Chapter 11-The Real Reason
By Calicat Nothing much too say really, just REVIEW Rinoa woke up in a jet, in a sitting position. She saw Maeghan, who came near her, and she flinched. Hurt flashed through Maeghan's eyes. "I'm sorry," she said softly. "Why...aren't you the bad guy?" "Rinoa...how little you know..." She sighed. "What?" "There is no bad guy." she explained. "What do you mean?" She still backed away from Maeghan. "Look..." Maeghan showed her a mirror. Rinoa looked and saw no split lip or an bruises at all. "How?" "It was staged Rinoa, the 'acid' was actually made by Quistis and I to help regenerate broken cells, it makes you feel better, but it tampers with the brain if there's a strong enough immune system because it sometimes rejects the substance." "Making the hot and cold flashes..." "Exactly, you can ask Quistis." "Why though?" "Ultimecia is not as bad as you think," Maeghan ran a hand through Rinoa's hair. "Really?" "She's never killed anyone, this is only a scandal she's doing right now." "That man who she painted the prophecy with their blood..." "Killed himself." "Oh..." "Yes, Rinoa I have to go check something in the front, but know something..." "What?" "I really am your sister." They decided to go back. Squall said that he was tired after being crammed into a small, enclosed area and he wanted to take a nap. Maeghan, although she had wanted to see outside again, after a week's confinement in the mansion. Rinoa herself wanted to take a nice, long, hot shower. She grinned at the thought. The jet arrived as quickly as it had left and she ran into her room and looked for her shampoo... "Dammit, I ran out." She swore, "Wait...Maeghan has the same shampoo." She smiled and quickly snuck into Maeghan's room. Slipping into the bathroom she saw that Maeghan was in the bathroom eyes closed. She looked like she was resting in her bathtub. The scents in the air showed it was some kind of aroma therapy, with scented oils in the water. "Sorry!" Rinoa called as she saw her sister. When she got no response, she decided to see what was wrong. "Maeghan?" She called curious. She moved slowly closer to the bathtub, until she saw that Maeghan wasn't sleeping. She reached to fell Maeghan's pulse, to find it very faint...it was at this time that she also realized that the red water wasn't from the oils...it was from blood. Squall was relaxing in his own bathtub, his muscles unclenching. He thought about everything. Maeghan not being evil, Quistis and Seifer are also spies, Ultimecia not evil. He sighed...Everything was happening this week. He thought then about Rinoa, smiling with Maeghan on the plane...wait a minute. He sat up in the large tub. Maeghan, he hair...it was an inch shorter, and was thinner. He thought over the girl's features, her eyes were gray...wrong, she was shorter and to an untrained eye...she looked identical. Squall jumped out of the tub, quickly pulled on some clothes and ran to Maeghan's room to confront his fears...when he saw Rinoa beside the tub he knew he was too late. Remus was enjoying his peace and tranquility in his room when he realized that he left the door open. He went to close it, but saw Squall running by. He saw urgency in Squall's expression and wordlessly followed, closing his door. He didn't realize what had happened until he realized where he was. Rinoa rocked back and forth, not speaking. Squall approached her slowly as she reached into the water and pulled Maeghan out, then put a towel over her to cover her. "Crap...what should we do?" She looked at Squall, then Remus. "Rinoa...use it." He looked at her, then at her hands. "I can't Remus, it's too untamed." "What?" Squall looked confused. "My powers...I can't." "But Rinoa...we have to figure out what's wrong with her, I know you don't want to harm her, but this is the only thing we can do!" Remus explained, anxious. "Rin..." Squall looked at her. "Yes?" She met his gaze. He slowly took her hands and then put them on both sides Maeghan's face. Then he used his own power to 'charge' her body until her power came out. She gasped. He slowly released as her breathing became ragged, sweat started to pour down her face. "Did you harm her?" Remus asked. "No...I did the same thing to Maeghan once...she'll be fine." Squall's face was blank. Rinoa's hands let out a pure white light and they filled the room. To any 'normal' person who was watching...it would seem like nothing happened, but for anyone who was mutated, they would see Rinoa clearly, with wings sprouting from her back and a halo appearing on her head. The light was blinding, becoming stronger and stronger, until it burned. Squall and Remus were forced to sheild their eyes as Rinoa finished healing. Rinoa finally gained control of herself. "It's done..." She panted, releasing Maeghan. Maeghan sat up coughing up water and blood. "She will pay." Her eyes went steely, but her voice was weak, barely a whisper. "Who Maeghan?" Squall asked. "Maria..." "You called?" The girl in the doorway was the one who had been Maeghan... Maeghan summoned two things from her room. Clothes, which she used Remus' power to just meld onto her body, going under the towel. Then her weapon belt came flying. "Get out..." She told Remus and Squall. "What did you do Maria? This time...?" Maeghan looked at the girl, as she got up. "What do you mean?" "Oh give me a break!" She took something out from her belt and drank it. She then tossed the satchel to Rinoa who caught it and drank some. What is it? Rinoa asked telepathically. Water and some enhancements for the body...sugar based that is Maehan sent back. "Why are you here Maria." She asked again. "I'm not..." she grinned, "I'm in the training room." With that the illusion disappeared. Quistis was just going in for a little stretch in the training. Selphie was practically dragging her, and she didn't see the harm in having a little practice. She saw Maeghan stop her. "Maeghan?" "Don't go in there Quistis..." But then another Maeghan came rushing down the hall...Rinoa following. "Maria, don't touch her, leave her out of this." She warned. "What?" Rinoa looked at her and she knew it was a battle between the two. "Fine..." Quistis walked off. "Why is she here?" Maria looked at Rinoa pointedly. "To make sure you and I don't cheat." "Ha...would I do that?" Maria looked at her. "Yes...you would." "Fine...let the game begin!" She smiled as she pulled out knives, sharp and glittering. She smiled as she went into a throwing position. Maeghan didn't return the smile, she crouched and then as the knives were thrown at her, she jumped and caught them without even scratching herself. She then spun one of them vertically and threw it at her hair. It cut off a chunk of the black hair, but also pulled of the wig. Brown hair was revealed, Maria's eyes flashed as she saw that a chunk of hair had been pulled out. She pulled out a sword and rushed at Maeghan. Expertly she sliced down and cut through Maeghan's jeans, to reveal a black body suit. "What the?" "I'm always prepared." She told her, hate still in her eyes as she pulled out her own sword. "Hey, Rinoa...you wanna know why I hate her?" Maeghan asked gesturing at Rinoa. "Sure...?" "For a start she was the one who picked who I was going to go to as my foster parent...she knew who I was going to be with, the idiotic drunkard." Maria took this time to slash again, but Maeghan was prepared. "Then she was the one who told me how to kill him..." "I just gave you a suggestion..." Maria stated, not saying Maeghan lied. "And lastly...she killed our mother." Maeghan slashed and bore down hard on Maria, pushing her onto the floor. She had her sword to the woman's throat. Rinoa's eyes flashed. "Give me one reason why I shouldn't kill you right now?" Maeghan looked hard at Maria. Maria started to laugh maniacally and Maeghan broke her nose. "What to get back on me Maeghan...it was pathetic, watching you call me mother all the time, I'd say I'd protect you, but you were the most annoying thing in the world. I thought that the drunk would kill you..." She laughed again...Maeghan broke her arm. "I can be very violent, and you haven't given me any reasons..." Maeghan said... "Rinoa duck!" She called as a gun was pointed at her sister's head. Maeghan planted some instructions of what to do in Rinoa's head...they were executed, effectively. "That was pathetic Maria, going against an unarmed girl...what next?" She smiled as she looked at something behind Maeghan's shoulder...Rinoa gasped. Maeghan knew not to just turn around, so she hefted Maria off the floor, also shaking the weapons off her. Turning around she saw Squall being held at gunpoint. Rinoa was mad. This woman took her woman and now her crush. She didn't care if she had no power, she pressed into her reserves and let out a huge blast aimed at the woman. It was just light...but it was the only thing she could do right now. The person holding Squall also let him go, but in that flash of light, Maria found something in her pocket...a smoke bomb. She smiled as she pulled out the pin and smoke filled the room. "Dammit!" Maeghan coughed, "She got away..." She left the room leaving Rinoa and Squall together...alone Rinoa ran to Squall and gave him a hug, "Thank god you're still alive...Squall?" He looked at her, "Rin...I've never been that helpless before! My god, I feel like an idiot..." She smiled at him, "Squall, you're not an idiot..." "Why?" "Cause...I love you..." She smiled at him and kissed him. They stopped for a moment, "Wait, what do you mean...I could still be an idiot and you love me..." Rinoa smiled, "Fine...you are a helpless idiot, happy?" Squall nodded. She moved to kiss him again, but then someone joined them. "Squ...AH!" Remus jumped out of the room quickly. "Dammit, can't we get any privacy." Squall muttered as he went to see what Remus wanted.

"
"Ha...how'd you like this!"
Then Maeghan pressed a button behind her.
"Good, it's safe now. You alright Rin?"
"What are you talking about?"
"Oh...c'mon you really didn't think that I was trying to beat you up did you? My god you are dense sometimes." Maeghan smoothed her hair.
"What do you mean?"
"C'mon...think about it. You must've figured out I was a spy for the Ultimate, but I was a double agent. I was giving information to my father. They've been pressuring me more lately to do something, so I decided to take you into 'custody'."
"So that's why you faked it...that makes sense! My god...why didn't we figure it out?"