Chapter 20 - Last Sight.

In the back corner of the train sat a lady wearing a dirty brown shawl. Her head was covered by it and her body in a lumpy shapeless brown dress. The passengers of the train ignored her as she sat by herself in the shadows, leaning against the wall. The train to Deling went over a bump and jarred Rinoa from her sleep. She awoke and looked down at the filthy floor of the public train. She felt Alexandra pulling the shawl up to cover her head better.

"Why are we going to Deling City?" Rinoa asked.

Alex was silent.

"I might be more cooperative, Alexandra, if you would tell me what we are doing."

Rinoa felt the bitter silence cutting into her. The sorceress, Deling, it was all some sort of horrible plan. The realization did hit her finally that she was going to Deling City, where Ultimecia's base was. It was really too much of a coincidence. The sorceresses were in love with Deling.

"Rinoa," Alex said whimsically. "Do you believe in fate?"

Rinoa was silent. "I don't want to talk about Squall."

Alexandra laughed a little. "I wasn't talking about Squall. Anyway, he doesn't love you Rinoa, he loves me more. You've finally realized that. This is just lovely. Everything is turning out the way I wanted it."

Rinoa felt her fury building up inside her. "Why do you hate me so? Alexandra? Why are you so determined to ruin my life?"

Alexandra stopped laughing. There was a moment of silence. When she spoke next it was in a silent tone of sorrow. "What is hate, Rinoa? Hate is when you love someone who refuses to love you back."

"I don't understand," Rinoa said.

"It doesn't matter. I didn't expect you to. Don't worry about your life Rinoa, soon you won't be here to see me living your life. My powers are building, it is the time of passage."

"Time of passage?"

Alex laughed again. You'll see. You'll see everything in due time. It will be the last sight you ever see.

The train stopped and the bag lady in the corner stepped out into the streets of Deling. Rinoa felt such profound sadness then as she saw the familiar nighttime lights of her hometown. She was once a child who had looked upon these same streets believing that she would grow up to fall in perfect love with the dark stranger who placed his eyes on her. What an idealistic fool she was. In the real world there is no perfect love, no complete understanding, no one to truly hear these words that you speak on the stage on your own. There is just last night after last night, of giving the love that can never be returned.

Rinoa stood there without tears in her eyes. What does it mean to feel the most profound sadness of your lifetime, and not have the eyes to weep through? Her face smiled, Alexandra was happy.

"We are almost there, Rinoa."

Deling sat in his office surveying the last of Patricia's reports. The phone rang and Deling picked it up. The dim light of his reading lamp flickered.

"Hello?"

"President Deling, this is Patricia, operation Doom is under way."

Deling rubbed his temples. "You spoke with Gains? He's going to lead his Garden against the other one? Are you sure? Wallace's death really cost us. Failure is not an option."

Patricia crackled her witch like laugh. "Gains is an idiot. He'll do whatever I tell him with a little manipulation. Don't worry, Garden won't live to see the next sunrise."

Deling nodded. "As soon as the two Gardens convene, I want you to drop all the bombs in your inventory on them. I don't care how many civilians die. I want the Balamb meadows burnt to such a crisp that all the bugs twenty feet into the ground will be burnt to ash. Wallace was a fool. He refused to use missiles on those terrorists. I think I can trust you not to let your emotions get in the way of your duties, Patricia."

Patricia agreed with complete assent.

"Make sure not one of them survives, Patricia. I want that malignant cancer called SeeD eliminated from our world once and for all."

Deling hung up the phone. He sat back and sighed. He lite a cigar and took a deep breath. The end of Garden. It was truly going to be a wonderful world.

"Watch it!" A man yelled as he shoved the pauper aside.

A lady nearby walked up to Caraway who was eating at a nearby cafe.

"Mr Caraway, I think that panhandler is making trouble for the shoppers here. Maybe you can remove him from this public place."

Caraway grunted. He glanced at the old women who looked at least ninety. If it had been anyone younger he would have told them that he was a general not a parasite exterminator. However, he decided to help the senile women out.

Caraway paid for his meal and walked up to the pauper who was standing by himself in a corner.

"Would you come with me please?" Caraway asked. "You are disturbing the shoppers here. Let me take you to a shelter."

There was no reply. Caraway frowned, beginning to regret his act of charity. He reached over and grabbed the man's arm but in the process disturbed the shawl which covered his head. Caraway felt his heart leap to his throat.

Rinoa.

It couldn't be. He was hallucinating.

There she was, her raven black hair a horrible tangle on top of her head. Her eyes glowed yellow as she looked up at him, her glare ferocious. Around her cheeks he could see blue veins forming a vine like design. It was the sorceress, the sorceress inside his baby girl.

Caraway glanced around. Where was that imbecile Leonhart? Without another word Caraway reached over and pulled the shawl over her head again. He placed his arm around her waist and quickly began walking in the direction of his limo, as fast as he could without attracting attention.

"Please don't hurt him," Rinoa begged Alexandra as Caraway helped her into the limo. Alexandra scooted over and Caraway sat down on the black leather seating beside her.

"To the mansions, now!" he ordered the driver.

To Rinoa's surprise, her arm twitched suddenly. She did it again. Her arm moved across her lap. As the limo started up, Rinoa found that she could move her leg forward and back. Her face, her lips, eyes, they were moving again, reflecting her emotions instead of those of Alexandra's. She felt Alexandra withdraw to a small place inside of her.

"Talk to your father, Rinoa," Alexandra whispered. "Tell him that you love him. It might be the last time you will see him."

Rinoa did not reply. No she thought, I will not give you that satisfaction.

Alexandra chuckled. "This is your last chance Rinoa."

Rinoa watched as Caraway turned towards her. Her old father seemed to have gotten a lot older since the last time she saw him. It was hard to hate him now, so hard. He was watching her with a mixture of confusion and worry. She sat there rigidly, knowing that he was probably wondering why those blue veins were retreating from her cheeks, why her eyes were brown again, not yellow.

"Can you hear me Rinoa?" he asked her.

She did not reply.

He sighed. "This is all my fault. I didn't take care of you. What would your mother say if she saw you now? You have every right to hate me. I was never a good father."

There was absolute silence until the limo finally stopped, behind the Caraway mansion. Rinoa had passed the time flexing her hand and allowing her eyes to warm with tears. It was a wonderful feeling, to be able to cry. One does not realize what a relief tears bring until one loses the ability to shed tears. She flexed her hand once more, watching those long fingers curl up at her command. They were hers again, these bloody sorceress's hands.

Her father looked over at her. She closed her large almond shaped eyes and allow the bitter tears to flow down her cheeks. Somehow she never though that this was the way it was going to end. That she would be so sad, at the last sight of him.

"Hurry Rinoa," Alex said.

Rinoa opened her eyes and looked over him. He was watching her, at the tears in her eyes, at her hands which were wringing each other in her lap, her long bruised legs which were peaking out from underneath the rags, her shoes were worn from travel, her necklace encrusted with dirt. She wiped away the tears on her cheeks, with the backs of her hands.

It was then when she suddenly realized that she had lost control of her left hand. It was reaching over to the handle of the door. She couldn't stop it from moving. Her legs were gone as well. She turned her neck toward her father one last time. Her last sight of him. Suddenly he didn't look so evil. He looked sad. Like the father she used to know. The unmoving oak tree that spread its branches over her, protecting her from the rain. He couldn't protect her now although she knew that he wanted to.

Her neck turned around. It was Alexandra's body again. The door opened, one of her legs stepped out. No, she would not leave him this way. She was more desperate now than she had ever been. She concentrated all of her effort into moving her face. With the last of her strength she suddenly jerked her neck around.

"Daddy, I forgive you."

That was all she could say before she disappeared into Alexandra. Alexandra got up from that seat then and began to run away from the parked limo. Her father did not come after her. As her body ran from Caraway's mansion, toward the Presidential Mansion nearby, Alex said to her, gently., "don't cry, Rinoa."

"Shari!" Deling said, gently scolding his daughter as he walked into his daughter's magnificent bedroom.

"No no no! How many times do I have to tell you sweetheart? No raccoons in bed!"

Deling walked over to his tiny blond chubby faced daughter. He sat down on the soft silk blankets of her bed and reached over to take her raccoon from underneath her covers.

"But daddy!" She said as she reluctantly handed the animal over. "He doesn't like his cage, it's cold in there. He's good. He won't poo-poo in my bed."

Deling shook his head as he placed his hands over the soft belly of the struggling raccoon. He bent over and placed the raccoon in his cage and walked back over to his tiny daughter who was pouting miserably.

He laughed, leaned over and kissed her.

"Go to bed Shari, Daddy loves you."

As Deling walked back to his office he felt strange, threatened, almost as though he was being watched. It was stupid. There were guards galore outside of the presidential mansion. Who can get it? Not even the tiniest mouse can sneak past those men.

"No one is watching me," he reassured himself as he closed the door to his office. He stood at the large window which covered two walls of his office. Standing there he could see Deling City in its entirety. His Deling City. What a magnificent sight. This was the rainbow city, where magnificent lights and architecture graced the streets. A meeting of the modern and the ancient. Esthar might be the more advanced but Deling would forever be the most beautiful.

It was for this city that he schemed and plotted against Garden. For the safety of the inhabitants of this city. For the safety of his daughter. He smiled then, faintly. Tomorrow afternoon, for the price of a thousand lives, he would have all of that. He would go down in history as the most magnificent ruler of all time. The most sympathetic, the most loved, the most lionhearted. The one that destroyed the band of terrorists which cruelly snatched orphans from cradles to be made into heartless soldiers.

For the good of the future, I apologize to all those that will die on that grassy field tomorrow afternoon. I am sincerely sorry but there is no other way.

It was then when he heard clapping. A single person clapping, from behind him. Deling turned around and gasped. It was the sorceress, the Sorceress Rinoa. She stood there, dressed entirely in black, a skin tight velvet dress that flared out at her ankles. Her black hair was above her head in an intricate design of pearl and jewel. Her sleeves were large and they went down to her waist as she lifter her hands to clap.

A wicked smile was on her face, a yellow tint in here eye. She looked like a giant spider that had crept into his bed.

Deling stared at her in utter shook.

"An impressive speech, Deling" she said, "I've almost begun to feel sorry for you. Almost."

"Who are you?" he asked, choking on his words.

"The one you've been waiting for, William," she said softly, gently, like a mother cooing a child. "Well, I've come, finally. I've come to kill you."

"Ultimecia?" he asked, perplexed.

"No, Alexandra.

She smiled showing him her glittering teeth. It reminded him of the fangs of a vampire.

"It's time for you to die, Deling, just like your brother."

Deling suddenly began to hyperventilate."No, it can't be true. No, you are dead. You can't be here." Deling was studdering at complete loss for words. He felt like his knees were about to buckle underneath him. No it wasn't supposed to happen this way. It wasn't part of the plan. Why didn't Leonhart take her to Esthar?

Outside the room, a tiny hand knocked on the great oak door of Deling's office.

"Daddy? Daddy, I'm scared, there's something under my bed. Can I sleep with you?"Shari's voice came high and shrill as she begged her father to open the door.

Deling looked over at Alexandra. "Don't hurt her," he begged. Alexandra smirked, her purple lips curling up into an expression more frightening than anger.

"Shari, pretty Shari." She whispered whimsically.

"Don't!" Deling ordered her.

Alexandra stepped forward and grabbed Deling by his neck. She held him close forcing him to stare into her yellow eyes. She kissed him gently on his oily wrinkled forehead.

"You care so much Deling, it makes you all the more beautiful in my eyes." He was crying, tears flowing from his eyes, down the rough terrain of his cheek. He felt the sorceress against him her smooth skin felt like the scaly hid of a snake. She stroked his balding head with one clawed hand. Her nails were black, like the talons of a vulture. She was giant lizard that had crawled up his leg. The scorpion that was standing upon his neck.

Her fingers tightened around his neck.

"So good and yet so evil. So deliciously evil." She massages his neck with her left hand. Her yellow eyes holding his in one spellbinding trance. He couldn't look away. In her eyes he saw his life before him. He saw his brother, Julia, Shari all in one tiny black hole. She drew back suddenly. Her eyes widened. She looked very young then, very innocent. Her mouth was absolutely serious now as she said her final words to him.

"It's not too late for one last sight."

Deling understood. He turned his head toward the window where he allow the bright lights of Deling enter his eye, one final time. And watching, he died with his eyes open as Alexandra broke his neck. It happened so suddenly he did not feel the pain. All he could do was stare at his empire and know.

It was the most beautiful sight he had ever seen.

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Author's note: "it's not too late for one last sight" that's pretty much what the entire chapter was based on. A couple of weeks back I read this poem on Lot's Wife, I forgot who wrote it. Some Russian poet, I believe. In the translate there was the phrase "it's not too late for one last sight." You see Lot was ordered by God to leave his hometown and to go forth and never look back. However, his wife looked back and for that one sight gave up her life. So of course, in this chapter, as Deling takes that one last look, he gives up his life. I'm sorry, I was madly in love with that phrase for weeks. For what sight would you give up your life?

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Chapter 21 -Eye of the Storm

(a.k.a., a record of my conversation in the chat room Balamb Garden at 5:15 in the morning. Lol my buddy Seifer really helped me out with this one. Hehehe all that stuff about Squall and Seifer sleeping together was priceless and that anti Rinoa spray that Seifer peed in! Hahahaa, I'm still laughing. Well I guess you all know now where my inspiration comes from now (j/k).)

"Hot dogs!!!" Zell yelled as he ran into the dormitory holding a tray piled high with is favorite food. He ran into the room where all his friends were gathered. They were sitting around the table in the living room of one of the vacant joint rooms. They had met here secretly for the sake of privacy. Squall was sitting there, against the wall. His right hand was wrapped in a bandage, he had that hand pressed against his head as though he was suffering from a headache. Quistis sat beside him, she had looked up as Zell came running in. Selphie was across from Squall, her tight yellow dress as bright as the sun as she giggled at Zell's sudden burst of enthusiasm. Irvine meanwhile, was beside Selphie, his face locked in a look of friendly mockery. The last person was Fifi, who was sitting at the end of the table. She had gotten up, as Zell came in, to bring him an extra chair.

"Sit down here, Zell" she ordered with a smile, tossing a pigtail behind her back. Zell thought she was the most lovely girl he had ever seen, well maybe it was a tie between her and Rinoa. She so cute and tiny, with her shiny brown hair and pudgy nose. Now she patted the seat next to her in loving affection, waiting for him to sit down.

Zell brought the hot dogs over and placed them on the table.

"Take one, Squall, maybe it will make you less gloomy." Zell offered. He didn't ordinarily offer his hot dogs to anyone else but this was a special occasion.

Squall looked away and ignored him.

"That's everyone, right?" Irvine asked. "We are all here."

"Tch," Zell said as he began to devour his food. "So be that way, Squall. I see you haven't changed."

"We are all here," Quistis answered as she turned her attention from Zell back to Squall.

"Tell us what happened, Squall," Quistis said as gently as she could.

"Were you planning to start without me?" Someone asked from the doorway. The group turned around to see Seifer Almasy standing there. He walked in smiling as though this was the most natural thing in the world. He walked up to Squall and roughly patted him on the back.

"I want to be here when my buddy Squall tells everyone about the recent developments of his love life. I wouldn't miss it for the world, right Squall?"

"...Whatever."

Seifer laughed. "Go on, don't mind me, Squall. Tell us all about Rinoa. How is she? Does she still talk about that summer we spent together? She used to kiss me you know, did she do that thing with the tongue with you too?"

"Shut up Seifer," Quistis said. "I thought you were taking a nap."

Seifer shrugged. "When my buddy Squall wants to talk I'm going to be here to listen. Right Squall? Don't tell me you never told them about the good old days when we used to sneak porno magazines around and sniff glue. Now that you're a big ol' commander you forgot your old buddy Seifer?"

"Shut up!" Fifi said. "You are not helping Seifer."

Irvine looked up suddenly. "Porno mags? Did someone say porno mags? Where?"

Squall got up. "I'm leaving."

"Squall!" Quistis yelled.

Squall paused and watched her with a deep frown on his face. He looked truly malignant.

Quistis stood up and gestured to Seifer. "Ignore his childish antics, he has something he wants to tell you about the sorceress."

Squall turned his glaze over to Seifer. "What is it?"

Seifer just stood there smirking.

Squall turned to leave when Seifer suddenly spoke up.

"Alexandra isn't who you think she is."

Squall paused.

"She wants to take over the world. Her powers will peak soon. If we don't stop her, she will finish up where her mother left off."

"How do you know that?" Squall asked.

"Did she ever mention the number eight to you Squall? Sorceresses are fond of that number. On the eighth day of the eighth month, she will obliterate the world. Did she show you her power Squall? It's rather fierce. The world of the dead and the world of living, they will cross when her season of passage comes."

Squall turned around, "how do you suggest we get rid of her, Seifer?"

"Well, that is for you to figure out, Mr Leader." Seifer answered. "That is, if you are still interested in destroying her."

"What does that mean?" Squall asked in a malicious tone.

Seifer laughed. "Sorceresses have a way of manipulating their knights, Squall. How do we know we can trust you? How do we know you are not really her spy?"

"Shut up!" Quistis yelled. "Squall is not a spy, nor a knight. He is the leader of Garden, he will help us destroy the sorceress and rescue Rinoa, right Squall?"

Squall said nothing. Suddenly, Selphie spoke up.

"What about Maniac Athena? Do we still need that? As a last resort perhaps."

"What is it?" Squall asked quietly.

"A weapon for absorbing the power of the sorceress," Irvine answered. "It's very effective I heard except..."

"Except it will kill Rinoa if she has all of that power passing through her," Zell added. Squall frowned even more deeply. "That's not a last resort. That's not even a possibility. I won't have it. There is another way." Squall left the room in disgust.

Quistis got up and went after him. She found him at the end of the hallway, leaning against a wall, staring out the small circular window. "Squall, tell us, what do you know about the sorceress?"

Squall looked away and refused to meet her eye. "Not enough to help us in any way. She's young, immature and easy to anger. Rinoa . . Rinoa might not hold out much longer against her. I'm afraid of her, of the affect she has on me. Seifer is right. I might just be her knight."

"No," Quistis said. "I have faith in you Squall, you are strong. You won't give in to mind games. You are no one's puppet. I know that Rinoa will be okay in the end. We will save the world again."

Squall looked at her sadly. "Are you sure Quistis? Because I'm not." He turned away and sighed with such a profound sense of sadness that Quistis realized that he was being serious. He was not going to be of mush help to them in this battle, this time. She would have to deal with the sorceress alone, and maybe with Seifer. Quistis realized all this in a matter of seconds and so she changed the tone of her pleading with Squall.

Quistis nodded in understanding. "Squall. Let us take care of the sorceress. You need your rest. You can't fight her. Remember when Cid stepped down because he couldn't fight Edea? I think that is what you should do now. Leave this to us."

Squall contemplated her words for a moment. Finally he nodded. " It's true I'm too close to the problem to be of much help. I can't . .I can't meet with her, Alexandra. She has a way with messing around with my mind."

Quistis looked at him with sincere sympathy. "I'll bring Rinoa back to you Squall. Don't worry about this. We have a plan. It is better if we don't tell you, until it is over and Rinoa is safe."

Squall looked at her, his frown dissolving. "Alright then, I'll leave you in control Quistis." With that he turned around walked away.

But he looked back only once and said to her "please, remember she is evil. All those who defend her must be destroyed. No matter what else happens don't forget what I say to you now."

Quistis nodded, watching him leave. He looked sad, almost beaten, as though he had the weight of the world bearing down on him. She was wrong, she realized. He was only one man. He was no omnipotent god. He was just a boy who could not longer hold up against the torrent of misery that plagued his life. As she watched him disappear around the corner someone walked up to her from behind.

"Where's he going?"

Quistis turned around to find Seifer standing there.

"We are going to have to go against Alexandra alone, Seifer. Squall's not coming. He shouldn't. It can't be good for him to have to deal with fighting Rinoa."

Seifer nodded. "I see. I have something to show you Quistis. Don't tell the others. This is just between me and you."

Quistis gasped at what he showed her.

"No it can't be... it was you all along!"

Zell and Fifi were walking down the main hall of the Garden when they caught sight of Fujin and Raijin standing beside Seifer and Quistis.

Zell watched frowned as he saw Quistis actively engaging in a conversation with the three. What was with her, he wondered. Why was she eager to trust Seifer suddenly? Zell decided to ignore it. He turned to Fifi,

"I... um... don't... want... come... with... us, Fifi,... you... there... dangerous."

Fifi shook her head. "I . .I . .can't . .you . .leave."

Zell scratched his head. It was always so hard to form coherent sentences in front of her.

From behind, Raijin cam walking up to them.

"Seifer says that we are leaving in 300 hours. Hurry up and get your things."

"What?!" Zell asked angrily. "When did Seifer start giving orders around here?"

Raijin shrugged. "Ever since Squall decided he wasn't up to the job of being leader anymore." Raijin chuckled deeply from his broad chest. "That chicken wuss."

"No you idiot," Fifi said, "Zell is the chicken wuss, Squall is puberty boy or something. I guess they call Squall that because he's experimenting with his sexuality with Rinoa."

Raijin shrugged. "Oh well, I was close."

Seifer walked up to them with Quistis following quietly behind him.

"Hey, I didn't send you over to socialize. Let's get going."

Zell looked over at Quistis. "Since when did you two become buddies?"

"Hey, any friend of my buddy Squall is a friend of mine right instructor? Anyway I'm her favorite student. I used to ace all her tests."

Zell was even more irritated when Quistis did not object to Seifer's idiotic comments.

"I can't believe you Quistis!" Zell exclaimed.

"Hurry." Fujin said as she pointed to the car which had stopped in front of Balamb garden.

"Hey wait for us!" Irvine called from behind them. He and Selphie came running. They were fully prepared, their junctions ready and their weapons out.

Carbuncle wasn't in his hole however. He appeared to have taken a liking to sitting on Selphie's shoulder. The little animal was perching happily there where he muttered his name now and then.

"Carbuncle," he said and giggled happily. Well it was no mystery then, who Carbuncle was to be junctioned to.

Seifer turned to Quistis. "Do you still have Eden?" He asked her. She nodded.

"Give it to me," he said to her, quietly. To everyone's surprise she handed it over without another word. "Use some luvluvs, Seifer," she told him. "Eden only has a high affinity for Squall."

Seifer nodded "Instructor, I know everything about Gfs. Hmm what did I get on my GF test again?" he asked. "Oh yes I believe it was a perfect score, just like your second favorite student, Squall."

"Let's get going," Quistis said.

Irvine, Selphie, Zell all stared at her in surprise, unable to believe the sudden change in her disposition. Seifer and Quistis started to walk toward the entrance with Fujin and Raijin following closely.

Zell shook his head. "I think something has possessed Quistis," he said sadly.

Irvine shrugged. "Hey he is her age, come on, maybe she just has the hots for him. You know Squall and Rinoa are pretty close now. Maybe Quistis thinks she has a better chance with Seifer."

Selphie stuck her tongue out. "Ewwww. No Quisty won't go wonky on Seifer. Seifer is the bad guy remember."

"Hey," Irvine said, "she just handed Eden over to him. I would say that's some pretty wonky stuff."

Selphie turned around and started walking after Seifer's group. On her shoulder Carbuncle turned around and stuck his tongue out at Irvine.

"Hey do you really think Squall is hiding porno mags from us?" Irvine asked Zell and Fifi.

Fifi kicked him. "You pervert."

Zell nodded. "Yo if Squall was into that and sniffing glue it that would explain why he's such jerk all the time."

"Yeah yeah," Fifi said. "And I'm sure that Seifer's website really has nude pictures of Squall like he claims. Shut up you two and get going."

Selphie held the bread crumbs in her hand for Carbuncle to sort through. She giggled happily. "Hey I think he likes bread. Ooh! His tongue tickles! You guys should try it."

"Yeah," Seifer said from where he was sitting. "Hey Zell, try it with Bahamut."

Zell growled at him and proceeded to get up and punch the air. The SeeD suite in the train system was large enough so that he could do so without punching anyone in the snot.

"Seifer," Quistis said, "Why do you think the sorceress hasn't closed down the transportation?"

Seifer shrugged. "Stupidity, I guess. Sorceresses are usually pretty dumb, why do you think they need knights to protect them?"

Quistis sighed.

"Do you guys have any sort of plan?" Irvine asked.

Seifer laughed. "I don't need a plan. Plans are for dimwits. I just improvise as I go alone."

"Yeah," Irvine said, "I'm sure that's why you got your ass kicked three times by Squall."

Seifer leaned back. "Hey I was outnumbered. You can't expect me to fight a whole army of people. Anyway Squall was cheating. Did you see him drawing aura from me? That little twerp."

"Carbuncle!" Carbuncle said eagerly as he hopped down from Selphie's shoulder and began to walk around the room.

"Hey is that thing housebroken?" Raijin asked. "I don't want to sit here for a few hours sniffing GF poo, ya know"

Selphie reached over and reclaimed Carbuncle protectively. "Shut up, meanie!"

"Yo, you guys, will we really have to fight, Rinoa?" Zell asked after a while.

Quistis looked at Seifer. He frowned.

"No we'll be fighting the sorceress. If Rinoa shows up instead we'll take her home and give her over to puberty boy so they can act out some scenes from Squally's porno mags."

Zell growled. "No I mean will we be fighting the sorceress in Rinoa's body."

Seifer shrugged. "Well well that depends. We can call an exorcist in that case. Hey Raijin, I think you know a little about exorcism don't you?"

Raijin shrugged. "I know about exotic sex. But I don't think I ever heard of exorcisms."

"Oh well," Seifer said. "Now leave me alone, I'm going to take a nap. I worked pretty hard when I was Ultimecia's knight. She worked me all night for a week. You guys should show more sympathy toward your new leader. So be respectful and leave me alone."

So Seifer leaned back and closed his eyes. Irvine, Zell and Selphie were watching him in disgust. Only Quistis spoke up.

"Let him be."

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Author's Note: please, really, this is a interlude before the storm. The stuff that Seifer says about Squall sniffing glue has nothing to do with the outcome of the story. Please people, he's just joking, everywhere. Don't believe it. This was my little period of insanity and yes I know, everyone in this chapter appears to be on crack.

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Chapter 22 - The Sins of a Father

The phone began to ring. Being alone in the Headmaster's former office, Squall felt he was obligated to pick it up. He sighed and decided to wait until the caller gave up. After the eleventh ring, it was obvious the caller wasn't about to. Squall finally reached over and picked it up.

"Hello?"

"Hello, this is Laguna Loire, President of Esthar, who am . . . .. wait a second, Squall is that you?"

"What do you want Loire?" He asked.

"Are you okay? Ellone and I were worried about your safety. I was wondering if I should send some troops over there to fight those Galbadians. Xu and I were talking about that but Xu never called me back. Is she okay?"

There was silence. Squall contemplated hanging up the phone immediately. He was about to drop the phone back in the cradle when Laguna spoke up again.

"Squall, are you still there? Why won't you talk to me?"

Laguna was silent for a second more before he began again. "Why do you hate me so Squall? I don't understand. Talk to me please, Squall. Tell me if you are okay. I'm your father. I worry so much about you. I wish you would tell me how I can make things right between us."

There was a long silence before Squall answered Laguna. When he did he spoke in a low voice of repressed anger and gravity. "Laguna," he began slowly at first, "to make things right between us you would have to change the past. Raine died in hatred for you Laguna. I will always live in hatred for you. Did you really believe that you could correct seventeen years and three lives with a simple apology?"

Laguna's shield of calmness began to crack. He began to forget what he had planned to say and instead began to plead with the iron hearted young man. "Raine did not die in hatred for me. Squall, your mother loved me, I loved her. She would have wanted us to be together. You are not the only one who went through hell the past two decades Squall. I've suffered just as much as you have. I can't take correct the last seventeen years but I can try to change the next fifty. The past is the past, Squall you need to let that go."

Squall began to breath deeply into the receiver. "Do you believe that Laguna? That she forgave you? She thought you were a mistake Laguna. She wished that she had never met you. That is the truth, Loire. Stop living in your rose colored delusions."

"How would you know that Squall? How? Have you spoken to her? Did her ghost come, grab you by the arm and tell you that your father was a mistake? How would you know anything about Raine? Everything you saw of Raine you saw through my eyes!"

Squall was silent. "Why did you call Laguna? Whatever you want to say, you better say it now because I'm going to hang up."

"Squall, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have lost my temper. You have every right to hate me. I understand. I just-"

"Hurry, Loire. I've had enough." Squall said bitterly.

"Wait wait, don't hang up. I just called to tell you that we figured out what happened to Maniac Athena."

"What happened to it?" Squall asked nonchalantly.

"We were wrong. The Galbadians never touched it."

"So it's in your possession now?" Squall asked, sounding quite weary.

"No, . . . . .Seifer Almasy has it."

With that Laguna heard a crash on other side of the phone line. As though something was heavy was dropped. Then footsteps, over a wooden floor, disappearing.

"Squall? Squall? Are you okay? Squall are you still there?" Laguna yelled into the phone. He held onto the phone until the dial tone came. There was no answer. Laguna stood there holding the phone, unable to shake the feeling that something horrible had just been set into motion.

"Kiros," Laguna said, turning to his left, in a silent daze. "I want you to send troops to Deling City."

Kiros, ever the vigilant one, walked over to Laguna and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"What is it? Does it have to do with Garden?"

Laguna shook his head, letting his long brown hair loose from the thin ponytail.

"No, it's my son. He's about to do something really stupid."

On the other side of the planet a train emerged from the underwater tunnel. The lights in the SeeD suite had dimmed as the daylight disappeared from the sky to give way to the long night ahead. Selphie was fast asleep on one of the couches while her GF laid nearby, resting as well.

"Seifer," Quistis said finally breaking the blanket of silence. "You do have a plan don't you?"The cold eyed instructor scanned the sleeping form of the blond boy by her side. To his other side, Fujin was sitting with her head leaning against the window. She had been studying the darkening landscape in a nostalgic reverie but now she was studying Quistis with apprehension as she always did.

"You can stop pretending to sleep now," Quistis said, he voice becoming a tad more commanding. "No one is here but us, Selphie is asleep."

Seifer opened one blue eye and with his right hand he casually scratched his chest. "I told you already that I will take care of the sorceress."

"How are you planing to do that? I remember what you told me before about the barrier around the city with will be broken four hours before midnight the seventh day of the eighth month."

"Yes," Seifer said with weariness. "The barrier is broken because she needs to collect her powers. She will be powerless for four hours since she is conserving her power for midnight, where the season of passage will take place. We need to get to her before midnight. You aren't chickening out are you Quistis?"

"No," Quistis said pressing her lips together. "I told you already, I have made my choice."

Seifer looked at her and nodded. He then withdrew his hand from his pocket and opened his fist. On his gloved palm laid the circular crystal which burned a faint blue in the darkness.

"All I need to do is press this against her forehead and the sorceress will be done for."

Quistis studied the glowing globe intensely. It lite up her face in an eerie turquoise light.

"And so will Rinoa."

Seifer shrugged and closed his palm around the crystal once more, squeezing it for reassurance. He closed his eyes and leaned back.

"One life for a billion. It's not much."

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Author's Note: At this point it is very very important that you understand the meaning of "crossing the stars." Whenever Alexandra says "cross the stars" she means to go against fate. As anyone who reads Shakespeare would know, going against fate often results in devastating tragedy. In my interpretation of FF8, I will assume that fate decrees that Rinoa and Squall shall be together. However, you must understand what when Squall uses the phrase "cross the stars" there might be a double meaning. He could either mean to go against fate as he did back at chapter 15 or to bring someone back from the dead. So I guess its up to you to figure out what he means.

Author's Note: Consider this : Athena is the goddess of justice.

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