Everyone gathered at the entrance of the temple to discuss the current
change of events.
"So let me get this straight," Irvine said. "Rinoa is going to face Squall...alone?"
"That is correct," Edea said gravely.
"But, what if Squall hurts Rinoa?!" Selphie gasped.
"I'm willing to take that chance," Rinoa said.
"I still think it's a bad idea," Seifer commented.
"Do you have a better idea?" Cloud asked.
"Stuff it, spike boy!" Seifer replied angrily.
"Boys, this is no time to fight!" Edea cut in.
"Look, I'm running out of time," Rinoa said. "I have to get going."
"Good luck, Rinoa." Ellone said.
"Thanks," Rinoa said and walked away.
Rinoa used her sorceress powers to figure out exactly where Squall was. As she walked to the location, her heart pounded in her chest. She did not want to admit it, but she was very scared. Scared of Squall hurting her and him having to live with it, scared of her killing him, and scared that this whole plan would fail.
She could feel the evil of Sephiroth the closer she got to the secret room Squall was in.
Rinoa's palms were sweating and she reached out to open the door that led to Squall.
She slowly walked into the room.
The room was huge. It had several large pillars spread throughout the room. There were blue curtains hanging from the ceiling and a large throne out the end of the room. This room must have been the sorceress' throne room.
"My..my...my..brave young sorceress, eh?"
Rinoa looked up to see Squall....or Sephiroth...hovering above.
"Squall...please.." Rinoa said.
Squall floated down in front of Rinoa.
"It's too late, sorceress," Squall sneered. "I have fully developed into a perfect clone of the great Sephiroth."
"No, it's not too late!" Rinoa shot back.
"You don't believe me?" He asked.
"No!" she answered simply.
"Fool." He replied.
She had enough of this. She lunged forward hopefully to knock Squall unconscious, but instead, he grabbed her shoulders and started sending painful energy into her body.
Rinoa cried out in agony. She tightly closed her eyes and a new energy began to form in her body, but this energy was her own.
Squall raised an eyebrow when he saw angel like wings sprout from Rinoa's back.
She looked up at him and kicked him in the stomach and flew up.
"Flying won't help you, sorceress." Squall laughed.
A fireball appeared in her hand and she threw it at Squall.
"That was extremely weak!" He laughed. He held his hands together and sent a beam of blue light at her.
She screamed out in pain and fell to the floor.
"Squall isn't gone and it's still not too late," she said in a deadly whisper.
"Oh?" he towered her in an intimidating manner.
"And what, pray tell, makes you believe that Squall Leonhart is still alive, you foolish girl?" he asked calmly.
His calmness sent shivers threw her body, but she kept her ground.
'Maybe,' she thought, 'just maybe, if I keep believing in you, Squall, you'll come back to me,'
"He won't come back," he said, as though reading her thoughts.
"Oh?" she questioned, biding time.
He laughed evilly.
"Squall loves me, and he would NOT leave me," she said.
"'Squall loves me,'" he mimicked in a girly voice.
She closed her eyes tightly.
"That's right," she said.
"Wrong. If he loves you so much, why isn't he here with you now? If your love is so strong, why couldn't he use it to fight me?" he asked.
"Because you weakened him when he least expected, you sleaze," she answered calmly.
"A sleaze am I? Well, better a sleaze than weakling like your weak boyfriend,"
She felt like she had been slapped.
First she felt sadness then pain and anger.
She flew up again and began saying "Sleep", but she only got "Sle--," out before he sent another bright blue beam towards her.
Meanwhile,
"I'm soooo worried about Rinoa." Selphie commented as they all sat around waiting.
"We all are," Zell added.
Another thing on Edea's mind was Ellone and Vincent. She knew they had shared a kiss, but now they were not even talking to each other nor were they sitting next to each other. Something happened.
"Ellone, can I talk to you in private?" Edea asked.
"Okay," Ellone said.
The two women walked away from everyone else so they could talk in private.
"What's going on between you and Vincent?" Edea asked.
"W-what do you mean?" Ellone asked surprised by the question.
"I'm sensing so much tension between you two." Edea said with a motherly concern.
Tears began to swell up in Ellone's eyes.
"He said we can't be together because he's scared he'll hurt me," she answered.
"What do you mean?" Edea asked.
"There's a demon inside him, Matron," Ellone asked. The tears now streaming down her cheek. "He's scared the demon will come out and hurt me."
"I see." Edea said.
"I love him!" Ellone cried. "I want to be with him!"
Edea pulled Ellone in a comforting embrace.
~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~
Rinoa hit the floor hard.
"Stupid, stupid, stupid..." Squall said and stepped on her left wing.
She cried out in pain again.
"You're no match for me." He said.
Rinoa looked up at Squall..no Sephiroth...this was not Squall, with distaste.
She used all the energy she had and slapped Squall with her right wing.
He fell over and she flew back up.
Without meaning to, she threw an Ultima Spell at him.
The Ultima Spell was extremely deadly. Only lucky and strong warriors could survive the spell.
Rinoa gasped when she realized what spell she used.
A white cloud of energy and magic engulfed Squall and exploded.
"Squall!" Rinoa gasped.
Squall laid on the floor feeling dazed.
Rinoa noticed that he also dropped his Gunblade. She then quickly dived down to get it.
When Squall saw what she was doing, he too lunged towards it, but she got to it first.
When she had the Gunblade in her hand, she turned around only to find Squall accidentally running himself into it.
"No!" she gasped.
The blade had gone right into his stomach.
"S-Squall..." She stammered.
Squall took a few steps backwards and then fell to the floor.
"Rinoa..I'm sorry." He said and fell unconscious.
Rinoa vision had come true. The pool of blood was Squall's, the body was Squall's, the blood on the Gunblade was Squall's, and the person who stabbed Squall was Rinoa.
Rinoa dropped the Gunblade and fell to her knees and began to cry. She did not even notice the white crystal that now hung from a gold chain around her neck.
Squall was the Fifth Crystal Guardian.
A/N: Thanks to my sister for helping out with the Squall and Rinoa battle. Is Squall dead? Stayed tuned for the last chapter to find out.
"So let me get this straight," Irvine said. "Rinoa is going to face Squall...alone?"
"That is correct," Edea said gravely.
"But, what if Squall hurts Rinoa?!" Selphie gasped.
"I'm willing to take that chance," Rinoa said.
"I still think it's a bad idea," Seifer commented.
"Do you have a better idea?" Cloud asked.
"Stuff it, spike boy!" Seifer replied angrily.
"Boys, this is no time to fight!" Edea cut in.
"Look, I'm running out of time," Rinoa said. "I have to get going."
"Good luck, Rinoa." Ellone said.
"Thanks," Rinoa said and walked away.
Rinoa used her sorceress powers to figure out exactly where Squall was. As she walked to the location, her heart pounded in her chest. She did not want to admit it, but she was very scared. Scared of Squall hurting her and him having to live with it, scared of her killing him, and scared that this whole plan would fail.
She could feel the evil of Sephiroth the closer she got to the secret room Squall was in.
Rinoa's palms were sweating and she reached out to open the door that led to Squall.
She slowly walked into the room.
The room was huge. It had several large pillars spread throughout the room. There were blue curtains hanging from the ceiling and a large throne out the end of the room. This room must have been the sorceress' throne room.
"My..my...my..brave young sorceress, eh?"
Rinoa looked up to see Squall....or Sephiroth...hovering above.
"Squall...please.." Rinoa said.
Squall floated down in front of Rinoa.
"It's too late, sorceress," Squall sneered. "I have fully developed into a perfect clone of the great Sephiroth."
"No, it's not too late!" Rinoa shot back.
"You don't believe me?" He asked.
"No!" she answered simply.
"Fool." He replied.
She had enough of this. She lunged forward hopefully to knock Squall unconscious, but instead, he grabbed her shoulders and started sending painful energy into her body.
Rinoa cried out in agony. She tightly closed her eyes and a new energy began to form in her body, but this energy was her own.
Squall raised an eyebrow when he saw angel like wings sprout from Rinoa's back.
She looked up at him and kicked him in the stomach and flew up.
"Flying won't help you, sorceress." Squall laughed.
A fireball appeared in her hand and she threw it at Squall.
"That was extremely weak!" He laughed. He held his hands together and sent a beam of blue light at her.
She screamed out in pain and fell to the floor.
"Squall isn't gone and it's still not too late," she said in a deadly whisper.
"Oh?" he towered her in an intimidating manner.
"And what, pray tell, makes you believe that Squall Leonhart is still alive, you foolish girl?" he asked calmly.
His calmness sent shivers threw her body, but she kept her ground.
'Maybe,' she thought, 'just maybe, if I keep believing in you, Squall, you'll come back to me,'
"He won't come back," he said, as though reading her thoughts.
"Oh?" she questioned, biding time.
He laughed evilly.
"Squall loves me, and he would NOT leave me," she said.
"'Squall loves me,'" he mimicked in a girly voice.
She closed her eyes tightly.
"That's right," she said.
"Wrong. If he loves you so much, why isn't he here with you now? If your love is so strong, why couldn't he use it to fight me?" he asked.
"Because you weakened him when he least expected, you sleaze," she answered calmly.
"A sleaze am I? Well, better a sleaze than weakling like your weak boyfriend,"
She felt like she had been slapped.
First she felt sadness then pain and anger.
She flew up again and began saying "Sleep", but she only got "Sle--," out before he sent another bright blue beam towards her.
Meanwhile,
"I'm soooo worried about Rinoa." Selphie commented as they all sat around waiting.
"We all are," Zell added.
Another thing on Edea's mind was Ellone and Vincent. She knew they had shared a kiss, but now they were not even talking to each other nor were they sitting next to each other. Something happened.
"Ellone, can I talk to you in private?" Edea asked.
"Okay," Ellone said.
The two women walked away from everyone else so they could talk in private.
"What's going on between you and Vincent?" Edea asked.
"W-what do you mean?" Ellone asked surprised by the question.
"I'm sensing so much tension between you two." Edea said with a motherly concern.
Tears began to swell up in Ellone's eyes.
"He said we can't be together because he's scared he'll hurt me," she answered.
"What do you mean?" Edea asked.
"There's a demon inside him, Matron," Ellone asked. The tears now streaming down her cheek. "He's scared the demon will come out and hurt me."
"I see." Edea said.
"I love him!" Ellone cried. "I want to be with him!"
Edea pulled Ellone in a comforting embrace.
~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~
Rinoa hit the floor hard.
"Stupid, stupid, stupid..." Squall said and stepped on her left wing.
She cried out in pain again.
"You're no match for me." He said.
Rinoa looked up at Squall..no Sephiroth...this was not Squall, with distaste.
She used all the energy she had and slapped Squall with her right wing.
He fell over and she flew back up.
Without meaning to, she threw an Ultima Spell at him.
The Ultima Spell was extremely deadly. Only lucky and strong warriors could survive the spell.
Rinoa gasped when she realized what spell she used.
A white cloud of energy and magic engulfed Squall and exploded.
"Squall!" Rinoa gasped.
Squall laid on the floor feeling dazed.
Rinoa noticed that he also dropped his Gunblade. She then quickly dived down to get it.
When Squall saw what she was doing, he too lunged towards it, but she got to it first.
When she had the Gunblade in her hand, she turned around only to find Squall accidentally running himself into it.
"No!" she gasped.
The blade had gone right into his stomach.
"S-Squall..." She stammered.
Squall took a few steps backwards and then fell to the floor.
"Rinoa..I'm sorry." He said and fell unconscious.
Rinoa vision had come true. The pool of blood was Squall's, the body was Squall's, the blood on the Gunblade was Squall's, and the person who stabbed Squall was Rinoa.
Rinoa dropped the Gunblade and fell to her knees and began to cry. She did not even notice the white crystal that now hung from a gold chain around her neck.
Squall was the Fifth Crystal Guardian.
A/N: Thanks to my sister for helping out with the Squall and Rinoa battle. Is Squall dead? Stayed tuned for the last chapter to find out.