AN: This was a quick update because i left you guys with two very cliffy very sad chapters. And i just can't have that. Besides, you guys have been great readers and great reviewers. However my haste has made this subpar. My apoligies but perhaps some of you will seek enjoyment in it anyways. This will prolly be my last update for a week and a half or so because i have a birthday this weekend (yay) as well as much work to accomplish. Thanks for all your support. You guys rock.
Btw, this writing thing of mine is a hobby i do for fun. Correcting grammer is something i hate though im more than adequate at doing when it counts. If it thorougly offends you, i suggest skip over my stuff. On the flipside, if anyone wants to beta-read some of my stuff, let me know.
Thanks for reading and i hope you all review!
< It was no supposed to be this way! > Anger was not fitting for him.
< It was your fault. You made it happen. > Nor the accusing tone this one held.
< If hadn't, you would have. That was a necessary risk. I had no way of knowing this would happen. > That was true. The guardians needed to prepare.
< Either way, we must set things right. One of the fated children is dy- >
< Don't say it! There is always hope. > But even if it is not spoken, that did not deny the fact of the matter.
< You have grown attached to him. Is that for the best? > She knew it was. But did Griever?
< You have grown attached to your charge as well. The difference is I found a way to communicate with mine sooner. > He was the first Guardian ever to do so.
< Something must be done. Will she come back to him? >
< Not of her own accord. >
< Then I must… >
< You must or he dies for good. Only my presence sustains him but I cannot remain there forever. > Staying there too long would put his own survival in peril.
< It is fortunate the Hyne favors you my love or the boy… > Hyne's blessings were in short supply these days.
< I told you not to say it. Please, just do what needs to be done to save him. > Was it possible? Did he actually sound defeated?
< Ah, the almighty Griever reduced to begging to his love? >
< If it save the young one's life, then yes, I beg. > No, not defeated. Desperate.
< You need not beg. I will do what I can but in the end it all comes down to her. >
< They love each other as much as we do each other. I know it. >
< She may love him, but she may no longer trust him. > The woman's feelings for his charge were extremely obvious to any.
< He acted irresponsibly. He may not be worthy of her but she is all he has left. Help her trust him. > Only silence ensued.
The mindless dull chatter that soaked the air of the classroom fell upon one girl who was blind to the situation. There was nothing being spoken in class that could possibly have weighed heavily enough upon her as to stomp out the torment and confusion that was within.
She was being punished for a mistake she had made many years ago. It was not even really a mistake. Ones past was not supposed to matter. Only a person's potential and where they wanted to go in life should be the standard upon which all are measured against.
But life was never fair for Rinoa or anyone else. What constituted someone's personality besides their compilation of memories created by the life they have lived so far? Who knew? Perhaps this was just Hyne's way of screwing around with mortal's lives for a cheap laugh. Maybe her recent misfortune was penance for a sin she had committed in a past life.
No matter the reason, one truth remained undeniable. The first and only man she had ever loved rejected her. He looked upon her with such disgust and pain that it would not have been unfathomable to believe she had played a role in the annihilation of a squad composed of children based upon his expression.
Rinoa's eyes glossed over in a fog as she stared away into nothingness and thus allowed her head to slightly tip to one side. A tear that had reached its limit slowly trudged away from her puppy-dog brown eyes even though she was unable to blink.
It hurt to sit in that classroom with an air of rejection hanging about her. It hurt to pretend that nothing unusual happened in her morning while she replayed the event over and over in her head. It hurt to be in love with Squall as truly and as deeply as she knew she was. Frankly, it just hurt.
Suddenly, a strange voice penetrated her thoughts. < Hush now child. Do not despair. >
The young vixen snapped her head around rapidly as if a classmate had thrown something against her back. That voice was not her own. It was like her mind created a new persona with which to guide her.
With eyes darting rapidly in every direction, Rinoa tried to regain control of her sporadic breathing. This was not right. There was no way her subconscious would develop a voice so soothingly soft and feminine when she felt such anguish and turmoil.
< Do not worry dear child. I mean you no harm. I just want to help you. I want to take the pain away. > With her simple motherly words, the unknown force had lessened the burden that bore down upon her very being so heavily.
'Who….who are you? Why do you want to help me? Am I going mad?' So many men had disappointed and abandoned Rinoa in her life. All it took was a single misfortune with one whom she sincerely trusted to cause her apparent mental instability.
< No little Rinny. You are not going crazy. Think of me as a guardian. A guardian angel if you will. Sent by Hyne to help you in your time of need. > That should be explanation enough for the mortal.
So Rinoa had gone crazy. Guardians…angels…Hyne. Maybe she got knocked unconscious. That's it. She fell down the stairs while in a moment of grief and now she was dreaming. Wait…she had never called herself Rinny before.
'Rinny? No one ever called me that before. Where did that name come from?'
< It came from someone very near and dear to your heart. > One cannot ignore the obvious
It was evident an angel could speak of only one person. 'Oh, you mean Hyne calls me Rinny?'
A melodious laughter that was like a song unto itself rang loudly and proudly within Rinoa's chaotic head. The uncertainty and peril that previously lingered was driven away by a melody so innocent and pure that it should have belonged to a child. < Come now Rinny. Be honest to yourself. This comes from someone you love more than Hyne itself. >
This was just fantastic. Of all the guardian angels that were available, she had to receive the know-it-all. Wait…just how many of them were there?
< As many as our needed young child. Now tell me who called you by such a name without ever speaking it to you. > They had to develop a rapport quickly. This little guessing game would help speed up the process.
'Could it be my fat-' Even Rinoa didn't believe this one.
< Dear child, don't make me think less of you. Do NOT lie to me. We both know your father is not that dear to you right now. >
She immediately blushed while regaining the meekness of a mouse. She knew the answer even when she began to mention her father. No other man had dominated her thoughts so thoroughly since the voluptuous beauty had met him. Not her father, not Hyne, not Seifer.
With a whisper quiet thought, she silenced the other character residing in her head. 'Squall'
< Good. We must build a relationship on trust. Much like the one you had with him. >
Trust? Was there trust in what they had with one another? She originally had an ulterior motive for seeking out the commander though she knew in her heart that if it had been anyone else, she would not have tried to seduce them. Then again his actions against her had been less than reassuring.
Maybe they were moving too fast. Or was it that they were too much in love to care. How important was trust when you were truly madly deeply in love with another? The answer was simple. Trusting someone was the difference between caring for a person, and loving them.
Suddenly, a realization hit her. 'Squall called me Rinny? What? When? He never used any pet names. Actually he didn't even say my name all that often.' It was almost too cute to imagine. Or maybe it was another secret kept from one another. How well did they really know each other anyways?
< Even his guardian did not know it. It was a name he felt fit you perfectly. Cute and simple yet memorable. You feel it was another secret between you two? > Time was of the essence. The guardian had to speed things along or none of these pleasantries would matter.
'I guess it shouldn't surprise me that you know all about us, considering you live in my mind. It's just that I-'
< Do you love and trust him? > There was not a moment to spare. The guardian had to cut through all the bull.
'I…but….I'm not…'
< It's a simple question my child. I shall make it easier. Respond quickly and with the answer we both know to be true. Do you love him? > In the distance the guardian could hear a heartbeat begin to slow its pace. There was no doubt to whom it belonged.
'Yes.' Yes, yes. A thousand times YES!
< Do you have faith in him? >
'Yes' She could speak no lie by answering Yes to that question
< Do you trust him? >
'Yes.' This response had the guardian momentarily stunned. Having trust was supposed to be the key issue between them. It had to be …unless….
< Do you have trust in yourself? > Years of experience had given her the wisdom to arrive at this question. Just how many years would remain unknown. A woman never reveals her age.
'I…I don't know. I mean I used him, I think. I feel like I betrayed him by having known another from his past. How he knows Seifer I do not know. Why it bothers him so much I don't understand. All I know is I hurt someone who was abused by the world. Whether or not I intended it doesn't matter. How do I know I won't do it again?'
< You mean you don't care that he treated you so poorly for something you did years ago? Dear child, you didn't even err. You were just a little one back then. You could not have known Seifer's arrogant nature. > Was that Seifer's true nature? Now was not the time to sow seeds of doubt.
'It doesn't matter. Don't you understand? I love him! I love him for who he is and I love him for the man he wants to be, for me. The date, the conversations, that couldn't be who he normally was. No one else tried to change themselves so much of their own free will for me before. Everyone else just tried to change me.'
< Yes…I know what you mean. > A brief moment of silence ensued.
'Guardian Angels can love?' That was just peculiar. What was stranger still was this one seemed to know the one that watched over Squall. Could it be one giant coincidence? In reality, there were very few of those in life.
'I would.'
< Even if he does not return your affections? >
'Just tell me how I can help him.' It was an outburst of concern. Her feelings were indeed genuine.
< Run. Run now to the infirmary. Do not delay. I will explain as you go. >
Without a moment's hesitation Rinoa followed the instructions given by the pushy voice in her mind as she bolted out of the classroom leaving not only her herself, but her instructor stunned. Rinoa ignored the elevator that was never fast enough and darted into the stairs with a look of fear veiled upon her. Even though she did not know why she could not help but worry.
< You cannot hide that secret from him any longer. You must reveal it to him.>
'But…but then he might'
< Kill you? It is his duty. He is a man bound to his honor and obligations. However it is his life that is on the line. >
Squall? His life on the line? That was impossible. The world used him as a pawn and left him nearly for dead. He was made of sterner stuff than most men. Squall was quite simply the most powerful fighter in the world. The feats he accomplished would go down in history as the actions of a man turned legend.
'But he…he'
< He is another victim to cluttered feelings. He loved you but felt himself second to one who is his archenemy >
Rinoa almost tripped down the flight of stairs when that thought sunk in. Seifer? Seifer was his nemesis?
'Wait wha-'
< There is no time! Hurry! Reach the infirmary before they close it off. Only you have the power to heal him. You must use your magic. That is if you value his life above your own. >
'I do'
< Then do not question me child. The rest is for you to do alone. I have done all I can. I pray for your success. > So it was true, even angels had things they wished for.
Rinoa finally reached the ground floor and quickly made her way to the infirmary without regard to those who stood in her way. Too much was at stake. Squall was dying and she could help.
Infirmaries everywhere were always alike. They always had a unique sterile smell about them. They were always blanketed in the most vivid white available. And they always retained a solemn sad atmosphere about them. This one was no different save a trail of blood that created a path into one room.
Her inhuman speed allowed her to shuffle past the few nurses and doctor that stood about and enter the closed off area uninhibited. There was nothing she could do to harm him further. No doctor would drag a woman away from a man who should be dead yet hung onto life by a thread.
His torso proved to be a one giant bandage that was covered in a dark crimson fury. His mouth was frozen shut as if the shock of the moment was still attached to his body. His striking blue eyes were open yet blank as they were mesmerized by the ceiling above them. There were no signs of life within him. Why his heart continued to beat was an anomaly among enigmas.
She slowly walked up the side of his bed with one hand following his form gently. Rinoa took one last quick glance to assure herself that the door was indeed closed. What was about to happen was not for prying eyes.
She leaned over near his face where she tucked aside a few rebellious strands of his hazelnut brown hair. Her eyes immediately fell upon the scar that divided his face. Her lips felt a pull that could not be denied as they brought themselves closer and closer till they kissed the bottom of his wound with a feather-soft touch. She planted a trail of such loving gestures all the way up to the other end of the scar as she sought to remove all sources of hurt from his body.
There was no turning back from this. There would be consequences. That didn't matter. Only life mattered.
Rinoa's eyes grew solid white as two extensions sprouted rapidly from her back. The room was blessed with a pair of heavenly wings that grew from a vision of loveliness. While in full control of herself and her powers, she folded her wings around herself and moved her soft pink lips closer and closer to their fated destination.
She found his own lips and engaged them in a furious and passionate kiss that sparked a white light to pass from herself and into the one she loved. The room quickly flashed with a brilliance that would have blinded most men, however now they would have only been ignorant to the wings Rinoa sported on her back.
While her wings had retreated back into their sanctuary and the magic she casted to save his life now used, she refused to part from the kiss she so vigorously pursued with him. She may never again receive such a chance.
Here and now, this was the moment for two fated children to explore their feelings. He may kill her, he may not. Only Hyne and two guardian angels could guess one way or the other.
Suddenly Squall's hands reached up from his bed and snaked around the neck of his angel. His eyes blinked rapidly as life returned to the one who should be dead.
Feeling the effects of his revival and the return of his feelings, she deepened her intensity and let the slightest of moans escape her. That was all it took to bring a smile to his face, one that Rinoa felt form beneath her.
She released her hold upon him and slowly stood upright again though she allowed one hand to hold onto his.
Squall didn't look like the man she knew. This one appeared almost content.
"Rinny we…we have a lot to talk about. I…You…I'm sorr-"
However life itself was an urgent matter. There would be time for that later. Now was the instant for unbridled affection to thrive.
A familiar voice returned to our fallen hero and echoed within his mind once more. At the same time, a guardian angel to a guardian angel also chose to speak the very same words.
< Just shut up and kiss. >
What right did mere mortals have to argue with the commands of higher beings?
You know, in the game, they made Hyne sound kinda evil. Oh well, i use my literary license to change things as i please. So what are your thoughts? Loved it, hated it? Questions? Let me know guys. I am eager to hear from all of you!