Fan Fiction ❯ Final Fantasy VIII: Extended Quest ❯ A foe to battle ( Chapter 3 )

We see Squall and Angelita standing in the GF center. "So anything you would specifically like to do? Or would you like me to just wander and listen for the cries of the students?"

 

... The fleet reaches the shores of Sranton, striking at anything that moves. They all rush through the city, wreaking havoc, and destroying everything. At their head, Haruto goes forth, rushing towards the capitol house, to call forth his enemies. "The day has come. Squall! Show yourself to me, and I shall take pity upon you to kill you painlessly"…

 

…A shrouded man stood on a mountain, looking down at the city below. "Die a horrible death” he mumbled to himself…

 

Angelita froze; she could feel her heart stop. This only happened when he was near. But he couldn't be in the garden. No, he was on the surface, but close. She grabbed her chest and caught herself on the nearby tree; her heart freezing like that was one of the most painful things she could go through. "Whoa, what's goin on? Are you alright?” He yells at the top of his lungs, “MEDIC!”

 

...Back in Sranton the destruction is massive. News crews begin to arrive, taping the event, and watching as all opposition is destroyed. At the square, Haruto waits, awaiting the arrival of the last order yet to be accomplished...

 

…The shrouded man smirked, the destruction being amusing to him…

 

One of the students saw what was happening and he immediately ran out of the Center and got Tyler. Tyler came running and caught Angelita just before she fell, and with Squall, got her to the ground gently. "Anggie.. come on.. don't die on me.." he pleaded softly as he tried to get her heart started up again. At this sight, Squall froze, but not of fear, not of surprise, but from anger.

 

He heads back in the direction of the cafeteria, hoping to still see his friends there. And they were. Zell sees Squall running towards them at breakneck speeds "Hey, what you runnin for?" Irvine already knows. "I think were about to go out for some trouble." As they leave, we hear a TV in the background talking about what has happened outside, and several dozen students crammed around it. "Gather everyone up, Angelita's gone down in the GF center, and she needs help NOW!"

 

…The shrouded man smirked at what happened and took his leave…

Angelita gasped as her heart started up again. It was so sudden; it was like it almost jumped out of her chest. She held her chest again, but loosely this time. Her paled face started to regain its color and she just lied there, still shaken by what happened. Tyler held Angelita, trying to comfort her; sadly, he knew what had happened.

 

As Squall returns, he sees Angelita back to life. "What the hell happened?" A lagging Quistis comes from behind. "Squall, you need to see this." A monitor comes to life in the center, and a newscast of the destruction is seen, followed by the ultimatum delivered by Haruto. "Good god. What the hell is he doing? He must be stopped." Tyler looked up at the screen and glared slightly. Angelita looked up at the screen, expecting to see someone else but she saw Haruto. Squall sees her look up. "And if your wondering, I am as clueless as you, but a man that evil HAS to be taken down."

Tyler speaks up. "Couldn't agree with you more, but if we're gonna attack someone who can do that we need to learn more about him." Angelita finally got up, her color almost fully returned. She tried standing up; she made it, but she was a bit wobbly. "Angelita, take it easy. You should rest for a bit..." he sounded defeated as soon as he said it. "No way. I gotta kill the ass hole," she said and started out of the Center. Squall rallies the others. "Right on your tail. Lets go guys." Tyler looks back. "Wrong asshole, Squall, but I'm guess she'll wind up killing that one too..." he mumbled and got up and took over Angelita's class; he wasn't much of a fighter as he was an instructor.

Angelita took a detour to her room and grabbed something, then headed to her office, the headmaster's office. She went to her computer and started typing like crazy. Squall had remembered where the exit was, and he went there first. But it would not open for him. He then looked for Angelita, and was nowhere to be found for a few moments.

 

... Haruto was becoming impatient, and opened a communication to his master. "My lord, you had said they would be in this region, yet they have not arrived. Every news broadcaster across the planet is here, and yet it has been at least an hour's time. WHERE ARE THEY!!!" "Do not doubt my judgment. They are there, and another has joined their ranks. Be on guard, and the last one will offer HEAVY resistance. Be wise in your attack plans, and DO NOT order me around. I'd hate for my best commander to suffer a terrible fate on the lines. "Yes, my lord."...

 

After a few moments, Angelita ran out of her room; she has all her strongest spells, her gunblade was upgraded as high as she could afford; she was serious. She found Squall wandering around. "Squall, over here." Squall looks over to her. "Let's go. We tried to leave earlier, but the transport wouldn't work for us." Angelita replies simply. "It's because you're not registered. Now let's get going. I have an idea of who we're up against," she said as she opened the door for the transport. They boarded, and this time it was an instant trip. They come topside to a billowing smoke cloud a mile off, and sounds of explosions and magic summons all around them.

Irvine looks toward the smoke. "I'm guessing that's where were going." "If nothing else a good place to start," Angelita said as she cracked her knuckles and mentally psyched herself for the upcoming battle. They proceeded onward toward the city, making waste of whatever forces stood in their path. Angelita specifically was ruthless, making such fast attacks that the others would have to back off to avoid being hit themselves. As they reach the inner city, they find a pocket of resistance. It is what remains of the defensive garrison stationed there. It is here where Haruto makes himself known.

"Ah, Squall and friends. Why must you lay such waste? Hmm? Well I'm not going to beat around the bush. You have been deemed a threat and I must now eliminate it." Zell laughs at this reagalness in a psychopathic leader. "Is it just me, or is this guy a nutcase?" The rest reply at about the same time. "I agree" Angelita jumps forward, gunblade unsheathed, ready for battle. "All right, now I know you're too stupid to do all this on your own, so tell me who you're working for and maybe I'll show ya a little mercy," she said as she glared at Haruto. "Ahh, so feisty. You must be the newcomer. Oh, if there were only a better way. Sadly, I must now eliminate you all."

Haruto leaps with a twin slash at both Squall and Zell, and both go on the defensive. Quistis casts one of their remaining hero's, and Irvine starts with a firaga. Immediately, Angelita charges with her gunblade. She manipulated one of her Ultima spells to combine with her attack just as she let the blade make contact with Haruto's body, of course pulling the trigger right after the blade made contact. Haruto counter-attacks with a sweeping chop to her at chest level. Angelita jumps back as Squall charges. Haruto leaps forward to meet his assault, and stops his gunblade between his two blades. Haruto front-flips to get behind Squall, and attacks his back.

 

Momentarily diverted, Angelita used a special talisman from her garden and placed it on Haruto's back so he couldn't get it off; a light shot out from the talisman and it electrocuted Haruto. Not willing to see what happens, Irvine starts pumping round after round into his body, and Rhinoa starts attacking. Squall and the others cease because they fear contact with him will result in a transfer of the talismans power to themselves. Angelita, knowing that the others are unfamiliar with the talisman and how it works, went back to slashing at Haruto. She kept using her gunblade and did a tremendous amount of damage with only a few hits. The end appears near, and Squall summons Eden to the battle. As the full brink of the attack reaches him, Eden is suddenly drained. Haruto laughs, and he becomes shrouded by a black cloud. Suddenly, Eden's attack is reflected back, though only at half strength.

"Stupid fools! You have restored me. Any and all attacks from a GF will only bring me back to life, and the power I don't use for restoration is given right back." Squall is stunned. "Crap, should have thought that through." Haruto goes back on the offensive, starting with a meteora and a twin-slash on Zell. He then rushes in on Quistis, attacking mercilessly at close range, where her whip is least effective. Squall and Zell dual attack on his right side, and knock him over. He flips up, and lands right behind the two, using both swords on each of them. As he fights, Angelita watches his lightning pace, and plans accordingly. Haruto zones in on Rhinoa, doing a massive amount of strikes in a few seconds, then flips backwards to clear from an attack. As he flips backwards, Angelita summons her own GF to the field. "I doubt this one could help you," Angelita said as she summoned a small, bat-light creature that perched on her shoulder.

The creature screeched loudly at Haruto, the sound vibrating the ground around him, causing it to collapse. It created a dust cloud around him, practically casting darkness on him. And the longer the screech lasted, the more HP drained from Haruto and given to the group. He can't get stronger from it because there is no strength in the attack, just sound waves. "Aghh." There's a beep in background. "Master, I have failed you. I must now tell you that it has been an honor to serve in your corps. Now for the final plunge."

Suddenly, the very air around them turns a pitch black, and a light starts from the center of Haruto. He lifts in to the air and practically shatters into splinters of himself, a suicide plunge. All the splinters point and fly, homing in on the group, as though flares in the night sky. There seemed to be an impossible amount, as they could not block all of them. Finally, the sky reappears, and Haruto's katanas lay in their x pattern on the ground, his final destiny fulfilled.

 

As the dust settles, everyone is down on the ground. Angelita rose from the ground, two very serious wounds, one on her shoulder, one on her stomach. Using her working arm, she held the wound on her stomach as she rose. She looked around at the area, seeing the damage the attack had caused. She looked to Squall and the others, praying they would be okay. Squall rose, checking a wound on his hip and left knee, and noticed two very big holes in his gunblade. Everyone in the battle had at least two wounds, and Rhinoa looked the worst. Angelita walked over to Squall and bent down next to him. "You okay?" "Good, for now. But I want to know how he did that, and how it could inflict so much damage.

 

Squall checks his spell amounts. “Do you have any elixirs, or maybe curagas to spare? I'm kind of short." Angelita summoned a fire-red and golden bird that soared over them all, showering a golden dust on them, restoring their hit points, but only doing so much for the wounds. "That will have to do until we get back to the garden," she said as the bird perched on her shoulder. Squall sat up. "Thank you, and might I say you did very good out there. If I hadn't already had a show, I'd have been impressed." Angelita smiled. "Thanks." She stood up and extended her hand to Squall. He took her hand to get up, and helped the others to their feet, except Rhinoa, who had lost her Achilles tendon as part of the attack. Zell carried her and they proceeded back to the garden with minimal difficulty. Angelita had the infirmary ready by the time they got there and they took care of everyone, except Angelita. She hated hospitals, even if it was her own and took care of her own wounds in her room