Hey, gang, only seven more chapters left plus an epilogue. We're close, guys. We're very, very close. Have at it! And don't forget to let me know what you guys think of the proposition I mentioned in chapter 37.
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, places, or ideas from Final Fantasy VIII. Sheesh, you'd think they'd get the message by now.
Chapter Forty-Three
The Calm Before the Storm
Later that night when everyone had finally gone to bed, Edea and Laguna stood outside. It was another one of those bleak nights where the moon was the only thing visible against the black.
"Edea, do you really think it wise to have Rinoa call Griever?" Laguna pushed his hair away from his face.
"Laguna, we have no choice. You obviously do not truly know who Rianna is," Edea replied, watching the skies above.
"Of course I know who she is!" Laguna snapped.
"Then you know that Rianna is out to destroy the prophecy, and she wants your son dead. Did you know that?" Edea replied darkly.
Well, um- uh, no. I just thought she was a power-hungry sorceress out to destroy the world." Laguna suddenly felt very stupid.
"Oh, she is. But there is more than it seems. She's shooting for a much larger target, but first she wants to get rid of those who can activate the one thing that could destroy her and stand in her way. She thinks that with Squall dead, the prophecy won't work, but that's not true. Even with him gone, Rinoa can still call the Lion."
"How? I thought he had to be present?" Laguna shook his head, confused. "Edea, where does logic fit in here? None of this ever makes sense anymore."
"I know it's hard Laguna, but in the world of magical power, logic doesn't have a home." Edea produced a very small smile. "Rinoa would still be able to call the Lion, because no matter what happens, Squall will always be with her. Dead or alive, he'll always stand beside her."
"Young love?" Laguna asked. He realized suddenly that it wasn't supposed to be meant as a question.
Edea only nodded.
"But, Edea, I thought Griever was supposed to protect Squall? If Squall died wouldn't that mean that Griever failed?"
"Not really. If Squall were to die a natural death, then it would be all right."
"That's not what I meant."
"I know what you meant, but let's not think along those lines. Remember, there is only so much protection that Griever can give Squall, and I think that calling him may not even help us. This has such a great chance to it. We are risking a lot, but, unfortunately, it is the only solution we have left. Rinoa may be powerful, but she is still much too young to understand or use the power that she has been bestowed upon by her great ancestors." Edea frowned at Laguna as they made their way down the old stone steps to the beach where a certain band of children set off fireworks.
"But I thought you said earlier that we have nothing to fear?" Laguna exclaimed, shocked that she had lied to them.
"Laguna, when has there ever been a situation in the course of history where one has nothing to fear? I said that only to avoid getting them on a bad train of thought. If you think about things on the negative side, they tend to turn bad. I do not wish for things to turn bad. I want them to defeat this or try to with confidence," she answered him, stopping and turning to stare him in the face.
"Good point." He nodded, and they continued walking again. "But I am afraid to say that I do not understand what you meant when you said that there was only so much protection that Griever can give Squall? I thought he had the power to keep him from ever getting hurt?"
"I am afraid that, whoever said that to you, was very wrong. Griever cannot help Squall escape death in any form nor can he stop any injury that may be inflicted upon him. If he could, do you think that the spell that Rianna cast upon him would have affected him? No. There are things about the Leonhart family that is not known. Certain facts and events have been changed during history's course to cover up the truth. After doing great things, they disappeared from History, never to appear again. Do you not find that just a bit odd? I do, and I can assure you that the history of Squall's lineage has been changed to make them seem more wonderful, more majestic and royal. That is not the case. History has been corrupted and only one individual knew the truth. That person has been long since past, but they left records that were buried in the Centra Ruins thousands of years ago. It is said that the truth is so terrible that if anyone were to find out, then history would repeat itself and those horrible lies would be released like Pandora's Box." Edea explained to a very shocked Laguna.
"What sort of lies and corruption exactly?" He hesitated in asking that question.
"One such bad thing said to be is that the Leonhart family bears a terrible curse that ends always in tragedy. Bad things happen to that family. Evil omens follow them around like vultures following a dying animal. I fear for him. I really do. I am not one to believe in wives tales, but this is no lie. I guarantee it."
"Do you think maybe the curse has to do with Rianna? I mean she was the GF lost to time, wasn't she? Is it possible that maybe she created that curse or whatever it is?" he questioned. Laguna didn't want anything horrible to happen to Squall. He wouldn't be able to bear it and neither would Rinoa.
"That is a possibility, but honestly, I believe that it started with the first one known in our history. I think it may have started with Tempest. He was a loner, a strong and powerful warrior who showed up on the doorstep of Hyne's castle before she created our world. She had a vast kingdom then, so it says, but what is very puzzling is why would a man of such talent with a sword and a brilliant mind ride along like he had no past, no family? I do not think that Griever was created by choice of The Great Hyne. I think there is more to the tale and only those past know the truth. Before this all ends, Laguna, I believe that the truth will be revealed. The hand of Fate is not always good. Fate can be very cruel and the punishments always seem to fall on those who did nothing but good, while their ancestry holds the evil." She bowed her head as a very cold wind blew around them, sending chills down to the bone.
"Edea, you don't think that Squall is the enemy do you? He can't be! He's the one who wants to end this! He wouldn't do anything to any of them or his home! As much as he won't admit it, he loves all of them and every place on this earth! He wouldn't…. would he?" He stared at Edea with such a look of distress that she forced herself to look away as she told him her answer.
"I do not know, Laguna. It may be in his blood. Maybe there is an evil within him that sleeps, waiting for the time when it is right, to take over whatever it is that it seeks. We have no way of knowing." She finally turned her head to face him. He was so shocked that his mouth hung open very wide. "Laguna, there is a veil of uncertainty in the stars, the earth is quiet, and the sun is hiding. There is a storm that is coming that threatens all that lives and breathes, and I have a very bad feeling that the storm lies within your son."
"But how can this happen? Raine. She was so…innocent, so pure. How? I don't understand! Edea, please tell me. Please, make me understand." He begged her frantically. He ran a hand through his long hair and looked away in pain.
"Laguna, Raine was innocent, but she foresaw her own doom. She knew that she would die after she bore Squall, but she accepted in hopes of vanquishing that curse from him. For this long, her sacrifice has lasted in protecting him. But how long that will last is hard to say. I hope I am wrong. I sincerely hope, but hope will not make it happen. He will be faced with a choice soon. A choice to let it awaken or destroy it for good."
"His choice could change everything, couldn't it?" Laguna asked her, tearfully.
"Yes, it could change for good or bad," she answered truthfully.
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Rinoa stood staring out the window, her eyes following Edea and Laguna. If only she could hear what they were saying. Glancing behind her, she saw Squall's sleeping form and tears began to flood her eyes. He didn't know. She knew for a fact that he didn't. They were hiding it from him, like they had hidden from her the truth. But this was worse, and she knew it. It was eating him alive and he had no idea. No one could save him, not even she could. He had to save himself. That was the only way.
She returned her gaze outside. She watched as a grieve-stricken Laguna dropped to his knees and Edea tried to comfort him. She was so locked up in her thoughts that she jumped and nearly screamed when a hand was placed on her shoulder. She turned around suddenly to face Squall. He was staring at her with a face like the one he had given her earlier when she entered the room. She sighed but said nothing.
"You're afraid, aren't you?" he asked in a low whisper.
Rinoa nodded in response. He thought that she was afraid of Rianna, but that was only part of it. Rianna didn't scare her nearly as much as the brutal pain of truth that she knew she had to accept.
"If you don't want to do it…" He didn't finish his sentence. He was afraid, himself, for her.
"I have to. I'm just scared." She sighed again, but deeper this time. "I mean, I just thought I was a normal sorceress, not one with extreme power. I'm scared and confused." She hung her head. It was hard for her to lie to him like this, but she would not speak of it.
"I know you're scared and you have every right to be. This isn't fair to you. You didn't ask for this to happen." He breathed in heavily. "Maybe there's some other way we can get rid of her. So you don't have to call Griever." He let his hand drop back to his side. He couldn't help the distress he felt in looking at her. She looked so pale, so fragile. Her raven hair hung long against her shoulders, making her skin appear light and fair.
"Squall, you don't understand. I have to. I'm the only one who can get rid of her for good. If we just fight her like we did Ultimecia, she won't die or fade away. She will keep coming back until the one thing she wants to get rid of, defeats her." Rinoa bit her lower lip from crying. It was becoming too hard, too much for her to handle.
"But what if he really does hurt you?" Squall pulled her close to him.
"Squall, I doubt if Griever would turn on us. As long as you're on our side, he will remain loyal, I believe. But if for some reason he does do something horrible to me, I will be willing to accept it. I would rather take any punishment that he forces upon, even if it may be death, to have Rianna destroyed for good, than to live in a world where she rules." She knew what she needed to do and was ready to do. Ready to give her life if necessary.
Squall, on the other hand, was not as willing to have her part with her life if that were to be the case. He didn't want to lose her. He had come too far to have her taken away from him. He had worked too hard to keep her by his side.
"Rinoa, if Griever or Rianna or anyone else wants to take your life or hurt you in any way, they'll have to get through me first, and I don't go down that easily anymore. I am your knight, and nobody will hurt you as long as I am here. If my own guardian destroys me in the end while I'm trying to protect you, then so be it," he growled. Rinoa saw the fire behind his eyes like she had never seen it before. His words were genuine. There was no question there, but it was what was displayed behind his eyes that scared her like it did.
She pushed that fear aside with all her strength and leaned into him, whispering, "Thank you." And their lips met.
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Dawn at Edea's home seemed to give the place a cozy, safe feeling. The sun smiled over the beach, the flower field, and the old stone orphanage and lighthouse. Golden rays lit up the whole area and made it quite peaceful.
As everyone woke and regrouped, it was obvious that no one had gotten much sleep. They were all worried, scared, and unsure. None of them would be able to shake Rianna or Griever from their minds until it was all over.
"So are we just supposed to stay here until Rianna is found?" Quistis asked, breaking the long silence.
"That's what Laguna and Edea want," Squall replied half-heartedly as he stared at the floor.
"Is it just me or is Laguna trying to keep us locked up? He told us not to go anywhere in Esthar, and he said the same thing here, too," Zell said.
"Hey! You're right, Zell! I wonder why Laguna's acting like this," Selphie wrinkled her nose, "because I don't like it!"
"Selphie, why do you think?" Irvine asked. He cast a very strange look in Squall's direction.
"Oh!" Selphie exclaimed.
Squall looked up. "What?"
"Nothing," came Irvine's casual, laid-back reply. He had his stupid little grin on his face.
"Sure doesn't look like 'nothing.'" Squall glared at Irvine.
His little grin only got bigger.
"Just let it go," Rinoa said quietly. She didn't want anyone or anything to aggravate him. She wanted to keep him as calm as possible.
Squall rolled his eyes and returned to staring at the floor, retracing his thoughts.
Just then Seifer walked into the room.
"Have you guys seen Nadia?" he asked, a worried expression he wore.
"She went down to the beach early this morning with Edea. Don't be so worried," Quistis smiled. She finally knew his true feelings, and she couldn't be more thrilled.
Once upon a time, she thought she loved Squall, but that wasn't true. He only reminded her of someone else. It had been a misunderstood feeling.
"I know, I know. I just can't help it," he sighed. "Call me a worried father. I guess that would be appropriate."
"Seifer, Nadia is so cute!" Selphie squealed.
Seifer just grinned.
"Seifer, if we may inquire, who is the mother?" Quistis asked.
Seifer only sighed a bit. "No idea. I adopted Nadia; I think it was three years ago when she turned two. Her mother supposedly was, um, my ex. But the thing is, she died about four years ago, and I haven't seen in almost six years, so there's no way…" he trailed off. They could guess the rest if they really wanted to.
"No way that Nadia could be your own blood?" Squall finished for him.
Seifer nodded.
"But she looks so much like you!" Selphie exclaimed in defense.
Seifer nodded again. "That's what I'm afraid of."
"Why?" Rinoa turned to him.
"Seifer, exactly who is your ex?" Squall asked.
"Well, she was a girl I had met in Deling of all places. She was almost a year older than me. I dated her for about a year and a half before we broke up. After the break up, I didn't ever hear from her. I tried calling but never got an answer." He was talking more to Squall than anyone else.
"Seifer, why are you afraid of Nadia being your actual daughter?" Quistis laid a hand on his shoulder in a sort of comforting way.
"I don't know." And he stood up just in time to see Edea and Nadia coming their way.
"Well, good morning everyone!" Edea said brightly. She and Nadia were both carrying a lot of seashells. "Seifer, you have a very charming little girl." Edea put an arm around Nadia and smiled kindly at her. Little Nadia's face was becoming redder and redder by the minute, and she tried to hide it by staring at the floor.
Seifer smiled once again. He leaned over and ruffled the little girl's hair. "Thank you. I'm very proud of her."
"Well, Nadia, what's say we put these in a bucket of water and go check out the flower field?" Edea asked, turning to the embarrassed child. She nodded, and the two were off again.
"Seifer, Nadia is really cute!" Selphie somewhat repeated.
"Um, Rinoa?" Seifer turned to Rinoa, who was sitting quietly behind Squall.
"Yeah?" She put her head on Squall's shoulder.
"Um, well, I never really got a chance to apologize for what I did. It's just that Rianna would have killed Nadia regardless of what I did or didn't do to help her. I had to get her back somehow. So I fed Rianna a plan that would involve all of us going to the castle. I thought that while you guys did what you had to do, I could get Nadia. I'm sorry." Seifer hung his head. He hoped that she and the rest of them would forgive him. He really meant them no harm.
"It's okay. Really. You really care for Nadia. I understand that. You would have done anything for her, right?" Rinoa smiled.
Seifer returned the gesture with a smirk. A playful smirk. "Like jumping into space, for instance?" The smirk grew into a large smile as he saw the look on Squall's face.
"Hey! H-how do you know?" He was shocked. Everyone else just laughed.
"Hey, relax. They told me," He pointed to Selphie, Quistis, Zell, and Irvine. "Plus, I think what you did was really brave. I would've given up hope if that happened to me. You're really a hero in more ways than one."
"No, I'm not," Squall muttered with a crimson face but sincerity.
"Yeah you are Squall!" Selphie shrieked. "You defeated Ultimecia!"
"Correction," Squall pointed out, speaking louder now. "We defeated Ultimecia."
"Yeah, man, but you did the finishing blow that killed her," Irvine added.
"That doesn't count," Squall muttered again.
"Yes it does!" everyone, including Rinoa and Seifer replied.
"I don't want to be that kind of hero. I don't want to be a hero for killing someone." Squall looked away from everyone.
"But what if that someone was a horrible, cruel person who wanted to rule the world and drive it into destruction?" Selphie asked.
"Same thing. I don't want to be famous just because I saved the world from destruction." Squall managed to look up. "I just want to forget all the stuff that happened with Ultimecia. I just want to not remember all the bad things she did. All the people she hurt, the families she destroyed or corrupted. She did a lot of bad things. I don't want to remember those. I don't want to remember anything about two years ago."
"What about the good things, Squall?" Selphie asked.
"Yeah, the good things that happened. If it weren't for what happened two years ago, you wouldn't be as happy as you are right now." Quistis gave him her best "look at it this way" kind of look. "Squall, I remember how you were then. You were miserable. No friends. No one to talk to. You had a wall. You never allowed yourself to be around anyone. You were a brilliant student. You did everything one time with absolute perfection. You were a natural born leader, but you would never allow yourself to become that leader. You were by far the best student that Balamb Garden had ever seen. Cid told me personally. But when you finally allowed yourself to become that leader, we all believed it was because of a very strange thing. After the SeeD ball, you started to become a little different each day. It wasn't too noticeable at first, but after the job in Timber, you were being forced to show yourself, forced to change."
"Rinoa, you wouldn't leave him alone! You were always around him. Always forcing him to have an actual conversation with you. You're the one we should be thanking right now. You forced the Lone Wolf to come out of hiding," Zell added in a very serious, uncharacteristic tone.
"Yeah, Rinny, thanks to you, we now know a little bit more about our friend." Selphie smiled.
"And learning more every day," Quistis added. Agreeing nods came from everyone else, including Seifer.
Squall couldn't help but smile at this. As much as he tried to keep it down, this one just wouldn't stay. They were right. Rinoa had changed him. She changed him a lot. Most of it was by force, but a smaller part was by his own choice. He chose to fall in love with her in return. He realized now that he loved her so much. She gave him a certain level of comfort, and he was afraid to have that comfort taken away. He had never allowed himself to get too deep into something he wasn't sure of, but he wasn't the same person he was two years ago. He had feelings now. He had a reason to live, to keep going. A reason to smile more or to prove that he knew what he was doing. That reason was Rinoa. She knew everything about him. She knew his every move, his every breath that he took. He needed her more than he cared to say. She was his smallest part and his biggest part, and she had taught him the only lesson that ever mattered. She taught him that he would never live an absolute full life without the one thing that was missing. Rinoa showed him that he needed love to heat his cold heart. She taught him that, and he owed her everything he had.
"Guys, I don't mean to ruin the moment, but what are we going to do about Rianna?" Rinoa asked. She didn't want to dwell too much on this certain topic. It made her just a little uneasy about the future. Or the future that she had once upon a time thought would happen. Now she knew better.
"We don't even know where she is!" Irvine exclaimed.
"Rinoa, do you have any idea where you sent Rianna?" Squall asked.
"I don't know. I was thinking of some place cold and dreary. I just wanted her to be miserable. But I don't know," Rinoa answered.
"So, we search from place to place like we did with the energy crystals." Irvine replied.
"That's just it. I didn't send her somewhere in our time period. When I said I didn't know where I sent her, I also meant I didn't know when I sent her." Rinoa sighed lightly.
"But there is a chance she'll be back?" Quistis asked.
"Of course she'll be back. I just don't know where or when," Rinoa answered, closing her eyes.
"Then how do we look for her?" Seifer asked. Rinoa only shrugged.
Suddenly, Edea came rushing in. She looked very shaken. "Seifer! My children!"
In response, Seifer and the rest of them jumped up. But Seifer was the first to speak. "What's wrong? Is Nadia okay?"
"Seifer, she has the power! She did it! My children, she released it!" Edea breathed.
"The power?" Irvine asked.
"Released it?" Selphie asked, confused.
"Matron, what are you talking about?" Seifer asked.
"She is a Seer! She is evil!" Edea exclaimed almost hysterically.
"Matron, what did she say? What did she do?" Squall held onto Edea's shoulders.
"She said, 'The ones that seek to destroy all the light have returned. Stronger than ever, they cannot be stopped. All will perish. Time Compression will backfire and the world will be consumed in darkness. The Mighty One will finally receive her justice. The witch will be powerless, and his blood will be drunk for immortality. The ones that seek to destroy all light have returned…" Edea wrung her hands in fear.
"She gave you a real prediction?" Rinoa asked.
"Yes. We were walking back to the house from the flower field when she stopped. Her eyes rolled back into her head. She transformed. She gave a real prediction. My children, she is not what she seems!" Edea sank into a chair.
"Rianna!" Selphie exclaimed.
"Matron, are you sure?" Squall knelt in front of her.
"Yes. This is it. This is the final battle. You must stop her now," Edea whispered.
"But, Matron! We don't even know where to find her!" Selphie exclaimed.
Just as Edea was about to speak, another voice spoke from behind instead.
"She's here and there. Watching all. But she's not the one you need to worry about. The ending will not take place in this time. The Evil One cannot be destroyed in the past." It was Nadia, but something about her wasn't right. Her voice was older and tauntingly menacing.
Seifer slowly walked up to his daughter.
"Nadia, what's going on?"
"The Black Bird will return to circle the spot once again. Are you ready?"
Everything around them went black. Edea and the orphanage disappeared. It felt like they were floating in space.
"Ready for what?" Seifer asked. His voice was distant and cloudy.
"For the final battle. The Ending. It's all coming together now. You cannot rely on weapons and magic this time. All you have is the prophecy. But tread with care. When it's over, the unexpected will fade away. And remember, lighting always strikes the same spot twice!" A cruel, taunting laugh was heard, echoing Nadia's voice. Her face suddenly appeared, twisted with a wicked smile, erupting from her that horrible laugh, and she disappeared just as suddenly as she had appeared.
The storm was coming.
A/N: Hello, hello, hello! I hope you guys liked this chapter, because I freaked myself out writing it! I think I get into things too well. Anyway, you guys can disregard the history of how Nadia became Seifer's daughter. I need to fix it. It sucks badly, and I'm sorry. And I have this bad feeling that some of you may end up hating me as the final chapter approaches, but remember: This is not the end! There are still two more books yet to come. This is the Time Trilogy. Think on it! Later Days!