Continued from page 4

Selphie and Irvine have scouted on ahead, but neither has been able to see the city of Esthar.  The group reaches the entrance to the Great Salt Lake.  They decide to split into two groups.  Squall takes his group, plus the resting Rinoa, through the GSL.  Once they reach the far edge, Squall notices that the background is...well...odd.  A hole appears in the sky, and Squall climbs up an invisible ladder to it.  Inside is an elevator that takes them to the city of Esthar.  When the elevator stops, Squall falls out and is taken to Laguna's time again...
Laguna, Ward, and Kiros are all working in Esthar.  They are trying to find Ellone.  Laguna is friendly to his fellow co-worker and to the Moomba.  He manages to overcome the guards, and they all escape.  Laguna is asked to lead the anti-Adel movement.  He agrees to do it as soon as he finds Ellone.  Dr. Odine knows where Ellone is, and Laguna and Co. go and grab the little man.  He tells them where Ellone is, and they go to the Lab to get her.  Once there, Laguna finds her cell and visits with her. 
Back in the real world...
Squall wakes up, and he and his group are escorted to the Presidental Palace.  There, Dr. Odine tells Edea that he can help her get rid of the sorceress power.  He asks Squall if he can look at Rinoa.  Dr. Odine will examine her, then, send her to the Lunar Gate.  Squall and one other can accompany her to the Lunar Base.  Squall agrees to this, then sets out for the Lunar Gate.
Once there, Squall tells Zell to look after Edea.  Zell returns to Esthar, and goes to Dr. Odine's lab.  The Lunatic Pandora is on a course over Esthar.  Zell and his group catch the LP, and explore it.  However, they are soon booted out of the LP, and are forced to make a strategic withdrawl.
Squall and Rinoa are launched into space and taken to the Lunar Base.  Doctors there think that they will be able to help her.  Squall warns them not to hurt her.  Ellone is there, and Squall goes to visit her.  He still thinks that Ellone may be able to help Rinoa.  He takes Ellone to the Control Room, where they learn that the Lunar Cry is starting.  Also, Squall learns that Adel, the tyrranical sorceress who ruled Esthar, is being held in a sealed tomb in space.  The seal on her tomb can be deactivated in two parts.  The first part is in the Control Room.  To fully deactivate the seal, one must go to the tomb itself and deactivate it.  The Esthar guards are working hard to make certain that Adel is never allowed to be freed.  Then, Ellone agrees to accompany him to the Med Lab to check up on Rinoa.  As they leave the Control Room, ALL HELL BREAKS LOOSE.  Squall tells his partner(either Quistis, Irvine, or Selphie)to take Ellone back to the Control Room.  Something is going down in the Med Lab, and Squall intends to go and check on Rinoa.  Once he gets there, Rinoa, moving like a person in a dream and unaware of anything around her, has broken out.  She throws Squall across the room any time he tries to approach her.  Rinoa heads for the Control Room and deactivates the seal on Adel's Tomb.  She knocks out anyone who tries to stop her.  After successfully deactiviating the level 1 seal, Rinoa, throwing anyone in her path a good 30 feet, heads out to go into space and deactivate the level 2 seal.  Squall rushes after her, but is unable to catch up with her.  The Lunar Base must be evacutated; the Lunar Cry has started.  Squall, his partner, Ellone, and Piet all board an escape pod.  Squall is still wearing his space suit.  He pleads with Ellon to help him help Rinoa.  He is in love with Rinoa, and can't bear the thought of losing her.  Ellone agrees to help him.  First, she sends Squall back to when they were trapped in D-District Prison.  Irvine came on orders from General Carraway to get Rinoa.  He is taking her back to Deling City.  Rinoa tells Irvine to turn around and go back for the others.  Irvine won't do this, so she beats the crap out of him until he comes around to her way of thinking.
That was too far...try again.
Next, Ellone sends him back to when Rinoa asked Zell about Squall's ring.  She wanted one just like it.  Zell agreed to make one for her.  He suggested they go and ask Squall to show them his ring.  Rinoa is too embarrassed to do it.  Zell figures it out, and then she says "No!  It's not what you think!"
Still too far...
Next, Ellone sends him back to the end of the battle with Edea.  Squall can see that Rinoa is possessed by Ultimecia.  She tells him that she is frightened.  Then, the connection is lost.
None of that worked.  Squall was not able to change the past.  Ellone then enables him to be with Rinoa: "She's calling for you, Squall.  Your voice may not reach her, but your heart will."
Squall is taken to Rinoa, mentally.  He is there with her in space.  Finally, Squall wakes up.  He goes out into the vastness of space to rescue Rinoa.  This daring feat must be done carefully, or Rinoa will be lost forever. 
Squall manages to rescue her, but now what?  Die in space together?
Then, out of the corner of his eye, Squall sees their chance at salvation...the Ragnarok.  The two make it to the ship, and then board it.  One problem...they have to defeat the 8 Propagators.  This is easy enough, and the pair heads to the bridge. 
Esthar has made radio contact with them, and can bring them home.  They give Squall the coordinates to input, tell him to shut off the gravitational simulator.  Then, all that must be done will be done at Ground Control.  The song "Eyes on Me" fills the air, and Rinoa, who is snuggling in Squall's lap(to his somewhat small disconcertment, but he also really doesn't care)begins to ask him about his childhood.  She thinks that he has missed out on a lot by being as much of an outsider as he has.  She tells him that her mother used to hold her, but now, Squall is the one who brings her the greatest comfort and happiness...and annoyance and disappointment!
Ground Control breaks through.  They have a good idea of what happened.  They ask to know who is aboard.  Squall replies that there are two people aboard, himself and Rinoa.  "The sorceress?" they reply.  Ground Control tells Squall that Rinoa will be taken upon landing.  Squall, frustrated, turns off the radio transmitter.  Rinoa, who at this point has returned to her own seat, is frightened.  She doesn't want to be a sorceress, she doesn't want the future, she just wants the now.  Squall, still in shock, takes her in his arms, and holds her for the rest of the trip.
True to their word, soldiers are awaiting on the landing site to take Rinoa to the Sorceress Memorial.  She will be sealed away for all of time.  Rinoa accepts this, and goes.  Before she leaves, she tells Squall that in space she was possessed by Ultimecia.  Ultimecia wants to achieve time compression.  As long as Rinoa is free, Ultimecia will continue to use her to accomplish this goal.  Rinoa then turns to go with the soldiers.  Squall runs after her. "Rinoa!  Don't go!" he cries.  She smiles at him, thanks him, but says that she must go.  She starts to give him his ring back(she's been holding on to it the entire time)but he tells her to keep it.  Then, Rinoa is gone.
Squall goes back to the ship and sits in the passenger deck.  He is confused.  His heart is telling him that he is a fool for letting Rinoa go, but his mind tells him that it was her choice.  Soon, Irvine shows up.  He tells Squall that he is impressed.  When Squall jumped out into space to save Rinoa, he was like a hero.  "So, where's the heroine?"  But before Squall can answer, Quistis, Zell, and Selphie show up.  Zell starts to report about the Lunatic Pandora.  He also tells Squall that Matron passed on her powers to someone without realizing it.  Squall tells Zell that he can't think right now.  Quistis asks about Rinoa.  Squall tells them that she went with the Esthar soldiers to the Memorial.  She was afraid that everyone would be scared of her.  Quistis calls Squall nine kinds of STUPID.  Irvine and Selphie say their peace, and then leave the room.  Quistis and Zell ask Squall what he is planning.  Then, the Ragnarok lifts off! 
Quistis: Uh, excuse me...We're flying?!!
Zell: I sure hope this ain't the case, but I can see Selphie sitting in the pilot seat yelling "Whoo-hoo!  We're flying!"
Squall: And standing next to her a very excited Irvine...
The three head to the bridge.  Sure enough, Selphie is sitting in the pilot seat
Selphie: Whoo-hoo!  We're flying!
Squall tells her to head for the Sorceress Memorial.  They are going to go and get Rinoa back.
They arrive at the Memorial, and guards are at the door.  The guards let Squall, Quistis, and Zell pass.  They enter the Memorial.  The engineers demand to know what the hell is going on.  Squall tells them that he has come to get Rinoa.  The engineers say that it is too late.  Quistis and Zell bare their weapons and Squall rushes into the chamber where Rinoa is being prepared to be sealed.  He breaks her out, and the two enjoy an embrace before Rinoa pulls away.  "Don't!  I'm a sorceress!"  "I don't care," is Squall's response.  The four escape the Memorial.  At the door, the guards are ready to intercept them.  Quistis and Zell are holding them off.  As Squall and Rinoa arrive, a large man appears.  He motions for the guards to let Rinoa and the others go.  As Squall leaves, he turns back..."That man...I've seen him before."
The group goes back to the Ragnarok.  Rinoa is happy that they came for her, but she is scared that everyone is mad.  Quistis tells her nothing is farther from the truth.  They are trying to decide a destination.  Rinoa asks if they could go to the orphanage.  Quistis tells her that there is nothing to be seen at the orphanage, but Squall orders Selphie to fly them to Edea's house.

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