The humiliation of the current situation was what really wore on her. She had been stupid enough to leave Garden in the first place, and then, she-- 'A sorceress, for Shiva's sake!'-- managed to get herself kidnapped!? She could already imagine the things they would think. 'She was trapped by a barrier for two weeks in a hotel basement in Timber?' Then they would fall over with laughter. That should even give the usually stoic and unsmiling Squall something to laugh at. Maybe they would even choke on their vicious snickering and die, and she would seriously never get out of this situation.

'Am I seriously going to be stuck in here forever!? I'd rather be put out of my misery, now.'

The man in the black trench coat turned his narrow, calculating eyes to the small silver wrist-watch on his left hand. He appeared as to be waiting for someone, impatiently at that (his foot was tapping in a manner that suggested it). He continued to fidget with ever accessory he wore, the chain around his neck, the coat, his shirt, he even began to form a sort of nifty sound with his fists as he snapped and lightly hit them against each other. He showed all of the characteristics of A) a body-musician and B) a nervous wreck.

Squall could practically hear his teeth chattering, even from the distance that seperated the two.

A girl with long blond hair walked up to him quickly.

Arg. Not this again.

'The girl from the training centre.' The cold blue-eyed SeeD made the accesment instantly as the girl came into his lign of vision. He kept low and edged around the crates, waiting until a group of young men walked by and carefully crept up to blend himself with their small posse. He quickly passed through them when he reached the shop and silently made his way quickly up to hide in a small alcove between three walls, this time closer to the man in black.

His thoughts were jumbled at his own actions, now. It was against his personal beliefs to listen in on the business of other people unless it was for business purposes-- which, surely, this was not. Yet, here he was, eavesdropping on a conversation that bore, really, no relevance to him at all. He couldn't help it, though, the man in black was an almost exact look-a-like of himself! And like any moderately normal human being would be, he was curious.

"... saw her when she was talking to that bartender..." The man kept his low tone as soft as possible even in the semi-loud chatter of the area of their meeting.

"... never told! I don't think I did... I'll kill Cappa!" The blond's red-tinted visage seemed to be just barely in control of totally revealing her anger.

"Nothing like that should ever slip again!" The man advanced on her a step or two, forcing her to step back to the wall. "If this is going to work, you have to follow the guidelines. Such leaks as this could seriously damage our plans."

"Well, you said they were coming! We can just leave her there! They'll find her! What if they do?! What then?!" Her tone was anxious and slightly on the verge of panic, "It's not as if they don't stand any sort of a chance! Even if they do find there way... That spell, like any other spell, can be broken!"

Waruitenshi was quiet.

Now, that Squall was so close he saw this guy was quite on the opposite personality-wise. The two partners both started hastily walking away, as the silent SeeD peered out of the alcove and kept a low profile edging after. He carefully made to blend himself with his surroundings, hiding in a group of people now and then, camoflauging himself into the torrent of locals that littered the Timber streets.

He followed the two as they walked quickly down the street until-

"Yo!" Zell was jumping up and down and waving his arms frantically in Squall's direction. Quistis rolled her eyes and beckoned him forward.

Squall lost Waruitenshi and her mysterious friend. 'Damn!' the thought, 'Why Zell? Why Now?'

Squall moved out of the crowd twords Zell, who was jumping up and down, and Quistis, who was trying to let the passing strangers know, that she didn't know Zell. It wasn't working.

Quistis put her hands on her hips and gave Squall a serious look, "I think I've found out what may have happened to Rinoa!"

Squall told Quistis about the conversation between Waruitenshi and his look-a-like.

Quistis's eyes widened, "He was in there! He listened when I talked to the bar-tender!"

"I was following them, but then-" He quickly focused his icy blue-eyed glare on the only other male in their present trio, "I lost them."

Zell frowned, "Oh." He lightly rubbed the back of his neck, tilting his head away, "Sorry, man."

Squall looked back at the crowd, as people were slowly leaving the streets. It was just 1400 in the early afternoon time, but the unusual morning crowd of Timber was fading. It was nothing unusual that most of the small city's shops only had half-day permits, and were forced by law to close their doors before 1530. Soon, the streets would empty into small fans of people, and no longer the usual rustle of necessity shopping and travel.

Quistis focused her lightly avid gaze upon the both of them, "We should search the Hotel, Cappa mentioned to be of the Hotel basement..." she drifted off, 'How careless to devise such plans and then blow your entire cover by getting drunk in the local pub. Tch. Amatuers. Even -Zell- could have devised a better plan than that, and that would be quite an accomplishment for -him-.' Quistis looked up at them, "Well?"

The other two SeeDs nodded.

They traveled languidly through the clearing streets past the many different shops and homes of the area. Finally approaching the rather large well lighted establishment, clearly marked as the Timber Hotel. They entered and sent Zell to ask the receptionist if they had a girl named Waruitenshi resident.

The receptionist, told her, they had no residents by the name 'Waruitenshi,' Zell brought the news back, "Where is the entrance to the basement?"

Quistis rolled her eyes and pointed to the door behind the desk, "That's the backroom, the entrance should be in there. But, wouldn't the receptionist know if they were staying in the basement?"

Squall glanced at the door, "She would have to." He narrowed his eyes and looked at the entrance hall to all the rooms, beside the check in counter. "They might be under the guy's name..." he looked at Zell.

The two elder SeeDs sent Zell back to see if there were any residents by the name Yume(anything) Once again, no luck.

Zell looked at them, "Maybe we should go ask any item shops. They might be stocking up on magic...Man! Why can't we just say we're SeeD and go back there!?"

Quistis shook her head, "Zell, we are to keep as low, a profile as possible! All the people in the lobby would get suspicious. When there is a whole crowd following your every move, that is NOT a low profile! This isn't official business, anyway, we can't just demand to be let back because of mercenary status!"

The blond stepped back and shrugged, "If you wanna be difficult about it."

Squall stared at the hotel, "Someone should keep an eye on the hotel, and everyone who goes in and out." He looked at Zell, "One of us continue searching for clues...though I don't see how that would help too much anymore, other than, they may not be staying at the Hotel-"

"They may be checked in by another name?" Zell pointed out.

"That's why someone should stay here, to keep an eye on things," he nodded to Quistis, "someone should go to item shops.." He looked at Zell, and cursed the idea but followed it up, "And someone should go to the back to the Pub."

They all agreed, Zell, headed off with Squall to the Shop beside the Pub, and Quistis stayed in the hotel lobby, keeping quiet and watching around her with a keen eye.

Squall went into the Pub while Zell continued into the shop beside it. Neither shop gave any information and the two male SeeDs continued by searching other various shops. Not, telling anyone, they were SeeD.

It seemed useless, why couldn't they just hire a detective? 'A hotel basement. What idiots.' Zell thought testily, 'There is no reason for this! These people have got some kind of trick; interesting. Not like it's going to work.' Zell glanced at Squall, even the usually focused and intense SeeD couldn't hide his boredom in the whole search.

They continued there search, finding that Timber was a much bigger place than they had originally thought.

Squall and Zell came in vision of the hotel around nine o'clock. Poor, Quistis, she had been waiting practically all day. Though, when they entered the Hotel lobby, she was ALL but bored. She had stationed her self against the wall, standing with her arm propped against the chair. The receptionist, they noticed kept glancing at her. 'What's going on?' Squall stared at Quistis and walked over. Zell followed.

Quistis had a strictly serious look on her face and she casually turned to them, she whispered, "Look at the receptionist."

Zell and Squall both glanced over to the receptionist. Zell looked back at Quistis, "What about her?"

Squall was turning away and she caught his eye. The receptionist's eyes widened and a look of suprise crossed her face, she quickly replaced it with a sweet smile and hurried into the back room.

Quistis stared at Squall, "I think she was looking for you."

The hotel lobby was almost empty by now.

Squall stepped over to the desk he bent himself as far over the counter as possible. A pool of thick crimson covered the floor behind the counter. Suprisingly, he could see, from on the other side of the desk, the dead body of the real receptionist. He naked body, derived of her usual uniform was marred across her bare chest and stomach by thick deep cuts. He looked behind him and motioned for Zell and Quistis.

The last of all the people in the lobby were gone, to their rooms for the night. They were alone until-

"Squall Leonhart, Master Yumenegau has been expecting you." the receptionist said. They hadn't noticed her come back out. She smiled and opened the panel door to step behind the counter.

The three SeeDs stared puzzled. 'Yumenegau?'

The receptionist's smile faded, "Your little friends can come, too, if they must."

The trio had no idea what was going on, but they walked through the door anyway. Zell had his gloves on quickly before he stepped through the door, Quistis held her chain whip, and Squall kept his hand on the hilt of his gunblade.

The door closed behind them, and Waruitenshi stood in front of the door, "We've been waiting for you." She smiled at Squall, "Me and Yume... You should've been here a week ago..."

She opened a panel on the floor, a narrow staircase lead down. She went first and the SeeDs followed, Squall in the lead, Zell at the rear. Zell knew he was supposed to close the trap door, but he looked at the automatic lock attached to it. He knew if he closed it they couldn't get back out of the, suprisingly heavy door. He kept it open. too bad, the second he turned his back on it, it closed, making him stumble and go rolling down the steps.

Zell cursed as he rose up from the floor. "Damn door!"

Waruitenshi only smiled.

A man stepped out from behind a row of cleaning supplies. He had a broad smile that looked out of place, seeing as how he looked almost just like Squall. He tilted his head. "Not a very idealistic environment?" He asked, no one responded, 'It's just a cover up." The basement surroundings started to merge together. Squall felt himself get a strange dizzy feeling but he fought to remain standing, Quistis did the same.

"Ugh!" Zell fell to the ground, blood coursed out of his back, and Waruitenshi stood smiling behind him. She flipped her golden hair and pulled her katana blade out of his bloody back, slowly.

The room had morphed into a large cave, the floor was made of a hard black crystal and the walls and ceilings remained unseen. Lights shown from each corner of the room, to bright to look at directly. The room was very large and bear.

"No! It's a trap!!"

Squall whirled around at the sound of the voice, to see Rinoa standing surrounded by the faint white glow of a large translucent dome. A barrier. In the dim glow of the dome her usually pale skin was looking more ghostly than ever, and her posture and eyes both pronounced her status of fatigue.

His mind was swimming in a flurry of thoughts as she stood there, prodominantly disbelief, with an ounce of longing, 'Rinoa?!'

Waruitenshi walked through the barrier to stand directly in front of raven-haired girl. "You will either keep quiet, or be damned."

"Then, damn me, already!" In a blur of movement, the girl in blue had swung up her right leg to knee the girl hard in the abdomen, scowling with bitterness as she watched the female captor stumble back from her and out of the barrier.

Waruitenshi lifted herself with what little dignity she somehow managed to salvage from the obviously ungraceful display, and re-entered the barrier once-more. Without another word or glance at the girl she cast sleep, tiny white tendrils of magic trailing from her fingertips to surround her prey.

Rinoa stood for only a moment longer until she fell to the ground in sleep.

Yumenegau looked at Squall, and took a step back and disappeared into the blackness of the room.

Squall felt something tap his shoulder, thinking it was Quistis he brushed it away, looking around. Where was Yumenegau? It was just then that the stoic SeeD was hit with strong impact in the back and stumbled forward a bit. He managed to turn himself to the direction of the assault.

Seifer?!

Seifer smiled, holding his gunblade high up in the air, the same old cocky smirk of old days marring his pale lips, "Heh, bet you didn't expect this!" He swung his gunblade vertically down at Squall. Caught off-gaurd by both shock and confusion, the blue-eyed boy quickly jumped backwards missing the blade's sharp metallic tip by less than a centimetre. The heat left in wave of the stoke, even rippled at his shirt.

Quistis narrowed her eyes and held her chain whip tight. Zell lay on the ground, blood flowing from his back slowly. Rinoa remained silent and unmoving.

Squall unsheathed his gunblade quickly, preparing for a fight.