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

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Chapter 7: A Silent Oath
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"She's comatose."

Squall flinched but kept his eyes on the ground.

Quistis, Irvine, Selphie, Zell and himself were standing outside the infirmary as Dr. Kadowaki spoke of Rinoa's condition.

"She used up almost all the energy she had in that fight," explained the doctor shaking her head. "The rush was too intense. She's completely drained."

"So…" Quistis began slowly. "What can we do?"

"Nothing," Dr. Kadowaki stated bluntly. "After enough time she should regain her strength. Maybe then she'll wake up. It's amazing that she's even alive now…"

"Why is that?" asked Irvine.

"If she were a regular human being she'd be dead by now. There's no way a human life could withstand that amount of energy passing through them."

Selphie pressed her hands against the glass window of the medical room. "Can we see her?"

"Yes, you can now. Follow me—" Just as Dr. Kadowaki turned to lead them in, the announcement speaker turned on:

"Would Dr. Kadowaki and the other SeeDs report to Headmaster Cid's office immediately. "

"Must be time to make the report. Let's go. We'll visit her when we get back." The doctor said as she closed the infirmary door behind her.

They all walked reluctantly down the hall as Squall lingered behind.

He stood at the glass window; half watching Rinoa, half avoiding his reflection. She slept peacefully in the medical bed with her arms placed neatly at her sides; eyes unwaveringly clasped shut. Rinoa's skin was eerily pale. Only her lips retained their vibrant glow of color.

Squall watched her with a look of puzzlement on his face. Confused as to why he couldn't make himself leave. There was still something so serene about her even as she slept.

Rinoa…

He frowned at his reflection, and than back at her sleeping form.

Why'd you do it…?


A rush of cold air surrounded them as they opened the doors to the Headmaster's office. They stepped back in surprise as a mist of dry ice buried their legs from visibility.

Squall brought out his weapon instinctively. "What's going on!?"

"Lower your weapons!" Cid ordered from inside. "Just get inside before you cause a panic!"

They exchanged questionable looks and walked hesitantly into the room.

"Sir," Zell began with a slight quiver in his voice. "Did your furnace break or something?"

"Do not refer to my presence as simply the absence of heat." A female voice snapped.

Who… is that?

They stopped and waited for the mist to filter out the open door. As clarity began restoring itself, they could make out the faint outline of a woman standing before them.

Cid walked over to them. "Don't say anything to upset her. She is very angry with us."

"Who's 'She'?" Squall demanded in a whisper.

"Shiva." Cid said as he attempted to conceal his voice. "Squall, you must be the one to speak to her."

"Why me?"

"You have her junctioned, don't you? You're the most compatible with her. She'll listen to you."

Squall sighed and walked forward slowly. He knew he couldn't argue his way out of this chore. Then again, when could he ever?

As he approached the women, her form became more visible. Shiva stood tall as her frigid blonde hair fell stiffly over her shoulders. Running a slender arm behind her neck, she lifted the hair out of her way. Her light blue skin sparkled as the sunlight reflected the crystal she was seemingly composed of.

Squall stopped a few feet from the Goddess of Ice and kneeled before her. She nodded slowly at him in acknowledgement.

"Speak, Squall," she said in a calm, and almost motherly voice. "Tell me of what misfortunes have plagued my Sorceress."

'Her' Sorceress…? "She was attacked by Galbadian assassins. We were outnumbered and they overpowered us. Rinoa…" He looked up slowly to face her. "She had to save us… She hasn't woken up since."

Shiva raised her congealed blue eyes to the others. "Are you all ungrateful? Do you not see or appreciate what she is?"

"We do, Shiva," Selphie assured. "But there were too many—"

"Then you were not worthy of protecting her," Shiva interrupted sharply. "It is imperative that Rinoa need not use her powers until the battle with Ultimecia. This is especially important during the Seven Day Sacrifice."

"What's the Seven Day Sacrifice?" Squall asked her.

"Have you not read it on the stones?" Shiva inquired raising an eyebrow.

Cid spoke up then. "The translation was never completed."

The Goddess shook her head in disgust but continued on. "I will explain. Sorceress Rinoa possesses all the powers of the earth and the Guardian Forces combined. I know this because I had a hand in raising her. But because we had exerted all our energy into giving her these powers, there was not enough to have her born immortal. Rinoa was unfortunately given a human body when she was created…" She scoffed. "We knew a human body could never sustain such energy, but we had no choice. If she were to journey to find the Gates of Time and protect herself along the way, her body would be exhausted. If she was lucky enough to defeat Ultimecia, there's almost no doubt that she herself would die soon after. It is an unfortunate given."

"However," she continued before they had a chance to speak. "That is why the Seven Day Sacrifice was discovered. If, for seven days before the final alignment of the eighth star and the battle with Ultimecia, Rinoa does not use her powers, her chances of surviving afterwards will increase significantly."

"But… this isn't a guarantee?" Squall asked quietly.

"There are no guarantees, Squall," Shiva told him regretfully. "Just like the chance of her dying after the battle is not for sure… but it is close to certainty. We refuse to take any chances."

She turned her attention to Headmaster Cid. "Now… do you see why it is imperative that you assign capable protectors to aid her?"

Cid nodded timidly. "Yes, Shiva. We will be more careful from now on."

"I should hope so…" she replied coldly. "…For the sake of your human race."

Casually whipping her frigid locks of hair behind her, she walked gracefully forward.

"Take me to her."


Squall watched in silence as Shiva placed a hand over Rinoa's forehead.

He couldn't help but feel disturbed by the new revelation. Glancing at the others, he knew they felt it too. Despite the fact that there were ways of preventing it, the bottom like was that Rinoa was on a suicide mission.

How can she do this and still be so… optimistic? Is it really worth it to her? Is it even fair?

So many emotions plagued him at once. He had only known Rinoa for a short time, but that didn't mean he wouldn't care if she got herself killed for their sake. She… was a friend. He actually liked to listen to whatever it was she had to say. She wasn't completely helpless; she was quite skilled at using her weapon… he couldn't help but admire her for that.

Even now she stared death in the face with the weight of the world on her shoulders, and she would smile like it was any other day.

Her only purpose in life was to be sacrificed for others…but, what about her…? Why was she never guaranteed a chance?

If the Seven Day sacrifice was all she had then he'd do it. He'd protect her with everything he had. It was the solemn oath he had made to her as she slept seemingly unaware. The light blue aura shining around her as Shiva clasped her hand.


She opened her eyes as the rhythmic sensation of rainwater continued to fall upon her face. She was still in the alley. Buried behind the walls, the buildings… the humanity. As she lay on the cold, hard pavement, soaked in the rain that refused to cease, she blinked rapidly. Water droplets danced off her lashes as she pinned her focus on her forearm. Her fingers twitched as if after all this time, it had finally sensed the rain.

Rinoa refused to sit up. What was the point? Everyone was gone. She had been left alone in the alley.

Stretching her fingers across the floor's abrasive surface, she rested the side of her head on her arm.

Squall… is this why you act so angrily towards people? Is this why you fight so willingly?

Behind her, she heard the distant sound of footsteps approaching her. The repetitive crash of rainwater drowned out the advancing sound, but she knew it was coming.

Rinoa felt the familiar presence of someone standing behind her. She was too tired to turn around.

"Rinoa…" the soft, feminine voice began.

"What happened to me, Shiva?" Rinoa asked without looking up.

"You wore yourself out. You fell asleep." Shiva knelt down behind her and brushed the wet strands of hair from Rinoa's face. "My dearest," she said softly. "I need you to wake up now."

"Why did they do this to me, Shiva? Why did they make me kill them…"

"Not all humans are worth saving, Rinoa …Not by you. They want Ultimecia as their savior and they will destroy you as a result. You have no choice sometimes."

"What if I can't do this anymore?"

"Rinoa… why did you kill those men?"

"Because…" she blinked slowly, allowing the rain to fall freely over her locked eyes. "Because I wanted to save my… friends…"

"The other humans?"

"Yes…"

"Then," the Goddess said as she stood. "You can still do this." She backed up, watching the girl carefully. "I am lending you what strength I have so you may continue. You need to wake up now."


With a surprised gasp of air, Rinoa sprang up from the medical bed. Squall and the others could only stare in amazement at her abrupt recovery.

Rinoa's eyes, once wide with bewilderment, were now rolling into the back of her head as she fell back as quickly as she had sat up.

Once her head had retouched the pillow, she ceased to move.

"Is… she okay? What was that?" Squall demanded.

Shiva, who stood at the side of Rinoa's bed, glided her hand gently across the girl's face. "She has left her coma. Let her rest for now."

Turning back to the others in the room, she suddenly appeared weak.

"Are you all right?" Dr. Kadowaki asked.

Shiva breathed heavily as her ice filled eyes began to lose their vibrancy. "No," she admitted. "I have lent my strength to Rinoa so that she may recover. I cannot do this for her again…" she shook her head. "It is naïve to think that she can go on from here and not use her powers. If there comes where she must use them prematurely, let us hope the consequence will not be as severe as this. I only hope to assume she will merely faint from exhaustion rather than fall into another coma."

"But if she does…" Cid began slowly. "Could the other Guardian Forces help her just the same as you did?"

"It is more complicated than that. They could all lend her their energy just as I had, but in order to do that you must be able to speak to her subconscious. She cannot accept the energy if her mind is not aware of it."

Looking down at Rinoa as she slept, Shiva knelt weakly beside her. "Rinoa trusts me the most. Therefor, I am the only one able to reach her subconscious." She watched her hands curiously; the sparkles upon her blue skin had lost their intensity. "So you see Headmaster… that is why Rinoa must be well protected… that is why she must only use her powers when necessary… that is why she needs the Seven Day Sacrifice…"

As Shiva's figure began to fade, she got up slowly to her feet and tried to maintain her balance. "I do not have the strength to stay here anymore…"

A light blue aura surrounded her as she vanished in transparency.

Her final words echoed softly just as the light vanished.

"She can't save the world alone."

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Chapter 8: Another Form of Competition
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He plunged his gunblade deeper into the gut of the enraged beast, ignoring the blood as it splattered across his face. The T-Rexaur growled as it struggled to stay alive under the embedded steel.

Losing focus, Squall watched as the growing puddle of blood under the T-Rexaur flowed around his feet.

Removing his weapon with a sudden jerk, he stepped backwards from the puddle. The dinosaur's breathing slowed as it gradually closed its eyes.

Squall grazed his hand across the sharp steal of his weapon, removing the blood with his glove. It was after midnight. He had been in the training center ever since Shiva had left. Between the twitch in his wrist and the growing tension upon his forehead, he felt the need to work out his frustrations in the only way he knew how.

After a while, he had found himself searching for monsters rather than being approached by them. No one ordinarily went looking for a T-Rexaur to fight. The massive dinosaurs were avoided because of their fearsome strength and known reputations to send students immediately to the Infirmary. Squall, on the other hand, discouraged from losing his battle against the Galbadians, was more than inviting the challenge.

Wiping the blood from his brow, he closed his eyes deep in concentration. He could sense another enemy in the distance. As it moved, it shifted the forest with every mobile gesture. The leaves and branches slid across one another as if a gentle breeze were guiding their passage. The sounds, the massive footsteps… it only made him angrier.

He opened his eyes. The burning sapphires darted in the direction of his next target.

With both hands clutching the handle, he kept the blade to his side as he ran into the woods, slashing all that stood in his way.

Catching up to the T-Rexaur, he swung his weapon across the beast's leg. The large dinosaur swung around in anger and quickly retaliated by snapping its jaw at the young Commander. Squall dodged the attack and quickly brought about his gunblade, slashing the dinosaur's cheek. Roaring out its anguish, the T-Rexaur whipped around and attempted to smash Squall with its massive tail.

Squall was hit sharply in the chest as the sudden attack sent him flying into the base of a large tree trunk. He coughed and held a hand to his chest, immediately feeling the bruising pain upon his ribcage.

The T-Rexaur began to walk away, limping from the gash Squall had left on its leg.

Ignoring the pain in his chest, Squall got up quickly and ran towards his escaping prey. He refused to fail.

He clutched the tail of the surprised beast and began to climb it hastily. Before the T-Rexaur could react, Squall moved quickly across its back and to the base of its neck. He raised his gunblade high above his head and plunged it deep into the T-Rexaur's flesh. It died instantly as it clumsily fell to the ground. The dust rose from the impact as Squall forced out his weapon and jumped casually from the bleeding carcass.

Again, blood had managed to spurt across his face. Panting hard, he wiped the sleeve of his jacket over his eyes and whipped it downward to divert it off the already soaked fabric.

Guess that makes three…

Holding his chest, he walked slowly from the blood-drenched scene. As the dust settled around him, he searched eagerly for another predator. Squall's frustrations had yet to be satisfied.

He couldn't escape the guilt that plagued him mercilessly.

She shouldn't have felt the need to help us… he thought bitterly. We should've been able to take those guys on.

Unintentionally, Squall let the tip of his gunblade touch the floor, letting it drag across the rocky surface.

But… even if the fight was a lost cause, why did she sacrifice herself like that? We didn't deserve it…

He frowned in disgust of himself.

I didn't deserve it.

Without looking up, he swung his weapon quickly into the gut of an unsuspecting Gnat. The green monster screeched in pain from the impalement and died promptly soon after. Squall reached over and casually retrieved his weapon.

"Did you leave any monsters for the other kids?" a voice asked behind him.

Squall didn't turn around.

"What are you doing here?" he asked as he wiped the blood off his gunblade. After attaching it to his belt, he turned to face her. "You should be resting in the medical room."

Rinoa, who stood leaning against a large boulder, smiled at him with amusement. "I think I've been doing a little too much of that lately."

"You'd be safer there," he reminded as he walked over to her.

She watched him carefully. "Are you okay?" she asked.

"Broken rib," he told her simply.

Her mahogany eyes widened with surprise at his carefree attitude. "What!?"

Squall rubbed a hand over his ribs and shrugged it off. "Wouldn't have been the first time. It's not a big deal." He walked towards the exit of the training center. "Come on. I'll walk you back."

Rinoa stared at him in disbelief. "Yeah, but—"

"I'll have Dr. Kadowaki take a look at me when we get there. Don't worry about it."

She sighed and followed after him. "Dr. Kadowaki's asleep."

"I'll wait till morning."

He stopped when he noticed the concern on her face. "It's not fatal, Rinoa."

She turned away in embarrassment. "I know… it's just… it seems painful." She looked back at him. "Could I help?"

"No!" Squall turned on her sharply. "Don't use your powers, okay? Just… don't use them anymore."

Rinoa stared up at him in surprise. "I just wanted to help…"

He shook his head. "Don't. The first day of the alignment is tomorrow… and then your seven days."

Walking slowly towards the gates, he left her to stare after him. She smiled softly to herself and turned her gaze to the floor. "You know the Seven Day Sacrifice is optional for the journey. You're… you're willing to help so I can—?"

"Look," Squall began quickly as he turned to face her. "I'll… We'll take care of you, okay?"

She could only smile at him as he spoke those words. "Thank you, Squall."

He looked away and continued to walk. "Don't thank me. I'm the one who should apologize actually…"

Curious, she quickened her pace and to catch up to him. "What for?"

"About what happened in the alley," he said avoiding her gaze. "You shouldn't have had to save us and use all your energy. We should've been able to protect you."

Rinoa shook her head quickly. "I didn't do what I did because I didn't think you could protect me. I just… wanted to protect you. Everyone was fighting and… I couldn't watch it anymore. I had to make it stop."

He merely nodded as they walked in silence to the exit. He held open the heavy door effortlessly with his free arm; the other still clutched against his chest.

Impressed, Rinoa accepted the gesture and walked past him. As she did so, she turned around slightly and stared out into the vast artificial jungle that was the training center. "I'm still wide-awake, Squall. Let's go for one last round!"

Squall shook his head. "Some other time, it's getting late."

He gave her a half-smile.

"And I've got a broken rib, by the way."


"Rinoa, you're awake!"

She rolled over lazily in the medical bed to the familiar voice of Dr. Kadowaki.

Smoothing out her light blue duster, she ran a single hand through her hair and placed both feet on the floor.

"Good morning, Dr. Kadowaki."

As her eyes slowly adjusted to the brightness of the room, she noticed the doctor was attending a patient who sat infront of her in the next room.

"Good morning, Squall,' she greeted.

Squall nodded at her. "Morning."

He sat shirtless on the medical table as the Dr. Kadowaki bandaged his stomach. Even though it was slightly covered, it was obvious to see that he had a firm, muscular body at his disposal.

She looked away smiling to herself. No wonder all the girls are after him…

"Squall, I've told you a million times. Once you break something, either come see me or wait on one of the medical beds until I get here. Don't just keep on fighting like nothing's wrong," the doctor said shaking her head. "I can tell you strained this injury."

He shrugged. "Sorry. Sometimes it's hard to back down."

Rinoa smirked at him coyly.

It hadn't taken much, but the two of them had ran back into the training center searching for prey. It had become a traditional game between the two; fighting back to back, they'd wait till they were completely surrounded and then fight for the highest number defeated. Squall had won obviously, but knowing that Rinoa wasn't one to keep score, he never said anything. He knew she just wanted to have fun.

Sometime in the early morning, Squall had walked her to the Infirmary like he had originally planned. As she fell asleep on the medical bed, Squall had felt too exhausted to walk to his dorm. He sat down in the chair next to Rinoa's bed and watched her momentarily before closing his eyes and falling asleep himself. It was an oddly comfortable rest given the situation.

"How are you feeling today, Rinoa?" Dr. Kadowaki asked.

"Very awake!" Rinoa replied cheerfully.

The doctor chuckled. "After what happened that's good to hear. By the way, I believe Headmaster Cid would like to see you sometime today."

"I'm sure he would," she said gazing out the window. "Day one of the alignment is tomorrow. I can feel the stars moving."

Squall pulled a white tank over his head and hopped off the table. "You have to start conserving your energy the day after tomorrow." He frowned to himself as he put on his leather jacket. "It all seems so complicated…"

"How would you have liked it to be?" Rinoa asked from the window.

"I don't know," he said as he put on his gloves. "Maybe I go to Ultimecia myself right now and stab her once through the chest. She dies and we all live annoyingly ever after."

She giggled. If only…

They were interrupted suddenly when Zell burst into the room. Out of breath, he struggled to get out his words. "Squall… The… They're…"

Lacking patience, Squall rolled his eyes. "Yes?"

"It's… Seifer…"

The Commander instantly narrowed his eyes. "What about him?"

"He showed up with his whole army and took Balamb hostage! He said he isn't trying to start a war… but if he doesn't get to see Rinoa, he'll torch the town!"

"Damnit…" Squall cursed silently.

Rinoa turned from the window. "Who's Seifer?"

"The General of Galbadia," Zell explained. "He said he just wants to talk."

"Seifer never just wants to talk," Squall stated bitterly. "Where are they stationed?"

"Him and some other Galbadians are outside the Garden right now. He said the rest of his army is waiting out by Balamb."

"Okay…" Squall scanned the situation quickly in his head. "Send some SeeDs to Balamb. Make sure they go around and avoid the army. I'll take Rinoa to see Seifer. Have everyone else prepare for battle at the first sign of hostility."

"And Headmaster Cid?"

"I have this under control."

"Roger!" Zell said with an over exaggerated salute. He turned to Rinoa before leaving. "Are you gonna be okay?"

"I'll be fine," she said with a smile. "Thank you, Zell."

He nodded and ran quickly out the door.

"Sounds like you two have a history," Rinoa said as soon as he had left.

Squall frowned at her questionably. "What, me and Zell?"

"You and Seifer."

He hesitated. "In a way…"

Walking quickly out the Infirmary door, he gestured for her to follow. "I got scarred for life from our last battle," he said, running his fingers down his forehead.

Rinoa nodded as she followed him. So that's how he got that scar…

As soon as they had neared the front gates of Balamb Garden, they could already see a large crowd in accumulation of both sides.

Seifer stood, along with about twenty high-ranking Galbadian soldiers, on the other side of the entrance. Like Squall, his cut had also healed but as consequence, a jagged scar between his eyes was left behind.

He smiled when he saw Squall approaching. "Lookin' good, puberty-boy."

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Squall spat angrily.

"Where is she?" Seifer demanded, the tone of his voice sharpening instantly in response to Squall's quick lack of conversational participation. "Where is your Sorceress?"

Rinoa stepped forward from the crowd of Balamb cadets. She wasn't too clear on how she should approach a man like Seifer.

Seifer stared at her in surprise at first, his eyes becoming more intense as he became instantly fixated. Rinoa's captivating features sometimes had a downside.

"So… this is the famous Rinoa," he said as he nodded at her. "It's a pleasure, pretty girl."

Squall glared at him. "What do you want?"

"Relax. I'm not here to start anything." He continued to smile at Rinoa oddly. "Just wanted to see if your little rumor was true."

Rinoa didn't speak. She was growing increasingly uncomfortable with the way Seifer was staring at her.

The Galbadian General walked casually over to where she stood. "I can see that it is," he said as he placed a hand on the side of her cheek. "But I wouldn't dream of killing her now."

Without giving it much thought, Squall shoved Seifer back. "Don't touch her," he threatened.

The crowd of Galbadian soldiers instantly reacted at seeing their General assaulted. Seifer shot up an arm quickly, signally the soldiers to stay in their place.

"Sorry," Seifer said with a smirk. "Didn't know I was on your property."

"What are you doing, Seifer, declaring peace!?" Squall hissed.

"I don't have to explain shit to you," the older boy snapped. "All I can tell you is you don't have to worry. I won't send anyone to kill her."

"So you're calling off your assassins?"

"MY assassins?" scoffed Seifer. "I can guarantee that none of Galbadia's soldiers will try anything, but I don't control the citizens. They work on their own. If they feel threatened and go after her themselves, it's not my fucking problem."

"What the hell was the point of all this then!?" demanded Squall angrily.

Seifer smirked and glanced at Rinoa. "I have my reasons. We'll be going now."

He could feel Squall's intense glare burning into his back. It made him feel accomplished. As they began piling into their vehicles, Raijin, one of the captains of the Galbadian army, walked up quickly to Seifer.

"How'd it go, Seifer?"

He chuckled to himself and stared back at the Garden. "Incredible. I've never seen a girl like that before."

Raijin smirked at him knowingly. "You want her, don't ya'?"

"Everything I want, I take. Did you see what Squall did when I touched her? He wants her too. Hah! Didn't think he had it in him. That just makes her more appealing."

"But uhh… what about her mission? She's a threat to Ultimecia, ya know?"

"I know, dumbass, she doesn't have to be. If she were mine then she'd be with us… Ultimecia could benefit from her powers."

"Then what are you going to do about Squall?"

Seifer sneered. The very name made his blood boil; both in the essence of rivalry and the excitment of sheer competition.

"Let him try and stop me."


Authors note: Sorry for the wait. I usually work on this story during my free time (which I lack) but I'm a graduating this year so you know.. school comes first :D As you can see, I'm developing the relationship between Squall and Rinoa very slowly (Well, slow in my opinion.. especially compared to some of the other fics out there) I don't picture Squall getting into everything so quickly... I'm just working with the little emotions right now (i.e. jealousy) Also, no Shiva didn't "die" she's just drained for now... out of commission, if you will. I got stuck on the "coma scene" for a while cause I wasn't sure if I wanted her in the alley or in the original flower field. But since the alley was where she was last conscious, I figured that was where her mind would remain stationed until she had woken up... if that makes sense o.O haha... I'm tired.