have to move her tent so far away. Yawning, she tugged her shirt around her tighter as she reached her tent.
She zipped the door open and stepped in. As she turned around to look into her tent, part of her expected to see Squall sitting there. Or looming somewhere in the dark corners of her tent. She let out a groan as she realized she was disappointed to find him no where in her tent.
I saw him less than twelve hours ago... her mind scolded as she headed for her chest to pull out some clothes and a towel. She pulled out a blue towel and tossed it on her bed. She stopped and stared at it. The shade reminded her of his eyes.
She closed her eyes and could almost feel his heavy arms wrap around her slim shoulders as his subtle cologne flooded her senses. She allowed herself to fall into the feeling as she let out a heavy sigh. "Good morning..." a voice whispered in her ear.
Great...now I'm hearing him, too... she thought to herself pitifully. "Good morning..."
"You were up late last night," she heard him tell her. "Perhaps you should get back to bed."
"No, I'll be fine..." she murmured. She tilted her head to the side as she felt two lips caress the side of her neck. Her heart skipped a beat as a warm breath blew across her ear, sending shivers through her body. "I really should stop day dreaming..."
She heard him chuckle and slowly let go. "Or you should get some sleep," he told her. "I'll wake you up at lunch."
"Hmm?" Rinoa's eyes flew open and she turned her head. Squall's back was to her as he unzipped the tent and her mouth dropped. She felt her face flood with a furious blush as she realized she wasn't hallucinating. "Squall?"
"Get some rest," he said. He turned to look at her offering her a weak smile. "You've had a rough night."
Rinoa nodded slightly. "Right...a rough...night..." her words slipped past her lips and she narrowed her eyes. "Wait, Squall!" She took a step forward, extending her hand as if to stop him, but he zipped her tent closed. "Squall!" She stopped and frowned, lowering her hand to her side. "How do you know about my night...?"
Squall barely heard Rinoa's calls as he left her tent. He headed towards the research tent and slowed down when he heard voices from inside. "Rinoa must've been working on them last night..." he heard Quistis tell someone. "She got a lot done, though. I just wish she wasn't working so hard."
"Don't worry, she'll be fine, Quisty," Seifer replied. "Are you sure you're okay?"
"I told you, I'm fine," Quistis insisted. It was at that moment that Squall stepped into the tent. Quistis looked over Seifer's shoulder and saw the brunette standing at the door way. "Squall will vouch for me. I'm completely healthy."
Squall raised an eyebrow. He looked over at Seifer who shrugged. "I'm sure you are. But just incase, stay where we can find you."
Quistis nodded. "By the way, do you know if Rinoa was the one working her last night?"
Squall nodded. "She fell asleep on the keyboard," he told her. "I think she couldn't sleep so she went to do some work."
Quistis let out a heavy sigh. "Next time, stop her, Squall," she told him tiredly as she grabbed her things and walked past him. "You know she's still stressed out."
"Speak for yourself, Quistis," Seifer said as he followed her out. "You should be taking a rest as well."
"Seifer, I told you, I'm fine!" Quistis told him. She whirled around and threw her arms up in the air. "See? I'm not tired! I'm completely..." As her arms fell to her sides, she suddenly dropped her tools.
"Quistis?" Seifer asked, taking a step forward warily.
Squall came out of the tent just as Quistis narrowed her eyes and lifted her hand to her head. She began to sway. Quistis took a deep breath as her body turned to heated mush. "Completely..." she breathed. Her eyes rolled back. "Fine..."
"Quistis!" Seifer shouted as he darted forward and caught the young blond in his arms. "Quistis! Quistis!"
"Get her to her tent!" Squall said as he ran back into the research tent. "I'll meet you there with my things!"
"What's going on!?" a voice shrieked from down the path. Seifer ignored the voice as he picked up Quistis and began to rush towards her tent.
Selphie was dashing madly up the path way, her hair still damp from her shower. "Selphie! Go get some water and some towels!" Squall ordered as he ran out of the research tent clutching a black bag at his side.
"What happened to Quistis!?" Selphie screamed, horrified and assuming the worse.
"She fainted!" Squall shouted over his shoulder. "Now get those things!"
Selphie snapped out of her trance and nodded as she ran up to the cafeteria tent. "IRVY! ZELL!! I NEED WATER!!"
Where am I? She turned her head and frowned as she heard the echo of her movement cut through the air. She did it once more and looked to her other side. It's so dark... Her blue eyes squinted in the darkness, trying to get adjusted but failing. She lifted her hands in front of her. She knew they were there, but she couldn't see them.
Carefully, she took a step forward and felt solid ground beneath her. "Hello!?" she screamed into the darkness. "Is anyone there!?"
Slowly, she walked in a little circle, trying to look around all her surroundings. As she peered into the darkness, she saw a halo of light behind her. Gasping, she whirled around and winced at the sudden brightness that flooded her eyes. Her arms rose to shield her pale face as the white light that appeared in front of her seemed to dim. She took one cautious step back as a hazy shadow appeared in the center of the light.
"You are not the gifted one." a bland voice stated coolly.
"Who are you?" Quistis gasped as she blinked and tired to focus on the hazy shadow. She could barely make out the shape and so she assumed that whoever was floating in front of her was female.
Without warning, the shadow flew out from her place and came face to face with Quistis. The young woman gasped as she peered into the endless depths of glowing eyes floating in a pool of smoking black haze. "You must've tampered with it..."
"What are you talking about!?" Quistis gasped as the figure withdrew just as quickly as it zoomed forward. Quistis could feel her heart beating rapidly in her chest as she was circled like she was the prey for some wild cat. "Who are you!?"
"You tampered with the seal, didn't you!?" the shadow hissed viciously. The glowing eyes narrowed as Quistis shook her head. "The seal! You did something to it! You are not the host I wanted!"
"Host?" Quistis gasped. "What-"
"Where is she!?" the shadow zoomed forward once more, coming face to face with Quistis. "Where is the gifted girl!?"
"Gifted...?" Quistis stammered. Her eyes narrowed as she grew annoyed with being the one who was kept in the dark. "What are you talking about!? Who is this gifted girl!? Who are YOU!?"
The shadow let out a low growl as it studied Quistis. "You know her..." came a raspy, highly annoyed voice. Clawed hands that smoked with black haze waved over Quistis' head. "I could see her in your mind!"
"My mind!?" Quistis gasped. She took a step back and whirled around. "You're insane-ah!" She nearly fell back as she lifted her head and came face to face with the creature once more.
"You know who I am..." the voice rasped. "Don't you remember?" It taunted. "Don't you remember ME?"
Quistis shook her head from side to side. "No! No, I don't know who you are!"
The creature before her gave out a hearty laugh as it's smoky arm suddenly solidified as it shot forward and grabbed on to Quistis' slender pale neck. The blond gasped for air as her eyes went wide. Her hands rose to try to grab on to the attacker's arm, but found that there was nothing there for her to grab.
Quistis' face was forced to look up into those red, glowing orbs. Her heart seemed to burst in her chest as she recognized the glint they held. Her face paled and the voice echoed in her mind. "Remember now?"
"It's you..." she choked out as the hand let her go and shoved her backwards. Quistis stumbled over her feet in shock and fell to the ground. She slid across the floor as she turned her head back towards the creature. "You took Rinoa."
"Yes!" the voice said, almost pleased. "Where is this Rinoa?"
"You took her from us...you killed her! You used her body to kill me. And Selphie. And thousands of immortals!" Quistis screamed viciously, not even aware of what she was saying any more. "You monster!"
"Where is she!?" the creature demanded.
"I'm not telling you!" Quistis shouted as the shadow loomed above her. Her eyes narrowed challengingly. "You took her from us before...I'm not letting you do it again!"
"You think you can stop me? The little would be Queen of Centra?" the voice mocked. Surprise was written all over Quistis' face. "Yes, I know all about you. But you're not my target. Where is the gifted girl?"
"No!" Quistis screamed as she narrowed her eyes. "Leave me alone!"
"I'm not going anywhere until I find her," the shadow growled. "You can tell me now or I can find out for myself..." The shadow extended it's arm forward and Quistis was frozen in her stop. "I'm part of you now. I know EVERYTHING you know."
"No!" Quistis shouted once more. She tried to move, but felt her body immobile. Her breathing was ragged as she saw the creature flying towards her, blood red eyes locked on to hers. She opened her mouth to scream as she closed her eyes. She felt an icy wind whip past her and knocking the scream right out of her mouth.
Her eyes opened and she looked around. The creature was gone. The area around her was dark. "I know EVERYTHING."
Her heart stopped as she fell to her knees and stared at the ground in front of her. She understood now. She knew what she had done. Everything suddenly made so much sense. Her eyes went wide as the realization struck her. Ultimecia was now trapped in her body...and was hunting for Rinoa.
"Hyne..." she gasped breathlessly as her eyes watered. "What have I done...?"
"Hold her down!" Squall growled as he stood to the side as he readied a needle.
Irvine and Seifer were holding Quistis down on the bed as Selphie stood desperately tried to keep her head steady. Quistis was tossing from side to side, randomly screaming out 'no' every so often. "Quisty..." Selphie whimpered as she watched her friend's beautiful face control with horror.
"Zell, hold out her arm!" Squall ordered. Immediately, the tattooed blond rushed over and held out Quistis' arm. He held her wrist down and locked her arm into place as Squall rubbed an area with a cotton swab dosed with alcohol. He tossed it aside and pierced her ivory skin with the needle.
"Be careful!" Seifer growled as he watched Quistis' hand clench.
"I'm trying!" Squall snapped back. As soon as the needle was empty, Squall pulled it out and quickly put some gauze on the wound.
Almost immediately, Quistis relaxed and everyone let out a sigh of relief as she did. "What's in that stuff?" Irvine asked as he moved away from Quistis' cot.
"Don't worry about it," Squall said. He threw the needle away. "I'm going to go check on Rinoa and tell her what's going on if she's awake," he told them. "Come get me if anything happens."
"Right!" Selphie said. She began to make herself comfortable next to Quistis' bed. Zell and Irvine left the tent and Seifer stood there, looming over her.
"Hey," he said with a frown. "I can take it from here."
Selphie rolled her eyes. "What's with the over protective mode?" she frowned. "Quistis is MY friend, you know! If something happens, one of us can run out to get them and the other can stay here and make sure she's okay," she narrowed her green eyes as they met Seifer's. "Or do you WANT to leave her when she's vulnerable?" she asked.
"Of course not!" Seifer growled. Huffing, he sat down on the floor next to Quistis' cut. "Fine," he snapped. "But if something DOES happen. YOU'RE going."
Outside, Irvine and Zell ran to catch up with Squall. "So she knows?" Irvine asked.
"They both do," Squall stated sharply. He stopped in mid step and turned to look at them. "Zell, keep an eye on Quistis. Something's not right...Irvine...you better figure out how you're going to explain everything to Selphie."
"Already?" Irvine gasped. "But..."
"It's going to happen SOON," Squall mumbled. He looked back at Quistis' tent. "You saw what happen in there. Something's going on with Quistis. I'm not sure what, but she didn't look like she was enjoying it."
"Do you think it's the sorceress?" Zell asked questioningly. Squall's expression didn't change.
"I don't know," he admitted. "But I wouldn't be surprised. Call Raijin and Fujin...tell them to come back."
"What if they haven't figured out everything yet?" Zell asked.
"I don't CARE," Squall snapped. "We're running out of time!" With that he turned around and marched towards Rinoa's tent. As he approached, his senses went into over drive. He didn't sense any restlessness in her tent and assumed she was knocked out from the night before.
He slowly unzipped her tent and slipped in quietly, something he had grown quite good at. He turned around after he closed the tent and saw her laying on her stomach across her cot with her hands hanging off the side. From the peaceful look on her face, she wasn't having any nightmares. He let out a breath of relief and crouched down at her side.
Squall's hand rose and gently caressed her face as he studied it. She was so tired. He had followed her last night. He had been wandering around, after a talk with Seifer on Quistis' status. The blond proudly boasted that Quistis was "as good as his". Squall had heard Rinoa's tent open and he followed her with his eyes as she walked towards the research tent.
As she settle in to do some work, he sat silently at the side of the tent. He could hear her scurrying around the tent, brushing the tablets and the sound the machine scanning it's ancient letters into a modern machine. At times, she would begin to hum a familiar tune. He remembered smiling to himself as he recognized the song as something she used to sing all those years ago.
Then he heard her talking to herself about going to bed. He prepared to go and suddenly 'appear' so as to check on her. When he entered the research tent, he froze. Rinoa was staring at the computer. He didn't even know if she realized it herself, but the monitor was practically flashing as Rinoa read the text as she scrolled. Thinking she was still awake, he sneaked back outside.
He heard her get up and rush across the tent. The familiar sound of a brush dusting off dirt from a stone table was heard and then more scanning. He narrowed his eyes and peeked through the windows. Rinoa was scanning all the remaining tablets. After a few minutes, she returned to the computer, almost in a daze, as she began to read once more.
He watched as she seemed to be hypnotized by what she reading in the tablets. "Trapped..." he heard her whisper as her eyes stared blankly at the monitor in front of her. Slowly, her shoulders began to heave up and down as she fell forward against the key board.
Squall rushed in and found that she had fallen asleep. Curiously, he looked up at the monitor. He moved her hand off the mouse and replaced it with his as he scrolled through the scanned images. He read it just as easily as she had and mentally swore. Sis...? Why did you have to chronicle this, too? his mind asked. He looked down at Rinoa.
In the horizon, the sun was starting to rise and Squall mentally swore. The others would wake up soon. Without another thought, he turned off the computer. He debated whether or not to carry Rinoa back to her tent, but decided it would be best to leave her. He slipped out of the room and waited behind the tent until Selphie came and found her.
Part of him wondered if he should have deleted the scanned text. But he realized it would do him no good. The tablets were still there and he couldn't just destroy them. He leaned forward and pressed his head against his hand as a smaller hand grabbed on to his free one.
His head jerked up and he looked over at Rinoa once more. "Squall..." Rinoa's voice said softly.
"Shh..." he whispered. "Go back to sleep...you need some rest."
"Squall...can I wear you ring?" Rinoa asked softly. He narrowed his eyes slightly.
"Why?" he asked, unsure of he should give it to her or not.
"Please?" Rinoa quietly pleaded. "You said it was to protect me..." He let out a deep breath and nodded.
"I'll give it to you later-"
"Now," Rinoa said. She chewed on her bottom lip reluctantly, knowing that she sounded too needy. "I just want to know that it's close..."
Squall looked into her chocolate brown eyes and nodded. "All right..." he whispered. "It's in my tent. I'll get it."
Rinoa nodded and smiled. He stood up and stepped away from her, allowing her hand to slip from his larger ones as he moved away. "Mmm...Squall..."
"Yes?" he asked as he unzipped the tent. His back was turned to her. Rinoa smiled to herself and shook her head.
"Nothing..." she said. He nodded and stepped out of the tent. Rinoa looked at the spot where he had been standing and sighed. "I love you..."
Selphie was humming something about trains and Seifer was grinding his teeth against each other. Make her stop... his mind screamed. Stop it...
"Train, train..." Selphie began to sing out loud.
Stop it...stop it...stop it... Seifer said. "STOP!" Selphie immediately shut her mouth as she turned to look at him in surprise.
"Geez!" she frowned. "No need to yell, Seifer..."
"I wouldn't have to YELL if you would just shut up." Seifer hissed behind gritted teeth. Hyne...she was ALWAYS like this...
Selphie shrugged and looked back at Quistis. The blond professor was laying motionlessly on the cot and Selphie would've returned to her humming, if only to annoy Seifer more, if she hadn't caught the flinch in Quistis' face. She squinted and turned her whole body towards Quistis.
She could see Quistis' eyes begin to move from beneath her lids. Her hands began to twitch and Quistis' made a slight jerk. "Hey..." Selphie gasped. "Seifer...Seifer, she's moving!"
"What?" Annoyed at Selphie, Seifer turned his head and saw Quistis begin to move. "Quistis!" he gasped. He turned over on to his knees and crouched down at her side. He whirled around to Selphie. "Go find, Squall!" he ordered.
"But-" Selphie began, but she saw Seifer poised to scream at her if necessarily. "All right! I'll be right back!" She shot out of her chair and practically jumped out of the tent.
Seifer looked back over at Quistis. "Hey...Quistis?"
Without warning, her eyes shot open and horrified blue orbs opened to the tent ceiling as her mouth let out loud gasp. "No!"
"Quistis!" Seifer said. The blond was struggling and he clamped his strong hands on her shoulders, trying to steady her. "Quistis, calm down!"
Quistis was breathing deeply and turned her head to look at Seifer. The blond man looked worried as his emerald eyes looked into hers. "Sei...Seifer..." she gasped out tiredly.
"Hey...shh..." His hand cupped her damp, sweaty face and he smiled. "It's all right...you're okay..."
Quistis nodded and closed her eyes. "Is everyone okay?" she asked quietly. Seifer nodded.
"Yeah...yeah, everyone is fine..." he assured her. "Are you okay? Do you need anything?"
"Yeah, I'm fine..." Quistis assured him. She smiled slightly and nodded. "I'm a little hot...can you get me some water?"
"Let's just wait until Selphie gets back-"
"Seifer, my throat is really dry..." Quistis said, wincing slightly. "Please?" Seifer mentally debated whether he should go get her water or not. He took a deep breath and decided that she was fit enough to be left alone.
"Sure thing..." Seifer said. He lifted the back of her hand to his lips and kissed it softly. "I'll get some cold water from the cafeteria, okay? Just rest," He stepped back from her, keeping his eyes on her at all time. "I'll be right back." he promised.
Quistis nodded and watched as he left her tent. She heard his foot steps move away and narrowed her eyes. She sat up straight and put her legs over the cot before standing up.
"...And then Quistis fainted all of a sudden," Zell said as he sat on a chair in the cafeteria. He was cooking dinner for everyone and was wearing a dark green apron. "So when can you guys get here?"
Seifer walked in just as Zell flipped over a steak. "Chicken-wuss, where's the chilled bottled water?" he demanded.
Zell flicked him off casually. "The fridge!" he said as he returned to his phone conversation. "Yeah, Squall said it doesn't matter. Just come back...what? I don't know..."
"Who are you talking to?" Seifer asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Fujin. Squall wants them to come back because he says that something is going to happen." Zell said. Seifer nodded slightly.
Squall walked in from the dining area, shoving a cellular phone in his back pocket as he came in. Seifer motioned towards Zell. "What's with the emergency meeting?"
"What's with the water?" Squall countered.
Before Seifer could answer, Zell interjected. "Hey, Squall...you might want to hear this..." Zell said, trailing off. Squall's eyes narrowed slightly as he walked over and took the small black phone from Zell.
"What?" he demanded. He listened intently and Seifer stood there, curious as to what was being said. Zell focused on dinner and didn't notice Squall's eyes grow wide or his face drain of all color. His eyes narrowed. "Get back here NOW!" he growled into the phone.
Zell whirled around and Seifer raised an eyebrow. "What did they say-"
"Where's Quistis!?" Squall said as he walked towards the exit. Seifer lifted up one bottle of water.
"In her tent. She just woke up so I went to get her some water." Seifer replied coolly.
"Shit! Why didn't you tell me!?" Squall snapped.
"I sent Selphie-"
Just as Seifer began to explain, Selphie flew into the kitchen and let out a heavy sigh. "There you are!" Selphie gasped out as she ran into the tent. She gave them a lopsided smile. "I was looking all over for you!"
"Where is Quistis?" Squall said.
Selphie tilted her head to the side. "I thought she was in the tent with Seifer..." Her voice trailed off as she saw the tall blond male behind Squall. "Hey...how'd you get here so fast?"
"You're just slow." Seifer retorted quickly.
Squall swore and nearly shoved Selphie out of the way as he flew out the tent. "Hey!" Selphie said. She darted out after Squall. Seifer followed behind them.
"Puberty boy!" Seifer shouted. "What the hell's going on!? What's the rush!?" he shouted.
"She's AWAKE!" Squall yelled as he ran down the path to Rinoa's tent. "She's awake and she's in Quistis' body!"
"What!?" Selphie gasped. "Who's awake!?"
"What's she doing in Quistis' body!?" Seifer gasped.
"She's using it as a host!" Squall said. "She's going to use Quistis to get to Rinoa!"
"What!?" Selphie asked. "What about Rinoa?"
"Not now!" Seifer growled. He ran after Squall with all his might. Ahead of them was Rinoa's tent.
Squall prayed. Squall prayed silently as he ran. His heart was beating quicker by the second as he approached her tent. "RINOA!!"
The sound of her tent opening made Rinoa shift in bed. The light of the setting sun flooded into her tent and she let out a groan. "Hey..." she mumbled. A shadow fell over her and she peeked out from under the thin covers where she was under. She smiled warmly at the figure that was entering her tent. "Hi, Quisty...Squall told me you fainted...are you okay?" she asked tiredly as she sat up in bed.
The blond smiled as her bare feet stepped into the tent. They were matted with dirt and sand from her walk over. "I am a lot better," the blond said as she smiled. She raised her head and met Rinoa's brown eyed gaze. "Now..."