Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Liontaming ❯ Part 8 ( Chapter 8 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Liontaming - Part 8

by paxnirvana Rating: R (*sigh*) Fandom: Final Fantasy VIII Characters: Irvine/Selphie/Squall Archive: Please ask first.

Author's Note: Irvine and Selphie. They just fit. Now Squall, he's tougher. But I felt like the sullen bastard at least deserved a little TLC… or maybe just sex… and a truckload of angst… and some more torture… and mucho sex… and a bunch of plot-twisting [yes, I change some facts. Okay, more than a few. Deal.] … *grin * 6/14/02

Disclaimer: Squaresoft owns; paxnirvana does not. Get it?

Chaos. Flashing lights and blaring alarms. The Esthar personnel seemed somehow paralyzed by the information coming through their sensors and instruments. Disaster. Quistis was at the control panel, calmly calling out the steadily decreasing status of the jamming field that isolated the imprisoned Sorceress Adel. And just as calmly calling out the data on the upwelling of monsters and magic from the moon.

Squall could only watch helplessly, hands fisted at his sides, still clad in a spacesuit.

Rinoa was outside. In space. Alone. Adrift in the path of the unexpectedly fast cresting of the Lunar Cry.

A short while ago, Rinoa had broken out of the suspension bed the Lunarside Station medical staff had put her into, more a zombie than a person. Shambling with dire purpose around the space station; surrounded by a weird energy field that repulsed every attempt to penetrate it. He'd been blown across the room by it several times himself before he finally gave in and admitted he wasn't going to get through it to reach her. She had stumbled to the control deck, shut down the first seal around Adel's Tomb and some of the station's safety systems, then staggered back out, ignoring all attempts to stop her, to communicate with her.

He'd followed her at a distance. Watching for a chance. Trying to reach her. The pleas and accusations of the Esthar personnel ringing in his ears. "Adel's gonna revive if she shuts that last seal down!" "What is she doing?!" "You know her, right?! Make her stop!" But he hadn't been able to stop her.

Rinoa had put on a spacesuit and gone out to Adel's orbital prison itself. Gone out to the only place where the final control for the jamming field that kept the Sorceress sealed safely away - unable to junction, to draw magic, or even to think - could be deactivated. Why hadn't the Esthar just killed Adel when they had the chance, Squall thought angrily. No wonder SeeD was needed… to clean up old messes. And new ones.

Quistis' countdown to release ended. The jamming field around the space-borne prison collapsed. Now it was only a matter of time until Adel woke. And then… then Ultimecia would try to join with Adel… just as Matron had warned.

Squall cursed furiously under his breath. He hadn't been able to catch up to Rinoa outside. Enough safety interlocks had remained active so that the station's outside airlocks had all closed automatically when the build-up on the moon reached critical mass - cutting him off from her and forcing him back inside.

He'd come back to the command deck to find Ellone again. And Quistis. And to see if there was anything else that could be done.

To find only chaos.

Piet, the commander of the station, was yelling about something happening on the planet below. Lunatic Pandora was at Tear's Point. The crystal pillar was summoning the Lunar Cry faster. Directing it. Overriding all the Esthar's elaborate safeguards. The world's ocean was a big place and odds had been very good - before now - that the Lunar Cry would send millions of monsters harmlessly into the sea. But now the monsters, in a great bloody, seething, ravening stream of magical force, were flooding toward them, and toward the unprepared planet below. This was what had destroyed Centra all those centuries years ago. More monsters than could be believed… destruction… death raining down from the moon… heading straight for Esthar…

He'd failed her again. Rinoa was going to die. But worse - below - his lov… his friends. He'd thought to keep them safe, by leaving them behind. Zell. Matron. Balamb Garden. Then icy terror made his mind go blank for an instant. Selphie and Irvine. He hadn't told them exactly what it had meant to him, last night… hadn't wanted to admit… hadn't fully understood. But now death was coming for them and he could do nothing to stop it. Did they know yet? Were they prepared? Were they thinking about him like he was thinking about them? If they died… He couldn't imagine a world without the two of them to brighten it… couldn't imagine himself living without…

"Squall!" Quistis shouted, breaking into his dark thoughts. "It's all going to hit us! The station's directly in the path!"

"They already got the President out. Now we have to evacuate!" Piet was shouting beyond her, waving frantically at them all before grabbing Ellone by the arm. "Come on! Hurry!" His Sis was standing in the center of the deck, hands over her mouth, eyes wide, her slender form frozen. One good thing re-discovered only to be so quickly snatched away. Piet began to drag her toward the elevator that led to the escape pods, calling over the noise of the evacuation alarm for everyone to follow. Station personnel everywhere were scrambling for their own escape pods, desperate to leave before the wave of monsters and magical energy welling from the moon struck and tore the station apart.

A sudden cry came over the speakers. Frightened sobs. Rinoa. Herself again.

Quistis came to his side, grabbing at him. He barely felt it through the thickness of the spacesuit and the haze on his mind. Her bright blue eyes were shadowed with sorrow and fear.

"Squall, we have to go! Squall!"

"No! Rinoa!" he shouted, obligation tearing at him. Warring with this new knowledge inside. He was failing her again… failing his promise… yet on the planet below… they were in danger…

"She's outside. Directly in the path. But there's no way to reach her!" Quistis tugged him toward the elevator down to the escape pod with main strength, both hands locked on his arm. "Oh, poor Rinoa…" He turned, dazed. Rode it down with her and followed her into the escape pod. Piet was inside, strapping Ellone into a safety couch. Suddenly his Sis looked up at him, her dark eyes glittering with tears. And a desperate idea bloomed.

Quistis shoved him inside and raced for her own safety couch. The hatch closed behind him and a calm mechanical voice began a countdown. He stumbled forward, gauntleted hands clutching the protective cage around Ellone. Leaning toward her urgently.

"Ellone! Take me to Rinoa! Send me to the past!" he demanded, staring into his Sis's wide eyes through the open faceplate of his helmet. "You can get me there… so I can warn her… try to stop her…"

"It doesn't work that way! You can't change the past. I've tried," she cried, eyes brimming with tears. "Oh, how I've tried! You know how I've tried. You can only watch… scan the surface…"

"Squall! You have to strap in!" Quistis, frantic. Piet added his warning shouts. But it was only the stark fear in Ellone's cries - fear for him - that prompted him to move. She still cared, she still loved him, despite all he'd become. Sis. He lunged for the last open couch, barely getting the straps closed around the chunky spacesuit before the countdown finished. Powerful engines blasted them away from the doomed station, pushing them out of the way of the massive fall of monsters from the moon.

Once the initial thrust had faded, he was out of the straps again, face in front of Ellone's. She was crying softly. This wasn't how he'd wanted his reunion with her to go. He had never wanted to have her see just how harsh a man he had become. But he had no choice now - so much was on the line. So much he'd never dared imagine.

"I have to stop it…her. I have to try… or they might die before I can… Please, Sis…" he begged, staring into her eyes. Heart thundering, body trembling inside his suit. Afraid, so afraid, to lose them before he had even truly found them… to lose again… be alone again…

"I don't know her. I'm not sure…"

"I know her," he said sharply. Stalling her arguments. "You'll know her through me."

She went silent for a long, tense moment and the alarms, the urgent cries of the others all faded away. She looked deep into his eyes, seemed to reach inside and somehow touch the depth of his need. Then she nodded, slowly, and breathed, "Okay. For you, I'll try."

She closed her eyes. Squall drew a sharp breath and all went black…

Deep, infinite darkness surrounded him, then flared into frozen moments of color and light and sensation as Ellone's power rifled through his own recent memories, looking for Rinoa. Making him shy away inwardly as she touched the past few days. Irvine … a dark hat landing on the couch beside them, astonishingly gentle hands touching him, guiding him. Selphie …a bright, tender smile that almost blinded him as she spun away after kissing him so casually, so easily, so openly. The need and longing snapped through him again, just as sharp as before. Embarrassing him with its intensity. Because Ellone could see… but Ellone didn't linger over those moments. Nor did she seem dismayed; her focus was absolute. She sought another instead.

She found Rinoa in his mind; touched the tangled sense of obligation that burned at him like acid. He couldn't fail her again… he'd promised to take care of her… told her he would watch out for her… and he'd promised her father, Zone, Watts and the people of Timber too… everyone who loved her like he somehow couldn't… Ellone rifled swiftly through his memories of Rinoa and then reached out, through space and time and magic, until…

…she found… an echo.

Rinoa's memories…

…and he saw the graduation dance through her eyes… the way she was intrigued by his remoteness, the somber challenge of him… but felt also the way she was drawn inexorably back to Seifer for his fervor… witnessed her passionately kiss Seifer on the balcony at Balamb, then just as passionately fight with him over something… then her teasing, retaliatory dance with him - all in front of a watching Seifer… a jealous Seifer…

…felt her sharp disappointment when it was him - and not Seifer - who woke her in the Forest Owls' train…

…felt her grief in Galbadia Garden like a knife in his gut when Quistis told them Seifer had been tried and executed… saw how she slipped away from the others too, after he ran out, to find a private place to wail out her crushing grief… vowing vengeance…

… then felt her surge of equally painful hope in Deling City when she caught sight of Seifer in a passing car… saw her follow it to the Presidential palace and recklessly confront the Sorceress Edea with only bravado and an untested magic-suppressing bangle… heard her desperate demands that the Sorceress free Seifer from her control… heard the chilling, mocking laughter in reply… then pain, such pain… pain that was minor compared to her crushing fear that she would never free the man she loved from the Sorceress… pure fear that had led her to clutch at him when he arrived…

…he saw her with Irvine in the desert… shaming him into coming back to the Prison despite the fact it was a serious violation of Garden code, all for the barest possible chance of seeing him again… hoping to change his path… but he had already been gone, the Sorceress protecting her pawn from any possibility of temptation…

…saw Zell shyly talking to her in the cafeteria on Balamb while petting Angelo, but it flashed away too soon…

Whirling darkness faded into the flashing red alarm lights of the escape pod as it was buffeted by the edge of the magical storm that was the Lunar Cry. He was lying flat on the deck, his suit pinching him, a leg practically numb. He'd crumpled where he stood as Ellone's power had taken him into Rinoa's memories. Ellone was leaning down over him, her face pale and tense.

"Are you okay? Squall?"

"It was her, but too far back…" he gasped. Gritting his teeth as the bitter knowledge shocked through him. Seifer. Always Seifer. His rival. His nemesis. And Rinoa… He needed to find her, now more than ever. He had to understand… and stop her. "Try again, Sis."

"I'm sorry, Squall. I will… I'll try again."

"No… Ellone!" Piet's voice, frantic with concern.

Blackness took him. And he…

…felt Rinoa's desperate need to fit in… her driving desire to learn to be like them… to fight and become strong… hoping it would make her worthy of the one she loved…

…was with her, felt her terror as she hung on the side of Balamb Garden in the midst of battle… calling desperately for her distant lover, for Seifer, only to see him swing to her rescue instead…

…saw the blur of something deadly in the halls of Galbadia Garden, cruel laughter mocking her from the darkness at the edge of vision… a rush of power surging through her…

…heard a whispering voice, promising restoration and more if she only gave in… then she staggered into the auditorium in Galbadia Garden… gaze fixed on a pale form, frighteningly still… a scarred face, so beloved… past his own crumpled body, past Zell and Irvine… moving unerringly to Seifer's side…

(Where am I?)

…she knelt at his side, lifting his head and shoulders into her lap with inhuman ease… looked down into his still face… magic rippled in the air… a spell…

(Rinoa! Stop!)

…Seifer shuddered, his eyes opening slowly… filled with a dark gleam that Squall now could see for what it was… total mind-control… felt Rinoa's frantic anguish at the sight, buried deeply beneath an alien sense of cold contempt and vicious satisfaction…

//Oh, my loyal knight, Seifer. The sorceress is alive… this vessel suits my plans far better; they will never suspect this girl-child. And now the sorceress demands…//

(Ultimecia! You jumped from Matron to Rinoa. I'll kill you for that alone. Where's Rinoa?)

//…that you find the legendary Lunatic Pandora, said to be hidden beneath the ocean in the center of the world. Only then shall I reward my knight with his heart's desire.//

…Seifer climbed slowly to his feet… there was a terrible sense of aching longing… Seifer brushed blindly by Rinoa's form as if she weren't even there…

[I'm scared… Seifer! Please don't leave me…]

…his tall form striding out of the auditorium without hesitation… and he knew Seifer had vanished into the Centra badlands, taking Fujin and Raijin and half the Galbadian forces with him… to find Lunatic Pandora… to summon the Lunar Cry. She'd planned it all… used them, him most of all, to reach her goal… Ultimecia in Rinoa… Rinoa crying brokenly…

(Rinoa… damn it!)

…he felt something touch him …a sense of Rinoa swept through him, almost like a junction …then Rinoa's body collapsed to the floor, cold and still. And the flickering vision of a tall, piercing-eyed woman lingered in her place… sweeping robes, elegant plumes trailing from silvery hair, livid swirled tattoos… Ultimecia herself… turning to face him in his mind…

//Who's there? Get out! This girl is mine!//

(Rinoa… fight her!)

//Who…? No… not you… not yet!//

And he fell out of blackness into the flashing red of the escape pod again. Surprised. Furious. How did she know him? He'd felt her corrosive hatred turn on him, pushing him out of Rinoa's memories with stunning force. Then why hadn't she killed him when he lay helpless on the floor in Galbadia Garden? Or did she still not know exactly who he was…?

Ellone was crumpled at his side, her head bowed, her soft brown hair falling around her face as she clutched at his space-suited chest with quiet desperation. Beyond, Piet was calling to her urgently, telling her to leave him and strap herself into her safety seat again. The pod was shaking, sounds of impacts and force coming through the hull. They were still in danger.

"Ellone! Send me back!" he snarled. He'd found his true enemy. His foe. Ultimecia. And he was eager to get back and face her. To rip her throat out for all she'd done to his home and his world… for all the betrayals… all the pain… the lives destroyed…

"I can't! I can't… once I've connected to a memory, it's blocked. I can't take you there again… I'm sorry," she gasped. He clutched at her shoulder, trying to control his impatience.

"Then send me closer to now. I have to find her…"

Ellone, white-faced, wild-eyed and breathing in short, distressed breaths, nodded once. His heart welled with pride in her. She was tough, his Sis. She was doing this for him. He ached to see her suffer like this, but he knew no other way to find Rinoa… to find Ultimecia… he had to try to beat the witch at her own game…

Darkness. He…

…saw a blur that was the Lunarside station deck …saw himself, following her …closer.

…suited figures flying away from her …Adel's prison …then, alone in space… monsters everywhere…

…but he was unable to reach her… raging helplessly… unable to touch more than the surface, as Ellone had warned… unable to do little more than witness… Until… …he reached hard, anger giving him strength… …saw a glint of silver… …now.

He was there. With her. In space. Floating in the void. Listening to the desperate sound of panicky breaths, and to the hiss of air in the suit. Indicators fading. Alarms sounding. Lifesupport 0%.

But the suit held air still. Stale, hot, and thick. She breathed shallowly, eyes filming with moisture. Crying. She was alone. She was afraid. Whispering a name desperately, hopelessly.

Seifer.

She wasn't whispering his name. Wasn't thinking of him at all. It had always been Seifer just as she'd admitted in Galbadia Garden so long ago. He should have remembered. He was such a fool. And her love had made her into Ultimecia's pawn… her deception had tricked him into helping her… helping Ultimecia…

Three rings floated on a chain between her face and the void. Glittering coldly in the starlight. His rings. And another. The Griever and two simple bands. Two of the rings he'd given to Zell, yanking them both off his hand in his distraction before the battle with Galbadia Garden. One of those rings Seifer had always coveted. And one of those rings was all he had left of his mother -a simple band marked with an elaborate 'L'.

Rage roared through him like the lion of his name and she jerked. He felt her surprise, her fear. Then suddenly felt her like a junction link, somewhere near the dead part of his mind where magic and power lived.

(You can't die,) he thought savagely. (I promised to protect you. And I'll need you to reach her - to fight her. And if they're dead, to avenge them…)

Her mind clung to his wildly. [Squall…?! She made him leave… she lied… she kept him… help me… I'm so afraid… I'm so afraid…]

A round tear splashed on the faceplate of her suit, making the stars blur and twinkle through it as they normally couldn't in the airlessness of space… water on his face… on her face…

His eyes jerked open in the escape pod. His head was lying in Ellone's lap. And it was her tears that had fallen onto his skin. Bringing him back.

"She's out there… I have to get her," he said, struggling to sit up in the heavy suit. Stung. Furious. Rinoa. She'd used him, used them all, just to get to Seifer - but she was the key. To Ultimecia. And to Adel. If the two Sorceress' joined, they'd need a force of their own to counter them. And she had his rings. His mother's ring.

"You can't go out there! You'll die too!" Quistis cried, frantic with concern. Ellone's face was set and pale and she was shaking with exhaustion. She swayed, putting a trembling hand to her forehead. He reached up quickly, catching her in his arms before she could fall. Tears were running down her face. Had she seen too? Did she understand what Rinoa's memories meant?

"You're insane!" Piet said, his face red with indignation. "If the girl isn't dead already, she will be soon. The odds of her finding one of the support pods in that mess are astronomical."

"Support pods?" Squall demanded, twisting his head around to glare at him. Piet frowned, taken aback.

"The places where our orbital workers rest or take shelter from solar flares. They have air. Some supplies. But they still wouldn't keep you alive more than a few days…"

"That might be enough," Squall cut him off grimly. He had something worth fighting for, back on the ground. Two people who had become inexpressibly precious to him. But they also had each other. So if he couldn't make it back, he'd make certain at least one more threat to them was removed. Where would a sorceress' powers go if she died alone in space? Would they return to the source of all magic? Dissipate completely? Or leap to the nearest unsuspecting soul on the planet below, and simply pass the burden along?

Frankly, he didn't fucking care. He couldn't afford to. He was SeeD. SeeD had been trained to fight the sorceress. Existed to fight her, to stop her. Any way they could.

He climbed awkwardly to his feet in the clumsy suit, bringing Ellone with him, her quiet sobs tearing at his heart. Poor Sis. She did know; she had seen everything. But he locked her back in the safety couch after touching his suited fingers carefully to her lips. Asking for silence. She nodded, trusting him beyond all reason. Then he climbed up the escape ladder, closing his helmet faceplate securely before diving out through the tiny airlock into the blackness of space.

To find Rinoa and rescue her… or make certain she was dead.

They had failed. Lunatic Pandora had reached Tear's Point and summoned the Lunar Cry. It had broken over the towering pillar like a blazing column of fire, monsters and magical force thundering down on the planet with enough force to rattle windows in buildings as far away as Deling City, it had been reported. Up close, it had been far worse.

The sky had gone blood red and the roaring had gone on for endless minutes, deafening, the sound itself like a blow, isolating everyone in a raw wash of sound and fury. The strange golden glow from the crystal pillar had forced everyone to cover their eyes and turn away. Something momentous was happening, something no one living had any experience with. Legend whispered that Lunatic Pandora could store magical energy, stockpile monsters. Or drain them. No one clearly knew it's original purpose. Maybe a tool, maybe a research aide, maybe an instrument of prayer... but now it had become a weapon.

Then, just as abruptly, the Lunar Cry had ended. And the sky had gone blue again, the world silent and still.

Like a drawn breath, waiting - or the quiet before the storm, afterwards. Eerie.

Even eerier, you could actually see the monsters rain down on the city streets below.

Zell was pacing wildly in front of the windows of the meeting room in the Presidential Palace. Rinoa's dog, Angelo, lay nearby, head on his paws, watching Zell worshipfully. Dark doggy eyes tracking his every movement with infinite patience.

Irvine wasn't watching him with quite as much patience. He and Selphie were sitting on one of the couches, his arm wrapped firmly around her shoulders. She was shivering faintly against him, her face burrowed into his shoulder, legs curled up on the seat beside her. She had been uncharacteristically silent ever since they left Matron with Dr. Odine earlier. Matron had urged them to return to the Presidential Palace and contact Balamb Garden. To warn them. And to ask them to warn the rest of the world. They'd hurried to do just that, racing ahead of the fall of monsters. Steady Xu had taken the news with amazing calm, assuming interim command of Garden. Until they had word on the fate of the Commander.

But the news from space had not been good. The station had been directly in the path of the Lunar Cry. Quistis, Ellone, Rinoa… and Squall.

"Damn it, Zell," he snapped. "You're gettin' on my nerves."

"There's gotta be something we can do!!" the martial artist snapped back, clenching his fists high in the air in frustration.

"Yeah, but if you walk outside, a behemoth'll drop on your head. Think, Zell!! When this fall's over we can go out there and kick some monster butt for revenge, but right now that ain't so smart…"

The Presidential Aide was standing by the communications terminal in the corner of the room, his face pale.

"It's confirmed," the man interrupted grimly, glancing over at them. "Lunarside Station has broken up completely. Pieces of it are already coming down in the eastern sea with the leading edge of the fall. We've determined that thirty escape pods launched, but we're only getting data on twenty-six tracking beacons. But now that the jamming signal has terminated, we might be able to pick them up - if they're still intact."

"Shit…" Zell said, hanging his head, hands fisted futilely at his sides. "Four missing."

"Oh no!" Selphie gasped, lifting her head. Her eyes were wide and dark with fear and pain. For Quistis and Rinoa and everyone else caught on the station. But mostly for Squall. He understood because the same fear was chewing big holes in his stomach as well. Even if he didn't let it show, wanting to be strong for her.

"Great," Irvine said, tightening his hold on her even as he glared at the Aide. "Got any info on if everybody made it off the station or not?"

"Not until we retrieve all the escape pods." The Aide looked uncomfortable. As if he too felt there should be a better way to know. "Then there are the orbital support pods too - with who knows how many stranded workers in them. It's a mess. Though with the jamming field down, they're readying the Valhalla and the Midgar for launch, but with all the monsters still in the sky…"

"How long will it take to know for sure?" Irvine glared.

"Most of them are coming down in the same general area; just off the eastern coast in the sea. We're deploying ships… our President's out there too…" the man muttered, consulting his data panel before he glanced over again, meeting Irvine's hard gaze warily. "Maybe a day? Or two. The pods should keep them alive that long for certain."

"Two days?!" Zell yelped, outraged, bouncing and boxing the air wildly. "We can't sit around here that long! Our friends are out there. We've gotta do something!"

"You are welcome to join a rescue team, if you like," the Aide said, turning his full attention on Zell, a frown on his pale face. He was a middle-aged man. Not too old, but no longer young either. Cautious. Nervous. Clearly a bureaucrat and not used to such swiftly-changing situations. "But the Presidential Staff was hoping SeeD would consent to assist the city guard in clearing out some of the monsters that have fallen inside the city. Our citizens are terrified, trapped in their homes."

"Are you offering us a contract?" Irvine asked darkly. He didn't want to stress Selphie out any more than she already was. Taking on a new contract was the last thing on his mind right then. In fact, he was considering finding a vacant room and working very hard on distracting both of them from their concerns in another, far more personal way…

The Aide almost flinched at his tone, straightening up warily. "Well, um, perhaps we are…"

Selphie pulled slowly away from his side. "A job… hey, that sounds good. Something to do. I'm with Zell. I can't just keep sitting here doing nothing - it'll make me crazy. Irvine?" He looked down at her briefly, softening at the beginning flicker of eagerness in her face. He'd do almost anything to make her brighten up. Even take a job from Esthar.

"You do know what SeeD's goin' rates are, don't you?" Irvine glowered at the man from under his hat brim. It was a great tool for intimidating pencil-pushers and other annoying folk. It worked beautifully here. The Aide tugged at the collar of his robe nervously.

"Y-yes," the man said. "Yes, we do. But SeeD contracts are paid in advance. I'm not authorized to release such large amounts of state funds without the President's…"

Irvine's glare deepened and the man shut up abruptly. The idiot hadn't expected them to just volunteer out of the goodness of their hearts now, had he? They were SeeD. They fought only when they had to… or when the pay was good enough. They had too much to lose otherwise.

"Well then, how 'bout a trade?" Selphie chimed in, her expression lifting even more. From the look in her eye she was up to something, Irvine realized. Good or bad? Or just trouble?

"Excuse me?" The Aide looked at her in surprise. She'd been relatively silent for so long, worrying and grieving, that he'd apparently forgotten she was SeeD too.

"We'll take the job if you agree to fix Trabia Garden."

"Selphie! Cool idea! Way to go!" Zell crowed, punching the air enthusiastically. Irvine tilted his hat down slightly, just enough to conceal a proud grin from the Aide. His sunshine was back. His own apprehension faded a little even as brief disappointment flared. Ah, well, so much for the private room idea. There was always tonight.

The Aide blinked at Selphie in surprise as he considered her offer.

"Well, I can't quite commit Esthar to that kind of effort either…" the man said, still blinking at her.

"Then how 'bout this," Selphie said, rolling her eyes toward Irvine before shooting a faintly exasperated look at the dithering Aide. She turned around beside him on the couch, climbing up on her knees to lean against the high couch-back eagerly. "We toast as many monsters in the city as possible until our… our friends are found, and in return SeeD either builds up credit toward fixing Trabia Garden or a cash contract. Either way works for me, but we can't promise anything after that, 'cause our Commander may have other things for us to do when we find him again." She shot Irvine a wicked look over her shoulder, surprising a conspiratorial smile out of him. Oh yes, or at the very least they'd have other things for the Commander to do…

"I think I can agree to that," the Aide said after a moment's careful thought. "Once our President is found, I'm sure he'll ratify the contract. He's a fair man."

"Okay," Selphie nodded brightly, a huge smile on her face. "It's a deal then."

"Hey, you gotta let us know when you start finding pods. Keep us up-to-date on our friends," Zell said.

The Aide nodded. "Of course. We may even ask you to assist the rescue efforts, since there are still Galbadian troops as well as dangerous new monsters in the area around Tear's Point. And a few pods seem to be heading in that direction."

"Sounds good," Selphie said, glancing at her fellow SeeD for confirmation. Zell showed thumbs up enthusiastically. Irvine just gave her a slow smile and a brief nod. Glad to see her taking charge.

"Ohh Yeahhhh!" Zell said, punching his fists wildly into the air as Angelo jumped up at him in response to the lifted spirits in the room. "Then let's get out there and kick some monster ass!"

Irvine stood up, sweeping an arm around Selphie's waist and swinging her, laughing, into the air and then into his arms. Pleased to hear her laugh, even knowing that she was still worried about Squall and the rest of their friends, but understanding her relief because she'd finally been able to do something concrete for Trabia.

"Great idea, sunshine," he said, smiling down at her as she wound her arms around his neck, kicking her feet happily in the air. "I'm with Zell - let's go build up some serious credit for Trabia."

"You know it, sweetie!"

It was a monster. Red and glittering and frozen. Or not. Squall peered at it blurrily. His suit had given a 1% lifesupport warning only moments ago. The air was already stale and close. He had found Rinoa, somehow, almost by magic. In the vastness of space… through the link in his mind… a junction with a sorceress… was this what it was to be a Sorceress Knight?

He'd caught her still form, holding her against his side, not daring to look in and see her face. He knew she lived, through the junction, but not for long unless he could do something about it.

He'd tried to find one of the support pods Piet had mentioned, but amid the debris of the end of the Lunar Cry it had been hopeless. He had abandoned the search when his spacesuit gave him a low fuel warning. Wanting to preserve his options, but knowing they had all but run out. His rage had been cold and sharp. Now that his end was near, he wasn't ready to die. But it was too late. Regret gnawed at him for all the things he hadn't said… all the things he still wanted to say. To Selphie. To Irvine.

Then came the monster…

He blinked again, looking closer. Not a monster. A ship. Shaped like a ruby dragon. Another example of the twisted artisanship of Esthar. Ragnarok. The name was emblazoned proudly on her side, visible in the harsh gleam of sunlight. He used the last of his suit's reaction fuel to reach the side, activating the magnetic connectors to attach him to the hull. He'd already secured Rinoa's suit to his own by a tether.

Then he worked his way steadily to an airlock. Somehow knowing too much speed could knock them free of the hull and back into space… and he now had no fuel left to maneuver them back with… yet if he took too long she might die…

He found the airlock, holding tightly to her life-force with his mind. Yet despite it, he could feel her fading, her mind calling desperately… for someone else… his enemy. Longing, even as her life slipped away, to see him one last time…

(No,) he snarled at her, (you won't get away from me that easily.)

The hatch slid open and he guided them both slowly inside the ship. Hopefully to safety.

The airlock apparently had some kind of automatic cycle, because once the inner doors of the airlock sealed, they drifted gently to the floor amid condensing clouds of in-rushing air. An automatic system slowly restored gravity to near-full, giving him time to arrange them before they hit the floor. A very clever ship. Esthar technology was frighteningly close to magic, at times - or they might actually be using a modified Demi.

The first thing he did was unlock the seal on her helmet, ignoring the alarms in his own suit. He couldn't have her dying when survival was so close at hand. No matter how he felt about her now.

But he wasn't able to make himself to do much more that. Then he just didn't dare touch her any more. The link had faded as his urgency faced, but he could still feel her presence near the hole that magic made in his mind. Could feel her mind reaching for another's... not his… he tried to block her out. He mostly succeeded.

Squall opened his own helmet, sucking in clean air for a moment before gathering his strength and stripping his own suit away. He moved to sit on the far side of the small chamber and watch her for signs of returning consciousness. Not trusting himself to remain any closer to her.

He didn't have too long to wait. Sorceresses were almost as tough as SeeD, it appeared. He'd have to bear that in mind for their battle plans against Ultimecia.

Slowly, Rinoa pushed herself up, fighting the heavy suit in the now near-normal gravity, her hair spilling over the edge of the collar. Dark eyes blinked new tears away; she turned and looked at him in surprise. A shy smile crossed her lips only to quickly fade at his continued stony glare. She swallowed hard, once, then firmed her smile up; determined, it seemed, to keep up the charade. He felt a sharp lurch of bitter anger in his gut.

"You came for me," she said, in that breathless little-girl way. "Oh, Squall!"

"Don't play that shit on me anymore," he said sharply. "What do you remember?"

Her eyes widened in surprise, then darkened with something before flicking away, and then back. Nervously. Anxiously. Her hands started to tug at the various seals of her suit, but she didn't seem to have any real idea how to take it off. More proof that she hadn't been herself when she put it on in the first place. Apparently, Ultimecia was very familiar with Esthar spacesuit technology. A daunting thought.

"Quistis and Selphie and I were in Galbadia Garden, waiting outside while you guys hunted down the Sorceress… then I - I think I fell asleep… or something... I dreamed you beat her… and her knight -" she broke off abruptly, burying her face in the armored gloves of her spacesuit. Squall watched her silently. She raised her head, showing him a tremulous, grateful smile. "Oh, I was so worried! But you came through… then something about walking around, all these people yelling at me. But none of them could touch me - then I was out in space with all those stars. So cold… and I was alone. I was so scared, Squall. Oh, I'm so glad you came for me!"

She tried to move, to get up and come over to him, but was prevented by the heavy suit. She settled for reaching a hand toward him instead, a pleading look on her face. Wanting comfort, it seemed. Reassurance. And radiating a kind of helpless innocence that, even now, tugged at his conscience. It was a good ploy. And it might even have worked on him… before. Before Selphie and Irvine had shown him what real warmth was. Before Ellone had revealed the truth in Rinoa's own memories.

"Damn. You're good," he said coldly, so close to the edge that he had to fight to keep the disgust off his face. "I hope he's worth it." She let her hand drop slowly, frowning slightly. Confusion creeping into her expression.

"I don't know what you mean…" Rinoa began softly.

He cut her off with a snarl of rage, slamming one fist back against the wall beside him with a sharp crack. Forcing himself to stay put and not reach out and shake her. Did she think he was completely stupid? She flinched at the sound of the impact, not looking at him at all now.

"Bullshit, Rinoa. You lied," he said sharply. "You played games with me - pretended you cared - all while you were using me to get you closer to Seifer."

"Squall, I don't understand…"

"Don't play that game with me anymore, Rinoa. I know it's Seifer you really want."

Silence fell. Hard and brittle. She wouldn't meet his gaze. Knew he'd see she was lying if she did, probably.

"H-how did you find out?" she finally asked. And a little of his cold rage faded with that admission. If she finally stopped pretending, he'd be civil. He could give her that much, at least. The heart was impossible to control. Apparently, she'd just never stopped loving Seifer. Gods knew he'd finally learned about that. The hard way. You couldn't tell the heart when to love - or when not to. No matter how wrong it was… no matter how frightening… how could he love them both?

"I saw it in your head," he said tightly, shaking his own pained musings away. "Ellone put me into your memories. It was the only way I could find you in space."

"But you came for me anyway. Why?" she asked, voice small. He just glared at her. She flushed under the weight of his dark look.

"No… I think I know why. You must need me to fight the Sorceress," she said, breath coming in on a sharp sob. Then she shot him a bitter glare of her own. "Cold-hearted Squall of the one-track mind. Following orders. Giving orders. Always the duty-bound SeeD."

Not always, he thought suddenly, breath catching as he sucked it in. Remembering the enticing taste of Irvine on his tongue, the exquisite heat of Selphie beneath him, and the sheer, stark terror he'd felt when he realized the danger they were both in now. From the Lunar Cry. From Adel and the sorceress from the future. And the only strong card he had was sitting on the other side of the airlock, suddenly glaring fire and hatred at him.

"When did you… Oh! You bastard!" she spat, apparently picking up on something in his expression - or maybe something had leaked through the strange link Ellone had somehow forged between them. "Who is she? Is it Quistis? Well, you didn't exactly pine for me anyway, did you, you hypocrite!"

"Don't. Push. Me," he said slowly, tone deadly. Almost reaching for his gunblade, but restraining himself. She went silent, biting her lip. Still angry, but wary now too. Finally able to see the thinness of his control.

He waited to be certain she'd received the message loud and clear. Don't ask.

"We're in a spaceship of some kind, but we don't fuckin' know how to fly it," he said finally, voice cold. "There's a Lunar Cry going on out there. We could still die. So, we need a truce. We drop it for now. Agreed?"

Rinoa met his hard gaze. He was right, and she knew it, but she didn't have to like it. And she clearly didn't. Not that he cared. He watched icily as various emotions clouded her dark eyes; anger, resentment, fear, but most of all, resignation. He was still her best way to reach Seifer. After a long moment she shivered, then slowly nodded her agreement.

Only then did he get up and help her take off her spacesuit.

A scared-looking young Esthar soldier had come looking for them. They were embroiled in a difficult battle with an Imp and a Torama on the skyway beyond the shopping district. The magic-using cats were deadly unless handled properly and Imps were always annoying. But maybe he could shorten this battle…

Irvine drew Death and cast it on the Imp, hoping that this time the tricky spell would work. They were resistant little fucks, Imps. With a whooping battle cry, Zell ran up and pounded on the Torama, sending the big cat reeling but not quite finishing it off. Beside him, Selphie was poised, waiting for Leviathan to answer her Summons.

There was a black flash and the Imp gave a last outraged squeal before crumpling to the ground. Dead. Selphie shot him an exasperated look as Leviathan answered and they all vanished into the GF's protective magical embrace. Even the young soldier disappeared too, Irvine was pleased to note. Selphie's link with Leviathan was getting stronger.

A huge wall of water surged across the skyway, sending the Imp's corpse and the now dying Torama flying.

Battle over. They reappeared on the skyway, Selphie grinning proudly.

"Oh, I do like Leviathan! He's such a sweet GF!"

"Looks like he thinks the world of you, sunshine." He glanced back at the trembling soldier, mouth quirked in a smile. It looked like the kid was paralyzed or something. "Hey, it was just a GF. You're okay. What do you need?"

"That was so strong…" the soldier murmured in awe, then shook his head, blinking at them with new respect. "I have a message for you, sirs, ma'am. We've tracked the command deck escape pod. It's coming down in the desert near Tear's Point, and it's most likely your people are aboard. I've been instructed to invite you to the retrieval."

"Well, why didn't you say so right off?" Irvine said, smiling broader. Selphie gave a whoop and jumped in the air; Zell grinned like a loon. "C'mon, guys, let's go welcome 'em home."

- - to be continued - -