In A Heartbeat Chapter 13: Spiral into Reality, a final fantasy x-2 fanfic

Disclaimer: Refer to the others...everything else still applies

A/N: A million apologies for the lateness, but I was really busy and the time I had was spent on work. On top of that, I wrote three different copies of this chapter and decided on this one. Hopefully you'll enjoy it. My original 'Recap' for the previous chapters was deleted by accident, so I'll probably write it for next time.

Side note: Everything from chapters 10 and up take place within the timeframe of one night. This chapter is about what happens the morning after in relation to what happened the night before. And of course this chapter is darky and angsty (my specialty!) and also longer for those that waited so patiently for this update ;)

Enjoy!

:.Chapter Thirteen.: Dawn

Deft fingers lifted a spoon from within the murky depths of a milk lake. The spoon was lifted to eye level, allowing a reflection to appear on the back of it. Through the milky residue, Squall could see the circles under his eyes, the difference in his skin pallor, but most strikingly, the faint shadow of happiness that would soon disappear completely from his face. He roughly put the bowl of cereal and milk in the sink.

He never truly was one to express emotions, but he would still experience them despite his efforts to remain stolid. That was his defense mechanism. Whenever an unpleasant memory resurfaced, or a truth that was better left buried, was heard, his "I don't care" attitude was what shielded him.

'I did this to her', his mind conjured the newest grievance. Then a grievance that wasn't so new, 'she left because of me. I drove her away, and we both suffered because of me.'

The weaker voice within him fought back with some effort, 'it's not your fault. Besides, it's better not to say anything.'

His mind still insisted and taunted, poking at a sore spot, 'She probably would've stayed if you said something, anything.'

"You used up all of the hot water."

Cloud's voice seemed like a faint echo. His thoughts conquered what ability he had to respond.

'You hate it that you've lost your mother to the weakness of emotions. You don't want to think about how you're about to lose your sister because of a fight. You won't yet admit that you've lost Rinoa because you won't tell her you love her.'

He didn't trust that word: love. It had no meaning to him at all; there was nothing he could relate it to. He knew how it felt to love his sister, but not a romantic kind of love. The kind of love that he still doubted of an actual existance.

How could he lose himself to pointless emotions that lingered and clung to him like the dew of a summer morning? He didn't want to admit his feelings to anyone. Wasn't that why his mother left them? She couldn't take the pain from her husband's death, so she left. He didn't want to leave Rinoa, but it seemed that Fate had cruelly turned the tables. Rinoa had left him. There was no denying it anymore.

"Hello!"

Cloud had grown severely impatient.

"People are always leaving..." Squall murmured softly as if just saying the words out loud had made every event in his life official evidence of the statement.

While Squall had been thinking, his best friend had been ranting about how it was hard enough to pay the water bill as it was, and how he hated taking luke-warm showers. Cloud suddenly stopped at Squall's declaration. "Wait...what?"

Squall's chestnut brown hair shielded his eyes for a moment as he readjusted his position to look somewhere at the wall, cleverly concocting his own question to detract from Cloud's. He didn't feel much like having a chat about his inner turmoil.

Changing the subject, he carefully looked at the man in front of him, "Where were you?"

Cloud was like his sister in the way that they were very expressive, and lying was a skill to be practiced on. He noticed that for the briefest moment, Cloud's eyes flickered with a sudden recognition, then dilated with a memory best left unspoken although it made the air crackle with a sudden tension. Cloud was more skilled than Yuna. This sudden change in attitude could only be detected if one were to look for the signs, and, as it was, he already gave Squall a jaded smile to mask the flaws.

"Out."

The blond was answered with a grunt; the one that told him his answer wasn't enough.

Cloud vaguely added more details, "Out to run an errand."

The other man stared back at him levelly, letting a grim expression wash over his features for a moment before it was replaced with his stone mask.

"Out to play hero."

It was a statement that insinuated Squall's knowledge of his plans all along. He didn't care if he was inflicting any amount of damage on his best friend. For now he was numb with pain, and unable to feel any emotion.

"Its not like that", the blonde reassured with a slight sigh to his tone.

His shoulders squared, and he couldn't help it that he felt an uncontrollable rage for no apparent reason. Thinking too hard about the past did this to him.

"You should know that I don't need your help" he paused for a time to assess what he has just said.

"I know"; Cloud would not be baited. He knew how Squall got sometimes, and he just wanted to vent on someone, but like the fair person he was, Squall needed a reason first.

Squall turned away suddenly, sobered by Cloud's statement.

She said she loved this time of day, where the morning sky was tinged with darkening shades. This was the time when the day was decided: the sky could clear to a perfect shade of blue and the sun would peak out, or the clouds would darken and everyone would be soaked. It was a day like that, when he ran up to meet her, with puddles of yesterday's rain splashing his heels. He said he was sorry. She had already made up her mind. He said he had no choice. That was when she kissed him once softly, and touched his lips with her fingers once as if reliving a past memory. He tried to gather her closer but she shook her head and whispered, "There's always a choice."

He drummed his fingers against the table and noticed Cloud shift uncomfortably through his peripheral vision.

"She..." Cloud looked back at his friend as if for recognition, and permission, "She misses you, a lot."

'Rinoa.'

Squall nodded faintly, then added softly, "Yeah. I know."

Cloud turned back noticing Squall no longer had his attention, and sighed remorsefully while whispering to himself, "I miss her too."

There was a tentative silence; the only sound filling the emptiness was the patter of a new rain against the window.

Cloud had been speaking of Yuna.

○♥○

She leaned her head back against the window embrasure, and tilted her chin up to meet the gentle rays of an early morning sun. It seemed as if it was always sunny there, like the mansion was frozen in time, on a perfect day. Somehow, she always knew that there was a shadow hidden behind the light. This family was hiding a secret, then again, so was she.

He watched as she folded her arms closer about her body, and closed her eyes as if waiting for a kiss in her sweetest dream. He made sure to keep his tone hushed and soft so as not to wake the sleeping girl in his arms.

"You don't believe me, do you?"

She slowly opened her eyes, but set her gaze on something outside. She straightened her position against the archway and pursed her lips, not yet ready to speak.

"Or maybe you don't want to believe me…" he trailed off, trying to invoke her vicious wit or anger. Then he would know if she truly wanted to help him and fix Lenne's mistakes…and hers. His eyebrows quirked into a pleased but curious stance as her lips parted to retort, but she stopped herself from saying anything, then turned to face him.

Her gaze softened. Shuyin lounged on the bed with a placid smile on his lips, which was directed at his daughter. Naomi snuggled closer into his side, and rested her head on her father's chest. She had been lulled to sleep by the rise and fall of each breath Shuyin took.

'This is how it is supposed to be', Yuna thought with a hint of acceptance in her eyes. 'She needs to be back with her real family'.

Shuyin chuckled lightly as he shifted his daughter off of him gently, and replaced his body with a pillow for her to clutch. Yuna turned her gaze away as new tears stung her eyes. She wouldn't cry anymore. She didn't need the love of her father or mother any longer. It was stupid for her to think she could get that back, to relive memories that weren't there.

A warm hand touched her shoulder briefly, catching her attention.

"You've taken good care of her. I want to thank you."

She nodded stiffly, slightly taken aback. Before she could stop herself, Yuna added softly, "I wanted her to have a mother. Someone who could wipe away her tears and hold her when she was scared."

"I understand."

Yuna looked back at him with the flicker of fiery anger in her eyes, "I don't."

His voice faltered and gave away his strength, "I told you why I left her here. Lenne couldn't be here with him anymore, she was in danger. It would be suspicious if we took her away with us, supposedly on a business trip. I wasn't going to leave her, I never would."

"What if she didn't know if you were ever coming back? What if she thought you abandoned her?"

He noticed how her tears were spilling over and her pink eyes reflected the hurt of her own childhood. He moved to touch her but she staggered back. Shuyin sighed deeply, "I had no choice…but I guess, the effort was wasted."

She started walking to the door. He let her leave, thinking that she did deserve to after the long night of secrets and betrayals. A lingering thought made him stare at her retreating form, 'He wanted Lenne. He still wants her, and if Yuna's not careful, she'll end up making more than one mistake. I can't let it happen again…'

○♥○

He supported her back, and held her limber form against him in a friendly embrace, then lowered her to the softness of his bed beneath her. She sighed thoughtfully, and relaxed under his care. He kissed her forehead softly and left the room.

They had both silently agreed that no matter what happened, and what had caused them to act the way they did at the beach, they were just friends. They had both fooled themselves into believing they wanted something more, but what they really wanted was closure. The way they had broken up had been traumatic and reason to avoid each other. When they had been in the shadows of a fading moonlight, and his lips had touched hers, tears rolled down her cheeks at a distant memory that he wasn't a part of. He said he would drive her home, but she didn't want to be alone again. Reluctantly, he had accepted her suggestion. He didn't want to leave her alone, it was safer at his house.

Tidus paced restlessly while Rinoa slept peacefully in his bed. Maybe this was risky, considering they were at Yuna's building. Well, it wasn't hers…his father owned it, and the pent house where he was currently situated. If either Squall or Yuna came in, they would both be hurt, maybe for different reasons. It was fair to make an assumption if one were to come in and notice him topless, and Rinoa sleeping in his room.

She had kissed him again when he took her to his room, and he let her. When her touches became desperate, he stopped her. They both had known it was wrong. She wanted someone who would love her again, if only for a day and he wanted to lose the pain from a sheltered love for another woman. In a way they needed each other, but not like that.

Maybe he didn't understand his feelings yet.

He quietly walked to his bedroom and peered into the room. She had fallen asleep in the circle of her own arms, and her body had splayed across the bed, successfully taking up more than half the space. He could detect the faint outline of her legs through the thin sheets, and saw the base of her left foot press against her calf. Looking at her like this in her unguarded form, he realized that two years ago he probably wouldn't have resisted the temptation, but something in him had changed. There were many different kinds of love, and he had just discovered one. He decided she would be fine if he left her for just a minute.

○♥○

"I knew your father…" Her mind fluttered with the reminiscences of the night's confession. He had paused deliberately, perhaps to numb the shock, but still, she could've sworn her heart stopped for a moment at his confession.

"…And so did Gippal."

His explanation seemed logical, but she still couldn't believe him.

Yuna scrambled in the dimly lit hallway and grasped the stairway railing tightly.

"It seems Gippal has gotten to know you quite well, if I understand the circumstances correctly. You made a big mistake Yuna…Gippal has always wanted Lenne, and your behavior has probably invoked some deep affection for her, best left hidden."

She swayed slightly on her feet, but successfully propelled herself forwards down each step.

"You see, Gippal was in love with her first, and I didn't know. Our marriage created a rift between my best friend and I.I couldn't get through to him. The problem from his past made him resentful and dangerous. Lenne had to be taken away from this house. There were too many secrets, and Gippal and I were bounded to a very dark one."

Yuna took fast but tentative steps, half-concealed by the thin shadows where the sunlight failed to reach. She had to get out of the mansion. Staying anywhere within it had always made her nervous, but a fear consumed her for a completely different reason.

She turned around swiftly and knocked into someone. Her eyes widened as his arms hovered around her body reflexively.

"Gippal."

Her voice quavered slightly, but she couldn't help but wonder if she were really looking into the eyes of a murderer.

"What are you doing up? You should be resting."

His voice was strained and weak with emotion, and an unknown gentleness that instantly calmed her. Something in the way that he carefully avoided her gaze told her that he was deeply upset.

"What—"

He finally turned to face her with red eyes glazed with tears that had been blinked away.

She couldn't stop herself in time when she lifted a hand to his face in a friendly gesture of empathy and whispered his name. Her gentle touch gave no reassurance to him as his eyes were still pained and clouded with the confusion of her actions. He swiftly turned his back to her and muttered something about how she should be resting.

Yuna ignored his advice and watched him disappear past the glass doors leading to the garden.

"What happened to him in the past left him numb with pain and vengeance for the future. I know he still doubts himself. He is still trapped within his own world of hurt. You can see it in his eyes, he relives the memory everyday."

She followed him outside, knowing the answers to her questions lay with him. He leaned against the sidewall of the mansion, beneath the provided shade of a tree. The depths beneath the reflection of her face in his eyes displayed a dark emotion that rivaled against the soft beams of light slipping through the shield of leaves.

"It was his fault you know."

Her silence told him that his statement had been too cryptic.

"It was my father's fault."

"Gippal's mother died about ten years ago…from a shot wound."

His pupils dilated from the shock of a nightmare turning into reality.

"I kept on seeing it in my head, replaying itself. They were fighting again. Days like that, I always remembered, because I couldn't turn the volume up loud enough on my radio to even distort the sound of screaming. I was more scared than angry because I knew my dad had been drinking again. He got even more violent when he was drunk."

He paused to lick his parched lips.

"My father never even so much as laid a finger on me. It was my mom that he went after," Gippal's eyes seemed to burn into Yuna's, almost as if he was seeing a different person standing in front of him, "and he always knew exactly where to hit her so that there were no visible marks."

She flinched in surprise at his sudden change of mood and placed a hand on his shoulder to bring him back into focus. His eyes emanated a gentle, sad softness towards her, almost like he regretted the fact that he had to tell her the rest.

Shakily he continued, "he was a great father otherwise…I was the only child so I was desperate to make my dad proud. The only form of affection I got from him was a tousle of hair if I was lucky, but it didn't matter. I just wanted to be the best for him. I remember every fall he used to take me hunting with him. Once he told me I was a great shot…I had near-perfect aim with any type of rifle. He was an expert though. I wanted to be as good at him, but somehow I never was. I was still never good enough for him no matter what I did"

He shook his head for a moment to clear the thoughts that might have once made him feel worthy in his father's eyes.

"My parents were fighting in the kitchen. My mom already had a bloody nose by the time I got downstairs. It was so easy for him to convince her that she had walked into a wall in the middle of the night, he had that much power of her. She had the kitchen knife in her hands, probably the one she had been using to cut carrots for the salad we were supposed to have for dinner. Both my dad and I knew she wasn't going to even dare to use it, but just the thought that she might've possibly, irked my dad severely. He picked up the hunting rifle and aimed for her. Then he shot her. I tried to knock it away, but the bullet had just grazed my arm and shot her anyway."

He swallowed thickly, "The bullet grazed my arm, that was proof. It had to have been my dad, I had gotten injured as well. At least…at least, that's what I told the police."

Yuna's breath became labored, constricted with fear. "Oh my god," she whispered.

He slumped down raggedly to the floor and covered his face with his shaking hands. He repeated each word with a struggling effort to keep choking sobs from interrupting him, "My parents were fighting in the kitchen. My mom already had a bloody nose by the time I got downstairs. It was so easy for him to convince her that she had walked into a wall in the middle of the night, he had that much power of her. She had the kitchen knife in her hands, probably the one she had been using to carrots for the salad we were supposed to have for dinner. Both my dad and I knew she wasn't going to even dare to use it, but just the thought that she might've possibly, irked my dad severely. It irked me more that he had the nerve to get mad about it. She was defending herself against a monster…

"…I still had the rifle my father gave me for my fifteenth birthday. His back was facing towards me, but my mom saw before I could pull the damn trigger. I was aiming for him. I was tired of seeing her wake up barely able to move because of him. She always pretended she was happy…she made blueberry waffles for him before he went to work, but as soon as he left the door, she made an excuse to leave, and cried until she couldn't feel any emotion anymore. I heard her muffled sobs resonating in my ear as my hands tried to steady my grip. I knew my mom would scream before I even had the chance to fire, so I held it behind my back and passed it to my other hand. It was a trick I had learned before: place the nose of the gun through the space between my side and the side of my arm. I could barely aim the damn thing properly, my hands were shaking so badly. The bullet cut through the material of my shirt and nicked the inside of my arm before it hit a body. It's so ironic…"

He made a sound that was something between a bitter laugh drenched with tears, and a desperate gasp for breath.

"The one time that shot actually counted for something, and I blew it. The bullet got her instead."

"That was the first time my dad ever smiled at me. He squeezed my shoulder and said, "good job" as if I had just killed a prize animal. It was so sickening. For once in my life I made my father proud…and it almost killed me. "

"Braska helped Gippal with the investigation after the murder, and kept the heat off for a while. He created an alibi for Gippal and sent him to a safe house. I think he had a feeling all along, but he was never one to act on impulse unless he had all the evidence…but Gippal's father did conceal the abuse well. Of course, he must've had some sort of idea, after all, he was the guy's friend."

Yuna's head was reeling with the unraveled mystery at her feet and the thought of how her father was connected in all of this. She braced herself with her hands rooted firmly in front of her to the wall.

'If this happened ten years ago…and my father really did help Gippal, then, he was still alive when I was nine…But, I don't remember him being with us for that long. When I was about four, he left Squall and me in Besaid while he went to Zanarkand. It was probably years later until he met Gippal.'

"I met Braska and Gippal about two years later. After that, Lenne and I met. I only found out his secret months before I married Lenne and it made me nervous since he was smitten by her. I was worried about jealousy, I know what it can do to a person. You have to understand, I would kill for my best friend…but I couldn't let him do it again."

Breathlessly she whispered, "Oh Gippal…you have to turn yourself in to the police."

Gippal watched her sway slightly, but with his blurry vision, he couldn't tell if it was the tears distorting his vision or not. He got up slowly so as not to startle her and allowed her to brace herself against him. For once in his whole life, he could look someone in the eye and know that there was no judgement, that they wouldn't flinch away and leave him because of what he had done.

His hand reached into the pocket of her sweater where the folds of material barely concealed the glint of a gold chain.

"I knew I could trust Braska's daughter", he whispered.

She froze suddenly and her sight dropped to the locket in his hands.

For a moment, Shuyin's words echoed in her ears: "You should be cautious, maybe even fearful of him."

In silence she responded to his statement, 'I'm not scared of him, not even the slightest bit, because I know he would never hurt me. Not like how you think he tried to hurt Lenne. I'm scared of what he already knows about me that I don't know.'

Yuna caught the briefest change in his serious features as she took her locket and started to walk away. He was going to do it, he was going to stop pretending. He would finally turn himself in and wake up from the nightmare. As for Yuna, she had just started waking up from her reality.

○♥○

A/N: there you have it. Secret revealed in reference to Dona's statement of the case being a "murder case". I don't know when I'll be able to update again. Probably after exams. Drop me a review so that I know the effort wasn't wasted :) I hope you also appreciate the extra-long preview for the next chapter...

Preview: He released a shaky sigh at the appearance of the woman who had been part of the reason for every fear that quelled in his heart. Her features were the same since the last time he saw her: wavy, hazel-stained blonde hair, tell-tale emerald eyes that radiated a warmth towards him, and the distinct smell of the perfume she always wore since he was a child.

She clearly expected his arrival as she moved forward to embrace him. He stepped away to keep her from making contact with him.

"Squall...please don't make this harder for me" she pleaded with him in the smallest of voices.

His frown remained even as her eyes threatened to spill tears. She folded her arms across her chest and changed the topic as well as her demeanor.

"So, how's Yuna?"

He paused, testing her for actual sincerity before he answered coldly, "Who cares?"

She was violated. "How can you say 'who cares'?"

He scoffed lightly and turned to leave, "Because I'd like to know."

- + - + - + -

> words in italics within the summary/recap are proofs from the actual story

Chapter Thirteen: summary/recap

What's up with Squall and Cloud: Well, Cloud is back from his trip to Rinoa's and evidently, he came back alone. Maybe he something at the beach that changed his mind…

Meanwhile Squall is angry, upset, and irritated with memories and thoughts of Yuna, Rinoa and his mother. Cloud has no choice but to notice his friend's dour mood, and holds back on saying anything, keeping the secret of his mission.However, Squall already knows about Cloud's heroism and is irritated by it. So much for keeping the mission a secret.

When Squall looks outside the window, it trigger a memory which insinuated the cause of his break up with Rinoa. You guys knew that right?

He looked out the window, past the red and blue neon signs reflected on the glass and focused on the gray sky. The clouds, mirrored by his dour mood, drifted across the sky with expectancy to storm. Last night's drizzle had left some surviving moisture on the outside of the glass. The drops gathered, grew heavier then left a perfect crystalline trail marking its path.
She said she loved this time of day, where the morning sky was tinged with darkening shades. This was the time when the day was decided: the sky could clear to a perfect shade of blue and the sun would peak out, or the clouds would darken and everyone would be soaked. It was a day like that, when he ran up to meet her, with puddles of yesterday's rain splashing his heels. He said he was sorry. She had already made up her mind. He said he had no choice. That was when she kissed him once softly, and touched his lips with her fingers once as if reliving a past memory. He tried to gather her closer but she shook her head and whispered, "There's always a choice."

Read it again, maybe you'll understand it better.

What's up with Yuna: We meet back with the brunette after Shuyin told her his story. She knows everything now, well at least half of the story, but unfortunately, we don't know anything yet. Clearly though, she is upset that Shuyin left Naomi at all. Her sadness fuels the argument until she just decides to leave.

'He wanted Lenne. He still wants her, and if Yuna's not careful, she'll end up making more than one mistake. I can't let it happen again…'

Shuyin's last thought leaves us wondering on what exactly he has told Yuna…

What's up with Tidus: this whole chapter is based on reflections, well at least a part of it. Through Tidus's thoughts, we learn about what happened after the little moment he shared with Rinoa. It seems as if reality has hit both of them, and right in the nick of time too. Both of them realized what a mistake it was before anything progressed, which leaves Tidus and Rinoa feeling rather stupid. Rinoa didn't want to be alone at that moment, and Tidus (still being the nice guy) brings her home, and leaves her to sleep in his bed while he muses by himself.

What's up with Yuna: on her way out, words keep fluttering in her mind. Shuyin's story is fresh in her mind and his words resurface as she takes each step. Just a note, some people didn't understand this, but the words in italics in the scene with Yuna and Gippal, are Shuyin's words. Each portion of the story is revealed or explained from Shuyin as she remembers him telling her his side of the story, as she actually hears Gippal's story. It's the same story, just that Yuna remembers what Shuyin says (his words add more to what Gippal says or explains a bit more). Don't say you are confused now ;)

on her way out, words keep fluttering in her mind. Shuyin's story is fresh in her mind and his words resurface as she takes each step. Just a note, some people didn't understand this, but the words in in the scene with Yuna and Gippal, are Shuyin's words. Each portion of the story is revealed or explained from Shuyin as she remembers him telling her his side of the story, as she actually hears Gippal's story. It's the same story, just that Yuna remembers what Shuyin says (his words add more to what Gippal says or explains a bit more). Don't say you are confused now ;)

What's up with Gippal: this part really isn't so confusing if you read it properly. Gippal tells Yuna his story, although he is hesitant to begin. But, Yuna is persistent because she wants to know if what Shuyin said is the truth. There are two sides to every story. Read the scene again if you are completely determined to understand it on your own. If not, I'll just make it simple and type it out to avoid confusion for those who are utterly lost.

this part really isn't so confusing if you read it properly. Gippal tells Yuna his story, although he is hesitant to begin. But, Yuna is persistent because she wants to know if what Shuyin said is the truth. There are two sides to every story. Read the scene again if you are completely determined to understand it on your own. If not, I'll just make it simple and type it out to avoid confusion for those who are lost.

From Shuyin's information, we now know that Gippal's mother died of a shot wound. Keep that in mind.

He remembers that day clearly because his parents were fighting, and his dad was drunk. His mother was always the victim of abuse when his father was drunk, and this scared him. He saw both of his parents in the kitchen, his mother already showing signs of being hit, and his father still menacing and violent. His father killed his mother, or so he said. He admits to Yuna that the story he just told her was what he told the police. Drawing a deep breath, he began to tell her the real story of what happened that night.

As it turns out, his father didn't have a gun with him, Gippal did and he fired it. His intent was clear, he was aiming for his father, but his hands were shaking so badly from fear that the bullet got his mother instead. He killed his mother.

"The one time that shot actually counted for something, and I blew it. The bullet got her instead."

Even if it was a mistake, the memory of it tortures him to this day. As Shuyin's words still echo in Yuna's head, we learn that Gippal had a thing for Lenne. Because of that factor, Shuyin was fearful of his friend. If he could murder once, he could do it again, especially when he lost Lenne to Shuyin. "…I only found out his secret months before I married Lenne and it made me nervous since he was smitten by her. I was worried about jealousy, I know what it can do to a person. You have to understand, I would kill for my best friend…but I couldn't let him do it again."

That was why Shuyin ran off with Lenne to keep her safe, afterall he learned Gippal's secret soon after he got married and they had a child. Hmm…get it?

We also learn that Yuna's father helped Gippal out during that time, and he was also a friend of Gippal's family.

Yuna is shocked to hear all of this, but Gippal isn't. After admitting everything to Yuna he says, "I knew I could trust Braska's daughter." He takes the locket out of her pocket, while he says this. Aha! So now we know who looked inside of her locket when she awoke in the mansion. You remember that don't you? Now he knows who she is. She doesn't know at all if this is a bad thing or a good thing.

Though she is shocked, she tells Gippal that he has to turn himself in to the police. Somehow, she knows that he will do this.

How it all wraps up: Finishing of his revere, Squall is content to stare out the window and brood. Cloud, uncomfortable and awkward with the situation reminds him that "she misses him a lot". Squall, too focused on his own grief, thinks that Cloud is speaking of Rinoa. He had been speaking of Yuna. Now Cloud is worried about his friend – Squall is worried about the wrong person. When he should be thinking of his sister, Squall is much too involved with his girlfriend.

Tidus, decides for once that the temptations he once had mean nothing to him now. He is a changed person now, and Rinoa has helped him realize that. Checking in on her, he decides that she will be fine if he left. Seems as though he has a lot on his mind.

Yuna leaves Gippal with a heart that is heavy from all of the secrets, and lets the story of what truly happened, linger in the space between them. So that was what the murder case was about…

I'll let you guys sink this in now.

On to Chapter Fourteen -->