Well, here we go with another one.

pinklove: When I heard the sorceress music and the sirens on Lunar Base, I thought "Oh crap." I guess it was kinda nerve racking.

jasmine32: Uhh…I saw Revenge of the Sith.

QueenAdreena: I hope you get to 29 soon.

Griever Weapon: I graduated 2 years ago, and I'm glad people still agree with me when I say "School Sucks." As for more fics, there are some ideas floating around in my head. But whether I do more or not, I won't start another until this one is complete.

Lady-Rinoa: I'll try. Sweet isn't my strong point. Well, not Sweet "Love" anyway. I'm good at Sweet "Awesome, that fucking ruled!"

nightfighter642: Threatening my life directly doesn't really scare me. A good way to do that is to threaten a vital organ. For instance, one of my favorites would have been "If you enjoy the ability to see, you'll update soon."

Well, I'm dog sitting this week, and getting paid for it. So while I stew until I have enough money to get the CD I want, you guys can read…

CHAPTER 41: RINOA'S PAST

Squall, Quistis, Ellone, and Piet had entered the Escape pod, Squall pleading Ellone to use her power to send him into Rinoa's Past.

"PLEASE!" Squall pleaded. "Rinoa is gonna die! I can't take it! Ellone, Please, send me to the moment when Rinoa went into a coma!"

"OK, it may not work, but we'll try." Ellone said. Squall fit himself into the lock as the pod detached, seconds before the Lunar base was destroyed by the Lunar Cry. Within seconds, Squall heard the whistling sound in his head. Knowing that he was going to Rinoa's past, and not Laguna's.


Squall found himself in Rinoa's past. She was sitting in the passenger seat of a Galbadian Military vehicle. In the drivers seat was Irvine. Squall noticed the D-District Prison in the rear view mirror.

"Irvine, go back to the desert prison." Rinoa said.

"No, it's your fathers order." Irvine said. "I'm taking you back to Deling City." Rinoa reached out and scratched Irvine on his arm. "Ouch! Are you crazy?"

"We have to go back and help everybody!" Rinoa said.

"They'll be fine, I'm sure they can get outta there when the time comes." Irvine said.

"You don't know for sure." Rinoa said. "Squall might say 'but no one has ordered me to escape' and end up staying there."

"Don't worry about it." Irvine said. "Once I get you home, I'm going back for the others anyway."

"Oh really? They DO mean something to you?" Rinoa said. "Enlighten me Irvine, What's so special about them to you?" Irvine let out a long sigh before continuing.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you." Irvine said.

"We have to go back and help them NOW, I don't care if I have to force you!" Rinoa reached over and wrestled Irvine for control of the steering wheel with one hand, while attempting to scratch his face with the other.

"Ow...ow...OUCH!" Irvine whined. "Ok, I'll go!"


The scene soon ended, but Squall was still in Rinoa's past. He found that it was in Balamb Garden's cafeteria, where Rinoa was talking with Zell.

"Squall's ring? I dunno where he got it." Zell said.

"I want the same one," Rinoa said. "It looks really cool, doesn't it?"

"You mean the one with some monster carved on it?" Zell asked.

"YEAH!"

"Alright, how bout I make you one?" Zell asked. "My grandpa showed me how to do it, and I'm pretty good at it."

"Really? Sure, OK!" Rinoa said.

"Let's have Squall show us the real deal." Zell suggested.

"We can't do that." Rinoa said.

"Why not?" Zell asked.

"It's embarrassing." Rinoa mumbled.

"Huh?" Zell asked. A few seconds passed before Zell spoke up again. "What? You mean you like-"

"NO, it's not what you think!" Rinoa insisted.


Squall felt himself wake up, seeing that he was still in the escape pod.

"Ellone, that wasn't it." Squall said. "That was too far back."

"I'm sorry, let me try again." Ellone said. Squall heard the whistling sound again.


This time, Ellone was right on the money. Squall found himself in the Galbadia Garden auditorium. However, something wasn't right. Squall felt someone else inside Rinoa's mind.

"Oh my loyal knight Seifer." Rinoa said in a raspy voice. That of which Edea used while she was under Ultimecia's Influence! Squall knew what had happened. When Ultimecia left Edea, she went to Rinoa!

"The sorceress is alive! Find the legendary Lunatic Pandora said to be hidden beneath the ocean. Only then will the sorceress provide you with dreams again."

"As you wish, Ultimecia." Seifer mumbled as he stumbled out of the auditorium.

"Squall, I'm scared!" Rinoa said before she went into her coma. Soon, Squall somehow saw the face of the other entity inside of Rinoa; Sorceress Ultimecia!

"Who's there?" Ultimecia hissed, "Get out!"


Squall felt himself wake up again.

"Did you find out what happened to Rinoa?" Ellone asked.

"I couldn't do anything." Squall said. "What do I do now?"

"I remember those eyes." Ellone said as Squall looked at her. "You looked at me with those same eyes when you were little. Those curious, innocent, puppy dog eyes. I loved those eyes."

"That's in the past." Squall said. "I have to help Rinoa now."

"That's right." Ellone said. "Yes, talk to her Squall. Your voice my not reach her, but your heart will. Get ready Squall. I'm going to send you into her past again, as close to the present as I can. Every thing you see will be one second after it really happens!" Squall felt the whistling sound in his head one more time.


Squall was in Rinoa's mind again. Rinoa was in her space suit, and her life-support was running out.

"Am I gonna make it?" Rinoa thought. "How? I can't do anything. Drifting endlessly, I'm helpless." Squall noticed that Rinoa's life support had terminated.

"No. That's." Rinoa thought weakly. "That's it. I'm gonna die. Goodbye Squall."

"No Rinoa!" Squall thought, "Don't give up!" But Rinoa's breathing soon stopped. Squall knew she couldn't have been dead, or else he would have woken up.

"Rinoa, I'm right there with you!" Squall thought. "Listen to me." Rinoa had heard Squall and weakly opened her eyes, seeing her necklace floating before her, as well as the two rings on it. One her mothers wedding ring, the other, Squall's 'Griever' ring.

"I'm still alive?" Rinoa thought.

"Rinoa, press the emergency oxygen button on the front of your suit!" Squall thought. Squall felt relieved when she did so, as she felt the oxygen hit her face. Still, she drifted. Squall looked through Rinoa's eyes and saw the very escape pod he was in inching closer to her before he woke up.


"I'm gonna find Rinoa." Squall said.

"You didn't need my help at all." Ellone said.

"But I'm glad I did." Squall said. "Thanks Sis." Squall then floated to the top of the escape pod.

"Squall, wait!" Quistis said.

"Idiot, there's no way he can get back." Piet said. "He's insane, they're both going to run out of fuel and Life support. They're both gonna die." Luckily for him Squall hadn't heard this, as he was already out of the pod.

"No, Squall will make it back." Ellone said.

"How can you be so sure?" Piet asked.

"Trust me," Ellone said. "Though he isn't fully, he might as well be my Baby Brother. I can read him like a book!"


Out in the darkness of space, Squall had spotted Rinoa coming right at him. Quickly, he positioned himself where Rinoa would fly right into him, waiting for the second they could be like this again. As she did so, Squall caught her and she spoke to him.

"Squall, thank you!" She said. "I heard your voice."

"I can't believe it." Squall said.

"Are we gonna make it?" Rinoa asked.

"Don't worry." Squall said. He noticed that he was low on oxygen and out of fuel. Suddenly, something off to his right caught his gaze, a spaceship drifting along in space!

"Rinoa, Hold on," Squall said. "I have an idea." Squall sat still as he watched this ship come towards him. Quickly, he grabbed onto it with his free arm. This ship had the word 'Ragnarok' painted on its red surface. Soon, Squall found a hatch that was open, as he and Rinoa slipped inside the ship. Once inside, Squall shut the door and turned on a gravity generator. He was also relieved to find that the room had oxygen in it. The GF stones of Cactuar, Tonberry, Doomtrain, and Bahamut appeared in Rinoa's hands.