Squall's mind slowly weaved around in a state of half consciousness. He did not know what happened, but he felt like he had been run over by a Ruby Dragon with a bad tooth ache. As full consciousness began to finally take hold, memories started to slowly pop back to him. The first of seeing Rinoa on the stage, then her telling him not to see her. Finally he remembered her sitting on the ground, her eyes flashing gold and...

Squall jolted upwards at that memory, "Rinoa!"

Squall immediately felt a pair of hands roughly shove him back into a lying position, and he felt surprisingly weak and unable to prevent it. He looked up and into the eyes of his restrainer. Irvine stared him down with eyes almost burning with a fury of his own. The normally happy go lucky and lopsidedly smiling cowboy's face had a frown and a stare which eerily mirrored what his own face normally wore. "Stay down before you loose whatever is in your stomach," the cowboy said.

Squall lay back as he felt a wave of dizziness hit him. Irvine was right of course; getting fried by magic then being cured by it overloaded your system and could cause dizziness, nausea, and other, sometimes more severe side effects. Squall forced his eyes to open and focused on one point of the ceiling, and soon enough, the room stopped spinning quite so much and he was ready to sit up much more slowly this time.

Looking around, he did not recognize where he was, until he saw Natalie and Zell sitting at a table with worry written on their faces. I'm in Natalie's room.

That you are, young Master. Shiva's normally playful and sublime voice was riddled with concern and a touch of fear even. He had never heard a guardian sounding quite as afraid as Shiva seemed at the moment.

Shiva, what's wrong? What happened?

Instead of answering by voice, Squall's mind was suddenly bombarded by images almost imperceptibly fast. His world spun again, and he collapsed back down onto the pillow. "Shiva stop!" Squall held his hands on his head in pain.

Irvine's voice cut through the din as the images stopped. "Shiva's talking to you?"

Squall groaned in pain. "Yea, and showing me something, I can't tell what though."

Squall sat up again much more slowly. My apologies Master, I did not intend to show you quite so quickly.

Zell interrupted any reply Squall would have made. "Wait, you talk with Shiva? So THAT'S what you are doing when you start all that thinking, eh? Hitting on a Guardian, too?"

Squall frowned and stared daggers at Zell, who's face had blossomed into a grin. When he saw Squall's look however his grin quickly lost confidence and he turned away. "Sooo... Natalie... uhh nice weather today don't you think?"

Natalie's answer did not come immediately; she had a look of confusion on her face. "I suppose..." She paused as Irvine broke down in laugher, collapsing as his legs failed. Natalie's look of confusion turned incredulous. "Mind explaining that one to me?"

Squall shook his head and stood up, covering his face with his hand as Irvine continued to laugh. Making it worse, he could hear Shiva's light and frosty laughter resonating in his mind as well, super imposed on another deeper laugh which he could only assume was Bahamut. Great now I'm the laughing stock of the Guardians.

This only made Shiva's laughter harder as Irvine's finally subsided. Deciding to ignore Shiva for the moment he answered Natalie's question gruffly. "We are currently junctioned to Guardian Forces, borrowing on their powers to give us strength and the ability to cast high powered magic. It also happens that when they desire, they will talk to their junctioned human. Shiva is... an eccentric guardian to say the least. " He heard Shiva's laughter suddenly stop and it seemed like the temperature in the room had lowered by 5 degrees.

Natalie's expression plainly showed that she thought them only slightly better than completely insane. "I see..."

Irvine had regained his composure – just barely – by this time and quickly his face turned serious and back to the task at hand. Squall could only marvel at this ability Irvine had acquired since becoming a SeeD after their fight 4 years ago. He could be the flirtatious, dirty minded cowboy one second, and then like a light, switch to a serious, cold and calculating image that rivaled even Squall's sternness.

This got both of the other SeeDs' attention, and with a small nod of his head, Irvine had signaled Zell to distract Natalie, who was oblivious to the change. Zell engaged her with some idle talk about the Guardian Forces in general, and Shiva in particular. Squall paid little attention to it, but did catch an off hand comment by Zell "Compared to Squall, Ice Guardian could seem like a warm ray of sunshine." Squall kept his attention on Irvine, and very soon, Irvine signaled him in sign language. Leave the room and provide an excuse for me to go with you.

Squall thought for a moment, and then interrupted the idle chatter that the blondes were engaging in. "I am going to go to my room and clean up. Irvine, I think you need to come with me. One more Cure spell might be needed. " The two blondes nodded and Squall proceeded out of Natalie's room quickly, Irvine following closely. However, neither spoke until they were in Squall's room and the door was shut.

Irvine naturally started first. "Squall, how much do you remember?"

Squall turned his head and stared to his side as he considered. "I remember Rinoa getting angry and attacking us, then stars."

Irvine nodded. "I didn't think you hit the wall hard enough to give you a concussion, but I could have been wrong." The cowboy paused for a moment. "Squall, she's not herself." Squall did not need to ask who 'she' was. "If I were to make a guess, she has been torn apart by leaving for the last three years, on top of that having her connection to her knight pretty much ripped apart. I don't know how the storied Knights of the Centran Empire could stay in full contact with their sorceresses, but you two lost your connection almost immediately. She has been knightless for three years and suffered severe emotional trauma. I would not be surprised if she is starting to loose control of her powers. That show of force certainly doesn't help her case. "

Squall looked up at Irvine "What are you saying? That we kill her?! That we kill one of us?!" Anger had flared into Squall's eyes at the thought of this.

Irvine grabbed his shoulders and shoved him against the wall. "Listen, Squall. I'm not any happier than you at the prospect of killing her. Hell the six of us went through the gates of hell together. But we can't ignore that she might be loosing control of her powers and herself. We need to watch her. This takes precedence over our mission to defend Natalie. "

Squall stared into Irvine's eyes with more rage and anger than Irvine had seen Squall show in 3 years. Irvine also saw the battle within his mind and soul between defending Rinoa and protecting the world. Squall knew that if Rinoa lost her mind, he might have to kill her himself.

"What will become of me?"

Rinoa stared at her feet with her hands behind her back and moved her left foot along the ground and kicked some pebbles on the stones. Squall waves his hand "Don't worry about it. There've been many good sorceresses. Edea was one. You can be like her. "

Rinoa did not look up "But Edea's still..." Rinoa trailed off a moment. "I can't guarantee anything, either, if Ultimecia possesses me again..."

Rinoa finally looked up and stood straight, though she could not bring her eyes off the ground. "You saw me. She controlled me in outer space and made me break Adel's seal. " She reached down and took hold of the two rings around her neck "What might happen next time? What will I end up doing?"

She paused as a horrifying thought set into her mind. "Will I end up fighting everyone? ... Scary thought, isn't it?"

Squall turned away from Rinoa, and fell into deep thought, his hand on his waist. Rinoa... Even if you end up as the world's enemy, I'll...I'll be your knight.

Rinoa picked up the two rings around her neck and examined them in her hand. "If I fall under Ultimecia's control again... SeeD will come and kill me, right? And the leader of SeeD is you, Squall..." She paused as a tear fell down her cheek. "Squall's sword will pierce my heart..."

She looked up and stared at his back. I guess it's okay if it's you, Squall. Nobody else. " Her voice turned more pleading. "Squall, if that ever happens..."

Squall viciously turned, cutting her off with his words. "That's enough! I'll never do anything like that. The sorceress I'm after is not you, Rinoa. My enemy is the sorceress from the future... Ultimecia. "

Rinoa clasped her hands behind her back and bent forward in her now classic manner. "Ultimecia lives in the future and possesses me. She uses my body as her extension in this world. How... How will you save me?"

Squall's answer was slightly hesitant but immediate. "I'll come up with something... there's gotta be a way."

Rinoa looked down in disbelief. Squall moved slightly closer. "Don't worry. Trust me. "

Rinoa looked up into his stormy blue eyes with conviction. ". . . I trust you. "

Shiva's voice arose within Squall's mind, interrupting his reminiscing of the past. Master you must listen to him. A third Sorceress war, with Rinoa being the only sorceress left, cannot happen. Even if you do kill her, it could mean the end of the world.

Squall shook his head, answering both Shiva and Irvine with a single word. "Enough!" Squall sighed and leaned against the wall heavily. "Irvine, remember four years ago right after we rescued Rinoa from the Sorceress Memorial?" Irvine nodded as Squall continued. "That was when I promised Rinoa that I would be waiting there in the flower fields if we ever got separated. I also promised her that I would protect her even if the entire world turned against her. She might hate me, but she is still my world, and I will not let her die. "

Irvine hung his head and stepped away from him. "I am going to have to report Rinoa's reappearance and condition to Headmaster Cid, along with your refusal to do your duty incase we need to dispose of her. "

Squall stared at his friend. "Dispose of her? After all that we went through, you still can't say the word 'murder'? Damn it, Irvine! After everything we all went through!"

Irvine spun with his own fury barely contained. "YES, Squall, I know everything that has happened! But is our peace of mind that we stuck by a friend worth the millions that could die if a third Sorceress war happens? You think I haven't though about this? If I had to kill Rinoa, the next person Exeter would turn on would be myself! I don't want to do this, and I pray to Hyne that I don't have to!"

Irvine spun and slammed his fist into the wall, creating a fist sized hole in the wall that penetrated all the way to the bathroom on the other side. Time ticked slowly on as both considered the situation and regarded each other. "You have 48 hours to rethink your position, Squall. Either way, I will need to report this to Cid at the end of that time. "

With that Irvine walked out the door and shut it. Squall stared at the closed door for fully five minutes before he could tear his eyes from it.

SORRY FOR THE DELAY!!!! Ive been going through a few tough weeks here at school, and I got the week of hell starting last Thursday... :P

I promise more after I get through midterms season!!!