"Trouble still stalks our lands. A shadow looms among us. If it is not here by now, it is on its way --- Shameless filthy wretches. Have you no shame? --- These cold-blooded tyrants have caused entire nations to crumble --- The cold-blooded tyrant that slaughtered countless men and destroyed many nations? Where is she now? She stands before your very eyes to become your new ruler."
-Ultimecia as Edea, and President of Galbadia
FAITH'S BANE
Rinoa and Gilmahn move slowly along a mountain path. They had spent the last few weeks recovering from Squalls passing. They moved on as they always did, staying away from populated areas, sleeping where they could, even quietly under trees. Gilmahn had realized that he could no longer leave Rinoa to go do all the political and public nonsense. He remains by her side as they move along the path. They don't speak much to eachother, clearly tired from the walking, and hurt by Squalls death.
They both spot a house farther down the path. It has a very welcoming appearance to it. It is the only house they have seen in so long, and it sits alone amongst the bare landscape. Gilmahn looks at it for a while, wondering if they should go up to it. "You think...?"
"Doesn't look like the home of a murderer or anything..." Rinoa shrugs a little, uncertain also.
"I guess we'll see then?"
Gilmahn begins to walk a little quicker. The path they go on is very narrow, with tall grass on either side, and large bare rocks beyond that. He makes it to small stepping stones that lead up to the home. He moves forward slowly, takes a breath, and knocks politely on the door. He stands there for a while, looking at the door, waiting. As he is about to turn away and walk back, the door clicks open. An old woman with short poofy white hair opens the door. "OooOooh!" She says, quickly, with surprise and delight.
"Ma'am?" Gilmahn says, half turned.
"Come in! Unless you are only asking for directions! Hehe.." She moves back quickly into the house, fairly quickly for an old woman. Gilmahn gives a little smirk and shrug, then follows her in, and Rinoa follows him in turn.
"Sit, dear, you need anything?" The inside of the house is fairly small, but what more does one old lady need? Gilmahn looks at a small sofa in the first room, and sits carefully, feeling like he is barging in to her house almost. He starts talking to her while she is in her kitchen.
"I don't really know what to make of this. I don't recall ever being welcomed somewhere in my life."
The old lady comes out of the kitchen with a few odd shaped cups. She sets one down in front of each of them. "Oh! You're Rinoa! And...and..." She snaps her fingers lightly, trying to recall a name, while Rinoa nods at the mention of her own name.
"Gilmahn."
"Yes, that's it!" Sorry dear, I don't get out much it's hard to remember these things." She moves to her own little chair and sits down. "I'm more familiar with Rinoa, my husband use to be a SeeD, back when Squall and all you were in your prime." Gilmahn puts his hand up slowly to show he doesn't care his name wasn't remembered, and he uses his other hand to pick up the cup and take a drink from it.
"Don't worry dear, it's homemade, and good...at least I think so." She continues drinking from her own. "Though I don't tell anyone what's in it. Nothing bad though. My husband drank it for years, loved it, but never could figure out what I put in." She smiles slightly thinking of the memories. "Yes, he was a SeeD during most of it. All that turmoil in Galbadia back then. When the soldiers fought them in the garden. Was there and made it through all of it, God bless him." She looks solemnly at a photo on a nearby table.
After a minute or two of silence and drinking, she continues on suddenly, "It killed him inside you know." Both Rinoa and Gilmahn look up at her. "The way they treated you all later on. You saved all of us, and then they let paranoia get the best of them. Fear and hate never leads to good. He looked up to all of you. He quit later on."
"I can't say I blame them though..." Rinoa looks down, fiddling with her fingers. Gilmahn recognizes she is probably feeling bad about...well, just about everything at this point, and tries to change the subject.
"Well, you uh...live out here alone?" His words come out quite awkwardly.
"Yes dear. My husband liked the quiet. I do too." She nods her head happily as she speaks, taking another sip every once in a while. "Never had any famous people here though, quite a surprise I must say."
"Famous..."
"Oh, I'll take that dear." Gilmahn holds an empty cup in his hand, not noticing. The old lady gets up and takes his cup and moves back into the kitchen. She has the energy of a twenty year old, he thinks to himself. She keeps talking from the other room. "And I'll just assume you are going to stay for the night, because I won't allow anything else!"
Gilmahn shrugs to Rinoa in the other room, apparently not going to make a fuss with the old lady.
"Because if you leave before tomorrow morning you'll miss my world renowned pie. And if I eat it myself I'll be all...peh."
"Ooooh, we wouldn't want that now would we?" Gilmahn chuckles a little, managing to get a small smile from Rinoa as well.
Gilmahn gets a tingling feeling in his chest at that moment. He isn't sure why, but he is quite aware of what the feeling was. He couldn't have any such feelings for Rinoa, he thinks to himself. Even if he did, it would be a slap in Squalls face, and he didn't want her to have to deal with more nonsense than she already had. He takes a deep breath and rubs the back of his head, unsure of what to do about this sudden revelation. Why did these feelings have to come on now?
---------------------------------
The day passed with little happening. Night time came as it always did. The only lights in the area came from the old ladies house, through the small windows on the first floor. Rinoa had gone to sleep early upstairs, while Gilmahn and the welcoming old lady sat at a table downstairs. They each have a large stack of cards near them, laying them out on the table. They are playing none other than triple triad. Gilmahn lays a gilgamesh card on the table, gaining an advantage to the cards right side and bottom side. The old lady pauses, tapping her finger against her chin. After a few moments she puts a mog card to the top of the gilgamesh card, beating it's 3 with the mogs 9.
"God damnit." Gilmahn shakes his head.
"I believe I win by a couple there, dear." She smiles delightedly.
"I love this game, and hate it." He takes his cards off the table and starts piling them up.
"Oh me too. I use to play more often." She moves her own cards fairly well, despite having frail hands.
"I don't like the complicated rules though."
"No me either."
Rinoa moves slowly across the cold floor. It wasn't night time, but it was so...dark. Balamb garden was never this deserted was it? She can hear various voices down the hallways, and sometimes even right next to her. At first they are just an incomprehensible mix of whispers, but every once in a while she can make out what is being said.
Enough play, SeeDs must die!
She turns around in various directions, trying to see what is making all of the voices, but is unable to see anything.
Ultimecia's inside Adel. Exactly as she wanted. Ok, this is the showdown folks! Time compression is about to begin. 'Love, friendship, and courage'! Show'em what you got!
That voice. She knows that voice. Laguna?
I will liberate the past.
She wasn't sure of this one. She shivers a little, a cold wind blows against her. The voices get louder.
I will destroy your future!
At the very end of the sentence a gunshot breaks into the air. Rinoa nearly jumps out of her sleep, breaking into a sweat. Her hands shake violently, she breathes heavily, breaking the silence in the small bedroom. What was happening?
As long as you don't get your hopes up, you can take anything...
You feel less pain.
-Squall
