Chapter 3-Conflict Crusades
By calikitten Calikitten: Hey y'all! RECAP TIME! Squall and Maeghan are siblings...not biological, but adopted...which you'll find out soon Squall GREATLY hates his father! Maeghan, Squall, Laguna and Ellone are all related Irvine, Squall & Zell all go to the same school Rinoa, Maeghan, Quistis & Selphie go to school together also (but another school) Seifer is Selphie's older brother Every one of them have had gene mutations which made them get strange powers (look it up yourself, I'm too lazy to tell!) Rinoa & Squall's family are powerful 'gang' leaders Rinoa and Squall have started to develop crushes for each other. Maeghan and Squall were leaving when they saw Rinoa exit flanked by a mysterious man. ***
"I HATE YOU!" She screamed, tears gathering in her eyes.
"Be civil about it!"
"You just justified that man's behavior...father." Rinoa spat.
"Rinoa, he's an elder!" General Caraway sighed
"I could tell that, he was hitting on someone twice as young as him...probably more than that actually!" Rinoa was so angry, she seemed to be pulsing with energy.
"She's of the Loire clan..."
"What?"
"Everyone knows, she's a harlot since she's in the Loire clan!"
"What did you say?" Rinoa's voice dropped dangerously low.
"I said she was a harlot...slut, whatever you want to call it, she had it coming and I don't want my daughter involved with those kinds of people!"
"You're the evilest, crudest person in history, I loathe you, no hate you...no there are no words to describe how I feel towards you...I'm leaving, I'll be sending for my bags tomorrow. I'll catch a ride with my 'harlot' friend." Rinoa said daring him to cross her.
"Rinoa!" Caraway grabbed her arm, "You will not leave!" He lowered his tone as well.
"Don't Touch ME!" She spiked some power into her last words, and then she walked off.
She turned to see Quistis and Selphie standing there.
"We're bumming a ride with Maeghan, you coming?" Quistis asked her friend.
"Sure." Rinoa didn't even look back. ***
"You guys are staying in the guest rooms, my room's here, Squall's is in the attic, Ellone has a really hard to get to room, and I don't think you want to get to father's..." Maeghan lead the girls (and Seifer) through the house.
"I still think that this isn't safe..." He muttered
"Security wise, it's the safest mansion ever...mentally, stay away from Laguna." Squall muttered.
"Be nice." Maeghan warned as everyone settled into their respective room.
"Good night..." Maeghan kissed her brother on the cheek.
"Night." He hugged her in response.
Maeghan smiled, and after she saw her brother off she went into her own room and was quickly claimed by sleep. ***
"Rinoa?" Rinoa heard her name as she felt like she was floating.
"Who is it?" She looked around, she was floating in darkness
"Remember that the heroes will rise."
"What?" Rinoa started to recognize the voice as a woman's...someone familiar.
"Heroes will rise sweetie, heroes will rise" The voice faded out slowly.
"Mom?"
"Sweetie, remember what I said." It was a mere whisper now.
"Come back mommy, I miss you."
"I love you honey..."
Rinoa looked to see she was alone with a single phrase echoing in her mind.
"Heroes will rise..." ***
She awoke then, but in an unfamiliar surrounding.
"Oh yes, I'm in Maeghan's home." Rinoa smiled to herself and noticed some bags at the foot of her bed.
She saw a note in loopy, flowing handwriting. It read: Dear Rinoa, How are you doing, I didn't want to wake you but your bags arrived this morning. The gang and I are in the family room right now...Come join us. -Maeghan
Rinoa smiled and got dressed from some things in her bag...she knew she'd like it here already. ***
"So what exactly did you want to do?" Quistis looked at everyone else.
"I don't know?" Irvine and Zell came to visit earlier.
"How about we go shopping?" Selphie put in.
"NO WAY!" The boys replied.
"I'm going to the music room, it's nicer there." Maeghan decided.
That was when Rinoa popped her head in and added.
"Music room, where?"
Maeghan grinned and showed her ***
"You have a piano...do you play?" Rinoa looked at the piano carefully.
"No, Squall does." Maeghan rolled her eyes and sat down on the bench.
"Play something then." Rinoa was egging her friend on.
"I just take songs from my dreams...but they aren't bad." Maeghan cracked her knuckles and started to play. A light and happy song, which almost sounded breezy, peaceful. Then it turned dark and gloomy.
Rinoa watched amazed as Maeghan's hands flew across the piano. The music was so dark, but familiar.
Maeghan kept going and then suddenly her hands slowed, then built up a climax in a flurry of notes and music. She built to a climax and then it exploded into chords, slowing, getting slower pausing and then it got back to happy music. Maeghan ended there.
"Woah."
"It's nothing, I have nothing else to do other than play piano."
"University."
"I got college degrees from the computer."
"Oh..."
"Ya...what the?" Suddenly Maeghan directed her attention to the TV set in the corner of the room.
Rinoa gasped when she saw the headline.