Sorry about the wait…to cut a long story short, I couldn't access my files!

Finished! Yay! I enjoyed writing this. I hope you enjoyed reading it too! I hope it sorta scared ya!

I would like to thank QueenAdreena, Deadlikeyou, Mog and protektor93 as they have reviewed like, every chapter! Thanks guys :beams:…..thanks you to all my other reviwers as well! Just to know you're reading it makes me happy!

Enjoy the crazy ending and feel free to flick through my other stuff! You guys rock! ; )

Review one last time please.

Chapter 8 - And then there was…

The sky was a dull metallic grey, running like watery paint from an unused canvas. The sea was a sickening green and churned without rhythm, crashing against the side of the ghost-Garden. There was no life anywhere, not even the normal cry of a gull or the hum of an aeroplane flying overhead.

Has the whole world disappeared too? Selphie mused, but the thought made her feel sick so she turned her attention back to the situation at hand. Rinoa.

The escape pod bloomed in the centre of the open space, the flower of hope. It was for Rinoa anyway. For Selphie, it signified death: the death of Irvine, the death of friendship and now the death of herself. Or perhaps she had died long ago? It seemed to her that she was merely an empty shell; her mind and soul had discarded her body and now she was as bad as all of them. Hard-hearted and selfish. Who cared if she died? Who was left to care anyway?

'This is it?' Rinoa was saying. Her left hand was resting lightly on her hip; the other was twirling the axe around carelessly, making the blood splatter lightly onto the concrete floor.

So near…

'Hm…' She laughed abruptly. A harsh sound, as if it had sprung from the mouth of the demon of darkness himself. 'It was big enough to fit all of us in after all!'

Selphie gritted her teeth and clenched her fists. She was angry suddenly - no furious! She was furious with Rinoa, with Irvine, with Zell, Xu, Quistis, Cid, Nida, Moeru, Natala and most of all, she was furious with herself. If she had been more spontaneous, if she hadn't of been so damn blind to it all! All the hidden treachery that could lie in people's hearts! Perhaps…perhaps…

Perhaps things might have been different.

'Never mind,' Rinoa yawned briskly, as if she was answering Selphie's thoughts. 'I suppose I better take care of you befo-'

Selphie lunged at the raven-haired girl before she could advance on her first. Rinoa tumbled backwards with a cry of alarm. The image of the axe skidding across the floor reflected in Selphie's green eyes.

She scrambled to her knees clumsily and dived forward, hand outstretched, fingers splayed.

A hand gripped her ankle and she screamed in frustration. Rinoa pulled her backwards and Selphie's chin hit the concrete hard, blood splattering its grey surface. The sorceress crawled over the brunette but Selphie was too fast, and had seized a handful of Rinoa's beautiful locks and was pulling as hard as she could.

Rinoa ground her teeth and moaned through them as a clump came out, yet she did not falter and smashed her elbow into Selphie's face. The seventeen year olds head snapped back and stars danced before her vision as she fell to the floor.

No!

She got up and leapt on to the other girl who had just recovered and was crawling toward the only weapon. She smashed Rinoa's face on the concrete floor and the girl spluttered on her own blood. They lay there, growling like animals, arms reaching, reaching for the axe that sat there just out of reach like a spectator to a game. The two girl's fingertips just brushed the handle and it turned a bit.

But Rinoa gained a sudden advantage by using the foot that wasn't imbedded underneath Selphie's weight and pushed herself forward, gripping the axe firmly and howling in triumph.

Selphie, realising the sudden jeopardy of the situation, immediately sprung out of Rinoa's reach and absently wiped blood from her face. Whether it was hers or Rinoa's she wasn't sure.

She backed up until she felt the cool rail press against her back. She looked over the side at the ocean, thought she saw Irvine's eyes burning from its depths and quickly snapped her head back. He could hear his insane laughter, beckoning, beckoning for her to join him.

You deserve this fate, she could hear him hiss, you can join me now, my love.

Rinoa had gotten to her feet and was swaying on the spot like a zombie, blood oozing down her face. She looked at the axe and laughed slightly.

'N-now…I have…t-the a-axe,' she stated, grinning a hideous grin.

She took a step toward the girl and raised the axe. 'You see? You see what happens if you don't cooperate? I was going to give you a quick death, Sephy. But now…now I'm going to hack every single one of your limbs off as slowly as possible - and make you witness it.' She laughed manically and took another step forward.

Selphie felt despair wash over her. She had been so close! So close to winning! Winning…? Was it all just one big stupid game to her? Oh Hyne she thought she had been safe. Everything…everything was gone! Selphie had trusted them, loved them, cared for them and this was how it ended between them all?

I don't care! I don't care… let it be quick, oh Hyne, let it be quick.

She looked up into Rinoa's eyes, clouded with insanity and as the axe whistled down through the air she squeezed her eyes shut and waited for the impact.

Bang

Her green eyes shot open and she looked up at Rinoa. She was still glaring down her, the insane grin still pasted on her face, the blood still oozing like red tears down her cheeks. Yet her eyes were not focussed. The axe fell from her grip and clattered to the floor and Rinoa fell forward on top of Selphie, to reveal a man dressed all in black standing directly behind her, gun raised and still smoking slightly.

Squall.

Selphie pushed the dead body off her roughly and quickly reached for the axe. She realised abruptly that she felt quite dizzy, and gasped for breathe as she heaved herself up, using the rail as support.

Squall looked no different. His eyes were the same cool blue, his expression unreadable and his body poised in a relaxed manner. But that's what made him so dangerous; he was unpredictable.

'Are you going to kill me with that axe, Selphie?' he asked in a robotic tone. His crystal eyes were locked with hers. He had not lowered the gun and now it was aimed at her.

Selphie spat up blood before answering, 'I don't want to kill anymore. Please. Just…please…'

'Then why are you still gripping it so tightly?'

'I don't know…' she sobbed and shook her head after thinking. 'To defend myself, if you attack me first.'

'An axe is hardly a match for a gun,' he relied coolly.

Selphie wanted to laugh but didn't think it was possible. 'You'd be surprised.'

He inclined his head, his eyes never leaving hers. 'Throw it overboard, Selphie. You wont be needing it where you're going.'

This axe has never failed me, she thought, but this is different. Not even I can avoid a gunshot, especially when the bullet is being shot from Squall. I…I don't need it. It has been my greatest woe and greatest friend. But he's right…thank you.

She turned methodically to the rail, her back to Squall, and flung it over the side. It clanged against the Garden's ornate outer walls as it descended then disappeared beneath the waves. Selphie felt nothing.

The brunette turned and jumped. Squall stood directly in front of her, gun pointed in her face. She closed her eyes. Now that death was inches from her face, she could hardly think.

Fine.

And then,'Come on.'

Selphie looked at him again. Now he was closer she could see how tired he looked. His face was drawn and pale. He had blood splattered up his white shirt. He stared at her wearily and that's when she noticed…he had lowered the gun.

'Come on,' he repeated. 'Let's go. We don't have much time.'

'What?'

'Let's go!' he shouted. 'Come on! Do you want to be left here?'

Her stomach knotted at the thought. 'No.'

He ran over to the escape pod and hit a few buttons next to the door. It hissed open and he looked at her over his shoulder. 'We'll only just make it,' he said quietly. Then disappeared within the belly of the machine.

Selphie was in a daze. Was she dead yet? She touched her stomach gently. No…no…!

I'm alive!

Must live…must survive…must escape….

She ran to the escape pod and dived inside it. At the front, Squall battered some code into the direction panel. The door shut behind her but she continued to lie on the floor. Her surroundings quivered and hummed loudly as the thing departed from the ground.

Selphie crawled up and kneeled on one the seats next to the window. They were high above the Garden now. She could see Rinoa's dead body sprawled out on the open area. She could see the bodies littering the Quad. Yet it was all right…she wasn't in there with them.

'I'm alive…' she whispered in disbelief. 'I actually…survived.'

Escape pods weren't designed to fly or travel very far, so it quickly came to a stop some distance from Balamb garden and bobbed on the surface of the ocean. Selphie turned away from the window, vividly imagining Irvine throwing his bloated corpse against it, clenching the blood soaked axe in his fist.

She shuddered.

Squall came and sat in the chair opposite her. 'There's not much we can do until we reach land.'

And finally Selphie got to ask the question she had so longed to ask the whole time: 'Why?' Selphie asked. 'Why?'

He looked at her strangely and leaned back. 'After the second sorceress war…Balamb Garden's success fluctuated immensely. We should know, right? We were always being called on missions.'

Selphie nodded. It had been constant and tiring. Not to mention the fact she had had a teaching position thrown onto her occasionally; the sudden surge in people wanting to join SeeD was overwhelming and they didn't have enough staff to cope.

'Well, as you can imagine, we were raking in the money and a golden reputation,' Squall continued, staring blankly at the ceiling. 'And of course, we had become the strongest Garden in the world; we were a force to be reckoned with. The unions of the continents began to become suspicious and paranoid. We could easily take over there pathetic forces, right?'

Selphie nodded again.

'And it wasn't just them. Did you ever wonder what happened to Galbadia Garden?'

Selphie had never really thought about it before. 'To be honest, I didn't really care much what happened to them after…everything.'

A ghost of a smile flickered over Squall's lips. 'Neither did anyone else, and business for them began to diminish. Who wants to higher SeeDs that had fought against them all in the war? No one.'

'So what do we have to do with this?'

'The unions and Galbadia Garden united to get rid of Balamb. For the unions, it meant no more worry about us invading. For Galbadia, it meant business would soar with us gone. So they managed to get some agents into Balamb and gassed the Garden out one night about…six months ago, while we slept. Knocked us all out good, and no one anticipated it. Then they set up the cameras; though they were hidden at first. We had no idea when we awoke.' Squall sighed and rubbed his face.

'Why didn't they just wipe us all out?'

'They thought of that but decided after extensive research that we were too strong and organised. They set up the cameras to study us, observe our techniques, find the soft spot beneath our armour if you will.'

'And did they?'

'Of course.'

'What was it?'

Squall laughed a little. 'Each other.'

Selphie swallowed and fiddled with her SeeD uniform. It was all so obvious now. Damn them bastards…

'They gassed us out again, hijacked garden and transported it…wherever we are now, and left us.' There was an awkward pause until Squall added slowly, 'I guess Cid set the self-destruct system off when he realised the union's plan had worked and we were killing each other off. I suspect the gas had something in it as well.'

'Something in it to drive us insane?' Selphie sniffed. 'I feel fine though. And you seem okay.'

Squall said nothing and it made her nervous.

Selphie was suddenly knocked off her chair as a massive explosion rocked the escape pod. An ear-splitting boom vibrated through the air and Selphie's scream was lost within its fiery voice. A series of smaller explosion took place and she thought the pod would fall apart. She could hear tremendous tidal waves consuming the craft and she begged it was waterproof.

It was over as suddenly as it started. The couple found themselves sprawled at incredible angles on the hard floor with bits and pieces scattered around them.

Selphie groaned and scrambled to her feet. She peered out the window to see the most tremendous sight she had ever witnessed. Balamb Garden - her home, her school, her life - was on flames and on its side, slowly sinking down into the murky depths of the ocean. Its lights flickered and extinguished altogether. Massive holes created by the bombs coughed up great plumes of black smoke as the sea licked at its once elegant structure.

Squall appeared next to her. 'Looks like the self destruct system went off finally.'

Selphie found herself speechless. It was a terrifyingly overwhelming sight to behold, to see something so magnificent being consumed by a great nothing.

Everyone…got a burial at least… She found herself saddened by this. Everyone she ever knew and loved were on that craft…and now they were gone. All gone. Lost beneath the ocean.

Balamb Garden disappeared from view completely.

She turned back, suddenly exhausted. Squall was watching her carefully from across the pod.

'Hey Squall,' she said, after having a sudden afterthought. 'How did you know all that? What you just told me.'

Squall smiled and his eyes narrowed. 'Cid told me.'

'Cid? But he killed himself.'

Squall laughed and withdrew his gun, the same gun he killed Cid with, the same gun he'd kill Selphie and himself with. 'Not exactly.'

And as Selphie stared dumbly into the barrel of the gun, she wondered if the gas had driven her insane too, but concluded that it didn't really matter because death had brought her nothing but insanity. Perhaps in the next life, they would be reunited once again. I'd like that…

Squall barely saw Selphie's wistful smile as he pulled the trigger and pushed her from the darkness that shrouded her into the light Selphie had strived so hard to reach.

FIN

If you remember, at the beginning Selphie had a dream. This is what the images in her dream meant (courtesy to 'The Language Of Dreams'.)

Empty purse: indicates loss of loved one and the security that the relationship offered.

Wine glass filling with blood: cups stand for truth and love; the fact it's filled with blood indicates the death of those things.

Enlarged shadow trying to grasp her: a shadow represents a lack of understanding of other people, or lack of self-knowledge. It shows large parts of her that she doesn't recognise trying to be acknowledged.

Review please! Thanks for reading.

Crimson Cobwebs

xxxx