Part 7:
On the journey to Deling City, Selphie would control the flight, as Irvine would sit next to her and tell her silly jokes now and then, trying to make her giggle, succeeding most of the time. Selphie's giggles were the squeakiest you could get; of course Irvine didn't mind them. Actually he didn't mind them at all, he loved her giggles, and it would just make him feel happy to see his little Sefie smile...
'Tee-Hee! We've just past Galbadia's old base thingy! Wasn't that quick! Am I good or am I good!' she said all excited as she sat up straight in the control seat.
'I bet you've beaten the record! Cool! How much longer is it gonna take us to get there?' asked Zell as he approached Selphie and Irvine with his hands in his pant's back pockets.
'Hmmm...let me see...basically the same time it took for us to get past Galbadia's old base thingy...It's almost the same distance...' said Irvine as he looked at the map on the control panel...
And so Selphie flew the Ragnarok all the way threw the continent, past Galbadia Garden's old base and straight to Deling City...
The Ragnarok was now a few yards away from Deling City, where Selphie decided to park it.
'We're here! Wasn't that quick?' she asked very proud of her conducting.
'Yeah... very quick...It felt like a five minute drive...Of course when I'm with you...time flies! 'chuckled Irvine charmingly expecting a kiss or a hug in return, but Selphie never heard him, at least it didn't look like it, she was absolutely distracted as she grabbed her Nunchaku from one of the empty seats and skipped away joyfully, leaving Irvine talking to the wall...Irvine's heart felt frozen...his heart was tired of being bashed around...he needed love...
The comrades made their way out of the Ragnarok and walked towards Deling City...
'Selphie, did ya really have to park the ship so far away!' asked Zell furiously as he walked along next to her...
'Well, I thought it would be better...well...errr...'safety purposes' ...doesn't that mean anything to you!' she said defensively as she tried not to look at him...
'Yeah...don't question the captain...' said Irvine as he put his arm around Selphie.
The guys walked along, Selphie and Irvine behind them.
'Um, Irvy?...err...' started Selphie as she walked along with him...
'Yes, Sefie darling...?' he asked cheerfully...
'I-I've been thinking...' Selphie smiled, hoping Irvine would understand what she was talking about...but before she could go on with the conversation, Irvine got distracted...
'Irvine, I have some ammo here for you, before I forget...here...you know, before we go into Deling City...we better be prepared to fight any creature that comes up...' Quistis interrupted unintentionally as she remembered that she had bought pulse ammo especially for Irvine...
'oh...thanks I was needin' that...Quisty you're an angel!' Irvine accepted the ammo thankfully.
'So...you were sayin'?' Irvine tried to re-establish the conversation with Selphie, but Selphie had lost her courage...she had parked the Ragnarok far away on purpose to try and talk to Irvine. She didn't feel it was the right moment yet...
'Oh, it's nothing Irvy, silly thoughts...that's all...' she said bleakly giving him a cute reassuring smile...
Selphie was actually relieved she didn't have to have that serious talk with Irvine yet, she was still very confused, and really didn't want to do anything wrong...she had to sort out her feelings first...deep down in her heart she knew what she felt...but in such circumstances, with so much pressure and everything, she knew it would be best some other time...
'Ok...' Irvine said as he took his eyes off her and stared at the distance hopelessly...
The walk seemed endless...The country plains as beautiful as they were, green and flowered, they were starting to bore the squad...
'Finally...' said Rinoa as they stopped in front of the car Rental Shop...
'Right, now I think we should divide into two parties, Seifer could be anywhere...' said Squall seriously.
'Who goes with who?' asked Selphie as she looked at all her comrades with a grin on her face...
'I don't know...but each party should be well balanced, after all there are monsters here, and I wouldn't really trust Seifer on that...I really don't think he'd bother to kill all the monsters out of duty...maybe to show off...but never for others safety... 'Said Quistis furiously as she crossed her arms and frowned as her head pictured his awfully sarcastic grin...
'I agree...That asshole would never do anythin' for others, unless it favoured him of course...' said Zell irritated to the thought of having to work with him...
'We shall let the leader decide the party members...' said Quistis.
'I wish she wouldn't say that...I hate it...I just hate it...' thought Squall as a huge frown invaded his face, looking down with his arms crossed...
'Squall? What are you thinking about?' asked Rinoa as she looked at him curiously.
'Nothing...' he said coldly...
'Zell, Selphie, you guys go with Quistis...Irvine, Rinoa...come with me...' he said as he tried not look in any of their eyes...
'Right, now let's get going...' said Quistis as her party ran off with her...
'Let's go and check the Hotel, then...' said Irvine said.
'Yeah...' said Squall absentmindedly as he walked off without them...
Rinoa and Irvine looked at each other as if they thought the same thing...
Squall and his party walked into the Hotel and without saying anything Squall head to receptionist...
'We're SeeDs from Balamb Garden, we were ordered to come and find Seifer Almasy. Have you seen him?' asked Squall vigorously as he showed Seifer's portrait on his IC.
'Err...he ...errr...he was here just now...' said nervously the receptionist...
'Do you know where he went?' asked Squall once more impatiently.
'One of the guys that was with him...err...that big tough guy with the staff...errr...said something about the Mansion...why?' he asked now even more nervous, actually his hands were shaking...
'Thanks...' said Squall as he turned around and walked out the Hotel with his comrades.
'Raijin and Fujin tagging along as usual...' Squall thought...
When Squall reached the Mansion, he was intercepted by a guard. The same guard that had asked them to go to the Tomb of the Unknown King to get proof of their abilities.
'I cannot let you enter, Sir' said the guard as Squall tried to walk through.
'It's urgent...I do not have time to waste...'he said impatiently, forcing his way in...
'But you can't...without permission...you can't enter!' yelled the guard as Squall made his way towards the Mansion's entrance.
'I can't believe you! I live here!...' said Rinoa surprised at the soldiers stupidity, scolding him.
'Miss Heartilly! You're here! You d-don't understand... Captain Caraway has given strict orders to capture...' but before the guard could go on Rinoa had pushed him making the guard stumble and fall backwards...
'These are my guests!' she said strictly as she ran after Squall, Irvine behind her...
'That's it, girl!' chuckled Irvine as he followed her.
'Squall! Behind you!' Rinoa yelled as Raijin prepared to back attack him...
But before Raijin could attack Squall, he turned around and in a blink of an eye, Squall had cast rapture on Raijin, making wings grow on his back and fly away, yelling as he flew away...
'Wow, that was a good one, Squall!' said Irvine impressed as he ran to catch up with him...
Squall entered the Mansion's huge very well lit hallway, filled with golden statues and ornaments that would shine so bright, reflecting the huge diamond Chandelier's light that hung above him.
As Squall walked on gigantic Persian carpet, heading towards the large staircase that would lead to General Caraway's office, he heard footsteps. The footsteps approached him from the back of him, Squall froze...
'Oh...look who has broken in! It looks like you've done all the work for me, haven't you?...
Puberty boy!...' smirked a very familiar sarcastic voice. Squall turned around and looked straight into Seifer's scarred grinning face.
'Headmaster Cid has ordered us to come and fetch you, we must head immediately to Win Hill on a mission...' Squall tried to ignore Seifer's stupid comment as Rinoa and Irvine burst through the door.
'I just beat Fujin! On my own! Woo-hoo!' squeaked Rinoa excitedly...
'Oh, now two jobs done in one day...isn't that good? I'm sure Caraway, will be happy with my work...it will sure be a pleasure to arrest you and punish his naughty little daughter...wont it?...at least the Gil comes in handy...' Seifer smirked as he approached Squall challengingly.
'Shut up you asshole!' said Irvine as he took a step forward raising his Shotgun.
'Rinoa...my daughter...you're here...' said General Caraway as he walked down the staircase and approached Rinoa reaching his arms out to hug her...
'I'm not your daughter...' she said coldly, stepping back, avoiding his touch...
'Is what I heard true? You hired Seifer to arrest Squall and to bring me here against my will!' Rinoa raised her voice slightly and looked at her father in the eyes, her eyes filled with deception and pain...
'Guards!' yelled General Caraway as he stood on the spot staring at Rinoa with a blind smile on his face.
Three very tall and over muscled men in Galbadian Armour had appeared right in front of them...
'Lock her in her room, don't let her out until I tell you so... arrest him...' ordered General Caraway simply as Rinoa tried to escape from the soldier's big hands.
'Let go of me you bully!' groaned Rinoa as she struggled to escape from the soldier's fat arms.
'Squall...RUN!' she yelled as she tried to get back to Squall who was circled by Seifer and the two gigantic soldiers...
'Don't act smart with me now! Don't do anything stupid miss...' said the big soldier as he dragged Rinoa up the wide, carpeted staircase, pulled her all the way through the candle lit corridor to her room, throwing her inside brutally, making her stumble a bit...
'I hate you...' she hissed under her breath.
Rinoa threw herself on her frilly blue sheeted four post bed. Her room was huge and the walls were all delicately painted with a pearly shining, soft, light blue colour.
Meanwhile, the other two gigantic Galbadian soldiers marched in Squall's direction, thumping their feet on the floor as they came.
As the Soldiers reached out their arms to grab Squall, Squall stepped back quickly and drew his Gunblade, making the two unarmed soldiers freeze.
'Come and get me...' smirked Squall as he gave them a dirty look. The soldiers looked at each other decisively and marched right up to him...
In one swing of Squall's Gunblade he grazed both of the gigantic soldiers making them bleed and fall to the floor with a huge and painful looking clump. The soldiers might have looked strong, but were truly very weak and clumsy...they had fallen in one go, once they could barely hold their own weight...
Squall then marched up quickly to Seifer as he held his Gunblade to his neck threateningly.
'You are to come with us to Win Hill...whether you like it or not...' groaned Squall as his face approached Seifer's frightened one.
'S-says who!' asked Seifer as he looked in Squall's cold eyes trying to hide his fear.
'...says Cid...the Headmaster...' groaned Squall once again...
Before Squall knew it, Seifer had drawn his Gunblade out as well and clenched it onto Squall's one challengingly making a sharp sound...
'...I won't take orders from some annoying obedient boy...or from that silly little toy gun specialist farm boy...' smirked Seifer as he gave a provoking look at Irvine who had been knocked to the floor by one of the soldiers...
In response Squall just pushed Seifer's Gunblade with his one, making Seifer surprisingly stumble a few steps backwards as Squall took a fighting position.
'Wanna fight, huh? I'll whoop you out in one go...like I did last time...maybe you'll get another scar...I'll make the opposite direction of the other one, like that you'll have an "X" on your face...would you like that?' smirked Seifer annoyingly as he positioned himself...
Squall kept silent and marched up to Seifer in a split of a second, giving Seifer no time to react.
'Urgh!...' Squall had hit Seifer on his arm making him take a few steps backwards...
Seifer's arm was bleeding and his long coat was getting soaked in blood.
'..I-Is that all you've got!' yelled Seifer furiously as he stretched out his other arm and made a blue and purple light strike out of the palm of his hand, involving him in it and finally flying towards Squall. Seifer cast a Meteor on Squall, the meteorites were falling on Squall hurting him a bit, but he was able to swerve most of the times from the strikes...
Finally it had struck Squall, if he could just knock Seifer out; he could do what he had to do...
'Sleep!' yelled Squall as a blue light whooshed out of his hand and hit Seifer in his stomach.
Seifer fell to the floor unconscious in a loud thump. Seifer might have been stronger this time, but he continued to be weak against poison, just as Squall had guessed...
'Irvine, stay here...watch him for me... cast Sleep on him when he starts gaining consciousness...' said Squall as he dragged Seifer by his coat carelessly next to Irvine, running up the stairs quickly afterwards, two steps at a time...
'And just where you think you're going!' said a horrible slimy voice from behind Squall, making him freeze as he wondered around the huge candle lit corridor looking for Rinoa's room...
Squall turned around quickly and drew once again his Gunblade out...
It was a horrible looking creature...It looked like a huge green slimy disgusting many-legged squid that would let out a disgusting smell.
'That's none of your business...' yelled Squall as he tried to attack the creature...
'I think it is...'said the horrible creature as it swerved its slimy body out of the Gunblade's way.
'You shall give yourself in...' said the creature as its arms waved around slowly...
'I'll kill you first!...' smirked Squall as he marched up the disgusting creature and he raised his Gunblade preparing to slice the monster in half, but before Squall could attack, the squid's head had opened slowly and disgustingly. A slimy blob had raised out slowly out of it's head...
Squall froze when to his surprise the slime had fallen off and Rinoa's unconscious pale face had appeared...
'Rinoa!' yelled Squall as he ran up to her body, involved in the slimy layer, being pushed aside by the giant squid's tentacle, making him fall.
'Let her go!' yelled Squall in panic.
'I see you love her...but...the question is...do you deserve her?' said the horrible creature as it slipped around slimily on the floor. These words affected Squall...
'What do you want!' yelled Squall as he tried to get up...
'I've got what I want...give yourself in...or never see her again...' said the creature as it's crater looking mouth filled with brown sharp teeth moved slowly in the most disgusting way...
'I'll kill you!' yelled Squall as he waved his Gunblade in the air...
'Oh...no you won't...you see...if I die...she dies... you don't want that...or do you?' said the creature trying to make Squall confused.
Squall was confused, he didn't know what to do...He couldn't let Rinoa die...he was seeing himself forced to give in...there was no other way...
'What do you say, young boy? Give in or never see her again...' said the creature's slimy voice...
'Rinoa...' he said under his breath...
'... she goes free!' he yelled as he stared at Rinoa's unconscious pale face covered in the creatures slime...
'It's a deal...You are a smart boy...' said the twice the size of Squall creature started approaching him...its tentacles approaching Squall...
Squall froze as he dropped his Gunblade to the floor, his eyes shut...the creature was letting some kind of black fumes out from its mouth, causing Squall to mesmerize...as memories clouded his mind...all pictures with Rinoa would fade...all happy memories faded...the little times he felt happy...it all faded away...
The fumes would enter Squall's lungs, burning his insides and causing his brain to blank out as the squid's tentacles would wrap around Squall's body, tighter and tighter everytime, preparing to bring him inside the crater Rinoa had came out...
'Noooooooo! Squall, don't! It's a trap! Don't!' screamed a voice from behind Squall.
Squall knew the voice was familiar, but couldn't tell whose voice it was, he couldn't move or talk and he felt as if he couldn't open his eyes, they were heavy...
Quistis ran up to the green squid looking creature and hit him with her chain-whip...
The creature jerked...and started waving it's tentacles around wildly and Squall was being jerked around as if he were a rag doll...
'Let go of him!' yelled Quistis as she opened her hand and cast Firaga on the creature...
The flames came bursting out of Quistis's hand straight into the creature's mouth...
'GRARGH!' the creature was melting as it let Squall fall on the floor in a loud clump...
'You'll pay...grh...' groaned the creature as it melted on the floor making bubbles of air that would form from its slimy surface pop now and then...
'Squall!' yelled Quistis worriedly as she ran up to him and dragged him away from the melting gigantic Squid...
'Squall!' Quistis hissed in panic at him sitting on the floor next to him, slapping his face making him start gaining his senses again...
'Urgh...' Squall eyes opened...and he just stared in her eyes...
'Squall? Are you ok?' asked Quistis worried as she held his head up...
'...' Squall's eyes went sad...bad memories clouded his mind...he didn't say anything...
'It wasn't really her, Squall...it was a trap...a trap to kill you...' gasped Quistis as she looked in his eyes and a tear formed in her eye...
Squall just looked away from her...
'Squall...Rinoa's in her room, she's fine...don't worry about it...' Quistis explained trying to make Squall feel better.
Squall seemed to not be listening at all...he would just stare at the ceiling, his eyes would shine, still frowning...
'Squall...talk to me...please...' Quistis started crying worried that something was wrong with him...
Squall's mouth had opened slightly...
'...failed...again...' Squall's dry lips moved mutely...
Squall had no voice...his lips would just move mutely, no sound came out...
'No, no, no...Squall...that's not true...' cried Quistis as she dropped warm tears on Squall's pale sad face...
Squall just kept on gazing at the ceiling as the candle's light would reflect on his scarred face...
Quistis was overwhelmed by all types of feelings...she was sad because Squall was so down and he had lost his voice...she was happy because he was alive, there in her arms...she was scared something was wrong with him...she was had lost his voice forever...and felt sorry for him...he was feeling so down...his eyes were frightened and sad...
All these emotions made her confused; she looked at Squall and felt great affection for him, his beautiful sad eyes where somehow calling out for help...
Quistis leaned her head next to Squall's and hugged him tightly. Squall just laid there stupefied and confused, not knowing what to do...
'I'm sorry, Quistis...' he thought to himself as he closed his eyes.
Quistis pulled away and looked straight into Squall's eyes. Squall looked back at her...with a frightened look in his eyes...he couldn't talk...he wanted to apologise...say he was sorry for being so harsh with her...he really was sorry...but...before he could think of anything else...
Quistis's face was clenched to Squall's...she was kissing him...her carmine warm lips were moving softly over his...Squall froze...it felt good...but he didn't love her...she was beautiful and he knew her well, but Squall loved Rinoa with all his heart...this wasn't right...Rinoa's face was clouding his mind...his heart would ache with sadness...this wasn't going to change any of his feelings for Rinoa...he just knew on that moment...Rinoa...
Squall pulled away bruttaly and looked in her eyes with great pain...
'Squall...I'm sorry...I didn't mean to...I'm sorry...I don't know what got in to me...I'm sorry...please forgive me...' Quistis gasped as she caught Squall looking at her in her eyes for the second time...
'I'm sorry...' she whispered as she got up slowly, looking at him for the last time and walking away as she started sobbing...
Squall laid his head back on the floor and stared at the ceiling once more...
'I'm such an asshole...I want to die...I don't deserve her...I just don't...this is it know it...I knew everything was too good to be true...' he thought to himself...
'I can't drop out now...I have to take on this mission...I have to put my feelings aside...they can wait...I can't take this anymore...this story of telling people what I feel has just caused me trouble...just like I thought it would...I was right all along...I am alone...and there's no way to avoid it...this thing about love...it just brings more suffering...'
Squall got up, picked his Gunblade up and walked down the corridor, down the stairs and met up with Irvine who was standing over Seifer with his Shotgun pointing at him...
'His been out for some time now...guess sleep magic really affected him...' mumbled Irvine as Selphie, Zell, Quistis and Rinoa came down the stairs silently...
Squall turned around, his back facing them all, picked up Seifer hanging him over his shoulder carelessly and walked out the door silently.
'Rinoa, my daughter...please don't leave me again...please don't go!...' cried General Caraway as he followed her to the door...
'...I'm sorry...I can't stay...my place isn't here...I have nothing to do here...you gave me enough reasons to never speak to you again...goodbye...'
'...but Rinoa! You can't go...this is your home...!' yelled General Caraway as she walked out ignoring her father...
The other comrades went silent staring at each other; accept for Quistis who was staring down at the ground, feeling awful.
'Squall...' Rinoa ran out the door following Squall.
'Are you ok!...Squall...?' she asked as she stared at him worried, wondering what was going in his mind...
'Squall, Quistis told me what happened...' said Rinoa as she walked along with Squall who was just ignoring her.
Squall kept silent to this as his heart started beating faster...he was sure she'd want to end their relationship...he didn't blame her...he knew Rinoa deserved better then him, besides loving her more than he could tell...
'It's ok Squall...you'll be fine...you'll gain your voice in a few hours...don't worry...we've got some Echo Screens...it will help...' said Rinoa trying to make him feel better as she grabbed his arm comfortingly.
Squall's tense heart loosened up to her words, he was glad Quistis had kept silent on what happened, but at the same time he felt sad. He thought that if he would hurt the person he loved all the time, there was no point in being with that person, he felt it wasn't right...he didn't deserve her love...if he was going to hurt her all the time...he might as well be alone...nobody would get hurt that way... he had to put his feelings aside, after all he was the leader of an important mission and couldn't fail at this point...
To be continued...