"Get Ellone, quickly!" Squall yelled as he backed away from Rinoa's body.
"I'm right here Squall." Ellone's voice was soft and soothing as she walked along the beach towards Rinoa. The pair reached out for each other their finger tips touching before the air around them began to rapidly rush past them like the winds of a hurricane but neither girl seemed bothered by the speeding sea air.
"Ok everyone, time compression is about to begin, we'll stay and look after Ellone. Remember Love, friendship and courage. Show 'em what ya got!" Laguna said ecstatically as he began to fade from view.
Suddenly the world around them began to fall like running water as it disappeared into nothing. Squall watched as bubbles of his memories floated by him, he couldn't help but wonder if everyone else was seeing the same things. "Yo where are we supposed to go?" Zell's voice was the first to reach Squall as he looked back for Rinoa. He didn't have time to answer as he felt himself begin to fall. He held his breath as he felt his body hit water, eventually he couldn't hold it any longer and he opened his mouth, waiting for the water to fill it and drown him. Nothing happened. As he opened his eyes he saw his friends falling into the crystal clears waters. Tropical fish that'd he'd never seen before swirled in a rainbow of colours as they passed by.
"Edea's house?" Squall spoke as he realised he couldn't be drowned in the waters. He looked back for Rinoa once more and then to the coral below them where she stood still touching Ellone's fingertips with her own.
"I might . . . disappear . . . I don't know if we can both be in one time together."
"Trust me, I won't let you disappear." He noticed them all sinking down to Rinoa's level while he spoke. As his body hit the ground he took a sharp breath and looked on in amazement as he watched birds fly past them. He was relieved to find Rinoa not far behind him, finally separated from Ellone.
The last room had disappeared like running water this one, however, appeared to be emerging in a similar manner only in the opposite direction, as if it were moving backwards. "We're in the presidential residence in Deling." Squall muttered before he was interrupted by Rinoa falling to her knees, her fingers tightly gripping her head as if her skull were about to burst. "Rinoa . . ." He held out his hand to reach for her but was stopped by Quistis' voice.
"Squall . . ." He looked up to see a sorceress dressed in a long black dress with a deep v-line neck that revealed a generous amount of chest, feathers set off the dress as they outlined her slender neck. A head piece kept her hair away from her face and hidden from view, some of the chimes rattled together as she moved. They watched in shock as she slit into copies of Sorceresses from the past. The action only seemed to cause Rinoa more pain as she let out small cries and huddled into herself more.
"Do we fight her?" Squall looked to Irvine, he didn't know the answer to the question, and he couldn't answer it. What if he said yes and they ended up hurting Rinoa by defeating these sorceresses, what if he said no and the sorceresses killed his friends. He turned to Rinoa remembering Ellone saying something about her being able to guide them.
"Rinoa you have to help me, I don't know what we're supposed to do next." She answered his question with a sharp and deep breath as she struggled to her feet. Her eyes focused on the Sorceress before them as she found her footing.
"Step back . . ." Her voice was more cold and commanding than usual as she stepped forwards. White angel wings snapped out from her back, as if awakening from a deep sleep glistening with the magic they were made from as they caught the light.
"Booyaka!" Selphie yelled as she watched Rinoa quickly and effectively remove the sorceress from existence with a storm of meteors and flares.
"Did you see that? She just merged two magics together." Quistis stated in astonishment. Squall couldn't say he had noticed thought. He was still staring at the wings resting just off her back while they slowly began to vanish as if falling back into their deep slumber. He couldn't help but wonder as he watched her walk by, was this just the very tip of the iceberg? Were her powers really as vast as her abilities suggested?
"Way to go Rin!" Irvine yelled as they all looked on to the girl as she walked back to them smiling shyly.
"We have to keep moving." Squall reminded them as he headed for the door. Feminine fingers rested on his chest as he tried to walk past, his eyes followed the arm the hand was connected to travelling past the black ribbon and to her face. Deep yellow orbs stared at him in the place of her normal hazel iris as her hand rested softly against his chest and yet held him firmly in place. He could feel the adrenaline running through his body just at her touch. Why do you have this power over me? He wondered as she spoke softly to him.
"We have to stay here."
"Rinoa I don't understand how can we find Ultimecia if we don't move on?" Her hand fell from his chest and back to her side, the spot the wings had dominated still partly distracting his attention.
"We won't . . . she'll find us, she's the one controlling time compression."
"What about the sorceresses?" Zell asked with a clenched fist.
"We have to defeat them all before we'll reach Ultimecia. We'll be taken to each one."
"But how do we beat them?" Irvine asked with curiosity.
"Irvine does have a point we can't mix magic like Rinoa." Quistis pointed out as the room around them began to fall apart an image of a lush and vibrant forest replacing it.
"Every sorceress has a weakness to a particular magic or magics, you just need to find out what and cast the appropriate spells. Don't worry about using all of your magic I'll help you re-stock when we reach Ultimecia."
"Rinoa, what will happen to you?" Irvine asked as he watched the walls melt away to puddle at their feet.
"As we defeat each sorceress the pain should subside." She clenched her jaw and tightly shut her eyes to stop a muffled cry of pain, "After we reach Ultimecia, I don't know." She looked to the floor with a sad expression before her head flicked up and she pointed towards a clearing in the forest as she shouted instructions to the party. "Fight, you don't have a choice!"
Selphie, Irvine and Quistis had selected themselves as a group and fought the next sorceress. A sorceress dressed in a combination of oranges and reds; with strange clothing that none could match to an era appeared from a swirling cloud of dust. As she appeared Selphie immediately cast scan. A magical globe spun around the sorceress before it displayed a small selection of information about its target. "Tornado and Thunder are our best bet on this one. And whatever you do don't cast any kind of Earth or Water related magic!" Selphie yelled above the raging fires summoned by the sorceress. Rinoa and the others looked on from the distance. As Quistis began to cast her tornado magic Rinoa yelled to her.
"Use it to drive her flames back at her, you'll do extra damage and prevent hurt to your team mates." Quistis nodded to signal her intake of the information but did not take her eyes off her prey as she cast the spell using her willpower to guide the magic the best she could. The flames were thrown back at the sorceress while the tornado magic caused them to form a spinning tower of flames. Irvine trust his spare arm forwards as if throwing something from his body. In the midst of an unexpected electrical storm a large GF appeared, with wings like a bird but skin that resembled scales more than feathers it let the electricity freely flow through its body before forming a dome of electricity that trapped both the magics beneath it. The continuing spells continued to do damage while the bolts of lightening contributed to the damage inflicted. When the three friends took a step back the sorceress came back with an attack that summoned an earthquake beneath their feet. Selphie fell to the floor after taking the brunt of the damage. Irvine and Quistis continued their attacks on Rinoa's command while Selphie stood on unsteady legs to cast one of a special selection of spells. At first Rinoa thought it might have been the one she had cast on her, but it wasn't. She watched as she muttered the words, 'The end' and as if for no apparent reason the sorceress fell to the floor screaming in agony before her eyes rolled back into her skull and she vanished from existence.
She watched Zell and Squall begin towards Selphie to help her to her feet while one of the other's fiddled with their selection of spells. Rinoa smiled at the weakened Selphie as she smiled back. "Take my hand; do you think you can do that?" Rinoa asked as Selphie nodded for the guys to let go of her and she fell towards Rinoa as their hands connected. Rinoa waved the others off as she steadied Selphie before her. A bright white light swirled around them both while tiny green orbs of magic spiralled around Selphie.
"Felling better now?" Rinoa asked as she took a step back, awaiting an answer before letting go of her friend's hand. Selphie nodded slowly before she spoke.
"Yeah, I feel great." She smiled, "Rin, I . . ." Selphie seemed a little shaken by something and Rinoa tightly gripped the small girl. Irvine quickly stepped towards them but Rinoa shook her head and he stopped next to Squall. Rinoa stroked Selphie's hair as the girl silently shook. "I killed her Rinny; in one move I killed her." Rinoa glanced between the others before she pushed Selphie away from her, tightly holding her shoulders. She tipped her head to one side as she made eye contact with the small brunette.
"Don't be afraid." She whispered. "We all carry our burdens, some are heavier than others, but regardless we all carry them." Selphie seemed unsure of the direction Rinoa was taking it. "She was a sorceress from the past, she doesn't really exist. Her time has already passed, you are not to blame."
"I thought . . . after I did it I couldn't help but think, 'what if one day this is Rinoa?'" Rinoa's eyes began to water as she held her friend tightly as the other girl returned the embrace.
"I will never do that to you! Never!" Rinoa whispered into the other girl's ear as they embraced. "I would take my own life if I ever thought you would have to fight me!" the scenery around them began to change once more as the girls held each other at arms length. They smiled as Irvine gently rapped his arms around Selphie and she turned to return the hug. Squall walked up to Rinoa as the forest ground turned to the cold metallic floor of the D-District Prison.
"Would you really kill yourself?" He asked as he stood next to her.
"If I thought I was dangerous again . . . what choice would I have?" She looked sadly away from him almost completely sure that she would not receive any comforting words.
"Edea said that . . ." She looked to him smiling sypathetically before she spoke.
"Selphie was scared, we all are. What Irvine said was great, I've never felt so determined, so inspired. But, we all know there's no guarantee we'll be alright at the end of this, that we'll all come back the same as we left. There are no guarantees, not even the guarantee that we'll come out of this alive or fighting together."
"With a knight though, we wouldn't ever have to fight you would we?" She looked at her feet as Squall spoke to her.
"A knight must fall in love with the sorceress, they must be destined to be together forever. No, you'd never have to fight me, if, I ever found my knight."
AN: Sorry this update took so long but I've not had time to write it up until now. Hopefully the next update won't take any where near as long to write and post. Hope this will keep you all satisfied for a short while.
Thanks for all the reviews I've received, I love getting them and can't wait to hear from you all!
