Redemption Chapter 8
By Katie Herdman
The stars twinkled in their eternal resting places, like lost souls bound there forever. Rinoa marvelled at them, but also secretly envied them. How their lives were so simple, there was nothing complicated.
Footsteps behind her, made her turn round, dragging her gaze from her stars. There he stood, like a dream come true. Maybe he was.
The mist in her brain slowly cleared and she saw, him. The thing that had taken away her precious love.
“Oh, god,” she whispered.
“No, I’m Squall, or rather in his body,” Squall replied.
Moving closer to her, she backed away. For the first time she was afraid of this man, the one she had been destined to love. In his eyes, there was no more humanity left in him.
“Why do you believe me to be the same as him?” Squall asked. Rinoa did not reply. “He is no longer here, nor will he ever be again. And you have Andria to thank for that.”
“I don’t believe you do,” Andria said behind him.
Andria stood there, defiant. Ready to fight him. Rinoa moved back, away from Squall. “Don’t think I won’t kill you,” she said.
“I would never dream of calling your bluff, I know you would destroy the one you love most, if only to destroy me.”
“Stop it,” she cried.
“Are you unable to handle the truth Andria? I thought you could. It is painful,” he said, slowly walking round her in a circle, “what if you do kill this body and release me. What will you tell Jake? That you not only killed your brother, one of your best friends, and anyone else that had been near you, but you also killed the only man you loved, his father. How will you tell him?”
Andria couldn’t take any more. It was too much. Without thinking, she lashed out at Squall, the dagger still in her hand. Blocking her, he stepped back and kicked her in the shoulder. Taking the hit, she came back with a punch on his jaw. He stepped back, stunned slightly.
Anger in his eyes, Squall leapt forward and rallied off kicks and punches at her, one after the other. Grabbing her hand he threw the dagger to the floor, then twisted her arm.
“Reminds me of last time, remember what I did to your arm then?”
Andria brought her leg up and kicked him in the face. He held his face where it stung, blood trickled out of the corner of his mouth. He flicked it away.
“Don’t forget,” Andria warned, “you’re still human. And I killed you once before.”
Squall then pulled out his gunblade, which he had had sheathed before.
“But now I have this,” he said.
He then charged towards her, gunblade held high ready to impale her. Thinking quickly, Andria bend down and in a second’s flash stabbed him in the chest, the knife sinking deep into his flesh.
Amazed, Squall staggered back, and then fell. Andria stood, shocked, not believing what she had done. Rinoa ran to Squall and knelt down.
“What have you done,” she cried.
Andria knelt down on his other side. Squall struggled as if in pain, then stopped.
“Rinoa,” he croaked, and brushed a bloodied hand against her cheek.
“I’m sorry,” he said through the pain.
“No, I’m sorry, forgive me Squall,” Andria pleaded.
Squall nodded slightly, it was getting harder for him to focus or breathe.
“I wish,” he whispered, “… that I could have known my son. Tell him I…”
Squall didn’t finish. His last breath escaped his lips, and he died.
“No,” cried Rinoa, holding his head, hoping that it would bring him back.
“Rinoa, step back,” commanded Andria; she now knew what Daina had meant when she had said Andria would save Squall.
Rinoa ignored her and stayed, rocking Squall’s lifeless body.
Andria concentrated her powers. Rinoa suddenly flew back six feet. Winded, she slowly got to her feet.
“Andria, what the hell are you doing?”
An aura of red energy surrounded Andria and Squall. Andria placed one hand on Squall’s heart and another on his head. She let her energy, her life force flow through her.
“My last gift to you,” she whispered, “I promise you will see your son.”
The red aura then turned white then disappeared. Andria fell onto Squall. Rinoa slowly, hesitantly stepped towards them. She was unsure what had happened, what Andria had done. Squall stirred slightly and she jumped. Squall was alive!
Seifer came up behind her and Rinoa looked at him. He nodded slightly.
“Andria gave up her life for your boyfriend,” he said sorrowfully.
Slowly he bent down and picked her up. She wasn’t even warm now. Slowly and respectfully he walked away.
**********
Squall, awake now fully, watched Seifer take her away. It was real now; she couldn’t cheat death a third time. He was numb; he couldn’t even feel Rinoa’s hugs, or her tears.
The dull pain in his chest slowly went away, but he couldn’t feel that either. There was an ache in his heart though, that made it hard to breathe. Anything he had wanted to say to her now was too late; she was gone.