Disclamer: I don't own FF8 or Square or any of the characters. I do own myself, which is unfortunate because I hate myself at this particular moment in time.

I'm really sorry I didn't update for ages. I've basically had no time for fanfiction in the past month, lots of things have come up and that but it's not much of an excuse. So sorry all. Also I haven't been able to review anyone for the same reasons. Again I'm sorry, and I will eventually be able to review but there is a heck of a lot of reading I have to do. I'll get through it all eventually. Thanks. Knighted

Chapter 3: Cidd's Lecture

By Knighted

"Crap, they're coming!" hissed Zell. They jumped up, alarmed.

"They're coming closer! Come on, run!" Selphie and Irvine turned and ran, down the siding off the cafeteria and onto the main walkway. As Zell moved to follow them, he heard a light voice calling to him. He winced and slowly shuffled round to face Squall and Rinoa, who were just coming out of the eating hall, Rinoa looking quizzical and Squall's expression shifting into suspicion then anger.

"Watcha doing still here, Zell?" Rinoa asked, innocently.

"Oh hi, Rinoa... I was just... washing some things..." he indicated feebly to the water underneath the metal path that they were walking on. Rinoa looked at the blond martial artist, amazed and confused.

"Washing... some things...?!"

"Um, yeh, well, I've got to go, uh-see ya!" he turned and ran off. The couple paused.

"...what... was that about?" Rinoa asked.

"N-never mind" Squall said hurriedly "let's just get up to Cidd's office. He's probably wondering where I am anyway." She smiled and they proceeded round the circular way and up to the elevator, in the central column of the structure.

"So... do you think they'll have any answers to... the dreams?" Rinoa asked. Squall sighed, pressed the call button for the lift, which dropped down to their level, and they stepped in. There was a rushing noise as the lift doors closed, and they sped upwards to the top level.

"I don't know, Rin... I really have no idea what to do. But, if anyone on the planet might know anything about it, Edea or Cidd will." The girl nodded mutely, stepping out into the atrium of the new offices. Squall glanced at his own office's door on the right of the lift up to the garden's helm and mentally reminded himself to check the cadet application forms when he got down to work. Cidd's office was on the left, and they stepped up to it, Squall getting a slight jolt of nervousness which always came when he was seeing his boss. He rapped curtly on the door, which was flung open to reveal the large figure of the headmaster, pacing back and forth infront of his desk, which was overflowing with a thousand-and-one different papers. The headmaster glanced up at the two teenagers.

"Come in Commander, Rinoa." They stepped forward, and they swivelled round as the door shut behind them. Edea smiled at them, sweeping her dark hair back with a pail hand.

"Hi matron. We were wondering if you..." now that it came down to it, Squall had no idea how to ask help from the older two. Edea moved behind Cidd's desk, and the 'youngsters' moved forward to the seats in front of the desk. Edea saved the trouble of phrasing the question Squall wanted to ask by saying it for him.

"You wanted to ask about Sorceress matters."

"...right."

"What's been happening?" Squall was taken back by the directness of the question.

"We..." once again he wondered how to say it. Rinoa helped him out.

"I've been having... dreams." Cidd looked politely questioning.

"It's always the same dream, I just ignored it as a nightmare at first, but it's been becoming clearer recently. I-"

"How long have the visions been going on for?" Squall frowned. Visions? What did Edea mean?

"About two months now." Rinoa replied. Edea looked down, thinking busily.

"That would be something like eight months since the Ultimacia affair?" the Sorceress nodded.

"Enough time to get over the initial shock and euphoria from the victory." Edea murmured to herself. Squall looked questioningly from one to the other. Edea explained.

"I believe that, since I inherited Ultimacia's powers, then Rinoa inherited my powers, that she also inherited a... shadow of Ultimacia. This figure may also have darker potential. It may be a representation of the most dangerous thing to you; your powers. The temptation to use them for your own uses. This happened to me when I first got powers. I also had these dreams, and I think that they may develop more under conditions of stress." Rinoa looked puzzled.

"Conditions... of stress? I don't understand."

"I don't know what it could be; or whether my theory is actually correct. I don't know anything for certain. This is just my advice. It could be right or wrong – but you are the ones who have to work that out." The atmosphere was electric, a sense of unknown territory being discovered here, in this room. The young couple glanced at each other, in near-equal confusion. They looked back towards the desk in time to catch Cidd give a huge yawn. All faces in the office turned to stare at him. There was a pause.

"Anyway..." Cidd ventured. Squall almost visibly jumped, startled out of his silent amusement at Cidd.

"Is that it?" he asked Edea. She smiled.

"No. That's not going to be it, well not in the big picture of things. There will be other hurdles after this one. But you're going to have to take them one at a time." Squall nodded, still not really understanding what she meant. Rinoa rose and followed him to the door. As it shut behind them, Squall turned towards her.

"Did you understand any of that?"

"I think I may have taken in a bit more than you. Come on, I'll explain."

----------------

"What she, Edea, means is that Ultimacia's powers were passed onto me, via her; you saw her receive Ultimacia's powers. Not too long after that, she started experiencing these dreams that I've been having. Ultimacia passed on some sort of shadow of herself with those powers. Because she was evil, her 'shadow' seems to represent the temptations that a Sorceress' powers, my powers, have to use them for bad purposes. I inherited Edea's powers, which means I also got Ultimacia's powers as well. I didn't start having the dreams until afterwards because of the effects that our experiences had on me." She lay back on Squall's bed. He pondered what she'd said. It seemed to make sense enough, although it was worrying. To be honest, he never really thought about Rinoa as a Sorceress. She was just... Rin. Although, 'just Rin' was a lot more to him than that. But there was something missing.

"Rin... Edea said something about 'conditions of stress'. What did she mea..." he stopped, turning his concerned frown on the figure lying on his bed.

"Rin, are you happy he-" she interrupted him

"Squall, I'm as confused as you are on that. I'm perfectly happy here." Suddenly he thought of something.

"What... what do you do all day? I never really thought to ask." He looked concerned again and she giggled.

"Don't worry so much! I just, do general stuff. I read, take Angelo out for walks, go into Balam... sometimes I even train. I meet up with the guys on there free periods, chat and stuff."

"You don't get bored? You know, same thing over and over again?" she laughed, and he felt that now-familiar leap in his chest.

"Why would I?! Anyway, look at what you do all day-sign papers, review contracts, sign papers... sometimes you must read a letter! How exiting!" Her sarcasm made him grin.

"Oh, it's not too bad... coming home every evening to a beautiful girl..." he went slightly red in surprise at his own comment. He always found it all too easy talking to her. She was grinning herself as she pulled him down into a kiss that, to both of them, seemed to last a lifetime.

---------

"So, what happened then?" an eager student asked Zell in a hushed voice as he hurried to keep up with the martial-artist. The crowd of SeeDs round him pressed in closer. Zell continued

"So then, he's leaning over her, and he kisses her, right there in the cafeteria!" the girls in the 'audience' gasped.

"No way, you've got to be kidding us. I don't believe it."

"It's true, although I have to agree, it doesn't seem... ya know... in character for him." Zell admitted.

"Maybe..." a young guy said in a hushed voice "maybe it's not really him. Maybe it's someone disguised as him. The whole crowd stopped, staring at him. A deep voice at the back growled

"Somehow I don't think that's likely." The crowds gaze focussed on Squall Leonhart.

"I think this is the part where you say you've got things to do and rush off?" the crowd quickly dispersed, leaving the now solitary blond informer cowering at the oncoming wrath. It didn't come. Zell quickly fell into pace with his friend and commander.

"...someone been cheering you up, huh?" Zell offered. It was true that, by his normal standards, Squall should have been red-hot with fury at Zell by now.

"I'm not above anger you know" growled the commander. Zell shut up for a while. Squall turned off towards the elevator, Zell continuing walking for a bit before he realised his absence. He called up to the retreating figure of Squall.

"Hey where ya going?"

"Oh, I've got some... stuff to do in my office. I'll grab some lunch later." Zell shrugged. It wasn't unusual of Squall to miss lunch for work, even on weekends like this. He proceeded to the Cafeteria, seeing the others at there customary table. Squall might have changed in some ways, but Zell found it hard to think of a non-working Squall. Then again he still found it hard to believe that his friend had changed so much. Suddenly he realised that about fifty cadets had run past him, into the cue for lunch, and he promptly barged them all out of the way.

Rinoa looked up as Zell sat down opposite her. The others were deep in conversation around them.

"Hey, where's Squall?" Zell laughed.

"Not beatin around the bush, are ya?" he laughed harder as she went slightly red "He's gone up to his office for lunch. Said he had 'stuff' to do."

"Weird... he hardly ever does that any more." She glanced at Zell.

"I know, that's kind of what I thought." He replied, slightly more serious now "I think he's planning something." She stared at him.

"What? What do you mean?"

"I dunno... I've just got this feeling." He grinned. "anyway, if there is something, it's for you." She chuckled.

"Maybe you're right, Zell. I suppose... he'll talk later."

---------

That evening, as Rinoa was preparing to say goodnight to Squall, he stopped her outside his room.

"Rin... can you come in for a sec? I kind of need to talk to you." She looked at him, head on one side, remembering talking to Zell at lunch.

"Sure." He fumbled for his keycard, quickly swiping it through the slot to the side of the door and pushing through. He gestured her in, and she noticed that his hands were moving more awkwardly than usual. He sat down on the bed and ran his hand through his hair.

"Squall, what is it?" she asked, puzzled by his air of nervousness. He took a deep breath.

"Well, I've been thinking today, about what Edea said and things, and I kind of came to a conclusion." He looked up at her, and she lost herself in his eyes, those swirling pools of ice.

"What?" she breathed, sitting down next to him. He stared into her face, the face that had brought him so much joy over the last few months, and prayed to Hyne that she would say yes.

"Rin... will you go on holiday with me?"

I'll update sooner from now on. Hope you enjoyed this as much as I enjoyed writing it! If you didn't then... oh well. It was a really short chapter, even though I thought it was going to be long...

Pls r an r!

Thanks,

Knighted