I'm here again, on a rainy day listening to the Star Wars version of American Pie. Weird? Yes, I know, but I'm beginning to think that I'm the queen of weird. No comments please.

Disclaimer: Final Fantasy VIII belongs to Square. No further comment.

Chapter Thirty-One

Answers Are Things That Are Hard to Come By

"I don't believe it! I absolutely don't believe it!" Quistis exclaimed when her tired eyes rested on Esthar that stood before them, with its high buildings peeking out of the haze that had covered the plains in intense heat. She put a hand to her head in frustration. In truth, Esthar was the last thing she had been prepared to see when they had been coming out of the mountain. It was odd, really, that a landmark like that could have such a big impact on its surroundings. The other side of the mountain had been so dark, wet, and gloomy, but then again, that just could have been the work of the castle. There was probably more magic in the foundation of that castle than in its owner or inhabitants.

"What's there not to believe? Esthar is right there. We can finally stop and breathe," Rinoa smiled, wearily. She hated this feeling that seemed to have attacked and clung to her ever since that time on the Ragnarok. It wasn't like anything she was used to but knew that it had something to do with her sorceress powers. How else could it be explained?

"Wait. Before we go any further, I have a few questions." Squall had been lagging behind a bit, pondering over what they had found. There was so much there that wasn't explained, wasn't normal. He didn't like how all forms of logic, cosmic and human, were exempted. He would be the first to admit that he thrived on logic. He understood its forms and puzzles. Logic was how he lived his life, and now all that was gone. He couldn't use that anymore. Logic had no place here.

"Like what kind of questions?" Seifer asked. He plopped himself down on the ground, not caring that it was hard, dry, and cracked. He needed to rest a minute.

"Basic all around questions. First," he turned to face Rinoa, "why did you insist that the Ruby Widow was not after us? And if what you said is true, then is that containment chamber we found what it was looking for? And why would it be looking for a containment chamber that held a dead woman?"

Rinoa wiped her forehead with the back of her hand. She felt so dizzy and light-headed. It had to be her powers. It just had to be, for there was no other option to turn to. "I think that it wasn't looking for us, but that it was looking for something else, not the containment chamber. I think it may be a weapon of some sort." She looked Squall in the eyes, and he finally noticed how sick she looked. He held his desire to show concern for her. He needed answers first, as harsh as that sounded, he needed answers first.

"Wait! Do you remember which direction it had come from?" Seifer jumped up directing his question to Squall who looked at him puzzled.

"It came from about south-west. Why?"

"Don't you see? It didn't come from the castle! It came from another direction!" Seifer exclaimed. He began to pace before the three of them, causing looks of distorted confusion.

"What does that have to do with anything?" Quistis demanded. She had become very irritable in her need of rest.

"Well, this may be a long shot, but I've suddenly thought of this. It's possible, but I'm just not sure how possible." Seifer ran a hand though his choppy hair, messing it up and getting bits of dried blood in it. He had forgotten about his arm as it had gone numb.

"Get on with it," Squall snapped. He, too, had become cranky.

"Okay, Okay." He held his hands up in defense. "Remember when I told you guys about the reactor in Centra?" They nodded. "Well, if that thing was coming from south-west, wouldn't that be just about the general direction of Centra?"

"Hey! I think I understand what he's getting at!" Quistis agreed. " Maybe it's not what whoever we're against now wants, maybe it's what Odine is looking for! He's the one who created this thing, so he's probably the one controlling it!"

"So this means that Odine is against Esthar, and he's most likely helping the enemy." Squall scratched at the back of his neck, staring at the ground, trying to keep from cussing.

"Most likely," Seifer and Quistis said in unison.

"What do you think, Rinoa?" Squall turned his attention back to Rinoa. She seemed to be struggling to stay conscious.

"I don't know what to think. Everything's turned upside-down. Nothing seems to be logical anymore." Rinoa closed her eyes and turned her back on them. No, she couldn't handle it anymore and couldn't hold her shields up any higher. They were taking a beating as it was. The swords that she was attempting to protect herself from were chipping away at the only form of protection she had, and it wouldn't be long before she was defenseless.

Squall started to take a step forward closer to her, but he decided against it. This was, to him, her way of saying she didn't want to be bothered. So he left it at that.

"I wonder if Odine even knows what he's doing? Maybe Rianna's manipulated him to help her. I mean, he apparently knows quite a bit about the fields of magic and science," Quistis wondered aloud.

"I don't know about that. Odine hasn't been very trustworthy in the past. I'm sure he knows what he's doing. Why else would Rianna want his help?" Seifer asked.

"And this Rianna, why has she all of a sudden popped into the picture?" Quistis asked Seifer. Squall nodded in agreement.

"Revenge. She wants revenge," Seifer answered truthfully. "It's as simple as that."

"Why would she want revenge if the person who tortured her is dead?" Squall inquired.

"It's not Ultimecia she wants revenge on anymore." Seifer frowned. "It's you guys. She wants revenge on you guys."

"Us! Why on Earth? What did we do to her?" Quistis demanded, shocked.

"You guys destroyed Ultimecia. She wanted to do that. She wanted to pay her back for all the pain, but you guys took that opportunity from her. That's why she wants revenge." He shifted, uneasily.

"Well, excuse us for saving the world from that monster." Squall growled with sarcasm. "And now I guess we have to deal with this hot-headed witch, too," he spat out bitterly.

"Yeah, another day, another menace, it seems, doesn't it?" Quistis sighed and rolled her eyes.

It was quiet for a few edgy minutes and they avoided one another's uncomfortable gazes. It was hot and miserable for all of them, and it didn't help that they were pretty much disturbed by what they found beneath their feet. There was a lot more that they would have to discover if they wanted to get to the bottom of this, and they were only of the top layer of about fifty. Every corner that was going to be turned would cause both frustration and confusion until all the pieces had been collected and put together in their proper spots. And they weren't going to like the picture that would be revealed.

"What about what we found? There's got to be a reasonable explanation as to why that was there. First of all, it had to be ancient and it's probably been there for centuries at the least," Quistis analyzed.

"But what about that body? Has it been there as long as the containment chamber? Is there any way to tell that kind of information?" Seifer asked both of them. Rinoa had pretty much excluded herself from them.

"Of course there's a way to tell if the body is as old as the chamber. It's just the stuff that preserved the body. Who knows what kind of chemicals lie in that thing. If we can get scientists out there to check it out, as safety precautions they'll have to wear suits that protect them from the chemicals, and depending on the substances and their reactions to the human body, we may not even know if we have anything that can protect them from the chemicals. And we can't move that thing. It has to stay where it is. That's they only way to achieve accurate data that we can use. If we move it, we could damage something and that may give us false information," Squall answered. "But right now, we can't worry about that. We need to get to the Presidential Palace and talk to the others. They need to know what's going on. We owe them that much. And you-" He pointed to Seifer. "We need to get you to a doctor to get that looked at." He motioned to Seifer's arm that didn't look so good.

Seifer chuckled. "Yeah. I probably should, shouldn't I?" He glanced down at the torn fabric of his trench coat and only he knew the real condition and pain of the skin beneath.

They began to walk in the direction of Esthar again. They were actually about a few miles away total and it would take them about maybe a couple of hours.

"Hey, Seifer?" Quistis stopped suddenly and turned to the blond. He looked a little distressed and nervous. "What's wrong?" She didn't like how he had become so quiet and how he seemed uneasy, like he was expecting something that he didn't want to expect.

"Huh?" He hadn't even noticed that she was talking to him.

"What's wrong? You don't seem okay. Is something bothering you? Maybe we can help." She sounded so kind and sweet, which was a tone that wasn't exactly heard from Quistis Trepe. She was nice, true, but not this nice. Something had to be up.

"Nah. I'm fine. I'm just a little shaken up, that's all. Don't worry about me. I'm cool," he said quickly, a little more quickly than he would have liked and that probably made him seem like he was in denial.

"Are you sure? I'm telling you, we don't want you upset. That's a little worrying, you know." She smiled sweetly and her smile almost looked overly sentimental.

What's this "we" crap? Squall wondered but didn't voice. The last thing he needed was for Quistis to get cheeky with him. He didn't have the nerve to deal with her right now.

"I'm fine. Honest." He started walking again, followed by Squall and then Rinoa. She was in her own little world and wasn't opening up to anyone but was determined to fight her demons by herself. Proving to be strong was the only way to go.

"If you say so," Quistis whispered and followed against her own inner wishes.

What they didn't know was that their presence had disturbed and awoken the soul of a very powerful threat. That containment chamber could only protect the outside world from so little that this being could pose a danger to, and when they stepping into that room, they broke an ancient seal that protected them. They released what a certain individual had tried to free for centuries and only succeeded by a shadow.

A/N: Hey all. Sorry I'm taking so long to update. Have no real excuse so I'm not going to try to think one up. I just want to say that this should go much faster. (Updating, that is.) I really want to try and post at least one chapter a week. Maybe more. I hate to say it, but I'm getting sick of this story. I want to see it finished so bad, but I keep getting ideas that set me back a few steps. That's probably why the next few chapters will be a little shorter than before and you all will just have to bear with me. I'm trying my hardest.

R&R and Later Days!