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 9: Just Her
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Squall's deep blue eyes stared out intently while the mist of seawater brushed his skin. As his brown hair ruffled gently in the breeze, he stared back down at the map being displayed on the ship's control panel.

Their destination wasn't clear, and neither was the outcome of the journey. It was all happening so fast. He felt discouraged with the short amount of time he had and the very few options he was given. When would he be allowed to just sit and think things through?

Squall, along with Zell, Quistis, Selphie and Irvine were chosen as Rinoa's protectors. They would travel together towards the Gates of Time: an unreasonably vague location. The Gates were a soft spot between dimensions. Once entering, you are in control of time compression. Past, present, and future are compressed until you find the right location and leave immediately to your desired time. The Gates are well hidden for a reason; no one is prepared for the effects of time travel. It is almost impossible to find.

Rinoa; however, could feel the energy of time magic revolving around the Gates. It was a pulsing signal she felt repeatedly throughout her veins. She couldn't pinpoint the location specifically, but she knew which direction to head.

Before leaving Balamb, Rinoa had momentarily turned away in hesitation and Squall had seen it. Though she had recovered quickly and walked cheerfully into the ship, the point was clear to him: Rinoa didn't think she would come back. The way she said goodbye to everyone without reassurance of return… how she stopped to gaze at her surroundings before leaving… Squall had only watched her in silence.

He glanced to his side. Even now, he couldn't help but watch her. Rinoa stood across from him leaning against the ship's railing. She stretched out her arm to the sea as she let her fingers dance vicariously in the breeze.

They had only been travelling for several hours that morning. The ship would take them as far as the next continent. After that, they were on their own to travel on foot. Squall, who had been assigned squad leader of the mission, stayed up at the top of the ship to keep an eye on their directions. Rinoa had only joined him recently; the others stayed below deck playing card games to pass the time.

Still watching her from the corner of his eye, he frowned when he remembered the comment Seifer had made to him.

What the hell was he trying to say by calling her MY property…?

Although he had felt strangely possessive after seeing the way Seifer was looking at Rinoa, he had shrugged it off thinking he was only being protective of her safety. After all, it was what he had been told to do, right?

I've probably been the one spending the most time with her—people are starting to imply things, he thought in annoyance. I don't even mean to be around her that much, but all my orders seem to revolve around her in some way.

Rinoa continued to look out over the ocean. Her hair ran across her shoulders and out behind her as the wind passed her by.

People can think whatever they want. She's just a friend.

He turned away from her and tried to remain focused on the map.

Barely… I only just met her.

Even so, Squall no longer showed reluctance when it came down to her. He would remain true to his oath: he'd do what he could to protect her. He would make sure she had a chance. Why should she sacrifice her life so that others, including the people trying to kill her, could be saved? It just didn't seem …fair.

He heard her footsteps approaching against the metal grating.

Standing by his side, she looked down at the control panel, or rather, his hand as it rested against the side of it.

"I like your ring," she commented.

He nodded. "Thank you."

She observed the engraving thoughtfully. "What's this monster on it?"

"It's not a monster," he told her with a light tinge of annoyance in his voice. "It's a lion. They're known for their great strength and pride."

"… Great strength and pride…" she murmured with a smile. "Kinda like you, Squall."

He shrugged. "I wish…"

"So does this Lion have a name?"

"Griever… I'm not sure where it came from."

"Well, it's very nice. I wish I had something like that." She turned her attention to the map. "So how much further, Commander?"

"Don't call me that," he said shaking his head. "We're almost there. You can already see the continent ahead."

Suddenly, Squall heard the sharp sound of steel scraping against the back of the ship. His eyes narrowed with suspicion as he placed a hand on the handle of his weapon.

Before he turned the corner, he glanced back at Rinoa.

"Go below deck," ordered Squall sternly.

He ran quickly to the back of the ship and peered over the railing.

Sure enough, a small steel boat had attached itself to their ship. He glanced around quickly. The small boat was empty.

Someone's here…

He turned around sharply, as his basic instincts took him over. Almost void of all focus, he began running full speed towards the front of the ship.

Rinoa…


After watching Squall leave, Rinoa kneeled quickly to open the latch leading to the lower deck. As she opened the door, sunlight fell upon the others.

"Hey, close that, Rinoa!" Zell protested, shielding his eyes.

"Sorry!" she apologized. "I think something's up. Squall heard a noise."

Irvine, who had been resting against the wall with his cowboy hat covering his face, tipped it up and took hold of the rifle by his side. "I'll go check it out with him. What kind of noise was it?"

"I'm not sure…" she said as she placed a foot onto the descending staircase. "I hope it's nothing—"

In split second before she could finish, a figure threw itself upon her. Before they knew what was happening, Rinoa and her attacker were sent tumbling over the ship's railing and into the rushing waters.

"RINOA!" Squall yelled out suddenly. He had turned the corner just in time to witness the charge.

The others rushed quickly out from the lower deck. As Zell took hold of the control panel and reversed the ship, they leaned over the railing and searched for any sign of Rinoa within the deep blue water.

A crash broke through the liquid surface as a man erupted forth gasping for air. Clad in black, the man was fairly huge with several weapons mounted to his belt. As he wiped the matted hair from his eyes, he smiled eerily at them.

"I drowned your only hope of survival!" he sputtered, the seawater spewing from his lips and out in clumsy spurts. "Ultimecia shall reign!!"

Irvine raised his rifle in the air and promptly shot the man in the head. The sea fell crimson as the man in black floated lifelessly in his newfound state of extinction.

Selphie scanned the water desperately, the wind blowing her trimmed locks of hair over her eyes. "R-Rinoa… H-He didn't…?"

Without hesitation, Squall shrugged off his jacket and dove over the railing into the red colored sea.

Like an electric shock, the sudden rush of cold water paralyzed his senses. Squall shook it off quickly and forced his body to adjust. He searched frantically for any sign of Rinoa but his vision was blurred by the cloudy formation of scarlet death around him. He could only hope that the blood was not that of Rinoa's.

He reached out blindly infront of him and opened his eyes suddenly when he felt it. Squall reached out again. His fingers grazed the palm at first… and then against Rinoa's slender fingers. Grabbing hold of her wrist, he pulled her into his arms. Her eyes were closed peacefully; lost in a deep sleep as Squall forced them both to the surface.

He broke through the liquid cage and gasped for air as he pulled Rinoa up beside him. She leaned lifelessly against the base of his neck as he swam her over to the ship.

Reaching over the railing, Irvine quickly took hold of Rinoa as Selphie and Quistis both helped Squall out of the water.

Zell, still in control of ship at the panel, tried to peer past them in frustration. "What's going on over here!?" he yelled in desperation. "Is she okay!?"

Quistis knelt beside the young sorceress and searched for a pulse. She shut her eyes in denial. Her fingers remained pressed against Rinoa's neck even after she felt absolutely nothing.

All the while Squall watched breathlessly from where he lay beside her. The water dripped from his matted hair into his eyes and down his chin, but he ignored it. He could only think of her…

Her.

Her.

Her.

In that exact moment, Rinoa was the only thing on his mind. Why had his perfected concentration been suppressed? Why was he feeling the dread, the fear, …the overwhelming panic? All the emotions remained encased in his cerulean eyes as he struggled to catch his breath.

Quistis shook her head remorsefully. "She's not breathing…"

Squall's hands felt slippery against the steel grading, but he forced himself up, as if clinging to the metal surface meant clinging to her life.

Placing a hand under her neck, he lifted Rinoa's chin and wiped the dripping strands of hair from her face with the other.

We're losing her… isn't there anything I can do!?

Squall ran his thumb gently across her lip before cupping her chin and moving it slightly to open her airway.

I'm not going to let you give up this easily…

He pressed his mouth against hers, hoping that all medical training he had received would finally pay off. He pulled away and began pressing his hand repeatedly above her breast, all the while trying to ignore the faint tingling sensation upon his lips.

The others could only watch in silence as their leader tried heroically to breathe life back into the young sorceress.

Just as he had removed his lips again from hers, Rinoa stirred suddenly. The uninvited seawater spewed from mouth as she coughed up violently. When her glassy red eyes sprang open, she stared up in surprise at Squall, instantly realizing what he had for her. Time seemed to stand still as they stared at one another in bewilderment.

Relieved yet embarrassed, Squall turned away quickly and let Quistis resume aiding her as if nothing had happened. Rinoa, still coughing and gasping for air, blushed furiously and turned away in synchronize.

They all began talking at once. While Quistis and Selphie helped Rinoa sit up, Irvine was slapping Squall on the back for a job well done. Zell pumped his fist in the air from the control panel, "YEAAAH!! Nice one, Squall!"

Squall didn't respond. He got up shakily to his feet and swatted away Irvine's congratulatory abuse.

Rinoa was breathing hard as she tried to speak between gulps of air. Quistis was asking her basic questions to make sure nothing in Rinoa's head had been scrambled from being temporarily shut off from oxygen.

"What's my name?"

"Quistis."

"What's your name?"

"…Rinoa."

"Your age?"

"S-Seventeen."

"Your date of birth?"

"I don't have one."

"Oh! Right, right… I'm sorry… That's okay. I think you're okay."

After Rinoa had calmed down, she sat leaning against the side railing. "What hit me?"

"An assassin from Galbadia," Irvine answered as he turned the corner. He had gone off to observe the boat that was tied to the back of their ship. "I recognized the symbol on the boat. It's from their harbor."

"But I thought Seifer had called them off!?" Selphie yelled in protest.

Squall scowled angrily at the sound of Seifer's name but didn't speak.

"He said none of his army would go after her," Irvine explained in disgust. "That doesn't include the underground cults festering around for Ultimecia. Galbadia's law has a lot of influence."

Rinoa hugged her knees and rested her head against them. She couldn't help but gaze at Squall as he sat across from her against the other railing. He looked angry, confused and despondent at nothing in particular. His icy blue eyes were glaring out into bitter nothingness… it almost scared her.

Squall… she pleaded silently. I'm sorry… I'm sorry for causing you so much trouble…

Squall didn't catch her gaze, nor did he attempt to establish one. He simply sat lost in his own thoughts.

Squall, please don't hate me.

Selphie sat down next to Rinoa and observed her carefully. "Hey… are you cold, Rinoa? You're shivering!"

She shook her head. "It's okay."

The spunky brunette looked around quickly. "Damn! I don't think we have towels or anything!"

Rinoa giggled at her friend's concern. "Don't worry about it, Selphie!" she said with a smile. "The sun's on me… it's good enough."

"Hey!" Zell yelled out suddenly from the front of the ship. "We're almost there! Better get the weapons organized!"

Squall got up quickly and rung the water from his damp white shirt.

"Squall…" she started quietly.

He ignored her and reached for his jacket, which he had taken off earlier before diving into the waters to save her. Without a word, he tossed it to Rinoa and headed below deck.

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Chapter 10: Forget Where The Heart Is
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"Are we there yet?"

The question had been inevitable.

Quistis sighed and folded her arms across her chest. "Do shut up, Zell."

Zell groaned in frustration and continued dragging his feet with impatience.

They had been walking for several hours ever since their boat had reached shore. Rinoa, while wearing Squall's jacket over her shoulders, lead the way. She stopped momentarily every so often to close her eyes deep in concentration. She could feel the Gates of Time, but it was still far from where they traveled.

Squall kept several steps behind her. He had yet to mutter a single word to her since the ship. Why was it suddenly so hard?

Rinoa could feel his presence close behind her, but didn't dare turn around. She knew why she couldn't. Again, the memory flashed by her. After she had woken up, she had briefly felt the softness of Squall's lips against hers. She had known the soul purpose of this contact was to bring her to life, but she couldn't help but innocently think past the intention. A part of her wished she had been conscious for the most part.

She blushed and tried to shake the thoughts from her head. I don't know what you're thinking… she scolded. He just did it to save your life and you're fantasizing like a child.

Hugging Squall's jacket against her, she couldn't help but take in the scent. I wonder what it's like to fall in love… to live like a human… to love like a human…

"It kills."


"It kills them, Rinoa," Shiva said calmly.

"Then why do they love?" Rinoa asked as she lay casually in the vast field of flowers. She outstretched her tiny arms over her head and grazed the smooth blades of grass between her fingertips.

"Because it is something humans do, my dearest. They cannot help it."

"But I thought love was suppose to be a beautiful thing." the small girl stated.

Shiva smiled as she knelt down by Rinoa's side. "Of course it is… but only to a point. Love can consume you if you're not careful."

Rinoa smiled softly as the sweet breeze tickled past her nose. "Will I ever fall in love?"

The smile on Shiva's frigid lips faded. She looked away as she ran her fingers through Rinoa's silky black hair. The breeze continued to sway the grass as the carefree flower petals passed them by.

Did you ever put your arms out and spin and spin and spin, really, really fast?

Well that's what love is like.

It makes your heart race; turns your whole world upside down…

But if you're not careful—if don't keep your eye on something still…you could lose your balance. You can't see what's happening to the people around you.

You can't see that you're about to fall.


"Seriously, it kills," Zell repeated.

"What kills?" Selphie asked in annoyance.

"This goddamn rock in my shoe!"

"Oh for—" she placed a hand to her forehead. "Give me your shoe, chicken-wuss! I'll toss it into the river…THEN you'll have something to complain about!"

"Hey, don't call me that!"

Rinoa shook her head and smiled as she heard them arguing behind her. Zell and Selphie had an amusing sibling rivalry even though they weren't the least bit related.

After walking a long time under the warm sunlight, her clothes had begun to dry off. She carefully removed Squall's jacket.

Okay…You can do this. Just turn around and hand it to him.

She turned back to face him and almost immediately, their eyes met. Rinoa blushed as her eyes glanced away quickly to the ground.

Taking in a deep breath, she handed Squall his jacket.

"I don't need it anymore. Thanks though, Squall."

Squall eyed his jacket briefly, but didn't accept it.

"Keep it for now," he told her simply. "It'll be dark soon."

She stared up at the sky. The clouds were already luminous with shades of orange and purple from the descending sun.

With a nod, Rinoa smiled at him awkwardly and continued walking forward. As she pulled the jacket over her shoulders, she somehow felt better. She was relieved that Squall's tone had been devoid of malice.

"Think we should stop for the night?" asked Irvine. They all turned to look at Squall.

Their leader frowned. "If you guys are tired…" he said reluctantly. .

"Just a tad," Zell said with a yawn. "I'll go get us some firewood."


Holding his hand out over the dry sticks and branches, Squall closed his eyes and concentrated his energy. In a burst of light, a small explosion of fire manifested from the center of Squall's palm and into the dried kindling.

The fire ignited quickly, giving light to the now darkened woods.

"I've never seen you use magic before," Rinoa said quietly from where she sat.

He dusted his hands together to shake off the glowing embers. "I don't usually."

She nodded and leaned against the tree trunk behind her.

While Zell and Quistis were already asleep and Selphie and Irvine had wandered off, Squall and Rinoa had been left alone to sit in their awkward silence.

Because he was lost in his own thoughts, Squall hadn't meant to be so rudely silent around Rinoa. It was just the way he was sometimes.

Staring into the dancing flames, the memory flashed through his head again. Rinoa had drowned. She had been dead in his arms and all he could remember was the pain that had rushed over him. Why had it been there? Why had he suddenly cared so much? Everything slowed down once he had touched her lips.

"Squall?"

He looked over to her. "Yeah?"

"Thank you… for today."

Squall stared back into the fire, slightly uncomfortable with her gratitude. "Just doing my job."

Rinoa's eyes fell with discouragement. "Right… Well, I mean, I know. But thank you. I'm sorry you had to go through the trouble."

Confused, he turned himself to sit facing her. "It's no trouble. I'm here to protect you, remember?"

"Yeah…" Rinoa murmured softly. "Pretty bad way to start the journey though, huh?"

He frowned but smiled slightly. "You mean because you died? Yeah, that'll do it. But we were lucky it was only one assassin today."

"You make it sound like there's a fleet after me."

"Just the people connected to Galbadia."

"I see… hey, Squall… why did Seifer really call off his army?"

The sound of Seifer's name always struck a chord within him. He narrowed his eyes and stared off into the distance. "I don't know," he lied. But he had seen the way Seifer stared at Rinoa. As far as he could tell, it was because Seifer had taken a liking to her. The very thought irritated him and he still didn't fully understand why.

"Is it something we should be worried about?"

Squall shook his head. "Just ignore it for now. There's nothing we can do about it anyway."

She frowned, but he noticed a tint of fear in her eyes.

"I guess you're right…"

Before she knew what was happening, Squall suddenly threw himself into her. His body pinned her to the grass as they rolled over onto the damp earth. The sound of rushing objects flew overhead as she heard them hit sharply against the tree she had just been leaning against.

Arrows?

She gasped as Squall reached behind him and pulled an arrow from out of his shoulder.

"Squall…!"

He moved slowly off her and shook his head. "Don't use your powers."

As she opened her mouth to protest, they saw Quistis and Zell clumsily approaching them. Quistis had also taken an arrow to the arm, while Zell promptly pulled out the one embedded in his thigh.

"Well, that's a bitch to wake up to," Zell grumbled. "Are you guys, okay?"

"Yeah," Squall started, but paused. He listened carefully to the familiar sounds in the distance. "Listen… they're reloading."

Rinoa's eyes went wide with fear.

Quistis gritted her teeth as she pulled the sharp piece of wood out of her arm. "They can see us. Those weren't just random shots in the dark."

Squall grabbed Rinoa quickly by the wrist. "Come on. We have to make a run for it."

As they ran blindly into the dark forestry, Squall could hear the nerve-wrenching sounds of the arrow launchers clicking into place. The sound was everywhere and in every direction. It was almost futile to run.

They stopped running when they knew the noise was now directly infront of them. Squall, Quistis and Zell stood ready with Rinoa in the center. They would protect her with everything they had.

Rinoa breathed faster in her panic of the situation.

Whoever was out there was ready.

Aim.

Fire.

The arrows would be coming from every direction. She couldn't stand it. She could hear it now too… the crisp snap of the launchers going off.

"Tomorrow is day one of seven," she stuttered out suddenly. "I can still do this!"

Squall spun on her quickly. "Rinoa, don't!"

But there was no stopping her. The gleaming white wings sprang from her back as she held an arm to the sky.

The hundreds of arrows flying in their direction froze in midair, almost inches from their bodies.

With a gesture of Rinoa's hand, the arrows spun around in the reverse direction. Her entire figure shook as she maintained the balance of every single arrow around them.

Squall, Zell and Quistis, now practically blinded by the amount of light given off by the young sorceress, stared in awe as she casually snapped her fingers.

Instantaneously, the arrows flew back to their original areas of departure at a more magnificent speed.

Rinoa stepped forward uneasily as she heard the surprised screams of men being penetrated by their own weapons.

Her wings folded and vanished from visibility as she stood swaying. Her features remained void of emotion.

Squall got up quickly to catch her before she fell but was surprisingly held back. He tried desperately to move but his limbs refused to cooperate. They were frozen in place.

"What going on!?" Zell cried out. "I can't… move?"

Quistis dug her fingers into the earth for mobility, but they soon gave out. "What's happening to us…?" she yelled out in panic.

Rinoa's eyes stared down at them blankly as she moved clumsily in a drunk-like state. She had been drained of her energy again. There wasn't much keeping her awake.

Before she could take another step, she fell. And an arm seemed to shoot out from no where to catch her firmly around the waist.

Holding her up effortlessly, Seifer sneered down at Squall as he lay struggling to move.

"What's the matter, Squall? You don't look so good."

Squall's sapphire eyes burned furiously into his. "What the fuck are you doing, Seifer!?"

His rival smiled down at the passed out girl he held in his arms. "You didn't think I was gonna let you have her, did you?"

"If you hurt her, I swear to god…" Squall spat angrily.

"Maybe all you need is a little closure." As he finished those words, Seifer lifted Rinoa closer to him and kissed her deeply, well aware of Squall's intense reaction. She didn't stir as he then ran a hand through her hair and pressed his lips to her forehead.

Squall clenched his teeth.

"I forgot to mention," Seifer told him suddenly. "Did you happen to notice that those arrows were poison? Petrification is a good look for you, Squall."

Squall struggled to speak, but the muscles in his jaw were now refusing to work.

He laughed venomously. "I knew she'd use her powers to save your pathetic lives, but why?" Seifer shook his head as he continued to chuckle. "Why, why, why… Guess I'll ask her when she comes to. How long will that take anyway?"

Knowing that Squall was unable to respond, he gently lifted Rinoa into his arms and began walking in the opposite direction.

The young commander was left alone. The poison had already taken over Quistis and Zell, but he knew they weren't helpless. Selphie and Irvine had the medicine and would find them eventually but it was the last thing on his mind. He lay staring after Seifer as he left slowly from view. The raging anger clouding his thoughts as he too, eventually ceased to move.


Authors note: After this i'm only going to be submitting this story one chapter at a time. Rather than make people wait for me to write two chapters (the second one always turning out crappy because I'm tired by the time I get to it) I think I'll just do it one at a time at a slower pace so I can 1) update the story weekly and 2) not have any chapters that are "sloppy" It actually takes a LOT of work to get two chapters done in a week (especially since I have a goal to have each chapter be at least 8 pages long) so hopefully this'll be easier on me. What else... yes, I'm aware that Rinoa seems to be passing out a lot in these past few chapters. That's pretty much it for now so I hope no one's annoyed by her. The scene with Rinoa and Shiva was a flashback to when Rinoa was a child (maybe 9 or 10 years old) The quote about love was originally said by Nicole Kidman from the movie, Practical Magic.