Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to Final Fantasy VIII. I only own the idea for this story.

Chapter 6

"But I don't understand." Quistis repeated. "What are you going to do?"

Squall sighed. "Look at her, Quistis. Look at her. She's weakening. Her pulse becomes weaker every hour, her skin gets paler as we speak. Something is draining her and we can't help her. Not from here."

"But what are you planning to do? I still don't get it."

He pushed her down in a chair. "Remember all those dreams I have? They're real. Wherever they take me, it's real. And Selphie is there too. I'm the only one who can go and try to help her fight it."

"But why you?" Zell wondered.

Squall sat down and shook his head.

"Because he's the only one who has those dreams." The doctor said as she walked into the room. "And we think that's because he was the only one of you who has encountered this sorceress. Are you ready Squall?"

He nodded. "Yeah, let's do it."

He knew Quistis, Zell and Irvine were eyeing him with slight hesitation. He watched as Kadowaki straightened the bed sheets on the empty bed one last time before he walked over to it.

He had glanced inside Selphie's room before coming here. Her skin was no longer white, but a vague hue of grey.

He laid down on the bed and stared at the ceiling.

"Ready."

He closed his eyes and awaited the quick stinging feeling in his arm. When it came, he didn't fight the sleepy sensation but allowed it to take over his body.

Somewhere he heard the doctor whisper. "He's unconscious now. They're on their own."

When he opened his eyes he found himself back in Selphie's tent. He crawled outside and saw her figure sitting at the fire, poking into some meat. Probably another one of those bird-like creatures.

"Selphie."

She turned around. "Hey Squall…you've been gone a while."

"Yes…I- are you alright?"

She nodded, but he could see even here her face was pale. She stood up and walked to the edge of the clearing.

"I'm not scared, you know." she said. "But I- I'm glad you're back."

He laid a hand on her shoulder. "I'm glad to be back."

"I missed you…"

She turned around, wanting to smile at him, but she staggered and clasped her hands to her head. She let herself drop to her knees and waited for the spinning to stop.

Squall dropped on his knees next to her and grasped her shoulders, turning her to face him.

"Selphie! Are you alright?"

She smiled at his concern. "…I…I'm fine…"

"No you're not. Don't lie to me Selphie. What's wrong?" he sounded alarmed.

"I don't know what's wrong…I feel so weak. I'm…dizzy. And I keep almost fainting."

She hid her face in his shirt.

"I'm scared, Squall." She cried. "I don't know what's happening to me."

He hugged her tightly, cradling her I his arms. "It's alright Selphie. I'll make it go away. Together we'll make it go away."

"But- but how?" She sniffed.

He gave her a smile. "You go and rest now. I'll tell you tomorrow."

With his thumb he wiped her tears away. She sniffed again.

"Thanks Squall." she mumbled.

"You go and sleep now, okay?"

She nodded and scrambled up to her feet again.

"…Selphie?"

She turned around. "Yes?"

"I-…nothing. Never mind…Goodnight." He hugged her again and gave her a soft kiss on the top of her head.

He watched her walk away.

'Was she…blushing?' he wondered.

But then…was he blushing himself?

He turned to the fire. Koë knew he was there. She could attack.

'She is a sorceress, like you have fought before…but do not underestimate her. She is not like Rinoa or Edea.'

"She's not like Rinoa or Edea…"

He yawned. He was tired. But could he go to sleep without risking waking up in the infirmary? But he knew his body was in an artificial coma. It would be safe to sleep.

He laid on his back and stared at the sky. He couldn't go inside the tent with a chance of waking Selphie. She was so pale…her skin was greying, even in this dream world. She was dying here too.

"Don't you leave us, Selphie. Don't you leave me." He closed his eyes. "Don't leave me…"


He woke up with a start. "Selphie? Selphie!"

He jumped to his feet. The tent opened slowly. "I'm here…"

He looked at her. She looked even more ill than yesterday. She coughed.

"I…was worried."

"About me? You sound as if you really care about me." She giggled.

But her giggle was soon followed by another cough.

"Come on. Are you hungry?"

She shook her head.

"Are you sure?"

"Squall, if I ate something now…it'd only come straight back up."

"Oh."

She looked at him. "Did you…sleep on the ground? Outside?"

He nodded.

"You shouldn't have! You could've slept in the tent…I wouldn't have minded."

"I didn't want to wake you."

"…Oh…that's…so sweet of you." She stood up and pecked his cheek.

Quickly she turned her head away as another nasty cough took hold of her. She composed herself. "So…you said…you'd help me. That you knew how to help me…what did you mean by that?"

He looked at her. "Listen to me, okay? You're ill. You're ill and there's no potion that can cure it. You're in…some sort of dream world. And Koë's the one that brought you here."

"Koë? But how!"

"She's here too. We think that the only way to help you…is by destroying her."

Selphie nodded slowly. "…But…I though we already had."

"We destroyed her body. But somehow…her will or something must've fled to this place, taking you with her."

"How did she take me…and how come you're here too?"

"Doctor Kadowaki figures that…because she tried to get into our heads, as small piece of her will…got stuck there. She came to this world and because she had left something behind in our heads, we came here too. So all we have to do to stop it is fight her."

She took a few steps away from the camp, towards the trees. "Where do we find her?"

"This forest…is exactly a copy of the one we were in before. All we have to do is find her fortress again. She'll be there."

Selphie nodded. "Right then, let's go."

She took a seep from a bottle and looked at him.

"It's a mixture of some antidote and holy water. I feel better if I drink it."

"It's…not-"

"Not a real medicine…I know."


They found themselves at the stone Keep that had belonged to Koë in reality.

"You really think she's here?" she asked.

Squall just continued looking around.

"Squall." Selphie urged.

"She has to be. Come."

They ran through the door, flourishing their weapons menacingly. But there were no guardians. The hall was empty. Only their own footsteps echoed through the large stone emptiness.

"…Where are they…" Squall muttered.

Selphie looked around with fright on her face. "…She's not here…let's just leave."

"No! She is here. She has to be. If she's not…then how am I supposed to save you…"

Selphie took his hand. "Squall…it's enough for me that you tried. If we…don't succeed, then I'm just happy to know you-"

"Duck!"

He pulled her down as a large chunk of ice shattered into the wall behind them. Selphie hid her head in her hands as razor sharp flakes fell down to the floor. She felt that Squall was no longer beside her. Through the rising dust she saw his silhouette. Strong and ready.

She jumped up and sought her own flail in the ice fragments on the floor.

"I'm ready!" she shouted.

There, in the dark opening of a huge door, stood the figure of a woman. Long blond hair flowed down her back and her deep red dress reached to the floor. Selphie held her breath. Was this Koë's real appearance? Was this what Koë really looked like?

"Stand and fight, sorceress." Squall's voice echoed through the stone hall.

"Are you ready to face me?" she replied calmly.

Selphie urged her feet on and prepared for battle next to Squall.

"We're ready." She answered.

"We're here to end this. Release your hold on Selphie and we'll let you be." Squall said.

But Koë chuckled and shook her head. "You poor things…it's not that easy. I'm weakened because you have destroyed my body. My mind no longer has a temple it can live in. If I do as you want, then I'll die. And I don't want to die."

"Then you'll die either way." He drew his sword and took a deep breath.

Then, as if they had planned this from the beginning, he and Selphie ran forward together.

"Double! Protect!"

"Renzo-"

"…Aeraga"

Selphie felt a strong wind pick up. She looked around, scared.

"Squall!"

She tried to reach for his hand as her feet were lifted from the ground. She was spinning around, sand and dust were swirling around her and everything blurred.

"S-Squall!"

She coughed. Where was the floor? What was the right way up? And where was Koë?

She desperately tried to find her balance. Suddenly she groaned in pain. Her body crashed back to the floor and the dust settled.

She sought her weapon and brushed the dust from her face.

"Squall, where are you?"

She looked around and saw one of his gloved hands sticking out from under a broken wooden beam.

"Squall!"

She ran over to him and lifted the beam with all her strength.

"T-thanks." He muttered as he climbed out from under the rubble.

She wanted to ask him if he was okay, but something distracted her. A coughing sound. She snapped around, dangerously flashing her flail.

From underneath some rubble came a strong, broad hand…a muscular arm…Squall.

Selphie turned around. "Wha-…"

Behind her stood Squall. But right there in front of her stood another Squall. The boys looked at each other, curious and mistrusting.

"Selphie…" one of them said. "What's going on? Who's he?"

"Don't listen to him, Selphie. I'm me. He…he must be Koë…she must've shape-shifted."

Selphie stared at them confusedly. "What…but…but how am I supposed to know who's who!"

Both boys looked exactly the same.

"She's weakened Selphie, She said so herself. Kill her now." Said the Squall on he right.

"No! I'm real! I'd never hurt you, you know that!"

"Shut up, you're nothing more than an illusion. Do it now, while you can!"

Selphie stared to her right, to her left, to her right. They both looked the same. There was not a single difference.

Suddenly she remembered that day she had been attacked. She had thought it was Squall…but it had been Koë all along. Koë was the one who had put her here, Koë was the one who had tried to turn her against Squall. Koë was the one who was responsible for all this.

But how was she supposed to know the truth?

"Kill her, Selphie!"

"No, not me! I'm not the one who hurt you, I promised I'd never hurt you!"

"Yeah, but I was the one who promised that."

"That was me! I'm the real Squall. You thought I had attacked you, but it wasn't me."

Selphie sunk to her knees. Tears were streaming down her face. She had to make a decision…and she would. But what if it was the wrong one?

"Alright." She said. "I- I'll do it."

She faced the boys bravely.

"One Ultima should do it. She's weak."

"I'm weak too, yes. But I'm weak because this sleep is draining me, you know what it feels like, Selphie, you know it! She's weak because she has no physical body left." Said the Squall on her left.

"I-" she hesitated.

Wasn't Squall normally…emotionless? Wasn't the Squall on her left just too emotional?

She closed her eyes and focussed on him. "I'm sorry…" she whispered. "Ulti-"

"Think about it, Selphie! Please." He shouted.'

But the one on her right urged her on. "Yes, do it. Look at him. Does he look like someone who'd call himself a knight? He can't be me."

"What?" she turned around and looked at the Squall on her right.

The other Squall shouted. "I'm not a knight! I'd never call myself that and I never promised anyone to be one! I'll wake you up…to stop your bad dreams, that was my promise."

The right one laughed. "Please, I use a sword. What else could I be but a knight!"

Selphie nodded slowly. "…You're right. He would never call himself my knight."

The Squall on her right smiled. "Good. Then do it. Kill him."

She turned to face him. "…No. I don't think I will. Ultima!"

She heard a piercing scream through the greenish light. But there was no time for her to see what her spell had done. Immediately an agonising pain shot through her like a bullet.

She felt her body fall to the ground, but that didn't nearly hurt her as much as the stabbing pain she felt in her head. It felt like a part of her brain was being torn away from the rest.

It felt like she was dying.

Her blood started to rush.

'I- I'm going to die…' she thought confusedly.

Everything in front of her eyes went white. With the last of her strength she tried to call his name.

"Squall!"

She sat up straight. Around her people gasped. She tried to recognise their faces but before she could see properly she had fallen back into her pillow and a soft slumber washed over her body.



Yay, almost done with the story. Yes ladies and gentlemen, only one more chapter to go!

Matron Raenee: I have problems with Rinoa too. In the story I'm writing now, she's going crazy :D But I try to make her a sympathetic character…I'm not sure it's working though ;) But after this story is finished, I'm going to post another one first. Hyperion Queen. It's a sequel I promised to write to Bittersweet Goodbyes and I'm almost done with the typing! Only 2 more chapters to go! It's a seiftis. Bittersweet goodbyes ended sad and some readers wanted a sequel that ended more happily. Perhaps you'd like to read that too? If you have the time, then please do :)

Rittmeyer: well, I'll keep this chapter and the next one coming…but after that it's over. Can't help it either. This wasn't really a large story…Oh well, hope you liked this chapter and I hope you'll read the last one too.

BlkMageRaina: yes yes yes! Squall and Selphie are really sweet together, aren't they? I wrote this story because I read some other squalfies and I got addicted to them. I needed to write some squall x selphie fluff myself too :D Hope you'll read the last chapter too!

Yes, like I said above, only ONE more chapter to go. Of course I hope to see you al there too.
Love, Raven55