The New Enemy

After what had happened three days ago everyone was a little 
shaken. Well, everyone who knew anyway. Squall had taken great care to make 
sure that only out little group of friends knew. It was really strange, 
because the night it happened I had not been able to sleep. An intense sense 
of dread had come over me. I went to Squall's room an it was a little while 
latter we found out.
Even if she didn't like me all that much, and I was probably the 
last person she wanted to see, I was concerned about her. So I'd brought her 
a cup of tea and some other things from the cafeteria, that the Trepeis 
had said she loved. They had offered to take it ,but this was something I 
wanted to do myself. Someone needed to bridge our gap.
"Hey! Rinoa, wait!" I stopped hearing Selphie's voice yell at 
me. She was running towards me, and skidded to a stop. "What' cha doing?" I 
started to answer, but she beat me to it. "Sweat!" Your taking her a care 
package! Anyway, what I came to tell you is that I moved the dance from 
Friday to tomorrow. So maybe this icky vamp thing will go away. Have you 
seen Irvine?"
"I think he's with Quistis." she slumped against the wall and 
pouted. "Why, are you jealous?"
"Of course I am!!!! Stupid old womanizing fart-head." she 
stomped off in a huff. Poor Selphie, if she only could come to grips with 
her feelings for him. It was not my place to criticize. I knocked on her 
door, as I had suspected Irvine answered the door.
"Hey, Rinoa, come on in." he took the tray from my hands and put 
it on the small table by her bed. She smiled at me " Thank you, that's very 
kind of you. How have you been lately?"
"Fine. Just trying to get Squall to relax, ever sense he became 
head master he's been so tense. Plus that does nothing for his mad mood. 
Hopefully the dance will cheer things up a bit. It's to gloomy around here." 
I said sitting on the end of her bed.
She was sitting cross-legged on the bed in a blue silk bathrobe, 
She picked up the tea and gratefully took a sip. "It is on Friday, or was I 
misinformed?"
"Selphie bumped up the date to tomorrow. "
She looked at Irvine who was leaning against the wall casually , 
"I'm fine for now. You don't need to stay with me. I mean I do appreciate it 
,but I can take care of myself."
"But what if I want to stay?" she only smiled pleadingly at him. 
"Okay, Quisty, but if you need anything don't hesitate to ask." he walked 
out of the room.
"Nice of him to watch out you like that," I mussed. "He must care 
about you."
"Lets deal with one trauma at a time. Rinoa I know your still 
learning, but do you know any thing about these vampyres? You don't think 
I'm crazy do you?"
"No I don't, nobody does." I said gently. "If you want I can try 
and see if I can find out anything about them." She shook her head no.
"Thanks for the offer though. Maybe I'll see you at the dance."
I got the drift that she wanted to be alone, so I left. A 
shudder went down my spine. There was that feeling again, I'd try to find 
out its meaning but it would slip away from me. Was it some kind of 
premonition? Or just to much stress?
Trying to shrug it off I went to pick out a new dress for the 
dance. It was getting colder as winter approached so I picked out a long 
green silk dress with no sleeves. Squall said that he would come, but I 
should go on ahead with the others, because he had some things to take care 
of.
So I went with Zell and Selphie. We were in the ball room when 
Irvine showed up with his date for the evening-Quistis. She looked so 
pretty, her hair was not held up by anything and flowed down her shoulders, 
especially with her dress of wine colored velvet.
And for once I was the one sitting at the table watching everyone 
else, Selphie was hardly paying attention to her partner because she was 
staring at Irvine the whole time. Squall was already forty- five minutes 
late, where was he? He was going to get chewed out whenever he did decide to 
show up. There was this handsome young man looking at me.
I'd never seen him here in the garden before, he'd been trying to 
catch my eye all night. He was good looking, ashen blonde hair that fell 
over his brown eyes shading them. Where was Squall? He finally got up the 
courage age I guess because he walked over to me, "Excuse me, but is this 
seat taken?"
"Nope, I'm Rinoa. What's your name?" I asked him. Hey I wanted 
someone to keep me company.
"Gregor," he said.
"Are you new here. I've know allot of the people here, but I've 
never seen you before."
He smiled, "I am new. Would you care to dance fair maiden?"
I blushed, Squall never called me things like that. "Sure." He 
swept me up in his arms and we danced. It was crazy, when I danced with 
Squall it was very passionate, but this! I was laughing hysterically, he 
twirled me so much I thought I was going to pass out. But it was so much 
fun!
He slipped his hands around my waist as it turned to a slow 
dance. I loved Squall, but I loved to be around Gregor, he was so carefree, 
yet very thoughtful. "May I cut in?" A pleasant voice asked. I turned to 
see Squall, how long had he been here? Gregor smiled and walked away. I 
could just tell by the look on his face what he was thinking. "You have 
nothing to be jealous over. Your still my only love."
The rest of the night he never addressed the subject. It was 
lunch the a couple of days latter, I'd just sat down with my lunch of green 
salad and French fries when out of nowhere Gregor showed up. "Hey, nice 
lunch. We're friends right Rinoa?"
"This caught me off guard, "Of course."
"I'll be blunt with you," he said in a whisper. "I think that 
your life may be in danger. I can't talk here, the walls have ears. So meet 
my at the secret place tonight."
"I nodded and he walked of in a hurry. This did have me 
nervous. As a sorceress I was never the most popular of people. There was 
always someone who didn't like my living. I would meet him tonight. At the 
very least I could reassure my self that nothing was the matter.
The garden was darker than it usually was at this time of 
night. Maybe there was some cloud cover or something. I found him right 
where he said he would be, he looked very disturbed, his pacing finally 
stopped when he saw me watching him.
"I was afraid that you wouldn't come," he said. He took a deep 
breath and stepped closer to me. "I overheard some guys in this bar I was 
in last time I was in Galbadia. They had this well drawn out plot to 
assonate you. That's why I came, but it gets worse,"
"What?"
"I'm the assassin." Now I felt a peeling terror come over me, 
but I could not move. His smile turned malicious and cruel, this exposed his 
longer then normal fangs. "I'm sorry sorceress, truly I am. But you are the 
only thing that stands between my kind and total rule over yours."
I tried to use my powers, somehow he reflected them back at 
me, I sank to my knees. The pain seeped into every inch of my body. I tried 
but he lashed out with an aura, again and again. I fell to the ground, the 
pain was unlike any I knew. He put sank his fangs into my flesh and drained 
me, not of blood, but of all emotion. I felt nothing, nor did I wish for him 
to stop. Wait this seductive absence would kill me. Wouldn't it?
Then Squall my savior appeared with another women. She was 
white, with hair the color of Fujin's and brown eyes. She began to battle 
Gregor with magic I'd never seen before. Squall rushed to me and began to 
apply cures. Holding me in his arms he tried to comfort me. "It's all right 
Rinoa. You'll be fine, just hang on."
I shook my head weekly, nothing had worked. I heard Gregor 
scream, a ball of black flame flew from his palms and hit her in the face. I 
didn't see how but she got up and lashed out with some type of power surge 
and he vanished.
I could feel myself slipping, I ran my fingers through 
his hair one last time. "Squall, I love you...." his warm tears hit my skin, 
"I love you. Please don't leave me Rinoa. Don't leave."
His love was all that mattered to me.
That's all that would ever matter.
I left him and slipped into the darkness.


Coming soon,
A Dark Ally