Chapter Sixteen
The morning sunlight streamed through the small crack between the curtains, letting light spill into the dull room. He watched silently as she lay within his arms, feeling her warm breath blowing on his arm. Every so often he would see her eyes flutter open slightly, showing him that she was still awake. He guessed she had been like this the entire night, her mind needing rest but her fears taking over just as she was about to go into a deep slumber. And it killed him to witness.
He stroked her head gently, bringing the loose strands of hair out of her eyes. He hated seeing her like this, she was afraid. The hypnosis had made matters so much worse. She had been physically hurt as well as emotionally. Looking in her eyes, he could see a desperation within her longing for all of this to be over. He wished he could take away everything that had happened to her, but he knew he couldn't. The only thing he could do was hope the answers would soon become clear. There were no more doubts in his mind; he needed to keep Rinoa safe, even if it meant risking his own life.
Squall watched as her eyes slowly lost their battle as they closed shut once again. He observed her porcelain features in silent admiration; the peace was something he had to take the time to enjoy. Whilst Rinoa was tired, he was also suffering from exhaustion. He had searched years for answers, but within this small time he had known Rinoa, he had discovered more now than ever before. Yet he was struggling with the fears of losing someone else.
So tired. Her eyes could barely stay open for a few seconds, without falling closed again. She hadn't slept at all. Being within the arms of Squall was nice, but still the dreams were something she didn't want to face again. Not now. Not after everything that happened the day before. She could feel a big part of her losing this battle in her mind, the battle to keep on top of everything. Just simply brush it away as if it were nothing but a dream. But it was so much more than that, and she knew that she couldn't fool herself.
Rinoa heard a horrible noise in the distance. She squeezed her eyes shut even tighter, in hopes that the noise would go away, but it still rang out. Opening her eyes, she recognised that the noise was coming from her phone. Sleepily sitting up in bed, she reached her arm out lazily to her jacket in order to retrieve the phone. Pressing the answer button she raised the phone to her ear.
"Hello?" she answered, groggily.
"Rinoa, it's Alison," a familiar voice spoke back. "I have a lot of information to give you from Quistis, and I have no patients this morning so come by soon."
"Okay," Rinoa answered pulling a lock of hair behind her ear, "I'll be there soon. Thank you Alison."
Ending the phone call Rinoa turned over her shoulder to study Squall looking up at her expectantly. Leaning further down to his level, she propped herself up on her shoulders. "Alison has information for us," she spoke.
"Maybe we should go visit her," Squall said. Rinoa nodded her head, leaning forward slightly placing a quick kiss on his lips before getting dressed.
Stepping inside the homely office, Rinoa turned to face Alison who was sat in front of a small desk facing her computer monitor. Upon seeing the pair's arrival, Alison stood from her seat and stepped towards Rinoa. "How are you feeling today?" she asked concerned, remembering what the girl had been through the previous night.
"Feeling a lot better than the last time we met," Rinoa answered. "You said you had some information for us?"
"Ah yes," Alison spoke, gesturing for them to sit on the leather sofas. Sitting down herself, she turned to face the two. "Last night I kind of ran into Quistis, she seemed in a bit of a state. We had a little conversation, and she revealed all you information I think you'll need."
Rinoa felt something rise inside her as she looked over at Squall with a smile on her features. It felt nice to have some good news from someone she trusted. "What did she say?" Rinoa asked, still unable to stop the excitement building inside of her.
"This whole ordeal has been going on for over five hundred years," she started, thinking back to what Quistis had informed her. "Before that, all five of them were human. There's a story of Hyne where he has five followers, which helped him aid the Earth. Ifrit, Shiva, Leviathan, Quetzacotl and Pandemona. He granted them all elemental powers as a gift. Over time they grew jealous of humans. It's written that some had a special connection with the Earth, so the five followers grew resentful and began to kill them. Hyne found out and locked their souls away, knowing he'd made a terrible mistake at trusting them."
"The five followers are the people who haunt your dreams. Over time people forgot about the followers and they became just a Myth. Nothing happened until a war five hundred years ago. A soldier called Seifer Almasy fought in the war. His comrade became injured during battle, so the two went off on a beach nearby for safety. They found a small cave and hid in there. The details are vague, but Seifer became obsessed over something he found in there. A small glow from deep within the cave. He was killed; apparently five people came from the cave and killed him. His friend was found, and managed to tell the story before dying shortly after from his injuries."
"His friend did state Seifer's sword was stolen by one of the five 'spirits', as they were called back then. Nothing ever really happened after that, as many people thought that he was just delusional before death. Since then there have been random killings through time, all with similar patterns of killing. It's said that the leader, Ifrit, always does the killing while the others watch closely behind. Some victims have told in their diaries how in their dreams they hear screams of the dead coming from his sword."
Squall listened to what she was saying. He realised that these were the followers of Hyne, but there was still too much to understand. Why? An even bigger question filled his mind. "How do we stop them?"
Alison looked at him for a moment, then her gaze turned to the floor. "I'm afraid I don't know," she replied. "There haven't been any survivors, so no one knows."
Sadness grew within Alison as she saw the more optimistic look in Rinoa from a few moments ago slowly fade. "I'm sorry," she said quietly as she watched the young girl. "That's all Quistis told me."
"Do you think she knows how to stop them?" Rinoa asked.
Alison thought for a moment, and then shook her head. Quistis had been in such a state last night, she was positive she hadn't kept anything else secret from her. "I guess I can try and ask her again, but I think that it is very unlikely."
"Is there anything else we need to know about these five followers?"
Turning to face Squall, Alison shook her head once more. "I've told you all I know. I don't think there is anything else to say about their lives. The only other thing is how to get rid of them..." she trailed off slightly, returning to her thoughts. She tried to think of a logical explanation of how to stop all of this happening. But she couldn't.
"They're in love."
Both Alison and Squall turned to face Rinoa's unexpected statement, a look of confusion on their faces.
"I felt something, during the hypnosis and in my dream," Rinoa started. "When Shiva is stood there, I can see something in her eyes. She's sad, but whenever Ifrit comes, she seems to look happier. It's like... I know what she's feeling. She's in love with him."
Alison stared at Rinoa for a moment. "Are you sure?"
"Yes," Rinoa said with a nod, "She's desperate to be with him, which is why she helps him kill these people. She loves him that much." She stopped for a moment glancing over at Squall, "I can feel all of her emotions in my dreams."
Glancing at her watch, Alison looked up at Rinoa and Squall again. "I'll see if I can speak with Quistis again soon, she didn't mention anything about them being in love."
Rinoa stood from her seat, "Thank you Alison," she said with a slight smile.
"One more thing..." Alison started, glancing over at Squall with a nervous feeling in her stomach. "Quistis isn't a journalist."
Confusion spread through Squall's eyes for a moment as he stared at her. "You what?"
"She used to be a journalist... but got fired," Alison explained. "This is her idea of getting back in the business. Don't worry though, I won't let her get away with the danger she's caused towards Rinoa."
Squall nodded in understanding before the two left her office. He really didn't want to stay there much longer. A lot of information had been revealed, yet he still had no clue to how he was supposed to end this. He was fighting blindly in a battle he didn't understand. He only hoped the two could survive.
Once outside, Rinoa turned to Squall suddenly. "I have to get back home," she said quietly. She really didn't know why she felt the need to leave him; she just felt like she wanted to be alone for a while.
Squall studied her for a moment, puzzled by her sudden actions. "You okay?" he asked.
Rinoa nodded her head, "I just need to get back, and you should get some rest anyway," she said looking up at him, "Come by later, okay?"
Squall nodded his head. "I will," he responded.
"Thank you for being there for me," she said as she stepped closer to him and wrapped her arms around his waist. Squall returned the action, her arms holding her close to his chest. She took the opportunity to dig her head closer into the warmth of his body, acting as a shield to protect her from the cool wind that swept her raven hair wildly around. "Thank you, Squall," she pulled back from the hug to place a kiss on his cheek, her soft lips pressed gently against his skin.
She waved goodbye and then turned on her heels to make her way down the cobble stoned path. Wrapping her arms over her chest, her legs carried her to her unknown destination. She really had no clue where she was going; she just wanted to be alone for a while. Not really taking note of the familiar surroundings, she finally gave in to her exhaustion from the previous nights lack of sleep, and decided to make her way back home.
Sensing something behind her, she turned her head to look over her shoulder, where she saw a black car pull up by the side of the road. Although the windows were tinted in the back of the car, she had a feeling by the expensive look of the vehicle, who it was.
The glass window slid down smoothly and a familiar face could be seen observing Rinoa for a moment. She made an effort to give a smile, although she was not in the mood to have a conversation with her father at the moment. "Rinoa..." he started "You going somewhere?"
"I was just going home," she said thinking of an excuse. "I have a lot of things to do."
"Maybe I could give you a ride home?" he asked his daughter.
Rinoa opened her mouth to decline his offer, when something stopped her as she looked down at the man. A sudden realisation entered her mind and before she realised what she was doing, she was already making her way around the other side of the car. Once sat inside, the general gave the directions of her apartment to his driver before turning to her again.
He could see from her appearance that she wasn't comfortable in this current situation. She sat with her arms folded as her gaze was fixed on the scenery outside the window. "Alison phoned me this morning," he spoke, in order to try and break the silence that was forming. For the first time since the car had started moving again, she turned her attention away from the window.
"She did?" Rinoa said, studying her father while a dreading feeling was spreading through her veins. She wouldn't tell him, would she?
The general nodded his head, with a slight look of confusion on his features, "She wanted to cancel our appointment this morning because she had an unexpected meeting to attend to," he said still looking at his daughter, "You act as if you didn't know, she informed you as well didn't she?"
"Yeah," Rinoa said, trying to sound normal. She had completely forgot about the session all three of them had this morning. How could it have just slipped her mind? "Yeah she did," Rinoa repeated looking at the leather seats she was sat on. She could still feel her father's eyes lingering on her, but tried to ignore it. For a moment, she cursed herself inwardly at accepting his offer. She wished she had stayed with Squall, then maybe she wouldn't be trapped in here.
Another silence passed between the two, and as every moment went by the aggravation was spreading to Rinoa. The journey wasn't long, but today however, it seemed like an eternity. Eventually the car came to a stop and she politely looked over at her father to thank him. Then another thought came to mind.
"How do we stop them?"
"I'm afraid I don't know...there haven't been any survivors, so no one knows."
She opened the door trying to ignore everything that was happening. It had nothing to do with him, yet didn't he have a right to know? No. She turned to him to see a concerned look in his eyes. "What's wrong?" he asked. "I can't help you if you don't tell me."
Rinoa looked away from him sadly, trying to hide the tears that were threatening to fall. "I don't know..." she whispered, "You can't help me." No one can, she added silently. I'm going to die. The thoughts repeated over and over in her mind.
"There haven't been any survivors..."Rinoa turned her head towards the open car door. Looking out, she could see the entrance to a building. If she left quietly now, she'd be back in her apartment in no time. But she couldn't. I'm going to die. She couldn't move, only look from her father, to back outside the car door where the cool wind was blowing. He looked at her expectantly, sensing that something was wrong. Why couldn't she move?
""Rinoa... let me help you," he said leaning closer to her. He really wasn't sure what was happening with his daughter, but he blamed himself for not being able to help her now, especially when he was right next to her. "I know I wasn't there in the past, but let me help you now."
I'm going to die. She listened to the words he had just spoken and turned to him sadly. "I forgive you," she said quietly. Rinoa quickly looked away and decided to finally leave the car. Stepping out she felt a hand grab her wrist gently. Looking back down at her father, a single tear managed to escape the barrier she had been keeping up. She smiled down at him sadly, "Remember I love you, Dad." Slowly she pulled her gaze away from him and made her way to her apartment.
General Caraway looked on as he saw his daughter walk away from him after all that she had just said. He was mystified by his daughter's actions; it left him with two strong feelings building up inside of him. Why had she reacted like that? He could see there was something wrong with her, yet he had no clue to what it was. The other part of him was finally happy. She had forgiven him for everything that had happened in the past. The absolution seemed to have lifted a weight off his shoulders, but this time he was going to be dedicated. He had his daughter back; he needed to help her now.
The sky above was a greying colour as the first few droplets of rain made their way towards the ground below. Taking one last glance at the door of the building his daughter had recently entered through, he turned back to the front of the driver and demanded to be taken back home.
Walking down the pale cream walls of the apartment block, Rinoa quickly made her way towards her apartment. The tears stinging her eyes as they fell down her face, as she could no longer control them. She tried to stop the empty feeling inside her that was growing bigger everyday. A hole that was uncertain of what the future would hold. Life or death. A big part of her knew that the time spent with her father moments ago, would probably be her last. She just had to say goodbye, without having the burden of unfinished business with her father. Now that was done, she thought she would feel better, but it just gave her a feeling of sadness inside.
Turning the corner, she saw a familiar figure stood at her doorway. She smiled slightly at seeing him, wiping away the tears she tapped on his shoulder, seeing he hadn't noticed her there yet. He turned around to face her, with a small smile on his features. It was one of those smiles that made her feel happy for having him helping her.
"Hi," she said pulling out her keys to unlock her apartment door. Opening the door, she gestured for him to step inside. "I didn't expect you to come here so quickly," she spoke.
Squall shrugged slightly examining her features, noticing her red and puffy eyes showing she had recently been crying, "I wanted to make sure you were okay," he said quietly.
"I'm fine," she lied, sitting down on the sofa.
"You look like you've been crying," Squall pointed out, taking a seat next to her. "You sure you're alright?"
Rinoa looked away, thinking back to the thoughts earlier. "I said goodbye to my father today," she said barely audible. She could feel Squall's gaze on her as he let out a small sigh. The tears began to well up in her eyes again. "I'm scared," she admitted, leaning her head on Squall's shoulder as he wrapped his arms around her. "Really scared."
Leaning his cheek on the top of her head, Squall stayed quiet as she fought with her tears. She was getting weaker; everyday he could see another part of her lose hope. "I promise I'll try my best so it doesn't come to that," he whispered. It was the only promise he could make. Squall knew he couldn't positively say that everything would be all right, because he didn't know himself. He just had to try.
Authors note: Finally, after three days I've finished this chapter! I was really excited to write this chapter... then I got distracted... then my inspiration went poof! So yeah, I tried my best, and luckily today I got my inspiration back! There's only two more chapters left now. sobs I really enjoy writing this as well. If it comes to an end, what am I supposed to do with myself?! Hopefully there will be lots of action to look forward to in the next chapter. Thank you for your patience!