Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Liontaming ❯ Part 15 ( Chapter 15 )

Liontaming - Part 15

by paxnirvana Rating: R (innuendo, violence) Fandom: Final Fantasy VIII Characters: Irvine/Selphie/Squall Date Completed: 3/31/04 Archive: Please ask first.

Author's Note: If you've made it this far, you probably realize by now that this is an AU twist on game-time. Pretty freakin' AU by now too, since it's an ongoing three-way with the characters named above.

Another Note: Thanks to all the patient readers who've stuck with me this long. I started this thing two years ago… *winces* I'll finish it yet!! Here's hoping I can pick up some speed again…

Disclaimer: Squaresoft owns; paxnirvana does not. *sigh*

~*~*~*~*~

The sea breeze was fresh on his face as Irvine strolled off the ramp that lead out to where Balamb Garden was docked. He paused on the walkway-rim of the huge dish that sat beside the main town pier of Fisherman's Horizon to let it ruffle his hair. It felt good after the carefully regulated atmosphere of the Garden. After a moment he shifted the weight of the large duffel bag slung over his shoulder.

He was alone. A rare state for him. He'd managed to catch up to Zell long enough earlier to get fresh ammunition made for him by Ifrit, but he'd felt the definite fifth wheel on the bridge as Nida and Zell went off about ocean currents and charts and prevailing winds, both of them talking over each other, excited about the project Squall had indirectly given them. Irvine had left the area hastily after sharing a commiserating smile with Xu who looked about ready to smack the both of them. Nida really needed to get out more, it seemed.

He'd taken care of the rest of his SeeD business next by topping off his magic reserves - swapping spells with a few of the Galbadia Garden students he knew. Catching up with them too about the state of Galbadia Garden and the imminent transfers to Trabia hadn't left him much of the hour, but he'd taken the time to run back to his room and pack certain necessities; a couple pair of clean jeans, socks, his spare pair of boots, his good hairbrush and the biggest tube of lube he could get his hands on. Along with anything else he thought might be useful in the near future.

He was prepared to set up permanent camp on Ragnarok. Because it wasn't likely they'd see Balamb Garden again for quite a while. There was too much looming ahead of them.

He nodded his head to the trio of Balamb students standing watch near the causeway that led into Fisherman's Horizon proper. He knew there were several squads of SeeD and students posted out on the main train bridge, camping out in the old station. The Lunar Cry monsters were persistent, he'd give them that, coming all that way across the sea along the bridge from Esthar. The creatures seemed determined to spread Ultimecia's malice as far around the world as possible. It meant steady work for Balamb Garden at least.

He glanced back at the sleek, gleaming shape of Balamb in the distance, silvery-blue, organic and almost dreamlike through the sea haze. It fit in far better here at sea than it had in the forests of Balamb Island. And while it wasn't his Garden - not really - he felt a certain regret for leaving it behind like this anyway. It had kept his childhood friends together and brought them all into each other's lives again, and for that he was genuinely grateful. For bringing his sunshine back to him. And for Squall… as frustrating as that boy could be…

"Ready to go, cowboy?" a familiar voice said.

He turned, a smile already spreading wide on his face. She stood at the top of the ramp that lead down to the platform that held the Mayor's house in the center of the dish where they had landed the Ragnarok. A large duffel bag sat at her feet as well and she was smiling too, her trademark yellow jumper glowing brightly in the morning sun.

"I'm always ready to go, sunshine," he said, brows waggling in a playful leer. She laughed, the sound rich and carefree, making the students beyond turn to see what the fun was about. She waved at them cheerfully even as her green eyes sparkled at him with eager promise.

"That you are," she said with a toss of her head, "so get your sexy butt over here and give me a kiss before we go do some serious monster exterminating again."

"On my way, ma'am," he said, fitting action to word and striding across the dock toward her. She was standing on the raised ramp and so when he stopped beside it they were eye to eye for once. He looked into her eyes, smiling tenderly. She leaned forward over the railing and flicked a finger against the brim of his hat.

"Missed you," she said, attempting to tone down her smile and failing.

"Missed you too, sunshine," he said with all gravity, even though it had been only a few hours since they'd seen each other last. "And so did our lion."

"Really?" she said, a bright, mischievous twinkle lighting in her eyes amid the smug happiness.

"Oh yes," he said, leaning closer. "He gets right surly when he doesn't get his sunshine-fix in the morning. Remember that before you run off and leave us hanging like that again."

A shadow passed through her eyes, even as her lips twitched with amusement. "Like you don't know what to do with him when you're alone! Besides, I had my errands to run, you know, and I had a really scary dream last night and the Garden Festival won't plan itself and there was all this stuff I wanted to send up to Sula in Trabia…"

Uh-oh. That wasn't good. He leaned forward and silenced the unusually rapid babble with a kiss; it went longer than he'd planned but Hell Fire, if it didn't feel good. Warm. Soft. Selphie. Her arms locked around his neck even as his slid around her, and they held each other as close as the railing between them would allow. After a long minute he pulled back to see a contented look had blossomed on her face. Her eyes fluttered slowly open and she heaved a deep, blissful sigh.

"Oh, that's better…" she breathed, looking into his eyes dreamily. He hated to spoil that look, but he had to know.

"Scary dream?" he prompted her gently.

"Maybe… I don't know," she said tensing slightly, the contentment fading from her expression as a small worried frown took it's place. "I think maybe it was more Leviathan trying to tell me something… Warn me."

"Leviathan?" he said, puzzled. "But he doesn't talk much, does he?"

"Hardly ever," she said, on a short huff of breath. "That's what bugs me most. When he does, it's usually pretty serious. But it… didn't make sense." She shuddered and burrowed her forehead into his neck, her arms tightening around him as if she felt the need of warmth even out here in the full sun of morning. "It was more these icky… feelings… than anything else," she said into his skin, her voice faint.

A trickle of dread went through him. He felt Diablos stir suddenly in the back of his mind.

"What kinds of feelings, sunshine?"

"Lonely, empty, sad… like everything was gone. Like you were gone," she whispered, still in an unusually tiny voice, clutching him close and shivering. He tightened his arms around her reassuringly.

[…fate began to grind once the power to move through memory came to the little madman's attention… survive, my clever little killer… if you can…]

A whisper of mocking laughter followed this disquieting comment, both heard only deep inside his mind. He stiffened and Selphie looked up at him, her eyes huge and filled with unusual apprehension.

He forced a smile, fighting back the mingled surge of anger and unease his GF's words raised. "I'm not goin' anywhere without you, sunshine, I promise."

"Is it Diablos?" she asked, her gaze flickering over his, the frown lines back between her eyes.

"That obvious, huh?" he said, giving a shaky half-laugh. She just shifted against him, tightening her arms around his neck and threading her hands in his hair. Looking far more worried than she should ever look, in his opinion.

"Fuck you, demon," he muttered, directing the words inward. Dark laughter met the sentiment even as Selphie gave a soft snort of disgust. "What's with them lately?" she said. "They didn't act like this before."

"We still don't know all that much about GF, sunshine. Or what happens long-term when you load more than one in your head at a time. I even had three not so long ago." And he missed Ifrit's occasional gruff commentary dearly. Now more than ever with Diablos by far the more talkative of his remaining two Guardian Forces. While Quezacotl was fierce and graceful and proud, she was most often silent, but at least when she did speak she wasn't malicious and bitter like Diablos. Yet Diablos' comments were never without their grain of truth. The problem was figuring out exactly what the demon-bastard meant - before it was too late.

Said demon only laughed harder, deep in his mind, and a series of flickering impressions danced suddenly behind his eyes.

A gray gaze gone blank, dulled by hopelessness. Fresh scarlet blood that dripped from between piercing blue eyes. Red-stained lips stretched wide in an unholy grin of triumph. A beloved face that should only ever reflect joy permanently darkened by sadness.

What is that shit? he demanded of the GF in his head even as his heart pounded with sudden fear in his chest and he remembered his own dream from last night. Matron's protectiveness. Seifer's despair. His own helplessness. Diablos just laughed again even as Quezacotl stirred and rose up in response, glittering and bright, her crackling cry drowning out the demon's laughter.

[Your love for them will save you. Your love will save them. Nurture it.]

Save us from what? he asked desperately, but Quezacotl only cried out again, rising higher in his mind, nearly to summoning depth, her distress at being unable to say it clearer plain.

[...love is the key… to turn back…]

She was close to appearing, clearly struggling to make him understand something that perhaps only a Guardian Force could fully perceive. The air crackled around them with pre-leaders of magical power that made Selphie twist in his arms to look around anxiously for the threat.

He calmed the magical entity by drawing down on her junctions, shifting spells away from certain skills to coax her back into the empty place he had made for her in his mind where she normally dwelled.

Thank you, Quezacotl, he whispered to her soothingly. Thank you for trying. Rest now. She went into darkness, still sending anxious magical swirls through his mind, her disquiet fed by the low, steady laughter from Diablos. Listen, you fuck, he snarled to the gravity demon in his head. Shut up before I junction you back inside that damn lamp of yours and leave you stuck there for another thousand years!

[And give my power up?] The soft, wicked laugh sent a chill through him. [I think not, child.]

It was ugly to be held hostage by the source of fully half of one's magical strength. He clamped down hard on Diablos' junction, managing to muffle the demon's mirth, at least. Then he grimaced and gratefully turned his attention outwards again as Selphie tugged impatiently on his hair.

"What's going on, sweetie? Why'd you almost summon the Q?" she asked, eyes dark with worry. "Man, I thought Squall was the only one freaking out on me lately… What happened?"

"She was trying to tell me something… and got frustrated."

Selphie searched his gaze anxiously. "Did you get what she was saying?"

"Kinda," he said, hugging her close and leaning his forehead against hers. "At least I like what she has to say better than Diablos."

"What did she tell you?"

"To keep on lovin' you and Squall," he said with a small smile. "Dead easy to do, since it's what I want to do anyway, huh?"

She gave an odd shudder and closed her eyes. "That's kinda what Leviathan was saying too." She was silent for a moment, leaning against him closely, but beneath the moment of mutual reassurance he was aware of time slipping away from them. They were due aboard Ragnarok now. Yet he didn't want to break the moment… something deep inside his heart told him it was important.

"Why do you think our GF feel they need to remind us about something we're already doing?" she asked hesitantly, chewing at her lower lip. "Do they think we're gonna forget that too while we're junctioning them?" She shuddered at the thought and he echoed her action. He couldn't imagine forgetting about either his love for Selphie or for Squall. No matter how many Guardian Forces he junctioned. The memory loss hadn't been that great for all of them so far - and now and then some of them had even managed to recover some of the older memories they had thought utterly lost once reminded. The Orphanage-era events he'd already written down for the others were working in that regard quite well.

"I just don't know, sunshine," he said wearily, then paused as a thought struck him. "But… maybe it's 'cause one of us isn't getting the message yet."

They pulled back, almost in sync, to look deep into each other's eyes.

"Squall," they said in unison.

~*~*~*~ *~

Squall just happened to be standing beside the monitors on the bridge and so was the first to spot the last two members of his team as they walked together up the Ragnarok's main ramp -- just as the designated hour was up. They were each carrying a duffel bag over their shoulder, but their free hands were firmly entwined. He watched them on the screen hungrily, tendrils of dread and apprehension running through him. They looked so right together, he noted with a pang as Irvine bent down to give Selphie a lengthy kiss as they waited inside the cargo hold for the big hatch to grind closed behind them.

They'd obviously talked to Flo, the Mayor's wife, outside and knew the rest of them were already aboard and that the ship was ready to go.

To his dismay, he actually had to fight with himself to keep from moving toward the elevator at the back of the bridge and going down to meet them; his hands twitched into fists at his sides and his boots scraped on the decking as he shifted his weight, but he stayed put. She was here and she was fine, after all. Looking relaxed and normal and content with Irvine right beside her. And something near his heart ached to see Irvine here as well, after their heated words on Balamb's promenade. After a few seconds, he wrenched his attention away from the screen, trying not to acknowledge that it was a nearly painful sense of relief that filled him and not irritation over their tardiness.

In front of him, Zell was going over the pre-flight checklist and talking over the newly static-free radio with one of the FH techs. Fisherman's Horizon had re-supplied the spaceship completely. Refueling it, arming it, stocking it with fresh food and water and generally tuning it up exactly as Flo had promised. He'd been starting to wonder about the FH people and their nearly uncanny affinity for Esthar's high technology until Zell reminded him that most of the people on FH were expatriate Estharians. Fisherman's Horizon was far more technologically advanced than it appeared; pacifistic and isolationist as it was, it was far less xenophobic than Esthar itself. A happy medium, maybe. It got them competent ground support cheap, anyway.

Whatever. He couldn't wait to leave.

Behind him he could hear Quistis talking quietly to Rinoa in between her own series of pre-flight defense system checks. They were following procedure carefully now, with FH's help. In space he'd just crossed his fingers and fired the ship up. Seemed he'd been lucky not to blow them both straight to Hell. After a moment he heard Quistis make a verbal note of the fact that the main hatch had finished cycling closed and that the ship was now secure for takeoff.

He owed Quistis. In the Training Center, she'd taken Rinoa in hand after the T-Rexaur battle. Deftly soothed the reluctant sorceress' ruffled feelings by checking over Angelo and reassuring her that he appeared unharmed by the incredible amount of Limit magic that had poured through him. Then she'd kept Rinoa busy by transferring another Guardian Force - the earth-magic using Brothers - and some linked magic to her as well. Quistis had even run her through a few junction drills on the way out of the Training Center, giving her a better feel for where her strengths lay. Rinoa had seemed to steady down even more after that, only glaring at him half the time then.

But then, butchering plant-like Grats with her own weapon was far less traumatic for Rinoa than watching her faithful pet shred a T-Rexaur's throat while imbued with her Sorceress' power, it seemed.

Having two GF newly settled in her head also had the welcome side effect of keeping her too busy to touch the link with him very often. But it was stronger than it had been, which disturbed him on several levels. He could almost touch the junctions of Siren and the Brothers himself, and he dimly sensed Angelo in the mix now too, something he wasn't sure she'd recognized for herself yet.

He heard the hum of the elevator pad as it cycled at last. His jaw tensed until his teeth ached, and he realized he'd just been trying to distract himself until they arrived. He stood frozen, his arms crossed tightly over his chest, back deliberately toward the elevator pad.

"Ze~ell, I wanted to pilot again!" was the first thing she said when she appeared on the bridge. His pulse was heavy and hard in his veins. Nerves or fear? He was frowning even as he watched Zell lean around the edge of the pilot's seat and shoot a look back over his shoulder.

"Hey, I called dibs way first, didn't I, Irvine?" Zell said with a definite smirk, even going so far as to stick his tongue out quick like a little boy. "'Sides, I was here first." He heard Selphie's bright laughter ring out behind him. Closer now. Very close.

"Well, but I get to fly it next then," she said, not really sounding disgruntled, more amused. It was then that he felt her slim arms close around his waist from behind, her hands sliding easily under his short jacket. He stiffened; uncertain if he was scandalized or relieved. "Hi there, Commander," she said, her voice dropping to a sultry purr.

"Selphie," he snapped, appalled to feel a flush threaten. He lowered his hands to pull hers away, but froze as soon as they touched her wrists. She had leaned against his back and pressed her face between his shoulder blades and was rubbing her forehead against him gently like a cat might. A sudden burst of something came to him sharply over the link with Rinoa. In his own embarrassed confusion he couldn't clearly identify it, but he thought it just might be angry envy before he blocked her firmly out. His head tipped back slightly and he let his eyes close. Selphie. Gods, but she felt good against him… he wanted to turn and take her properly into his arms… but this wasn't the place… they shouldn't… He shifted once more to move her arms away from his waist, but faltered again as she spoke softly enough for his ears only.

"Missed you," she said, hugging him tighter. His heart thundered wildly in his chest and his eyes sprang open. Zell was facing forward, busily working - or pretending to work, anyway - at his pilot's station. From the corner of his eye, Squall saw Irvine come up beside them.

"Don't get all distant and uptight now, Squall," the sharpshooter said in a careful undertone, smiling at him warmly. "Everybody's cool with it… They're our friends. It's okay."

He had to swallow hard once to make certain his voice would work around the sudden, unaccustomed tightness to his throat. "We need to get to Esthar," he said gruffly, trying to at least sound stern. "We're on mission." Irvine tipped his hat to him in a half-salute while Selphie just hugged him tighter, her hands flattening over his chest and stomach in a way that was threatening to distract him completely. He was only glad his back was to Quistis and Rinoa so they couldn't see exactly what she was doing to him. No wonder Irvine called her a minx sometimes, he thought, trembling slightly. She definitely was right now, the little tease.

"That we are, sir." Irvine just grinned at him, no help at all. "And we've got gear to stow - particularly if Zell's doin' the flying." Zell gave a loud snort as Irvine went on. "Anybody done anything about cabin assignments on this tin can? Or do you just want Selphie and me to sort it out?"

"Hey, get me a cabin with a window, wouldja?" Zell piped up, but Squall's mind had instantly flashed to a vivid image of Selphie and Irvine 'sorting out' the bunks in each cabin by testing them out, locked in each other's arms. He almost groaned aloud. There was at least one bunk back there he could already vouch for personally… His hands clenched on Selphie's wrists, pressing her arms tighter against his leaping belly for a moment.

"Don't think there are any windows down there…" Irvine was saying, laughter in his voice, then Rinoa broke in suddenly.

"I'd like to get Angelo somewhere safe before we take off," she said. "I don't like leaving him alone down there, so, Irvine, if it's okay with you, I can help you put everyone's stuff away."

"Why certainly, ma'am," Irvine said, turning smoothly and doffing his hat to bow elegantly in her direction. "Your assistance would be most welcome. Let's go get your faithful doggy settled before Zell bounces us all onto our butts with his 'skillful' flying..." Zell made the predictable sounds of outrage from the pilot's seat, but Squall paid him no further attention - his focus narrowed abruptly when he heard Selphie give a small snicker against his back, all the warning he had before she slid a hand down from beneath his now slack hold and skimmed it dangerously close to his waistband, using one finger to brazenly explore the dip of his navel through his shirt. He fought to suppress a quiver, his hand flexing on the wrist he still held but making no attempt to stop the other hand. Not yet… it would be too obvious to the others… and she wouldn't dare go too far with everyone else here… Would she?

Irvine looked them over - sizing the situation up in a glance - and shot them a quick, heated look that did nothing to calm Squall's nerves. Irvine's lips turned up in an accursedly pleased grin before he strode off back the way he'd come. Dimly, Squall heard someone else climb to their feet, heard the quick ring of shoes on deck plates, then the elevator pad hummed away to the lower level again.

Selphie was snickering openly against his back now, both her hands sliding boldly down toward his waist this time. That was too much. He stopped her before she could slip more than fingertips beneath his belt, swallowing hard the while, his pulse like thunder in his ears.

"Selphie Tilmitt, you are a naughty, naughty girl," Quistis said from behind them, acid amusement in her voice. That broke his odd hesitance and he felt definite heat on his cheeks as he pulled Selphie's arms away from him completely before dragging her around in front of him to scowl at her darkly. She grinned up at him, cheerfully unrepentant.

"That greeting was outside protocol," he said stiffly, trying to calm his racing pulse, his mind whirling with confusion. What would the others think? Were they sickened? Angered? Would they still respect him as Commander? Or would they just tease the hell out of him now? As his frown deepened, her smile widened until her eyes were dancing with wicked merriment.

"Maybe, but, ooh I bet Rinoa's expression was classic. What do you say, Quisty - was it positively green?"

Quistis laughed shortly, a dry note in her voice. "No greener than mine, you little imp."

Zell grinned back at them cheerfully, no condemnation at all in his eyes and acting as if nothing odd at all had happened. As if getting a hug like that in front of Hyne and everyone was an ordinary thing… "Yeah, why don't you ever say hi to me that way, Seffie?" he mock-whined. Selphie whirled out of Squall's slackened grasp, threw herself over the side of the pilot's seat and gave Zell a squeezing embrace worthy of a Wendigo. He blushed bright red around his tattoo and shrugged her away after a stunned moment to splutter, "H-hey! I was just kidding!"

"I wasn't," Quistis said solemnly. With a laugh, Selphie dashed back to her and gave Quistis a crushing hug as well, even going so far as to plant a smacking kiss on her cheek. Quistis pushed her away gently, flushing slightly too. "Really, Selphie," she retorted primly, but the sparkle in her eyes belied her tone. "This is hardly dignified SeeD behavior."

"Screw dignified!" Selphie said cheerfully, plopping down on the edge of the seat beside Quistis' and scanning the board in front of her eagerly. "What cool new weapons did FH give us, huh? I wanna be able to really blow shit up! Boom!"

Quistis gave a long-suffering sigh, then rolled her eyes and shrugged her shoulders at Squall as if to say 'what can you do with her?', nothing lurking in her clear blue gaze but genuine affection and amusement.

"Well, somewhere they found some very nice armor piercing rounds for the shoulder guns that are likely to give even an Adamantoise pause - even if they aren't enchanted. And they fully charged the belly-mount pulse cannon. Those should more than satisfy your urge to 'blow shit up', my dear..." She went on to explain the full operation of the weapons systems to a seemingly enrapt Selphie while Zell continued his pre-flight checks, bantering back with them as he cross-checked his boards with theirs. They were just as ruthlessly efficient as always, if not conventional in the slightest. Situation normal. For his SeeD team… for the Orphanage Gang…

A few things inside him unclenched then. Thawed. Dared shift the tiniest bit away from the darkness they had lived in for so long.

Trust. Belonging.

And it didn't even hurt at all.

~*~*~*~ *~

After retrieving her ecstatic pet from the front passenger cabin, Irvine escorted Rinoa through the main hold and over to the small corridor off it in the back that led to the crew cabin area. She led Angelo into the first cabin on the left while Irvine carried her two small bags inside for her. It was only gentlemanly, after all.

"Irvine. Rinoa. Find a seat somewhere. We're about to take off," Quistis announced over the crackling intercom.

"We better do as she says," Irvine muttered with a roll of his eyes as Rinoa nodded her agreement. Zell was their pilot for the day.

She curled up on the berth and patted the mattress beside her once. Angelo jumped up next to her obediently, sitting upright on the berth with his tongue lolling out happily. She wrapped one arm around him and he licked her chin, making her smile slightly and pat him. But she seemed strangely distant with her dog, despite the concern she'd shown for him earlier.

Irvine chose to stay standing. Taking firm hold of the handgrips on either side of the doorway that were obviously there for just that purpose, he allowed himself to get lost in his own thoughts. He recalled the shocked and yet so very relieved look on Squall's face when Selphie wrapped her arms around him with a private smile. He'd had to struggle with himself not to take the both of them in his arms as well and turn it into a sloppy group hug. But Selphie had been pushing it already and that would have been more than a bit too much to ask of Squall's tolerance so soon... especially in front of his Sorceress.

Rinoa. He glanced at her at last only to find she was speaking softly to Angelo now and stroking him reassuringly as they waited. Irvine knew she'd volunteered for this task as much because she likely had something to say to him as to take care of her dog, but figured it would be best if she started it off herself this time. He was more than willing to let her work up the nerve on her own.

With a rising roar from the engines that sounded like an enraged monster about to attack, the Ragnarok swayed, then jerked as it lifted away from Fisherman's Horizon, forcing Irvine to use some strength to keep himself upright. The takeoff was far from smooth, and he could clearly imagine the ribbing Zell was getting from Selphie for that. Irvine grinned to himself over the thought, wishing he was on the bridge to hear it for himself.

He glanced at Rinoa again, the grin lingering on his lips fading away as he looked at her. Her head was still bent over Angelo, her dark hair partially veiling her face. She had one arm wound protectively around the dog, the other looped through a strap on the wall beside the berth to keep them both secure against the jouncing flight. But he could see her glance toward him every now and then from under her hair. The looks were… odd. A little disturbing. And for the first time he wondered what had gone on in the Training Center after Squall had left him to go find her there. She seemed… different somehow. Pensive. Preoccupied. The silence between them grew heavier and more oppressive during the seemingly endless minutes it took before the ship stopped the worst of it's bouncing. But finally they were flying smoothly through the sky with nothing more than the distant throb of the engines to hint that they were in motion.

"It's probably safe to move around now -- or safe as it'll ever be with Zell up there," he said lightly, grinning wryly at Rinoa as he made a show of prying his fingers off the handgrips. She stayed silent, still watching him in that strange way from beneath her hair. He paused a moment, giving her one last chance to speak up, then left the cabin with a shrug when she let the opportunity pass again.

He returned to the central hold alone, adjusting his hat on his head as he went. Well, she'd work herself up to whatever was on her mind… or not. But it was long past time to make things easy for her, he figured. He ran his gaze over the small pile of bags remaining. There were five cabins and six people. Two of them were absolutely going to have to share. Make that three of them, he thought with a small satisfied grin as he snatched up the closest duffel bag from the pile. With yellow iridescent lightning bolts painted randomly all over it the deep navy blue base, it just had to be Zell's. He rolled his eyes and sighed before slinging it over his shoulder. It was heavy too. Probably filled with workout gear. He contemplated the cabin arrangements as he walked back. The bunks in the cabins looked barely wide enough for two… but they certainly weren't leaving Squall on his own now, he thought with resolve. Selphie was a skinny thing - they'd find a way to make it work. But he was going to miss his own big bed, he knew…

He heard Rinoa's door hiss open beside him as he returned to the small hallway but ignored it, lost in his pleasant musings. If he remembered right, Squall and Selphie had used the cabin on the far right side before… so Zell got cabin number two next to Rinoa's. He'd moved on in his fantasies to the mischief he could get up to with him and Squall and Selphie all packed tightly together into one of the narrow berths, so when he felt Rinoa's hand catch his shoulder he turned toward her without any wariness.

The kiss she laid on him wasn't subtle and it wasn't very experienced either; she wrapped herself around him like a snake and mashed her mouth hard against his. Teeth clashed and lips pinched. Zell's bag fell off his shoulder with a loud crash, throwing him off balance enough that he caught her against him automatically.

He made a muffled sound of protest and tried to push her away. She just held on to him tighter, and, to his surprise, he found he had to draw on his junctions to break the kiss and even then was only able to put a bare few inches of distance between them. Her arms were still wound tight around his neck, and she fixed him with a look of alarming intensity from under heavy lids.

"Whoa! Easy girl, what's this all about?" he gasped, trying to gather his scattered composure. This wasn't quite the 'conversation' he'd expected…

"If I have to let him have her, she has to let me have you," she said, her voice husky.

His eyebrows shot up in pure surprise. He caught her arms and attempted to drag them away from his neck, but couldn't do it without more effort - maybe even a fight - so for the moment he settle for giving her a small shake. "What the flamin' Hell are you talkin' about, girl?"

"She had her hands all over him… on my Knight," Rinoa said, a dangerous gleam in her eyes now. There was something off in her gaze, something older and more jaded than he'd seen before. "It's only fair I take her lover then," she continued as from within the closed cabin beside them he heard Angelo begin to bark, loud and furious. Rinoa seemed to shiver faintly at the sound and her gaze wavered for a moment. But after that brief instant it hardened even more.

"Get ahold of yourself, Rinoa," he said. Alarm spiked and he shifted uneasily. She wasn't backing off. And that look in her eyes was nearly predatory…

"Don't you want me, Irvine? Aren't I beautiful? You said I was back in Galbadia…" she said, voice dropping to a low murmur. She used his hold on her arms to draw herself closer to him, arching up and moving like a practiced seductress… something he'd never imagined Rinoa to be. And something she hadn't been just a few moments ago…

Her mouth found his again, her tongue sliding quick and unavoidable between his lips, catching him mid-protest. He choked slightly in surprise, dragging at her shoulders. Angelo's barking was wilder now, but she seemed oblivious to it. He staggered back, stumbled over the heavy bag at his feet and hit the door of the second cabin with his shoulder. Hard. Off balance. She took advantage, pressing herself closer, hemming him in with clearly junction-enhanced strength. The situation was quickly spiraling out of his control. Diablos' dark laughter churned in the panicked depths of his mind as Quezacotl cried out a warning.

No, this was not like Rinoa. Not at all. Something was wrong. Something was very wrong… with a Sorceress…

His thoughts scattered as one of her hands raked over him, dropping down from his neck and sliding beneath his coat. Sharp nails scraped over his skin around his vest, painful and distracting. She raised welts on his chest. Bit at his mouth. Forced her tongue down his throat. He choked and arched in protest, drawing on his own junctions now to push her back enough to twist his mouth away from hers.

He panted for breath, tasting blood as he glared down at her. "Rinoa! Stop it!"

Her eyes were dark and hectic, her face pale and somehow drawn. But she licked her swollen lips slowly, deliberately, staring up at him with blatant hunger as her hand slid around his waist under his vest, nails biting into his skin. Drawing blood in spots. He could feel it start to trickle down his sides. When had Rinoa's nails gotten so sharp? he thought wildly.

"Not bad, but I expect better," she said, her voice a sibilant purr as her nails scored deeper into his back. She pressed her breasts against his chest, rocked her groin against his. "I could feel him last night, you know… hear his need… taste his ecstasy… You made him feel that way… now make me feel that way… I know you want to…"

Long, talon-like nails ran over him, scoring his skin. Like Matron's in Galbadia. Possessed. Rinoa was possessed again. The realization made his stomach drop into his boots. And he was alone with her down here. Angelo was howling behind the cabin door now, the desperate scrape of his claws on the inside of the metal door loud and distracting.

"Fight her, Rinoa!"

"Fight who, my dear?" she purred, her voice going even more husky and unfamiliar as she wound one leg around his, leaning against him heavily. "You're the one fighting me. Just give in to me… give me what I need…"

"Ultimecia! Fight her!" He shook her shoulders hard, desperation running through him. It was dangerous to cast offensive spells on her with her body wrapped around his like this. He scanned frantically through his magical stores for other options… Dispel? No… Esuna? It cured almost every status ailment in battle. It was worth a shot here and so he concentrated, shifted his hand and drew the magic out of darkness and into being over her. A glittering spiral of blue-white healing light spilled over her. She laughed at him, low and quick, but seemed otherwise unaffected. Alarmed, he contemplated something more damaging. He didn't really want to hurt her but he couldn't just let this continue either… he needed help… needed to warn the others…

He heard the sharp hiss of the door to the cargo hold as it opened abruptly. Looked with relief over Rinoa's shoulder straight into Squall's flat glare, but felt a jolt of alarm when he realized Squall was alone.

"Let him go, Rinoa," Squall said, his voice sharp and deadly cold as he stepped into the corridor and let the door slide closed behind him. "He's not the one you're looking for."

Her head whipped around, her dark hair lashing across his face, his eyes and making him jerk back and blink his suddenly watering eyes. She all but hissed at Squall, her body hunching possessively against him like a hunting beast over it's prey. Her clawed fingers bit even deeper into his back, drawing real blood now and making him bite his lip in pain even as he activated all his junctions to protect himself. The pain faded some, but the blood still flowed.

"Stay away… betrayer! I feel him… I feel his love… he wants me!" she spat at him, her voice decidedly different now. Almost as if someone else were speaking. Irvine could feel the heave of her chest against him, wild and desperate, as confusion filled him. But Squall had called her by name, and he should know… if she wasn't possessed by Ultimecia… Why then…?

"It's not Irvine," Squall said to her grimly, his face set and cold. "You're feeling… someone else."

"Not enough… You? Are you hiding it? Is it you?" she screeched, releasing Irvine in a blindingly fast move and shoving off of him to dive toward Squall in a blue-black blur of junction-boosted speed. Irvine staggered back against the wall, struggling to stay upright, feet still tangled in Zell's bag, even as he called his rifle out of junction and into his hand in a flash of magical light.

Squall sidestepped her charge despite the cramped space, his own junction-speed making him little more than a black blur as well. He caught her arm and swung her hard into the bulkhead beside him. She hit with a sound like a Wendigo's strike, thick and meaty, so Irvine could tell Squall was using his full junctioned strength too. He followed up with a forearm slam down on her shoulders, driving her ruthlessly to floor. She crumpled with a cry of outrage, landing hard on her hands and knees. Shaking her head in a flurry of black hair, she seemed only stunned by a blow that likely would have killed an ordinary person.

"Get yourself under control! Too much emotion only gives them a foothold! Rinoa! Trust your GF!" he shouted at her. She snarled up at him from under her tumbled hair, her expression savage and barely human, and Irvine leveled his rifle at her without hesitation, cocking it loudly.

"Don't shoot her yet," Squall ordered him, not shifting his gaze away from the glaring girl at his feet. "Listen to Siren, Rinoa, she's trying to help you. Listen to the Brothers…"

"It's not enough!" she screeched, lifting her hands to her head and digging those wickedly clawed fingertips deep into her own scalp. "I don't… two… you have two and… I… my Knight… I can almost touch it… but I need more… I need YOU!"

She launched herself at Squall's legs, trying to bring him down in a flurry of talons and hair and striking limbs -- but Irvine was ready for that. The sound of the shot was horrifically loud in the small space, but the magical shell hit her dead in the shoulder, spinning her back away from Squall in an explosion of spell-light. As he'd counted on she was protected by junctions and most of the damage was bled away by her Guardian Forces -- but what got through was enough to shock her into a wide-eyed stillness. Or maybe the sound of the shot had done that.

She lay against the wall like a broken doll, staring wide-eyed up at Squall, her expression one of torment and anguish, her dark eyes filling rapidly with tears until they spilled over and ran down her cheek in two silent silvery streams.

Squall stood over her just as silently, staring down at her for a long moment before glancing back at Irvine. He suspected the Knight and the Sorceress had been communicating through their bond again, but didn't dare ask. Yet whatever had passed between them had left Squall's gaze shockingly empty and cold. He seethed inside, worried for Squall, uncertain about the stability of Rinoa's sanity.

"Let him out," Squall ordered, jerking his head toward the cabin from which the dog's urgent barks and frantic clawing could still be heard. Irvine could only obey his Commander when he spoke in that tone of voice, no matter how odd the order. He moved over to it, keeping his rifle at the ready. Angelo squeezed through in a flash of black and white fur before the door was even part way open. The dog skidded to a stop beside his mistress and danced in place for a frantic moment, claws clicking wildly on the metal floor, before letting out an anxious whine and crouching down to lay his furry head in her lap. She didn't move, the tears still tracking down her face as she stared glassily at Squall. Irvine took a half-step back toward the strange tableau, but stopped when Squall held up a staying hand.

"Do you feel it clearer now?" Squall said, crouching down slowly in front of the sprawled girl and letting his hands dangle free, arms braced on his knees, as his narrowed gaze focused intently on her face. "That's Angelo, Rinoa. He's linked to you. It's his love and devotion you feel. Not mine. Not anyone else's." His voice was gentler than Irvine had yet heard it outside the bedroom. He felt a brief flash of jealousy that he quickly stifled as unworthy, and steeled himself to watch for any sign that his Commander needed his help.

Dealing with a sorceress was SeeD business, not personal. No matter how it might appear.

Rinoa blinked at Squall, shifting slightly, a frown forming on her brow. Tears continued to drip down her cheeks, along with a thin trickle of blood from her hairline, doubtless from where she'd clawed at her scalp. Irvine glanced at her hands and was mildly repulsed to see her fingertips smeared with blood. Both his and hers, most likely. But the talon-like nails had subsided to more ordinary lengths, he was relieved to note.

"A-Angelo?" she said, her voice breathy and tentative. Angelo shifted on her lap and gave a soft whine, his devoted gaze fixed unwaveringly on his mistress's face. He made to get up but Squall reached out and laid his hand on the dog's back to prevent it. Angelo subsided with a whuffling sound and Rinoa's eyes went wide in shock for a moment before she gave a soft cry, her blood-stained hands rising from where they lay limp at her sides to clutch tightly at the dog's ruff. "Th-that's Angelo? Not… Oh… oh no…" Tears fell faster and she looked down at her dog, her lower lip trembling. Angelo raised his head, half-rising to lick at her face, all but sitting in her lap now and whining anxiously as her arms closed around him tightly. Squall settled back and let them do as they wished, his hand falling back slack at his side.

"You can't afford to lose control of your emotions, Rinoa," Squall said, his tone still gentle, but his gaze showed a hint of weary sadness now. "Our bond won't shield you from the others like it should, but this link with Angelo can help you resist them better. And so can Siren and the Brothers. Listen to your GF, if you can't listen to me."

She was shaking now, her face pale and wan, smeared with tears and blood. Looking delicately tragic and helpless. But Irvine knew she was far from it. The past few minutes had proven that beyond a doubt. She was unpredictable and dangerous and somehow desperate.

"I hate you," she muttered as her pained, lost look slowly solidified into a poisonous glare.

"I know you do, Rinoa," Squall replied softly, sounding weary now. Lines of pain and regret bracketed his mouth, his eyes. Making him look far lonelier and older than he should - alone and bending beneath the burden of leadership and power and self-imposed responsibility for this reckless girl - and making Irvine's heart ache. He took two long steps forward and clutched Squall's shoulder tightly.

Not alone. Squall wasn't alone any longer. Would never be again. And this shit with Rinoa had gone on far too long. It would stop now. Her words from before rang in his head again.

"Oh, I get it now… is that what this is about, Rinoa? Hell Fire! You want someone to sleep with you, don't you?" Irvine said sharply in disgust, wiping away the venom on her face in a flash and drawing a shocked cry from her, a muttered curse from Squall. He pressed down on Squall's shoulder, stopping him from rising, mildly surprised that Squall subsided and let him continue. "Do you think a fuck will make everything better?"

"No!" she said, flushing brightly, Angelo squirming in her arms as she squeezed him tighter. But the outrage on her face looked too forced - there was guilt behind it. He smiled condescendingly at her, knowing it was cruel but unwilling to pull punches with her anymore. Not after she'd put that look on Squall's face…

"You spied in his head, didn't you? Up there, in the cockpit with Selphie - and last night when we made love - and it made you jealous… you want what we have," he continued, not giving either of the other two a chance to break in. Rinoa flinched at every word, her face paling, her lips trembling and he felt Squall growing tenser under his hand. "But you can't have it, Rinoa. He's ours. You made your choice - you chose Seifer, girl, and you'll damn well just have to wait for him."

"Irvine," Squall murmured, a sidelong gaze fixing on him from beneath a seal-sleek fall of bangs.

"Don't," he snapped back at Squall, not taking his own attention away from Rinoa. She was shifting uncomfortably now, her face still flaming. "She has to get this into her head, Squall. Even if she's got an in to your head, she's got no right to you. You're ours. An' if Seffie was down here right now she'd tell you the exact same thing. We ain't givin' you up."

Quezacotl sang encouragingly in the depths of his mind, distracting him from his outburst even as he saw tears well again in Rinoa's eyes. She sniffled dramatically but stayed silent, her nose dripping, her eyes red-rimed, yet also managing to look offended and taken aback. Irvine glared at her, unmoved, but growing even more annoyed.

"Just yesterday," he snapped, "I remember talkin' to this scared girl who cried on my shoulder and told me how much she was afraid her powers would turn her into an Ultimecia or Adel… but I don't see you tryin' very hard to avoid that fate, Rinoa. Look what you did to me… to yourself." He let Squall's shoulder go to gesture at his own bleeding neck and chest, at her face. "What happened to your big speech about wantin' to get your Seifer back so bad you'd do anything to help him? Do you really think that includes a little hot sex on the side with one of us - because you're lonely and envious and think you're somehow entitled?"

Rinoa flinched and hid her face against Angelo's fur, curling her legs beneath her and retreating into a little ball of misery. The dog whined, squirming in her arms to try and lick her face, but she wouldn't let him.

"Enough, Irvine," Squall said quietly, his head bowed now, dark hair falling over his eyes. "This isn't just her fault…"

He rounded on Squall, jerking him around so he could glare down at him. Stared into sliver-gray depths shiny with a grim kind of guilt that fanned his outrage and concern, making his voice sharper than he wanted. "Don't give me that duty crap any more, Squall! She can't keep…"

"Shut up! Oh, gods, just shut up!" Rinoa shouted suddenly, breaking him off mid-rant. Her weepy-eyed glare bounced furiously between them both, shame and self-disgust mixed into it at last now too. "It was wrong… I'm sorry. I shouldn't have… Something wasn't what I thought… what I thought it was… it was Angelo… and just stop, please. I won't… It won't happen again… I'm sorry…"

Squall had frozen when he grabbed him, eyes going hooded and his face impassive, but Irvine could feel a tremor run through him now as Rinoa babbled. Guilt? Anger? Pain? Distaste? He sucked in a surprised breath, wondering a little desperately what was going through Squall's mind.

"I was too… worried to really… rest last night," Rinoa said quietly, not looking at either of them now. Irvine allowed the small untruth to pass unchallenged as he watched her try to gather the shreds of her composure. She took a deep, shaky breath. Let it out on a wavering shudder, clutching Angelo closer until Irvine was sure she was going to choke the poor dog to death. Angelo just whined and licked her cheek. "I'm really tired. I need to stop… I need to sleep, I think. Can you… can someone put a Sleep spell on me until we get to Esthar?"

Irvine shifted his attention to Squall, waiting to follow his lead, but Squall stayed strangely silent. "Yeah, I'll do it for you," Irvine said at last, still watching him closely; the tension building in his lover was starting to alarm him.

But his reluctant offer got a reaction. Squall rose to his feet with a jerk, belts jangling around his waist, eyes downcast.

"No. I will. Come on, Rinoa."

He offered her a hand up. She stared at his extended hand for a heartbeat before reaching up to take it. She trembled a bit when her hand touched his gloved one, her eyes widening slightly and her gaze darting toward Irvine before dropping down to the floor as another flush rushed over her face.

"Sorry," she murmured again as she let Squall pull her up. Angelo danced eagerly beside her, watching her intently, his whole butt wagging furiously in his pleasure because he had only a stub of a tail. Rinoa pulled her hand away from Squall's almost immediately, dropping it down to rub it over Angelo's ears instead as she pushed by Irvine to reach her cabin.

Squall followed her, avoiding Irvine's questioning gaze. It was only when Rinoa and Angelo had disappeared inside her cabin, Squall right on their heels, that Irvine realized he still had Exeter in his other hand. He let out a gusting breath, then, after a brief moment of struggle with himself until he could find the proper focus, he junctioned the rifle again, afterwards lifting both hands to scrub them over his face before he followed the other two into the cabin.

He didn't quite trust Rinoa to keep to her word. Yet. But when he walked inside it was to find Rinoa already laid out on the berth, Angelo stretched out beside her between her and the door, his head laid out on crossed front paws, dark gaze shifting alertly between his mistress and the two men, well aware of the tension in the room.

"You have to lower any status defense junctions," Squall instructed her flatly and she nodded once, taking a deep breath and closing her eyes while she laid one hand on her stomach and wound the other in Angelo's fur.

Squall touched three fingers to his own forehead, frowned slightly and gestured with that hand toward Rinoa as if pushing something away from himself. A sparkling shower of golden star-shaped light rained over her body and she went slack in the grip of the spell. Instantly and dreamlessly asleep. Then Squall repeated the gesture, but this time Irvine recognized the color and wash of magical light as that of a Cure spell, it's power erasing her tiny self-inflicted wounds as if they had never been. Angelo watched them somberly from his protective position as they silently backed out of the cabin. Squall keyed the door shut behind him and once it closed, sagged against it for an instant, the weary look back on his face, his gray eyes sliding shut beneath a faint frown.

"Is she gonna stay out?" Irvine asked quietly, worried by Squall's expression.

"Yes," Squall said after a moment of concentration and a slight deepening of the frown. "She was serious about being tired. And confused."

"What was this all about?" Irvine asked after a moment spent watching Squall breathe.

"She needs… an anchor. That's what a Knight is, really. And I… can't be that… for her." Squall kept his eyes closed, faint lines forming between his brows. And that failure, Irvine knew, was eating at him. It was honest love Rinoa needed, Irvine realized suddenly, thinking of Matron and Cid and all the sickeningly romantic stories of sorceresses and knights of the past. And then of Adel of Esthar who had scorned taking a Knight and run roughshod over Esthar and her people for the lack. Love. It was Hyne's one fool-proof binding on a sorceress' power.

But Squall didn't love Rinoa and she didn't love him. She loved Seifer. Who claimed to be Knight to another sorceress - Ultimecia. Their enemy. Diablos laughed deep in his mind. Irvine shivered suddenly.

The gray eyes opened at his motion, and Squall's gaze skimmed over his chest, pausing to linger at each visible scratch. There was a weary kind of resigned pain there that tore at his heart. "She hurt you."

"I'm okay," Irvine said softly, reaching out a hand and running a gentle thumb over the frown-puckered scar between Squall's brows. He caught Squall's wrist as his hand lifted again toward his own forehead. "Save it. I have a Potion…"

A gaze gone silvery-molten locked on his. "Let me."

He released Squall's hand, allowing it to complete the physical motion Squall used to trigger the mental discipline of spellcasting. He leaned in closer as blue-bright magic swirled up his body, tingling and soothing, his mouth finding Squall's even as Squall moved toward him, an arm sliding around him hard beneath his duster.

The lingering sting of the deeper scratches Rinoa had given him vanished. And it was a good thing, because Squall's hand was spread wide across the same place, tight against his back, pressing their bodies together hard as their mouths devoured each other. Slick, warm, open. He tasted heat and need from Squall, and longing. Met it with his own, tinted with gentle concern. Squall felt so good in his arms, taut and straining against him, but he sensed a hint of demand in the embrace that hadn't quite been there before. As if declaring him 'his' to Rinoa had weakened some inner wall. It was good. Better than good.

But it was still Squall who broke away after several minutes, face flushed, eyes heavy. Irvine kept his arms looped around Squall's lean hips, not letting him pull completely away. He didn't fight it. "She's okay?" Squall asked a little breathlessly, eyes flickering toward his warily.

"Who…?" The question dragged his mind back a little way from the realm of hazy pleasure it was eagerly trying to retreat to. Squall was getting to be quite the kisser.

"Selphie, of course," Squall said sharply. Irvine grinned a small smug grin, amused. So much for rampaging Sorceress hormones…

"Yeah, she is. But you should know - you let her grope you on the bridge."

Squall frowned, the move looking almost like a pout with his lips slightly swollen from that frantic kiss. "She can't make a habit of that."

Irvine laughed outright then, leaning forward and rubbing his forehead against Squall's, unconcerned when it knocked his hat askew.

"Relax, Squall, nobody here cares about us three bein' together but Rinoa. And Selphie knows better than to do that to you anywhere but in front of the Orphanage Gang. Trust her," he said, sobering now, and trying to will Squall to believe him. "Trust me."

The silver-gray gaze leveled on him. "I…" Squall gritted his teeth. Looked desperately as if he wanted to say more, but just couldn't. Yet. His gaze dropped for a moment, went shuttered. Then he shifted a hand up and clenched it in Irvine's collar, yanked his head down and kissed him again instead. Hot and deep and urgent.

Wordless communication. Irvine was okay with that too.

For now.

- - to be continued - -