Savior
By Leanne Ashley


Quick summary: (AU) SeeD battles Ultimecia & her followers. When a prophecy foretells the coming of a savior (Sorceress Rinoa) SeeD, led by Squall, is ordered to protect her from Galbadia's assassins as she journeys to defeat Ultimecia. Squall/Rinoa

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chapter 5: Pay Close Attention
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rinoa stood perfectly still next to Headmaster Cid as he continued the declaration speech. Hands clasped nervously in front of her, she watched the crowed uneasily. They stood outside the gates of Garden in front of the entire Balamb population. It would've made anyone nervous.

"… she will journey to the Gates of Time and defeat Ultimecia once and for all!"

The crowd cheered.

Rinoa watched numbly. He seems so sure I can do it…

She shifted her brown eyes to the ground. The prophecy only said that I'd come. It didn't say that I'd win for sure…

Trying her best to maintain a strong, focused composure, she stared straight ahead and kept her eyes from straying. Unintentionally, Rinoa kept looking back to the corner of her eye where she noticed him. Standing on the other side of Headmaster Cid, Squall also stood with a perfectly solemn disposition. Arms kept behind his back and a frown plastered on his expression; he seemed to be glaring at the crowd.

I bet he's angry at me for lying…

Without attempting to make eye contact, Rinoa turned her eyes back to the crowd. Not realizing that as she did so, Squall's cerulean eyes quickly glanced in her direction.

"If there are any non-believers who have yet to be convinced of our miracle, then witness now, the powers possessed by our Sorceress!"

As Cid finished, he stepped aside and gestured for Rinoa to come forward.

She took in a deep breath and stepped towards the center of the platform.

Without finding it a necessity to conceal her identity, she was no longer wearing the dark cloak that had covered her face. Her hair was now free to stream gently in the breeze across her shoulders. Rinoa, with a light blue duster that touched her ankles, wore a simple dark colored ensemble underneath. She was dressed nothing like what they'd expect a typical sorceress to be wearing. She was more casual; ordinary; practically human.

As Rinoa stepped forward, she closed her eyes deep in concentration and raised an arm high above her head. The crowd gasped as transparent white wings formed on her back and spread out far to the sides of her. She opened her eyes. They were blank, emotionless. She looked to be in a trance as she swayed slowly in an almost dream-like state. Wings still spread behind her, she walked forward slowly, staggering almost as she did so. Lowering her arm down to eye level, Rinoa pointed it out towards the crowd. Immediately, everyone turned in the direction she gestured towards.

Screams of panic were heard all around as two giant reptiles suddenly appeared. Squall and the other members of SeeD quickly brought out their weapons and were prepared to attack when Cid raised his hand, signally them to let Rinoa continue. The crowd began to separate, leaving a distinct pathway between the lizards and the sorceress. She didn't even seem to realize they were there as she continued to sway slightly, seemingly disoriented.

Almost immediately, the two lizards charged in her direction. Spectators quickly dodged out of the way as the green colored beasts jumped past them and practically flew to where Rinoa stood. Squall gritted his teeth as he debated with himself on defying orders. Holding out his gunblade, he was preparing himself on running forward when Rinoa suddenly lifted her arm back in the air. Almost effortlessly, a blast of energy seemed to spark from her hand just as the two lizards neared but a mere couple feet from where she stood. The wave of energy engulfed the monsters and they disintegrated almost instantly.

There was silence. The crowd was in awe.

Rinoa slowly regained her composure as the wings on her back faded. Her eyes returned to normal as she blinked rapidly to restore her focus.

The crowd began to cheer.

She bowed at them tiredly and stepped back. Rinoa had suddenly appeared exhausted. Cid stepped forward and returned to addressing the audience. "A banquet will be held tonight in celebration of Sorceress Rinoa's arrival!" he yelled over the excitement. "Everyone is permitted access on Garden grounds to attend!"

As the spectators continued to cheer, several staff members of Garden quickly stepped to Rinoa's side and began escorting her off the platform. Squall stood stiffly, arms folded across his chest. What's the big deal…? I could've killed off those things in a second by myself. Far from being impressed, he watched as they took her away. She had… wings though. I guess there's no doubting she's a sorceress.

He remembered when the angelic white wings had extended from her back. As they spread out, one had unfolded right in front of him. The sheer blanket of feathers had been just out of his reach…

Confused, he wondered why he couldn't shake the image out of his head.


"Zell, are you still angry about what happened?"

"Angry? Heck no! Embarrassed is more like it."

Irvine chuckled and took a sip of from his champagne glass. "Next time, go easy on the drinks before making a snap decision."

Zell sighed and rested an arm on the other boy's shoulder. "It just seems ironic that I went chasing after a women who was Sorceress Rinoa's complete opposite."

"You mean Fujin? The Captain of the Galbadian army? She's a lot closer to being a sorceress than Rinoa is." Irvine paused to take another sip of his drink. "She's an evil woman. You're lucky she didn't kick you in the face for jumping her."

"Yeah, yeah…" Zell muttered. "See Squall anywhere?"

Irvine tilted his head in the Commander's direction. Squall stood leaning against one of the large marble pillars in the room, casually sipping on a glass of champagne. "Avoiding everyone as usual. You'd think he'd be happy that he found the sorceress."

It was the night of celebration for Sorceress Rinoa's arrival. Everyone in Balamb, as well as other neighboring towns, had come to attend. But because the Garden and its ballroom were only so big, a crowd had began to form outside of the main entrance. People arrived from all over baring gifts and prayers, hoping to at least see, if not meet, the young women who would save their lives.

Zell couldn't help but laugh. "He doesn't even flinch when he's around Rinoa while every other guy in Balamb's already fallen in love with her."

Irvine nodded with a sly smile. "Hard to believe she's a sorceress. She's definitely not ugly."

"Definitely," Zell added. "Say… where is our guest-of-honor?"

Scratching the back of his neck, Irvine scanned the room. "I think she's still outside. You know, meeting with the people who couldn't get in?"

"Man, this place is the most packed and she's not even here!" Zell shifted uncomfortably in his place. Once again he was forced into wearing his formal SeeD uniform. "Think I'll go talk to Squall. Be right back!"

"You do that," Irvine replied. "I'm gonna look around for Selphie. That girl is sexy in uniform!"

Zell laughed and ran across the ballroom to where Squall stood rigidly. "Yo! S'up, Squall?"

The young Commander looked up at him tiredly from his glass, but didn't respond.

"Heh-heh, I guess you're cranky cause I almost sent you after the wrong person, huh? But hey you found her yourself, right? So put it there, man." After rubbing it against his shirt, Zell extended his hand to him. Squall eyed his hand momentarily and went back to sipping his drink, a small smirk forming on his lips.

Zell chuckled and shook his head. "Hah, even if you aren't mad, you're still the same." "Well, that's typical of you," he said, turning to leave. "See ya!"

Squall nursed his drink as he shifted his attention to the skylight, bored of watching the dancing couples in front of him. As one of the top authority figures in Balamb Garden, he was expected to attend the event. Forced to, even. He would've rather stayed in his room.

Watching the skylight, a shooting star streaked itself across then night sky, grabbing his attention.

"Pretty, isn't it?"

Squall turned and to his surprise, Rinoa was standing next to him.

"What?"

She smiled at him and pointed a finger to the sky. "The shooting star. Pretty, isn't it?"

He shrugged. "Whatever."

As he tried to remain aloof, he couldn't help but take notice of the way Rinoa was dressed. She wore a short, cream-colored dress that hugged her shapely figure. Surprisingly, he found his eyes wandering over her when she glanced away, slightly discouraged by his cold behavior.

She quickly turned back as if receiving her second wind. "Dance with me?"

Squall frowned slightly without responding. She should already know the answer to that.

Rinoa ignored his silence. She wasn't going to give up so easily. "I know you must not like me very much, Squall. And you'll probably only dance with someone you do…" She brought her hand up to his face and waved it in a circular motion. "So how about this? You're-going-to-like-me... You're-going-to-like-me..." She giggled coyly. "Did it work?"

Squall looked at her oddly, amused by her playful attitude. "I can't dance."

This time it was Rinoa's turn to frown. "Yeah, I can't either. What's that got to do with it?"

Is she for real…? "It kind of has everything to do with it."

"Well," she said slowly, casually scraping her white heel against the ballroom floor. "I've never had the opportunity to dance like this before. Looks like you haven't either. So…" Without warning, she reached forward and grabbed his wrist. "Let's just pretend we know what we're doing! We'll make it up as we go along!"

Before Squall knew what was going on, the pushy brunette was already dragging him to the middle of the dance floor. "What are you doing!? We're just going to embarrass ourselves!" he protested in a hiss.

She smiled at him from over her shoulder. "Hey, if we go down, we go down together, right?" Rinoa stopped suddenly, causing Squall to bump into her. Quickly, she took hold of his hands. After placing one on the side of her waist, she took the other and entwined his fingers between hers. Everyone in the large, elegant ballroom seemed to stop and stare as the Commander of Balamb Garden and the beautiful young Sorceress danced awkwardly together in the center of the dance floor.

"Ow!" Rinoa yelped through her laughter as Squall clumsily stepped on her foot. "Okay, we don't have to go with the music! Let's just…" She slowed her pace and moved closer to Squall. Wrapping her arm tighter around his neck, she pressed her cheek up against his. "This is a bit easier. There's something I have to talk to you about, Squall."

Squall wasn't sure how to react as he felt the warmth of her body pressing against him. He had never been that intimately close to a woman before in his life. It was an almost surreal experience; he felt comfortable and yet, uncomfortable at the same time. The feelings he had been experiencing ever since he met Rinoa were completely foreign to him, and as a result, they were pushed away more in his confusion.

"Why are you holding onto me like this?" he asked.

With her cheek still against his, she brought her rose-colored lips to his ear. "I don't want anyone else to hear. Do you know where the 'secret area' is? I overheard some people talking about it today."

He nodded. "Inside the training center. It's where students secretly meet up after curfew."

"Would you meet me there later?" she asked. "I'd like to talk to you about something…"

"Can't you just tell me now?"

"That was my intention, but unfortunately…" Rinoa pulled away to face him and shifted her mahogany eyes quickly to the left and back again. Squall turned around and followed her gaze. Approaching them was a small group of Balamb citizens who had just been permitted access into the Garden.

The two of them quickly separated and Rinoa stepped forward, bowing at them politely. They handed her gifts and began talking all at once.

"Rinoa, please watch over my family."

"Please don't let Ultimecia harm my children, Rinoa."

She could only nod at them in reassurance. "I'll do my best."

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed the Commander turning to leave.

"Squall…" she called to him.

He stopped and looked back at her from over his shoulder. "I'll… see you in a bit."


Running full speed towards the abnormally huge wasp, Squall jumped in the air and slashed it across the gut with his gunblade. The wasp screamed at him in fury and swiped at him one last time before falling to the ground. He dodged the attack easily and ran deeper into the artificial jungle, searching for another monster to challenge.

It was a little after midnight and curfew was in effect. The training center was the only place open after hours and Squall had arrived some time after the banquet had ended. He hadn't seen Rinoa anywhere so he decided to get little practice in to kill time.

Much to his surprise, he soon found himself standing smack-dab in the middle of a family of Gnats; large, green, plant-like monsters. He cursed to himself but readied his weapon anyway. There were at least eight of them, but he was never one to back down from adversity.

The monsters surrounded Squall and just as he was about to strike the one closest to him, a figure in light blue emerged from the woods. In a blur of white, he caught a glimpse of crystalline wings, as Rinoa seemed to jump over the Gnats and to his side. The wings vanished and she stood by him with her back to his.

"Want some help?" she asked breathless.

"Not really. Were you just going to blast them away?"

Rinoa shook her head. "Waste of energy. Besides, where's the fun in that?"

"Exactly what I as thinking," Squall agreed. "But I thought you didn't believe in 'needless bloodshed'?"

She raised her arm in the air, revealing a projectile-like blaster edge attached to her forearm. "We all have our own definitions of 'needless' when it comes to bloodshed." Though she couldn't see it with their backs turned, Squall couldn't help but smile slightly at the fact that she had quoted him.

"Humans, no. The monsters that seek to harm humans…" She aimed her weapon. "…Sometimes." Releasing her weapon, she sent a sharp disc hurling towards one of the Gnats. In one quick motion, it sliced through the monster's side and back to where Rinoa stood. She caught it effortlessly in midair and snapped it back onto her forearm. The monster hissed and hunched itself over from the pain. Momentarily, it ceased to move.

"Not bad," commented Squall. "Think you can handle more?"

"Sure. Do you want to make a game out of it?"

"A game…?"

"To see who can kill off the most in the shortest amount of time."

"You're kidding me."

"Too late. I accept the wager!" With that, Rinoa ran forward and fired her weapon at another Gnat. Now wearing her usual ensemble, the light blue duster flapped behind her as she skillfully dodged the Gnat's snapping, vine-like arms.

Squall ran forward in the opposite direction. Holding out his weapon, he sliced it past two Gnats and quickly made his way toward another. "But I didn't wager anything!" he yelled over his shoulder.

Rinoa jumped onto a boulder and flipped herself in the air to catch her weapon as it flew back. After she had landed safely back on the ground she yelled back at him. "That's okay! You don't always have to do things properly, right?"

After Squall had killed off another Gnat, he frowned to himself in confusion. No one's ever said THAT to me before…

Glancing in her direction, he watched as she carefully aimed her weapon at another approaching enemy. His eyes narrowed when he noticed another monster coming up from behind her. Rinoa didn't seem to sense it advancing.

Squall darted quickly in her direction and brought his weapon down hard on the Gnat behind her, slicing it in half with one quick motion just as Rinoa successfully killed off the Gnat that was in front of her. She turned around in surprise when she realized what he had just done.

"You need to pay attention more," he told her sternly.

Just as he finished those words, Rinoa raised her weapon in the air and fired at a Gnat that was approaching Squall from behind. The monster was instantly thrown back from the assault. She giggled and elevated an arm in the air to catch her weapon as it flew back at her. "You were saying?"

Rolling his eyes, he caught Rinoa's weapon in midair before she had a chance to. "Very funny," he muttered as he tossed the metal disc to her.

Walking toward a slight clearing, Squall lifted several branches out of the way and gestured towards it with his gunblade. "Secret area's past here."

Nodding, she clasped her weapon back into place and walked into the clearing Squall had opened up for her. Once there, she saw a narrow metal walkway. A small, out of the way exit door for the training center stood at the very end. They walked in silence across it.

When they finally reached the half open door, Rinoa immediately felt a rush of cool air pass her by. Squall opened the heavy metal door for her, revealing what looked to be a balcony that overlooked most of Balamb Garden. She gasped at the breathtaking sight. Though everyone was most likely asleep, the Garden itself seemed to possess a life of its own during the midnight hours. Its neon blue lights seemed to reach out to her in its quest to brighten the night sky.

Squall didn't seem to notice it as he walked to the edge of the steel roof. Turning his back on the view, he propped his arms up behind him on the metal railing. "So talk," he said quickly, purposely emphasizing his impatience.

Rinoa, still taking in the view, strolled to his side and leaned casually over the railing. "I wanted to apologize to you, Squall."

"For what?"

"About the other night… I should've told you who I was. I didn't mean to hide it from you like that."

He raised his head and looked towards the sky. "Don't worry about it."

Rinoa turned to face him, her eyes fixated on the ground. "It's just… you seem so angry about it."

Squall quickly shook his head, letting strands of his bronze-colored hair fall into his face. "I'm not angry," he said simply, casually brushing the strands to the side. "But it would've been easier for you just to tell me rather than fake an injury."

She brought her eyes up in surprise. "Fake? No, no. I didn't fake it." Looking back over the railing, she sighed. "It's just this body I was given… I can get injured like everyone else and feel pain like everyone else… only I heal faster." She giggled softly to herself. "I guess I should apologize for that too."

"Don't bother," he said shortly. "I understand what you had to do."

Satisfied, Rinoa propped her arms on the railing and rested the side of her head against them. It was a fair enough answer. "How long have you lived here, Squall?" she asked suddenly, changing the subject.

He returned his gaze to the sky overhead and searched his memory. "As long as I can remember. I came here as soon I was old enough to leave the orphanage."

She raised her head in interest. "What happened to your parents?"

"I don't know."

"You don't remember them?"

"Not really."

"I guess I can relate," she said looking away. "I've never had real parents either." Except…

Squall turned around and let his arms rest on the railing alongside her. "Rinoa?"

"Yeah?"

"Where is it… you come from?"

Smiling thoughtfully to herself, she leaned against the steel railing and pointed imprecisely to the sky. "Somewhere out there," she said simply. "I was never too sure myself."

A look of skepticism crossed Squall's face. "So how exactly did you get here?"

"I don't know."

"You don't remember?"

"Not really."

He was about to question her further when he noticed her trying to muffle her laughter. He scowled when he realized Rinoa was giving him the exact same answers he had given her earlier and in an identical tone of voice.

Fine. If she doesn't want to tell me, I won't bother.

As she continued to giggle, he looked away in annoyance. "Are you finished?" he asked with a sigh. "It's getting late."

Rinoa immediately stifled her laughter and smoothed back the strands of black hair that had fallen over her face. "Sure, lead the way. Actually…" she paused to adjust her weapon. "Feel like going for another round?"

Squall frowned at her questionably. "What are y—"

"Great! Same wager as before!" She flung open the rusty, metal door and ran immediately towards the woods. He watched her run off… dumbfounded.

"Come on, Squall!" she called over her shoulder.

After Rinoa had completely vanished into the woods, he quickly grabbed his gunblade and began chasing after her into the heavily forested area. Convinced that it was purely out of competition, not concern.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chapter 6: The Alley
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

"This is for you, Rinoa," a young Garden student said as he handed the yellow flower to the Sorceress. "Thank you for coming to fight for us."

Rinoa smiled gratefully and held the delicate object to her nose, taking in its sweet fragrance. "Thank you very much," she said with a bow. "It's beautiful."

The young boy nodded and quickly moved to the side so yet another student could present her with a gift.

Quistis, who had been taking a walk with Rinoa that afternoon, waited patiently by her side. I wonder what it'll be like AFTER she defeats Ultimecia… "You've become popular pretty fast," she joked.

Rinoa, now holding a small bouquet in her arms, smiled up at the older blonde. "It would seem that way."

"Looks like you have a bigger fan club than Squall."

Rinoa laughed in surprise. "I didn't know he had one."

"It consists mostly of girls obviously. The more he rejects them, the more attracted they are to him. It's a mystery to me."

"Oh… why does he reject them?"

"I guess because…" Quistis paused to search the back of her mind. "…He's not really looking for anyone. Squall's always been kind of a loner."

Nodding as Quistis spoke, Rinoa frowned slightly to herself. I don't even know why I'm asking about it… It shouldn't even concern me in the first place…

"You've been here for several days now, haven't you? Made any close friends yet?"

"Well, there's you," Rinoa pointed out with a smile. "Also Irvine and Zell. They were the only ones to start a real conversation with me at the banquet. And just the other day I was admiring the decorations in the quad and I met Selphie. She had so much to so say about the upcoming Garden Festival… I really admire her vision." She paused then, looking down at her feet as they shifted against the pavement. "Squall I've gotten to know too, except…"

"…He doesn't really fit into the 'friend' category." Quistis finished for her.

Rinoa nodded. "Has he always been like that?"

"You mean 'cold', 'selfish', and 'broody'? We thought he'd eventually grow out of the whole isolation phase, but he seems pretty content that way." She rested a hand on the brunette's shoulder. "Just remember that if he says anything rude, he doesn't really do it to intentionally hurt your feelings. It's just the way he is sometimes. We've all learned to adjust."

"I see…"

As the two girls turned the corner, they saw Headmaster Cid walking down the hall in their direction.

"Oh, Rinoa!" he called out suddenly as he looked up from the folder he was carrying. "How are you finding everything here?"

"Good afternoon, Headmaster Cid," she acknowledged with a bow. "Everything's perfect. I love it here."

"Very good! Keep in mind we're having a strategy meeting tomorrow concerning your journey. The first day of the alignment is in several days. We must prepare soon."

"Yes, of course," Rinoa said as she casually looked past him to where the front gates of the Garden were in her view. "Umm… Headmaster Cid?"

"Yes?"

"I'd really love to go out today. Maybe go into town?"

Cid looked at her surprised. "Into town? But Rinoa… surely word has spread about your arrival! I'm almost positive Galbadia has heard by now… We're quite concerned about the assassins they may initially send after you…"

"I'm sure she'll be okay…" Quistis suddenly spoke up. "Just as long as she's with bodyguards." She laughed softly. "And if there are assassins, I'm sure they'd have to be careful of HER. I mean, with those powers and all."

Rubbing the back of his neck with uncertainty, Cid sighed. "Well… I do hate to keep you locked away now. Especially since you'll be leaving on the journey soon." He stopped to straighten his glasses. "Go ahead then. I'll send some of the high-ranking SeeDs with you for protection."

Rinoa immediately smiled with delight. "Thank you, sir!"

Cid nodded hesitantly and began walking past them. "Be very careful though!" he warned over his shoulder.

"Will you be coming with me, Quistis?" Rinoa asked, turning to the older girl.

Quistis shook her head. "I'd love to, Rinoa, but I have a class to teach. I'm sure you'll be safe with whoever Cid assigns."


I knew it… Squall thought bitterly. I knew I'd end up babysitting her.

Squall, Zell and Selphie had been appointed Rinoa's bodyguards for the day. While Selphie and Zell were grateful for having received a day-off to spend time in Balamb, Squall had been rather annoyed at the fact that he had been pulled away from his training.

Making it her business to be Rinoa's tour guide, Selphie kept close her side while Squall and Zell lingered behind to keep an eye on the area. Noticing Squall's resentment of the situation, Zell slapped him hard on the back. "Loosen up, man! We aren't doing any real work today."

Frowning at Zell's playful abuse, he pushed the blonde away to maintain his distance. "Just keep your eyes open."

"What for? Rinoa can take care of herself. If anyone attacks her, she can just blow them up!"

"No, she can't," Squall said sharply. "It's not her will to fight humans. Anyone who thinks that way can't take care of themselves."

"Oh…" Zell said as he lowered his voice. "Does she… judge us for that? I mean, we kind of make a living out of it."

"Surprisingly, no." Squall answered slowly. He looked straight ahead and watched her as she laughed at something Selphie told her. "She never says anything to make you feel bad about it."

Zell looked at him curiously. "How do you know all this exactly?"

Ignoring his question, Squall continued staring straight ahead. His sapphire eyes darted around when he realized Rinoa was no longer in sight.

"Shit… Where the hell did they go!?"

Zell, who had just tuned in, began turning around frantically and standing on his tiptoes to see over the crowd in front of them. "Whoa! This place got really crowded all of a sudden! I can't see them anywhere!"

Squall began pushing his way into the crowd and was suddenly smashed into by Selphie. Breathless, she rested her hands on her knees and tried to speak between gulps of air.

"Where's Rinoa?" Squall asked impatiently.

"I don't… know…" the tired girl managed to breathe out. "Things got really busy. I turned around… and… she was just… gone!"

"Where did you last see her, Selph?" Zell asked.

"See where all those people are shopping? In there somewhere!"

Great…"Let's go then." Squall ordered as he continued clawing his way into the crowd.


Pushed roughly against the alley wall, Rinoa tried to shake off the hand that was clasped tightly around her wrist. She was exceedingly confused. One minute she had been walking with Selphie, the next she had been grabbed roughly by the arm and was pulled quickly into one of the emptier streets of Balamb.

"Galbadia doesn't look kindly on those who threaten Sorceress Ultimecia!" a deep voice hissed.

As Rinoa's eyes adjusted to the dim light, she noticed several men standing around her. "Let go," she warned quietly.

One of them laughed. "What are you gonna do? Use your powers on us? We've heard the stories… you don't fight people!"

She backed up timidly against the wall behind her. "I don't know what you're talking about," she whispered.

The other man released her wrist and ran his hand down the side of her neck. "We're Galbadians, we're not stupid. You know, they said you'd be pretty..." Rinoa jerked away from his touch. Immediately, the man slammed his hand back under her chin. "It's a real shame we have to do this, but you give us no choice." Holding Rinoa against the wall by her neck, he reached behind him as one of his companions handed him a dagger. "This is for Ultimecia."

He lifted the dagger high above his head. Rinoa shut her eyes and waited for the deadly penetration… but none arrived. She quickly opened her eyes when she heard the man yell out in surprise.

The man stood struggling as Squall held back his wrist. With one quick motion, the young Commander bent back the man's arm, dislocating it instantly. As he fell over in pain, Squall casually walked past him and stood protectively in front of Rinoa with his gunblade out infront of him.

"If you even touch her, I'll rip you apart." Squall threatened.

He was quickly joined by Zell and Selphie. They stood ready in their fighting stances but knew it was no regular fight. The men in the alley were high-ranking Galbadian soldiers in disguise. They held at their disposal, weapons that no ordinary Galbadians would possess.

The leader of the squad stood up, cursing silently as he grasped his arm. With an odd smile on his face, he gripped his elbow and jerked his arm up, popping the bone back into place.

"You don't know what you're dealing with, kid," he told the Commander darkly. "There's ten of us and three of you. Just hand her over."

"Not a chance!" Zell hissed. "Bring it on!"

Selphie swallowed nervously. She couldn't fake confidence as well as Squall and Zell this time. They had always avoided fighting the higher-ranking Galbadians. They were no where near as easy to defeat as the regular soldiers.

The leader, still holding onto the dagger, began mockingly tapping Squall's gunblade with it. The other men laughed.

With a small smirk on his face, Squall pressed the trigger on his gunblade, sending a small, fiery explosion in the man's face. He was thrown back instantly into the man standing behind him. This time, the only one laughing was Zell.

Furious, the squad leader rose quickly to his feet and gestured for the others to advance. In an instant, it was an all out brawl between the two sides.

Rinoa watched from the sidelines, expressionless to the events that unfolded in front of her. Squall, Zell and Selphie fought bravely for her sake even though they were grossly outnumbered. She could feel their pain with every strike they bore.

Suddenly, a splash of blood scattered across the pavement by her feet. Her eyes widened when she realized Squall had received a deep cut through his shoulder. He ignored the pain continued on.

There's too many of them… they'll be killed…

Rinoa clenched her fist as the fight raged on. She really had no prior knowledge to their capabilities... could Squall and the others win against such odds? From the corner of her eye, she saw Zell being kicked to the ground. His face was scrawled with blood from the cuts on his lip. Even though fatigue was against him, Zell got up quickly and continued to fight.

Rinoa couldn't watch anymore. By the second, more and more blood was being splattered around her; a horrifying symphony of red.

"STOP!!"

A white light burst from her as her wings unfolded. The light engulfed them as they stopped fighting to shield their eyes.

Squall struggled to see, but the white light seared his vision. Everything around him went quiet. Finally, the light began to fade. As he stood, he placed a gloved hand to his shoulder with surprise. The gash on his shoulder had been healed. All that remained was the rip in his jacket and the blood-soaked fabric.

Did Rinoa do this…?

Narrowing his eyes to see past the slowly disintegrating white light, he saw her. Rinoa stood seemingly exhausted. The wings had vanished. She swayed unsteadily, just as she had when she defeated the two lizards at the proclamation. Her eyes remained hauntingly blank as she stumbled forward.

Squall ran quickly to her and caught her before she hit the ground. "Hey!" he called to her. "Rinoa! Are you okay?" He placed an arm under her neck and placed her gently in his lap. Rinoa's eyes were now closed, but he could still feel her breathing.

Looking around, he finally saw what she had done.

Zell and Selphie stood unsteadily. They were now completely conscious and free of injury. Past them; however, the Galbadian soldiers lay still. Rinoa had sacrificed her beliefs and her energy to keep her friends from harm. The Galbadian soldiers were dead. Rinoa had killed them all.

They walked silently to where Squall sat. Selphie kneeled by his side and brushed the strands of hair out of Rinoa's face.

"Wow…" she murmured softly. "She did it to save us…"

Squall looked away bitterly. He felt ashamed of his failure.

She… had to save…us…

The alley darkened then. He looked up as rain began to fall softly from above.


Authors note: To be honest, I felt that I rushed these chapters... not good P But I also made it my goal to finish at least two chapters every week... haha... so... you know. How do you like Rinoa's character? I wanted her to be a non-fighter, but I didn't want her portrayed as "weak" either (hence the scene in the training centre) So basically, she IS capable of taking care of herself, but hurting mankind isn't something she does (haha which didn't last long.. she's already been pushed over the edge) The story's no where close to being finished :D I have so many CRAZZYYY ideas!