A/N: Yay! Another update, aren't you proud? The chapters are getting a bit longer too which you all seem to enjoy, which makes me happy because I get nice reviews from you all.
Thank you to everyone who's reviewed, ok I know this is less personal but it does make things easier and it means people who haven't reviewed before I post the next chapter don't get left out.
"Seifer, no!" Her eyes widened in pain as the knife stuck her side. Tears filled her eyes as her hand fell from Squall's and crimson stained the white of her dress. The witch disappeared from her eyes as she neared death; deep hazel eyes searched the room as she stumbled away from them. Blood swirled and stained her hand as she pressed down on her side while collapsing to her knees. She fought to stay conscious as she saw Squall fight his way free of Seifer's hold, their gunblades clashing as a fight broke out. Laguna ran to her more concerned for her safety than he was with Seifer or Squall. He supported her weight as he fussed over his small selection of spells. Watching helplessly as her eyes rolled back and the coldness began to creep through her skin.
Squall fought with blind rage after watching the blood seep from the stab wound in Rinoa's side. He saw nothing but the movement of their weapons as the blue glow of the metal on his gunblade lit up the darkened corridor. Seifer laughed as they fought but Squall kept watch of his rival's every move. "You've gone crazy Seifer!" Squall warned as he slammed his blade down onto Seifer's.
"Crazy, Squall? Crazy is when a SeeD falls for the woman he's trained all his life to kill." Seifer spoke as he threw Squall backwards. Squall fought in silence as he tried to keep his mind off Rinoa. He took note of Seifer's fighting technique. Doing everything he could just to dodge and block the moves.
Selphie and Irvine ran down the hall, Irvine positioned himself within a clear shooting range of Seifer, waiting for a moment to strike as Selphie ran to Rinoa's side. "Get out of the way!" She ordered as she shoved Laguna to one side, "Oh my god Rin what did he do to you?" She felt tears form in her eyes as she stared into the cold and still eyes of her friend. "No!" She yelled as she stood, the raw emotions rushing through her body triggered her limit break, forcing her uncontrollably to cast full heal on her still companion. Selphie dropped to the floor and hugged Rinoa as she began to stir, as the warmth rushed through her body once more. Selphie let go of her friend as she hugged Selphie back. "Its true, raw emotion really does fuel our most powerful moves." The pair exchanged a smile before Rinoa stood. A distracted Squall fell to the floor, his gunblade just out of reach. Selphie covered her mouth with her hands as she watched Rinoa's eyes change back to the sickly yellow. Black and purple markings began to run down her face like the tears falling from Selphie's eyes.
"Rin, what's wrong with your eyes?" Rinoa seemed to ignore Selphie as she continued to talk to her. "Rin your face . . . oh Hyne, Rin what's happening to you?"
Squall struggled to stretch his arm enough to grab his gunblade as Seifer raised his to bring down on Squall. "Seifer . . ." Squall noted the strange metallic quality creeping back into Rinoa's voice as she approached them.
"No . . . I can do this!" Seifer protested as he sulked away from Rinoa's form.
"You failed me. You are not strong enough for this; you're just a lost little boy."
"I can do this!" Seifer answered as he raised his blade once more to strike Squall. Squall looked worriedly to Laguna and Irvine as they both raised their guns on Rinoa.
"Ultimecia no, I can do this! I will prove myself to you!"
"Your too late, you promised me the sorceress's powers!" Seifer left Squall on the floor as he approached Rinoa falling to his knees as he pleaded with her.
"You promised me Rinoa, you promised that no-one would get in the way of us and that you would just take her powers. But they have! They've come to take her away from us. Help me please and you can have her powers!"
"You don't deserve help! I'm going to do this all by myself!" She swept out an arm and watched in satisfaction as they were all cleared from her path with the spell. Her body floated along the corridor as she swayed from side to side. Squall leapt to his feet as soon as his body responded to the impulse. "Rinoa!" He yelled down the corridor after her as he turned to Irvine and Selphie for their help.
As Laguna watched the three running after their friend he struggled to his feet, he spoke to his companions, "We're getting too old for this. We weren't any help at all. Look at us!"
"One would say we've been run down...That's what they'd normally say..." Stated Kiros as he stood, dusting down his clothes before offering a hand to Ward.
"Don't say that! It might come true. Didn't you grandmother ever tell you that?" Laguna spoke fearfully as he observed their surroundings.
"Laguna, we have got to stop using quotes from when we were younger." Kiros warned as his offer to help Ward to his feet backfired and Ward's weight pulled him back to the ground.
"And everyone thinks I'm helpless!" Stated Laguna as the pair glared back at him.
"So what do we do now?" Kiros asked as he stood and left Ward to make his own way to his feet. Laguna glanced between the pair.
"I guess we need to do something constructive." Laguna offered as he scratched the back of his head. "Ellone! We have to get Ellone near Rinoa while she's till processed, to trigger the time compression!"
"Laguna we've known you for a long time . . ." Kiros said as he wrapped an arm around Laguna's shoulder, ". . . And that is the first time I have ever heard you say something constructive, ever!"
"Stop it, your going to curse it again!" Laguna yelled like a five year old as the others began to head towards the exit.
"Stop it you pesky little girl, you struggling will not help you. I will have your powers one way or another!" Rinoa fought against the sorceress dominating her mind. Her body's swaying and repeated imagery were all due to her attempts as resisting the sorceress's power over her.
"This is my body; I dictate what happens here not you! I won't let you hurt my friends anymore!"
"Oh you dear sweet child, do you really think they're you friends? Are you that blind? They only act that way around you because someone told them to; they're like puppets on a string. I doubt that Squall even feels for you what you feel for him!"
"I don't . . ."
"Go on lie to yourself again, 'I don't feel for him' you poor thing you're just as lost as that Seifer boy."
"I'm nothing like Seifer! And alright maybe I do feel for Squall but that just makes me more human than you! It just makes me a better person because I can feel, because I have the ability to love."
"Love?" The word was spoken in a spiteful laugh, "Take it from me child, love does not exist. Not in this time, not in any time, and most defiantly not in my time!"
"I won't be your slave anymore." The last words were said with such emotion that they have been spoken by her body before she collapsed to the floor with laboured breath, as she fought to maintain control.
Selphie tried to run to Rinoa as she dropped to the floor but Squall's hand rested on her shoulder to hold her back. "It could be a trick." He warned as they approached with their weapons ready to strike their friend. Irvine and Selphie jumped as her head snapped up to look at them the markings beginning to fade from her face. She fiddled with the sleeve of her dress in a panicked fashion as a card fell into her hand.
"Take it! It's the only way out!" Her voice spoke between her deep breaths. Selphie leant down and took the card from Rinoa's fingers. Her head dropped to the floor again as she spoke. "Up the hall the second door on your right . . . there's a room with a guard sleeping outside . . . he won't wake up." Her hands clenched into fists as she felt a tear escape her watering eyes. "Use that to get in . . ." She signalled to the card in Selphie's hands.
"Rin, please how can we help you?" The bubbly girl begged with her friend as tears rolled down the cheeks of both girls.
"You can't help me . . . ugh!" Squall looked desperately between his friends, understanding that, should they stay too long they could end up in a situationmuch worse than now.
"Ok, so second on our right, the guard won't wake what else?" Irvine glanced to Squall with wit a disapproving look at his coldness to the situation but Rinoa had not been affected by it.
"In the room theres a cabinet full of glasses . . . take one . . . it doesn't matter which . . . put it in the hands of . . . ugh . . . of the lady carved in the wall." Her words were becoming rushed as she spoke.
"Cabinet, glass in the hands of the carving." Squall repeated.
"Yeah . . . it goes to the sewers . . . follow the open gates . . . you'll appear in the centre of the city . . . in the arc."
"Ok I've got it." Squall said as he rose to his feet, "We have to keep moving." He stated as he looked back to Rinoa. "How will we find you? Where?"
"The flower field . . . we'll be at the flower field!" She curled further into the foetal position as they ran to the door.
Laguna jumped into action as they reached the bridge of the Ragnarok. "I want you to locate all the SeeDs left in that build or anywhere else in the area. I want them back on this ship. Find my son; we won't be able to advance any further without your commander."
"Yes sir!" The SeeD in the co-pilot seat began tapping at a keyboard. "Sir all remaining SeeDs in the building are being withdrawn as we speak. But I think you might like to take a look at this." Laguna hovered over the screen as he puzzled over the codes and images.
"What does it mean?" He leant back and scratched his head while Ward and Kiros rolled their eyes.
"Easy come easy go." Kiros whispered to Ward who nodded in agreement
"Sir, Commander Squall Leonhart, Selphie Tilmitt and Irvine Kinneas are all located in the central sewer region of the city."
"In the sewers? What are they doing in there?"
Selphie cringed as they walked along the sidewalk of the sewer system. "This is gross!" She stated while pinning her nose with her fingers.
"Better than walking in it though." Offered Irvine.
"Yeah but, Rinoa lived in that house all her life you'd think she'd know a better way out."
"There's a secret passage that even the current owner doesn't know about, that's pretty cool regardless of weather or not it leads to the sewers."
"Yeah I suppose." Selphie removed the fingers from her nose as she stopped at the bottom of a ladder.
"I think this is the last of the sewer, this must be inside the arc." Squall broke his silence as he shouted down from his position on the ladder.
"Good! But if I smell like this when I get out of here I'll have someone's head!" Selphie stated as she began to climb the ladder. "Hey Irvine you coming?" She demanded as she reached the first floor.
"I'm enjoying the view!" He yelled as he climbed up the ladder behind her. His statement received him a soft boot to the face as she looked down on him from the floor with crossed arms.
"We've got to get back to the Ragnarok and to the 'flower field' now isn't the time to be staring at my underwear!" Selphie warned as she pointed at Irvine.
"Yeah but where is the 'flower field'?" Asked Squall as he shifted the heavy door so they could exit the building.
"The Orphanage!" Irvine declared in his quick response.
"How did you know that?" Squall asked Irvine with a suspicious look as he walked out of the building while Squall held the door open.
"Does it matter right now?" Asked Irvine as he pointed the mansion, where a figure floated about the roof. "I think all we need to do is get there and quickly! Questions can wait till after this mess."
