Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Silken Serenity ❯ Chapter V ( Chapter 5 )

Chapter V

`My decision? Was it really mine? How come she made it out then and I didn't? My decision?'

I was wondering that as well.

`Ellone! How did you...?'

Squall... Edea has control of time magic now. My powers are nearly gone. She's feeding off them, and I can't wake up. I can't stop her, but... I'm glad.

`Your powers... You always hated them, didn't you?'

Yes, they're why Raine died alone. They're why you didn't grow up with a father.

`What do you mean?'

Listen Squall. Edea is going to open that box once and for all. This is it. There's nothing left. You -are- Hope, so it's in your power to stop this.

`What do you mean?'

Squall... I'm sorry. I looked back at you, and I know. I know about those weird occurrences... When you were injured by memories... You are part of time now.

`That's not true... I'm human. Even if I'm destined to be here, or if I'm trapped here by a fluke... even if it's forever, I'm human.'

You can never come back here, Squall. You are about to go back to the real world now. If Edea destroys you, time will end, and Hyne will awaken. There will be nothing.

`Why should I care?'

I can't make you care. But you can't come back to this place, and you can't let Edea kill you. Those two things... please listen to me. If Rinoa came back and you didn't, I think it was her decision. Edea said it was yours... But...

`But... It was.'

What?

`I can't explain. Go on.'

Squall...

`Please.'

In the end... it ultimately is your decision.... "who" that is. I'm sorry, Squall, I'm too weak. Don't die.

He saw the landscape begin to tear and distort, and he knew that someone was opening the box for good.

~*~

Seifer and Rinoa shielded their eyes as light came bursting out of the box. The air around them began to sag and rip. Reality seemed to warp. The intensity of the light was terrible, so much so that even without looking at it, it pained them. A powerful wind began to blow, knocking everyone off his or her feet. The light instantly disappeared, though the chaos surrounding them did not.

Rinoa could hear Edea laughing. 'It's my chance,' she thought, trying futilely to absorb the time magic before Edea could.

"Insolent girl!" Edea raised her hand and cast a cascade of Sleeps on Rinoa. Rinoa tried to fight back the overwhelming exhaustion. She tried to sit up, but it was to no avail. The turbulence began to take form. It combined into a funnel. Edea spread her arms out, and the funnel of magic began to sink into her.

Dammit! Rinoa cried, casting Esuna on herself before it was too late. She stumbled to her feet and tried to summon Shiva. Shiva burst forth from her icy coffin and flew at Edea. Rinoa saw her mistake too late. As Shiva neared the time magic, she started to be pulled in. The GF struggled, trying to pull away, but as she did so, she began to loose form, her body becoming watery as it was sucked into the funnel.

"Time magic is the most powerful magic of all. It is where Hyne resides. He has been there for so long, ever since the humans banished him. But he is Time, and he has become stronger. It will be simple to release him."

"Why!?" cried Selphie.

It sounded almost as though Edea sighed. "I'm afraid that you won't be alive long enough to know exactly why. Just know this... since the Hyne was banished, sorceresses have been hunted down and persecuted, suffering terribly. Though they were humans, they were still slaughtered mercilessly... Look at your own Rinoa.

"Hyne sought to destroy humans... His reasoning may be beyond you, but it was the right decision. Now Hyne will start over. Only his persecuted children, the sorceresses, will survive to see the new world."

Selphie shook her head. "No..."

Rinoa sat down again, hard. 'If I try to use my magic or GFs, she'll absorb them. She'll absorb me...'

Just then, she noticed something. She looked over and saw Seifer had noticed as well. Squall stumbled out of the swirling cascade of magic.

He looked up and met Seifer's eyes. His mouth opened, but Rinoa couldn't hear what he said. Seifer, however, nodded and ran forward. The Time magic faded as Edea absorbed the last of it.

"Seifer! No!" shouted Quistis.

Edea's turned to see the disturbance. "Failed knight, this will be the last time you defy me."

Seifer raised his gunblade and deftly twisted around as Edea shot off a Demi. His blade fell short, though, as she immediately attacked with a Firaga. Several feathers fell to the ground. Edea winced and touched the wounded wing.

"Seifer! Get back!" shouted Rinoa.

"Rinoa."

She turned. There he was, looking at her with that same uncertain gaze that he had worn at their first meeting. There was something childish about the look, though when she met his eyes, she saw the aged milky glaze.

"Squall... You're blind?"

"That's not important right now. Rinoa, do you remember when we fought Ultimecia before? She junctioned herself to Griever."

"I know...."

"Please... junction me."

"What?"

"Time is inside me...as much as it is inside of Edea. Seifer will help you, but you must do this. I cannot wield this power alone... Together... this last time."

"Last time? What do you mean?"

"Hurry!"

Rinoa shook her head, unable to process this request. She was dimly aware that the others had surrounded her.

"Rinoa," Laguna said gently, "if you can do this... You have to. It takes more magic than any of the rest of us has to junction another person to them. You have a part of Ultimecia's power. You can do it!"

"Yeah, you can do it, Rinoa!" Selphie chimed in.

"Please try," Squall said softly.

Rinoa nodded slowly, closing her eyes. She could feel the place where Shiva had been. She could feel Siren still there, resting silently. The GF made no sound. It had no heartbeat or breath. It was perfectly still inside her, yet there was a tension about it, as though it was not sleeping but waiting restlessly. She reached out with her mind. She could hear the array of heart beats around her, feel their breaths as though a soft breeze were pushing her from all around. She searched for Squall's. When she junctioned a GF, she simply called out to it, and it came. It was only a matter of asking it to join her, and it did so. It wasn't alive, though. It was simply a spirit. Ultimecia junctioned herself to Griever, which was spectacular in itself, but Griever was still just a GF. He wasn't a living thing.

"I can't! He's not a GF."

"You have to. Just call to me. I'll come. Think of that place, and I'll be there."

"Is that a promise?"

Squall nodded. Rinoa closed her eyes again. She swallowed the lump in her throat and searched for that place in her memories, remembering a warm day when she thought the world was going to end, and she had looked over a field of millions of flowers. The wind had gently pushed them back and forth, as though it would soon rain. The breeze had made it hard to talk, so she hadn't understood him the first time he'd said it.

I promise.

"Squall…"

She felt his presence as though he had laid his hand on her, and yet the feeling was too general to be a simple touch of the hand.

"Why not the first time? I thought of you. I promise I did…" Tears sprung to her eyes.

`It wasn't your fault. I thought of you, too. I kept remembering you. I did it for so long… I began to forget. The more I tried, the more I forgot. I don't know why… But… It was me."

Rinoa was silent. She had blamed herself for so long, knowing that it must be her fault, and yet… When she had awoken, she was in the field of flowers alone. She had found their place in the right time, but he had not come. She had struggled with the thought, thinking, `I made it back, so he must have thought of me…' but every time she thought such, she remembered waking up alone in that place of promise.

"It was you?" she asked shakily. "Why?"

"I'm sorry… but… I can't remember. I was trapped there for so long… Now it's a part of me. I think it absorbed my memories. I couldn't remember where I was going. I'm sorry I failed you, but this time, I won't. I know that no matter what, you'll live, because you're a sorceress, but…

"I didn't think I wanted to save this. I wanted to just let things happened. But whenever bad things happened to me, I saw you. You sent them to me… So I want to give you this… to apologize for not being there, because I wanted to be… but I couldn't. I'm sorry."

His voice faded as his presence filled her. She opened her eyes, and he had disappeared. The others stood around her, ready to attack. She could see Seifer attempting to call Eden against the sorceress. Beside her, Zell summoned the Brothers just as Quistis cast a triple Ultima. She readied herself to call upon Squall.

Edea was building up another shield, using the time magic. Eden, the brothers and the Ultimas were absorbed. The only thing that seemed to be having any effect was Seifer's limit break attacks. Irvine joined in with his own, as Quistis attacked with a degenerator.

Rinoa readied herself and called out to Squall. She was expecting some material form to burst forth, instead a formless light began to pour from her, filling the room with a heavy presence. It pressed through the room like gelatinous waves.

Edea's shield ruptured with a sound like broken glass. The time magic began to twist and rip from her body, merging with the summon. Rinoa fell to her knees as the light continued to leave her body. She felt her powers receding-they were leaving with the magic. She knew that her own magic, the GFs she had equipped, and Squall would all leave her body when this was over.

Her friends continued to attack, though light continued to absorb the magic and GF attacks. She could hear the Sorceress crying out. For a moment, she tried to pull the light back in, knowing that though Edea was innocent, her body would be destroyed, but the magic was too powerful. It was no longer her power-- she belonged to it.

She slid down to the floor, too weak to even sit up, and watched the others. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Seifer get up and begin to approach Edea.

`What is he doing?'

He began to charge. He lifted his gunblade above his head and thrust it into Edea's body where the time magic was channeling. Rinoa heard someone scream his name. She tried to call out to him as well, to warn him to get away. Edea's body was fading, becoming absorbed into Time, along with the Sorceress's soul inside her. If Seifer stayed there, he too would be absorbed.

Edea twisted, trying to escape from the blade and the consequences of Time, but Seifer held her to the spot.

"Squall," Rinoa managed to whisper. The suddenly peaked in intensity. The room was filled with thick, sluggish white light and swirling, gray vortex-like clouds. She could see nothing, and she knew that her body was empty of everything, including Squall.

She felt hands on her shoulders. Someone was helping her to sit up.

"Are you okay?" It was Laguna.

She nodded weakly. The light and the clouds were swirling faster now. They twisted around the room in a large circle, becoming more condensed each second. Then suddenly they disappeared. The room seemed to lurch, as though an invisible earthquake had been cast, and then there was silence.

Squall was standing over Seifer. He seemed to be saying something to him. Seifer nodded and closed his eyes; it appeared that he was smiling. Raijin and Fujin were shouting and running towards the two. They pushed Squall out of the way, or rather, pushed through him.

Laguna helped Rinoa to her feet. She stumbled forward, trying to reach the small gathering around Seifer. Fujin was shaking her head vehemently. From across the room, she thought Quistis might have been wiping her eyes. She pressed forward the last few feet and fell before Squall.

His mouth was moving, but the words seemed to be static-only coming out at intervals.

"He…this time…"

Rinoa reached out, brushing the cloth of his pants. It seemed solid enough.

"Squall?"

He looked down at her for a moment. Then he closed his eyes and let his head drop back.

"…owe…explanation."

She thought maybe her eyes were playing tricks on her. His leg was solid, real, beneath her hand, but his face seemed to be fading in and out.

"…can't stay…don't look there…"

"Squall, I don't understand."

He looked back down at her; his eyes were filled with deep regret "..tell you."

"Squall…"

"Rinoa, this…gift…you…Can't give…I…Time…."

"A gift? Squall, what do you mean? What about Time?"

"Time…my memories…part of….but even though….there….I can still….you…."

Rinoa shook her head in frustration. "What are you trying to say to me?"

"This is…my gift…to you."

"Squall!" Quistis cried. Rinoa realized the others were standing just behind her. "Where are you going?"

Squall paused, his form flickering more intensely. "Everywhere." For a few moments, he studied the group around him. Finally, his eyes fell on Laguna. He nodded slowly.

Then he turned back to Rinoa and smiled, his body obviously less material now. It was the first time she'd ever seen him smile. He seemed to be putting a concerted effort into speaking.

"I am part of Time now. I'll be everywhere, so no matter where you go… I'll be there. Everyone returns to Time, so someday we'll see each other again. This world is my penance… My gift to you, Rinoa. You'll see me soon enough."

With one last bittersweet smile, he faded completely. Rinoa stared at the empty space, dimly aware of Fujin sobbing beside her.

~*~

Fujin walked up the beach to the grassy bluff overlooking the ocean by Balamb. One of the two women already perched there gave her a small wave. She approached them and nodded.

"How's the water?" asked Ellone.

"GOOD."

"Zell's got quite a sunburn," remarked Rinoa.

Fujin nodded, seeming distracted. "SERIOUS TALK."

"Okay," said Ellone, looking inquisitive. Fujin sat down beside them and sighed. She tore out a piece of grass and twirled it between her fingers, watching the clouds pass for several minutes before speaking.

"It's funny."

"What is?"

"How two means come to one end." She looked over at Rinoa and Ellone who shared equal looks of puzzlement. "All his life Seifer wanted to be the hero. He wanted to go down in a blaze of glory that no one would ever forget. That was enough for him." She paused again and dropped the grass. "Squall... He wanted to hide. He, too, was afraid of being forgotten. Yet, there was nothing he really wanted. He didn't desire the truth about his past, the glory of being a SeeD, saving the world, any of those things... He desired Rinoa.

"I don't know what happened to him during Time, but I understand what happened to him afterwards. I think that he didn't forget. I'm not saying you did, Rinoa, but I know he didn't. I'm not sure why he didn't go to you. I think Edea or Ultimecia or whoever that sorceress really was had something to do with it... But... It wasn't for lack of wanting that he was trapped.

"He wanted to hide from everyone, but he didn't want to be forgotten. That's why, I think, he came with us. He wanted to see Rinoa again and know that she didn't forget him. That she wouldn't. And I know you won't, just like I won't forget Seifer. Squall is Time now. He doesn't exist anymore, but somewhere out there, his memories are still alive, and they are of you, Rinoa."

Fujin took a deep breath and stood. "ENOUGH. SWIM. NOW." She walked back down to the surf where Raijin was bending over, trying to grab a large plastic ball. With a swift kick, she sent him tumbling into the water. Ellone giggled. Rinoa smiled as Zell tried to dunk Fujin, but was also sent tumbling into the ocean.

"Here we are--two normal girls, no powers. Edea was destroyed and Ultimecia with her. You were the last sorceress, and you, too, were stripped of your powers. There are no more sorceresses in the world, which means that there may never be an Ultimecia. We may have changed everything--the past and the future--unknowingly. We could blink right now and this world would be forgotten." Ellone chuckled to herself. "Well, while it still lasts, what do you want to do?"

"I think," said Rinoa quietly, "I think I wanna fall in love."

Ellone smiled at her quizzically then shook her head. "That sounds good. As for me, I'm going to go take a dip. Join us soon, okay?" Ellone stood and trotted down to the beach to join the others.

Rinoa sighed and leaned back, closing her eyes. The warm, earthy breeze wafted over her, tugging at her hair and filling her senses. She stared at the clouds moving slowly overhead and smiled. She felt more than heard footsteps approaching her.

Rinoa turned.

~*~

That's it! I'm not going to say anything about it, because I don't want to spoil it. Sorry if it was confusing at all. I hope it fulfilled your expectations.

Final Fantasy VIII is copyright Squaresoft. I make no claims on the brainchild of Hironobu Sakaguchi. However, as I wrote this fic, I do have some say. If you want to use it on your site, please ask me first!