CHAPTER IX
Day Six
How could he be feeling such crushing pain? Rinoa had been absent in his life for the last three years. Why should her being sealed be any different?
In the end, however, all arguments were futile. This wasn't Rinoa simply leaving his life, she was leaving everything.
Suddenly the worst stab of guilt pierced Squall's heart. She was leaving everything for everyone. For the sake of the world Rinoa was giving up her life. She was going to complete the grandest act of selflessness the world has ever seen…and what does he do? He turns his back on her like a selfish prick.
Becoming so blind with whatever it was that he was feeling, Squall wasn't able to see what Rinoa was actually doing.
With not a though or hint of hesitation Squall left his quarters. His body was in a bizarre auto-pilot as it traveled to the garage and hopped into the first vehicle that came into view. A force that he had only felt once before put the vehicle into reverse and pulled out of the garage.
Driving well over the speed limit Squall thought back to the time when he last felt same driven sensation.
It was a memory that stood out so vividly in his mind that Squall could still feel its sting. Closing his eyes Squall thought back to that moment when for the first time in his life nothing else mattered. Nothing mattered, except the lone fact that he had to save Rinoa.
Back then something that was so new and strange had drove him to jump out into outer space; it was the same force that sped him down the road that he was now on. It was something that he still didn't understand, but at least now he knew what it was. Love.
Arriving at the orphanage Squall didn't even waste a moment shutting his car door, he just stormed right from his vehicle to the orphanage entrance.
There speaking on a cell phone at the orphanage's doorway was the person that he least expected to see, his father.
Laguna quickly snapped his cell phone shut when he saw Squall approaching.
"What the hell are you doing here!" Squall yelled as he reached the president of Esthar. "Where's Rinoa?"
"Squall"-
"It was you," Squall interrupted furiously. "It was you who sentenced Rinoa's life to a sealed cell, wasn't it?"
"Squall, please"-
"You son-of-a-bitch."
"Squall."-
All Laguna's efforts became useless when Squall punched him square in the face, causing him to fall flat on the floor.
"Shiva, that hurt," Laguna wailed, covering his right eye.
"Nothing that you don't deserved," Squall told his father darkly, rubbing his fist as he did so.
"Squall," Laguna tried again, his tone was so desperate that this time Squall actually listened. "The phone call I was on right before you got here was about Rinoa, she has just destroyed half of Balamb. Ultimicia has already taken her over."
With only a few words Squall's whole life came crashing down. Of all the sorrow and ache that had enveloped his life, at that moment it had all come to a horrible climax; exploding all over inside his pain stricken chest.
Not able to look his father in the eye Squall asked him. "Where is she now?"
"A source told me she took off from Balamb; he thinks she's heading to Esthar."
Shutting his eye's Squall yelled out to the guardians. "GOD DAMMIT!"
Fighting back his own sobs Squall started to storm back to his car, only to be stopped by Laguna who grabbed his shoulder on the way.
"Where are you going?"
"To do whatever I can," Squall answered his father with desperate earnests.
"Squall," Laguna said warily. "I don't know if this is a battle you should fight. It's too personal."
"If we don't fight what's personal Laguna, then what the hell do we fight for?"
Turning back around Squall continued to head for his car when Laguna called after him. "I'm sorry this had to happen Squall. I give anything for things to be different."
Acknowledging what was his father's best apology he had to offer, Squall replied back in a raspy voice. "Me too."
Indicating only the slightest of nods in his father's direction Squall got in his car and drove away.
It was a power beyond anything of her own. It grasped at Rinoa's very being and didn't let go.
Her thoughts became incoherent as Ultimicia took over Rinoa's body. Nothing that she could form in her head made any sense. There were only whirlwinds of thoughts and memories…and Ultimicia's hideous drawl.
"We are one."
"NO!" Rinoa screamed inside her head.
"You know we are child, you can feel it. I know you do. Together we will accomplish great things."
"All you'll do is destroy."
"I destroy only so we can rebuild, child."
That was when Rinoa got her first glimpse at what she had been doing. Ultimicia loosened her grip on her control, allowing Rinoa to briefly glance at the actions she had unconsciously been creating.
She was in Esthar, or at least its remains. Everything was in rubbles, its beautiful skyway nothing but broken parts in a destroyed street. What was once a breath-taking city was now nothing but flames, debris, and an agonizing whisper of destroyed souls.
In a horrified whisper Rinoa asked the terror that was the cause of the destruction.
"Why?"
"Because Rinoa, this is what we want," Ultimicia answered.
"No, this is not what I want," Rinoa yelled. "I want to live a life beyond this horror, to live peacefully and fully, to be with the one's that I love and care about. To have something more to look forward to then a span of seven days."
In a cold, calculating voice Ultimcia responded. "I'm afraid you want too much."
"God damn you Ultimicia."
"I always knew my job was unpopular," Ultimicia said with a hint of dark humor "But it's not fair to shoot the messenger."
"That's the thing," Rinoa said more to herself then the presence inside of her. "Nothing is ever fair."
"Now you're beginning to get it, child."
Not bothering to respond Rinoa continued to look at the devastation all around her. How she wished that Laguna and the others had sealed her earlier, but they tried to be fair. Fair to her by giving her seven more days to live. Now look what fairness brought them and Squall…they all tried so hard, but something in the end always got the best of them. And for all the power that ran inside of her, there was nothing that Rinoa could do.
"I can feel the wheels turning inside of you, child," Ultimicia began again. "There turning to the answer for everything, there beginning to realize."
"The answer for everything is not destruction, its honesty and kindness."
"Those are all illusions when referring to the human race."
"I'll never believe that Ultimicia," Rinoa cried out fiercely. "The only illusions are the one's that you've built up in your monstrous mind."
"I guess we'll find out the true answers soon, won't we child," Ultimicia retorted knowingly.
"What the hell does that mean!" Rinoa spat, seconds later, however, Rinoa knew exactly what the sorceress had meant.
Standing before her with their weapons drawn was the answer. Quistis, Zell, Selphie, Irvine, each reluctantly prepared to fight her. And leading them all with the valiancy and heroic dare that she loved was Squall.
Their eyes glowed with compassion, but their stance held a different conviction. They were there to stop her.
"Rinoa," Came Squall's unwavering voice. "Can you hear me?"
She screamed yes inside her head, but her lips wouldn't perform the same action. Glaring at her one time comrades helplessly Rinoa prayed that they understand, she prayed that Squall would know that there was nothing that she could do, but most of all she prayed that they had the will to do what must be done. Because Rinoa knew she never would.
"Rinoa," Squall cried out desperately. "I know you might not be able to respond, but I have a feeling that you can hear me…I'm sorry, I'm sorry for everything. Life's thrown you so many curves, I wish I could take an at-bat for you, but life doesn't rotate like that," She watched as Squall shook his head in frustration. "This isn't coming out right. Rinoa, we've come here to end all of this, to end all the pain, I hope your suffering ends here too. And I guess…" For a moment he paused, he stood there gathering inside of himself what he should say next. It was in that brief moment, when Squall's focus was elsewhere, that Ultimicia attacked.
Feeling her arms raise, Rinoa watched in a state that was beyond any shape of terror that she could possibly fabricated. She stared horrified at her arms as balls of energy formed at her palms. When they were released from her hands it was like she had released a bullet from a gun, and all Rinoa could do was stand there as an empty vassal and gasp.
The first ball hit Squall squarely in the chest, knocking him several yards back. The others missed its target, but nonetheless, managed to scatter the group, separating the powerful whole that they were.
"Foolish mortals," Ultimicia hissed, as she began to hover Rinoa's body in Squall's direction.
His body was lying in the rubble ground limply, his chest was heaving up and down fighting desperately for breath, but the rest of him lied lifelessly, spare his steel blue eyes which were staring up at her intensely. He was searching pass her façade exterior and connecting with the essence of the presence before him. With nothing more then the conviction of their eyes and the yearning of their hearts, Rinoa felt their souls connect as one. One thriving force that not even Ultimicia could have predicted existed, but all the same throbbed strongly.
"Your nothing more then a helpless mortal Leonhart," Ultimicia spoke, her voice was Rinoa's but the tone had an edge that Rinoa did not possess. It was something close to evil. "All the prestige, all the power and you still sacrum to your only weakness. Your silly misconception of love, Mr. Leonhart, will be the end of you."
"Good thing that it's not a concept then," Squall replied breathlessly. Then through the power of their connection, in an inner voice he spoke to Rinoa and Rinoa alone.
"Now."
With a force that came as if from a mere twinkle in the sky, a gust of pure energy shot from the heavens and pierced her controlled body. Feeling a strong jolt Rinoa felt herself being thrown back with an incredible thrust.
She landed back painfully down on the ground, about twenty yards away from where a stunned Squall stood. Trying to move Rinoa found her entire body paralyzed with exhaustion. Simple thoughts suddenly became difficult to process, and her vision started to blur.
In her last efforts to stay away she watched Squall race towards her. Rinoa let the glimmer of hope wash over her as the tranquility of blackness took over.
AUTHORS NOTE:
Hope everyone enjoyed. I have only one chapter left for this tale.
Take it easy,
Leah
