Lost Within Blood and Tears
 
PROPERTY OF SQUARESOFT
 
Chapter 16- Mind Games
 
Insanity is my only reality
- Anonymous
 
 
   
     Time is the one constant force that continues without fail. It never falters. It never
 turns back to lament on woes past. It carries it's scars on into the future; to heal; to 
forget; to never turn away; to face the demons that are to come.  The minutes continue to 
fade into hours, the hours then melting seamlessly into days and the days turn steadily to 
weeks. 
 
    For three weeks the party stayed within the city. Three weeks that drove them nearly 
insane. The calm, secluded safeness of the city gnawed away at them grating on their minds. 
 The instinctive lust for blood and battle that had been awoken in their minds had began to
 drift away into a sleep, then a coma, waiting to die altogether. The killer, a very part of
 them was being siphoned away slowly and with it all sense of purpose and sanity. It is said 
that reality is the cage of the imagination. Sanity is the bars that keeps the imagination in 
check. The bars to that cage were weakening and insanity was creeping into their dreams.
 Insanity was becoming a reality... 
 
    Whenever the scales of the mind tipped too far, fate always has a way to find the balance 
that had been dangerously swayed. Fate had decided that the jail term was up. 
 
    The door flew open.
 
    A woman came stumbling in hurriedly tripping and falling sprawling over the floor. She 
picked herself up quickly and began grabbing everything she could find and putting it into 
heavy burlap sacks that she had over her arm. 
 
    The young woman ran over to where Seifer was sleeping heavily with his head on the table. 
She looked him over consideringly as his back steadily rose and fell with even breaths. She 
reached around him to touch the blade she had seen glittering by his side and ran her fingers 
over the hilt. She had never seen a weapon like this one, she had never really seen a weapon at 
all they weren't allowed in Here she thought bitterly. A small twitch from him brought her back 
to her senses and she shook his arm. "Sir wake up"
 
    Seifer jumped and instinctively grabbed the girl standing over him by the neck. His 
fingers closed tightly around the small neck so that he could feel her blood coursing 
quickly in fear through her veins. The girl held both her hands up and let a tear escape 
down her face. He let her go forcibly.
 
    She sat huddled on the floor with the bags around her feet.
 
    What was he doing? he thought angrily. How could he let her get that close to him, 
she could have easily killed him.  The weeks of calm were dulling his senses. 
 
    The young woman picked up the bags hastily and pulled him towards the door by his 
coat undeterred by his previous reaction. "Sir you must leave! There are new comers here
 and they are looking for someone! They look dangerous!"  
 
    Seifer jerked the fabric of his coat out of her hands. "What do they look like and 
why the hell do you think they're after me?"
 
    She thrust one of the bags into his chest and watched as it fell to the floor. 
"Soldiers of some sort. I found them in the crater and followed some of them in the right 
direction. They're in very bad shape and practically dying.  One said something about them 
searching for someone. The people of Here can't turn away anyone so they will recuperate 
and then they will continue their search. That is exactly why you should leave now." 
 
    "Why should I believe you?" 
 
    The girl pulled a crossbow out of one of the sacks, "Does this mean anything to you?"
 
    Seifer nodded solemnly, the crossbow was the preferred weapon of the enemy, the longbow 
was too bulky on long journeys.  "Alright thanks a lot for the warning you go and take care 
of yourself."
 
    "I'm not helping you just because. I came back here after exile to beg my brother's 
forgiveness and get him to come away with me. I found out that he left with one of your 
people and I want you to live long enough to tell me where he has gone.  I expect an answer 
in return for giving you warning. Now tell me where is he!" She demanded with a firm grip on
 his shirt.
 
    The man looked at her weary eyes and troubled face. She had seen a lot in her life 
and he supposed that this was just going to be another disappointment for her and another
 trip down a long road. "I have no idea where they are. He'll be safe but where he is we may 
never know."
 
    "Go to hell." 
 
    "Already been." 
 
    The girl landed a hard right hook into his eye with a sickening smack.Seifer pressed his 
hand firmly over his wounded eye and when he looked up the girl was gone with only a wide-open 
door remaining. 
 
    Seifer picked up the sack and looked into it see some vital provisions and a number of 
objects that would have to go with them as well.
 
    He laughed mournfully to himself. Nothing has changed; this was just like home where they 
had constant preparations and even evacuations when need be. Flee from one home to evacuate 
another. It was a way of life seemed like it would always remain so. 
 
    Seifer moved with a certain anxiety across the room to the doorway in the back, he pushed 
aside the cloth to enter the out-cove then the kitchen where the boys all slept on the floor.
 
    Seifer strode over to Zell who was snoring slightly as he lay sprawled out over a large 
portion of the floor. He landed a kick in the boy's side. 
 
    Zell gasped for air, his eyes bulging open. He held his side as he sat up and glared at 
Seifer infuriated. "Frickin' Hell! What was that for you bastard?"
 
    Seifer rolled his eyes irritated. "Because you're a chickenwuss. Now get up and wake them 
up." He threw a sack at Zell. Dust flew off it landing in their faces causing Zell to blink and 
cough it away. "Grab your stuff " Seifer continued throwing a glove at him "We have to leave."
 
    Zell looked around grumpily at the mess of blankets, clothes and weapons littering the 
kitchen floor. "Who the hell do you think you are ordering people around like that?" Zell 
murmured cantankerously. He looked up suddenly when no response came. No one was there except 
the sleeping ones and a flew more sacks laying by his feet. "Get your stuff we're leaving." 
Zell mimicked mocking his rude awakening and shoved the blanket into the sack.      
 
    Seifer crossed into the room off the kitchen, his feet falling soundlessly on the floor
 as he snuck through the plain clay walls of the room. A bed, the only furnishing besides a 
shelf above it, took up most of the room leaving only enough space to walk from one side of 
it to the other. The little floor space that was there was cluttered with a motley of various 
items and clothes. With all the mess the only way the girls could sleep was to share the bed.  
 
    Seifer let his eyes roam over the clutter settling on anything in the intent to find a 
path to the bed. He could find none as his eyes fell on the daggers and arrows lying 
precariously on the piles of clothes. He had no idea how they could move in there without 
losing a foot but somehow they could navigate around the sharp objects including all the 
blades that belonged to Rinoa. He threw the sacks onto the bed from the doorway, the girls 
stirred slightly as the weight fell over them but didn't wake up. Selphie tightened her grip 
on the nunchuk.
 
    "Chani. Chani wake up." Seifer said as she stirred the most as the sacks fell onto them. 
She rolled over but didn't open her eyes, he could make out the words, "Zell go back to bed."
 
    Seifer shook his head from side to side impatiently. There had to be some easier way, he 
thought as he called out again. He didn't dare go any further into the room than he had to 
knowing how dangerous it would to be to be close when they were woken up; each of them slept 
with their weapons on the bed and would use them if surprised.  He bent down to search for any 
object he could throw before dodging out of the room. Seifer picked up a bra, hoped it was 
clean, rolled it up into a ball and chucked it before quickly disappearing out of the room. 
 
    Just as he had expected a dagger, an arrow and a blade came flying through the doorway to 
get lodged in the hard clay wall. 
 
    He leaned up against the wall arms crossed expectantly, as the four heads poked out around 
the cloth.  "The sacks are on the bed pack up and lets go."
 
    "Where are we going?" Rinoa asked rubbing the sleep out of her eyes and smoothing down her
bed tossled hair with her fingers.
 
    "Away." He answered shoving them back into the room. 
 
    "Yay!" Selphie exclaimed as she dove back onto the bed landing with a bounce, miraculously 
avoiding any injury.
 
    Chani and Rinoa went back to claim what was theirs from the clutter. Kayonna remained in 
the hall letting the blanket block the view to the room. Seifer smiled sadly. "Time to go. One 
step closer to home."
 
    "I agree. Just next time no assaulting people with underwear." She placed the bra into his 
hand. 
 
    He smiled an authentic smile for perhaps the first time in days as she disappeared behind 
the curtain.
 
    "Besides it's not nice." She called to him from the room.  
 
    "So this was your's. I thought I recognized it." He quipped, the smile still lingering.
 
    "Sicko!" Chani yelled back from her packing. "Kayonna aren't you gunna go and get it back?" 
She asked once she was sure he had left.
 
    Kayonna shrugged indifferently. "I'll get it back eventually, I have enough clean clothes to 
last a while. Besides he probably pocketed it." She tied the top strings to the sack together 
and threw it onto the floor before picking up blankets and folding them. "It's a game he plays 
sometimes."
 
    "You've known each other for how long?" Selphie inquired sitting on the bed and pulling the 
sack into her arms and resting her chin on the itchy brown burlap.
 
    "A really really long time. Too long sometimes." She threw the blankets one at a time to 
Rinoa who put them on a shelf above the bed. "Long enough to know how to play all of his quirky 
little game by heart anyway." 
 
    Rinoa smiled and caught a pillow thrown to her. "His games had to many rules to remember." 
 
    Kayonna laughed in agreement. "Damn straight. I guess the only reason why I'm so good at 
them is because I've had years to get used to it. His sister Malli was the same way; she never 
made anything easy for you. The two of them always managed to keep you on your toes, you know? 
Now even the little one is picking up things from him, especially his mouth. I keep having to 
tell her not to repeat any of the bad words he says." She gave the blanket a tug. "Selphie, up 
you're sitting on the blanket."
 
    Selphie got up and managed to crawl into the small space that Chani had managed to clear 
on the floor. "It's weird though," She said with a shrug, "I would never have guessed that he 
had a family, especially one with a really little sister,  the way he acts sometimes. He doesn't 
exactly come off as the loving family man you know. What do you think Rinoa?"
 
    Rinoa didn't even look up but went right along putting daggers into sheathes. "Who knows. 
He's gentle enough when he wants to be and cruel enough when he has to be. I doubt that even 
Kay knows everything about him. They're all like that though so its not like he's that much 
different. Everytime you think you've finally figured one of them out they'll go and complicate 
things with something new. "
 
    Chani nodded silently. Rinoa's words had sparked a new upsurge of thoughts that played on 
the brink of her mind. She thought about Zell and what he had told her that night. Everything 
had been going so well up until then. That was one thing that definitely threw her off and shook 
her up. No matter how hard she tried she still couldn't shake away the last dregs of anger and 
terror that night had provoked. The only way to take some of the chill away was to swear to 
herself that she would protect him no matter what. Even with her oath to herself the whole 
fact that he had discovered the scar held a terror of it's own. She knew that he didn't know 
what it meant but her anxiety was still at peak. 
 
    "Chani?"
 
    The girl snapped her head up and blinked.
 
    "Chani, what are you thinking?" 
 
    She looked over at Selphie who was sitting cross-legged in the one small space you could 
see the floor. She chucked a bag and her laughing "I'm thinking that it's your turn to get
your ass off this floor and clean. All this shit is your's anyway. Besides, you don't want 
to be the one to get us all in trouble for being late now do you?"
 
    Selphie giggled, "Oh of course not, why would I wanna do that?"  
 
    "Because you really don't want to clean up maybe?" Rinoa suggested.
 
    Kayonna threw her bag out the doorway sending it with a muffled clang of metal cooking 
pans down the hall. "Well, I vote that next time we go for the bigger room. I'm done." She 
picked up the multiple sheathes of daggers and threw them over her shoulders. "Good luck 
Selphie." She stifled a laugh as her eyes fell over the mess and the girl's empty bag. 
"Pack fast. I"ll hold off the tempers as long as possible."
 
*****
    Selphie bounced through one of the puddles in the street sending droplets scattering 
everywhere to spray up against people's legs. "We're not exactly stressing speed." She 
said as they wandered slowly through the streets. "Why are we leav-" She didn't finish as 
Seifer clapped his hand hard over her mouth.
 
    "Hey yo, get your hands off of her!"  Irvine snapped and pulled Seifer away from 
Selphie.
 
    "Tell her to keep her mouth shut and no one will have to shut it for her. No giving any 
indication of what we're doing until we're far gone. That goes for all of you."
 
    Kayonna stepped between him and Irvine trying at any cost to avoid danger. "He means that 
he would really appreciate it if we don't talk about it for a while and he'll be sure to explain 
everything later on. You alright Selphie?"
 
    Selphie pulled Irvine's arm more securely around her shoulder. "Yeah I'll be fine."
 
    Kayonna nodded solemnly, "Good." She turned her head quickly to see if Seifer was looking. 
When she was sure he wasn't Kayonna drew her finger in a line across her throat.
 
    Selphie laughed. 
 
    "Kay behave yourself." Seifer ordered without turning around to look at her but instead 
checking down an alleyway for a clear path that would take them out of the city, a task that 
he had been planning for days.
 
    She grabbed his arm angrily and held him back. She motioned for all the others to go ahead 
while forcing a smile onto her face. "All of you go. I forgot something back at the house. We'll
 meet up with you at the ridge. Don't look at me like that we'll be there in a minute I swear. 
" She began pulling Seifer forcibly down the street the way they had come.
 
    When they were well out of sight Seifer pulled Kayonna to a sudden stop, pulling her almost 
off her feet. "What the hell was that all about?"
 
    "Seifer, you can't go around treating people like that." 
 
    He stared at her his mouth hanging open incredulously. He was doing all this so  that he 
cold take her home and that the torture would be over and all she could think about was how 
nice he was to people! Now she was accusing him of being offensive for no reason! His face
flushed with annoyance. "Me! She could have blown it all for all of us and you blame me?"
 
    "You didn't have to hurt her like that!"
 
    "Hurt her? I barely touched her! Damn it Kay what is it that you want from me?"  
 
    She leaned her head up heavily against one of the walls. "I don't know. For starters just 
try to treat people with some shred of respect.  You may not like Squall and I'm not asking 
you to like him just respect him somewhat. He doesn't start with you so why do you start with 
him?"
 
   He placed his hands on her shoulders and pressed her up tighter against the wall in 
frustration. "Because he's-"
 
    "There's no excuse. And poor Zell! You're constantly ripping him to shreds and he 
does nothing about it because he doesn't want to upset Chani! She is going to kill you 
herself one of these times.  They all do absolutely nothing to you and you feel the need to 
prove you're all bad-ass and insult them because you know that they'll do nothing about it 
because they don't want to upset anybody. I really don't know why I even bother with you 
sometimes. You're the biggest asshole I've ever met. Why do you always feel that you have 
to prove something to someone? Just forget everyone and shut up. " Kayonna pulled away 
roughly from his grasp, her back scraping against the wall with an itchy touch. "Besides, 
Rinoa's a big girl. She knows how to handle herself.  You can't always get angry when 
something gets away from you Seifer.  You're a big boy now it's time you learned to share."
 
    "But I hate sharing." He grumbled obstinately. "It's like kissing your brother."
 
    "Oh and you would know what that's like?"
 
    Her cynicalness was beginning to surprise him.  She was right, and he knew it. But still 
some part of him lingered that couldn't bare to let anyone have the satisfaction of knowing 
he knew they were right. He needed to change the subject. "So what did you forget back at the 
house anyway?"
 
    "Nothing." 
 
    He stopped confused. "Then what are we doing?"
 
    "I didn't think you would appreciate me yelling at you in front of everybody. Was I correct 
or are you going to prove me wrong?"
 
    "If I could prove you wrong you know I would right?"
 
    "Yeah. We have time to kill before they're expecting us back, would you care to tell me 
what brought about this whole sudden departure thing?"  
 
*****
    Kayonna blushed at all the guilty stares she was receiving as she walked hand in hand with 
Seifer up to the crumbling stone archway. The arid dryness of the wasteland made her throat 
itch and her eyes tear but it was no comparison to the cold, clammy feeling she got with burning 
embarrassment from eyes watching her. The dryness and the clammy feelings couldn't cancel 
themselves out as she had hoped but instead culminated and made her feel worse.
 
    The worst was the nudging she received from Selphie. Her cheeks turned a red that Seifer 
had only seen once before in a crayon box. He bit his tongue though and held back his comments. 
He instead turned his attention to the doorway and the thick brown dust lying around it.
 
    Seifer turned to Squall who was scuffing his feet at the dirt tiredly. Seifer was 
disappointed, this wasn't how a leader should be acting; this wasn't what Squall had the 
potential to be; what Rinoa deserved. "What the hell are you just standing around here for? 
Let's go." 
 
    Squall's face flickered hard with addeled emotions until his eyes took on the usual 
cold intensity and his face became as serious and stern as always. "We leave then. We still 
have a job to do, and a long time left until this is over. You ready?" 
 
    Selphie had jumped through the hazy dust before he even finished asking his question. 
When they didn't hear a scream or a crash it was assumed that it was safe. They went through 
one at a time until only Zell and Chani were left. 
 
    She was about to walk through the dusty vortex and had one foot through the doorway when 
she noticed he wasn't coming. 
 
    Chani pulled her foot back and took a step towards him. He continued to stare off into 
space and she knitted her eyebrows together in unease. "Zell?"
 
    He didn't seem to hear her and she shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other. The 
faraway look in his eyes scared her slightly as he paid no attention to her and looked only 
into the distance. 
 
    "Zell, honey, are you alright?"  
 
    He blinked but something still seemed off to her. He was still captivated by something she 
couldn't see. The things she usually feared were things that she couldn't see. Her stomach 
jumped into her throat and her heart sank. 
 
    Chani bit her lip and walked around him slowly and cautiously. She stood directly in front 
of him waiting for some sign of recognition that he wasn't giving. Instead he was looking 
through her.  "Hello? Are you alright?" When no response came she reached out and grasped his 
arm.
 
    Zell jerked his head and blinked. "Hey, didn't you leave?"
 
    She stared at him in disbelief. "What were you doing? I've been standing right in front of
 you and you didn't see me."
 
    "I was thinking."
 
    "Thinking?" She asked accusingly.
 
     "Un-huh. Thinking." A sly smile spread across his face making his eyes glitter and shine. 
"You know what?" He asked casually. She shook her head and shrugged. "We should get married."
 
    Chani stared at him open-mouthed. "Wait I'm sorry I don't think I heard you right. Could 
you say that again?"
 
    Zell's smile broadened to span his entire face. "I think that we should get married." He 
repeated slowly and calmly.
 
    "Excuse me what? Zell no! We can't get married, we're too young, what are you thinking?!"
 
    "I want to marry you Chani."
 
    "What? Why?"
 
    "Because I love you and I want to marry you. What do you say?"
 
    "I say that we're too young and have our whole lives ahead of us to do things." His 
disappointment  tore at her. "I'm sorry but I'm not ready to get married. I'm not ready to give
 my whole life over entirely to someone. I can't do that. Not yet. One day sure, but not now. 
Don't think this means that I don't love you because you know that that is bullshit, I just 
don't want to get married yet. I mean could you honestly picture us married, me having kids, 
both of us being together ring on the finger and everything? It's crazy. Ask me again in four 
or five years and I'll give you a different answer."
 
    Zell reached out and took her hand lovingly in his and stroked his thumbs along the back
 of her hand. "I'll take that as a promise my lady."
 
    "I'll let you take that as a promise good sir."
 
    He kissed her hand making her ache with the simplicity of his love. "Thou art the fairest 
beauty that ever stood before the eyes of a man since love hath taken it's first breath with the 
creation of the sun." 
 
    She was breathless but knew better. "Did you make that up all by yourself?" Her attempt to 
be serious fell short with the joyful laughing in her voice.
 
    "It sounded pretty good didn't it? That little bit of poetry took me about a month to make 
up."  
 
    "That makes it all the more special then. I shouldn't be listening to you but your words are 
stars to my ears." 
 
    "Good because we gotta go, they'll all be mad for holding them up. I love you, " he kissed 
her cheek swiftly making her smile, "don't want to leave you," he kissed her other cheek, "but I 
must be off before we get our asses kicked. Hope to see you soon bye bye." With that he jumped 
through the dust and through the doorway.
 
    "You're too much." She yelled through the doorway at him. Alone her thoughts turned back to 
that night and her fear. Her heart broke at the thought of losing him. In that moment of agony 
she made a silent vow. A vow that she would not lose him and if she did they wouldn't be parted 
for long. She resigned herself to her viable fate and took a breath to keep out the choking dust 
as she walked through the stone arch. 
 
    "Took you long enough." Zell taunted whispering as she stepped out of the thick dust into a 
stone tunnel that looked remarkably like the ones inside of the crater.
 
    "Me? What about you?"
 
    "They already tried to yell at me for being late. I said it was your fault and everything 
was alright and they dropped it. It's alright if you screw up but if I screw up I get 
persecuted. It's safer this way." 
 
    She couldn't help but smile at his logic. "I'll forgive you this time."
 
    "Hey you two keep up or I'll have to separate you." A voice came down the tunnel.
 
    Zell turned to Chani, "Should we be afraid, its only Selphie."
 
    Chani grabbed his hand and ran along the length of the tunnel, "Yeah now it's only Selphie 
but then Irvine'll get involved and he's taller than both of us."
 
    "Point well taken."
 
    The tunnel opened up to a large round chamber situated around of which were large wooden 
doors, six in total. Torches burned bright around the room in metal holders that glittered 
through thick layers of dust and cobwebs. The walls were covered in thick growing moss and 
lichens from the damp and their feet squeaked on the wet floor. In the middle of the circular
room stood a large table that hinted hauntingly to an alter. 
 
    "What is this place?" Rinoa asked her eyes focused on the alter. 
 
    Squall pushed steadily ahead into the room and to the alter. His footsteps echoed ominously 
in the antechamber which amplified every move made to culminate in a feeling of growing dread.
 
    The flat stone surface of the alter loomed closer with every passing step that he made with 
an almost sinister nature.  His eyes narrowed on the stone sharply as he noticed certain words 
carved into the apex of the alter face. When he stood above the alter looking down upon it with 
distaste he reached out his fingers to trace along the words coated in the heavy dust. 
 
    He read the words twice each time tracing his fingers over the letters. "Listen to this 'One 
door leads to safety; the others to death.' Not very poetic is it?"
 
    Seifer waltzed into the room undaunted. "Who gives a damn about poetry lets just get this 
over with."
 
    "Yeah but we don't know which door is which." Kayonna pointed out dismally.
 
    "Easy. I say we throw in the chickenwuss and commander puberty. That'll narrow it down for 
the rest of us and we'll figure out something from there."
 
    At the mere mention of something possibly happening to Zell Chani snapped and turned on 
Seifer, crazed malice lighting her face. "Who the hell do you think you are! I mean what the 
fuck do you think you're doing ragging on him all the time! Your not his frickin' mother for 
his fuckin' God! So leave him the fuckin' hell alone or I'll kick your mother fucking ass!" 
She drew an arrow and knocked it rapidly to the bow. "Don't fuckin' mess around with me!" She 
screamed pointing the weapon at the man who had backed away from her outburst.   
 

    There were very few things that Seifer had genuinely been afraid of but this he would come 
to count as one of them.  Her fury and rage inflicted a type of psychological fear on him making 
him afraid of what she could really do and would do if provoked.
 
    "You fucking bastard!" Zell bellowed with malice at Seifer. "You fucking upset her, bitch!"  
Zell calmed himself and turned to Chani who was holding onto the arrow with a white-knuckled 
grip. "Chani put the bow down."
 
    She pulled back the bowstring tighter and intensified her grip.
 
    "Chani" Zell whispered gently as he placed his hand reassuringly on her shoulder. "Chani 
put the bow down. Let it go." 
 
    Her face twisted into agony and anger, emotion slithering across it like a snake tightening 
it's grip. With one last scream she jerked the bow sideways and let the arrow fly past Seifer's 
head to impale itself in the wall. The bow dropped to the ground with a hollow clang.
 
    Zell turned her around slowly until she was facing him. It was entirely silent in the room, 
deeply contrasting the few moments that had proceeded with the shattering echoes. "Chani you 
want to tell me what that was all about?" He asked her quietly and gently, trying to ignore 
the eyes boring into his back.
 
    Her world felt like it was closing in and crashing down. "I snapped. I'm sorry. It's just 
the whole talk about you dying and then he suggested throwing you to your death and I don't 
know but I snapped. I just don't want to lose you. I'll take on the world before that happens." 
He wiped away her tears as fast as they could come and carried her over to a corner of the room 
where he sat down and held her tenderly until she could stand again.
 
    "You would have deserved that arrow to hit you." Kayonna spat angrily at Seifer who was 
standing numbly at her side. 
 
    "Maybe..." He whispered morosely. His mind still felt numb to the fact that she really 
would have killed him if he had pushed her just a little further. he knew now that she would 
kill anyone and anything that got in her way. When she said that she would take on the world 
if she needed to she meant it.
 
    Rinoa sighed jaded. She never understood why people didn't even out in the effort to get 
along. Instead they sought refuge in anger and fighting. It made no sense in her mind. What 
could be accomplished from only fighting?
"Anyway," She said trying not to let her frustration get the best of her, "We don't need to 
throw people in when we can just throw rocks. It will work the same way. We can figure out 
another plan afterward and we'll work things out from there." She didn't wait for agreement 
because she knew that she probably wouldn't get it from everyone. Instead she moved up to the 
door picking up a large rock in her hand on the way. He mind reverted dreamily back to the time 
not so long ago when she was back with Watts and Zone. Things were easier back then she thought. 
Back then she was the boss and everyone at least attempted to listen to her.
 
    "Rin I don't think that you should do that." Squall called after her as she placed her 
hand on the slimy brass doorknob.
 
    Rinoa rolled her eyes. This was going to be a long day.
 
    "I'll be fine Squall. Nice and careful alright?" Rinoa turned the knob swiftly before he 
had any chance to think over her words or stop her. It was an ultimatum. She stared off into 
the thick intangible darkness for a moment before pulling back her arm and chucking the rock 
inside. 
 
    An explosion took place as soon as the rock had crossed the thresh-hold sending Rinoa 
flying off her feet and into the side of the alter. Her head hit but her shoulder took most 
of the impact saving her a concussion and possibly her life. 
 
    She pushed herself to her feet wincing slightly but turning her back to hide it. "It's 
not that door."
 
    Squall rushed to her side and looked at her shoulder disapprovingly. He could tell just 
from the way she was carrying it that it was broken. Her forehead was bleeding as well. "Rinoa 
your arm is broken."
 
    She looked at him steadily, "Yeah I know."
 
    "Well, are you going to do anything about it?" 
 
    "I had figured that I would wait. We still have a few more doors left you know." 
 
    "You're not trying anymore doors."
 
    "I'm not?"
 
    "You honestly think I'm going to let you try that again?"
 
    "I really don't think you have a choice."
 
    "I don't care Rinoa, I'm going to do it and you're going to stay out of trouble, something 
that I know you're not good at."
 
    "Neither of you is going to do it." 
 
    They both glared at Seifer who had picked up and rock and was standing in front of the next 
door. "Squall use a cure spell or something and fix her up before she gets any ideas. Hold her 
down if you have to."  He opened the door and threw in the rock after stepping as far as he 
could off to the side.  
    Another earthshaking explosion was absent but in it's stead daggers flew out of the door.  
Nerves were shattered but nothing else.
 
    Rinoa looked down at the daggers lying helplessly immobile on the ground after missing 
their targets. "Well, that was certainly interesting."
 
    Seifer picked up one of the larger daggers and studied it. The blade shined in the 
torchlight as he turned it around in his fingers by the hilt. "Hey Kayonna you want more 
daggers? These are poison tipped."
 
    "Yeah let me see one." He tossed the dagger which he was holding to her which she caught 
easily.  "These are pretty nice." She spoke almost to herself as she planed the daggers, 
raising them eye-level and and checking the width, sharpness and the total aerodynamics of 
the blade. "It's a little bigger and heavier than I'm used to but all I would have to do was 
put more flick in the wrist when throwing. These will help more in close range combat." She 
stuck the one in her belt and moved farther into the room to pick up the other ones. She 
looked up to see everyone staring at her. "What? I like new weapons, they come in useful 
sooner or later."
 
    Seifer drew attention back to him with another order. "Everyone get into the tunnel and 
stand back, far back. Me and Squall are going to figure this out." Squall looked at him 
indignant. "What? You heard me Commander Puberty me and you are going to get along for a 
little bit, I mean you are the commander after all it's supposed to be your job and all 
to keep peace and all that crap. Unless of course you're scared..." 
 
    "I beat your ass before and I'll do it again."
 
    Seifer let a grim smile slip. "Good. I was afraid you were getting soft on me. Alright 
then commander show me how tough you really are."
 
*****
    "That was it? That was all there was to it? Kinda a let down wouldn't you say? I mean 
was I the only one who was actually looking forward to somewhat of a challenge and all they 
could throw at us were a few doors until we're out. It's just depressing that's what it is. 
All those people in the city were scared of something like that, even a child could've gotten 
through there. Frickin' Hell-" Zell cut off and gulped as he saw the Ragnorok looming in the 
distance on the plains of Centra. "Ummmm guys, wasn't Quistis supposed to take the Ragnorok?"
 
    Selphie shifted feet nervously, "You don't think anything happened already do you?"
 
    Rinoa hit the girl across the shoulder, "No conclusions alright? Let's just go and check 
it out before you start panicking."
 
    Selphie nodded solemnly and ran across the earth, her feet kicking up a trail of dust in 
her flight. She ran in the door and bounced out happily with a note in her hand which she ran 
back and delivered to Squall.
 
    Walked. Left Ragnorok to you guys. Fly only at night and be careful. ~Trepe
 
    "That satisfy you Selphie?" Kayonna laughed as the girl bounded back to the ship.
 
    "Yeah it does. I'm flying!" She announced turning around in her run before almost tripping 
over her own feet as she tried to turn back. 
 
    "Yo Selphie you see that thing way up there?" Zell asked yelling through the few dozen feet 
of distance. "That thing right there is called the sun. It's daytime right now, and are we 
supposed to fly during the daytime?"
 
    "Nope" She yelled back happily as she jumped through the doorway.
 
    "We really got to watch her sugar intake." Seifer muttered irritated following her into 
the spaceship.
 
Squall took survey of the ship. it was exactly as they had left it if not a little dustier. 
Even the dust though had it's own certain charm in respect to the whole life-taking adventure 
they were in. It made him think of his home at Garden, how everything there would become 
shrouded in dust and laziness in it's lack of use with his long absence. His newly acquired 
office that came with the post of Commander would be a pain to clean he thought miserably. 
Rinoa had said she wanted to change some stuff around anyway, make it more livable she had 
said.  Squall entered the cockpit to see Selphie curled up in the pilot's seat. "Selphie 
what the hell are you doing?"
 
    "Shhhhh. Sleeping." She answered not bothering to open her eyes as she pulled her legs 
closer into her chest and rested her head against the soft cushion.
 
    "Not a bad idea." Irvine yawned and settled into a seat. He stretched his legs out into 
the aisle and pulled his hat over his eyes to doze off.
 
    The rest of the morning was spent in a state of dozing and heavily sedated conversation 
in the mellow surrender of the Ragnorok, the first place where most of them had felt really 
safe in a long time. After the sun had finished it's majestic journey across the sky they took 
off to settle in with their friends the stars.  
 
    "Where are we going?" Selphie called over her shoulder as she swung the Ragnorok even with 
the clouds trying to hide the glowing moon. 
 
    "Hold on." Squall called journeying down to one of the holds where Zell was trying to teach 
Chani how to use elemental magic. Even before he reached the sealed hold he could tell that it 
wasn't going too well. He heard all pandemonium going on in the room before a heavy thud and 
Chani yelling sorry. Squall opened the door cautiously. 
 
    Zell was laying on the ground, the skin of his arm still smoldering with an untouched crate 
at his side. "Hey Squall how can you help someone who has absolutely no aim? Give her a few 
arrows and she could hit anything but a fire spell and you have to flee for your life."
 
    Try standing behind her instead of in front of her next time maybe? He thought it was just 
common sense but apparently with Zell nothing could be made easy. The two of them cancel each 
other out though so that there isn't as much trouble as there could be. "Chani, Selphie wants 
to know where we're headed any idea?"
 
    "Trabia." She answered as she again took aim for the crate but missed again and sent Zell's 
foot up in flames.
 
    "You're going to waste too many cure spells that way. Zell why don't you just stand behind 
her when she goes to try the spell?" Squall asked as he watched the man beat at his flaming shoe 
which he had somehow removed from his foot.
 
    "Yeah, but you see I'm getting my exercise this way. Improves your reaction time. She'll 
eventually get better and I'll eventually get better at dodging the unexpected things that she 
sends flying at me. That was supposed to be an ultima." 
 
    Squall shut the door with a certain definity. Maybe it would have been better if they had 
never met. he thought with a certain amusement, At least with only Zell he knew what to expect, 
now he threw all sorts of oddities into his daily routine.
 
    He rode the elevator up and reported to Selphie before settling down to think of some 
strategies to win the upcoming battles. He didn't bother answering Seifer when he asked him 
where Chani was but ignored him until Seifer left the room to seek her out on his own. 
 
    He found her practicing her spell-casting abilities. "Are you trying to teach her how to 
cast spells or going for the record of how many times you could be set on fire Chickenwuss?"
 
"What the fuck do you want?" He asked angrily stepping in front of Chani before she jumped on 
him.
 
    "We need to talk." He growled at Zell indicating to the girl.
 
    "What do you want with her? You wanna make her try to shoot you again? If we didn't need 
you so damn much I would let her."  Zell snarled caustically.
 
    Seifer put his hand to his chest mockingly, "I'm touched for your concern Chickenwuss but 
it's her I need to talk to not you so why don't you just go off and be a good little guard-dog 
somewhere else."
 
    Chani grabbed Zell by the wrist before he could get himself into a mess. "Zell not now. 
This is between me and him, no letting your damn pride get in the way alright?" She smiled as 
he tried to nod sincerely but couldn't pull it off. "Good. Let me have five minutes with him 
and if I'm not back by then you can kick his mother-fucking ass like there's no tomorrow but 
give me the five minutes first. Be a good boy and make me proud." She whispered in his ear 
before leaving the room and walking down the hallway behind the man she had recently tried 
to kill.
 
    "You got five minutes before I'm leaving what do you want?"
 
    His face softened and his voice became gentler now that he was away from Zell. "I would 
really like to know what set you off so that you wanted to kill me."
 
    "That surprises you?"
 
    He leaned casually against the wall behind him, "Yeah it does. It was a goddamn joke 
Chani."
 
    "That wasn't a joke." She answered callously.
 
    "Alright it was a bad joke but that still doesn't explain why you freaked out like that."
 
    Chani's eyes flashed and she rounded on him in fury. "You wanna know why I freaked out?" 
She grabbed the collar of his trenchcoat and yelled at him menacingly, "I don't intend to sit 
around while you make what you call jokes about my boyfriend dying you son of a bitch. My mother 
and my brother both died and I had to watch my own father be murdered so don't you fucking make 
any jokes about Zell dying! He is the only goddamned thing I have left now so you better not 
even kid about taking him away from me. I've been through worse crap then you can even imagine
Seifer. Have you ever stopped to even think about what the leaders of my people do to people 
they don't agree with or find a threat? Zell was the only man that ever wanted me without 
asking for anything in return! My father tried to protect me but he couldn't! Nobody could! 
Not until Zell came and took me away from all the suffering, so don't you dare say any more 
shit about him because you're not even worthy to kiss the fucking ground that he walks on." 
She turned around to walk away, "Just get out of my face you son of a bitch."
 
    "Chani-" He called as she tried to walk past him; he grabbed her arm and ducked as she 
tried to claw at his face. "Chani, listen to me. If I had known that it would have upset you 
so much I wouldn't have said it. I won't talk about him dying anymore even if it is a joke 
alright? I'm sorry that you lost your family and that I didn't realize that you felt that way 
about him. I would tell you that I was sorry but I know that it wouldn't mean anything to you 
so I won't waste breath on empty words. I promise I won't say anything more about him or 
anyone else dying. Truce?"
 
       She stared at his hand with a mixture of distrust and disgust. 
 
    "Damn it you're stubborn. You remind me more of my sisters everyday."
 
    She forgot some of her anger and in its place came a cautious curiosity, "What's it 
like to have a sister?"
 
    Seifer shrugged, "I don't know, what it like to have a brother? I didn't get to see 
either of them too often, especially not the little one. You would have liked Malli, she 
was exactly like you. I swear the two of you could have passed off as twins if you two 
had looked more alike."
 
    "You keep talking about her in the past tense, what happened?"
 
    He smiled sadly. "She died."
 
    Chani dropped her head "I'm sorry."
 
    "Don't worry about it,  you couldn't have done anything about it. I was going to go out 
on a mission to get Squall and the rest of them but she convinced me to stay somehow. She 
said she would go and do it, people wouldn't try to kill her on the way into the Garden she 
said. She left before I could change my mind." He shrugged his shoulders. Chani could see the 
small lines of sadness and tension crease his face. He was good at hiding pain she marveled as 
she watched him. She had become very good at it as well she realized looking back on all the 
things that had happened to her. He continued and she listened. "No one knows what happened to 
her except that she died when she reached Balamb Garden. She just gave out, had no more will to 
live you know? She was my sister and Kay's best friend. She was a great girl. It's funny you 
know, how you know you're never going to see some people again but you always hope that somehow, 
someway they're just going to come back.  Don't give up hope Chani, you'll just end up like me."
 
    "Don't want that to happen do we?"
 
    A wide smile spanned his face, "Nope"
 
    "You know, I think that is the first time I actually saw you smile. Don't do it again; 
it scares the hell out of me." She teased, a smile coming and lighting up her saddened features.
 
    "I'm touched." He answered pushing her off down the hallway. "Get back before your guard 
dog comes and accuses me of kidnapping."
 
    "He's not a normal guard dog." She laughed as he continued to push her back towards the 
room. "He's a killer."

    
    "Yeah alright I'll agree with whatever won't get me shot."
 
    Chani stopped right outside the door, "Don't think that just because you made me laugh I 
don't still hate you."
 
    "Wouldn't dream of it." He answered opening the door and pushing her into the room before 
moving off down the hallway. 
 
    Seifer wandered around the ship until he found the place where Kayonna was slouched down 
sleepily in a chair. "You miss me?" he asked as he knelt down by her leg.
 
    "Mmmm... You two make peace?"
 
    "Peace is accomplished." He answered calmly and watched her close her eyes peacefully.
 "This will all be over soon." He whispered and let her drift off to sleep.
 
*****
    "Damn you! All of you! You're all incompetent fools! How hard is it to find a couple of
 teenagers? They're children! You can't find little, lost children! It is insolence!" The 
voice roared to fever-pitch with the wrath of a tyrannical god.
 
    "Lord Kalla, sir," a guard spoke up timidly as he stepped forward cringing. "We have found 
traces of them sir but not enough to go on. The traces are spread out, erratic, no pattern at 
all. For about a month now all the clues we have found seem to be leading us in circles. We 
sent a party of guards out to the crater; none have returned. It almost seems as if they have 
fallen out of time and space. We have nothing to go by my lord." 
 
    "Insolence!" The demon-like tyrant reached out long clawed fingers and gripped them tightly 
around the man's throat who had dared to utter his last words. "I will not tolerate insolence!" 
The victim's eyes widened fearfully as his feet left the ground and was lifted by the painful 
hand seeking slow strangulation. Kalla studied the panicked torrents of sweat dripping off the 
man's face as his breath came in ragged wheezing. The capture's face twisted and contorted with 
slithering, writhing evil into a rough, lopsided gash of a smile that sent tremors through the 
other guards who were witnessing what could be their own fate. 
 
    The men winced but dared not turn away for that action would be unforgivable; and 
unredeemable.
 
    "I think that I shall make an example of you." Kalla sneered at the man who's eyes 
were slowly becoming bloodshot with all signs of asphyxiation.  Blood splattered on the 
floor, slowly running off drop by bloody drop to make the soft patter of water on stone but 
stained with the cursed crimson color.  The smile faded to be replaced but some more 
terrifying form of amusement on Kalla's face as he dug his nails yet deeper into the guard's 
neck, dragging his claw-like talons across the muscle under the soft folds of skin. Feet 
kicked at the air in vain. "How would you prefer to die, bleed to death, snap of the neck, 
or collapse of your trachea? Well, I think that we'll just rule out snapping your neck, it 
wouldn't be right to let you die that quickly." 
 
    The on-looking guards' blood ran cold as Kalla let out a laugh that could have shattered 
the holy illusion of any dream. From the blood that had ceased to drip but instead gush and 
flow they could tell that the nails had pierced the life source of the jugular vein.
 
    The moaning turned to a muffled wheeze as the trachea collapsed from the pressure of the 
fingers. Kalla let out a satisfied grunt as he unceremoniously threw the still body onto the 
floor in a heap. The men backs up horrified as the hot liquid splattered their faces and made 
them realize how much of puppets they really were.   
 
    Kalla addressed the men with a regal power. "You will find those brats or you all will be
 murdered similarly to this fool,"  he kicked the body viscously and unmercifully allowing 
crimson to again stain the surrounding people and tiles, "After you watch each other burn out 
the eyes of your loved ones." His laugh returned seeing the fear his words inflicted, a 
satisfying tremor traveled down his spine. "Find them and kill them." He paused for a moment 
concideringly, "Bring a blonde girl with a tattoo to me alive. You may all remember her, Chani.  
We may still have some business to attend to with her." He ran his bloody fingers over his lips 
in thought before continuing, this time a large smile playing wickedly. "Why not? Bring all the 
women to me alive. Do whatever you wish to whatever other companions they may have just bring 
the girls to me alive I much desire to speak with them."  
 
     The men looked at the twisted body on the floor and nodded tormented consent. 
 
    "What are you waiting for find them!" The creature that had lost all humanity screamed as 
it raised the bloody hand above his head and let it drip onto his face as he looked at it as if 
he found it alluring.  "People really are fragile." He mused as he picked out the torn flesh of 
the man's neck from under his fingernails. "Fragile indeed."
 
 
Author's Note: Done with yet another chapter and almost done for good.  (Only three more 
chapters... I think)  Sorry if anybody thinks I go too far sometimes, my friend Erin was the 
first one to read the story and though I got some bruises from her threatening to kill me she 
told me not to change anything so if people don't agree with the story blame her. Ummm hoping 
to finish typing as soon as I can manage to find time so if the chapters aren't coming soon 
enough I'm sorry but just hang in there, I'll be surprised if anybody even got this far because 
my story is a little bit on the lengthy side (in other words: kick ass long) Oh well so long and 
good luck!