A/N: Heard complaints about the previous chapter being a tad small… Serves you right to have to tolerate my writing for 13000 words now! MUHAHAHA!

Last chapter summary: Squall and Quistis arrive at the Lunar Base, placing Rinoa under the care of the scientists there. Meanwhile, back in Esthar, Seifer's team meets up with the eccentric Dr. Odine in their struggle to stop Lunatic Pandora.

                                                                                                                                                            A second chance

                                                                                                                                                      By: Sickness in Salvation

                                                                                                                                                Chapter 33: Falling from the sky

            Squall sprinted up the small stairway to the second floor of the Lunar Base, closely followed by Quistis. He stepped through the metal door that slid open the moment he approached and, taking a deep breath, entered the room. The small chamber held no more than a bed and a few storing cupboards, but what immediately got his attention was the girl who was sitting upon the bed. He'd seen he before; he'd seen her when he was inside the Infirmary, after a minor injury just before his SeeD exam. He'd seen her for each and every day during his childhood, heard her whispering lullabies with her beautiful voice to him when he couldn't sleep. He heard her within his head, speaking to him when she was sending him back to the past of a different man…

            Ellone.

            With shoulder length, deep brown hair, a 'fresh' face that made her look younger than what she really was, sparkly brown eyes, and a slender form, robed by a long blue skirt, a white blouse and a green shawl to shelter her shoulders from the chilly atmosphere within the Lunar Base.

            Their eyes met once again, only this time Squall never unlocked his gaze from her. It had been too long since he last took the time to look at his Sis. Really look at her. He felt Quistis brush by him hastily and saw her run towards Ellone, an expression of glee plastered upon her face.

- "Ellone!" Quistis exclaimed, throwing herself into her big sister's wide open arms.

- "Quisty…" Ellone said in a sigh, rubbing Quistis's form within her embrace gingerly, shutting her eyes.

            Squall slowly approached the hugging duo, hands folded behind his back. Ellone slid her eyelids open again and smiled warmly at Squall.

- "Squall, I'm so happy to see you again." she said

- "Me too." Squall replied sincerely, trying his best at a smile.

            Quistis slowly withdrew from Ellone's embrace and sat on the bed right next to her. Ellone spent a few moments looking at both of them, a somewhat poignant smile now crossing her features. She caressed Quistis's damp locks with one palm, sighing.

- "I'm so sorry…" she said, shaking her head "I got you involved in so many things… so much hardship."

- "Ellone…" Quistis said, taking Ellone's hand and encasing it into her palms "Don't say that."

- "It's alright." said Squall "We understand. We understand what you were trying to do. Were we of any help?"

- "Of course!" Ellone exclaimed, as if stating the obvious "You were my eyes. Thanks to you guys, I was able to see how much I was loved. I couldn't change the past but just seeing it was more than enough. Thank you so much."

- "You're welcome," said Quistis "But we really did nothing much…"

- "Listen, Ellone. We came here because we need your help." said Squall, not wasting another second to get to the point "You said you can't change the past, right?"

- "You can find out things about the past you never knew." Ellone replied "And from what you've learned, you may see some things differently in the present. You're the one that changes. Not the past."

- "Really? There's no way to change the past?" Squall asked her, obviously quite dejected by her answer. Ellone shook her head in negation "No, I want to find out myself." Squall persisted "Take me to Rinoa's past. I need to see the past through Rinoa. I want to find out what happened to her, and I want to try to warn her…"

- "Who is Rinoa?" Ellone asked.

- "She's a girl we met recently and she's become one of us." Quistis replied "But she's in deep danger now. We can all see it… She has been in a coma for weeks and won't come back to us."

- "So, you want to save her." Ellone corrected Squall "You don't want to lose Rinoa." She sighed "Squall, I can't. I don't know Rinoa. I told you I can only send people I know in the present into people I knew in the past."

- "I brought Rinoa with me." Squall said hopefully "She's resting in the med lab. Please come with me."

- "Alright." Ellone said half-heartedly.

            She didn't want to give Squall false hopes, only to see them crushing down before his very eyes, hurting him once again. She didn't know if there was any way to help Rinoa. If there was, she'd give her whole self to try and bring her back, but she shuddered at the thought of not being able to do anything to ease her little brother's hurting.

            Because he was in pain. She could see it in his eyes. The blue within them was always stormy, dark, but it was different now. He seemed tired.

            Too tired.

            Too tired to go on… without her.

            Seifer rushed outside the laboratory doors, a plastic roll held tight within his right hand. Closely followed by Edea and the rest of his peers, he stopped in his tracks and rolled the map Dr. Odine had given him open. He was shocked to find nothing but a blank empty rectangle and few dots concentrated on the lower right corner of the transparent map. But other than that, nothing at all.

- "That old fucking fraud!" Seifer hissed, almost crashing the map in his tight grip "This map's a fake!"

            He made a move to rush back inside, before a hand held him back in place from the shoulder.

- "Wait a second!" Selphie said "Roll it open again."

- "What the hell for?" Seifer growled at her, frowning.

- "Just roll the damned thing open…" Selphie said wearily.

            Glaring at her, Seifer almost ripped the map open, thrusting it over to her. Selphie held it open and examined the dots on the lower right corner. She squinted, only seconds before pressing a small green dot. She felt her finger sink into the plastic fabric the slightest bit, before a see-through hologram emerged from the map almost magically. All of them took a step back in surprise, as the hologram swiftly took shape and hovered an inch above the plastic roll. An exact replica of the city of Esthar had unfolded before their very eyes, completely transparent, with grey edges outlining every structure and road in the city. Three tiny red orbs were shining in different places of the hologram, while a small reverse timer was counting backwards to zero, right next to the buttons, into the so far blank rectangle. It read 18:56.

            Selphie gave Seifer a superior smirk as she held the map.

- "Gimme that!" Seifer snapped, snatching the map from Selphie's hands.

            He took a few seconds examining it, while everyone bent over his shoulders, trying to take a look at it as well.

- "I'm guessing the red orbs show the three contact points Odine told us about." Selphie piped in.

            Seifer just ignored her and the murmur of consent that was heard from everyone on account of Selphie's idea. He heard the faint whisper of Irvine's voice.

- "You're so smart, Sefie!" the cowboy said grinning, wrapping his arms around his beaming girlfriend.

            Seifer's attention left the map for a split second, as his facial features screwed into a frown and his eyes narrowed.

- "If you two start snogging now, I'm demoting your sorry asses two Ranks down." he growled.

- "I'm not a SeeD to be demoted, Commander," Irvine sneered "And you'll have me to answer to before you do anything to Sefie." he added firmly.

- "Right then." Seifer said, looking up "It's five Ranks down for Messenger-Girl and I'm making sure you're never making SeeD, cowboy."  

- "I'd like to see you try!" Selphie piped in, crossing her arms.

- "Oh, you will!" Seifer said smirking, eyes glinting maliciously.

- "Children!" Edea scolded.

- "We've got a big-ass black building to chase around Esthar before it gets to Tear's Point, you know!" Zell said matter-of-factly.

            Seifer turned around to face him and was about to retort when Edea covered the blond's mouth with one palm.

- "Zell is right!" she said "Now, Seifer… Be a grown up and face your duty as a Commander!"

            Muttering incoherent curses under his breath, Seifer gave the map one last look and scanned the area around them. The timer on the map read 17:00. He pressed the red button on the lower right corner of the plastic map, making the hologram disappear and rolled the map closed.

- "The first contact point is this way." he said, pointing towards their far right "We have two minutes before it arrives and five before it leaves the location. Come on."

            The stars shone brightly like glitter outside the Lunar Base, surrounding it with tranquility, peace.

            And within a glass room, a girl stood still, induced into deep slumber. Her long raven locks engulfed her pale cheeks, and her usually rosy lips were sealed shut and pale as well. Almost blue. Her cold hands were crossed upon her chest, in the same grim position they lay still for so long now… Her already frail, slender body seemed even more fragile, not having been set in motion in weeks.

            Within her calm and peaceful mind, flashes of memories flew with the speed of bullets, filling her otherwise serene, deep sleep with distractions. But suddenly, it all stopped. A familiar by now sensation took over her body, trying to awaken her once more. Trying to make her stain her purge hands with the blood of the innocent one more time. The grey, metal cover that had been securing and keeping her warm slid open mechanically and she felt her body rise up.

            The voice inside her head was getting strong. It was tormenting her.

            It was telling her to rise…

            And kill again…

            Seifer came into a halt, panting. He had stopped right before a small stairway and was just now rolling the map open once again.

- "No need to do that…" Irvine said, resting a palm on the blond's shoulder "We're in the right place."

            Seifer closed the map and looked towards the area Irvine was pointing at. Swallowing with difficulty, he slipped the map inside his coat pocket and stared at the sight before him in awe.

            Lunatic Pandora was approaching in steady pace. The towering building was gliding into the air, slowly casting its shadow upon the usually luminous city, rendering it into darkness. Panicked yelps and shrieks could be heard coming from all directions, belonging to fear-stricken citizens who watched in horror as danger was drawing near their homes, without so much of a warning.

- "It's heading for the center!" yelled Zell, running up the stairway first.

            The quintet rushed towards the main skyway, where the building was headed. Soon, they were all brought 'face-to-face' with the terror Rinoa had managed to unleash only hours ago from the depths of the ocean. Seifer was at loss for words; Lunatic Pandora rose in full height before him, towering, menacing, with its amber 'veins' cascading through its midst like ominous snakes and its weird shaman symbols carved upon its length.

- "Oh… Man…" Zell spoke in a hushed whisper next to him. He, too, couldn't quite phrase what was standing before their very eyes.

- "Holy Hyne…" Selphie croaked out.

- "We're supposed to get on this thing…?" Irvine said incredulously.

            And Seifer couldn't really blame him. Aside from the belittling magnitude of Pandora that had caused his disbelief, no entrance could be seen in the vicinity. How were they supposed to board it, let alone enter it? Claw their way upon it?!

            Right beside Seifer, Zell seemed to be sharing the same thoughts. He was desperately trying to find a way to enter Lunatic Pandora. Just then, his eyes caught sight of a rectangle outline on the surface of the structure. It looked as if something was etched deeply upon the exterior. Thinking quickly, he dug his hand deep into Seifer's pocket.

- "Hey-hey-hey!" Seifer protested, trying to nudge him away "What the hell do you think you're doin'?"

- "I need a bullet…" Zell mumbled, going on rummaging through Seifer's pocket.

- "What for?!" Seifer growled at him.

- "Just to test something. There aren't any stones around here…" Zell said, finally pulling his hand out.

            One of Hyperion's grand silver bullets was now glistening in his palm. Zell clenched his fist and closed one eye while sticking his tongue out, trying to aim.

- "I hope you know what you're doin' Wuss, cause these don't come out cheap…" Seifer mumbled under his breath.

- "Dammit! Trust me for once in your life, will ya?!" Zell said exasperated, still trying to aim.

            When having locked his target properly, he finally threw the bullet. It flew from his palm, heading right for the middle of the carved rectangle upon Lunatic Pandora's lower edge. The bullet was just about to hit the stone surface when the rectangular shape almost magically withdrew upwards. Like a… door. The bullet glided right into the building and the door mechanically closed behind it.

            Seifer arched both eyebrows.

- "It's a door!" Edea exclaimed.

- "Lots of 'em!" Selphie squealed, pointing at similar rectangular carvings on Lunatic Pandora's surface "There's our chance to get in!"  

            She stood right behind Irvine's back and hopped upon it, wrapping her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck. Then she began climbing upon his shoulders.

- "Sefie…" Irvine groaned "What are you-?"

- "Hold still, Irvy!" she chirped, carefully standing onto his shoulders, while holding on to him at the same time.

            Irvine held her hands, groaning. He rolled his eyes, only to stop them in mid-movement. He raised his head up the slightest bit, grinning. Above him, Selphie caught glimpse of where his gaze was locked upon. Frowning, she gave him a hard kick on the side on the head.

- "Stop looking up my dress!" she hissed at him, turning her attention back towards Pandora.

            She waited for a couple of seconds, until another door made its appearance. She bit her lower lip, getting ready and kicked off hard from Irvine's shoulders, soaring in mid-air towards the door. Irvine let out a grunt and fell with a thud to the ground, barely catching glimpse of the door closing behind Selphie. Not a second had passed, before it flew open again and Selphie's head and arms reappeared.

- "Matron, c'mon!" she called, extending her arms "I'll catch you!"

            Determinedly, Edea began running along Lunatic Pandora's trail. When she caught up with Selphie, she took a few steps back and jumped towards her. Selphie caught her wrists and grabbed on to them tightly. For a second, Edea slipped down a bit, causing Seifer to take a few rushed steps forward in anxiety. However, Edea secured the grip by holding on to Selphie's wrists as well. The girl swiftly pulled her up to the entrance and into safety, as the door slid open behind the Matron's black dress.

- "Wow…" Seifer admired "She's strong…" Irvine sighed

- "You have no idea…" he said dreamily.

            Zell and Seifer both looked at Irvine with disgust written all over their faces.

- "I won't even ask what you're referring to…" Zell said, touching his stomach with one palm. Seifer was about to chuckle when he remembered they were in the middle of a mission. He shook himself mentally.

- "Go, go!" he urged Zell and Irvine, shoving Zell on the back from behind.

            Zell and Irvine made a run for the door through which Selphie and Edea had entered, preparing to board the building as well. Soon, they both disappeared through the sliding stone wall as well.

            Seifer secured his Hyperion suspending from his belt and quickly scanned the surface of Pandora for the next available door. When he found it, he began trotting along its trail like Edea had done before. At the right moment, he took a few steps back and sprinted along the width of the skyway. When he reached the edge, he jumped up high, slicing the air like a feline. He had the impression he was about to crash head first into the concrete wall into a mass of goo and be scraped off the surface later on like a damned insect, only a second before the wall disappeared before him and granted him entrance.

            In reflex, Seifer threw his bodyweight downwards. He secured his head under his arms, while he spun a bit in mid-air, landing with the curve of his back onto the floor. He rolled forward, landing onto his knees. He opened his eyes wide, looking around him apprehensively. He had barely managed to familiarize with the dark, dusty corridor he had landed into, before the door behind him slid closed, rendering his vision lost within the darkness.

- "Oh, fuck…" he mumbled, getting up to his feet.

            He dusted his trench coat off reverently and removed one leather glove, running a hand through his hair. Slipping the glove back on, he took out Hyperion; danger was more than close. He could almost smell it in the stagnant air… Looking down to his right, he saw a faint light in the vicinity. The corridor went further down. His peers had probably ended up somewhere down that hallway.

            Clenching his grip onto his gunblade, he sprinted down the dark corridor and towards the light.

            Irvine shook the dust off his hat and put it back on, tipping it to the right angle. Next to him, Zell was rubbing his sore from the fall neck, while Selphie and Edea were standing before them.

- "Where's Seifer?" Edea asked.

- "Dunno…" Zell said, looking around him "He urged us to go on, but I didn't see him follow us. Maybe he came through a different door?" he suggested.

- "Well, c'mon, let's go f-" began Selphie, hopping up and down the balls of her feet, but was immediately cut off.

            Out of the shadows, the nozzle of a shotgun had protruded, and was now stuck right upon her neck. Selphie slowly wheeled around, taking a few steps back, as the figure to whom the weapon belonged to came in sight. A Galbadian soldier, clad in the standard deep blue uniform had approached them, holding a shotgun right against Selphie's neck.

- "Going somewhere?" he sneered at them.

            A guard. And an important detail they'd failed to predict among their anxiety to reach and board Lunatic Pandora before it left the city. The building was bound to be infested by Galbadians, who had obviously taken it over to use to their advantage.

- "Hands up where I can see them or 'Bouncy' here gets it." the guard threatened, motioning with his head towards Selphie "And NO tricks…"

- "Who're you callin' 'Bouncy'?!" Selphie protested, frowning, while everyone behind her rose their arms up slowly.

- "Hands. Up." the Galbadian repeated, thrusting the point of the gun deeper into Selphie's neck.

            The brunette grunted and reluctantly rose her hands up as well.

- "You're not gonna get away with this, you know!" Selphie growled at the guard.

- "Oh, really?" said the man, chuckling "I thought we already had…"

            Grinning wickedly, he slowly released one hand from the grip of the weapon and reached down to his belt, while still keeping a close eye upon his four captives. Irvine glared at the guy ominously, but something else caught his attention just then. Right behind the Galbadian, he saw a shadow creeping towards them. The little light within the small room fell upon a metallic surface, causing it to glint. Black-grey metal. And soon enough, he caught view of a red Fire-Cross emblazoned on the sleeve of a long trench coat make its appearance.

            Irvine almost got carried away, but managed to stifle a grin just in time. He knew then what he had to do… He turned his attention back towards the Galbadian, who had by now taken out a portable radio from his belt and was about to turn it on. Irvine screwed his facial features into a panicked expression.

- "Wait, wait!" he said hurriedly, looking at the Galbadian fear-stricken "Please don't kill me! Take them," he said, motioning with his head to his peers and Edea "But don't hurt me! I'll tell you where to find Ellone!"

            The Galbadian immediately looked up at him. Selphie turned around abruptly.

- "Irvy, what are you doing?!" she hissed at him.

- "Well, what the hell did you expect?!" Irvine said disdainfully "I'm a Galbadian, I could never side with you and betray my own kind!"

- "You're a Galbadian?!" the guard said incredulously.

- "Yeah!" Irvine said desperately, grinning "I'm from GalbadiaGarden. Irvine Kinneas. Check my name in the databases; it's there, I'm telling the truth!"

- "Irvy!" Selphie said, tears streaming down her face "I thought you were one of us! How could you?!"

- "Why, you sniveling… cowardly…" Zell growled, gritting his teeth.

- "Say what you want, I'm sticking with my people!" Irvine insisted proudly. He couldn't bear the sight of Selphie in tears, or one of his friends thinking he was a fake, but he had to hold on for a few more seconds…

            The cowboy saw Seifer out of the corner of his eye, slowly approaching the Galbadian from behind. The only one else who saw him, however, was Edea. Her, so far disappointed by Irvine's behavior, eyes lightened up in glee. Seifer was getting closer and closer… Just a bit more…

- "Listen," Irvine told the guard "Take them and I'll come with you and tell you all about Ellone's whereabouts. If you don't trust me, you can take my weapon. I won't fight back." Irvine went on, trying to make the guard believe his story.

- "IF I EVER GET MY HANDS ON YOU AGAIN, KINNEAS, YOU'RE DEAD BEFORE YOU CAN SAY-" Zell began to shout, but was immediately interrupted.

            The long, dark grey blade of Hyperion slid right next to the guard's neck, stopping only a millimeter before skin. Seifer's smirking face emerged from the shadows. The Galbadian's lips parted.

- "Nice try, but it'll take a lot more before you can actually stand the slightest chance against us…" came Seifer's sneering voice.

            Realization then dawned on Selphie and Zell. Both their eyebrows arched up.

- "Now," Seifer spoke again, Hyperion inching closer to the guard's neck "We'll make ourselves a deal here, shall we? You can a) Drop your weapon now, or b) Have the privilege of seeing your blood spraying the wall in front of you before your head rolls down on the floor." The Galbadian swallowed audibly "What will it be then?" asked Seifer "A? Or B?" he finished, sinking Hyperion deeper against the man's throat, making a small trail of blood run down his neck.      

            The man slowly lowered his arms down, throwing his shotgun onto the floor.

- "Zell, get the shotgun." Seifer said, motioning at the fallen weapon with his head.

            Zell bent down and picked up the gun, pointing it at the Galbadian, grinning. Seifer used his free arm to grab the back of the man's shirt, while he kept Hyperion in its initial position.

- "Move." he ordered firmly.

            The soldier began pacing forward in trembling steps. He felt Seifer's grip hold him back when they reached the door. The wall slid open once again. Seifer shoved the man forward, always holding the back of his shirt. He held him so that he was facing the endless abyss that lay beneath Lunatic Pandora. The man's eyes widened in terror.

- "I'm terribly sorry, but we really must dash now, so we'd appreciate it if you would rid us of your otherwise pleasant company." Seifer sneered, yanking the man back up to his feet "Don't let the door hit you on the ass on your way out, now…"

            And with those words, he gave the Galbadian a hard kick on the butt. A loud shriek filled their ears when the man disappeared from sight, but was muffled the moment the door slid down once more. Smirking, Seifer rested Hyperion onto his shoulder and turned to face the others.

- "Good one, cowboy." he addressed Irvine, then turned towards Zell. The tall blond arched an eyebrow "You, too." he added, referring to Zell's discovery about the entrance to Pandora only a few minutes ago.

            It took Zell some time to process what exactly Seifer had said to him, but Selphie's voice brought him out of his trance.

- "So… That's why you said you were going to reveal Ellone's hide-out?" she addressed Irvine, eyes wide open "You had seen Seifer?"

- "Kinda…" Irvine said, grinning, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly.

- "So you were trying to buy him time?" Selphie went on 'You weren't betraying us?"

- "Sorry, man…" Zell said sincerely "I shouldn't have doubted you…"

- "Hey, it's OK…" Irvine said, shrugging "I can understand how you felt…"

- "Oh, Irvy!" Selphie said, bringing her palms to her mouth "I'm soooo sorry! I thought you were-"

- "It's alright, Sefie…" Irvine said, grinning, touching her cheek with a crooked finger.

- "But you gave that Galbadian your real name!" Selphie continued "You almost revealed your part in this!"

-  "Well…" Irvine said "I had to risk it… What if he contacted G-Garden to see if I was telling the truth? I had to make him trust me…"

- "Oh, Irvy! You're so brave!!!" Selphie squealed, throwing her arms around his neck.

            She grabbed his cheeks in both palms and brought his lips down to hers fiercely, making the cowboy lose balance for a second, from the intensity of the kiss. Edea laughed whole-heartedly at the sight, wiping a tear of joy from the corner of her eyes. Seifer rolled his eyes, but the hint of a grin was apparent on his face. He strode over to the kissing couple and grabbed Irvine by the collar, dragging him towards the steps ahead of them. Selphie still hadn't unglued herself from him.

- "Stop snogging, dammit!" Seifer growled "We have work to do!"

            Selphie momentarily withdrew her lips from Irvine's, who seemed somewhat dazed.

- "You're just jealous that Quisty isn't here!" she spat at him playfully and promptly stuck her lips like a leech upon Irvine's once again.

            Zell and Edea's suppressed chuckles did nothing to help ease Seifer's anger right now. Face red from fury and/or embarrassment, he kept on dragging Irvine up the stairs, Selphie's weight always on top of him as well…

 

            Ellone followed Squall and Quistis down the stairs outside her room. The young girl tightened her shawl around her cold shoulders, rubbing her bare arms in warmth. Squall's boots reached the metal ground and his feet began to take him towards the Med Lab, where Rinoa was kept. No sooner had he taken the first step down the hallway, when a siren began to wail furiously and a blinding red light surrounded them.  

- "What's going on?" Squall wondered out loud, looking around him.

            His question was immediately answered by the voice of a crew member speaking through the PA of the base.

            Red Alert! Red Alert! All units report to med lab, stat!

- "Med lab… " Squall muttered, a cold shiver running down his spine at the sound of these words "Rinoa?!" His eyes widened "I'll check it out! It doesn't look good. Ellone, you'd better go wait in the control room." he addressed his Sis.

- "OK." Ellone complied, nodding "Be careful, alright?"

- "I will." he said hurriedly "Quistis, please take care of Ellone." he told his blonde peer.

- "Don't worry." Quistis told him firmly "You just go see if Rinoa is alright."

            Quistis grabbed Ellone's palm and sprinted towards the control room, casting one last fleeting look behind her. She saw Squall run down the corridor in frenzy. She bit her bottom lip 'Hyne help us all…'

            Seifer hurried down one of the numerous pipe-like corridors of the interior of Lunatic Pandora. They had been wandering around the gigantic structure for a good five minutes and he was more than certain they were lost. They had sneaked past the occasional guard, so as not to cause any alarms to go off, but other than that, they had come across nothing else. No control room to stop Lunatic Pandora's trail, no nothing.

            Just when he'd lost all hope, they came across an open clearing. Two exits were visible. One was right ahead of them, under a grand threshold, while the other was visible high up the structure. They'd have to climb up a few ladders and pipes to get up there. It seemed like the most logical course to follow; the other trail seemed far too easy, but they had to check both. He decided t follow the easy path for starters…

- "Let's check the one right ahead first." he informed everyone and strode forward.

            He was forced to stop dead in his tracks, however, when a weird, metal, robot-like creature lowered down before them. It seemed to be comprised by three parts; the middle one, was long and apparently the main body of whatever it was that was hovering in front of them. The other two, were attached to its sides, like orbs. Seifer frowned.

- "What the…?" he muttered.

- "The hell is that?!" Zell piped in.

- "Shall we… go for it?" Edea suggested hesitantly

- "I… suppose so…" Seifer replied, shrugging.

            He took the first step to the front, but the moment he did, an invisible force lifted him high up into the air. He lost footing and performed an involuntary flip in mid-air, only to see that everyone else had been levitated as well. Bewildered, he felt every inch of his body grow numb and rigid.

- "M-my body…" Irvine croaked out, speaking everyone's current thoughts "I can't move?!"

            All five of them found themselves being brought down to the ground with unimaginable force, while a giant trapdoor slid open underneath them. Five shrieks still echoed among the walls of the chamber when the trapdoor closed again behind them.

            Before he had realized what had happened, Seifer felt his back make hard contact with the smooth ground underneath him. Groaning, he opened his eyes. The familiar sight of the city of Esthar unfolded around him once again. Mechanically, he ran his hands all over his body, making sure nothing had gone amiss during the fall. His palm finally brushed over his crotch. He let out a sigh of relief after making sure 'everything' was in place and slowly aided himself up.

            Edea, Zell, Irvine and Selphie were sprawled around him as well, trying to get up. Seifer offered Edea his hand, helping her up.

- "Everyone alright?" he asked.

            A round of grunts came as a reply. Dusting his clothes off, Seifer looked at the horizon, watching the massive building of what was the Lunatic Pandora glide away. Zell rose up in full height next to him. 

- "Dammit!  Kills me to let' em go!" he hissed.

- "Looks like we have no choice but to fall back for now…" Selphie mumbled.

- "The Lunar Cry…" Edea said in a hushed voice.

- "It might not be safe to be outside…" Seifer said, frowning "Matron, you should return to the Palace immediately."

- "What will you do?" Edea asked Seifer.

- "I'll stay back and have a talk with Odine. I wanna know what is possible to happen now… If there's any way we can still stop the Lunar Cry." Seifer replied "Who's coming with me?"

- "I will!" Selphie offered sportingly, springing one hand up into the air.

- "Alright." Seifer said, nodding.

            He turned and looked at Zell. His previous words came back in mind…

            Dammit! Trust me for once in your life, will ya?!

- "Zell." Seifer said, arching an eyebrow "I'm leaving you responsible. Make sure Edea gets back to the Palace safely. You, too, Irvine."

            The tall blond had allowed Edea's fate to rest in both men's hands, but the responsibility obviously fell more upon Zell's shoulders. Zell seemed to realize that, as his baby blue eyes widened up in surprise. He'd have expected a gesture like that from Squall, but Seifer?! He almost didn't dare believe what he'd just heard…

- "Are we clear on that?" Seifer asked Zell, crossing his arms.

- "Yeah…" Zell said breathlessly "Yeah…" he repeated more firmly, snapping out of his daze "Leave it up to me!"

- "I am." Seifer said "Come on, Selphie."

            And with those words, he turned his heel and followed the path towards Dr. Odine's lab, Selphie right behind him.

            Squall ran down the hallway as fast as he could. He could almost feel his legs begin to detach from his body. He was getting closer to the Med Lab… And closer…

            His feet came into an abrupt halt, making him slide the slightest bit onto the smooth metal ground, the moment he saw a man being thrown out of the room. He flew in mid-air for a split second, before being knocked out cold by hitting onto the wall behind him. Squall's senses immediately hit red. Something very bad was going on… His fears were confirmed very soon, the moment he saw Rinoa exit through the threshold.

            His irises dilated. He'd seen Rinoa act like this before. Just once… In the Deep Sea Research Center. She was walking around limply, like a puppet being commanded by strings that were controlled from high up in the air, by an unknown force. Her body was glowing with that notorious red aura once again. But her eyes were closed shut. Desperate, Squall made a run towards her. He extended his arm to try and touch her, but he felt his insides freeze almost to death.

            A surge of a strange force, similar to electricity, run underneath his every fiber, making his heart stop beating for a second and, before he knew it, he was thrown backwards and against the wall as well. Groaning, he tried to get back up on his feet and slid his eyes open 'Rinoa… What happened to you?'

            Rinoa kept hopping in tip-toes, like a grim puppet, making her way down the corridor and towards the control room. With great difficulty, Squall rose up and ran as fast as his sore limbs allowed him to. He couldn't let her slip away from him again… Not this time… He had to hurry… Hurry… And ignore the numb pain…

            Struggling, he reached the control room, following the trail of transparent red illusions of herself Rinoa left behind her with each step. Grasping onto the sides of the doorway, Squall inched his way inside the control room. Everyone had fallen to the ground, others unconscious, others utterly terrified; they had obviously tried to stop Rinoa like he had done before 'Quistis… And Ellone… Where are they?!' Squall's mind screamed at him. His eyes scanned the semi-darkened room, illuminated only by the red light of the alarm and Rinoa's glowing aura. He found the two girls onto the floor, locked into a tight embrace once again. Only this time, Ellone had buried her head into Quistis's arms, the latter trying to protect her with every ounce of strength that was left inside her.

            The blonde's eyes immediately caught Squall's limping form.   

- "Squall!" she shouted "Something's wrong with Rinoa! She's acting just like…"

            The young Instructor didn't finish her sentence; she knew by his expression that Squall knew exactly what she was talking about. At the sound of Squall's name, Ellone turned around, only to see Rinoa approaching the panels.

- "No!" the brunette shrieked.

- "That is Adel's Tomb's seal Deactivation Device!" Dr. Piet grunted from the ground; he too, was badly hurt.

            Squall struggled his way towards Rinoa, but it was too late… A mechanized voice sounded within the room, barely audible over the deafening sound of the wailing siren.

            Adel's Tomb Level 1 Seal Deactivated. Level 1 Seal has been deactivated.

- "No! There's only one seal left!" Piet yelled through the madness reigning inside the control room "Adel will revive if the seal is broken!"

            Squall mustered all his force and rushed towards Rinoa. He slipped his arms around hers from the back, trying to lock them into a tight grip. Energy from her aura filled him to the core once more and all he could feel was pain… Excruciating pain… He let out a scream, but never let go. He clenched his teeth and, breathing heavily, continued to try and keep Rinoa back. The spirit within her though, had no intention of leaving its plan unfinished…

            Another, more powerful surge of electricity-like force penetrated him once again. The pain became unbearable. But he couldn't let go… Not again… He wouldn't make the same mistake once more 'Hold… On… I… Need to… Hold… On…'

            One last breath escaped his lips, as his grip on Rinoa finally loosened up. And then he knew no more…

            His body fell limply onto the ground, in front of Quistis and Ellone. The brunette let out a breathless gasp.

- "No…" she choked out.

            Quistis's eyes widened. No… This couldn't be happening… 'No.' she told herself firmly 'This WON'T happen! I won't allow it!' Crawling her way onto the floor, she reached Squall's side. She lifted herself up with difficulty and rested her head onto Squall's chest 'Come on… Come on… I need a damned heartbeat!' Nothing. Pursing her lips, she grabbed his wrist and pressed both fingers against the vein. She could hear her own heart beating wildly within her chest, her breath echoing deafeningly even among the sound of shrieks and the siren above them 'Squall, if you give up now, I'll never forgive you, you selfish son-of-a-bitch!' she thought, pressing her fingers against his skin tighter 'We all got into this together and by Hyne, we'll finish it together! Don't go chickening out on me now…'

            Thump.

            Quistis chuckled in disbelief and utter surprise. A heartbeat. A faint one, but a real heartbeat. Beside her, Ellone was standing totally still, covering her mouth with both palms, her face pale with horror. The blonde looked up at her.

- "Ellone, hold his head up for me."Quistis said, aiding herself up, wincing in pain.

            Ellone complied immediately. She kneeled right above the space where Squall's head had been resting and placed it upon her lap.

- "Close his nose and open his mouth." Quistis said, digging a hand into her pocket. Ellone did as she was told.

- "Look!" she said, motioning to the glass window "The moon's surface is changing!"

            Taking out a pair of tiny bottles, Quistis turned her gaze outside. The red patch that had so far been almost non-visible with the naked eye had grown tremendously. Quistis shuddered to think what it would look like through the telescope.

- "It's overflowing with monsters…" Quistis muttered.

- "The Lunar Cry is starting…" Piet said "We definitely have to stop her. If she plans to free Adel, she'll have to go out there. The Level2 Seal is located on Adel's Tomb."

- "I'm working on it…" Quistis mumbled, turning her attention back to Squall.

            Still groaning in pain, the blonde brought the bottle that contained red fluid to her lips. Phoenix Down. She pulled the cork off with her teeth and spat it away.

- "Hold his mouth open now…" she whispered to Ellone, as she placed the bottle against Squall's pale lips.

            She poured the red fluid right into the young Commander's mouth. Ellone immediately raised his chin up, to aid the fluid move down his throat and into his stomach. The young boy remained still for a split second, before drawing a chocked breath and cracking his eyes wide open. His body convulsed once, making his chest arch up. Both Quistis and Ellone chuckled in joy, seeing him conscious once more. Squall closed his eyes, visibly in pain, and groaned.

- "What's so damned funny?" he croaked out. Ellone reached down and placed a kiss on his forehead, running a hand through his hair. Squall blushed from the sudden attention.

- "You." Quistis replied to his previous question "You're being such a damned Drama King…" she said, while wincing. She uncorked the other bottle that held the bright yellow fluid "If you wanted to faint, you should have just gone ahead and done so… No need to make an overly dramatic fall like that one…"

- "Funny…" Squall grunted, unwillingly swallowing the yellow fluid of the bottle shoved under his nose once again "Yech… Disgusting…" he said, frowning.

            It took less than a second for the Elixir to take effect. A bright flash appeared within Squall's blue eyes for a moment, like a spark. He felt his strength returning to him, bit by bit, in tremendous speed. And right then, it hit him…

- "Where's Rinoa?!" he hissed.

- "She'll try and break the Level2 Seal of Adel's Tomb." Quistis informed him, wincing. It was obvious it ached her to even talk "You're the only one who can stop her now. Go!"

            Squall needn't be told twice; he rose up to his feet immediately. He skidded down to the threshold, before turning around one last time.

- "What about you?" he asked Quistis.

- "I'll be fine!" Quistis insisted, digging her hand into her pocket once more "I have another Elixir with me. I'll share it with Ellone. Hurry, Squall! You're losing precious time!"  

            Panting, Squall looked around the corridor he had run into.

- "Look! The moon!!!" yelled one of the researchers standing around him.

            Squall pressed his hands against the large glass window before him. The moon was glowing strangely and its face was almost completely red, with a blue centre. The centre was full of monsters, growling viciously. They were all headed in the same direction. The blue centre begun to create a bulge. It reached out from the moon, pointing at Earth. The bulge suddenly seemed to burst, and the monsters fell like rain through space towards the planet in a spectacular blood-red pillar.

- "Tons of monsters!" said another man breathlessly "I… I believe they're headed for Tear's Point in Esthar…"

            Cursing inwardly, Squall landed a hard punch onto the glass window and ran towards two men who were looking at the sight in awe.

- "Have you seen a girl come by?" Squall panted.

- "Yes." replied one of the men "She went into that locker room."

            Not standing still another second, Squall broke into a run once again, heading for the locker room the man from the crew had informed him about. He had lost much time within the control room and Rinoa had gotten a good head-start. If he wasn't fast enough, he could lose her for mere seconds.

            Sprinting inside the locker room, Squall saw the door of a small chamber get sealed shut. Through the glass wall, he saw a person clad in a grey and orange space suit open another door, obviously leading outside.

- "Rinoa…" he whispered.

            Throwing himself upon the glass, he began banging it hard, trying to catch her attention.

- "Rinoa!" he yelled, banging even harder "RINOA!"

            But the girl disappeared through the door 'Damn! I need a space suit.' thought Squall, looking around him frantically. His eye caught a pair of storage cabinets. Yanking one of them open, he found a suit similar to Rinoa's hanging inside. The linings on this one were blue. Hoping it fit him, Squall swiftly slid his legs into the pants of the uniform and zipped the top part shut, securing it with every buckle upon it. Lastly, he grabbed the helmet and twisted it safe.

            He rushed into the small chamber Rinoa had entered seconds before and heard the door behind him lock. It only became accessible again when he exited through the other door.

            The moment he walked through the doorway, he was brought into a gigantic, completely empty chamber. A large metal door right ahead had just slid closed and three people in grey and blue space suits were hovering next to it. But no sign of Rinoa. Squall began struggling to move through the air, kicking hard on the metal wall behind him. The moment he began floating within the air though, he saw one of the men motioning him to stop.

- "The gate is closed!" came his muffled cry "Are you looking for the girl?"

- "Yes!" Squall yelled back "Where is she?!"

- "She passed through! You can't go out now, it's locked!" the man called again.

            Cursing, Squall turned around and re-opened the door to the confined chamber. He kept it open for a few seconds, until the three men reached the threshold as well. The last one to come in, closed the door behind him. Squall stepped outside the small chamber, closely followed by the three other men.

            One of them, turned to the man standing in the middle. 

- "It's much too dangerous now, Mr. President! We must leave the Lunar Base at once!" he said

- "We have to evacuate!" agreed the other one, addressing the man the previous one had called 'Mr. President' "Please hurry to the pod!"

- "Forget about me, just go!" the President said, nudging them both away when they tried to seize him.

- "Please sir, we must hurry!" the right one insisted.

            Both of them grabbed him from each side and dragged him outside, despite his struggles. Squall watched as the President reentered the room, crawling onto the floor.

- "Hey, you!" he pointed at Squall "Take care of Ellone! Ughhh!" he groaned, as he got pulled back again and out from view.

            Squall rushed back inside the control room, only to find Ellone, Quistis and Dr. Piet stuck against the glass window.

- "Oh gosh! The Lunar Cry is starting!" Ellone yelped "Rinoa is going to be swallowed by the flood of monsters!"

- "Rinoa, no!" Quistis shrieked, banging hard against the glass.

- "Dammit!" Piet cursed "The seal's gonna be broken!"

            Squall went for the pair of binoculars attached onto one of the panels.

            He watched in terror as Rinoa floated towards Adel's tomb. She approached the hovering panel and began typing upon it, unlocking the tomb. The gates flew open. Adel's eyes began to glow and a smile came to her face. The tomb suddenly floated downwards, engulfed by the Lunar Cry and Rinoa was shoved far away.

- "RINOA!!!" Squall screamed, pulling away form the binoculars.

- "Come on." Piet urged them all "We have to evacuate! Now! Everyone else has already left!"

            He ran towards the back of the control room, through a door reading 'Emergency Exit'.

- "We can't leave Rinoa!" Quistis exclaimed "We have to do something!"

- "Squall, you should be protecting Rinoa, not me." Ellone addressed her young brother "You're the only thing on her mind right now. She's calling you."

- "But… What can I do?!" Squall said desperately "I'll do anything!"

- "Come on." Ellone said, grabbing both Squall and Quistis's arms "We have to get to the escape pod for now."

            All three sprinted through the exit Piet had just followed and hurried down the stairway to the escape pod. Quistis ran into one of the seats next to Piet, securing herself. Squall grabbed Ellone's wrist, pulling her back.

- "Ellone, take me to Rinoa. Please." he pleaded her.

- "Next! Hurry!" Piet shouted.

- "I don't know if I can send you." Ellone replied, shaking her head, an expression of utmost grief on her face "I don't know."

            Ellone escaped Squall grip and ran to one of the empty seats. Recognizing defeat for now, Squall followed suit.

            Seifer stood before Dr. Odine, arms crossed in front of his chest. Selphie stood right next to him, while both were listening intently to what the peculiar scientist was saying.

- "So you see…" Odine went on "Ven ze Lunatic Pandora yeaches ze Tear's Point, ze effect of ze moon on ze monsterz maximizes like Odine told you before."

- "Yes, but what exactly happens?"  Seifer asked "Is there no way we can stop it now?"

- "I'm afraid it iz not possible now." Odine said, shaking his head in negation "Since you failed to stop ze Pandora-"

- "Hey!" Selphie interrupted, frowning "It wasn't easy you know! I'd like to see you try and send that thing away!"

- "Odine iz not here to stop ze structure from moving! He iz here to tell you how to do it!" the doctor snapped.

- "You experimented on that thing!" Seifer hissed at him "Don't you know any weaknesses it might have that can stop it?!"

- "Odine told you! Zere iz no way to stop ze Pandora now!" Odine yelled "It iz already at ze Tear's Point! So you eizer take my vord on it or I shall challenge you to ze fisticuffs!!!" he added, clenching his fists and raising them up into what was his idea of a menacing position.

- "Oh, for cryin' out loud…" Seifer sighed in exasperation.

            Just then, his cell-phone began to ring.

- "I gotta answer this." the blond addressed the doctor "But hold on to that thought; I haven't practiced on a punch-bag for ages." he added, opening the lid of his phone "Hello?" (Odine iz deeply offended and fuyeous!)

- "It's Zell." came Zell's voice through the other end.

- "Is everything alright?" asked Seifer (Odine shall wyeak his new invention of shyinking upon you and you shall suffer ze results!) "Did you get back to the Palace safely?"

- "Yeah, we're all fine," Zell replied "But Saunders told me to call you."

- "What's up?" asked Seifer (You dare ignore Odine, eh? Just vait till I get ze MACHINE ready-) Seifer sighed "Hold on a sec."

             He used his free hand and drew out Hyperion, pointing it at Dr. Odine's throat, who ceased talking immediately.

- "Go on." Seifer told Zell, his armed hand not moving a single millimeter.

- "Saunders says the President is back and wants to meet with you." Zell replied.

- "The President?" Seifer asked, arching an eyebrow "Alright, we'll be there as soon as possible."

            The tall blond closed the lid of his phone with his free hand and slipped it into his back pocket again.

- "Did Zell just say the President got back?" Selphie asked Seifer.

- "Yeah and that he wants to meet me." Seifer replied, shrugging.

            He turned and looked at Odine, who was still staring at the pointy edge of the gunblade in terror. Seifer smirked.

- "Come on, let's go." he told Selphie, exiting the room.

- "You haven't heard ze last from Odine yet!" the doctor shrieked as Seifer closed the door behind him.       

            The escape pod flew in mid-air as the debris of the destroyed Lunar Base floated in space behind it. More pods similar to this one had already been set to orbit, returning to Gaia. Within the last remaining pod, a young man's heart was breaking into more and more pieces with each passing second…

            Squall opened the lid securing him in his seat. He got up and banged his hands against the lid securing Ellone.

- "HYNE!!!!!!" he screamed "Rinoa is gonna die! I can't take it. Ellone, please." he pleaded once again "I've never felt this way in my life before." Ellone looked away, a single tear falling down her cheek "Take me to Rinoa… to her past." Ellone sighed.

- "OK." she said, turning to look at him again "It may not work, but we'll try, OK?"

            Squall nodded. He watched Ellone close her eyes, concentrating, before he felt the familiar surge of relaxation taking over his body. His eyelids grew heavy. He sank down to his knees. He closed his eyes…

            Flashes of memories ran through his head. Rinoa within them all…

            FLASH. She was inside a Galbadian truck, trying to convince Irvine to turn back and help everyone who had been trapped inside the D-District Prison…

            FLASH. She was inside the B-Garden Cafeteria, talking to Zell, asking him to make a replica of Squall's Griever ring for her… 

            FLASH. She was looking at Edea inside the Auditorium of G-Garden, only seconds before she fell down to the floor, unconscious. The dark shadow of a woman with ominous, black wings was leering above her.

            And he could hear her voice… pleading for help… trying to reach him…

            'Squall… I'm scared.'

            'Rinoa!!!' he screamed 'Who's there?! Get out!'

                                                                                                                                                                     FLASH

            Squall opened his eyes just in time to see Ellone's seat's lid slide open and the girl fall onto her knees.

- "Ellone!" Squall said worriedly, getting up from the floor, kneeling next to her, to check if she was alright.

- "Did you get to find out what happened to Rinoa?" Ellone asked weakly "Were you able to change the past?"

- "I couldn't do anything…What should I do?" Squall asked, grabbing her arms.

- "I remember those eyes." Ellone said, smiling "You just looked at me with the same eyes you had when you were little. Those curious, innocent, puppy-dog eyes. I loved those eyes."

- "That's in the past." Squall said, shaking his head.

- "That's right. What's important is right now. I finally realized that." she said.

- "I have to help Rinoa now. That's the only thing I can do, right?" Squall asked Ellone.

- "Yes. Talk to her, Squall. Your voice may not reach her, but your heart will." she replied, placing her palm on the cold glass surface of the helmet, as if trying to touch him "Are you ready? I'm taking you to the nearest past… To the closest present to the future…"

            Squall fell to the floor once again, only this time, his mind took him to a different kind of memory.

                                                                                                                                                                     FLASH

            Vast, endless space unfolded before his very eyes and he felt himself gliding… floating… But he felt tired… So tired… He felt unable to go on…

            Remaining Life Support System: 15 seconds

            He was inside Rinoa's mind and body… He could hear her own thoughts clearly…

             'Am I… gonna make it…? How? I can't do anything… Drifting… endlessly. I'm helpless…'

            Remaining Life Support: 0

            'No… I'm… That's it. I'm gonna… I'm gonna… die.'

            Life Support Has Terminated

            'Good bye. Squall…'

            Squall's vision became blocked as Rinoa shut her eyes…

            Her final thought had been about him… She was thinking about him. He couldn't let that happen… He couldn't let her waste away…

- "Rinoa!!! No!!!" he shrieked within her mind "Don't give up!!! Can you hear me?! It's Squall… Rinoa!!!"

            Rinoa's eyes fluttered opened for a split second, but her breaths were becoming heavier, steaming up her space helmet. Her eyelids grew heavy again…

- "Rinoa, come on!" Squall insisted "Try to remember!"

            Rinoa's breaths were becoming shallower. Her eyes made one last effort to stay open, before shutting again. Squall's vision was rendered into darkness once more.

.

- "Rinoa, I'm right here with you! Listen to me!" Squall screamed.

            The young man sighed. It was of no use… Rinoa couldn't listen to him… It was all… over 'Hyne… No…'

            Suddenly, a tiny ray of light appeared. Rinoa was gradually opening her eyes again…  Squall watched in awe, as his Griever ring floated into view. Rinoa slowly reached out for the helmet, as if trying to touch the ring. A tear escaped her eyes, but instead of rolling down her cheek, it floated into a tiny orb inside the helmet.

            'I'm… still… … alive? Squall…?'

            Squall watched Rinoa reach for a panel attached to her suit. She pressed a button, and immediately a surge of air blew into her face…

            Life Support Has Been Restored

                                                                                                                                                                     FLASH

            Squall reopened his eyes. Ellone was standing above him.

- "I'm gonna go find Rinoa." he said determinedly.

- "You didn't need my help at all." Ellone said, smiling at him.

- "Thanks, Sis." Squall replied, getting up.

            He walked towards the back of the pod, grabbing a lever near a panel. After pressing a button, the lever pulled him up.

- "Wait!" Quistis called, unlocking the lid in front of her seat "Come back!"

- "Idiot!" sneered Piet "There's no way he can get back! He's insane! He's gonna run out of fuel and life-support in no time. They're both gonna die."

            Squall floated within the vast, empty space. 

            He knew what he'd just done was beyond plain crazy. He knew it was pure suicide. But he also knew something else. If Rinoa was destined to die right now, in space, then he'd join her. He would never leave her alone…

            'Rinoa… Where are you? I'm gonna find you… No matter what…'

            He wasn't aware of how long he'd been floating, before the sight of a grey and orange suit appeared in the horizon. The light of hope began burning within him once again… 

            'I have to get in front of her… And catch her.'

            He struggled, trying to 'swim' his way across the atmosphere, swaying in weightlessness. He was getting closer… Just a bit more… He could see her clearly now… She was reaching him, too… Just a bit more…

            His arms extended, reaching out for her.

            She fell back first into his embrace, startled. She didn't need to turn around to see who it was that had caught her.

- "Squall…" she whispered "Thank you. I heard your voice…"

- "…I can't believe it." Squall uttered, bewildered.

            He turned her around, holding on to her tightly.

- "Are we gonna make it?" she asked, but it didn't seem to matter to her now.

- "Don't worry." Squall reassured her.

            Before their very eyes, the Lunar Cry continued to send a flow of monsters down to Gaia 'Out of fuel… Low on oxygen… What now? Die in space? I'm so helpless…' thought Squall. At first, the possibility of him dying next to her didn't seem frightening, but now that he held her close to him, he couldn't let her die like this…'I can't even save Rinoa? Come on, think!'

            Right then, he watched Rinoa's eyes widen. She raised one arm and pointed behind him. Slowly turning around, Squall's eyes opened to full width as fell. A large, red, dragon-like spaceship was floating near the moon's surface. Like a gift sent directly from Hyne…

- "Rinoa, hold on…" Squall warned her.

            He turned around, feeling Rinoa's arms encase his waist. He reached up, trying to float upwards, towards the spaceship. The spaceship spun around, showing its grim dragon-faced nose. As it spun, Squall grabbed hold of the side. Desperately, he searched around the surface for some kind of entrance. There just had to be one… And he had to find it before their last molecule of oxygen died away. He couldn't give up now that Lady Luck had smiled so widely upon them…

            His fingers soon gained hold of a round handle, attached upon a rectangular carving upon the surface of the spaceship 'Yes!!!' Squall's mind exclaimed in glee, as he twisted the handle, granting them entrance inside. He helped Rinoa inch within first, following right behind her.

            Once inside, Squall sealed the lid of the spaceship and moved down to the trapdoor beneath his feet. He opened it, allowing Rinoa to go through first. She squeezed through the opening on the floor and floated down to the room. Squall crept through the narrow hole as well, dragging the lid of the door along his way. He held on to it, and only let go when it had been sealed shut as well. It was apparent that there was small amount of gravity within the room, as he slowly sank to the floor. No 'earthly' gravity meant not enough oxygen for them as well, so it was no time to feel secure yet.

            Beckoning Rinoa with his index finger, Squall moved towards the next room in almost weightless leaps. When the door closed behind him, however, he felt his whole weight returning to him pound by pound and found himself walking normally again. He walked towards a panel on the left wall, examining it 'There's air…' he thought, taking out his helmet hesitantly.

            When Rinoa saw him breathing normally and heard a sigh or relief escaping his lips, she took her cue in removing her own helmet as well. Squall watched reverently, as her silky strands of raven hair slid out of the helmet and back in place with a shake of her head. She held the helmet in her hands and turned to look at Squall.

            He honestly couldn't remember a time when he had felt his stomach fluttering like that before. Her eyes… Her dark brown eyes… How long it had been since he'd last seen them shine like this? How long had it been since he'd last seen them send him a warm glance like this? His stomach did yet another lurch when Rinoa's still pale face broke into a smile. A beautiful, heartfelt, wide smile. Could any other person in the whole world possibly smile like that?

            Eventually realizing how long he'd been staring at her, Squall turned away, blushing, and began removing his space uniform. Beside him, Rinoa followed suit. When the young Commander had removed the last grey boot from his feet, he ran a hand through his hair and turned to look at Rinoa. She was smiling even more broadly than before and had her arms crossed behind her back, staring at him intently. Squall suddenly felt somewhat panicky… 'Wh-what?' he thought 'Why is she looking at me like that…?'

- "Thank you, Squall." Rinoa finally spoke, in her familiar, soft voice "You rescued me again. I can't thank you enough."

- "Uhh… Don't worry about it." Squall replied, trying his best at a casual shrug "I just did what I wanted to do."

            Rinoa grinned and blushed, looking down to her feet. When she looked back up at him, she opened her arms widely. Squall gave her a questioning gaze.

- "The space suit was in our way before…" she said, always grinning. Squall's eyebrows arched "Give me a hug." Rinoa explained. Squall's eyes shot wide open "A real tight one!" Rinoa went on "I need to know that I'm alive!"

            Squall took a moment to try and compose himself. Rinoa was standing right in front of him, hands held out wide, expecting him to hug her. And Hyne, how he wanted to give in… All he wanted to do right now was hold her in his arms tightly, bury his hands through her hair, take in her scent and… He shook himself mentally. Her safety came above all. And he couldn't allow himself to get carried away before he made certain there was no threat above their heads. They may as well have escaped the danger of running out of oxygen, but the matter of whether they'd stay alive or not was always at hand; they still had to return to Gaia and Squall had no idea whatsoever of how to get back. 

- "We may be alive right now…" he finally spoke "But look at our situation…" Rinoa put down her arms and sighed "You want to live, right? You want to go back and see everyone, right?" Squall asked her.

- "And not become other people's memories?" she asked, smiling poignantly now. She seemed quite dejected, but Squall could see in her eyes that she understood.

- "That's right." he said, nodding.

            Rinoa stepped forward making the door of the hangar open. She walked inside the grand room appearing before them. A small, metal bridge lay in front of her, leading to another door, while a stairway plunged into the lower level of the chamber. Her gaze fell casually upon the level beneath them, where her eyes widened at the sight of a gargantuan purple tail.

- "AHH!" she began to scream, but Squall shut her mouth with his palm from behind and pulled her down to her knees "What is that?!" she whispered.

- "I don't know…" Squall replied, shaking his head in negation .

- "Doesn't look like a very friendly creature." Rinoa commented, screwing her face into a frown of disgust.

- "Let's try to sneak by it." Squall suggested.

            Rinoa nodded, feeling Squall's gloved palm wrap around hers. She held on to it tightly and watched as Squall counted backwards from three with his free hand's fingers. When he reached zero, he broke into a run, dragging Rinoa behind him. To their misfortune, the creature lingering in the lower level heard their rushed footsteps and, with a roar, began ascending the stairway towards them.

            Squall tightened his grip on Rinoa's hand and burst through the door before them. The next room would have been pretty much empty aside from a small lift and a couple of doorways, unless you counted the ten foot tall monster, similar to the previous one, with which they came face to face upon entering. Apparently, Lady Luck had decided to switch to bitchy mode at the current time. Both of them stopped dead in their tracks. The creature let out a deafening growl and prepared to lunge itself upon them, when Squall, drew out Lionheart with his free hand. Rinoa took the hint and released Squall's palm, allowing him to plunge his gunblade right in the middle of the beast's head. It let out a high-pitched shriek, before falling to the ground with a thud. But not before a surge of thick, green substance began oozing from the fatal wound Squall had caused it, staining the front of his jacket slightly.

            Rinoa's dragged moan of disgust was drowned within the sound of heavy footsteps coming from the previous room, forcing Squall to forget all about his tainted clothing and making it obvious that the other monster was approaching as well. Squall grabbed hold of Rinoa's hand again and dragged her to the small elevator before them. Pressing the button frantically, he caused the lift to ascend, just as the door busted open and in came the purple creature. It made a move to swipe them both with one deadly-looking claw, but they were already too high up. The lift brought them to a new level and what seemed to be the cockpit came in view the moment Squall pushed the double doors open.

            Panting, Squall stepped inside, and watched in horror as the lift descended again. He didn't know how far the intellect of that creature went, but he wasn't willing to risk it. When the door behind them closed, he looked around hurriedly, in search of something to possibly block it with. His eye caught a thin, but sturdy-looking piece of railing. That would have to do… Gently pushing Rinoa back, he swung Lionheart's indestructible adamantine blade down to the railing with force, cutting one edge off with ease. Another strike, and the piece of railing became detached. Swiftly, he slid it through the two door handles, securing them.

            They both stood in tormenting silence for a few seconds, waiting to hear any sign of movement from down below. The creature never boarded the elevator… Letting out a sigh or relief, Squall slipped Lionheart back in place, wiping his sweaty forehead.

            Suddenly, the metal floor shook vigorously. The purple monster had tried to knock down the wall underneath them. Squall lost his footing the moment he'd tried to turn around. He caught glimpse of a blur of blue and black before he found himself onto the floor, right above Rinoa. Not having really realized what had just happened, he turned his head to the door mechanically. The muffled sound of a roar came from the lower level. Without realizing it, his palms tightened around Rinoa's waist and hers wrapped around Squall's neck. None of them even dared to breathe for a few agonizing moments, until the sound of a door sliding open and closed again was heard. Squall recognized the sound from the door leading to the two-leveled room, where they'd first seen the purple beast. Another roar came, but this time it was so subdued that both of them realized the monster had returned to its initial chamber.

            Rinoa's sigh of relief brought Squall back to reality.

- "That was a close one…" she said breathlessly.

- "Yeah, it-" Squall began to say, turning around.

            He ceased talking immediately, realizing the position they were locked into. Out of the corner of his eye, he followed Rinoa's palms as they slid from his neck and rested upon his shoulders gently. His own hands felt petrified on spot. Said spot was by the way Rinoa's waist…

- "I guess I got my hug, then…" Rinoa said, smiling, grazing Squall's neck softly with one finger.

            If deep magenta was a color the human skin could physically obtain, it would have been slightly close to the color on Squall's face right now. Rinoa giggled.

- "My, my… Are you blushing, Squall?" she asked, or rather stated, grinning from ear to ear.

            No words seemed to be able to escape Squall's all of a sudden dried up throat. Rinoa's finger kept moving up and down his neck, his own breath was becoming heavier and heavier, his skin was burning, the color on his face would probably be out of this earth by now, his stomach was doing back-flips even the 'Grand Circus Of Trabia' would have been jealous of and his heart was competing with the pounding of a drum at a rock concert.

            Yes! Of course he was fucking blushing! Her body was pressed against his, her lips had by now regained their lovely rosy color and looked more inviting than ever, her breath was falling hot on his face and the movement of her finger, albeit a simple move, did things to him that he couldn't even begin to describe! And she was surprised he was blushing?!

- "Aren't you going to say anything?" Rinoa asked in a hushed, velvety voice.

            Her front bangs had fallen on her forehead, while the rest of her locks were sprawled onto the floor. Her eyes were half-closed, long eyelashes falling in front on her chocolate brown orbs. Her lips were half-open, heavy breaths escaping them, echoing within the walls of his head. She was no longer smiling, but looking at him with an expression of… longing.

- "I… I…" Squall croaked out, clearing his dry throat.

- "Shh…" Rinoa hushed him, placing the tip of her finger on his lips "You don't have to speak if you don't want to…"

            Her fingertip slid down gently, resting upon his chin. Her expression never changed.

- "Ummm…" Squall began to say.

                                                                                                                                                               Hshshshsshhh…

- "…The… The panel." Squall uttered. Rinoa arched both eyebrows.

- "The what?" she asked.

- "The panel." Squall said more firmly, now looking up towards the machinery of the cockpit "It's hissing."

            He finally felt the blood returning to his palms, which he withdrew from her waist and helped himself up, moving towards the panel. Rinoa took a moment to realize what had just happened, before sighing and getting back up on her feet, dusting her clothes off.

- "Is it… trying to speak?" she asked, puzzled.

              This is Esthar Airstation.

            Squall's eyes widened 'It's…'

            Ragnarok, do you read? Ragnarok, do you read?!

            '…a radio signal.'

            This is Airstation. Do you copy?

            Rinoa rushed over to Squall and wrapped her arms around him from behind, resting her head on his back. Squall let out a scoff of mixed joy and disbelief.

- "This ship is the Ragnarok?" he spoke to the panel.

- "Whoa!" the voice through the radio spoke back "Is this really the Ragnarok? You're in space, right?"

- "Yeah but, I have no idea where we are." Squall replied.

- "Roger that! We can track you from here."

            Squall's features became milder 'We can go home…?' he asked himself, unable to believe their sheer luck.

- "Ragnarok… It's been 17 years!" the man through the radio spoke.

- "Can we make it back?" Squall asked eagerly.

- "Leave it to us! You should have enough fuel." the man reassured him "Enter your location into the atmospheric reentry program and you'll be OK. Once you enter the atmosphere, we can guide you down. You'll be just fine." Squall frowned.

- "How do I enter the data?" he asked.

- "No sweat. We'll take this step by step. Are you in the pilot seat?"

- "There's too many seats here." Squall replied.

- "It's the one on the right. Go sit there."

            Squall complied and plopped down onto the seat on the right.

- "OK, I'm here." he said.

- "See the touch panel in front of you?"

- "Yeah, I see it." Squall replied.

- "The rest is easy. Just enter the following data: WJHEIE/…"

- "Entered." Squall said, once he was done typing.

- "Then: 2872/HD-IEU."

- "Entered." Squall repeated once done.

- "No errors?"

- "It's fine." Squall replied, grinning the slightest bit.

- "Next, I'm sure you're OK, but there's something I need you to do. Turn off the gravity generator. This should save some fuel, just in case. Use the same touch panel to turn it off."

- "Alright." Squall said, looking around the panel. He spotted a button 'This must be it' he thought, pressing it "Done."

- "Congratulations. You're home free, Ragnarok. And… There's one more thing we need to tell you. From all of us at Ground Control, we wish you Godspeed."

- "Thanks." Squall replied, now genuinely smiling.

- "Come in…"

            The door creaked open and in came Seifer. The tall blond closed the door behind him, without paying much attention to who was inside the office. He turned around, about to salute the President, when he almost froze still, giving the man standing before him a rather rude stare filled with disbelief. The person who was supposedly the President of the most advanced nation of the planet, was a man that looked no day older than thirty-five, not to mention that he seemed the kind of guy living next door to you. His attire was as casual  –and much unlike the one of the citizens of his country- as any other regular person's; he was clad in a plain green shirt and a brown pair of pants, looking much more like a regular visitor of the Palace. His facial features were kind and mild, and time had certainly been more than kind with this man. Although Seifer had been informed that the president was already a good forty four years old, the blond stood by his initial thought. The President had long, silky strands of brown hair, that had just barely started to get grayer in the temples. His sincere smile reached all the way up to his warm green eyes and his face bore no visible wrinkles yet.

            For a minute, Seifer thought he was looking at a rather familiar face, but he couldn't quite place it. Not until the man approached him. That walk… The way he extended his arm towards him…

- "You're…" Seifer croaked out.

- "Laguna Loire." said the President, always smiling "Pleased to meet you."

- "I know you…" Seifer said dazed, pointing his index finger at Laguna, still not shaking his extended arm "You're that Galbadian soldier…"

- "Once upon a time…" Laguna said, finally retreating his arm, since he got no reciprocation "I used to be a lot of things… Like-"

- "A journalist." Seifer cut him off.

- "Exactly…" Laguna said, grinning in a quizzical manner "How did you know?"

- "Erm… Long story…" Seifer said, running a hand through his hair.

            It was him… Laguna Loire, whose life Ellone had been showing them. He'd only experienced what Squall and the others had called the 'Dream World' once, but Laguna's face had been etched in his memory. Seifer had taken the 'place' of Kiros through that one 'session'.

            Seifer had still not wiped the dreamy expression from his face, staring blankly at Laguna who had begun to feel quite uncomfortable. He crossed his arms behind his back and looked around apprehensively.

- "Would you, erm… Like to have a seat?" he offered.

- "Huh?" Seifer said, finally snapping out of it "Uhh, yeah… Sure, sure…"

            The blond walked over to an armchair, making himself comfortable, as Laguna sat upon the one right opposite him. The President tapped his foot on the floor for a few seconds, as silence filled the room.

- "I presume you are Commander Almasy?" he asked eventually.

- "Oh yeah!" Seifer said, only now realizing that he hadn't introduced himself yet "Seifer Almasy." he said, nodding at Laguna.

- "I understand that you're co-commanding the Garden by another person, right?" Laguna asked.

- "Yeah, Pub-… erm… Squall Leonhart." Seifer replied "He's currently-"

- "At the Lunar Base, I know." Laguna finished for him "Leonhart…" he mumbled, his expression becoming suddenly distant.

            Seifer remained silent for a fair couple of minutes, allowing Laguna's mind to wander. He was about to speak, when Laguna snapped out of it and smiled again.

- "Right… Well…" he said, rubbing the back of his hair "I just wanted to meet you, since you and your peers are my guests…"

- "Oh, right, thanks for the hospitality by the way." Seifer said, grinning.

- "No problem at all…" Laguna replied earnestly.

- "So…" Seifer began, trying to make small talk "How d'you become a President anyway? Cause you're from Galbadia and all…"

- "Oh, it goes quite a few years back…" Laguna replied, a nostalgic tone lingering in his voice "It was right at the end of Sorceress Adel's reign. You're familiar with her history between her and Esthar, aren't you?"

- "Yeah, she used to rule the country less than twenty years ago. Kinda like a dictatorship, wasn't it?" Seifer asked.

- "More or less." Laguna replied, nodding "It was seventeen years ago, to be exact."

- "So how do you fit into the whole story?" Seifer asked "Had you moved to Esthar during those times?" he asked, somewhat in disbelief; it didn't seem logical for someone to move into a country ruled by a dictator.

- "Not exactly…" Laguna replied, shaking his head in negation "I happened to meet a person from one of the groups rebelling against Adel, while I was working in Dr. Odine's lab. Before I knew it, I was their leader and helped end Adel's reign. After that, they made me their President…"  Laguna said shrugging, an awkward grin crossing his face.

            Seifer once again stared at the President in slight disbelief. The man himself didn't seem to believe his own story, but for some reason, Seifer felt he was being totally honest about it. Very vague, but honest. The young Commander grinned along with Laguna, then turned away, looking around the room. His eyes stopped upon the President's desk, where a silver-framed picture stood. Seifer got up from his chair and approached the desk. He turned his gaze back to Laguna.

- "May I?" he asked, pointing at the photo, but his hand was already in mid-movement. It was not like he ever asked for anyone's permission to do pretty much anything…

- "Uhh, sure…" Laguna replied, shrugging.

            Seifer picked up the picture. The photo was that of a woman. A beautiful woman, with a kind face, long brown hair and a pair of startlingly blue eyes. A pair of very familiar eyes. Seifer had never seen that woman before in his life, but those eyes seemed hauntingly recognizable. He recalled having stared back at those steel blue eyes countless times, but no recollection of the woman came in his mind. Deciding not to give any more thought into it, he turned to look at Laguna again, still holding the frame in his hands.

- "Your…?" Seifer began to ask, but was at loss of how to continue the sentence.

            The woman looked quite younger than Laguna, so she could just as well be his daughter, but she could also be his wife, which would bring Seifer into a very awkward position if he finished that sentence with the word 'daughter'.

- "Ha, ha… daughter?" Laguna asked, laughing, realizing Seifer's dilemma.Seifer grinned awkwardly "No, no…My wife. But the picture was taken eighteen years ago, so I can see how you got confused…"

- "Oh, I see…" Seifer replied, grinning "But… Why do you-?"

- "Keep an old picture of her?" Laguna finished for him "She passed away about a year after this was taken."

- "Oh, sorry to hear that…" Seifer said, frowning.

- "It's all right…" Laguna said, shrugging "It's been quite a while since it happened, so I'm OK with it now… Besides, I'll always remember the great times we had together…I dunno if you understand what I mean… Have you ever been in love, Seifer?" the older man asked, smiling.

            The blond placed the picture down, trying to conceal a grin that was spreading wide on his face. Yes… Yes, he had been…

- "I'll take it from your expression that you have…" Laguna said, still smiling "Or should I say are?"

            Seifer cleared his throat audibly, a hint of redness apparent on his cheeks now.

- "Umm, uhh… What was her name?" he asked, trying to change the subject.

- "Raine." Laguna replied, phrasing the word as if it was the most sacred one he'd even spoken "Raine… Loire……Leonhart."      

A/N: Revelations, anyone? :-p

ON THE NEXT CHAPTER OF 'A SECOND CHANCE':

While Rinoa and Squall land back to Gaia safely, havoc wreaks back in Esthar.

The Lunar Cry occurs once again, but that's not all…