A/N: Oh my god my last author note for this story. first things I'M SO SORRY ABOUT THE WAIT!!! i lost my floppy that had the last chapter on it and i had to rewrite the entire thing. but it's a good thing because i've made it MUCH BETTER!! i hope it doesn't piss anyone off because i might go a little OOC for Squall and Rinoa and i might have gone too far in some parts...u'll see. but it's all essential for the characters. but again, i hope it gives u a good ending to the entire story. it's long too...and wordy...so please read it with passion i guess. well enough talk...just read it

(also...thanksa BUNCH to my reviewers for being patient with the story. and thanks for all the reviews!!! they've been so helpful and supportive. i know, i know...we'll all miss the story, but we'll live. hope this has only helped to inspire u to write or maybe even to read. thanks...i couldn't have done it without u guys.)

Part Six: The Lion

Final Tears and Goodbyes for the Innocent

The rain poured on onslaughts. For this rain was raining for this fight. It was like it had been holding back for ages, just for this moment. Their clothes plastered to their skin, gunblades dripping with water. The city lights amplified, as if attracted by their auras of anger and hatred. They stood only a few yards apart, each listening to the rain pour on the other's shoulders. For now the story must come to a close and each of their own stories must be completed as well. Both will end, but how is hard to say. Will it be a happy or sad ending? That's for them to decide.

Squall ran one of his gentle hands now turned rough over the course of years through his now drenched dark, brown hair. He only shot a soft glance towards Rinoa with the last hopes of a smile he could muster now. For his own love had forgotten it. He wanted so desperately to remind her of it, but she had closed it off. There was only one more chance, "So…here we are now…just how you wanted it. Both of us standing here; gunblades in hand and ready to fight. A perfect setting. Us standing here in the rain. The final battle as you put it. Big climax to the end, no? That's what you want. You want to kill me, and satisfy your final lust for blood? Because after this you'll be happy as a bird won't you? You can just forget all that you've done so easily and move on."

Rinoa, now showing signs of her true womanhood, only clenched her gunblade. The same one she had crafted just for this one moment. For his death. The only thing clinging her to her old memories of the kind and gentle Squall was the dress she wore this moment. The cursed white dress she met him in. Now her short, red-tipped black hair stuck to her face as she breathed heavily in the now what seemed freezing rain, watching the her breath rise into the illuminated sky and disappear. For she was afraid these were her last breaths, "That's what I plan. I'm finally going to be happy."

"But weren't you? Weren't we happy? All the time and love we put into our relationship is now thrown away because of your grudge. Because, Rinoa…I know you won't be happy. Tell me…how did it feel killing all your past comrades. Our friends. Or did you forget that's who they were. The girl you used to go shopping with. The woman who you confided in. The boy who taught you how to eat ten hotdogs in five minutes. The southern gentleman who tried to make you always comfortable, even though you seemed to lag behind. And the little boy in front of you…who you gave your heart to. But it's apparent your heart doesn't have room for happy memories. Only cold and blood-soaked ones."

"You took those from me. You did when you betrayed me. It's not my fault…it's not…" Thank God it was raining, because Rinoa's tears might have been seen by him. She couldn't show her weakness. She couldn't show him anything anymore.

"I wish I could give them back then. But there's one still here. The one that never gave up in you. Please, Rinoa, let the beast inside of you go and give me back my angel!"

Rinoa squinted to cease her tears. She smiled through the sorrow, trying to choke down a chuckle…something to waver him, "Silly, your angel is the beast."

"No…I remember my Rinoa. She was sweet and kind. Her beauty rivaled everyone else's. Your strong heart showed us the way through all the dark times. Why can't you remember her!? Why can't I have her back!?"

"What have I been telling you!? You killed her! Now…a beast inhabits her body! Your Rinoa is dead and the Rinoa of vengeance is all that is left. No more room for love and joy. Only revenge and hatred!" She sobbed now, her gunblade lowering slightly.

"…Then how come she's crying…" Squall let his tears go as well. The ones…like the rain…he had been saving for this moment.

"Because…she's still there…but she only appears when you're around. She wants to see you and love you so badly, but I won't let her! It's not right! It's not justice! It's weakness!" Rinoa held her hand to her face to try to stop those damn tears!

"Since when was love weakness! I never taught you that!" Squall shouted to her, his voice echoing.

"No…but you showed it to me that night." Rinoa's sobs began to calm.

"Rinoa…please come back…please." Squall fell to his knees now, gunblade let loose on the ground.

Rinoa began to remove her hand from her face. The tears finally subsiding and all that was there was laughter. The laughing of the devil.

"You fucking idiot. You think you're really going to sway me with those sick words! You fucking hypocrite! Now…it's time for your judgment! You cannot escape it!"

"No…don't leave, Rinoa. Come back…you can do it! Shove this demon away and bring back my sweet angel." Squall put his hands on the ground, begging for her return.

"Fool…and I was called you Master. You make me sick. Get up! Get up and fight me you little pussy. I haven't come all this way to have you on the ground pleading like a little girl." Rinoa swung her gunblade back up into fighting position.

"I've lost her. By my own hands…I've lost her." Squall looked at those rough hands. Now he understood why they had become so worn. He sucked up the last bit of strength he had in him. No longer was he to hold onto the Rinoa he loved. For this wasn't her. She had changed…into a murderous monster. He was going to kill this monster, finishing the job he should've done a long time ago. Her death would be the true justice.

"Enough talk." Rinoa kicked back and began to charge. The puddles of water across the street began to blast up in gushes as her feet slammed against them. The droplets of water streamed from her hair and the edge of her gunblade. No longer was anything else in her mind, just her thought on killing him. For that's how she did all of her killings. She forgot they were a person, but just a target. And that's all Squall was now. A job.

The gunblade swung, it's slice sung through the rain like a gospel as Rinoa thrusted it with all her might.

"Stupid little girl." Squall smiled from underneath his tear-streaked face, "Naughty little girl."

The gunblade was caught in a drift. Rinoa forced every bit of energy into it, but it wouldn't budge. Stuck there…hovering about his head.

He slowly stood up, water dripping from his clothes. He wiped the soaked locks of hair from out of his eyes and smiled. In a flash, his eyes shot wide open and the Lionheart lifted from its resting place upon the ground and into his hand.

"You forget so easily I guess." He let go of his hold on her gunblade and swung his upwards to meet hers. It sent her arms hailing backwards at the force, leaving her midsection open. He took his other arm and pounded it into her stomach, sending her to the ground.

"MOTHERFUCKER!" She screamed and swung herself back up without letting go of her blade. She sent thrust after thrust at him, but he blocked it perfect with his own gunblade. Almost like clockwork he was. Never showing a moment of distraction, carefully executing every move.

"Now, now, Rinoa. No need for that language. If you weren't so bad, maybe you could actually surprise me." She fell back for a second to take a breath before executing another swing which he knocked back. Then he grabbed her face with his hand and squeezed tightly, making her even forget she had a gunblade in her hand to use to defend herself.

"I'm talking to you! Listen to me! You're not even close to my level. What are you really trying to accomplish? You can't kill me like that. You think you could do anything?" He shoved her to the ground, he face flaring with frustration.

He pointed the gunbalde's edge right on her forehead, "Now listen, or I'll blow your fucking brains out right here."

She settled herself in impatience, but knew she had no other choice.

"Really, though. Who the fuck do you think you are? You're one little girl who got lost in this business. Don't you understand? You're nothing! You weren't born into this life like me! You want to know the truth about your beast! It's nothing but a rabid dog! You're nothing compared to me! You're not even close to a lion!"

"What do you mean?" Rinoa confused by his words, yet knew they had some meaning. Was he calling her weak?"

"All this time, I've let you assume you've been strong. A girl who has been turned into a killing machine. But the truth is…you're nothing. All this rage is useless on you. All the power you have is like a child giving a tantrum."

"Fuck you, Squall! I don't need you to condescend me! I fucking killed everyone!" She rolled backwards and leaped forward with her blade steadied at his heart. Suddenly, a blast of energy flung her back a few feet away, rolling through the puddle of water, weakened greatly.

"Little girl, you killed no one. Want to know the truth? Here it is…all those you've killed have not been just your doing. Two years ago, you were a sorceress. Still a girl, but with a bit of power behind her. Personally, I despised your power. I was jealous…someone weaker than me who had been given so much power like that. I had to work for my power! And there you were, just a little girl who had been given God's gift! So the job was to extract it from you. Extracting the powers was the easy part as Quistis was somewhat good with it, but even she was kept in the dark about most of the things that I did. As we took your powers…we never left a single ounce of them in your body. That would be stupid. For you see, I was curious. Had your sorceress powers been helping you throughout those few years? Were you only a good assassin because of them? Or maybe you actually had potential as a human. So I wanted to see it. What you perceived as the sorceress memorial was actually just the West branch of the D-District Prison in Galbadia. But I wanted everything to fit in perfectly. The scientist were hired by me as means of convincing you. Of course, I didn't realize you'd forget the memories I had implanted into you about our conversations about leaving a little bit of the sorceress powers inside of you. But in a way it worked out better than what I had planned. So of course, you sought revenge. I knew you would. You're just like a little kid. A shame that our comrades didn't know about it though. So one by one you killed them. Of course, not fully by yourself, though. Without any powers…where do you think those little miracles came from? Take a guess. I just needed to give you enough help to make it to me. For I wanted to make you see your arrogance, child. How foolish you are. For you're nothing but a little girl in this massive world playing war. You can't even close to compete with me. You know…I actually thought you had potential as a human being, but apparently not. All you're good for is being a sorceress or a little girl. The evil inside your heart finally reveals itself in this moment of torment and rage. But it's all empty. You can't fulfill it. No matter how hard you try. You're just a scared little girl, crying for help, but you can't get it now. I'm here to finally put you out of the misery of this cruel world. You can finally join the other angels up in heaven…or maybe the demons like you in hell."

Rinoa's mind had left her body. Who was she? What was she doing? He was right…she was nothing but a little girl. All of a sudden all the memories of the dead had hit her. How many people had she killed to fulfill Squall's sick pleasure. Her friends and countless others she didn't know. She wasn't a trained killer…not even close. Squall was a true lion…she was just a scared little kitten compared to him. Was she just fulfilling her childish dreams of being like Squall this whole time? Had her hands been covered in so much blood that she couldn't even see them anymore. She couldn't see the true her anymore. It was covered by lies and the lust for death. For her true…inner passion and kindness was so deeply buried by such sin that no one could save it. Now she was just an empty vessel of guilt and despair.

"Rinoa…have you realized what you've done. Do you now understand? This hasn't been a game of wits…it's just me teaching you a lesson. Look at it as your final test. Too bad you failed. You weren't what I was hoping for. I was expecting a strong woman under that cover as a sorceress, but you showed me just how weak you really were. I'm sorry for you. But now…the time has come to realize the crimes you have committed against your fellow man. Time to finally be let free of your sins." He knelt down in front of her motionless body.

"I'm…a…disgrace." Rinoa mumbled and released the grip from her gunblade.

He smiled and took hold of her golden gunblade, "Guess this is useless." He tossed it over the edge of the skyway…listening to it thinly slice through the night air and finally take its finally strike upon the ground.

"Now return to me one last time, Rinoa. Come back to your kind side. The one who was innocent. The one who wasn't filled with such passion of murder." Squall caressed her face, smiling.

"I guess that's all that's left, hm? For the Rinoa as a killer never existed. Only me, a little girl engulfed in the darkness of a polluted world of sin. I guess there's nothing really left for me. All my beliefs have been stripped and there's nothing but emptiness." She whimpered slightly, but her solemn expression remained present.

"This is how it should be. Finally, a human who understands the true nature of our world. There's only death to look forward to. And the only pleasure one can take in life is being the one to control it. Simply put, it's kill or be killed."

"Squall? Were all those words you said to me in the beginning true? About how you still loved me and wanted me to feel remorse for those I killed? Was it?" She looked at him with tearful eyes, the rain finally beginning to drizzle out as the sun was beginning to slowly rise.

"I still care for you…but love is another question." Squall kissed her on the forehead…not like a lover, but more like a parent.

Rinoa closed her eyes and took a breath of the morning air. So it appeared as if she was going to see one more day at least. She sat up for a moment. Squall moved in concordance, respecting whatever wishes she might have. It never felt good killing someone this beautiful.

She looked into the sunrise, feeling the warmth coming slowly across the artificial city. She saw it…and never felt more fulfilled.

"Tell me, Rinoa, do you feel better now? Knowing the truth? Does it really make you feel any happier now? Or would you prefer the lie?" Squall asked her.

She just looked into the sunset, "I prefer the right one."

"Which one is that?" Squall got up, holding his gunblade on his shoulder…knowing it was almost time to put it to its cruelest use.

"The one where everything is right." Rinoa replied…smiling at him. And at that moment, he was sure he saw it. Maybe the sun was just playing tricks on his mind, but it was as if she was engulfed in a golden aura of beauty. Not of ferocity like his auras for her had been, but one of innocence and purity. And…were those wings?

He pointed it straight forward. And charged. The blade thrusting itself…directly towards her heart.

The blade stopped…blood slowly dripping from its tip. It was Rinoa's…pure blood.

"Do you wanna know which one I picked?" Rinoa smiled…not deviously, but completely angelic.

Squall stood with his mouth agape.

"The one where you're dead." Rinoa held the blade between her hands…the sharp edge giving her a nasty cut on her palm, but that'd heal. She held on with all her strength. And kicked her leg over the blade to slap her foot across his face. He fell to the ground. She took the Lionheart and moved her hands to the handle.

"Squall…one thing…I may have been a little girl, but now…"

Squall looked up at the gunblade now in her possession, "You're a lion."

"Wrong…I'm a woman."

The End