A/N: Another chapter for you all, no Rinoa in this one though. Just everyone else trying to save themselves.

Thank you everyone for your reviews!


"We've got to get back to the Ragnarok!" Squall yelled as he pointed in the direction of the space ship.

"Yea, but how exactly are we meant to do that?" Irvine inquired as he stared on at Galbadia's elite armed forces.

"Ouch!" Selphie stated as she cringed at the amount of people and vehicles before them. "Think they've seen us yet?" She added as she fiddled with the door behind them. "Err, guys? Bad news, we're locked out here." She giggled nervously as the gates of the ach were lowered.

"Well isn't today turning out to be a fun day?" Irvine remarked sarcastically as he stood protectively in front of Selphie. Squall watched his friend's movements and lowered his head as he thought about Rinoa. Couldn't even protect her from Seifer, could you Squall? Look at me I'm pathetic! I can't help my friends now, I couldn't save the girl I . . . I'm not ok at all!

"Squall any bright ideas at all, 'cause now would be a really good time!" Irvine's panicked voice broke his pattern of thought as he watched Irvine protectively shelter Selphie from sight. Give me to them; it's probably me they want. I'm useless anyway. He thought as his friends cornered themselves against the door.


"FOUND!" A grey hair girl with an eye patch coving her visible eye commanded as she approached Seifer, her arm pointing in his direction as if guiding someone.

"We found ya! Though you were dead ya know." A tall and muscular figure acted as a support for his friend as he lifted himself to his feet. Seifer looked between the pair as if awoken from a deep sleep.

"Rajin? Fujin? Oh Hyne, Rin what did I do?" He reached out to the air in a panicked manner as he tried to fight his way out of his friend's hold.

"STOP!" He looked to Fujin with a bewildered expression.

"What? What are you guys doing? What have I done?"

"SORCERESS!"

"The sorceress had you under some kind of spell. You got kind of scary back there, almost killed Rinoa, ya know?" Seifer looked to his hands with curiosity and shock, Rinoa's blood beginning to dry and flake away from his skin.

"Oh Hyne, what have I done?" He yelled as he fell to his knees with watering eyes.

"SEEDS!"

"Oh yeah Squall and some of the other SeeDs from the Garden were here trying to save Rinoa. The army's got them cornered in the arc right now."

"We-we have to go-go help them sa-save Rinoa."

"HEAL!"

"Oh, Fujin says she needs to heal you first. You took some tough hits back there, ya know."

"Fine, just hurry up, we might not have much time!"


"What's taking them so long?" Laguna asked as he paced the bridge of the space ship.

"Err. . . Laguna you might want to take a look at this." Kiros said as he staggered away from the window. Laguna leant against the glass as he watched army aircraft fly over them.

"We need to take off!" the pilot yelled as he flicked several switches on the panel before him.

"We can't leave without them." Laguna yelled back as he watched another wave of aircraft surround them.

"We have to, we're sitting ducks here! The main computer shows them preparing to fire. We have to go!" Laguna looked torn between saving his son and saving the people trapped in the space ship.

"Take us out of range, now!" Kiros ordered as he ran to Laguna's side. "Mr. President you must take a seat and fasten your seat belt securely!" He ordered as he pushed a confused Laguna to his seat. "Ward, watch him, don't let him mess this up."

"Sir, their aircraft will easily out manoeuvre our own, I don't see how we can do anything to escape them."

"Nadia isn't it?" Kiros asked as he strode confidently up to the pilot.

"Yes sir."

"We're in a space ship! Take us up to an altitude their aircraft won't be able to withstand."

"Sir I need a higher rank to permit that order."

"Your commander is lost in a sea of soldiers, ours is in no state to command anyone. I am the highest ranking officer here, I'll take the fall."

"But sir . . ."

"I am Quistis Trepe, Instructor no. 014 of Balamb Garden, you have permission. Get us out of here." The young blonde that approached signalled for the pilot to continue. The young man nodded his head.

"All personnel take a seat and fasten yourself securely. This won't be a pleasant ride." He turned to Quistis and Kiros as he finished speaking over the loud speaker. "I'm going to have to ask you both to do the same."


"This is great Squall! Now is just a brilliant time for you to have some kind of break down!" Irvine had spent the last few minuets screaming at Squall as he sat silently in a corner, his head hung as he stared at the floor with empty eyes.

"Hey, we shouldn't be too harsh; I mean no-one's perfect right?" Selphie tried to calm the situation between the pair. She couldn't help but feel sorry for Squall; after all, the first girl he'd actually shown an interest in had turned out to be the sorceress, and a troubled one at that.

"We're going to die here!" Irvine threw his hands in the air as he spoke making an already terrified Selphie back away from him in fear. She shook as she fell to the floor beside Squall, never once removing her terror filled eyes from her boyfriend. Irvine clenched his jaw as he realised how badly his words had scared the girl huddled against the wall. "I just . . . how do we know it wasn't Ultimecia leading us straight into a trap. You've got to admit that's what it looks like." His voice was calmer than before and even remorseful.

"Rinoa wouldn't let her do that." Selphie said as she shook her head from side to side. I wish I had as much faith as you Selphie. What if it was Ultimecia, I might have led us all to our death. We won't get to see our families again . . . I won't get to see Rinoa . . . They'll all talk about how great we were, and what a shame it was we died so young. They'll say, 'He was a really nice guy' or, 'wasn't she really pretty.' I can't do this anymore!

"No I won't have anyone talk about me in the past tense!" Squall leapt to his feet as he spoke for the first time in almost half an hour.

"What?" Selphie inquired as she looked up in shock as Squall.

"I'm not going to let us die here!" He exclaimed as he drew his gunblade, "I won't die here, not today, not now!"

"I'm glad to hear that." Seifer spoke as he approached the gate followed by Rajin and Fujin.

"Seifer I'm going to kill you when I get out of this!" Squall screamed as he ran at the gate.

"STOP!" The girl cried as she stepped forwards, making Squall pause on the spot.

"Fujin says we're not here to fight, we want to help you go save Rinoa." The large and muscular boy also took a step forward.

"Look, Squall I'm sorry I did all that stuff . . ." Seifer looked to the floor, his usual confident persona disappeared, "I don't want to hurt Rinoa anymore."

"You stabbed her, you could have killed her. You nearly did." Squall had to try as hard as he could to keep the anger from his words.

"I didn't mean to." Seifer kept his eyes to the floor as he waited for more abuse.

"DON'T!" Everyone turned their attention to Fujin.

"I expected better of you two, why do you follow this guy?" Rajin looked to Fujin as if waiting for a reason.

"We're a posse; with out us he doesn't really have anyone else. We're his friends; we'll stand by him no matter what, that's what friends do for each other. Seifer wasn't himself the sorceress was using his emotions to steer him in a direction that she could use to her benefit, that's why we didn't stop you when you attacked. We hoped you'd knock some sense back into him, we wanted the old Seifer back." Everyone looked to the usually quiet and unemotional girl in shock.

"Yeah . . . what she said." Rajin said nervously. Squall glanced back to Irvine and Selphie as she fell into his arms as an acceptance of his apology.

"Can you get us to the Ragnarok?" Squall asked as he looked back at Seifer.

"Already on their way." He said with a small apologetic smile. The friends moved to one side of the gate as the large space ship landed just a few metres away. The gates were slowly raised as all the armed forces stood down on Seifer's order. The stairs were lowered and Laguna walked down, accompanied by Kiros and Ward.

"Thought we were goners back there, thanks for the save." Laguna's hand rested briefly on Seifer's shoulder as thanks. Seifer nodded.

"Go save Rinoa, I . . . we'll make sure peace is restored around here while you're gone." Laguna shook the young man's hand before encasing his son in a firm hold. Squall tried but couldn't bring himself to return the sign of affection and just waited for his father to let go of him.

"I thought you lot were going to die here." Laguna admitted a little embarrassed by his emotions. Selphie was still clingy to Irvine's side while he kept his arm wrapped around her shoulders.

"Let's go find Rinoa!" She exclaimed as she ran towards the ship.

"Yea but where are we going to find her?" Kiros inquired as they walked aboard the space ship.

"Edea's orphanage, on the tip of Centra. It's next to a light house should be easy to find." Irvine said as they all walked up the stairs with Squall lingering behind everyone else.

Squall felt something pull on his arm as he reached the base of the stairs. Turning he saw Seifer pulling on his jacket sleeve. "Rinoa's a great girl huh?" He spoke as they stood isolated at the stairs.

"She's . . ." Squall couldn't think of the right words and just nodded his head in agreement.

"Squall I know we don't see eye to eye but . . ." He stoked his chin as he tried to think of the words. "It's not me she wants . . ." He released Squall's jacket and tried to piece together what he wanted to say in his head. "Squall she . . . just take care of her. Promise me you won't let anyone hurt her like I did."

"I'll try." Squall whispered as he walked up the stairs.