"You're sure about this?" Zell asked Ellone.
"I'm not sure about anything. But I heard Squall say 'Ask Ifrit.' "
"It can't hurt to ask, right?" Irvine offered.
"He might attack," Selphie replied. "That could hurt a little. But I know we can beat him ! We've all beaten Guardian Forces before."
"With Squall," Zell reminded her.
"Whatever happens, we'll handle it. Just summon him, Zell. And then be ready for anything," Quistis said. "But first we're just going to try to talk."
"Alright." Zell lowered his head, holding the palm of his hand in front of his face. After a few seconds he raised his head and pushed his palm outward.
Irvine, Selphie, Zell, and Quistis held their ground, gathered in front of Ellone, instead of fading into the background as they usually did when a Guardian Force was summoned. Angelo stood in front of everyone, her head down and hackles up.
A pillar of flame appeared before Zell, then tapered away to reveal the Guardian Force suspended above the earth. He settled to the ground with a thud, wisps of fire dancing around him. He stood on two legs and had the general body shape of a human, though his face was that of a beast. Brown skin covered massive muscles, punctuated with tufts of bright red fur. His oversized hands and feet ended in sharp claws, and two massive black horns protruded from his head, curving back behind him.
Ifrit roared and crossed his arms in front of his chest. "What is the meaning of this? You summoned me when there is no enemy to be fought?"
"We only wish to speak to you," Quistis said. "It's about our friends, Squall and Rinoa."
"Guardian Forces do not chat with humans! Do not waste my time again." Ifrit spun abruptly and began to fade.
"Wait!" Selphie yelled. "What about Tidus? And Yuna? They need your help too."
Ifrit spun back, immediately becoming solid once again.
"What do you know of Tidus and Yuna?"
"We know Tidus is lost. With Squall and Rinoa," Selphie replied.
Ifrit hissed. "No, it cannot be."
"It is," Ellone said stepping forward between Irvine and Zell. "I have spoken to Squall. How else would we know their names?"
Ifrit stared hard at Ellone. "Shiva and Bahamut serve that world as well. Call them. Now."
They complied, Selphie summoning Shiva, Quistis summoning Bahamut.
A massive icicle burst from the ground in front of Selphie, then shattered to reveal Shiva. Appearing nearly human except for pale blue skin, elongated ears, and long, flexible yellow and green fins instead of hair on her head, Shiva bowed her head and began to gather energy in the palm of her hand before she noticed Ifrit. She paused, and the energy dissipated. "What is going on?" she asked, looking from the humans to Ifrit in confusion.
The five gathered humans could feel waves of heat and cold rolling off the summoned Guardian Forces and a bank of fog began to form between the two as Bahamut arrived. He'd come from deep in the sky, piercing the clouds with speed before slowing to a hover. A bipedal dragon with midnight blue scales, dark red wings, and a wingspan that could easily have encapsulated all those gathered below, he landed between Ifrit and Shiva.
The final beat of his wings created a gust that blew the gathering fog over the humans and required them to brace themselves in order to keep their footing. Bahamut peered at the gathered beings in turn. "Explain."
"We need your help," Quistis said.
"We have aided you in many battles. What more would you demand of us?" Shiva asked.
"It's Squall. He's disappeared. We think you can help us find him."
"We are Guardian Forces, not couriers! If he is lost, find him yourself!" Bahamut snapped.
"Tell them what you told me," Ifrit demanded impatiently.
"Squall is not alone. He's with someone named Tidus," Quistis replied.
"Tidus of Spira?" Shiva asked, turning toward the other Guardian Forces. "How is that possible?"
"It is not," Bahamut replied. "This is nonsense. Worlds cannot intersect. Besides, Tidus has faded. He does exist without the fayth."
"Then how do they know him?" Ifrit asked.
"Tidus had strong ties to Spira," Shiva offered. "He was more than the others. He could not stay, but such ties cannot be so easily broken. Perhaps he was caught halfway in between his world and the next."
"And Squall," Ifrit said, looking critically at the humans, "Attempted to play with time. Created a paradox. And thus was thrown from his world, but not all the way to the next."
Bahamut cocked his head. "The Void." He looked down on the humans. "How unusual, for two to be caught there at once."
"Not two, three," Selphie corrected.
Bahamut turned his head sharply to focus on Selphie. "Three?"
"Yes," Selphie answered. "Rinoa used sorceress magic to join them."
"Fool," Bahamut huffed.
"What's the Void?" Zell asked.
Shiva shook her head sadly. "An unfortunate end for those who find themselves there."
Ifrit appeared unmoved as he explained, "Usually a human will die of despair before long. With more than one of them there perhaps they will survive long enough to starve to death."
Ellone gasped and Irvine and Zell stepped closer to her.
"Take us there!" Selphie demanded. "Help us save them."
"No," Ifrit said impassively. "We cannot go there."
Selphie stamped her foot and glared at the fire monster. "Why not?!"
Ifrit stood taller and crossed his arms tighter. "Do not question me. It cannot be done."
"Then take us to Yuna. You have to do something," Irvine implored.
"We have to do nothing! I have told you their fate, that is far more than most receive." Ifrit growled and balls of fire bloomed around him, which earned him a snarl from Bahamut and a frosty glare from Shiva.
"Please! Bahamut? Shiva?" Selphie pleaded.
"I am sorry," Shiva said. "But the interaction of worlds is strictly prohibited. In the Void, it will not matter much. But to take a human from one world to another? We simply cannot do it."
"So you do go there, though? Guardian Forces appear on Tidus's world just as on ours?" Irvine asked.
"We serve many worlds , by many different names. Though even if we wanted to, we truly cannot return to Spira. We have been vanquished," Shiva replied.
"Silence!" Bahamut cut in. "They already know too much. Do not give them further ideas.
"The next time you summon us, there had better be an enemy." Bahamut launched himself into the air, disappearing into the clouds.
Ifrit gave a final look to the humans. "They were strong warriors, all three of them. It is a shame." In a whirlwind of fire, he was gone.
Shiva sighed, her breath a frosty cloud that floated into the air, then faded into mist. "Tell me again—the Sorceress, Rinoa, how did she get there?"
"She went there for Squall," Selphie answered. "Because she loves him very much."
Shiva nodded slowly. "The bond between Yuna and Tidus was strong as well. To see such bonds broken—it is unpleasant. It seems…almost…unnatural." She turned and lowered her head. Her final words were uttered quietly, secretly, melting into the air as she faded away.
"Diablos has never been one to follow the rules."
They'd been playing cards for what seemed like several hours. Although she'd never had any interest in the game herself, Rinoa had known Squall was a very good card player—whenever they would travel to a new area Zell would complain that Squall always won all the good cards before he even had a chance to challenge anyone. So Squall's deck, which he'd divided between the three of them, was probably very impressive. But after having stared at the colorful images on the cards for as long as she had, Rinoa was beginning to hate them all.
After learning the rules, the game had provided decent entertainment for a few rounds. However, after a bit it became clear that Squall was just too good—Rinoa and Tidus had no chance of beating him if he tried even a little bit. Squall of course knew this and once Rinoa got frustrated he started trying to throw games. That irritated Rinoa, she didn't want to win that way, so she started trying to throw the games first, to make it impossible for Squall to lose. That, in turn, annoyed Squall. So at the moment Rinoa was just playing Tidus over and over again, neither one of them putting forth much effort. Rinoa randomly took a card from her hand and dropped it on an open spot on the board. By pure luck, she flipped over two of Tidus's cards.
"You're not even looking at your cards and I'm still losing," Tidus commented.
"She's got a better deck than you," Squall replied. "I took most of her weaker cards earlier."
Tidus played a card and flipped one of Rinoa's. As she placed a final card, Rinoa was so tired of the game she could no longer read the numbers on the cards even if she'd wanted to. She was pretty sure she'd won the round, but she didn't bother to collect her cards. Instead, she stood and walked over to Squall, dropping unceremoniously into his lap.
Out of the corner of her eye, Rinoa saw Tidus gathering the cards together and then rising to his feet. "I'm gonna try to get some sleep," he said as he walked away.
"Don't go far," Rinoa called after him. She wanted to talk to Squall alone, but sometimes the landscape would change abruptly and she didn't want Tidus to be separated from them.
For a while, Rinoa just sat there, holding onto Squall as he held onto her. She was trying to muster her courage; she didn't know how Squall would react to what she was going to say.
"I love you, Squall. Don't worry; you don't have to say it back. I just wanted to say it." Rinoa looked down, too afraid to look into Squall's eyes. Gently, he placed his finger under her chin and tipped her head back so she was looking up at him. Her breath caught.
Squall was always handsome, but he had a natural frown and usually his features had a stoic hardness. But when she looked up, his features had softened and he smiled at her. He wasn't just handsome when he smiled—he was literally breathtaking.
"I love you, Rinoa."
Then he dipped his head, just enough that his lips brushed briefly against hers.
She sighed and leaned against his chest, and for a moment she was perfectly content. Soon, though, reality seeped back in. From the miserable, empty world around them, she heard a faint sob. She looked back up at Squall. He smiled and she couldn't speak, but she gestured with her head past his shoulder, toward where Tidus had gone to lay down. Squall nodded. She lingered a moment more before standing up.