**Author's Note** - This chapter contains a torture scene of a character. I remind the readers – I do not take prisoners. Nobody is safe in my stories. And although I will not go to some extremes, there are levels of shock that I will meet to show the intensity of the scene. Now, enjoy.

Ch 28 - Reason

Rinoa opened her eyes suddenly. She was lying on the floor inside someplace dark.

Instantly she crawled across the floor, finding the nearest wall and then the nearest corner, trying to push herself into it, trying to stop her terror from welling up inside herself. She had always hated the dark. Ever since she had fallen into the well of Oil within the Garden, she had had this suffocating experience whenever she was surrounded by darkness.

And not only that, but a large, chunky device was strapped to her neck. She clawed at it ferociously, trying to remove it – but to no avail.

It was a magic dampener. One that could not be removed either.

Without her magic Rinoa felt naked, defenceless, weak.

Pitifully she wailed, crying out for anyone, someone, to come and get her. "Help! Help me, please!! I'm afraid of the dark! Take it away!!"

Tears began to roll down her face as her cries went unanswered. "Anybody, please!! Squall!! Where are you, Squall?! Please, help me!!"

Falling to the floor weakly, her voice beginning to go hoarse from calling, she continued to speak slowly, squeezing her eyes shut to try and kill the tears still flowing. "Please…anybody…help me…"

*          *          *

Squall sat at the edge of the lake, his demeanour cool. The only thing that betrayed his calm exterior was his eyes. His reflection looked back up at him with scorn, with accusing betrayal, with unsurmountable rage welled within the grey orbs.

He hadn't gotten much sleep the night before, unlike the others. After his ultimate decision to go back and rescue Rinoa, he had left the others to their own devices, walking down to the lake. He needed to be alone. He needed to think.

The others, exhausted from the battles, slept without a second thought. It was obvious what they needed to do – if they ever wanted to get back home, they needed Rinoa. It was that simple. She was the only one with the power to activate the Arches.

Squall continued to look at his reflection. Depression and self-hatred had taken root in his mind during the early hours of the morning, just before the sun broke over the horizon.

You should have protected her. You are her Knight. You are there to make sure she's safe. Without you, she is defenceless. Without you she is nothing.

He should have foreseen the betrayal by Seifer. Everything had been way too easy. They had been taken in too easily, had been accepted too quickly. They had been put on the front line a week after being initiated.

Squall looked down at the scar on his shoulder, the Gil-sized circle with the hand grasping a heart. A sign of the oppressed…or maybe a sign of the obsessed? He sighed. Either way, it was to be a sign of gullibility for his future. If he ever met the Immortals again, he would ask that they never remove the brand. It would be a trusty reminder of his stupidity and weak nature.

No…don't think like that… He thought to himself. You had no idea. The concept of a band of Revolutionaries wasn't new to you. There were countless in Timber, and more then one at Galbadia. Seifer simply knew what buttons to press.

That frightened him a little. Seifer had known exactly how to act, exactly how to push Squall's buttons. He knew exactly what to do to manipulate the SeeD's minds into thinking of how much he resembled their Seifer, as opposed to trying to figure him out in a fresh kind of look, like Major Almasy.

The Major hadn't seemed much like Seifer, now that Squall thought about it. Of course, there was the brashness and the black-and-white idealism that seemed inherent in all Seifers – but there was also a sense of honour and loyalty within him, as well as a soft heart. Given the situation, the Gaian Sefier most likely wouldn't have let Squall and the others escape – he would have handed them over to the Heart with a bow tied around them.

This made him think about his other self too. Aqual.

Interesting… Squall thought to himself. Azel and Aqual. 'A's in front, with the repeated 'l' taken off the back. I wonder if all the males are named like that, or if it's just a honorary titles given to them when they reach a certain level.

Squall shook his head, trying to make sense of the muddled thoughts hovering around in his mind. Without Rinoa to balance him, he felt like a stone that had too much weight on one side teetering on the edge of a cliff – he needed a counter-weight to make sure he didn't topple over the edge into loneliness and ultimately madness.

Okay…know your enemy. We've progressed far enough in fighting techniques so that the Heart soldiers in Orihalcon have become less of a threat…and, judging by the quality of their fighting, it seems they are nothing more then regular foot soldiers in nigh-to-indestructible armour. Not only that, but it seems their stock of Orihalcon isn't as easily accessible as Adamantine – although most of the outer guards wear the Orihalcon armour, many of the guards deeper inside the castle were wearing simple Adamantine armour. Easily breeched by us SeeDs.

Our doubles – Zell, Aqual, the Queen – are all immensely powerful compared to us, but aren't invincible. Azel had a little trouble with Zell, Aqual obviously underestimated my strength, and the Queen…

Squall bit his bottom lip. He hadn't forgotten that he had murdered the Rinoa in the bed unwittingly. It was an honest mistake, born of treachery and deceit, and knew he shouldn't feel guilty for it – but that didn't mean he didn't feel sorry for her.

…The Queen is shrewder then we gave her credit for. She was obviously ready for us to arrive; otherwise she wouldn't have orchestrated the Revolutionaries to meet us at the Arch and organised so many people to keep the ruse going.

This reminded him of the so carefully planned deceit laid out by Seifer that Squall had so readily gobbled up. The enemy was meticulously well informed, right down to tiny and personal details. They knew exactly what to say, when to say it, and what tone to say it in. The information could only come from someone deep within the SeeD ranks – but who?

Who would want to let Gaia be taken over by the Hearts? An impostor? A Doppelganger from this universe sent in to spy on us? It would have had to have taken months, possibly years of planning…which would mean that the impostor would have had to have been around at least during the Sorceress War…

That was very frightening. A veteran SeeD from before or shortly after the Sorceress War would have had no trouble in blending in. A lot of people were freaked out after the Time Compression had almost been accomplished – there had been a lot of weird side-effects that had almost destroyed entire cities, and people did things that, if they were reminded today, would make them hang their heads in shame. Shock, panic and mob-driven chaos was an ugly thing – it had taken months to calm the citizens of Gaia down.

During that time we wouldn't have been looking for a new enemy, especially from a different universe. We had just defeated our old one, and was ready to return to a normal life. So many changes had been made during the Sorceress War, and the after-math was no different. An impostor would have had no trouble slipping in under the radar and assuming their Doppel's roles…but who could it have been?

The choices were too many. Cid, Carpenter, Edea, any number of Squall's lieutenants – hell, any one of the Sorceress Heroes could have been swapped without anybody knowing. The deceit was ladened so deep into the workings of Garden that Squall didn't even know if there was more then one.

His musing was suddenly interrupted by a noise behind him. Instantly grasping his LionHeart and turning, his finger on the button ready for anything, he only saw Trish walking down from their make-shift camp, holding her hands up as she watched him jump to his feet. "Whoa there, cowboy, I come in peace."

Squall nodded – but kept his hand on the gunblade. Any one of these people could be an impostor, he thought to himself. Paranoia, maybe – but it didn't hurt to stay cautious.

Trish, not seeming to notice the tense reaction to her arrival, walked over to sit down next to Squall, looking out over the lake. Squall sat down in his seat and looked out over the lake too, watching as the sun broke over the horizon with her.

They sat there until the sun was fully up, breaking away from the confines of the edge of the world with gusto, before Squall sighed. "Is there anything?" He asked, his voice mute of emotion as usual.

Trish looked up at him for a second, her face unreadable. Her dark makeup had been smudged off her face during last night's battles, her beautiful look less then appealing right now. "We…" She started, hesitating and turning her head to look out over the lake once more. "…We were wondering what you wanted us to do now. You know…wether we should move out immediately or if we should rest up first…"

"Our mission is to now rescue Rinoa. The first objective is to steal into the Traitor's cave and reclaim our equipment, if it's still there. Our second objective is then to infiltrate the castle and rescue Rinoa. Our third objective is to then to retreat and regroup at Gaia to reinforce and reassess our situation. The Queen can wait."

Squall rattled off the information like an automaton, his voice lifeless. Indeed, Trish almost thought he sounded like he had nothing to live for anymore. "We're going to get her back, you know." She assured him, placing her hand on his shoulder.

He shrugged it off, answering her immediately. "I will or I will die trying."

Trish blinked. "…You mean 'we'. 'We' will."

It was Squall's turn to blink now. He looked down at his reflection in the lake. "…Whatever." He said uneasily.

Trish bit her bottom lip. "You really do love her, don't you?"

Squall's face remained impassive as he looked down at the lake. "Yes."

"Then we will find her. Okay? You don't have to worry about that. We'll find her."

With that she got up, patting him on the shoulder reassuringly, before walking back to camp.

Watching her go, Squall turned back to the lake, looking down at the hand that had gripped his LionHeart tightly when she had sat down next to him. "I shouldn't have to find her…" He whispered to himself, before looking out across the lake once more.

*          *          *

As Trish walked back into camp the others looked up from the silence that had accumulated when she had left. "How's he going?" Julius was the first to ask.

"Terrible…" Trish muttered, walking over to the fire they had made and warming her hands to it. The Cure magic may have healed their wounds, but it didn't keep the cold at bay. "He sees her capture as his fault – solely his fault." She sighed as she watched the flickering fire eat at the wood Julius had gathered. "…He seems so empty without her. It's like he's got nothing to live for anymore without her by his side."

Emily came over and sat down next to Trish, hugging her knees to her chest in a bid to get warm. "He's a Sorceress Knight…they say he had a link to her that cannot be broken…if they are separated for any period of time the link begins to fray, along with their minds…and before long, you have a mad Sorceress and a mad Knight."

Julius nodded along with this slowly, agreeing and disagreeing at the same time. He had found out a few years after the Sorceress War that Headmaster Cid of Balamb Garden had been Sorceress Edea's Knight at one point. It might explain the simple-mindedness of Cid during his time in the Garden and the slow rise to madness for Edea…but, then again, SeeD had been around for a long time before Ultimecia tried to wield Edea's powers. Cid had been the creator of Garden, and had spent many long periods of time away from the Orphanage where he had lived with Edea. Maybe only when their wills were tested simultaneously were there any threat of the bond between them breaking…

Well, Squall's will was being tested right now. Growing up as an introvert to find love so easily would mean anything that meant for it to be taken away rudely would seriously jeopardise Squall's mental state. Julius looked down at Veronica, who smiled bravely up at him. Julius knew what might happen if he lost Veronica again, and had taken the opportunity to keep her in his sight as much as possible. He compared the feelings he had for Veronica for what Squall must feel for Rinoa, and noticed all the surprising similarities between the two. He'd die for her too…interesting…

Their silent musing was suddenly broken as Squall wandered back into camp, moving over to the fire as well and holding his hands to it. They were all still wearing their tattered infiltration suits, and although the beginning of the night had been warm, it had grown cold during the wee hours of the morning.

Squall had washed the dark paint off his face, revealing an expression of determination. "Okay…here's what we have to do…" He said out loud. He didn't need to gather their attention. All their eyes were focused on him.

*          *          *

Rinoa didn't know how long she had been in the dark.

She didn't know why they had placed her in there.

She didn't know wether or not they had captured Squall or not.

All she knew was that she was afraid and that she was alone.

Completely and utterly alone.

More alone then she had ever been in her life.

And that frightened her more then being in the dark.

Suddenly the lights of the cell winked on.

Blessed light. Rinoa couldn't think of another time when she had appreciated a light-bulb so much. She took the time to quickly assess her surroundings and herself, just like Squall had taught her.

She had been placed in what looked like a stone dungeon, the cell dank and grey, the stones covered in lime and mildew. The corner in which she cowered was the furthest away from the door, which was made of wood and reinforced with metallic strips lining the edges. A small opening at the bottom, much like a cat-flap or doggie-door, was the only opening. Probably where they gave me my day's gruel and spilt water… Rinoa thought to herself depressingly.

The room was actually rather big, about the size of a medium sized bedroom. Five people could have easily stood within it and had room for more. Apart from that, there was nothing else – just a lamp at the centre of the ceiling that was surprisingly bright, emitting 60watts of graceful radiance.

She was still clothed – thank the gods, as she remembered the hands of the Revolutionaries as they picked her up and dragged her away – and was unhurt. She vaguely remembered someone pushing a strange smelling rag to her face – then she awoke in the darkness. If anything had happened to her during that time, she didn't have any evident visible side effects.

Standing she walked over to the door, crouching down low to look out of the slit at the bottom of the door. Like the walls of her cell, the hallway walls outside were covered with lime-covered rocks, the occasional lamp glowing brightly down the hall…but except for a few feet, Rinoa couldn't see anything else.

"…Hello?" She called hesitantly, not wanting to draw attention but also wanting to know where she was.

Suddenly a pair of combat boots filled the slit in the wall, followed by the clank of a rusty lock being opening from the outside.

Immediately Rinoa was on the other side of the cell, her knees pulled up against her chest as she tried to make herself as small as possible.

The door opened wide – to reveal Squall, gunblade strapped to his waist, a warm smile on his face. He was dressed in a suit of armour, the armour glinting in the light, a red cape strapped to his neck by ways of a heart-shaped brooch.

Wide-eyed, Rinoa jumped to her feet and ran to him, jumping at him and encircling her arms around his neck. "Oh Squall, I knew you'd come for me!" She squealed – before the Squall brutally wrenched her arms from his neck and shoved her away, causing her to stumble across the room and slam her head against the wall where she had sat before with a sickening thud.

Falling to the floor, her mind swimming from the knock to the back of the head, Rinoa couldn't help but shed a tear in pain and fear. Why would Squall deny her like that? Didn't he love her anymore?

She was even more confused as the Squall picked her up by her long black hair and, pulling her to her feet, slammed her back into the wall before grasping her by the neck and lifting her up off the ground, making her legs dangle beneath her as he looked into her eyes with malice, her magic dampener digging into her neck as he tightened his grip. "My name is Aqual. Remember it, you whore." He snarled, watching her choke and gasp, her face turning blue – before he dropped her to the stony floor.

She fell down and landed on her knees, her hands moving to her throat as she gasped to breath, her mind reeling with fear. Why was he calling himself by a different name? Unless…it wasn't Squall?

Sucking her breath in through her mouth Rinoa looked up with tear filled eyes – to watch herself walk in through the door. My gods…was all Rinoa could think.

The Queen looked splendid in a purple gown, the robes flowing over her body much like the Immortal robes did. The material looked much like the same too – shining even in the harsh light of the cell's single bulb. Her hair was brushed to a fine sheen and flowed down her back like water cascading down a fall. Her eyes, soft brown like Rinoa's, were bright and intelligent – and also shone with something Rinoa couldn't describe. She looked very out of place within the dungeon – indeed, it seemed to Rinoa that she would be more fitting in a royal court or palace – much like a Queen ought to.

The Queen walked forward with grace and elegance, kneeling down to look Rinoa in the eyes with amused amazement, like a child visiting the zoo to look at the monkeys.

Reaching out with her delicate hand, she brushed it through Rinoa's hair with a tentative touch, almost as if she was afraid it would tear off if she handled it too much.

Her voice tinkled out of her mouth like a beautiful sonnet, the words strung together like some kind of magnificent yet natural song. I sound like that? Was what Rinoa thought as the Queen spoke.

"Amazing…you're the closest one yet…"

Rinoa blinked in confusion, her voice hoarse as it came out. "What…what do you mean?"

The Queen had something of a pained expression on her face, before she stood and moved away to stand next to the door. She nodded curtly to Aqual – who roughly picked Rinoa up by the scruff of the neck and tossed her over his shoulder before walking out of the cell.

Rinoa tried not to struggle, even if the whole ordeal was frightening and immensely insulting. The man who looked so much like Squall – right down to his cute little scar – walked out of the cell and turned right, moving down what looked like a bank of doors, closely followed by the Queen.

Rinoa looked at the Queen as she was carried, the Queen returning her look without giving her an inch. They didn't regard each other with malice – they simply looked at each other curiously, regarding each other with inquisitiveness.

Her trip was a short one as Aqual opened a door and walked into it, holding the door open for his Queen before shutting it behind him. As he turned to hold the door open, Rinoa was able to take a look at the room – and pale as she saw what was in it.

The room was small, but was more heavily furnished then her cell. A table sat in the middle of the room, chains with straps lying at each corner. On the wall to the left of the doorway was a rack filled with an array of sharp, pointy objects and spiky instruments, and on the wall to the left of the rack was what looked like a furnace or forge, a number of long poles sticking out of a barrel of water sitting next to that. A few meters away from the table to the right of the doorway was a long lounge, where someone could recline whilst facing the table with the chains.

Rinoa could see what was coming up. Panic began to well in her throat – before she swallowed it. Squall's been tortured before, and he was okay after – you just have to be strong like Squall. Just be strong, Rinoa, hold out until he comes for you.

Aqual placed Rinoa down on the table and strapped her arms and legs in, forcing her to lie on her back spread-eagled. She tested the chains once, just for the hell of it – and as she thought, they were thick and strong.

For that she received a slap in the face from Aqual, her cheek stinging and bringing tears to her eyes as she looked up at the impassive face of Squall – but it wasn't him.

The Queen lowered herself gracefully to the couch, reclining on it much like a cat would lie on it's master's bed. "I know much about your world, Rinoa…" She said in her beautiful voice, her words sympathetic. "And I know that, even with your amazing strength and skills, you still feel pain."

At this Aqual suddenly tore Rinoa's shirt open, exposing her chest to the warm air blasting out of the forge and causing her to whimper.

"And I know that, even though you are an impressive Sorceress, you have been through numerous battle without your powers to guide and help you." The Queen stretched herself out on the lounge even more, propping her head up in her hand as she watched Rinoa's chest heave up and down. "Now, I am going to ask you quite a lot of questions, Rinoa, and every one you answer incorrectly Aqual will punish you for. We will soon see how long you can hold out, being such the strong warrior-woman that you are."

Rinoa pressed her lips together as she looked up at Aqual who regarded her impassively. Be strong like Squall, be strong like Squall, be strong like Squall…well, at least it's not going to be a strange face who's going to hurt me, I don't think I could take that…

"We'll start small…" The Queen said with a smile, placing a finger on her bottom lip as she thought up a question. "Ooo, like, what is your Knight's name?"

"You know my Knight's name." Rinoa said defiantly, looking up at the ceiling.

"Oh, yes, I certainly do – but my position is a fretful one, I fear. The quality of my help has been less then perfect lately, and information can be mangled in the journey from Arch to Arch – so please, put my mind to rest. What is the name of your Knight?"

Rinoa said nothing.

The Queen waited for a second, before sighing and waving her hand at Aqual, who turned and impassively grabbed a pole from the barrel of water beside the forge. Pulling the long length from the barrel, he showed it to Rinoa – before plunging it deep into the white-hot mass blazing heat into the room.

Rinoa felt sweat trickle down the side of her face and make her cheek itch before pooling in her ear. She kept her lips thin, though – they would get nothing out of her.

After a few seconds Aqual pulled out the pole, showing it to her once more. What had been a cold piece of steel was now a red-hot length, the redness glowing brightly and steaming in the air surrounding them.

"Last chance, Rinoa." The Queen said.

Rinoa said nothing.

The screams were said to be heard from the highest tower in the castle. The dungeons were two storeys beneath the earth.

*          *          *

Squall looked up suddenly, every sense peaking as something paranormal gripped his mind with a clammy hand, a chill running up his spine.

Julius looked at him as he walked past, stopping to look back at the SeeD leader. "What is it, Squall?"

Squall blinked, looking back at the hacker who looked at him with concern. Snorting his breath out of his nostrils, Squall pushing past him. "We're moving too slow. We need to quicken out pace." He growled, pushing past Emily who had taken point and taking lead of the group.

The SeeDs had Trish teleport them as close to the castle as they dared before making their way towards the walls. When they had been within the Revolutionaries' hideaway Trish had managed to steal a map showing all the different routes in and out of the caves – they now headed to one of those routes, a small tunnel hidden by brush just a few yards away from the back wall of the castle.

Finally reaching the tunnel, Squall quickly ducked behind a bush, waving the rest of them to hide as well.

Two men, covered in adamantine armour and armed with spears and side-arms guarded what appeared to be a bunch of thickets.

Squall pointed to the two guards, before silently motioning a slitting throat to Emily. The Goth nodded slowly, before melting into the bush behind her like a phantom.

The SeeDs turned back and watched the two guards.

Nothing happened for a few seconds – before one of the guards was lifted off the ground by some invisible force. His grip on his spear tightened as he scrabbled at something at his neck – before an audible crack echoed out to the SeeD's as his neck was bent at an unnatural angle.

His companion turned to looked up at his friend with awe – before the body smashed into him, sending them both to the ground, the second man pinned under his friend's dead body.

He struggled for a second – before a man in tattered dark clothing and a scar on his face appeared above him, holding his shining blue blade high above his head – before he saw nothing else.

Squall wrenched the blade from where he had skewered their bodies and picked up the first, flinging it over his shoulder before motioning for Julius to take the second before dumped it into a thick bush. Julius followed suit before turning and following the rest of the SeeDs into the cave through the brush, slipping through the leaves and disappearing, as if they had never been there before.

*          *          *

"Tell me, Rinoa…why do you enjoy hurting yourself like this?"

Long burn marks adorned Rinoa's flat stomach, each one like a slit down a piece of paper. The smell of burnt flesh hung in the air like stink, making Rinoa gag again as she forced herself not to look at the crackling flesh. The tears still streamed down her face as she bit her bottom lip again so hard it drew blood as she tried to figure out a way past the pain.

…BestronglikeSquallbestronglikeSquallbestronglikeSquallbestronglikeSquallbestronglikeSquallbestronglikeSquallbestronglikeSquallbestronglikeSquallbestronglikeSquallbestronglikeSquall…

Her mantra was interrupted as the brand came down on her skin once more, searing the flesh and sending a plume of smoke wisping up into the air as the cells making her skin burnt away to reveal the ruined nerves beneath.

She wailed again, screaming out in pain as Aqual pressed the brand down gently, lightly rolling it along her stomach, each roll getting dangerously close to her chest – before he mercifully withdrew the brand, allowing Rinoa to catch her breath.

…BestronglikeSquallbestronglikeSquallbestronglikeSquallbestronglikeSquallbestronglikeSquallbestronglikeSquallbestronglikeSquallbestronglikeSquallbestronglikeSquallbestronglikeSquall…

"Rinoa, this has to hurt. I know it hurts. But all you need to do is tell me how many Gaians there are. It's not that hard to answer. Just an estimate is all I need to know. I mean, two billion? Three billion? You must know, there was a census taken after the Sorceress War. I believe Squall was told it, as well as many of your friends. You were bound to have found out from one of them."

…BestronglikeSquallbestronglikeSquallbestronglikeSquallbestronglikeSquallbestronglikeSquallbestronglikeSquallbestronglikeSquallbestronglikeSquallbestronglikeSquallbestronglikeSqual…

"I'm trying to help you, Rinoa. You're only making it harder on yourself by defying me like this. If you answer this question, Aqual will heal your wounds and we'll take a break. Wouldn't that be nice? To stop the pain…maybe even have something to eat? You must be hungry after all that excitement last night…"

Rinoa fought through the excruciating pain to look over to the Queen with tear-filled eyes. "Y-You…y-you killed…y-you k-killed heeer…" Rinoa gasped in haltering words.

The Queen frowned – before raising her eyebrows in recognition. "Oh, you mean my body-double? Well…to be technical, your Squall killed her…and one soul can be sacrificed for the many that may come from it's sacrifice."

Rinoa frowned at the Queen's word, confusement added to her pain-addled mind. "W-what d-do…you m-mean?!"

The Queen frowned at the girl, chewing her bottom lip in mental debate. She looked up at Aqual, who did something she didn't agree with, before looking back down to Rinoa. "Perhaps…perhaps if I told you, you might see my plight and take pity on me for my actions…"

She stood and walked over to Rinoa, kneeling down so her face was level to Rinoa's. It was like looking at a mirror, but Rinoa's field of vision was held horizontally to the Queen. "When I was born, there was more of my kind. My race ruled this land with an iron fist – the magical battle which were waged spanned across continents and lit the night's sky as if it was day. Powerful men and women, their wing-spans meters long, took to the skies and destroyed miles of land with a flick of their wrists." The Queen's eyes shone as her voice grew wistful. "It was glorious to watch the fights. To watch as they tore each other asunder, to watch as they bathed in the blood of their enemies, to watch as they grew more and more powerful, and the bodies piled higher and higher…"

She composed herself, drawing in a shuddering breath as she looked down at the horrified face of Rinoa. "Do not look at me like that!! Your universe's history has as much blood on it's hands, if not more!"

Rinoa realised that she mustn't anger the woman any more – anger meant more pain. She needed to keep her talking. Gulping dryly, Rinoa forced her horrified expression into one of confusement. "You…said men too. Men…cant have wings…they don't have…Sorceress powers…"

The Queen smiled. "This is a different universe, my dear. In your universe, only women can hold infinite magical power. In this universe, the power was shared equally amongst the sexes when Hyne was split in two. The Sorcerers, being men, were obviously the stronger of the two – but it didn't mean that they were the dominant."

"Women, having the power to pass on their powers to men, held all the cards. You see, the Sorceress power is only passed on through one way in your universe – when you die, when your time on that plain is up and the Grim Shadow comes for your soul. However, in this universe, it is much different…"

The Queen's voice trailed off as she looked away, tears filling her eyes. "I…I still remember my mother when she passed her power onto me…her hands outstretched to me as she walked forward…all the energy leaking out of her being unconsciously absorbed by my body…I had only gotten my wings, how was I to harness such raw power at such a young age?" She asked the wounded woman before her, as if she knew the answer.

"But…I managed to. It almost destroyed me, and I'm pretty sure I was driven insane by the effort, but I managed. And, the first thing I did when I harnessed the power, was try to find some of my kind, to share the power, perhaps have my first serious battle."

"But…as hard as I tried, I could not find anyone. I tore this world asunder with the effort, cracking open continents, pushing the world's endurance to it's breaking point and beyond – but I was unable to find anyone. I was the last surviving member of my race, and as such, held the power of every Sorcerer and Sorceress that had ever lived in my tiny body."

Rinoa's eyes were wide – but the Queen simply laughed. "If you think I have over a few billion souls stored within me, you are mistaken my dear – my race, when I was born, had dwindled to nothing but the best, the strongest. Many of the Sorcerers and Sorceresses that were defeated in battle weren't allowed to pass their powers on to the victor – they were left alone until their energies were completely spent. This was considered highly dishonourable to my kind – but age-old vendettas ran deep in my race, even deeper then the vendettas between your Estharian and Galbadian nations. At the most, I have about twenty souls within me, male and female."

"It took a few years of isolation before I found the portals to different Universes. By that time I had honed my powers to the point of perfection, wielding it with such force as to render mountains to dust in an instant. But something was amiss – something that I could not create or replace. My race."

"For years I studied my own magic's and the ancient texts, trying to find some way to bring my brethren back from the heavens…but the texts I had did not give sufficient information. Something was missing. Something…spiritual."

The Queen sighed and walked away, her back to Rinoa as she turned to the couch, almost as if she was considering sitting down and continuing the torture – before speaking once more. "How much do you know about the Soul, Rinoa?"

Rinoa blinked again. The Soul…once a person is killed, there is a set amount of time before they can be resurrected using a Phoenix Down. The time depends on the conditions of death and the spiritual aura of the deceased. The longest anybody has remained dead for an extended period of time has been Deling and Veronica.

The Queen continued. "In order for a person to be resurrected, their soul must be placed back in their body. In order for this to happen, the soul must either be freshly released from the mortal coil, or trapped in limbo until such time for it to escape. But…consider this…consider the power of a soul…the power to give life…consider what the potential of a free soul can create…"

Rinoa gulped again, steeling herself. "What…what are you…saying?"

The Queen turned to Rinoa then and looked down at her, the gleam back in her eyes. "A soul is simply energy for the body to run off. A soul is nothing but the spiritual power for a body to feed on. And the soul of a Sorceress…or Sorcerer…is infinitely larger then any puny soul any normal human being has. It would take millions of souls to recreate one Sorceress soul…perhaps even billions…do you see what I'm getting at?"

Rinoa pulled at the chains. She grunted and strained her muscles, the chains straining in their place as she desperately tried to reach up to the Queen to tear her throat out. "You bitch!!" Rinoa spat, her rage evident. "You're going to slaughter billions of people just to revive your war-monger race!? You're insane!!"

The Queen simply sighed as she watched Rinoa squirm in her chains…before lifting her hand, waving it over Rinoa's body, a purple light emitting from the palm. Immediately Rinoa's body atrophied as the Stop came into place, Rinoa's body like rock but still able to blink and hear. Walking over to her the Queen placed a hand on her shoulder, almost like an old friend. Rinoa thought it felt like the clammy paw of the devil. "I should have known you wouldn't have understood. You have no idea what it's like to be alone…completely and utterly alone. Even when I discovered and activated the Tidus' purely by accident, the excitement of finally finding other people were only short-lived. They were all like watered-down wine, weak and bland. My people were full of fire, of life! They were never still, they were always moving or doing something – poetry, art, war, fighting, magic – their skills were renowned throughout the universes. You must've seen all the murals and statues around the Tidus'? It's because once my kind ruled those lands, ruled them with a firm iron fist of peace and love, punishing the wicked and rewarding the just."

The Queen sighed, squeezing Rinoa's shoulder again. "…It is unfortunate that you wont be around to see it happen. You see, I am almost ready, but I'm missing something – I'm not quite powerful enough yet. Your Time Compression powers will push me way past my peak, and give me enough energy to see my plan through – but in order for it all to happen, I must have the right amount of souls."

She dropped her hand from Rinoa's shoulder suddenly, looking up at Aqual. "Heal her, feed her, then put her back in the cell." She looked down at Rinoa once more. "You are a great listener, Rinoa – I think, out of all the Rinoa's I have killed in order to gain their power, you will be the one I regret the most."

And with that she turned and sauntered out of the torture room, leaving Aqual and Rinoa alone.

Aqual waved his hand over Rinoa's face, letting the Dispel rid her body of the Stop, before placing a hand on her wounds, the Curaga healing them completely. The magic was so powerful that her scars were almost completely eradicated – where kleptoids, a very disfiguring scar associated with massive burns were supposed to be, were nothing but small blotches of white across Rinoa's tanned belly.

The pain was completely gone, and Rinoa let out a sigh of exhausted relief. Never in her life has she experienced something so horrible. The memory would stay with her, she was sure – but at least she would be able to tell Squall that she told them nothing, that she had been strong like him.

She started suddenly when Aqual ran his fingers lightly over the scars, the suddenly gentle touch causing goosebumps to rise on her flesh. "What – what are you doing?!" Rinoa gasped as his hand began to trace further up her skin.

He smiled down at her, Squall's face masking a demon's mind. "My Queen's body is much like yours…I wonder just how much?"

"I'm warning you…" Rinoa said through gritted teeth, trying to keep her emotions in check. "You touch me anymore…and my Knight will kill you."

Rinoa found it hard to mask her surprised when Aqual lifted his hand off her chest and stood back a little, his own face blank as he looked down at her. "Yes…your Knight…I wonder just how strong he is? He managed to match me in almost every aspect in our fight recently…I wonder how he would react if I revealed my true power?" He smiled then, looking down at the forge behind him. "It doesn't really matter anyways. We are prepared for the eventuality that they will come and rescue you. They have no choice. It is only a matter of time…and then, he will not escape."

There was a calm confidence in his voice that made Rinoa uneasy – and yet, at the same time, made her hopes soar. They've fought already, and neither of them were killed? Squall escaped? Yes! He's still alive – they're all alive! "They'll come for me – and then you'll see just how good SeeD are." Rinoa said triumphantly.

Aqual looked down at her for a second, a smirk slowly spreading on his face. "You are extremely right." He said.

*          *          *

The next Revolutionary died, the LionHeart jutting out of his chest steaming with his blood before being torn out, allowing him to fall to the ground. Squall moved away from him to run up behind the next one in the tunnel, blissfully unaware of any of the SeeDs deftly sneaking their way into the catacombs under the castle.

This one got decapitated with a brief swing of Squall's sword, the man's body remaining upright as the rest of the SeeDs slipped past him before it's knees buckled and it fell to the ground to join it's head.

The guards, it seemed, had only been posted within the tunnels leading to the catacombs, only strengthening Squall's former realisation – that the 'Revolutionaries' had been nothing but a clever ploy by the Queen to get the SeeDs to come with her. The fact that he had been duped so easily, plus that they had stolen his Sorceress right out from underneath him boiled his blood and fuelled him – he moved with twice as much speed as the others, killing the guards as if they weren't alive at all – merely obstacles that he stomped on his path back to his love.

The others had learnt not to get in his way, simply holding back and making sure that the guards were dead before following the leader.

Finally they spilled into the major catacombs – the Revolutionaries' Hideout.

But there was no hide-out.

Where there had been tables covered in maps, file cabinets and papers lining the walls was now just empty space. Where there had been livening quarters was just an abandoned couch and nothing else.

Stealing into the living quarters, the SeeDs saw that the beds had been stripped of everything but the frames – pillows, mattresses, blankets – they had all been taken overnight. "My gods…" Julius breathed as he moved through the caves. "It's like a ghost town…it looks like no one ever lived here…"

Squall said nothing as he stole deeper into the caves to where they had stashed their packs.

SeeD Code number 304, subsection C36 – in case of base being compromised, all equipment must be placed in designated hiding places until it is safe to retrieve.

Squall wasn't certain if it was safe to retrieve their backpacks – but he didn't care.

Going to his room, Squall squatted next to the bed-frame and pulled it aside, away from the wall. Gripping a rock about the same width as he shoulders, he heaved – and pulled it out of the wall like pulling a plug from a drain.

Within the hole beyond were the SeeD packs, their Orihalcon metal gleaming in the soft flickering fire-light still smouldering in the walls.

Pulling them all out, he handed everyone their packs, making sure to double-check all of them before handing them over – no obvious tracking devices or booby traps, and nothing missing. It looked like no-one had found the stash when they stripped the place.

Strapping his pack to his pack, Squall stood, holding two packs in his hands.

One was Zells. Hesitantly he handed this over to Veronica, who accepted it solemnly.

The other was Rinoa's.

Biting his bottom lip, he handed this over to Trish. "Keep this safe. You'll have to give it to her the moment we get her back – cause as soon as that happens, we'll be leaving. Got it?"

Trish nodded, taking the pack and looping her arms through the straps so it rested on her chest.

Squall nodded, before turning to the rest of the team. "They'll be expecting us, but if I'm right, they wont be expecting us so soon. We attack hard, we attack fast. We do not stop for anything except Rinoa. She is the only thing that matters right now. Clear?"

Everyone nodded solemnly.

"Get changed. We'll move out as soon as we're ready."

The mission was on.

*          *          *

At the bottom of the pool the rock sat in it's place against the wall, blocking the entrance to the tunnel. Still shrouded in shadow even in the midday sun, it looked like some kind of elongated, fat creature sleeping against the wall – a Cactuar without arms or legs.

Around the pool stood a number of Hearts, their weapons all trained on the rock. There were scores of them – at least a hundred in total, every one of them poised for attack, as if they knew that the SeeDs would enter the castle that way.

Not a one of them saw the fibre-optic camera peeking out of a small hole between the rock and the entrance, the little camera-on-a-wire looking left and right, up and down, before slipping back into it's hole like a Caterchipillar burrowing into the soil.

Squall had to be held back by Julius subtly, the hacker putting his body between the gunblader and the rock, as Julius looked down at Trish. "Well?"

Trish put the optic-fibre camera back into her sneaking-pack and sighed sadly. "There's a friggin squadron of them out there. All dressed in either Orihalcon or Adamantine armour. All with their weapons trained on the rock."

Squall pushed forward slightly – to be stopped by Julius. "All I need is five second…" Squall growled. "Five second out there and I'll…"

"…Be cut to ribbons by their fire and magic." Emily finished for him.

Squall looked at her, his face impassive – before he looked down at the blazing sword in his hands. "…whatever."

"Look, we cant enter this way. Lets just go back and figure out another way." Veronica said.

"No…" Julius muttered, shaking his head sadly. "Even with the front courtyard destroyed by Squall last night, this is the best entrance to the castle. It's within the walls, which means there can only be a set number of guards to defend it, plus we know our way around this area cause we've been in here before. It was by pure luck that we ran into each other last night – I don't wanna go through all that again."

"So, we plan." Emily muttered. "Anybody got any ideas?"

Trish bit her bottom lip, trying to think considering the situation…before smiling a sly grin. "How about a bit of slight-of-hand?" She asked, reaching into her pack to pull out what looked like a grenade.

Veronica smiled and rolled her eyes. "I don't think this is the time for magic tricks, Trish…"

"Oh, but this one is a real doozy. You'll love it…"

*          *          *

It was all quiet outside.

Not one man moved.

Not one muscle.

Not one movement.

The courtyard was full of statues, shining silver in the sunlight.

There was a sudden flash of blue light as something sheared through the rock blocking the entrance, a diagonal slit trailing slowly from right to left – before the top half of the rock slid down to collide with the ground with a dusty clunk, shattering on impact.

Before everyone could open up on the opening, however, something flew out of the new opening, a round black object that bounced on the ground once before rebounding and rolling into the middle of the pool.

The human mind is always learning. Curiosity is one of our greatest assets – and sometimes our greatest downfalls.

So when the hundred-plus soldiers watched a small round object fly out of the opening, naturally they looked at it.

The stun grenade went off like a solar-flare, the brief flash of light brilliant as it blinded each and every one of the soldiers, throwing them completely off guard.

Immediately after the grenade went off there was a second and third flash of blue light – before the rock went to pieces, allowing Squall and Julius entrance into the pool and courtyard. The two SeeDs looked at each other with grim grins – before Julius took the left and Squall took the right.

*          *          *

Up on the battlements Trish appeared in a puff of smoke. Hugged tight to her were Veronica and Emily, who disengaged themselves from her and set out along the escarpment towards the castle.

Trish needed to catch her breath. Multi-teleports were always hardest – but even though, she smiled. The trick to sleight-of-hand – make the viewer look at one hand whilst doing something with the other.

Distracted by the flash bang, the Hearts were now concentrating on the boys, and not paying attention to their immediate surroundings. Whilst the boys held off the men in the courtyard, Emily and Veronica would steal their way into the castle and find Rinoa.

Trish remained behind. As soon as the girls had found Rinoa, she was to be contacted when she would teleport the boys out of the fight.

They just had to hold out until then…

…Although by seeing Squall fight, they had nothing to worry about.

*          *          *

Squall was like a wild animal, his gunblade an extension of his left arm as it flashed and twirled, bodies and limbs flying in all directions as his single-minded quest became all-encompassing.

Men were in his way to his love. They would die. It was that simple.

Julius, on the other hand, was scared shitless. Dodging and ducking, he didn't have time to strategise – single power attacks, massive magic blasts, and the hope that his attacks would knock them into the dicing machine Squall had become.

Throwing himself at three Hearts, Julius grabbed the first and punched him straight in the face, knocking him senseless, before grabbing him by the shoulders and throwing him into the other two. Turning to see two men leaping at him, he caught the first and sent him flying over his head towards Squall – who promptly cut him in two – before turning back to blast the other out of the air with a Thundaga, the electrical current of a full gigawatt of energy – 1 billion watts – lancing straight through the soldier's armour and him, cooking him like a microwave oven and sending him flying into the fifty soldiers he had howling for his blood.

Squall was moving though his soldiers like a man possessed. Deftly slicing one man in half, he blasted one out of the air with his gunblade before throwing a hand into another's face – and burning his head off with a Firaga, the man's cooked shell toppling to the floor before being replaced by two other soldiers.

They all leapt at the SeeDs, some screaming robotic battle-cries, others simply running up to die. The SeeDs were in control, on top of things – but it was only a matter of time before they were taken down.

A sword managed to intercept Julius' path, neatly slicing his left bicep open – before the sword wielder got his adamantine helmet crushed with his head inside. A bullet flew true and slammed straight into Squall's torso, deflecting off his collar-bone and exiting somewhere near his neck.

One Heart, on a suicidal dash towards Julius, held both hands out with a Demi fully charged, the dark Gravity magic pulsing blackly in his hands as he approached Julius – to receive a kick to the head, sending him and the Demi flying wildly.

The soldier crashed into the wall of the pool and stayed there – but his Demi flew madly into a group of his fellow soldiers, hitting one square in the chest. His body was instantly compressed into a small cube the size of a Gil, the gravity sucking anything else close in with it, including weapons, soldiers, and pavement of the pool.

Heat and cold flew erratically in all directions, electricity lacing over whole scores of men in a wild attempt to reach the SeeDs. Purple lights and blue magic also blazed through the middle of the pool, hitting men left right and centre – but always missing their intended targets.

Smashing his gunblade into a man's midsection and cutting him in two, Squall kicked the still standing legs into a group of advancing soldiers before placing his gunblade on his shoulder and pulling the trigger, blasting three men off their feet blindly as he raised a hand to fire a Meltdown at the group who had been taken down by the legs.

Rubble and dirt flew everywhere, as well as blood and saliva, limbs and torsos, weapons and armour. Bodies littered the floor like falling leaves in autumn, and as the SeeDs grew more and more tired, only more and more soldiers ran from the castle to die.

Suddenly coming back to back, Julius ducked as Squall decapitated a man's head beside Julius before turning back to arrest another's sword as it was swung down at his head. Cutting the sword in half, Squall jammed his gunblade deep into his chest, the tip of the blade sticking out of him – and allowing him to blow another few men off their feet in the process. Kicking the dead body off his blade, Squall took the opportunity to reload his gunblade whilst stealing a glance behind him. "You alright?" Squall shouted, spitting out some teeth he had lost when a man slipped in through his defences to smash his fist into Squall's face.

Julius tore the adamantine helmet off a man's head before caving his face in with a sucker-punch, then grabbed his body and lifting him up high above his head blocked a staff from cracking his skull, the staff breaking on the dead body instead. Julius' falling attacker landed before Julius – who promptly kicked him in the balls and tossed the dead body into his arms before blasting the two of them from the pool with an Aero. "Fine!" Julius called back, bleeding from a cut to his temple. "You?!"

"Never better!" Squall shouted, slamming a fresh clip into the LionHeart and chambering a round – before jumping up and into the fray, screaming like an animal as his sword disembowelled three men at once.

I could learn from him…Julius thought as he turned back – to see another man with a staff coming at him. The soldier stabbed the staff out at Julius, who ducked and weaved around the weapon every time it stabbed out at him – before Julius grabbed the staff and wrenched it from the man's hands, smashing it across his face then turning and stabbing it into the man who had been sneaking up on Squall, using the body as a platform to pole-vault over the melee-fest that was Squall and crush two men underfoot. Grabbing a soldier and curtly breaking his neck, Julius picked him up by his arm and leg and swung him around and around, taking soldiers out all around him in a gigantic circular pattern.

The SeeDs were covered in blood, the floor becoming slippery with it as the bodies continued to pile up around them, their strength beginning to wane as more and more soldiers continued to pour out of the castle to replace their fallen comrades.

"C'mon guys…" Trish whispered anxiously, watching hidden in the battlements high above. "…Just a little while longer."

*          *          *

Rinoa could hear the battle outside. The cries and screams were able to be heard even from her cell down underground.

She looked down at the little slit in the door, remembering when Aqual had tossed her in. "We're prepared for him, you know." He had taunted. "He'll never survive the initial onslaught. We have more men in the castle now then we could ever have, and every single one is at the pool. Even your Squall isn't stupid enough to come in through the front – that would be suicide."

Rinoa could tell that Aqual had read Squall right. He had come in through the pool – but, against all odds, he was battling the Heart army face-to-face in a bid to rescue Rinoa.

She sighed sadly yet wistfully. He's going to get killed…for me…and there's nothing I can do about it…

Without warning the door to her cell splintered in a massive crash, the door bursting open and allowing a soldier to be sent flying into the wall just above her head. She quickly jumped out of the way – for no reason at all. His body was stuck in the wall, crumpled into the stone like a folded piece of paper. He was deader then dead.

Rinoa looked at the door – to watch Veronica poke her head around the door. "There you are!!"

Rinoa had never been happier in her life to see the two girls.

*          *          *

Squall's arms had just began to burn with fatigue when there was a sudden crackling over his ear-piece. "Squall, we've got Rinoa! Get ready to leave!" Veronica shouted over the sounds of something metallic shattering.

Squall turned to Julius. "Julius! Time to leave!"

Julius nodded – before being swamped by masses of men, the Hearts suddenly converging on the tall fist-fighter in one massive sweep.

Squall blanched, cutting another man in two – before spinning and, throwing his LionHeart like a spear into the chest of the nearest soldier, turned and pointed his hands at the pile.

In an instant he had Julius' paramagical signature in his mind. "Float!" He cried, casting the magic quickly before ripping the gunblade out of the man's chest and twisting to cut the legs out from under an advancing soldier.

The pile suddenly began to Float up into the air – before the men grasping desperately for a hold fell to gravity's pull, dropping off the massive collection of soldiers – to reveal Julius, still kicking, with several men hanging off of him.

Julius began to rise higher up into the air as he knocked the rest of the men off of him, kicking one of the men hanging onto his leg off before head butting the next, dropping them into the group that were desperately trying to jump up to him to pull him down.

Now having been suspended in mid air for over a minute, Julius pulled his hands high above his head, paramagical energy crackling in the air as he pulled energy from the very depths of his soul for the final attack The very air around him burst with supernatural power as he drew back breath to utter the word of power – the word that would unleash hell. He only hoped to the Gods Squall would get out of there in time.

"ULTIMAAAA!!"

Thrusting his hands down to point at the shining soldiers, he saw the dark figure of Squall suddenly disappear in a puff of smoke – before an ocean of power was dumped into his hands and unleashed, the gigantic ball careening down to eradicate everything and anything in it's path.

Even with the Orihalcon armour the soldiers were screaming as the Ultima destroyed their bodies and turned them to ash, the pool and a good half of the courtyard crumbling around them as they were simultaneously exposed to explosive power beyond comprehension and gravity so heavy it liquefied your body as soon as you were exposed to it.

The dark ball of death churned beneath Julius as his Float kept him high above, safely out of harms way…before the Float was suddenly Dispelled by an unseen force.

Suspended in mid-air for a brief nano-second, Julius could only gulp before he began to fall to his certain doom –

 - Arms wrapping around his chest -

*          *          *

 - And then he was standing in a dark hallway, Rinoa and Squall in each other's arms and in tears as they were reunited, Emily standing away guarding the corridor for any intruders, and Veronica running up to Julius herself.

Veronica jumped into his arms, silvery tears crawling down her face as she saw the state he was in. Covered in blood and almost beaten senseless by the numerous foes he had just met, Julius could only stagger back into the wall under Veronica's weight – squashing Trish in the process, who had teleported to him in mid air, saving him in the process.

"Hey! Get off!!" She cried as Veronica peppered Julius' face with kisses – before pulling him off her and hugging her too for saving him.

*          *          *

At the balcony overlooking the courtyard Aqual slammed his fist into the stone guard-wall, the rock crumbling easily under his strength. "Dammit!" He was sure his Dispel would have taken the blond one out – but no, the thief had saved them once more.

The Queen, lounging on a couch overlooking the fight, glanced up at her Knight with an amused smile. "Something wrong, dear?"

Aqual looked down at her with rage in his eyes – before seeing the look she shot at him, her eyes making his spine turn to ice. "N-no…I was just certain my men would have taken them before they had enough chance to kill that many."

"How many did they kill?"

Aqual did some quick arithmetic. "…Around two hundred."

The Queen smiled. "A nice start to the Well Of Souls then…" She said, jumping to her feet lithely and running into the room behind her.

After a second she remerged, carrying what looked like an arcane stone bucket, masses upon masses of symbols scratched into the stone lining the opening and lid. She smiled at Aqual – before opening the bucket and pointing it at the destruction down below.

As soon as the top was off there was a brilliant pulse, a wave of light that swept over everything like a shockwave. The pulse washed over Aqual – and then he saw them.

Lights. Thousands of them, floating through the air haphazardly, the bulbs seeming to emit some kind of fluorescent light that changed colour erratically like some kind of rainbow waterfall. "My gods…" He gasped, turning to see more floating into the room behind them. "What are they?"

"In one Universe they are called Pyreflies. The name is rather sufficient, don't you think?"

The Queen looked down at the bucket and waved her hand over the opening, muttering something under her breath – before the pyreflies began to be sucked into the bucket like some kind of vacuum cleaner, the multicoloured vapour-trails the only remains before the small glowing baubles were all in the bucket – and the Queen placed the lid on top.

She turned to her Knight, walking up to him and handing him the item. "And now, you will guard two things with your life – Me, and the Well Of Souls. Now come…we must see these SeeDs off."

He nodded obediently, which earned him a kiss, before he was led back into the chambers.

*          *          *

Squall burst through the doorway, his LionHeart held in one hand, Rinoa held in the other, ready for anything. Now that he had found her, he wasn't letting her out of his sight for one second. Seeing her come out of the prison cell, gaunt and afraid after only a day of capture, her face stained with tears, her clothes tattered and shredded – she looked like she had been through hell, a hell that Squall could have prevented had he not been so pigheaded and gullible…

He steeled himself, looking down at Rinoa, who looked up at him and hugged tightly to him. She was wearing a new shirt, something to quickly throw over her ruined one. She's been so strong…so I will be strong.

Julius bundled up behind them, looking left then right. "The Arch we came through ought to be this way." He said, leading the way.

Coming to a couple of massive doors, the SeeDs opened them quickly to walk into the throne room, the room as regal as it was before…

…but now it was filled with soldiers. Men lined every wall, every door. As the SeeDs turned to escape the doors behind them closed – to reveal more soldiers, clad in Orihalcon, their weapons trained on the SeeDs.

Wounded as he was, Squall snarled, slashing his LionHeart through the air. Julius cracked his knuckles wearily, getting ready for another pounding. Emily's eyes began to glow a bright blue as she prepared to crush the skull of the first man who approached them. Veronica hefted her staff anxiously, hoping she would be strong enough to beat off a few. And Trish simply whimpered.

"Oh, please, enough dramatics." A melodious voice said from the drapes in the back of the room. "We've seen too many people die today, haven't we?"

*          *          *

The SeeDs watched as the curtains were pulled aside – to reveal the Queen dressed in a splendid purple robe, Aqual by her side with what looked like an ancient jar tucked under one arm and the Queen's hand in another.

Julius froze. She looked nothing like the vision in the photo. This woman was so much like Rinoa it almost hurt.

Squall himself tenses as he watched what looked like Rinoa and himself walk down a small set of steps, Rinoa's walk with a slight, almost childish spring in her step, Aqual with a robotic demeanour about him. The two Universal Twins locked eyes, shards of lightening being traded, no love lost from their fight last night.

"Good to see you're still up and about, SeeD." Aqual spat.

"You wont be seeing long after I do to you what Azel did to Zell…" Squall growled.

"Oh gods, come off it…" Someone called. The SeeDs turned to freeze once more. Azel, dressed in his shining armour and red cloak, stood behind them. He must've been hiding with his soldiers when the fighting had started. "…It was only a Flare." Azel continued, running a gauntlet-covered hand through his short-cropped blond hair.

Trish made a step forward – before Emily grabbed her and pulled her close.

Squall, also, had to keep Rinoa from making off at the Queen.

They were completely trapped. No way out.

This is it. Squall thought to himself, watching as Julius and Veronica also came close and linked hands. I never would have thought it would have ended this way…so far from home…He was so tired. He felt like he could sleep for a week. His face and body were a collage of injury – they hadn't taken the time to heal. They didn't have any time.

Now their luck had run out, it seemed.

Which was why the surprise hit Squall so hard when, at the Queen's gesture, the soldiers with their weapons drawn holstered and sheathed them, moving away to disappear into hidden compartments and curtains, melting away until there were only Aqual, Azel, and the Queen remaining.

Squall was beginning to hyperventilate. Not only was he afraid for himself, his friends, and his Sorceress, but now he was completely and utterly confused. "What…what are you doing?!" He blurted.

The Queen said nothing as she turned and waved her hand to a wall covered in heavy purple drapes, the drapes lifting – to reveal an Arch. Activated. Serene. The purple light emitted from it's liquid-like portal almost inviting.

She turned back to the SeeDs with an innocent smile. "This will lead you to your world."

Squall slashed his LionHeart out to block anyone who went to approach the Arch. "No! It's a trap, it has to be!!"

The Queen sighed. "I understand that you've been through quite a lot, Mr. Leonhart, which is why I'll forgive your insolence for now. But you ought to take my generous offer whilst you still can."

"A one time offer, so to speak." Azel said from behind them with a smirk.

The Queen smiled at Azel. "Yes, quite…" She said, before turning to the SeeDs once more. "All I want from you in return is to organise something for me."

"Yeah?" Trish growled. "What's that?"

"An army to fight."

All the SeeDs blinked – except for Rinoa. "No…no, don't you understand?! If you revive them all they'll do is kill you and each other, just like they did before!!"

The Queen nodded. "If that is their prerogative, then that's what will happen. However, seeing as I'll be the one to resurrect them, chances that they'll revere me as a goddess is more then likely." She said with a maniacal smile.

Squall shook his head. He had no idea what was going on, or what the hell they were talking about – all he knew was that there was a way out, and they needed to take it. "Fine. We'll do that. As long as you guarantee us at least a few months to prepare."

Azel walked up to Julius and pushed a piece of paper into his hand. "There you go, nerdlinger. Exact numbers of our forces to give you an idea of what to look out for, as well as our armaments, battle stats, and all the other useless crap I don't deal with." He walked away, waving his hand dismissively at the piece of paper. "Statistic…how fucking boring."

"There are also coordinates for a planet to fight on – a War World. The ancient Angels used to use it for their wars – now we can use it for ours." The Queen said…before nodding and beckoning to the Arch. "Right! Well! Off you go!"

*          *          *

Squall blinked – before turning to Julius. "Julius, Veronica, you go first. Me and Rinoa will go second. Emily, Trish, you take up the rear. Keep the SeeD lines open at all times – if anything happens, we'll all be ready for it."

The SeeDs all nodded and moved out in a disciplined fashion.

Azel snorted at their military workings. "Geez, if it was me I'd be sprinting for the friggin thing…" He muttered, scratching his nose. "Look at em go! Do you realise we could have killed you outright more then once when you were on this miserable planet? Just piss off already!"

Julius and Veronica steeled themselves as they approached the Arch – before walking through.

Squall and Rinoa were up next. As they back into the Arch, Aqual spoke up. "I look for ward to our re-match, SeeD." He called to Squall.

"…Whatever." Squall muttered before disappearing from view.

Trish and Emily were last. Emily beckoned for Trish to go first – but Trish held to her firm. "We both go or we don't go at all." She whispered into her ear, looking her straight in the eye.

Emily looked like she was about to pull away, her eyes unreadable – before nodding and turning to go with Trish.

Before they entered the portal, however, the Queen spoke up. "The Smoke Demon isn't gone, you know."

Emily whirled suddenly, looking at the Queen with rage in her eyes. "What do you mean?!" She growled, only barely held back by Trish.

The Queen smirked – before Azel stepped in the way of Emily's vision. "Taking too long!" He announced – before giving Emily what looked like a gentle shove to the chest.

The pure strength of the push kicked Emily off her feet, collecting Trish with her as they hurtled through the portal…

*          *          *

…to be greeted by the Almaj mountains on the horizon as they tumbled off the platform moving up to the Great Arch to fall into the dusty ground of the Crater.

Trish and Emily tumbled over the edge in a sudden panic – to be caught by two SeeDs at the bottom at the last second, the two mercenaries looking down at the girls in amazement. "By Hyne…they made it!"

The rest of the team looked over the edge. "Are you alright?" Veronica called.

Trish looked up weakly and gave a thumbs up.

The landscape had changed since they had entered – before it had been barren with only a few tents here and there for the Guards and scientists. Now there were buildings, quickly placed all around the Arch, almost like a tiny village. Amazing how things can change when you've been gone for a month…Squall thought to himself as he looked down to the houses – to watch as one of the doors were flung open, the cottage releasing what looked like a very flustered Carpenter.

The Commander-In-Chief of all the Gardens ran to the scaffolding, taking the steps two at a time to finally approach Squall and the others, who had collapsed with exhaustion now they were in safe hands. "Commander Leonhart! What the hell has been going on?! Where the hell is Dincht? Why haven't you been giving your status reports?"

Squall shook his head. The man looked like he had just been woken up from a nap, his brown hair tousled, his clothing wrinkled. It was obvious he didn't exactly care about the state of the team. "Sir…" Squall muttered, managing to push himself to his feet, Rinoa still holding loosely onto one of his hands as he pulled off his pack and dropped it to the floor with exhaustion. "…The mission was compromised before we even begun. We've had spies working against us since the start…and Zell…" Squall tightened his jaw. "Zell's dead, sir. We failed the mission."

Carpenter looked like he was about to blow a sprocket. "What the fuck do you think we're paying you people for, dammit?! Get back in there and kill that Sorceress!!"

Squall narrowed his eyes. Strange…Carpenter has never acted like this before… "Excuse me, sir, but did you just hear me?"

"All I heard were excuses from a failed SeeD!! Now move out, gods damn it!"

Squall shook his head in disgust and sat back down heavily, letting Rinoa rest her head against his shoulder. "It would be best to wait for a briefing before we send a fresh team back out, sir. Until then, we need rest. We just fought the entire Heart Army to get out, and we're not going back in until we're properly recovered."

Carpenter looked lost. He stood there, seemingly unable to believe what the gunblader was saying – before turning and stalking off. "Briefing in exactly fifteen minutes, Mr. Leonhart! My Cottage!" He shouted over the sound of the wind as it picked up – before he vanished.

"Asshole…" Veronica muttered, hugging close to Julius.

They were beat. They had fought so hard, raged hell over four different universes, only to come back to an unappreciative commander. It didn't help moral.

Rinoa tugged on Squall's sleeve and pointed at the magic dampener on her neck. "Can you get this off me, please?"

Squall nodded, finding the release mechanism and, grabbing a small knife out of Trish's sneaking pack, opened a panel and ripped out a few wires. A couple of sparks and a short later, and the thick necklet was off Rinoa.

Gripping the metallic device and throwing it up into the sky, Rinoa pointed her finger at it – where it exploded into a million pieces. She lay back on Squall, smiling up at him. "Thankyou."

Squall nodded, his face absent. "Now we're back…and safe for the time being…I can only think about Zell…"

Rinoa nodded. "We…we ought to be the ones to tell Ma…"

Squall nodded again, lying back on the scaffolding. He was too tired now. He needed rest. He needed to sleep. He needed…

Rinoa stood suddenly, grabbing at his hand. "Come on!"

Squall blinked. "Now?! But…we need to debrief Carpenter." He said meekly. It was an excuse really. He just…didn't feel like telling Ma the news now.

"If not now, then we'll never do it!"

Squall scowled at her – before nodding. "Very well…lets go…"

*          *          *

"And that's about it, Zell. In a few days from now we will begin to prepare for War. Judging by the information given to us by Azel, we're going to be needing as many men as possible – and Gaia will not be enough. We're going to have to recruit from different Universes – Earth, Te'Get, possibly even Crisp now we know what we're dealing with there."

The hologram of Squall sighed, looking away from the Moomba for a second at someone, before looking back into it. "In the doll are the co-ordinates of the War World. If you do ever receive this message, just remember that there will be U-Twins – impostors – who will stop at nothing to try and dupe you. So remember this line – 'Slayer, Hunter, Pilot, Saviour, Sorceress, Leader'. We'll use it to make sure that you're you, and I'm me."

Squall looked down at the ground suddenly, his voice breaking at the last sentence, before Rinoa came into the picture, hugging him close as he began to sob. "He'll get it…I know he will…" Rinoa said, her voice distant and tinny as she reassured the gunblader – before the hologram shut down.

Zell sat back in his chair. So much had happened. He had missed out on so much, it was unbelievable.

The Sorceress Queen wants a War with our Universes so she can resurrect her dead folks…Zell wondered, trying to replay everything back in his mind all at once. And by the sounds of things, she's going to need billions of souls to do it…

He stood slowly, collecting the Moomba from the table. The little doll meeped up at him, causing him to stroke it's fur absently, making it snuggle into his arms and purr mechanically. They thought I was dead…but they made it anyways. That's…that's…

He came up to his bedroom and looked in. Angel…Dee was sleeping in his bed peacefully. Thankfully the recording didn't wake her…although he was going to have to show it to her. Oh Angel…do you think I'm alive too? Or do you think I'm a goner like Squall?

He slept on the couch that night. It was uncharacteristically uncomfortable.

*          *          *

Enjoy that? Sheesh, these chapters are getting LONG!! My hands hurt!! Wheyhey, 13,000 words?! 29 pages?! Faaaark…if you find any spelling or grammar mistakes, please don't give me too much crap. You know why. Don't give me that, you do too!!

Well, the long-awaited sequence has finally arrived. Yup, you guessed it – the next few chapters will be all on the Universal War – and we get to pick back up where I left off with Zell! Yay!!

Keep reading and reviewing, and I'll continue giving myself arthritis typing this bad-boy out! BOOYA! I'm getting excited!!