Wel, well, well I finished this chapter faster than I expected to! And funnily enough, it's not the last chapter! But the next one will DEFINEATLY be the last!

Actually, for some reason this chapter really disgusts me. I think it's one of the goriest yet, I don't know why but I felt really felt sick while writing it. Hmm… anyway, R&R!

Chapter seven - Clouded Minds

'What?'

Selphie dropped her axe; she couldn't believe it! It had been staring her in the face the whole time! Why didn't she remember this before? Why was the self-destruct system set off? Who set it off? Why would people disguise them as cameras? And more importantly, WHEN THE HELLWAS IT GOING TO BLOW?

'Oh crap,' Selphie breathed. 'We have to leave like, NOW!'

Quistis stepped forward and gripped he slender shoulders. 'Calm down. What the hell is going on?'

Selphie swallowed and took a deep breath; she thought she was going to faint. 'I-I remember a-ages ago I-I had a talk w-with Squall,' she explained in a shaky voice. 'He said t-that after the w-war all the Garden's were installed w-with a self-destruction unit. H-he said its linked u-u-p to every single room a-and could be d-disguised as anything. It's set off in Cid's office, u-under the desk. I-I think the cameras are-'

'Holy shit Selphie, why in Hyne's name didn't you tell anyone?' Quistis took a step back.

'I…I…' Her eyes filled up with tears. It was too much…everything was…

'You stupid idiot! Why didn't you say anything?'

Everything was…

'We don't even know when this place is going to blow, if you'd told us earlier - you idiot!'

Was…WRO-

'Now now girls.'

They turned and Selphie's heart stopped. No…please…no…

Rinoa stood in front of them with a snide grin on her face. One hand was placed on her hip, and the other held Selphie's blood stained axe.

'Let's play it my way, okay?'

NO PLEASE NO!

'Rinoa…what are you doing?' Quistis asked, her voice wavering slightly.

'Quistis sweetie.' Her voice sounded strange, like Irvine's did before… 'Isn't it obvious? I'm taking the lead in the situation.'

'Wh-what? Rinoa why are you doing this? Give Selphie the axe okay? I don't think-'

'Shut up!' she shouted, her perfect face was distorted into a mask of insanity. 'You have a choice, Miss Trepe. A; you that pretty ass of yours down to the first floor and find Squall like you wanted. B; you face my axe.'

Selphie couldn't move. Selphie couldn't say anything. She was completely in shock. I knew Rinoa hated Quistis but this…this is inhumane.

'I'm not going back down there alone!' Quistis protested aghast. 'It's suicide! Besides, we have no idea when this self-destruct system is going to go off!'

'Y-yeah, Rin, let's leave now, together. You can't send Quisty down there-'

'Oh shut up you immature slut!' Rinoa turned her coffee brown eyes from Selphie back to the instructor. 'You've chosen B then, eh?'

'WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS?' Quistis screamed at her.

Rinoa waved the axe's blade in her face. 'Because all you've ever done from day one of mine and Squall's relationship is break us up! If you want him that bad go and get him! But I'm not waiting around for you, and if you don't wanna get him, then you're worthless to me now! You've got until the count of three, slut! If you're still here then you're gonna get an axe in your face!'

Tears streaked down Selphie's face. 'Please…please…d-don't…please…' She was helpless without a weapon.

'One.'

Quistis looked like a rabbit trapped in a cars headlight. Her eyes shifted to the elevator and back to Rinoa's insane grin.

'Two.'

Selphie clung desperately to the last threads of sanity she had left, begging, praying, wishing to wake up from this nightmare. Wishing for time to stop, for something to happen. Anything to stop Rinoa from reaching -

'Three.'

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

'Hey Rin stop it!'

'You started it Quisty!'

The group laughed as they watched the girls play fight, splashing water from the fountain up each other. The Quad was bursting with people laughing and chatting. The sun was burning brightly in the aquamarine sky, probably because they were docked in Balamb, which was one of the hottest continents in the world. For that reason, nearly all the students were packed into the open aired Quad, soaking up the sunshine.

The two girls, now drenched in the fountains water, stopped play fighting, hugged and burst out laughing again. Selphie leapt into the fray and wrestled them both at the edge of the fountain, trying to push them in. they squealed and tried to fend her off, laughing hysterically. The brunette lost her ground and slipped off the lip of the water feature, falling head first into the chuckling fountain.

'You guys,' she shouted playfully, splashing water madly at the two, 'are gonna totally pay for that!'

Selphie clutched their wrists and pulled them in with her. They sat together with their arms round each other like that for ages, each soaked in

Blood

water. Their-

Screams

laughter echoing round the

Corridor

Quad, attracting attention and bringing other people into the-

Killing

fun.

What?

'This is so much fun!' Rinoa giggled and…and…

what? What's…happening…? Where…what…?

'Stop it! Don't! STOP IT! RINOA STOP!'

Screaming…what's happening? I…can't see anything…Quistis? Rinoa?

Sickening sounds of bones being cracked and flesh being split drifted into Selphie's semi-conscious state and she tried to scream but her voice was lost inside of her somewhere. She could hear Quistis screaming…screaming like Zell had…and once again she was helpless.

Selphie pulled herself together, following a thread of consciousness out of the darkness back into the harsh reality of the situation. She wouldn't let Quistis go like she had Zell! Damnit Selphie snap out of it!

She began fading away again, memories mixing with present -

Stop it Rinoa!

STOP IT RINOA

Screaming laughter

Damn it Selphie SNAP OUT OF IT!

Her green eyes snapped open and she found herself staring up at the ceiling of the corridor. There was a horrible smell, a smell Selphie recognised too clearly. Blood. She could hear panting now, the sound of someone gulping in air rapidly. From the corner of her eye she could see the incessant blinking of the camera, and when she did everything came back to her.

Her arm twitched and Selphie moved and looked to her right.

Rinoa was hunched over, her face distorted and hideous like a gargoyle, her beauty just a shadow of its former self. She clutched the wooden handle of Selphie's axe with both hands, her knuckles white, her hands dripping with crimson liquid. Her clothes were splattered with it, and she reached up absently and touched her face, leaving a dark smear of scarlet across her pale cheek. The axe's head metal surface was lost beneath a layer of the blood, dripping in thick beads off from its blade onto…onto…onto…

Selphie squeezed her eyes shut and gagged. It came up in her mouth and she struggled to her knees, head spinning, and spewed it onto the tiled floor.

The blood oozed in slurping globules from the axe onto the remaints of the instructors body. Her face and chest was a bloody pulp, torn open. The axe had seared thick ridges out of her flesh, crisscrossing and jagged. Quistis' once beautiful face was left featureless. She lay sprawled in a bath of her own blood, which continued flow, increasing the crimson pool around her. It reached Rinoa's boots and encircled them. It seemed to Selphie as if it was Quistis' last futile attempt o reach out to her.

It must have seemed that way to Rinoa too, because she cried out and jumped back, then slipped in the scarlet fluid and fell ungracefully on her ass.

Panting, Selphie suddenly considered making a run for it. But where would she go? Where could she go? To the escape pod? Escape alone? She could leave Rinoa easily now. Quistis had been her friend - she had been Rinoa's friend! She had stuck by them through the second sorceress war and through other heinous trials, yet the bitch had struck her down as if she was nothing but an animal!

Too late for any chance of escape though for Rinoa turned her attention toward the brunette.

She stood up and casually brushed her dark hair behind her shoulders. She lifted the stained axe and pointed it at the kneeling girl, an insane grin spreading across her face. Yet Selphie couldn't help but notice how her hand shook as she gripped the handle.

'Y-you see w-what happens when y-you don't do w-what you're t-told?' she stammered, the grin never faltering. 'So a-are you g-gonna be a good little g-girl for little old me, eh?'

Am I the only sane one left? 'Why?' Selphie looked across to Quistis and salty tears streamed from her eyes. 'WHY DID YOU DO IT?'

Rinoa sighed in false exasperation. She tutted. 'I don't like repeating myself Selphie, you should know that.'

Selphie's head snapped back to Rinoa. 'You're a bitch,' she hissed through gritted teeth. Her voice was brimming with venom. 'You always have been a bitch and you always will be. Everyone thought so. Even Squall saw it in the end and - ah!'

Rinoa had lunged forward and hit her round the head with the hilt of the axe. Selphie fought the stars that danced before her green eyes.

'Shut the hell up bitch!' Rinoa screeched and raised the axe again. 'Now I'm in charge and you're going to do everything I fucking say or else you'll end up like that slut over there, got it?'

Selphie bit her tongue, wiped the fresh tears away with her wrist. 'What do you want?' she growled.

Rinoa gave a hysteric scream of laughter. 'My, my! You're stupid and ugly! Isn't it obvious, idiot? I want you to take me to the escape pod of course!'

'Of course,' Selphie snarled under her breath, 'how silly of me.'

The brown-eyed girl gripped Selphie's arm so hard it left little fingertip bruises, and hurled her to her feet. 'Up!' she shrieked, brandishing the axe again. 'Up! Up!'

Somehow, Selphie found her balance and held her forehead for a moment, which throbbed painfully. Damn that bitch! She felt a hard shove on her back and stumbled forward.

'Take me to it!' Rinoa's voice was actually cracking under her insanity. 'And don't try anything…funny.'

Selphie stumbled forward again, thinking her legs were going to collapse at any moment. She was just…too tired. Too tired of everything…of everyone. For the first time in her entire life Selphie wanted to die. She stopped in her tracks and felt the blade of the axe press against her back, a physical warning from Rinoa.

Yes, yes, do it. I don't care. I want…to…die…now… I want to be with…Zell…Quistis…Irvine…Moeru…Aya…please…I…just…

'Keep moving!' Rinoa screamed in her ear.

Why? What's the point? Everyone's gone…you don't deserve to live anyway. I want you to die in this place. Die with the rest of us.

'Perhaps in whatever comes after death,' Selphie mumbled absently, 'we'll all be friends again, like we used to be. All together with no betrayal or deceit or anger or needless killings. Perhaps death would be better than life right now.'

'Wh-what are you talking about?' The axe pressed more persistently against her back. 'Of course life is better than death. If I died now I would have to see the whore's disgusting face again! Not to mention all the others.'

Selphie sighed, staring at her feet. She was in a dazed state and wondered why she had lost the will to keep alive. Perhaps it was the blow around the head? 'You don't mean that,' she stated in a droning voice. 'You don't mean that at all.'

The axe drew blood and Selphie wished she could feel it, urged the axe to dig a little deeper. She needed the pain. She wanted the pain. Why was she so numb now?

'I don't care about you, I don't care about Squall, I don't care about anyone! I hate all of you! I'm only looking out for number one, you'd do the same!' Rinoa tried to sound persistent but her voice cracked and the soft spot beneath her armour was revealed.

'I would never…never do what you did. I wouldn't do what Irvine did and I wouldn't do what Nida did. Betray the very people I cherish the most.'

Rinoa laughed heinously. 'You wouldn't would you? Where is Irvine then, hm? Didn't think I'd notice? Quistis and I knew one of you wouldn't come back alive. It's just a shame it had to be you.'

'Shut up.'

'Aw, hit a soft spot, Sehpy? What did you do to him, huh? Kill him with the same axe you killed Natala and Xu? You're just as bad as me; you're just as bad as all of them. You're crazy. You don't think you are, but oh believe me, you are. If you weren't, you wouldn't of killed your boyfriend.'

'Y-you're wrong! He attacked me first…I tried to reason with him ubt…I…I…I'm not! Shut up!'

Or are you crazy too? Or are you crazy too? Or are you crazy too?

Irvine's words swam in her head, his crazed eyes still burning beneath his hat. She could still see him! How could I have done such a thing? Oh Hyne forgive me!

The axe bit a little deeper and Selphie felt the pain.

'Just show mewhere the pod is and I'll consider sparing your life.'

Selphie thought, I'm running a race that can't be won.

Sorry Rinoa fans, but I've always thought she was complete and utter bitch from hell. She's the worst heroine in FF history. I do honestly despise her. I hate Irvine as well and I'll kill him off again and again and again until I get bored or forget. Sorry but I have to be honest .

I thinkthis is something Rinoa would do in a situation like this. If Zell was alive I think he'd react like Selphie and stick with his friends until the end.

And you knew Rinoa was gonna kill Quistis or Quistis was gonna kill Rinoa. It was a certainty!

Poor Selphie. I feel for her, I really do. Well…the end is nigh. REVIEW OR FACE MY WRATH:withdraws axe and puts a Rinoa wig on laughing insanely: