Ch 27 – Deception

The window exploded outwards, shards of glass splashing everywhere as Squall dived through it, his dark-garbed body closely followed by flames, electrical discharges, long sharp icicles, and bullets. He turned as he fell, the blade of his LionHeart shimmering in his right hand as he quickly charged the Flare – and was blown back by the kick of the magic as the dark night was suddenly filled with light.

He couldn't believe how wrong the mission had gone.

*          *            *

They had stolen into the castle and had made their way through the compound like ghosts – unseen, unfelt, unheard. The few Hearts they came across were quickly put to Sleep, or dealt with in a minimum of fuss.

The team of fifteen assassins had found their way to the Queen's chambers, and Seifer had selected himself, Rinoa and Squall, Julius and Veronica, and three others to go in with them. The rest would stay outside as backup, in case anything went array.

Opening the door slowly Seifer entered first, his gunblade held in front of him at the ready, he motioned Squall and Julius in, the dark shadows slipping into the twilight-filled room with little effort.

The room looked like one for a queen – plush furniture embroidered with regal patterns were placed around the room. A dresser with a large mirror sat to the north, flanked by two large, arching windows that had patterns of angels on them. To the south, where the SeeDs had entered, were large wardrobes filled with elegant gowns. To the west was what seemed to be a fireplace, a large throw-rug placed before it, the rug seeming to be made of some furry animal that Squall couldn't identify, the pelt as soft as silk.

And to the east was the bed.

It was a massive bed, easily larger then a king sized double, with tapering posts at each corner that had spirals etched into the wood and ended with little cherubs looking out over the room. The posts had a roof sitting on them, which seemed to house a mirror – and help hold up the slightly transparent purple drapes that enclosed the bed from prying eyes.

Everybody was in the room now, all of them crowded around the door like a frighten group of children being ordered to see the principal nobody liked. They stared at the enclosed bed with awe – within was the woman whose death would set them free – or condemn them all.

Breaking the spell, Seifer took charge, pointing Julius to the left, the tall blond SeeD taking two Revolutionaries and Veronica with him, whilst Seifer and Squall took the left along with the last Revolution Soldier. Rinoa hung back near the door – not because she was afraid, but because she was their last line of defence if their physical attack went wrong.

The plan seemed stupidly simple. Place the magic dampener on her wrist, ankle, neck, whatever, activate it – and then slay her whilst she was defenceless.

Squall had wondered why it had been him who had been dealt the task of placing the bracelet on her – then realised that it played into Seifer's expectations. The Queen would most likely not bother double-checking her own Knight's movements if she woke up to see him craned over her. Also, Squall would be less intimidated by her presence then the rest of the Revolutionaries, who revered her as the evil deity she almost was.

The SeeDs advanced slowly, Squall approaching the shrouded figure in the bed with the utmost care. In one hand he held his LionHeart, inactivated but with his thumb on the button – in the other he held the bracelet, the clasp open and ready to be snapped on at a moment's notice.

He drew in a long breath, noting the bead of sweat that sluiced down his dark face. Even with his stoic demeanour, he felt nervous, maybe even a little afraid. Every other encounter with a Sorceress in his past had resulted in nothing but misery – except for Rinoa, of course, but she was the only exception – and given the power that this one wielded, he was feeling something that resembled…

He shook his head, nearing the drapes, growing closer to the woman hidden behind them. He was being foolish. He had defeated the most powerful Sorceress of his time, and had survived against all the others. He was a Knight of one, for the gods sake – why be afraid of something that he was so experienced with?

With the utmost care and with infinite patience, Squall lifted the LionHeart and hooked it into the drapes, using the weapon to draw the soft cloth over slowly to reveal the woman.

She looked exactly like Rinoa, if not more so. Her hair, long and raven-dark, spilled out around her face, framing the gorgeous beauty of her cute nose, her full lips, those eyelashes that batted at his face so many times before. She was dressed in a silk sleeping gown, the material of course purple, the garment clinging to her body like glue, showing off every curve, every muscle, and every facet that made her beautiful to the eye. He watched her considerable chest rise and fall slowly, the breasts he knew so well heaving just as they had done when he had watched her sleep before. Her hands, smooth and beautiful, lay beside her, one raised to rest just beside her face to show off the satin-like palm that knew exactly where to go and exactly what to do when he was troubled, or lustful, or simply wanting to be held.

Squall realised his breathing had quickened as he looked down at his love – but not his love. She's not Rinoa – she's a copy. Like the copy of Deling in the train all those years ago – underneath this exterior beats the heart of a grotesque monster.

He told himself that – but his heart still weight heavily as he looked down at the woman before him, his mind flooding with the memories of happiness that they had spent, of all the years she had put up with his unique personality, how they brought the best out of one another…

He suddenly felt a jab to his back, and turned to see Seifer scowling up at him. His blond hair was hidden beneath a bandana, the long tails trailing past his shoulder as he motioned to the Queen hurriedly.

Squall nodded. He had no time to dawdle. This was a time for action.

As he turned he caught eyes with Rinoa, who was standing at the other end of the room by herself by the door. She seemed to have shrunk in size as she looked across from her side to the bed, through the darkness to see herself lying defenceless as she had done so many times before.

She saw him looking at her however, and with a small wave smiled a brave smile, giving him some of her courage. That was the Rinoa he knew.

Turning back on the thing in the bed before him, Squall knelt down on the bed, having to crawl forth on the huge mattress to get closer. He was now close enough to smell her, her natural scent driving his senses wild as they had done before. He had to fight the thoughts of him doing exactly the same thing he had done before – returning back late from a mission to see her asleep in their bed, crawling in beside her and curling up with her, feeling her arms wrap around him as she murmured in her sleep contently…

His grip on the bracelet tightened so much it almost made a creaking noise, and he loosened the grip to grit his teeth instead, grinding the molars together as he drew in another silent yet long breath. He suddenly felt cheated – if Seifer wanted this woman dead so much, why make Squall do it? As always, Squall was the butt of Seifer's joke which he called life – ducking out of the hard work to do the simple thing first and leaving Squall to pick up the pieces afterwards.

Squall made a mental note to punch Seifer as hard as he could when this was all over.

Finally pushing all his thoughts out of his mind and making it as blank as his face, Squall leant down close to the hand that rested softly beside her face. His breathing now at an acceptable rate for this kind of subtly, Squall quietly placed his LionHeart in his belt and pulled off the glove that was on his left hand with his teeth, dropping the item down on the bed. Gulping once, Squall steeled himself – before placing his calloused hand on her silky-smooth palm to steady her arm gently.

The Queen murmured in her sleep and sighed, her grip on his hand tightening slightly. Her eyes did not open.

Squall's heart felt like it was going to burst. He had never been under this much pressure in his life, and suddenly he realised it would be up to him to slay the woman after he had placed the wristlet on her – he was closest, after all. He hoped to all the gods he had the strength to follow through with the action.

Placing the bracelet over her wrist so it dangled just over it, Squall prepared to slam it down and snap it shut – before frowning.

He looked over her wrist. The skin was smooth, the arm tapering down to meet with the hand. He looked at the bracelet that hung open in his hand, judging and measuring mentally. In a split second he knew what was wrong.

Squall knew Rinoa probably better then she knew herself. And he knew, with that size bracelet, it would not fit snugly on her wrist.

The bracelet was at least a whole size too big, maybe half if you pushed the envelope – and that made Squall freeze. The bracelet being too big…the path through the castle…the silent selection for Squall to be up front to put the bracelet on…the quiet yet heavy pressuring of Seifer to get the deed done…

This wouldn't work. It was a trap. The SeeDs had been duped.

*          *            *

Standing and flinging the bracelet away, Squall immediately ripped the LionHeart from his belt and flicked the activation switch, the blade blazing to life as all pretences of stealth was thrown to the wind. If he was going to be captured, he wasn't going to go down without accomplishing his mission first.

Everything moved slowly, as if his body and reactions were encased in sloppy jello. He sensed Seifer leaping forward, his voice sounding like the roar of a lion as he sprang up behind Squall. He watched Julius blink, stunned as he watched his leader throw caution to the wind and attack without warning. He saw Veronica jump back, her mouth opened wide in an 'o' of shock.

And he saw the Queen open her eyes and look up at him, the eyes suddenly flicking from confusion to pure horror as she recognised who was standing over her –

 - Before the LionHeart slammed deep into her soft flesh, her scream erupting over Squall along with her crimson blood as his blade crunched straight through the sternum to sever the esophageus and trachea, separating the lungs from each other in a sudden burst, the two bags filling with rich red blood and internal fluids.

Wrenching the gunblade to the side, Squall twisted it like turning a key before wrenching it from it's place in her chest, the wound spurting blood like a oil-well erupting. The woman beneath him clutched her chest vainly, her fingers clawing at the wound as if trying to press it back together, her screams still reverberating around the room as Squall lifted the LionHeart above his head, his dark camouflaged, blood-splattered face twisting into triumph.

"For Zell!!" He screamed – before severing the head, slashing the energy-blade straight through the woman's neck, the pillows beneath it, the mattress beneath that, and into the floorboards beneath the bed.

*          *            *

Seifer smashed him off her in that instant, Squall's grip on the LionHeart tightening enough to wrench it from the bed as the two gunbladers toppled from the bed to the floor beyond. Kicking Seifer off of him instantly, Squall rolled up onto his feet, slashing the shimmering blade in front of him to ward off his foe. "You betrayed us!!" The SeeD shouted. "This was never about killing the Sorceress! This was about delivering us right into her hands! Well, you've failed Seifer, and we have now achieved our mission!"

Seifer's face was contorted in rage as he ripped his Hyerion from it's sheath and slashed it around him, loosening his wrist. "You stupid SeeD!! Did you really think we were going to just allow you to kill our Queen and just leave?! Think about what you just did!! Think about who you just killed!!"

Squall frowned at the words – before dread crept into his mind as it all rushed at him in an instant.

Edea…she had been able to stop a sniper-bullet fired from half a mile away whilst in a seething throng of people. Ultimecia had been able to sense us coming within her castle, otherwise she wouldn't have been able to lock our powers from us. So what makes Rinoa different from them?

The dampeners wouldn't have made any difference. They mask magic, but not thoughts. Rinoa's telepathic abilities would still be able to pick us up even with the dampeners on. So why had it been so easy to kill the Queen?

Why had it been so easy to kill the Queen?

Why had it been so easy to kill the…Queen?!

It finally hit him.

He hadn't just killed the Queen Sorceress.

He had killed a copy. A Universal Doppelganger. Like Carrie had been to Veronica, so that girl in the bed had been to the Queen.

Nothing but a copy. And alternate version.

His horror was short-lived, however, as the walls suddenly burst inwards, stones and dust flying in all directions as Orihalcon-clad Hearts stormed the room from every possible angle. Suddenly everything within him screamed for survival. He had no chance against the numbers surrounding them – and then something else made his blood run colder then it already was.

Two Revolutionaries who had sprung in from the doorway, placing a hand over her mouth as soon as Seifer had called for action, had held Rinoa. Now she was bound in their grasp, the magic dampener blinking at Squall mockingly from her wrist, her body writhing in their firm grip as she was hauled away through the door and out of his sight.

"Rinoa!!" Squall screamed, surging forward – to be pushed back by Julius, his wristlet abandoned as soon as Squall had killed the copy. The blond hacker grimaced as he levelled his hands at the masses of men surging forth, before releasing his Demi.

Every window in the storey shattered as the Gravity-based magic blasted forth, rocking the very foundations they all stood on as a small point in the centre of the room suddenly turned dark – and every person standing around it was sucked into it, their bodies being crushed and compacted as they hit the ball and each other, every molecule in their system being pulled towards that one tiny spot.

Squall managed to throw himself out of the nearest window, spinning to watch as Julius ran for his own – before blasting the Flare into the room, one hand still grasping the LionHeart and the magic dampener as his other exploded in fiery death for all concerned within – before he fell.

It was only a two-storey drop.

Landing on the ground on his back with a sickening thud, the hard rock beneath him shattering in a spider-web pattern, he rolled backwards with the landing and jumped to his feet. His mind was solely on Rinoa – but he knew that, if they ever had any chance of rescuing her, they needed to escape.

Julius landed beside him, his legs buckling as he landed on the balls of his feet, the ground crunching beneath his weight too – before he placed Veronica down where he had cradled her in his arms through the drop. Looking over at Squall, the two of them were wide-eyed, Julius breathless as he spoke. "Gods! We almost fell right into their trap!!"

Squall was breathing heavy as he watched one side of the castle suddenly explode outward, a small hole the size of a man being blown out into the night sky, flaming bodies being thrown out the hole in the massive structure with random abandonment. He thought back to Rinoa, feeling the tearing in his heart as he thought of what they might do to her. "I think we did." He growled solemnly – before running for the hole.

*          *            *

Trish's world was one of confusion.

One second they had stolen into the map-room and were gathering up any relevant information regarding the Sorceress's work – the next they heard a blood-curdling scream from one of the windows.

Running to a window, Trish peered out to see several guards running across the courtyard, running towards where Seifer had said the Queen had slept. She stole a glance back at Emily and the Revolution thieves, their hands and bags still full of papers. "I think we're in trouble, guys…" She muttered, looking back down at the courtyard.

Tubbs grimaced – before pressing the ear-piece he had been given by Seifer into his ear. "Repeat that?" He muttered into his wrist-mic.

Emily looked over at him, her grey eyes narrow. "We're supposed to maintain radio silence unless absolutely necessary." She growled. Defiance was fine when off-mission – but you had to follow some rules sometimes.

Tubbs looked over to Mouse and Mother, who had also received the message, nodding to them conspicuously. "I know…" He muttered…before dropping his bag, the leather making a soft 'psh' as it hit the floor.

Trish turned, frowning. "What are you –" was all she got out before Mouse suddenly jumped at her, all 60 kilograms of the tiny woman ramming into Trish's slender build and crunching her against the window that she was looking out of.

Locking her legs around the taller woman's waist, the quiet Mouse was suddenly all over Trish like a rabid animal, biting, scratching, hitting, clawing, doing anything and everything to keep her detained whilst Tubbs and Mother advanced on Emily. The two women slid down the wall to rest on the ground, Trish vainly trying to fend off the brutal attacks that the little Mouse was giving her.

Emily looked from left to right, the two traitors flanking her looking at each other – before pulling out wickedly sharp knives from their belts, the edges winking in the light of the map-room. Emily smirked and clucked her tongue. "Tch, now now…" She said – ducking as Tubbs ran forward and slashed the knife over her head, stumbling forward into Mother's arms as Emily rolled, flicked off her dampener, and stood with a malicious grin, her eyes flashing manically as she advanced. "…silly to bring a knife into a fist-fight."

The two traitorous thieves were locked in each other's arms like lovers, Tubbs trying to figure out how Emily had moved so fast, Mother trying to get the heavy Tubbs off her – before Emily dived at them, slamming her knees into Tubb's back and causing him to fall to the floor on top of Mother.

Pinning the two of them to the ground, Emily grabbed a handful of Tubbs' dark hair and, lifting his head up, slammed his face into Mothers, giggling with glee as she heard something snap. "I've seen the way you two look at each other…" Emily purred as she lifted Tubbs' face up again – and slammed it back into Mother's face. "Good to see you've finally resolved your differences."

Tubbs finally bucked Emily off his back, rolling over and off of Mother – who surged to her feet, her broken nose spurting blood everywhere as she snorted like a wounded bull. Spinning her knife in her hand so it was held back-handed, the knife protruding out of the bottom of her fist, she advanced on Emily slowly, who had regained her footing easily. Slashing out with her knife, Mother watched as Emily ducked it – to ram her fist into the assassin's knee. The leg seemed to crumple under the power of the attack, bending backwards unnaturally, and Mother fell to her knees screaming, her shrill screams reverberating around the room even more as her leg bent even more thanks to the position she was in now.

Emily found the screams slightly annoying – so she reached out with both hands, grasping Mother's head by the sides, and twisted it at a sharp angle, a swift craaaackkk of a neck breaking signifying the end of the screams.

Tubbs watched as Mother fell to the floor like a sack of wet potatoes – and charged at Emily like a wild man, grabbing a wooden chair and flinging it at her before advancing with murder in his eyes.

Screwing her pale face up, Emily tensed all her muscles in her lithe body – and slammed her palm directly into the spinning chair, the attack shearing straight through it and causing the wood to explode outward in all directions – as well as smashing straight into Tubbs' face, the larger thief's nose shattering under the impact, the cartilage slamming back into his brain and slicing it neatly in two, killing him instantly.

Falling back, Tubbs' body was caught by Emily as she stabbed the forefinger and thumb of her left hand into his eyes, squeezing the bone between them before she heard a satisfying snap, before tossing his body out the window.

Turning away for a split second, Emily suddenly thrust her arms at the stone window, the Firaga leaving her hands in a split second and reducing the stones to rubble and Tubbs' body to ash.

Lowering her hands, Emily looked over to Trish, who still had the maniacal Mouse on top of her. Trish seemed to only be barely fending off the woman's attacks, the vicious beatings taking their toll on Trish's arms. Walking forward with a sigh, her discarded dampener being crushed underfoot, Emily gripped the back of Mouse's head and rammed it into the wall above Trish's head, Mouse's face crumpling easily under the sudden impact and leaving a blood splat-mark on the wall.

Pushing the dead corpse off of her, Trish stood abruptly and took a few steps back, shuddering at the sight. She had actually liked Mouse. "Thanks…" She muttered to Emily.

The Goth snorted. "Don't mention it."

*          *            *

Squall advanced to the hole, accosted by enemies by all sides. His blue blade shimmered and danced as he sliced through the all, some clothed in simple Adamantine vests, others armoured in Orihalcon armour. They all fell to his blade as he ran for Trish. She was the key to what he was planning.

Running up a flight of stairs, heading for the spire that the explosion had come from, Squall was accosted by two Hearts, their bodies covered in chain-mail Adamantine, armed with swords. Facing off against the blood-soaked SeeD they charged, screaming battle cries wildly as they bore down on him.

So they don't have an unlimited supply of Orihalcon… Squall realised as his blade, held underarm, cut the first man in half at the abdomen, his torso dropping off his legs to roll down the stairs – before Squall followed through with the attack on the next man, twisting the blade across to slice it over his body.

The man paused in his advance, watching as his sword-blade suddenly broke cleanly in two – before a small red line traced over his armour from his left hip to his right shoulder, the left arm and head sliding off the body on a slope to topple to the ground, blood gushing down the steps as Squall vaulted over the bodies and continued up.

Julius and Veronica followed closely behind, also vaulting the bodies and not paying them any heed. They had seen worse, and were trained to prepare for worse.

Coming to a wooden door Squall slashed it in half, the wood shattering under his blade and allowing them access – to a long, second storey hallway into the centre of the castle. A reception area met them at the bottom of the hall, filled with a massively long dining table and rows of chairs flanking the table. To the north was what looked like large double doors – to the front entrance, Squall figured, unless castle-physics were different in this universe. Looking about, Squall cursed. "We're in the wrong area. Go back, go back…" He muttered, turning to Julius and Veronica – and watching as their eyes widened…

…Before they all ducked, the sound of a sword slashing out of a scabbard and through the air keening into their ears, a high-pitched shriek announcing a sudden wind which made their hair blow backwards towards the door they had just used to enter the room. Squall watched in disbelief as a long, thin line was cut across the stony wall, the remnants of the door he had smashed through neatly being sliced in twain and falling off the doorframe.

Julius looked up at where the attack had originated – and gasped. "Squall…" He breathed, pointing up behind Squall, making the gunblader turn – and gasp himself.

A perfect replica of his own face peered out from behind long brown hair, left loosely flowing in the wind of the open window as he stared down at the SeeDs from his perch on a massive diamond chandelier, his left arm outstretched in the ending of his slice, the long thick sword of a gunblade held effortlessly in his arms. Smirking a vicious grin the Squall Doppelganger lowered the blade slowly; effortlessly drawing the edge of the blade across the opening of the scabbard strapped to his hip, he slammed it home and stood upright, his back straight.

"Squall Leonhart…I am called Aqual. I challenge you to a duel."

*          *            *

Julius felt his breath catch in his throat as he remembered what had happened last time a Doppel from this universe took on one of their own. Keeping his eyes firmly latched on Aqual, Julius tugged at Squall's sleeve determinedly. "Squall…Squall, come on. We need to find Trish and get the hell out of here."

Julius couldn't see Squall's face – but his emotionless voice said it all. "Go on without me. I'll catch up."

"You can't be serious, Squall! Remember what happened to Zell?! You can't beat this guy!!"

"Maybe…maybe not…" Squall muttered stoically, pulling his arm from Julius' grip and standing, his LionHeart held in his hand loosely. "But at least it'll keep him from attacking you and give you enough time to find Trish. Just move. I'll be fine."

Julius knew it was useless to argue with him. There was a determined sternness in his empty voice that commanded obedience. "Fine. But we're coming back for you, alright?" Julius growled as he dragged Veronica to the demolished doorway to alight the stairs.

"Whatever…" Squall muttered as he stared up at his double…

*          *            *

Squall would have smirked, had he not shut off every single emotive muscle in his body. His face was as cold as ice, his grey eyes stabbing and mean. His stance was loose, his legs spread evenly, one hand lazily gripping the gunblade as his other hung limply by his side. His body was covered in dark clothing, displaying the shadow that had fallen over his soul. His face-paint had been smudged by blood, crimson streaks matting his hair and clothing, giving it darker patches of crimson where it had splattered. He looked like he had just dragged himself up from the very depths of hell.

His double, Aqual, was anything but – a perfect grin on his face showing off pearly white teeth, he stood with one hand wrapped around the hilt of his sword whilst his other hand gripped his scabbard so he could draw the sword more swiftly. Standing on the chandelier with perfect balance, the light blazing from it showed the light purple gown he wore, his gunblade-belt strapped around it giving his body a very Estharian look. The opening around the neck was wide and a V pointed down his chest, giving him plenty of room to move his head. His sleeves were wide and loose, perfect for swift attacks. A slit ran up the middle of the gown, allowing him free movement of his legs. He looked like a fashionable priest with a sword strapped to his hip.

When he spoke, Squall heard his own voice crow out to him. It was oddly disorientating. "Where you surprised by Seifer's betrayal?"

"…Not really."

"Yes, I figured as much. It seems our Seifer's are our downfall."

"What have you done with my Rinoa?"

"She will be interrogated and then executed, just like all the other Sorceresses before her."

Squall's grip on his gunblade tightened slightly, but he showed no other heed to the information.

"Ah…I see you have control over your emotions, unlike your friend Zell."

"…Whatever."

"…Don't you want to know where my Rinoa has been?"

"…Whatever."

Aqual nodded succinctly. "Very well. Lets get this over with."

*          *            *

Suddenly jumping from the chandelier, Aqual flew down to Squall, dropping down just in front of the SeeD to land on his hands and feet – before standing upright, bending low, and unsheathing his sword in a singular strike, the long blade flashing through the air, leaving an arch of silver light trailing from his scabbard to the finish of the arch at the end of his arm.

Squall strafed the attack at the last second, the blade flashing over his brown hair and snipping a few threads off his head as he bent low under the slash – before coming up and ramming his doppelganger up and off his feet as he landed, slamming his shoulder into the double and, running forward, causing the both of them to smash through the wooden rails and fall to the dining room below.

Landing just a few feet away from Squall on his feet, Aqual sneered and approached swiftly, his sword singing as it slashed forth from a hip-high stab – to be parried by Squall's LionHeart, his energy-blade sizzling with it's master's fury as it cut the atmosphere in twain to slam the silver-edged sword away.

Aqual now off balance, Squall spun his gunblade around in his hand and, jumping high, swivelled the blade down so the tip was pointed at his double's back – and stabbed down with break-neck speed.

Aqual, having little to no space for error, did the one thing Squall would have done – he leapt forward under the SeeD whilst he was in mid air and, turning as he skidded across the floor, unleashed a Fira at Squall's back, the flames bursting from his fingertips to blow Squall from the air and send him hurtling into the far wall.

Squall's body smashed face-first into the wall, the plaster and concrete behind the wallpaper shattering in a circular spider-web pattern – before gravity took hold and he fell to the floor, landing on his feet uneasily and turning with a bloody sneer to the double. His Junctioning made sure any magic he was hit with was nullified almost completely when it hit him – it would be like throwing water onto a rock, even with these Hearts' powerful magic.

Aqual had returned his blade to it's scabbard and, turning his body so his sword-shoulder faced the SeeD, grit his teeth. Pressing his feet into the ground and spreading his legs, turning his scabbard so the gunblade would slip out of it easier, he proceeded to rip the sword from it's sheath with such speed as to send a sonic blast straight from the edge of the sword, the sonic pressure cutting straight through the air in a single line with unfathomable speed and a sudden high-pitched shriek.

Squall's eyes went wide as he watched the attack launch, before desperately throwing himself to the ground to hide behind the long dining table, the attack narrowly missing his head and cutting down the wall behind, a long line etching slowly into the wallpaper where his head had just been.

I've heard of such attacks used by the ancient Estharian swordsmen, Squall thought, moving from his awkward position into a ready crouch.  Men so proficient with their blades they were able to slay their opponent with single strikes that never touched the foe. But I've never witnessed it before!! It seems to cut through almost anything!!

"Impressed, SeeD?" Aqual shouted from his position across the room. "It took me many years to master the technique. My Shear Trigger is the only sword that had ever been able to withstand the immense pressures put on it by the atmosphere around us when it cuts through the air. The trick is to slash fast enough to move with speed, but at the same time not cut the air in half."

There was another high-pitched shriek – before the dining table suddenly jumped off the legs holding it up, the wooden top lifting up high off of the legs for a second – before landing perfectly back on them, the action done so fast the legs hadn't even had time to wobble out of position.

Squall looked up at the table with utter shock. He'd never seen anything like this before. The attack seemed even more powerful then most magics!

He grimaced, steeling himself. Now wasn't the time to think. Now was the time to fight!!

Turning to face the table and throwing himself down on his belly, Squall skidded across the smooth tiled floor, coming up with his gunblade raised to the left, where the Sonic Attack had originated – and pulled the trigger, a few rounds blowing great chunks out of the walls around Aqual's head as he skipped to the side – before advancing fast, his hands curled around the haft of his blade, the gunblade already sheathed from the last impressive attack.

Squall followed through with his momentum, rolling up on his side into the wall, running up and jumping off the wall to land on the long table, his boots knocking plates and goblets off the top as he landed on the wood with a thump.

Aqual followed him, jumping up to land beside him and swing his blade across like a baseball-bat, Squall countering the attack by blocking it with the back of his LionHeart and pushing it away before swinging the energy-blade around his head to cut towards the space between Aqual's shoulder and neck – who managed to slap the energy-blade aside at the last moment with his own sword and slice the SeeD's right leg slightly, the tip of his blade grazing the skin as Squall jumped back just in time top save becoming a peg-leg.

The two men became engrossed in their battle, the war waging within them seeming to be even more ferocious then the battles being waged outside. The swords sang through the air in a ballet of movement, the clang of metal and the hiss of energy as they met and hit, sparks of blue and yellow screaming out of the meetings like fire-works spewing forth into the sky. The battle was more then simple strength – there was finesse to the fight that seemed to signify something other then pure energy. It didn't matter who was the stronger, Aqual or Squall – whoever was the more experienced would be the victor.

Spinning on his heel after pushing Aqual away, Squall's LionHeart crackled with energy as the edge of the blade suddenly scraped across Aqual's chest, causing the Heart to grunt in pain as the tip of the energy-blade slashed through his gown and cutting across his body. Blood seeped out of the long wound, which travelled from one side of his shoulder to the other. If he had been a little closer the attack would have separated his shoulders and neck from the rest of his torso.

Growling and skidding forth, Aqual's metallic blade sang across Squall's stomach, the edge of the blade only barely cutting through the SeeD's skin-tight clothing, the black fabric falling back to reveal a long scratch travelling across his abs, the blood flowing out of it to begin pooling around Squall's belt.

Screaming out with passion Squall suddenly lunged at Aqual, his gunblade smashing down on the double's own sword, the attacks as ferocious as a Berserker as the two blades crashed down upon one another, Squall's LionHeart creating long waves of blue light as it was swung down again and again, Aqual's Sheer-Trigger deftly blocking and parrying as fast as he could.

Finally slamming his blade down against Aqual's, Squall's face twisted into a grimace as both hands gripped the handle of the LionHeart, his hands curled around the haft with white-knuckled grips, the energy-blade spitting blue sparks that mingled with Aqual's yellow sparks as he defiantly pushed back, their stalemate seeming to grow into a domination of willpower as the twin warriors glared at each other over their sparking blades, Aqual's one held horizontally across his body whilst Squall's pushed down against it vertically.

Squall didn't know wether he was winning or losing or if the Heart was simply toying with him, allowing him to score tiny nicks and cuts across and along his body before destroying him utterly like Azel had done with Zell – but one thing was certain. He was giving the double his all and the double was replying with due force. They were almost perfectly equalled, their skills evenly matched. Squall knew that this would eventually come down to a power-struggle, possibly even a Limit-Break showdown if Julius didn't find Trish soon.

Gritting his teeth, Squall pushed down on the blade with all his force, willing the blade to move down more, wishing the edge would slash through the edge of Aqual's sword like he had done to numerous opponents during his time with the LionHeart. Being an energy blade, the gunblade had almost no difficulty in cutting through steel and the like, even slicing through the nigh-to-indestructible adamantine and Orihalcon if Squall used supreme effort. But the edge of Aqual's silver sword didn't even have a nick in it from the blazing edge of Squall's LionHeart – indeed, it seemed almost brand new.

Suddenly Aqual shifted back, falling backwards to land on his back and, kicking his feet out, launch Squall up and over him to smash down into the chair at the end of the table, finally falling off the large wood and destroying the chair with his body.

Aqual rolled backwards and flipped up onto his feet, landing easily and spinning to face the SeeD, who had rolled and flipped up as well. Squall blinked, watching as Aqual quickly sheathed his sword once more. He was about to use his special attack again.

Before Aqual could get his footing and stance right however, Squall deftly crouched and span on his heel, the energy blade of his LionHeart slicing neatly through the legs of the end of the table, causing the section of the table to buckle and fall, slanting the table to a degree and causing all the ruined plates and dishes and dining so-forth to slide down towards Squall – and put the Heart standing on the table off-balance.

Aqual had only just gotten into position when Squall had taken the legs out from under him, and his sonic attack went wild, blasting up into the air and cutting the balcony above them neatly in two, one side sagging slightly down, no longer being held up by supports.

Leaping back from the falling dishes and utensils, Squall back flipped against a wall – and kicked off of it, leaping high into the air and, raising his gunblade high, swung it down ferociously at Aqual, the Heart off-balance and completely open to attack thanks to his last action.

Aqual could only watch in horror as Squall came down on top of him – before desperately throwing up a Protect, the green shield springing up just in time to block Squall's gunblade and deflect him, throwing him off his opponent and back to the wall, which he crashed into and slid down to hit the ground heavily, his gunblade clattering away to fall to the ground a few meters away from him. His head slumped, his body going loose – it looked like he'd been knocked out.

"You are impressive…" Aqual muttered, his breath coming in short gasps as he sheathed his sword and held it ready. Sliding down the table he came to the floor and held his sword ready for his next sonic strike, his body turning to face his right shoulder to Squall, his feet spreading wide to give him friction and ground his body better. "But this is where you…what?!"

Squall had suddenly threw up his hands, his bottom of his palms slamming together and his arms going rigid as he screamed the word of power. "Meltdown!!"

The wall behind him crumbled as the Meltdown suddenly destroyed everything before him, blasting the table into woodchips and sending the plates and dishes flying, rendering the door at the end of the dining hall irrelevant and taking out most of the balcony above it too. Squall's body was pressed against the wall with the massive blow-back from the magical assault, the wall shattering from the pressure being forced onto it.

A high-pitched shriek suddenly peaked from over the roar of the Meltdown – before it was cut in half down the middle, the sonic strike stopping the magic in it's tracks and slicing it into two halves which screamed away from the Heart and flew into the opposite corners of the room, demolishing the rest of the wall behind him.

Letting the Meltdown go fast, Squall barely managed to throw himself to the side as the sonic-strike cut up where he had been sitting only milliseconds before. If it had hit him he would have been cut in half from the groin up.

Rolling to the side and ripping the LionHeart from it's sheath, Squall jumped to his feet – and deflected a Firaga as it bore down on him, swinging his energy-blade to bat the fireball away to explode against the wall beside him, setting one of the tapestries that had survived the Meltdown on fire.

Aqual was laughing as he drew his hand back again, this time filled with electricity. Squall's eyebrows rose as the Thundaga grew in size – before slashing out of Aqual's hand to scorch the site where Squall had been before, the SeeD only just jumping out of the way.

Gritting his teeth and twisting the LionHeart back to Aqual whilst flying through the air, Squall let off three shots, the bullets flying through the smoke that was curling up from the fire that had began from the Firaga – to be cut from the air by Aqual in seconds, the Heart neatly slicing the Pulse-Ammunition neatly in two with his Sheer-Trigger – before levelling the gunblade at Squall and, bracing himself, pulled the trigger.

Squall couldn't believe the extraordinary explosion of sound and pressure as the bullet flew from the tip of Aqual's gunblade to fly straight through Squall's body, Aqual's gunblade kicking back ridiculously high as the flame of the bullet blew out of the barrel like a flame-thrower. The bullet flew true, neatly drilling a hole from the bottom of his sternum to a little to the left of his spine, the super-sonic bullet punching into his body whilst in mid-air and blowing him back and out through the destroyed doors into the open night.

Squall twisted and tumbled on the ground, rolling to a stop just a little ways from what seemed to be a moat. He was in the front courtyard of the castle, the surroundings much like the rest of the castle – tapestries and statues of angelic people covering the walls, steps leading up to the battlements and platforms around a set of gigantic double-doors which led out into the world beyond. This courtyard was nowhere near the same size as the other – about half the size of a football field now, Squall could see many different vehicles and air-ships parked all against the walls.

It didn't matter much to Squall anyways – the pain from being shot seemed to nullify anything that seemed relevant right now. He could feel his life-blood draining out of him, pulsing out slowly with the beat of his heart. His entire torso felt like it was on fire, and his vision was blurring slightly.

He pushed himself to his feet, however, spiting out a little blood as he watched Aqual walk evenly out of the destroyed castle wall, taking his time. His double looked at Squall with a lop-sided grin on his face – he was obviously being amused. "Is that all you've got, SeeD?" He cried, walking forward from the wall to move to the middle of the courtyard with Squall. "One bullet manages to take you down? I'm unimpressed."

Squall wasn't listening, however. His torso, blood pulsing out of the bullet-hole, was heaving up and down, his breaths beginning to quicken as he called upon his hidden power deep within him. Gripping his gunblade in his left hand, his right hand clenched so tightly it drew blood, he bent his body low and screamed as his para-magic began to level.

Aqual took an uneasy step back, watching as static electricity began to lace up and off Squall's body, cutting great grooves out of the floor around him. His whole body trembling with the effect the Limit was having on it, Squall gritted his teeth as the massive attack began to well within him.

A shockwave reverberated out of him, shattering the stone floor around him in a circular pattern and causing the walls and windows of the castle to crack and shatter. His gunblade, gripped so tight in his hand the metal began to creak in painful response, also crackled with energy, feeding off it's master almost like a parasite as Squall's Limit Break paramagic charged the energy-blade, readying it for the attack that was about to be launched.

"No!!" Aqual screamed, racing forth and slashing his sword up – to knock Squall's head back, the electricity lancing up and down his body leaving a trail behind as Squall back flipped out of the way a nano-second too late for the attack to not to damage.

When Squall landed, his eyes crackled with fury and energy as the slice that had been just given to him fell open – across his face between his eyes, running neatly and horizontally across where the bridge of his nose met to trail up between the eyebrows.

Screwing his face up with determination, ignoring the blood that was now seeping out of the brand-new wound across his face, Squall finally hit his Limit, the ground around him crumbling and shattering with the para-magic energy flowing through the air, Squall's gunblade sparking with the effects. Bringing the LionHeart up to his side, Squall bent his head low, blood dripping down to the ruined ground – before screaming forth, moving at unbelievable speed, screaming the battle-cry he had screamed so many times before.

"Renzokuken!"

Aqual was there one second – the next he wasn't as he disappeared in a haze of blue light, Squall's blade slashing forth in a furious flurry of blows, the sound of blade hitting blade echoing around the courtyard as the Heart desperately blocked every single passion-filled attack Squall threw at him, the SeeD berserker screaming like a wild man as he swung the gunblade again and again, the tip booming as he pulled the trigger, bullets flying, blood flowing, sparking spitting – before Squall, in a massive show of strength, twisted his body – and smashed Aqual away from him back into the ruined dining hall, the Heart's body twisting through the air to disappear back into the destroyed room.

Spreading his legs apart to gain friction and raising the gunblade so it was rested behind his head across his shoulders, Squall's entire body tensed once more as he chose his finishing move.

From the destroyed wall came Aqual, speeding forward with his hand on his sheathed sword and his shoulder turned towards Squall, his tattered clothing rippling as he jumped across the ruined floors, his sneering face screwing up in determination as his mouth slowly opened into a bellow of power as he neared Squall – and unsheathed his sword, the high-pitched shriek of his sonic-strike echoing around the courtyard as it flew through the air towards Squall…

"Fated Circle!!"

Who suddenly jumped high into the air, the Sonic-Strike flying straight and true underneath him – before he swung his gunblade in a circle, his own high-pitched shriek echoing around the courtyard as the paramagical 360 degree attack hammered out of his gunblade and rocketed towards Aqual!

Baring his teeth, Aqual slammed his sword back into his sheath – before slashing it out, his Sonic Strike hitting the Fated Circle – and being cut in half by it! Sheathing his sword with impossible speed, Aqual slashed it out again – only to have it cut in half as well!!

The veins in his neck bulged as, red faced and screaming, Aqual's feet suddenly shifted into the ground as the Fated Circle bore down on the Heart with speed like quicksilver, his Sheer-Trigger slamming back into it's sheath – to be drawn once more, the Sonic Strike slashing forth, screaming through the air like a premenstrual banshee – to slam into the Fated Circle and shear it in two!!

Squall dropped to the ground, his face bleeding as he landed on his feet – and kneeled down awkwardly, watching as the courtyard walls was suddenly lifted off themselves by the massive 360 degree attack, the walls floating in the air for a split second – before falling back to themselves, the mighty weight causing them to crack and shatter, the walls crumbling to the floor and bringing the battlements and the platforms with it.

The courtyard was suddenly filled with dust and debris as the walls fell, forcing Aqual to jump back to the relative safety of the ruined dining hall, shielding his face with his free hand as he tried to keep an eye on the position of the wounded SeeD – before his body was shrouded by the brown dust kicked up by the falling rocks, massive stones spilling down around where he had been kneeling, seemingly burying him under tonnes of rubble.

*          *            *

When the dust finally settled, Aqual walked out of the dining hall into the ruined courtyard, his scarred face stoic as he sheathed his sword. What had once been a clean, simple opening to the castle was now a large pile of rocks, the stone walls having folded like a bad deck of cards. Moving forward to around where Squall's body had last been seen, Aqual looked down with an impassive face – before lowering his hand.

The rocks exploded outwards, being thrown up and out by massive magical forces, until the Heart had finally reached where the ground had been.

Squall's blood was splattered all over the ground here – but where should have been a paste of crushed bones and muscle was nothing. Squall had seemingly vanished.

Aqual gritted his teeth, his jaw tightening – before something made him turn back to the dining room.

A woman with raven-black hair and wearing purple robes wandered out of the hall, looking about herself in wonderment. The destruction seemed to amuse her immensely – walking up to where the stones began to pile up, she skipped along them easily, as if she weighed nothing and had not one worry in the world.

She stopped when she saw her Knight, bleeding and impassionate, standing before a large pool of blood.

Stopping her skipping, she immediately ran to his side, looking over his injuries with amazement. Her eyes were wide in astonishment as she looked at his chest, placing her hand on the cut across and jumping as her delicate fingertips came away wet. "…This is your blood?!"

Aqual ignored the exclaimed question, looking down at the bloodstain on the ground. "This one was more powerful then anything I've seen…we'll have to reassess their danger to you."

The Sorceress Queen blinked, looking down at her hand, wet with his blood – before placing her hand on his chest, healing all his wounds. "…Were you afraid?" She asked, her voice full of innocence as she coyly asked the question, fingering the cut in his gown, still damp with his blood.

Aqual hesitated only briefly. "No."

The Queen looked up at her Knight, her face unreadable…before she took his hand and led him away from the courtyard and deeper into the castle.

*          *            *

Squall opened his eyes, his arms still thrown up over his head to try and desperately shield himself from the falling stones – to see trees and a lake ahead of him, the lake reflecting the light of the moon as it slowly peeked out from behind the clouds in the sky.

He felt a pair of arms wrapped around him, and looked back to see Trish resting her head against his back. She looked utterly exhausted, as if she had just fought the entire Galbadian nation. Cuts and nicks adorned her clothing and face, and she was covered in dust and sweat, the dust caking in the sweat around her face. Her breaths were coming in and out of her body in short gasps, as if someone had winded her and she was trying to gulp air back in.

Gently disengaging her from his back, Squall let her fall back before standing, grimacing and placing a hand on his bullet-wound as he looked behind him to see the rest of the SeeDs.

Julius and Veronica sat against a tree, the two of them a picture of exhaustion. Julius looked at Squall dispassionately, as if he had just awoken. He too was covered in blood and cuts – the left side of his face had been smashed into something, giving it great long scratches that went from his cheek to the back of his ear and down his neck. Veronica lay in his arms, curled up like a child, soundly asleep. Her slightly-silvery skin was covered in what looked like purple patched that also had more silver then the other areas of her skin – bruises. Her staff lay abandoned beside them – it seemed to have been drenched in blood.

Emily walked up from the lake, carrying a piece of wood that seemed to have been made into a crude cup. She also moved like a zombie, her legs wooden and her body sluggish as she looked up – and tensed slightly to see Squall, his gunblade still activated and held loosely in his hand, wounded along with the rest of them.

Ignoring him entirely, she pushed past him and knelt down next to Trish, who was staring up at the sky with a blank expression on her face. Lifting her head, Emily spoke softly, her words like a worried mother looking after a sick child. "Trish, drink this, it'll make you feel better."

Trish sipped the water slowly before lying her head back and curling up into a ball, closing her eyes and trembling.

 "We fought so many of them…" Julius said suddenly, his voice seeming to cut through the silence that had accumulated. His tone was weary, his voice full of sadness. "…They seemed to come out of every door, every window, jumping over walls…eventually we were overwhelmed and when it seemed like we weren't going to make it, Emily and Trish showed up and teleported us out of there all at once. The strain almost killed her, but when we got here we told them about you and she just vanished from sight."

Squall looked down at the trembling girl, unable to speak through the pain. Sinking to his knees, he closed his eyes and drew on his Cure magic's, the Curaga flowing through him like ink through water – before sitting back, feeling his chest to make sure the magic had done it's thing. He raised his hand to feel his face also – to find a fresh scar in an old position. He shook his head, unable to laugh at the irony. It must've been fate.

"And Rinoa?" He asked no one in particular.

The deadly roar of silence answered him.

He tightened his jaw. "…New objective. We must find and rescue Rinoa as quickly as possible…"

"How did I know you were going to say that?" Emily interrupted, her back turned to Squall as she crouched down next to Trish.

Squall bit back a retort. "We need her. Unless we find her, we'll be stuck in this universe for the rest of our lives. She's the only one who can open the Arches to get us home."

Silence met him once more. He was right. Unless they found Rinoa soon, they were trapped behind enemy lines in an entirely foreign world.

*          *            *

This was a quick one, huh? Did you like that twist with the 'Queen'? In case you need more clarification, the Sorceress Queen took a Rinoa from another universe and used her as a 'sacrificial goat', for lack of a better description.

Also, what did you think about the sword-fight between Squall and Aqual? My first sword-battle…*crosses fingers* The Sonic-Strike was borrowed from the Ninja Scroll Series – my favourite anime. Check it out, if you can – it rocks!!

The War will be showing up soon – be prepared for big-assed chapters!! *cracks knuckles in anticipation*

Don't forget to review, and tell yer friends!! Reviews make me all giggly…in a manly, testosterone-filled kinda way…