A Raven on the Loose

"I am Raven," the woman hissed at Squall.

Although Squall couldn't see the woman's eyes through her completely-wrapped body, he could tell that his assailant was glaring at him from under all that fabric. Her presence emanated a feel of grandeur, a woman of strength she seemed. However, there was also a feeling of coldness and some kind of murderous aura that surrounded her. She had retracted her claws now that she realized the situation she was in.

Squall stared into what seemed to be her eyes again, this time using a firmer tone when he said, "I don't want any trouble with you Raven, but I want to know what business you have here." When she didn't reply soon enough, Squall grabbed a dagger from a hidden pocket in his bomber jacket and pointed it at the woman's fabric-covered throat.

Raven threw her head back and laughed in defiance at Squall's threats. Using her magic, she was able to telekinetically fling the dagger from Squall's grip and flung it at the wall, embedding it deeply at material that almost seemed indestructible by technological standards. Squall froze after realizing what the woman could do even if she was paralyzed by the spell, so he decided to negotiate with her instead. Making sure that she was still pinned to the ground, he grabbed Ouragan's limp body and pulled him to the apartment, casting another Curaga to make sure that he was alright. Then, dragging the woman, he brought her to the kitchen and tied her to one of the steel chairs, making sure that she was bound tightly to it by several strands of strong rope. He then took another chair and set it in front of her.

"I don't want you to play any more games with me. I won't hurt you either. But, I want to know, what are you doing here?" He simply glared at her with his icy look that would have normally sent one of the Garden students marching to fulfill his commands. This woman was persistent, however cold his stare was.

Squall felt that his patience was soon to get the better of him, so once again, with clenched teeth, he asked her, "I don't want to hurt you Raven, but if you want to come out of here alive, you will answer my questions."

This time, Raven laughed coldly and said, "Do you really think that it is I who won't come out of here alive Squall Leonhart? It takes more than a legendary gunblade to kill me, you know. If I were you, I wouldn't risk my life attacking someone as powerful as I am. Even if I do tell you why I am here, you will never understand."

Squall was just about to wring her by the neck when his conscience told him not to resort to violence. "Really? So tell me and maybe I will understand," he told her impatiently. "When I demand answers from someone, I want them immediately."

Raven seemed to smile from under her hood. "You are as stubborn as a dumb mule. You don't know what forces are at work here Squall. No matter how seasoned a fighter you are, none of those war skills you have mastered will ever do any good in the coming battle. I do suggest that you set me free and I may carry out my plans. I won't kill you Squall. I don't have any use for you. If you let me pass now, you will save yourself a lot of trouble trying to stop something with more immense of a power than I ever will be."

Squall contemplated the situation and replied, "If I let you go, what will you do. Your very presence in this building disturbs me. I won't let you go unless I know your intentions." He knelt before her in an attempt to unmask the tied-up attacker, but when his hand made contact with the fabric, it was met with a powerful jolt of magical electricity. Squall immediately withdrew his hand from the woman in pain.

"There is a reason that I come here fully dressed…so that you may never discover my true identity. Now, leave me to fulfill my work or I shall resort to violence. And if I do that, it will not be a very beautiful sight," she threatened him. She continued to glare at Squall, very sure that soon he would concede to her commands. She felt the effect of the stop spell begin to wear off as well, meaning that she could easily attack him soon.

Squall stood on one side of the kitchen thinking about the situation. When he turned around, he grabbed a knife from behind him and proceeded to untie the ropes that bonded Raven. When she had been released completely, she stood up and cracked her knuckles.

"You were wise to do this Squall. Now, I must go," she whispered as she tidied her robe. She whirled around and was ready to leave when she suddenly drew out her claws and whirled around to defend herself when Squall attempted to swipe at her with his blade.

Having his gunblade ready, he drew it from its scabbard and used his free hand to attack Raven. She however, was too fast and had her claws ready to block the blow of the blade this time.

"You are a fool Squall…you do not know what could possibly happen if I am gone!" she spitted at him as she tried to swipe at him again with her claws.

"Oh yeah?" Squall challenged her defiantly while banging the gunblade at her. "One thing is for sure though…you will not get out of this Garden alive!"

When she was able to block one of his swipes of the blade, Squall was able to use the moment to kick her, causing her to fly across the room towards the door. The force of the impact forced it open, but before she even hit the wall in the hallway she disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

Squall growled in anger and shouted as he tried to slice at the remains of the mist which had transported her away from Squall's wrath. His shout had caused a commotion in the hallway as other students came out to see what the matter was, but before they could even find out that it was him who was causing all the noise, Squall had reentered his dormitory.

He found Ouragan lying on the floor unconscious. Taking him to the couch and casting another Curaga on his commander, he slumped back against the wall and sat down on the floor, deep in thought. 'I recognize that woman, but who is she?' he wondered while waiting for Ouragan to regain his consciousness. For a few minutes, he just watched Ouragan recover, until he remembered that Raven was on the loose and that Rinoa was still in the infirmary.

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Rinoa blinked her eyes rapidly as she woke up to find Dr. Kadowaki beside her. "Hi doctor…what time is it?"

Doctor Kadowaki smiled at her and said, "It's three o'clock in the afternoon Rinoa. How are you feeling today?"

Rinoa struggled to get up from her position and answered, "Much better I guess. I hope the kid's doing okay in there. When am I due?"

Dr. Kadowaki supported her arm and said, "I believe in eight months dear. You just felt weak because that is what usually happens to most pregnant women. Everything will be fine for now. You don't have to worry about maternity dresses for another three months." Doctor Kadowaki filled a glass with water and gave it to Rinoa.

Rinoa thanked her and slowly sipped her water. "At least I won't have to worry about my wardrobe for a little while. Where is Squall?"

Doctor Kadowaki placed her hand on Rinoa's forehead to check her temperature and answered, "Squall was here earlier, but he went back to his room after a while. I told him that you would be resting. After all, he can't stay here all day. He was worried sick too. Such a wonderful boyfriend you have, you know. He really cares for you."

Rinoa smiled and rested her back on the pillow that Doctor Kadowaki had helped her prop up. "I know. I'm so glad to have met him. I was fortunate to have met him on that ball…he was so gorgeous that night," she sighed after reminiscing that special night where they shared their first dance together.

Doctor Kadowaki chuckled and said, "I'm sure it was a romantic evening. So after that, did it go well for the both of you?"

Rinoa laughed and replied, "Actually, it was a bit funny. Squall was so klutzy that evening that he was almost too cute. But then he swept me across the floor like an expert dancer…I had butterflies in my stomach when he did that. Then, I had to go meet the headmaster. A few days later, I met him again, this time in Timber. Of course I was happy to see him, but then for a while we were at odds with each other. I mean, you know how Squall is. He isn't exactly the type of person who would fall in love with a girl at first sight and try to sweep her away with wooey words. But I guess he had feelings for me already since the start of the mission. He just…"

"Has trouble showing his emotions," Doctor Kadowaki continued for her with a laugh. "Squall was ALWAYS like that."

"True, true," Rinoa agreed before continuing. "He can be so mysterious at times, yet if you look close enough you can see right through him. He's actually caring if he wants to be. I think that was what made me fall in love with him. Very few guys do care about you from the inside. They just want to put up this sexy, macho image that would make you drool over him for the first few months, then they start showing their true colors. Squall is so different. If you're around him, you get the feeling that he'll watch you like a hawk to make sure that you're okay all the time." She felt a tingling sensation run across her spine just thinking of her knight.

"Well, I'm glad to know that everything is alright with you. Now, I'm sorry if I have to interrupt this talk about Squall but I have to give you your medication," she said while grabbing a box in her coat pocket. "This little box contains all the medicines you need to recover. You don't have to worry about the little one either. None of those medications are toxic to growing fetuses."

Rinoa gladly accepted the box and said, "Thank you doctor."

Dr. Kadowaki stood up when she heard the phone ringing. "The pleasure is all mine dear. Now please hold on for a moment because I need to attend to a phone call." Dr. Kadowaki filled Rinoa's glass again with water before leaving the room to answer the phone.

Rinoa relaxed in the infirmary's comfortable bed as she stared at the ceiling. She was just about to open the pill box when she heard Doctor Kadowaki saying, "No, not now. You don't understand the situation, it is too soon……you came in too early…Well look at what you have done, you were almost killed…no, no, I never said that I would allow you to come anytime. You needed me to tell you when would be the right time…Well how should I know if the person would be well or not?...Don't be reckless…I know, I'm sorry I snapped at you. But please be more careful next time. You know that he's excellent with the weapon…Alright, please take care of yourself…Goodbye." Rinoa was curious as to whom Dr. Kadowaki was talking to. When the Doctor came back, Rinoa asked, "Um, I hope you wouldn't mind but who was that?"

Dr. Kadowaki chuckled and quickly said, "Oh it was some silly high-ranking official who had a sparring session with a friend of his. Anyhow, he told me about his plan to meet with this person in the Training Center. Imagine that…an official talking to me about strategy! Anyway, he was telling me to consult him with more advice for the next session, but I told him that this wouldn't be a good time. So I started snapping at him, but I obviously hurt the louse…oh excuse me! But anyhow, he is okay now."

Rinoa laughed and said, "Oh! For a while there I thought you were talking with your husband or someone close to you like family."

Dr. Kadowaki bellowed out a loud laugh and said, "Husband!!! You just made my day Rinoa. Oh, poor Doctor Kadowaki hasn't found her soulmate yet at this age, but I will find someone someday. Thank you for the laughs Rinoa."

Rinoa chuckled uncomfortably in bed before saying, "Eh heh…yeah, I'm sure you will…hmmm…"

Doctor Kadowaki gave Rinoa a comforter and was just about to turn the lights off for her to sleep when Squall suddenly entered the office. "Squall! My goodness what are you doing here this late?" the doctor asked him. "And what happened?"

Squall crept in around Rinoa's door and closed it very silently. Signaling Doctor Kadowaki to go to one corner of the room so that no one would hear them, he silently whispered, "Storm, why was there a woman called Raven trying to attack me in the building? Do you know her and would you know her intent on coming here?"

Doctor Kadowaki looked around and said, "Squall calm down. Now please recap everything slowly so that I could at least tell you what is going on."

Squall relaxed his muscles slightly before retelling the events that had happened earlier. "Okay…there was this woman who appeared in between me and Ouragan. She attacked us with claws that emerged from her fingertips and was able to knock Ouragan out. I fought her for a while before I was able to pin her down on the floor. I tied her up with ropes, questioned her, but was unsuccessful in getting any answers from her. I conceded to sneaking up from behind her when I release her, but she counterattacked me again. I kicked her somehow but when she was just about to hit the wall from the impact of my kick, she disappeared in a puff of smoke."

Storm/Doctor Kadowaki looked worried. "Squall, forgive me if I must tell you this, but I don't know whom you are talking about. I have an immense knowledge of magical figures and great mages, but this Raven character you speak of is someone whom I have never encountered before."

Squall slumped back against the wall, running his hand over his forehead. "Damn, so you don't know what this person can do."

The shape-shifter changed his voice to match that of his own, yet remained in the body of the female doctor. "No, I don't. I apologize Squall, but I am not an all-knowing magician you know. Now, I would speculate two reasons for you being here though. One is to get some answers for those questions which seem to race around your head forever. The other is to see if Rinoa's alright, and correct me if I am wrong please."

Squall walked to Rinoa's room, sighed, and answered, "You're right again Storm. I just wish you would have known a bit more about this Raven person." He entered his code and entered the room. Once the door had closed, the doctor in disguise gradually grew taller, his white robes changing color and turning into a myriad of colors that eventually wrapped him in his usual hooded attire. Once the transformation was complete, he whispered to himself, "Not that I am wrong, but some things are better left kept in the dark." As soon as his eyes took a shade of milky white, a cloud of white smoke surrounded him before he teleported away from the infirmary to attend to his own business.

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Squall entered the room cautiously, careful as to not wake Rinoa up. Tiptoeing slowly to the side of the bed, he knelt down beside her and watched her sleep. 'So beautiful…' He brushed a stray lock of hair from her forehead and bent over to kiss her softly. 'I love you my angel.'

Rinoa smiled, her eyes still closed, and whispered, "You know Squall, it would be nicer if you showed me more affection that way in public."

Squall simply smiled at her and rested his head on her chest. "You should be asleep Rinoa."

Rinoa shook her head and ruffled Squall's silky brown hair. "No, not when you are here. I want to spend as much time with you as possible Squall," she insisted.

Squall sat up and gently grabbed her hand, showering it with affectionate kisses. "Doctor Kadowaki says that you can come home when you're feeling better. Can you come home tonight?"

Rinoa bent over to kiss Squall and said, "I hope I could, but the doctor just gave me some medicine so I'll be knocked out until tomorrow." Stroking his cheek gently she asked him, "Squall, would it be too much to ask of you if I wanted you to stay here tonight?"

Squall moved in to kiss her lips and said, "Whatever you want my angel…" Rinoa could feel the heat rising as she stared into his passionate orbs of icy blue. As Squall moved in closer to kiss her, she closed her eyes and felt his warm lips brush hers. She felt her world slowly vanishing as she imagined herself and her knight under the luminous warmth of a starry sky, a streak of light passing across the heavens. She herself didn't want the moment to end.

When the kiss ended, Rinoa sighed in disappointment and wrapped her arms around Squall's shoulders to bring him closer to her. "Squall…"

"Hmmm?" he asked her while his face was still buried in her breasts.

"When do you plan to have our wedding?" she asked him directly, causing the commander's stomach to turn over and almost regurgitate whatever he had for lunch.

"What do you mean Rinoa?" a very startled Squall asked her as he sat up to look at her in the eye.

Rinoa looked at her toes, imagining that she was shuffling them, and continued, "Well, you already proposed to me on that magical night, and since we're having a baby, don't you think it is time that we plan our wedding soon?"

'Hyne, I didn't even think about that.' Squall gave her a very sheepish smile and said, "Uh, honey, can we talk about this when you're well?"

Rinoa seemed to regain her spark as she bolted up from bed. "I am well. I was just drugged. Please don't tell me you haven't made any plans yet…Squall?" She raised one of her eyebrows and looked at him skeptically.

Squall felt bees (not butterflies) flying around his stomach and stinging at his inner muscles. He swore that he could hear the little critters laughing at him. "Uh, well, I was thinking about it," he lied nervously. "Since you're going to have a growing baby soon, I was wondering if we could probably do it sometime soon."

Keeping the "one eyebrow raised" look engraved on her face, she asked Squall coolly, "And when do you think would be the best time for this?" 'Squall, I hope you have a very good answer for this…'

Frantically searching for a good answer, Squall immediately blurted out, "Well I was thinking that three weeks from now would be good." 'Crap, did I just say that?'

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Hello hello hello! I hope this was a good chapter! I finally got over writer's block! Woohoo! Anywho, please read and REVIEW this chapter so I will find the inspiration to continue writing. Thank you cheerlygal and shortie630 and Trish for reviewing faithfully. I also thank my anonymous reviewers. If you give me at least seven reviews for this chapter, I promise to have the next one up in two days' time.