A/N: Hello... it's been a couple of weeks, hasn't it? Well, I was going to rewrite the previous chapter, but I got lazy so I reposted it. Go back and read it if you haven't. Anyway, this one will be a little short, and it will be the last one for at least a week and a half... I'll be going to Cali for a job, but I will be back in a week or so. Please review!
Chaper 15 - The Coma
"Any change?" a timid voice said behind Squall.
Squall turned in his chair to see a distraught look on Selphie's face. He shook his head sadly in response and turned back to the infirmary bed that held Rinoa's still body.
His voice was hoarse when he spoke. "Doc Kadowaki can't figure it out. She sustained almost no bodily injury, other than and couple of bruises and scrapes, and there was no damage to her head. She just... mysteriously fell into a coma of some sort."
Selphie stepped further into the room and took a seat on the other side of the bed, facing Squall. As she looked at Squall, holding Rinoa's hand, she began to tear up once again.
He looked terrible. There were dark circles around his gray eyes, and the rims were slightly red. He'd obviously been crying frequently since she'd been brought in the day before.
"Squall, why don't you go get some rest?" Selphie began. "I'll stay here with her, and Quistis will be coming in soon, too. We'll keep an eye on her, I pr-"
"No," Squall cut her off. "I... I won't leave her. I've fucked up enough. I need to be here when she wakes up."
"Squall, that could be days, weeks... even years from now," Selphie said, almost instantly regretting her words.
Squall looked up accusingly at the girl, his eyes becoming glassy.
"I'm sorry," Selphie whispered. "I know she'll be ok, Squall, I know it... "
Squall kept his eyes on her for a long moment, then he nodded and looked back to Rinoa.
After several silent minutes, the door to the infirmary opened and Seifer shuffled in, followed by Quistis.
Selphie stood and offered a small, sad smile to Squall, then left.
"Squall," Quistis said softly, taking the seat that Selphie had vacated. "Doctor Kadowaki wants to speak with you."
Squall's head jerked up to her. "Does she know what's wrong with Rinoa?"
Quistis' eyes were focused on Rinoa and she spoke slowly. "Well, it's hard to say. Just go talk to her."
"Can't she come in here?" Squall sighed, not wanting to leave Rinoa's side.
"Squall, quit being difficult," Seifer chided in. "She's with Edea in Cid's office."
"Edea?" Squall whispered. "Why...?"
Instead of asking more questions, to which he knew he would get no answers, he stood. He placed a soft kiss on Rinoa's still lips and softly told her, "I love you."
With that, he pivoted on his heel and promptly headed out the door without another look.
Upon reaching Cid's office, he saw the worried face of Edea and the sympathetic face of Doctor Kadowaki looking at him as he entered.
Edea rushed to him and enveloped him in her motherly embrace.
"Matron, what are you doing here?" he asked, returning the embrace.
She stepped back and gestured to a chair, as she took her own seat.
Squall hesitantly sat down and waited anxiously for one of the women to speak.
"Squall..." Edea began softly. "I came as soon as I heard. Doctor Kadowaki has informed me of everything that's been going on and about Rinoa's... condition."
She gulped hard before continuing. "I think I might know what happened."
Squall's eyes became wide and he breathed, "You mean you know what's wrong with Rinoa?"
Edea stood and began to nervously pace the room. "You know that I've been working with Rinoa for quite a long time now, trying to develop her powers as much as possible and to teach her to have control over them.
"As I've told you before, I'm sure, Rinoa is quite amazing. She has greater control and greater power than I've ever seen a sorceress have, but some of her powers are still underdeveloped. It's almost as though she has all these amazing abilities but some of them are locked away, and we have yet to find the key to opening them.
"She senses the incredible power that she has inside of her, but it remains untapped. And I believe that now... we may have found the key."
Squall stared hard at the aging ex-sorceress before him. "What do you mean? What does this have to do with Rinoa's coma?"
Edea sighed and sat in a chair, directly if front of Squall. "That Materia Gauntlet... I don't know much about it, but from what I've gathered, it has incredibly concentrated magic within it, and Rinoa was hit with it. You told the doctor that you saw a bright flash when it made contact with her, correct?"
Squall narrowed his eyes and nodded slowly.
"Well," she continued, "other than that, there's no reason for her to be in this coma. Something happened when it hit her, Squall.
"You see, I believe that.... well, let me put it this way. You know when a caterpillar reaches a point where it cocoons... then later becomes a butterfly? Well, I think that Rinoa... is cocooning, so to speak."
Squall's brow furrowed and he raised a skeptical eyebrow. "You're saying she's not hurt... that she's going to turn into a giant butterfly?"
Edea frowned at the sarcasm. "No, Squall... I'm saying that I think the gauntlet was the key, or at least a reasonable simile. I believe it unlocked the power that has been dormant in her. We can think of no other explanation... and having residual traces of sorcery still in me, every fiber of my very being is telling me that this is exactly what is happening. And when she awakens, I predict that she will be the most powerful sorceress this world has seen."
Squall froze. He didn't know what to think. Did this mean that she would be evil and greedy like the powerful sorceresses before her? Or would she still fight on their side? And how long does this process take?
"Matron," Squall said softly. "When will she wake up?"
"Well," she sighed, "if I'm correct.... it could be hours, days, even weeks... I don't know. I was never meant to be a strong sorceress. I never went through this, but I know throughout history, many have and it always varied. None of them were near this powerful, though, so I don't know if that makes a difference."
Squall's eyes dropped to the floor. He was about to speak again when he heard a small beeping sound from the direction of the doctor.
Doctor Kadowaki grabbed something, a small pager it seemed, from her pocket.
"Oh, goodness," she gasped, heading for the door. "She may be seizing."
Squall shot out of his chair and rushed to the infirmary ahead of the doctor. Before he could reach the door, though, Seifer burst out and nearly ran into him.
"Squall, I don't know what's wrong," Seifer panted. "She's freaking out. Her body is jerking around and I don't know what's.... where's the doctor? I paged her..."
"Right here," Doctor Kadowaki said, jogging to the door. She rushed in and the other two followed.
Squall felt his stomach churn violently as he watched the scene before him.
Rinoa's body was twitching with spasms. He could see the muscles in her arms, her jaw, even her legs through the thin white sheet were repeatedly flexing uncontrollably. Squall was sure she'd fall off of the bed if it kept up.
Edea walked in moments after and gasped when she saw the girl.
"What's happening?" Squall demanded, turning to Edea. "What's happening to her?"
Edea shook her head in utter bewilderment. "I don't... I don't know."
As abruptly as it started, it stopped. Rinoa was lying still on the bed again. Just as if nothing had happened.
Only her breathing was different.
She was breathing in ragged gasps, as if having nearly drowned moments before.
Squall quickly moved to her side and took her hand.
He looked up at Doctor Kadowaki's bewildered face and looked back down to Rinoa.
As if on cue, her eyes fluttered open.
"Rinoa?" Squall gasped, his eyes tearing up at the sight of her warm brown eyes. He grasped her hand tighter.
Rinoa stared at the ceiling for a long time before her deep, throaty voice broke the thick, silent tension in the room with a growl.
"I'm gonna kill that bitch!"
A/N: Damn, she's pissed. Well, there you have it. I will be back to write more soon, and I promise things will get interesting. Review!!
To DBH- Well, we know that Eve's in for a heavy dose of Rinoa's custom brand ass-kickin! But, yeah, I don't imagine all that felt too good, either. Thanks for the review!
To Rinoa Leonheartilly - Well, Eve's gonna get it! I like her, even if she is a bad guy. She's a bad ass. Hee hee. Thanks for the comment!