+ final fantasy viii: a promise unfulfilled 4
Squall looked once more at Rinoa, cradling Quistis's baby in her arms. It looked so natural, Rinoa holding a baby.
"Come on, Rinoa, Quistis and Ellone. We don't have all day." Squall motioned to the three women to follow him down the long corridors into the main part of the Presidential Palace's living quarters.
"Squall, will you please tell me what the hell is going on?" Quistis hissed irately as the four people sat down.
"You will find out in good time. You're safer here than in Winhill, trust me." Squall motioned to the servants to bring cups of coffee and plates of biscuits to the main room.
"It's for your protection, as much as it is for Guinevere's" Rinoa pointed out, as she cooed to the awake baby in her lap.
Guinevere was only nine months old, and very pretty. She had Seifer's eyes, but the rest of her features were so dominantly Quistis that it would take someone with the mentality of a Bite Bug not to know that the mother of the child was the famous Quistis Trepe.
"We have new leads on Seifer's whereabouts," Squall said, breaking the silence that had descended on the group.
"What type of lead?" Quistis was instantly on the defensive.
"Ellone, if you would be so kind?" Squall asked his sister to use her powers to send Quistis into Seifer's mind.
Ellone nodded, and Quistis felt the familiar sensation of being put to sleep.
["Hahaha! You will never destroy the Grand Lord Sarkis, no matter how hard you try" Sarkis crowed as Seifer's Hyperion went slashing against the demon.
"Says who?" Seifer brought his gunblade up, and pointed it out in front, at the ready. "You are weak, Sarkis. You are afraid"
"Afraid" Sarkis mocked, "Why would I have any fear? Nothing, and I mean nothing can destroy me! I AM INVINCIBLE!"]
Quistis woke up suddenly. The images of Seifer fighting against a demon fresh in her mind. "We need to head to the O-Lab, something is terribly wrong"
Squall was the first one to react.
"We will head there. Ellone, would you mind Guinevere? Rinoa, get your weapon. Quisty, here's your old whip." Squall tossed Quistis her Save the Queen, which she quickly checked for any tears in the fibres that held it together.
The three people ran to the O-Lab, and kicked open the door. It was nothing but rubble. Years of Odine's hard work was gone. Quistis felt like crying when she witnessed the piles of debris that littered the usually tidy workspace.
The trace of the Diablos like demon's presence was unmistakable. There were small shreds of paper lying on the floor.
"If you seek, you will find" Quistis read, as she bent down to pick up a piece of paper that fluttered against her boots. "We will find them."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Adam!" Kira screamed, "please, save me!"
Seifer looked angrily at Sarkis, "Just what are you after?" he thundered as he swung his Hyperion.
"You" Sarkis swooped down and slashed Seifer with his claws, "you will die!"
Adam took the opportunity to attack Sarkis while he was busy with the captain. Adam brought his arms into a cross and then unleashed Ultima.
A ball of green light erupted where the man had stood. As Adam attacked Sarkis, he felt the magic of Protect and Shell being cast around him.
Rinoa Heartilly had saved his sorry butt.
"What am I after?" Sarkis asked, "I am after the Amulet of Hyne. It is the only thing that can bring back my mistress"
"Your mistress?" The action stopped as the voice of Quistis Trepe resounded through the room.
"The Sorceress, Ultimecia" The room became so quiet that one could hear the proverbial pin drop.
"But, we destroyed her. I saw her pass her powers onto Edea with my own eyes" Squall muttered, bringing the blue blade of Lionheart to the ready.
"Kira!" Adam shouted, "Watch out!"
Sarkis stopped speaking as he watched the red haired woman for a few moments. He smiled evilly and started to chant.
"Fithos, vilosec," Sarkis chanted, as he menaced towards the AK-47 user. Sarkis gave a low growl as the woman refused to back down.
[Bang] A gun was heard, but it was not Kira's AK-47. It was the unmistakable sound of Irvine Kinneas's Exter rifle being fired from the roof. Light filled the room as Irvine fired again. He was using Pulse Ammunition, left over from the quest to get Lionheart.
Adam felt his energy rise slowly as he stood up from his kneeling position on the floor. He readjusted his grip on his gunblade as he spun it around his head, kind of like Squall and Seifer did.
Seifer saw the face of Quistis for a second, and their eyes met in despair. Quistis had realised that Sarkis was too strong to be defeated normally.
"Key-Stis Trep" Sarkis sounded out the syllables in Quistis's name as he spotted her. "Why are you at the fray?"
"To fight you, Sarkis." Quistis's answer was said quietly. "I am not afraid to die, even if I never see my daughter again."
"Our daughter" Seifer said, catching on to his wife's plan. "We will orphan her to save the world"
"But you can't" Rinoa's voice raised in alarm, "you must not let Guinevere become an orphan! Hyne forbid it!"
"Sorceress Rinoa, Hyne's descendant. So YOU are the one my mistress so dearly wanted to destroy. I can see why."
Rinoa brought her Shooting Star blaster edge up to the ready, and aimed it at Sarkis. She hesitated just too long.
Sarkis saw that Rinoa was about to kill him, and lashed out at her, raking his claws across her chest, slicing open her ribcage.
Rinoa fell to the ground. "Full Life" Quistis called, but there was no reaction. "Damn you to Hell, Sarkis!" she shouted.
"Shockwave Pulsar!" Quistis used the very offensive spell on Sarkis, who fell back, but regained his composure.
"Hahahahaha! You will never defeat me! Ever!"
And the world went black.
A/N. Sorry about killing Rinoa and if this chappy seems a little short. I'm trying ^_^ It's not easy coming up with an original Seiftis plot, trust me and Al to know that! ^_^