A/N: The Uni idiots were kind enough to inform us today, that our first lab exam begins next Tuesday… Lovely.
And how are you today?
Last chapter summary: Seifer wakes up after a coma of seven days and finds out that the situation within Garden has become more severe. A new threat shadows their world now and their only hope is to continue the pursue of Ellone…
A second chance
By: Sickness in Salvation
Chapter 27: A cruel game of 'Hide and Seek'
Three days later…
Squall Leonhart stepped out of the elevator shaft, entering the third floor of Balamb Garden. His face still bore a dark, ominous shadow, the one that had been haunting his eyes for a little over a week now. His steps took him to the small lift leading up to the bridge, which he boarded.
Once reaching the small chamber in which the steering mechanism rested, he gave a firm nod at Nida and Xu who stood there.
- "Any signs of the ship yet?" he asked.
- "No, Squall…" Nida said, shaking his head in negation "Centra is a vast continent, full of small gulfs and inlets. If we don't know where we're headed, I think our chances of finding the white SeeD ship are very slim…"
It had been over a week now, that the Balamb SeeDs had embarked on a search for the white SeeDs, who were last seen some time ago, when they had visited Garden to take Ellone into hiding. Squall figured that the only chance they had in bringing Rinoa back to consciousness, was realizing exactly what it had been that had rendered her into a coma. And to do that, they needed to find Ellone. She was the only one who could take them into Rinoa's most recent past and reveal the well-hidden secret of her mysterious 'illness'.
- "You're right." Squall said, nodding "Maybe we should postpone the search for a bit, until we gather more evidence about their whereabouts."
- "Umm… Squall?" spoke Xu. The Commander turned and looked at her "I don't suppose Edea might have a clue as to where the ship is…?"
Squall seemed to fall deep in thought for a few seconds, rubbing his temples.
- "Set a new course for the Lighthouse Orphanage."
A cigarette, long forgotten, now had a long trail of ashes dangling from its edge and it rested onto the ashtray. Seifer lay back first on the hard mattress of is bed, staring up at the ceiling. His emerald gaze pierced right through the cloud of smoke that was hovering above him.
The medicine Dr. Kadowaki had given him was working its way through his veins right now. A mild sedative, a powerful painkiller, better, to ease the pain he'd otherwise feel greatly right now. It made his eyelids grow heavy.
The blond's arms were crossed on his pillow, right behind his head, as his thoughts traveled among places and people he'd long ago hidden within the depths of his mind.
His latest injury had provided him with great amounts of leisure, during which he had seized the opportunity to search through his few personal possessions. One of which now hid, protected by his palm, secure onto his chest.
The cigarette fell from the ashtray, slowly leaving the imprint of a small burn on the wooden nightstand. The sound of the little remaining cigarette paper being burnt was the only thing that broke the cold silence of his room. He didn't hear it.
He had fallen asleep.
Selphie strode down the hallways of the second floor, heading towards the classrooms. She found class 3B, the one she'd been looking, for and pressed her head against the door. The muffled sound of someone talking reached her ear. Quistis wasn't done with her class yet.
The copper-haired girl leaned against the wall next to the door, patiently waiting for her friend to finish with her early noon class. She held a blue card, which she toyed around in her fingers for the time to pass.
After a few minutes, the door of the classroom slid open and a few children exited the room, waving at Selphie politely. The Head of the Garden Festival committee was quite known among Garden by now and her abilities as a soldier had gained her great amounts of respect within the student body. She walked inside the classroom, where Quistis stood behind her desk, talking to some students.
- "Hello Miss Tilmitt!" they all chorused together once Selphie approached the desk.
- "Hey y'all!" Selphie reciprocated chirpily "Did you enjoy your lesson today?"
- "Oh, yes! Miss Trepe is reeeally nice!" piped in a red-haired boy "And a very good teacher, too!"
Quistis beamed at the kind words of her student and smiled widely.
- "Thank you, Nathan." she said.
- "Now, could you guys leave us alone for a minute?" asked Selphie "I have to speak to your teacher."
The children looked at Quistis dejectedly.
- "I'll see you all again tomorrow!" Quistis told them "Miss Tilmitt obviously has something important to tell me…"
The small group of students agreed to finally leave the classroom half-heartedly, waving at both young women as they exited.
- "Awww…" cooed Selphie "They're all so cute!" Quistis sighed.
- "I know…" she said smiling "I just love my new job. Now…" she said, looking up at her friend "What was it you wanted to talk to me about?"
- "Oh yeah!" said Selphie, slapping her forehead lightly "Dr. Kadowaki asked me to go check upon Seifer, but I can't. I've got some work to do. So I wanted to ask you if you could go."
- "Why go check upon him?" Quistis asked, frowning slightly "He's a big boy; I'm sure he can go to the bathroom on his own." she added sarcastically. Selphie rolled her eyes.
- "The doctor is giving him some painkillers that are more or less mild sedatives." she said "So he'll probably be asleep right now. Just go, check if everything's OK and leave."
- "And why me, if I may ask?" Quistis said, arching an eyebrow.
- "Well…" Selphie said, looking down to her feet "As I said, I'm busy with work on the Festival. Irvy's helping me out… Zell's out of the question… Squall has work on the bridge… You're the only one left who can go…" she finished, giving her friend what she reserved as the most innocent version of her smile.
- "How convenient…" Quistis said, crossing her arms, eyes narrowed.
- "Oh c'mon!" Selphie urged her, shoving the card she'd been holding into Quistis's palm "You know you want to! This is a spare card to his room. Just go, have a look and leave. It's no big deal…"
- "Maybe to you…" Quistis mumbled through gritted teeth.
- "What was that?" Selphie asked.
- "Nothing…" Quistis said with a sigh.
- "So you'll go?"
- "Yes… I will."
- "Great!" squealed Selphie, making the blonde roll her eyes "Well… Gotta run now. See ya later!"
And with those words, the miniscule girl disappeared through the doorway. Once outside, she rubbed her hands together and chuckled.
- "Hee, hee… I'm a genius!" she said, sprinting down the hallway to the elevator.
Inside the classroom, Quistis was gathering her things from the desk.
- "Really now…" she said out loud, shaking her head in disbelief "As if I can't tell she has arranged that…"
The blond Instructor walked along the Dormitory corridors wearily. A day with three consecutive classes with children was not as 'cute' as it sounded. Disciplining a child demanded a great amount of patience. Thankfully, Quistis possessed that trait. Combined with her affection towards students, it made her a great Instructor for children.
However, her day wasn't even over and she already felt tired. And the idea of finding Seifer awake and possibly grumpy in his dorm was not something that soothed her weariness.
As she reached the door to the blond's room, she took a deep breath and hesitated for a second, before digging into her uniform pocket for the card Selphie had given her. Keeping her fingers crossed, she entered the dorm when the light on the card receptor turned green.
Quistis stepped inside, letting out the breath she'd been holding, as she found Seifer fast asleep on his bed. Closing the door behind her, she rested her binder onto the little vacant space on Seifer's messy desk. The room was rendered into a state of semi-darkness, even though the noon sun shined glorious and warm outside. She discovered that the reason for the lack of proper light was due to the drapes, which Seifer had pulled half-way down. The air, filled with cigarette smoke, lodged into Quistis's throat as she breathed, making her cough and walk towards the window. She pulled the drapes up and opened it wide, letting the fresh air re-ventilate the dorm, taking in a deep breath herself.
Straightening her uniform, she turned towards Seifer's bed. Her facial features became milder. Amazing what Morpheus did to a strict face once its owner allowed his or herself to be drawn into his embrace. Even the most ominous-looking characters, like one Seifer Almasy, turned into harmless children during their sleep.
Quistis walked over to the bed, sitting on the edge Seifer's brawny frame had left empty. She gingerly touched his forehead and checked his pulse. Everything seemed normal. And she could now leave the room, reassured that she'd done her duty.
'Not yet…' her mind spoke to her, as if a different entity of its own.
The blonde sighed, raking Seifer's few stray, longer spikes away from his face. She chuckled. They just slid back forward.
This was probably one of the very few traits that gave Seifer a hint of boyish charm among the forced –from his side- macho façade. The few thin locks that refused to be pulled back in place with the rest of his straw-blond hair. That and his smile. Not the smirk; his true smile. The one he rarely displayed in public view. The one he'd given her a few times.
He'd passed the written exam, face lit with glee as he swept her off her feet in a tight embrace…
She had woken up in Iris's house in Timber and his tired face illuminated the moment he saw her wake up…
They were strolling down the streets of FH, under the starry night. He handed her a gift, beaming at her surprise…
They were standing outside in the balcony, out in the cold. He smiled at her response to his question, leaning in slowly…
He was lying with his head on her lap, covered in his own blood as she desperately tried to keep him alive. He was smiling, whispering something she never heard, as he slipped away from her…
Cocking her head to the side, she continued to take in the sight of his sleeping form, until her eyes fell upon something, covered in between his palm and chest.
She squinted, making out the white edges of what appeared to be a picture. Carefully, she held one corner of the photo, gently pulling it away from his grasp. Seifer let out a sleepy moan, but didn't wake up. Quistis brought the picture before her.
Her lips parted.
A woman, with amber eyes and long, silky strands of hair that caressed the shoulders of the child she held in her arms. Both smiling, happy.
Edea… and young Seifer.
Young Seifer… and his mother.
His only true parent, his comfort in times of grief during the years he struggled to live the way a child should.
His lady in need of a Knight.
How distant the moments of their forgotten until recently childhood seemed. They had all faded away as they were raised to destruct and follow orders, just like the picture she held in her hands. The once bright colors had long ago faded into shades of yellow and orange, as the picture remained buried under the blond's mattress for years. He used to take it out every single night, searching within her soothing face some consolation to lull him while in bed, only to fall asleep with it, clutched onto his then small and narrow chest.
Just like he had done now.
And as the time had passed, the picture was taken out less and less often, until it became nothing but a remote memory and then… nothing. Just a piece of paper decaying to its slow death, only to be resurfaced many years later. Salvaged from an almost certain fate of oblivion.
Quistis turned the picture around, surprised to find something written behind it. A single sentence of flowing text stood in the middle in blue, in startlingly bold writing. Who said words were not powerful anymore?
Never forget the years of innocence…
And he never truly had.
She remembered vividly the night they'd first truly spoken during a stroll amidst the dark streets of FH at night. He'd remembered her. Vaguely, but he had.
Sighing, she cautiously slid the picture back in place and leaned down to him.
'Never forget her, Seifer… Never forget the years when we were all innocent…' she thought, confident that her words would reach him, and kissed his forehead gingerly.
Pulling back a bit, she approached his lips, pressing them ever-so-gently with her own. As she drew back again, she saw Seifer's eyelids flutter open the slightest bit. He looked at her through barely open eyes, not knowing whether he was awake or dreaming, within the drug-induced state of his mind.
His lips twitched upwards and one of his hands rose weakly, a crooked finger touching her cheek.
- "She is my mother…" he muttered, in a voice barely audible "I had to protect her…"
The words died on his lips as his eyes closed again and his conscience surrendered to deep slumber. Quistis ran her fingers through his blond locks once more.
- "I know, Seifer… I know…"
Two days later…
Squall, Zell and Quistis walked down the earthy path leading to the entrance of what they once knew as the house in which they grew up. Scattered, although vivid, memories brought the ruins surrounding them to life within their minds, as they reverently took every step forward slowly in a mental agreement, as if they'd be able to grasp upon more recollections that way.
A pillar they'd once leaned upon countless times, now tainted, wretched.
A bike they'd ridden out in the yard during sunny days, now broken, damaged beyond repair, lying behind a bush where wild ivy thrived upon it.
Once they finally found themselves reaching the large wooden front doors, Zell pushed them open. The creaking sound of hinges that hadn't been oiled in years alarmed Edea and Cid of their visitors. The Matron was first to approach, followed by her husband. She was still dressed in the clothes in which they'd faced her not too long ago, as if afraid to take them off. As if afraid that once she removed them, she'd find nothing of her old self to hold onto. Perhaps it was best to pretend, than to gather the courage to face the truth.
Quistis was the first to break the silence.
- "Hello again, Matron." she said, forcing a weak smile to form on her lips.
- "Hello again, my children." Edea said. Quistis had the feeling that her Matron was attempting her own version of a forced smile "Is there anything I can help you with?"
- "The White SeeD ship. The one Ellone's on." Squall spoke.
- "We've been lookin' for it for ages!" said Zell.
- "Those children are… They are very cautious. They would never remain in one place for long." Edea replied.
- "…I see." said Squall.
- "Oh yes, however…" Edea added "Those children seemed to have taken a liking to Centra's landscape. Therefore, they may have stationed their ship by an inlet somewhere on the Centra continent." she said.
- "That's where we've been searching all along…" Zell said dejectedly.
- "Well… I guess we have no choice but to keep looking." Quistis said "Thank you, Matron."
- "Yeah, we'll be on our way now." Zell said, bowing slightly to Edea.
- "Oh, and Squall…" Edea interrupted just when they were about to leave "Please take with you this letter that I wrote. With this, they shall welcome you."
Squall took the folded yellow paper Edea gave him. Her neat, calligraphic writing was apparent from the back of the paper, in deep blue ink. Quistis smiled poignantly at the sight of it.
- "Thank you, Matron. We-" Squall began.
He was interrupted by the familiar creaking sound of the door. He watched Edea's lips part in awe and he immediately turned around to see who was standing behind them.
Seifer.
No-one spoke for a fair few minutes, as they all stood frozen, looking from the Matron to Seifer and back again. The two never broke eye contact.
- "I was…" Seifer muttered eventually "I was just wondering if I could-"
- "You look pale." Squall cut him off, frowning "Did the doctor give you permission to leave Garden?" he asked. Seifer nodded.
- "Well then…" spoke Quistis "I think we should…"
All but Seifer and Edea nodded in consent, making their way outside, leaving the two alone.
The tall blond kept staring at Edea expressionless, as she returned the gaze, looking as if she were in a daze. She didn't need to be told who she was facing. She'd never forget these deep emerald eyes that were trained to hide and tame the darkness they held within. She'd never forget his golden hair. She'd never forget his proud stature. She'd never forget him.
Seifer swallowed with difficulty, trying to choke down the pent up emotions that were struggling to surface any moment now.
He turned away, lowering his head down, as a single tear ran down his cheek.
Not able to stand the lack of contact anymore, Edea rushed over to him and wrapped her arms around his broad shoulders, bursting into tears.
Her little boy… How much he'd grown over the years… He had become a handsome man, capable of making it on his own, valiant enough to protect her when she needed it, even if he knew he'd have the world against him. He had remembered her…
Seifer shut his eyes, breath wavering. His mother… Holding him in her warm embrace, as if not a single day had passed. As if she'd been doing it every day for the past thirteen years…
He was unable to repress the sob that slithered up his throat and he fell to his knees, holding her waist, resting his head on her stomach.
And he wept.
No words were spoken.
They were not needed…
I never truly understood the bond that Edea and Seifer shared… Until now.
Neither did I, Quisty. All those years we spent together in the orphanage… I remember Seifer clinging onto Edea,
just like Squall did with me. But I never knew he considered her a mother to him.
We all did in some way. But to him, it obviously went deeper. You know, I'm beginning to understand him a lot more. I can see why he did
what he did in 'my world'. It was wrong, but he was following his heart. He was just a child… separated from its mother too early…
Three days later…
- "I see it!" Nida exclaimed, pointing at a pair of white wing-like sails in the horizon "We found it!"
The two Commanders approached the glass wall, wanting to take a closer look at what Nida was pointing towards. Seifer, now fully recovered, pulled the binoculars up to his eyes, zooming the image in.
- "Yep… That's gotta be it…" he said, handing the binoculars to Squall, to take a closer look.
The brown-haired Commander nodded in agreement the moment he took a glance.
- "Right… Let's approach them, then." he said.
Following the orders given to him, Nida steered the Garden through the fiord-like shores of Centra, heading towards the ship seen in the distance. The massive structure that is Balamb Garden towered the already big ship, casting a shadow upon it. Startled, the residents of the ship were alarmed at the arrival of possible hostility.
The Front Gates of Balamb Garden slid open and a mechanical stairway installed by the FH technicians descended onto the main deck of the ship. The small amount of SeeD forces gathered onto the ship relaxed slightly, as they saw the forms of just three men descend from the stairway. The tallest one, a blond, stood in the middle, while a shorter blond and a brown-haired one stood on his sides.
The moment the three approached the white-clad SeeDs, the latter were surprised to be greeted by the proverbial SeeD salute. And upon closer look, two of them seemed very familiar.
A man from the white SeeD forces stepped forward and addressed Squall.
- "We meet again." he said.
- "My name is Squall." one of the Commanders said "These are Seifer and Zell." he added, pointing at each one respectively "We're SeeDs from BalambGarden. We'd like to speak to your leader."
- "I'm in charge." replied the man "State your business. Depending on what you say, we may ask you to leave immediately."
- "We're here to see Ellone." said Seifer.
The white SeeD leader seemed quite shocked when Seifer uttered Ellone's name.
- "We pose no threat." Squall rushed to say "Edea told us that you would be here."
- "Yeah, man…" Zell spoke "So chill. We ain't here to harm anyone."
- "Edea…" muttered the leader "How…?"
- "Edea is no longer under Sorceress Ultimecia's control." said Seifer "She is now our ally. So there's no reason for you to hide Ellone's whereabouts from us."
- "We want to take Ellone back to protect her from Ultimecia." Squall added.
The white SeeD leader took a deep breath and creased his forehead.
- "Thank you for coming," he began "But we have no reason to believe you. Please leave."
- "Hold on a second." Seifer said, grabbing the man's shoulder as he whirled around to leave "What if we say we've got the evidence to prove it?" The leader arched an eyebrow.
- "Evidence?" he asked.
Seifer turned and looked at Squall knowingly. The Commander nodded and dug his hand in his front pocket, retrieving a neatly folded piece of paper, with visible blue writing. He handed it to the leader, who rushed to read it in curiosity. For a few silent minutes, the three Balamb SeeDs watched the white SeeD leader exchange one expression for the other. Confusion, astonishment, excitement, worry…
- "This is Matron's writing." he said eventually "She really gave this to you?"
- "You guys call her Matron too, huh?" Seifer asked, smiling.
- "Yes." replied the leader "Ever since we were little."
- "We were raised by Edea, too." Squall added "It was difficult to fight against her, but we did. Fortunately, everything turned out well. Edea is no longer evil. She's back to her old self again…"
- "The kind Matron we remember." Seifer piped in.
- "Squall, Seifer, Zell… thank you. We owe you and BalambGarden much." the leader said sincerely, saluting them all.
- "Dude, even our salute is the same." Zell said, grinning.
- "Matron told us it hasn't changed since SeeD was established." replied the white SeeD leader "Follow me." he said, heading towards the lower deck.
The three SeeDs followed the white SeeD leader onto a chamber in the lower deck, where the man sighed and gave the letter one last glance.
- "So it says in the letter, you're looking for Ellone…" he said, frowning "…I'm sorry. Ellone's no longer here."
- "Say WHAT?!" Zell exclaimed.
- "Remember we picked her up from your Garden near the FH coast?" the leader asked. Squall nodded "After that we headed east to get away as far as we could from Edea and Galbadia. Before long, we encountered the Galbadian fleet." he narrated "They had a lot of ships. Obviously, they were searching for us. We should've been more careful." he added, shaking his head "They pursued us in full force. Luckily, we were able to escape but, then our ship broke down and we were stranded. There was no way we were going to let the Galbadians take Ellone. Eventually, the Galbadians caught up to us and we had no choice but to prepare for battle. Then an Esthar ship appeared."
- "Esthar?" Seifer asked, frowning. The leader nodded.
- "A battle began between them, and we were caught in the middle of it." he went on "Then something strange happened. Suddenly, an Esthar ship came up beside us and Esthar soldiers came aboard. They told us to get aboard their ship. It sounded like an order to evacuate. Of course, we refused. We didn't trust them just as we didn't trust the Galbadians. As the Esthar soldiers were trying to convince us, the battle became more intense. Soon they were forced to leave our ship. As their ship was pulling away, Ellone yelled out something. Then, all of a sudden, she jumped onto their ship. It wasn't like her at all. To this day, I don't understand why she did that. After that, Esthar's fleet withdrew from battle and fled. After they left, we… well, it's a long story. After our ship is fully repaired, we plan to go to Esthar. Sorry… We couldn't protect her."
- "So… Ellone's now in Esthar?" Squall asked.
- "We believe so."
The silence within the Balamb Garden Infirmary was only broken by the sound of pages being turned. Pages from the magazine Dr. Kadowaki was reading in boredom. She hated her job sometimes, because she usually got to communicate with the students when they were hurt, aching. But the smiles on their faces once they left the Infirmary, recovered and healthy, always reminded her why she chose that profession in the first place.
She hated to admit it, but sometimes the fact that she worked in a military Academy, where children got hurt all the time, relieved her, because her job took the boredom out of her otherwise quite stagnant life. Having patients like Seifer Almasy often amused her, as they complained about every single thing during their stay there, making her work a bit more challenging and –let's face it- fun. Of course, there was nothing amusing about the sight of a fatally wounded and bleeding patient; it was the recovery process that proved to be entertaining.
However, now that one Seifer Almasy had recuperated, her only patient was Rinoa Heartily. The middle-aged doctor never got to know the girl very well, as she was a new addition to -what she liked to call- their 'family'. Still, the grief she felt whenever she touched the stone-cold skin of the young girl was unimaginable. It was even greater when her faithful friends came to visit her, the light of hope extinguishing slowly but steadily from their eyes. It particularly ached her to watch Squall spend night after night by her side, hoping, praying, pleading for her to open her eyes, speak, laugh again. It was no secret that the arrival of that girl had dramatically changed the so far cold-hearted young mercenary's life. From the short period of time that she had gotten to know Rinoa Heartily, Dr. Kadowaki had perceived the girl's ability to warm the hearts of those around her, but the 'miracle' she had performed with the brown-haired Commander never ceased to amaze her.
Sighing, she continued to read her magazine, rather absentmindedly, as her only patient lay within the room only feet away from her, rigid and expressionless.
Rinoa's slender fingers were intertwined, palms resting onto her lower chest in a somewhat morbid pose. The little color that had always rested on the cheeks of her, otherwise pale, face had now drained completely.
Her eyes remained closed as always, sealed windows of her soul that struggled within her insides for answers, hope, something to hold onto. Flashes of memories ran in fast forward within her blank page of a mind.
Flash. Her mother is standing above her bed, her angelic voice singing a lullaby to finally put her restless spirit to sleep.
Flash. She is cowering into a corner, eyes shut to prevent any more tears from falling, as she presses her ears closed to the horrible sound of her parents fighting once again.
Flash. Her father is falling weak onto his knees, defeated, after receiving an urgent phone-call in the middle of the same night.
Flash. She is pulling the curtains aside, watching a flurry of black-clad people -her father among them- following a narrow, wooden crate, from the window. Her nanny pulls her away, tears streaming from her green, usually cheerful, eyes.
Flash. She is now older, within the middle of yet another vicious quarrel with her father.
Flash. She is talking to two young boys, about her own age. They are starting up a rebel organization to liberate Timber.
Flash. She's one of the leaders of the attack against the Galbadians.
Flash. A tall, handsome, blond boy pulls her from the wrist, sprinting down the streets of Timber amidst the battlefield scenery surrounding them.
Flash. Seifer is laying her down on the grass. His lips descend on hers.
Flash. Seifer is hugging her at the DelingCity Train Station.
Flash. She is running to the balcony of Balamb Garden, crying. A brown-haired boy with the most handsome face and the most startlingly icy blue eyes she had ever seen, is offering her his handkerchief.
Flash. Squall is pinning her to the floor and away from danger, as two ominous creatures are about to attack her.
Flash. Squall is standing before her awkwardly, as she circles around him in the stage of FH, dressed in her formal, white dress.
Flash. Squall is catching her into his embrace, then throws her into the sea. His strong arms are cradling her as the sound of an explosion takes place above the surface.
Flash. Squall arrives with a flying device, saving her from a fate of certain death as she hangs for dear life from the edge of BalambGarden.
Flash. Squall talks to her about his ring, Griever, and allows her to keep it.
Flash. Her vision grows hazy, as a surge of relaxing energy overtakes her when the Sorceress looks at her, until she knows no more.
Darkness…
Pure darkness…
Silence…
And then, a voice…
Excitas tu e somno, liber meus…
Cunabula non est…
Excitas…
She took a deep breath.
Her torso rose from the mattress of her bed, palms still in the same position.
Her eyes flew open.
But their color had abandoned them. Instead of the dark brown in her irises, the deepest, most sinister shade of red now spread.
She rose from the bed, walking in a state of trance towards the threshold.
Her eyes were vacant, empty. Her movements mechanical, controlled. Almost puppet-like.
She reached the doorframe and stepped outside.
Dr. Kadowaki looked up from her desk. Her jaw dropped and her eyes widened saucer-like. The girl didn't even seem to notice her.
- "R-R-Rinoa…?" she muttered in utter surprise.
For the first time, the raven-haired girl turned around and looked at the doctor.
Vale, liber…
Diebus fatalibus…
She continued to walk towards the exit, ignoring the older woman completely.
Regaining her composure, Dr. Kadowaki rushed over to her, holding her from the shoulders. Immediately, she felt a surge of electricity run through her every fiber. The energy sent her falling into a heap onto the corner near her. She opened her eyes with difficulty, trying to stand up straight. What was going on? What was happening to Rinoa? That couldn't be her…
- "Rinoa, stop! What happened to you?!" the doctor called.
Once again, the young girl stopped in her tracks to throw a glance at Dr. Kadowaki. Her up-to-now empty gaze became filled with superiority and disdain. As the woman approached again, Rinoa raised her arm, getting a firm grasp of the doctor's neck. With tremendous and inhumane power, she raised her up, pinning her to the adjacent wall. Dr. Kadowaki's screams were muffled as her breathing became blocked. She had never felt more scared in her entire life…
The girl turned her gaze to the exit, where distant shouts could be heard. Apparently, someone had heard Dr. Kadowaki's cries. She removed her grip from the doctor's neck, letting her fall unconscious onto the floor.
Rinoa stepped outside the Infirmary, where a small group of SeeDs and students had arrived, all absolutely stunned to see her awake and in such a state.
A smirk appeared wide on the girl's lips, as she extended one arm forward.
- "Vermi…" she spoke mockingly "ULTIMA!"
Seifer, Squall and Zell ascended the small stairway leading up to the main deck again, getting ready to board their Garden, when…
- "Wow! Long time no see, sir!"
All three of them turned around, puzzled, upon hearing a familiar voice call them from behind. Zell arched both eyebrows, Squall sighed inwardly and Seifer frowned.
- "Watts?" the tall blond said in disbelief.
- "Seifer?!" exclaimed Watts "What are you doing here?!"
- "For your information, I'm a Commander in Garden." Seifer retorted proudly.
- "YOU?! A Commander?!" spoke another male voice behind Watts.
- "Zone." Seifer said, frowning even more.
- "Yeah, it's kinda hard for us to believe, too…" Zell commented grinning, earning a glare from Seifer.
- "Don't make me demote your sorry ass, Chicken-Wuss…" he threatened.
- "Ha! You can't do that!" Zell said, then creased his forehead, turning to look at Squall "Can he?"
- "That's not the point here." Squall said, raising both hands "What are you two doing here?" he addressed Zone and Watts.
- "After you guys left, the Galbadian buttheads came after us, and we barely escaped to this boat." Zone replied.
- "I was sure we were goners, sir!" Watts added "Zone went nuts and was thinking about swimming across the sea to escape!"
- "Hey, it was a plan!" Zone snapped, frowning "All you were doing was whining like a big baby. 'We're gonna die, we're gonna die!'" he said, mimicking Watts's voice "And look who jumped in first! You, you numbnuts!"
Squall shook his head in disbelief. 'I don't see how these wackos keep surviving.'
- "So, how's Rinoa?" Zone asked eagerly "Where is she?"
The three SeeDs exchanged awkward glances.
- "This ain't gonna be pretty…" Seifer mumbled. Squall sighed.
- "Rinoa fought with us against Edea." he spoke "For some reason, she went unconscious after the fight. She's resting in the Garden now. I don't know what happened. We couldn't protect her. I'm… I'm sorry…"
All color drained from Zone's face within the blink of an eye. The young boy seemed stunned by the news about his friend's state. He remained silent for a fair couple of minutes, taking in deep breath, until suddenly, he cracked.
- "YOU SON-OF-A-BITCH!!!" he screamed at Squall, who took a step backwards "What did I say?!!! What did I say, HUH?!!! I told you to take care of her!!! That nothin' better happen to her!!! Scumbag! You pathetic, lyin' scumbag!!!"
Squall lowered his head at Zone's accusations. Everything he feared to admit, but acknowledged as the truth to him, was being spat at him viciously.
- "And YOU!!!" Zone now addressed Seifer "I suppose you just abandoned her again, just like you did that summer, didn't you?! Didn't you, you bastard?!!"
- "Zone," Seifer said wearily, running a hand through his hair "There was nothing we could d-"
- "BULLSHIT!" Zone went on yelling.
- "Zone! C'mon! Easy, sir! Easy." Watts finally intervened, grabbing his friend, who was now trying to lunge towards Seifer and Squall, by the arms "She's not dead. They just dunno what's wrong with her, that's all. Ain't that right, sir?" he said, looking at Squall "They would never give up on her. Am I right, sir?"
Squall nodded in consent 'Maybe that guy should be given more credit…'
- "We came here to get Ellone because there's a new evil force after her." he spoke "If we can get Ellone and Rinoa together, maybe… we can get Rinoa back."
- "Really?!" exclaimed Watts "See, Zone?! I told you, sir! Rinoa's gonna be fine! She promised she would come back! We all have to free Timber together. Don't worry, sir!"
Zone's temper had calmed down a fair amount by now, although he was still breathing heavily and was shaking. He cast Squall a dark, ominous look.
- "All right." he muttered "But I'm gonna say it one more time." he said, pointing at Squall "If something happens to Rinoa again, I swear…"
He never found the words to finish his sentence, he just scoffed and turned his heel, walking away from them. Watts shot them an apologetic look and waved somewhat shyly, running after Zone.
After both of them were out of sight, Squall let out the breath he'd been holding.
- "Well…" Seifer spoke "That was… intense."
- "Tell me about it…" Zell agreed, nodding "So what's the deal with you and those two? More people in the world who despise you?" he asked sarcastically.
- "Watch that tongue, Zelly." Seifer snarled "And to answer your question… If you weren't stupid, you'd have understood by now, that Zone hates every male with whom Rinoa gets 'romantically involved'…"
- "Why?" asked Zell, creasing his forehead.
- "Cause he's in love with her, you idiot!" Seifer said, rolling his eyes "Are you that fucking blind?!"
- "What I don't understand," Squall piped in "Is this: So, OK, your explanation excuses Zone's dislike. What about Watts?"
- "How the hell should I know?" Seifer said, shrugging "Maybe they were both just jealous of me…"
- "Why, exactly?" Squall asked, cocking a sarcastic eyebrow.
- "Just move the fuck on!" Seifer said wearily, leading the way back to Garden.
Squall and Zell followed him, shaking their heads in disbelief
. The trio made their way back through the Gates, walking down the wide corridor leading to the Main Hall, when the sound of screams caught their attention.
- "What the hell?" Seifer mumbled, frowning, breaking into a run.
The three SeeDs made their way into the 'heart' of the Main Hall, only to be greeted with a shocking sight.
A fair number of SeeDs and students lay onto the marble floor, some wounded and others seemingly unconscious or even worse… dead. A state of chaos reigned within the Academy as people ran frantically across the Halls, shouting unintelligible cries.
- "Selphie! Irvine! Scout the area for more wounded! I'll get to the Infirmary to check Dr. Kadowaki!"
Seifer spotted the source of the only voice of reason among the mayhem.
Quistis.
He saw Selphie and Irvine run into different directions in the distance, as Quistis made a move to run towards the Infirmary.
- "Quistis!" he called.
The blonde turned around and looked at them, a tremendous amount of sudden relief apparent in her eyes. However, her worry was never extinguished. She ran towards them, panting, in a state of frenzy.
- "Oh, thank HYNE you're back!" she exclaimed, as they all ran to her "It's chaos in here!"
- "What happened?" Seifer asked worriedly, resting a hand on her shoulder.
- "It was awful!" Quistis whimpered, grasping Seifer's arms so hard, he felt the pain shoot across all over his body "Shewokeup!" Quistis spat out, trembling "AndshedidsomethingterribletoDr.Kadowaki!Idon'tknowifshe'salive!Andnowshe'sgoneand…"
- "Quisty, Quisty…" Seifer tried to calm her down, holding her hands.
- "Shetookavesselandleftand…" Quistis went on in one breath, hyperventilating, tears falling down her cheeks "Butnoonecouldtouchherorstopherand…"
- "QUISTIS!" Seifer yelled, grabbing her face with both palms, firmly "Calm down! Breathe!"
The Instructor stopped talking, trying to breathe normally again, as Seifer rubbed her arms in comfort.
- "Now…" Seifer spoke softly "What happened?"
- "It's Rinoa…" Quistis uttered.
- "What's wrong with Rinoa?!" Squall demanded, stepping forward.
- "No-one knows…" Quistis said apologetically, looking at him "She woke up. But she wasn't herself…"
- "What do you mean?!" Zell asked anxiously.
- "I don't know…" Quistis went on, shaking her head "She seemed… possessed. Her eyes were glowing red, a red aura was surrounding her… No-one could touch her. She hurt Dr. Kadowaki… But it couldn't have been her! It just couldn't!"
- "Is Dr. Kadowaki dead?!" Zell asked, petrified.
- "I don't know, I don't know…" muttered Quistis "I'm so sorry… I tried to stay calm… I'm so sorry…" she went on, shaking her head "I wanted to keep order around here, but when I saw her… I'm so sorry…"
- "Shh…" Seifer said, pulling her into a hug "It'll be OK…"
Quistis wrapped her arms around his waist, shaking uncontrollably, mumbling incoherent words. Squall pulled her from the shoulder, making her look at him.
- "Where is Rinoa now?" he asked in a demanding manner.
- "She's gone…" Quistis said breathlessly.
- "Gone?!" Squall growled "HOW? WHEN?!"
- "She took a vessel. I don't know how she knew to operate it, but she's gone…" Quistis replied.
- "To WHERE?!" Squall yelled.
Quistis just shook her head apologetically and shrugged as an answer. She seemed in the verge of more tears.
- "Come on, Squall…" Seifer mumbled "Let her breathe for a second…" he said, rubbing Quistis's back, who had now buried herself in his arms again.
Squall fell onto his knees, covering his face in his palms.
'This can't be happening…' he thought 'Rinoa…'
He sighed.
'Rinoa, where are you? Where did you go…?'
A/N: Another sort-of cliff-hanger. Meh, what can I say? If I can't torture you with few big ones, I'll settle for continuous small ones :-p
ON THE NEXT CHAPTER OF 'A SECOND CHANCE':
That aftermath of Rinoa's escape is much worse than expected…
Where has she disappeared to?
How will her friends pursue her?