Author Notes: I continue to try and plug away at this whenever I get the chance. I apologize that this is a shorter chapter but it just seemed like a good stopping point. One day I hope that I can finish this and I'm really gratified to see that people actually read it.

A Call of Tomorrow

Chapter 11: Anticipation

He couldn't find her. Walking across the barren plains, he called her name again and again, screaming into the endless void until his throat was raw. For miles he dragged his tired body, ignoring the harsh winds and endless heat. If he could reach the other side, he knew he could find her. Across this endless abyss would be the field of flowers where they had promised each other they would meet.

But as he looked behind him, he saw the reality of his life. This was no endless abyss. It was a small island with nowhere to run. He was trapped and there was no end. There was no way to leave and find his field of flowers. Sinking down to his knees, Squall whispered her name, loving the feel of it on his tongue, how it gently caressed his ears and gave him comfort, even knowing that he would never see her lovely face again.

Better to die than face the world without her. Drawing his gunblade from its sheath at his side, he pictured her face one last time before ending it all.

His life was slowly slipping away. Perhaps there was an afterlife after all, because in the distance, he could hear the beat of angel wings coming closer, and then finally alighting near him. Please take me home so I can see her beautiful face once again, his thoughts screamed. His strength was fading fast, even as his lifeblood spilled across his barren hell. Would she still love him, even after his failure?

But then he heard the sound of knees hitting the ground, felt small hands scrambling over his neck to find his pulse. He could hear her beautiful voice calling his name, over and over. Even in his darkest despair over having failed her, she still loved him, still risked her own life to find him, to bring him home. Her magic pulsed through him, healing his wounds, strengthening him by her own power.

As he opened his eyes, all her could see was her pale face with tears sliding down her cheeks freely, and she had never looked more lovely to him.

"Rinoa," he whispered, reaching up to tangle his fingers in her dark hair.

On most nights, as the field of flowers burst in to view all around them, his beautiful angel would disappear with the brightening of the sky, leaving him alive and alone. But tonight, she looked down at him with a sad smile.

"My knight," she murmured, stroking his light brown hair from his forehead. "My loyal knight. Will you be able to find it in your heart to ever forgive me?"

"There is never anything to forgive, Rinoa," Squall replied. His strength was returning to him but he had no desire to leave the warm cradle of her arms. "I love you. My life is yours to do with as you please."

The tears that had slowly dried upon realizing that he was alive began to flow again. "Then don't let her win, Squall. No matter what the cost, don't let her claim this world as her own." Her body trembled beneath him. "I've been holding on as long as I could but I would rather die than let her win. I'd go in peace knowing that Rasha was gone."

Squall stiffened at the name of the Red Witch. Never before had he dreamed of anything to do with Rasha. Never had they spoken her name. "Are we still dreaming?" he asked hesitantly. His hand touched her cheek. "Are you real?"

"The bond of a sorceress and her knight can span any barrier if the need is great enough," Rinoa whispered, stroking her index finger down his scar. "I had to warn you, my knight… she's going to convert Seifer. On the first day of the new moon, Seifer will die, and Hyne will be reborn. If he is reborn, then I will die for good."

"What? No, I don't understand…" Squall shook his head, trying to push himself closer to Rinoa. "I won't let anything happen to you, I swear it."

"Goodbye, my love…" Rinoa whispered. "Stop Hyne's resurrection…"

Even as he tried to hold on to her, Squall felt Rinoa disappearing under him. "No, Rinoa… Rinoa, stay with me, please." Her grasped desperately, recalling her voice, her face, the smell of her smooth skin. "Don't go.."

"...I love you."

Squall fought against all of his muscles and instinct to open his eyes, wanting to savor the dream for as long as he could, remembering what it felt like to hold Rinoa in his arms. But the dream… he knew the reaches of a sorceress to her knight and so instinctively he knew that it couldn't have just been a dream. It was Rinoa's last attempt to contact him in a way that Rasha would hopefully not be able to detect. He was Rinoa's knight, not Rasha's, so it granted him a small modicum of protection.

Pushing himself into a sitting position, he reached over to turn on a light before remembering that wasn't possible. He took in a deep breath, trying to recall every detail of the dream before getting out of bed. He silently padded across the room, picking up a discarded t-shirt to pull over his head on his way to the hallway. As a SeeD, he was trained to move in stealth and darkness, so he was able to proceed forward without the need a light.

Two doors down, he stopped and knocked, waited two breaths and then knocked again. When the door swung open, he immediately walked in, checking to ensure there was no one watching before closing it behind him.

Quistis waited for him from her bed. The moonlight spilled in from her windows, leaving her in a halo of white light as it bounced off the rope of golden braid that hung over one shoulder. She looked fully awake, her arms wrapped loosely around her knees.

"Rasha is going to awaken Hyne," Squall said with no preamble. "Rinoa told me."

"I know." Quistis smiled faintly. "I was also visited by your girlfriend, right in the middle of a massage from a Dolletian man on the beach."

She stared down at the pearly white sheets, fiddling with her fingers. "I've been thinking about it and I should go alone. We've lost too many friends already and who knows what's going to happen next. Zell is crippled for life. How could I live with myself if something happened to anyone else?"

"We go with you because we are all fighting for the same thing, Quistis," Squall replied, sitting down on the edge of the bed. "For our freedom in this messed up world. Zell fought for it, and paid the price. It's a price that any of us may have to face but we want to. Because the alternative isn't imaginable."

Pain flared through Quistis' heart. "Are you truly sure that any of you would pay the price to prevent Hyne's rebirth?" she asked softly. "Even Seifer?"

Squall paused, understanding where the question was coming from. "The Seifer I know is a brash, arrogant asshole. But he's also someone who knows what reality would be like if Rasha and Hyne succeed. So yes, I'd say without a doubt that he'd pay any price to stop Rasha from winning."

Quistis nodded slowly. She had come to the same realization as she lay in the darkness, wondering what it was going to cost her to succeed. "Then if you plan to come with me, you have one task, Squall. If I fail to stop Rasha, then it's up to you to ensure Seifer doesn't become Hyne. Even if you need to kill him in order to do it."

One week before the New Moon, Quistis and her team stood on the bridge of Balamb Garden as they slowly made their way back toward the Galbadian Dig Site. This was where they would need to make their stand. In Hyne's tomb, where all of the trouble had started.

"Xu, you'll be responsible for clearing everyone off of the Dig Site," Quistis ordered as she examined the maps they had of the area. "The Gardens can't handle the terrain very well and we don't have the Ragnarok or any other faster means of transportation anymore so you'll need to start immediately and pray that we have enough time."

"There's bound to be some push back from the other Gardens, especially Galbadia," Xu replied with a frown. "You may be their Commander but you are and always will be a Balamb SeeD," she added, gesturing to the fact that Quistis had once again taken to wearing a Balamb SeeD uniform.

"Galbadia is too far out to interfere with the evacuation," Quistis said dismissively. "We just want to clear the area of as many non-combatants as we can. Our goal here is to save lives, not line them up as a feast for Rasha." She paused, looking around the room at her friends. "We'll need to assume that Narshe will be present and we'll need to go through him to reach Rasha and Seifer. But once we're in, Squall, you will need to be careful. You still carry the Red power and we don't know how much control Rasha will be able to extend over you, especially since you were Rinoa's knight and she's inhabiting Rinoa's body."

Squall shrugged. "My main goal is Seifer. Distract him, get him away from Rasha and delay. I'm assuming that Rasha will be too intent on you to worry about me."

"Selphie, you'll be our medic on this mission so be sure you're stocked on as much healing magic as you can carry. This is going to be a rough one and without a dedicated healer, we may all be dead," Quistis continued, looking her friend in the eyes. "This is all about defense and stalling. Keep Rasha from completing the ceremony to call back Hyne's spirit to the body."

"And I'll be with you," Irvine said quietly, almost amused at how Quistis had been avoiding his gaze. He knew that she felt guilty having to force him to choose between Selphie and herself but he gave her his best smile. Having Selphie act as medic was still dangerous but a whole lot less so than throwing herself in to the fight wholeheartedly. A medic's first job was to keep herself alive so she could keep her charges alive.

"You and I will be going after Rasha," Quistis confirmed. "We need to ensure that she doesn't have a moment of peace. You need to stay in a safe position, Irvine, so if I need you, you'll be there."

Quistis took a deep breath, flexing her fingers as she looked at each of the beloved faces in front of her. "Thank you for standing with me in this fight," she said gently. "Without you, I know that I wouldn't stand a chance. Without you, our world would have already fallen to an eternal darkness with no light in sight." She smiled sadly, afraid that she was leading all of them to their death. "Get geared up. We land in two hours. We'll meet in the Parking Deck in ninety minutes. Dismissed."

"Be careful, Quistis," Xu said quietly from the glass window that looked out over the ocean. "Remember that this is not the final battle. This is just another trial for you to face on your way to what was fated to be."

Upon the verdant fields, with cloudless sky, these two sisters will meet,

One of hope, one of loss, both will fight knowing the price of defeat.

The almost forgotten Prophecy's words hung between them. It would not be the ruined, desolate remains of Centra where Quistis would finally come head to head with Rasha, but in a green field where their magic would clash once and for all.

"Will I be one of hope, or one of loss?" Quistis quipped in reply. "I've lost friends, people I cared for, because of this witch. Will I be chasing her after losing the rest of the people I love just to put an end to her? Will it be revenge instead of the promise of a brighter future that makes me kill her?"

Xu shook her head, turning around with her light caramel eyes bright with wisdom. "You will walk on to that field as you wish to be, Quistis," she replied. "If you let yourself be drowned in the grief of what you aren't able to control then you'll be lost. You command your own destiny."

Quistis snorted as she walked toward the lift down. "You quote Prophecies to me and still I have have a say in my own destiny…" she muttered, raking back her limp blond hair. "Maybe we'll be able to sit down and debate philosophy again soon, Xu," she mused as she descended.

From her position by the window, Xu just smiled. "I hope so, my friend. I truly do."

"I thought I'd find you down here," Quistis intoned softly as she looked down on Zell in the deserted Quad. He was carefully hobbling around on crutches in the small patches of grass that had been planted to provide some greenery to the otherwise stark Garden. In the days since their return to Garden, they had all seen an improvement in his physical health but he was slowly wilting away while watching Selphie and Irvine reunite and reignite their relationship.

Zell slowly looked up, offering a half-hearted smile in his friend's direction as he limped his way toward a nearby bench. "Might as well hang out here, where I'm out of everyone's way." The bitterness in his voice was evident as it clouded over his dark eyes. He stared at a point just over Quistis' left shoulder. "Are you guys heading out soon?"

"In a few hours," Quistis said, taking a seat next to Zell. She felt a shiver go down her spine from the chill on the bench. The speed of Garden kept a brisk, cold wind blowing through the open Quad, making it an undesirable destination while traveling. "I have… a favor to ask of you while we're gone."

"A favor?"

"Squall and I have talked it over and we want you to take command of Garden while we're gone. Xu is going to be busy with the evacuation and we need someone we can trust here in case we need to mobilize," Quistis explained.

"I don't need a pity job, Quistis," Zell retorted shortly. "Put someone in command who can actually do the job if something happens. Not a cripple who can barely walk."

"It's not a pity job, you hopeless dolt," Quistis huffed angrily. "We're putting you in control of thousands of lives. You think we'd do that out of pity? We're doing it because we need someone we can trust to be ready to take command." Her eyes rolled. "Zell, I know you've had it rough lately but you need to pull yourself together. I need you to get out of this funk and put your duty first."

Zell's eyes dropped down to stare at the ground. "I… I just want my life back, Quis. I know that Selphie and Irvine probably belong together so I'm trying to be happy for them but I've had a really good life the last five years. Me and Selphie were going really strong and I was doing what I wanted to in life. I got to fight, I got to help people. SeeD has been my life since I was a kid. What am I supposed to do now? I'm not smart like you or Xu so it's not like I could take over a more administrative role, even if I wasn't sure it would bore me to the death. So what do I have left in my life?"

"You're one of the best martial artists in the world, Zell," Quistis replied. "I know you can't go back to your old life but the knowledge isn't gone. You can still find a way to utilize it to find a place for yourself in the world. Adapt your craft. Keep teaching. Actually try to make use of another skill besides punching people in the face."

Reaching out, Quistis took Zell's hand. "Don't let this break you, Zell," she said gently. "Just let this be another stepping stone for what's still to come." She smiled faintly. "I have another favor to ask of you, while I'm gone."

Zell lifted his golden brows. "Don't you think you're asking a lot of me already?" he asked, but there was a teasing edge to his voice.

"Maybe so, but I know you can handle it," Quistis said, punching his shoulder lightly. Her voice grew more somber. "Look after Quara for me. Doctor Kadowaki said that with her Cura infusions, her insides are healing and she should make a full recovery but she's still pretty weak and I worry about her relapsing. She's… she's the only blood relation I have left and…"

Zell squeezed Quistis' hand. Having been around all of his friends for so long as the only one with an actual family, he knew what she meant. "I'll make sure she's okay, Quis," he promised. "Nothing'll happen to her as long as I'm alive. You have my word on that one."

The two lifelong friends sat in silence together, hands linked as they marveled over the last ten years of their lives. From unruly cadets to formidable SeeDs, to saviors of the world. Somehow, they found themselves in yet another perilous crisis with only each other to rely on. Five children who all grew up together at an orphanage, once separated and then reunited. That was their story, again and again.

As the landmass in the distance began to grow larger and larger, Quistis finally stood up. "I'm counting on you, Zell," she said. "Stay safe, and protect our home," she whispered as she hugged him goodbye. Unable to fathom the thought of losing another member of her little family to this, she gave Zell one last hug before departing as quickly as she could toward the Parking Deck.

She walked the circular hallway of Balamb Garden with quiet, determined steps. This was her home, more than any other place she had been. From her foster parents who didn't know how to be parents, to the opulent Galbadia Garden and the soulless glitz and glamour. These scarred and faded halls gave her strength as she remembered her childhood here, taking lessons, making friends and all too many mistakes. With each step she remembered better times. Laughing in between classes, scolding Squall and Seifer for fighting with each other. She'd become the person she was today in this place.

As she made her way into the Parking Garage, she paused as she watched her friends gathering. Squall was checking over his gunblade. His face was pale, a slight sheen gleaming off of his white skin. From the distance, Quistis couldn't tell if it was the weakness from his illness that he felt or the pressure from his bond with a Red Sorceress that ailed him. Selphie was technically nowhere to be seen, but watching as Irvine hovered by one of the off-road vehicles, she could guess where the small brunette was.

"Are we all ready?" Quistis asked quietly, stepping through the doorway.

Selphie's head poked out from under the car. "I'm just making sure that the tech we stripped to make this hunk of junk work is installed properly," she said cheerfully. "Should only take another minute or two to do all of the final checks."

Quistis smiled, nodding to Selphie in understanding. "Let's get our gear stowed, Irvine," she suggested gently, gesturing for the cowboy to make his way inside the hulking vehicle.

Irvine hesitated only for a moment before he climbed inside, moving to the corner to give Quistis space. He knew what was coming, and he hated it.

"How are you doing?" Quistis asked quietly. "Are you here? Are you focused?"

"I know that I've failed you at every turn, Quistis," Irvine said remorsefully. "Every time you've turned to me in need, I haven't been there. But I swear, I will be here for you this time. I won't let you down."

"I know that you'd do almost anything to help me," Quistis replied with a gentle smile. "But when we go in, what I need from you is to stay with Selphie."

Irvine stirred in surprise. "But all of our plans… you said you needed me with you," he protested. "I swore I'd protect you, Quistis. I'm your knight."

"You bonded yourself to me, but…" Quistis hesitated. "We performed an ancient ceremony and tied ourselves to each other but most sorceresses don't need formality to create that relationship. They share everything with each other and become intertwined because that is what's natural. You and I can't do that because you've already bound yourself to another person."

Slowly, Quistis reached out and took Irvine's hand in her own. "The reason it's never felt right is because we couldn't force something so unnaturally. So tonight, if I want to give my friends a chance to survive, we need to do what's natural. And that's for you to be by Selphie's side, not mine."

"But what about you?" Irvine asked. "You still need someone to watch your back. You can't go in there alone."

Quistis just smiled. "I don't think I'll actually be alone."

"Seifer?" Irvine shook his head. "Quistis, just because he spared you in Esthar doesn't mean that you can trust him. He's Rasha's knight."

Quistis lifted her shoulders in a small shrug. "Only time will tell the true extent of the Red power, but I have faith that we have the chance to overcome it and find a way to bring our world back from the edge of destruction. Again." She smiled. "And perhaps this time we'll be able to destroy the evil for good."

"Do you feel her coming, my knight?" Rasha purred as she stroked her fingers through Seifer's golden hair. He sat kneeling next to the throne she had constructed for herself. "Are you prepared to break her heart one final time and lay its shattered remains before my feet?" Her eyes gleamed a bright topaz in the moonlight. "Once you have, you will be presented the greatest reward of them all. Your shell shall house the mighty soul of Hyne. No other shall be more powerful than you, my love."

Seifer crouched silently, feeling her sharp nails stroke his scalp, digging in to his skin as she rambled on about the mightiness of Hyne. His fingers flexed against the hilt of Hyperion and he waited. He could feel Quistis drawing closer, the warmth of her presence a gentle flame against his skin. She had landed on the edge of the continent and was slowly making her way toward the Tomb. Closer and closer she came, her gentle voice calling to him through the darkness.

Hold on… the voice whispered. I'm coming to free you from your chains.

Seifer couldn't tell if it was his own desperate imagination that created the voice deep in his mind, or if Rasha was continuing to toy with his sanity by giving him false hope. Or perhaps, a small part hoped that it was real. That Quistis had managed to find a way to reach out to him when he had no hope left, to give him one last thing to cling to.

He could still remember her softly whispering his name, even as he tried to choke her, and confess the words that they both had been holding back for so long.

I love you…

Seifer smiled ever so slightly. He had done nothing to ever earn her love, and yet she had freely given it to him. Everything in him wanted to hold tightly to her confession, and keep it safe from the foul taint of Rasha.

"She's here," Rasha hissed. Her hands twitched with anxious delight as Narshe lifted his large white head from behind her throne. "Stay here, my pet, you are needed for far more important things than crushing my sister's puny form."

There was a rumble from outside the stone doors that guarded them. They could hear a slash of metal against the edges, followed by magic raining down and the blast of a gunshot. But these weapons made by man could do nothing against the strength of ancient magic. Only one thing would open those doors.

Both Rasha and Seifer waited in silence, knowing that she stood just on the other side.

"Stand aside," Quistis quietly ordered. She'd let them smack their heads against the door, but she knew what it would take. Reaching down, she grasped the thin blade that she had stowed away in her boot. Without a moment's hesitation, she sliced open her palm, reaching her wounded hand out to the door in offering.

The blood welled up, trickling down her fingers.

I am the descendent of Juna, come to lay the soul of Hyne back to rest.

I am the descendent of Juna, come to put down the power of the Red at long last.

I am the descendent of Juna, Hyne's true heir and Queen of Heaven.