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One (Last) Chance	By : RotSeele Category: Final Fantasy VIII > Yaoi - Male/Male > Seifer/Squall Views: 3719 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy 8. I do not make any money from this story.

Chapter List
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Thirty-Seven - Squall POV

It was just as I remembered. Ultimecia’s throne room, designed to her liking. She was sitting upon her throne, regal as a queen. Her golden gaze focused on each of us in turn, her face changing in expression as her anger and ire began to rear their ugly heads. Her lips curled, showing her teeth. Her nails scraped along the armrests of her throne, her fingers curling into taut claws.
“...SeeD... SeeD... SeeD... SeeD, SeeD, Seed!” Ultimecia shrieked, her voice cracking with her anger. “Kurse all SeeDs. Swarming like lokusts akross generations. You disgust me. The world was on the brink of that ever-elusive ‘time kompression’. Insolent fools! Your vain krusade ends here, SeeDs. The price for your meddling is death beyond death. I shall send you to a dimension beyond your imagining. There, I will reign, and you will be my slaves for eternity.” She burst into laughter, leaning back in her throne so far that the tips of her breasts were visible against the fabric of her dress.
“Get ready.” I said, hoping the others had prepared themselves. “Our parties and formations no longer matter. She gets to choose who she fights.”
“What?” Seifer said, the word echoed by the others.
“That’s not fair!” Selphie protested.
I shrugged my shoulder. “That’s how it is. Give it everything you got.”
“Any other advice you wanna give us, Ice Prince?” Seifer growled, lifting Hyperion in a clearly threatening gesture.
“Don’t worry about dying.” I said as softly as I could. I wasn’t sure if the others heard, but Seifer certainly did. He glowered at me. I wanted to explain, but I didn’t bother. He’d understand soon, anyway.
Then Ultimecia raised her hand, a long finger pointing down toward us. “Whom shall I exterminate first!? I’ll start with you three!”
The first time I had fought Ultimecia, I had been in the fight from the start, along with Selphie and Rinoa. I’d given them quick orders, mostly to use the Aura spell on me and keep each other and myself alive while attacking with magic, physical attacks, and Guardian Forces. I’d learned - quickly - that it was foolish to use any Guardian Force, as Ultimecia seemed to sense their presence and specifically targeted them. That was Before. Now I knew. I hadn’t bothered to divide the Guardian Forces among anyone else except for me and Seifer. I hadn’t bothered to tell anyone that I was basically going to sacrifice them in order to be the last one standing with Ultimecia. I had definitely deliberately not told Seifer about my plan. I didn’t want him trying to protect me.
Like the first time, I was the first to face Ultimecia. Beside me was Quistis and Irvine. I was glad that I had Aura spells left over from Before, and cast one upon myself. With the power of Renzokuken, I spent most the time trying to trigger Lion Heart in order to push her from this form to her second form. I left the decisions of healing to Quistis and Irvine, worrying about myself only when I felt exhaustion and the shadowy touch of death creeping upon me or when Aura’s duration terminated. Ultimecia’s first form wasn’t all that difficult to defeat, and the three of us came away from that battle relatively unscathed.
Then came the part I was dreading the most.
Ultimecia began to float in the air, shimmering with spiritual energy. She shrieked in rage. “The post powerful GF... ...You shall... SUFFER...!” She burst into laughter.
Griever struck down Irvine before the sharpshooter had a chance to defend himself, before I had a chance to act. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw his body flicker as it was sucked back into its proper place in time. I knew he would be okay; everyone who died here would be returned to their normal time alive and well. Quistis didn’t know that. She unleashed every bit of blue magic she had upon Griever, her anger giving her more strength than usual. Zell took Irvine’s place, looking shocked at suddenly finding himself in battle but adapting well.
“The GF’s true power... To show you...! Griever! Make them bleed!” Ultimecia shrieked.
Born of my own mind, of my own making, and stolen by Ultimecia to fight for her, Griever was tougher than Ultimecia. He was stronger than any GF I had in my possession, outside of Eden. But I wasn’t ready to summon Eden yet. I knew if I did, Ultimecia would likely target me and take Eden out before it ever had a chance to come into existence to attack. I needed Eden as much as I needed the Aura spells I was using to exhaustion. Quistis fell next, replaced by Selphie, who quickly cast haste upon us and fell into the role of healer.
As much as I wanted to try and take Griever back from Ultimecia, I knew there was no way I could control him, not with her twisting his mind. Eden had counseled me against such an action down in the courtyard. The act would sooner destroy me than do any good.
In all likelihood, the great ship had said, Griever would run wild and destroy all of you. Guardian Forces are just that, young one - spiritual forces designed to protect their summoners. Forcibly steal us away from our masters, whether wanted or unwanted, and you could find yourself a victim of our powers. And a Guardian Force like Griever, stolen and corrupted and tortured... Eden fell silent for a minute. A Guardian Force like that is dangerous and unpredictable.
I bared my teeth and took Griever from Ultimecia in another way - I destroyed him. Even still, I knew that would do nothing, for Ultimecia only took Griever’s broken body into her arms, looking upon the GF like she was actually sorry for him. Her burning gold eyes turned on us, focused on me, and her lips split into a psychotic grin.
“I shall junction myself... unto Griever!”
Her body shimmered as she pulled Griever’s broken form closer to hers. They melded together, with Ultimecia taking on many of Griever’s attributes. When they stopped shifting and became a solid entity, I felt a cold shiver run down my spine. I remembered this form well. It had given us some trouble the first time; I’d had Zell try to summon Eden that time, and she had immediately targeted him. I had lost Eden before I ever had a chance to use the great ship. This time, though, I had Eden, and I fell back in order to summon the Guardian Force. During that time, I was useless, practically at a standstill while Selphie and Zell gave everything they had to bring her down. When Ultimecia looked at me, I knew she was preparing herself to attack.
Eden came first.
The great ship materialized out of nowhere, answering my call. I put every bit of power I could into Eden, powering up its attack as far as I could. Strike after strike, Eden hit Ultimecia, driving her backwards and down with the barrage of light. Ultimecia couldn’t stop the attacks; she took the brunt of the damage, but still didn’t fall.
Instead, she got revenge by killing Zell and after I counterattacked with a Renzokuken, she killed Selphie.
For an entire heart-stopping minute, I was alone.
Then Rinoa appeared, her radiant healing spells filling me with strength and energy. Seifer wasn’t far behind, his heavy-handed strikes driving Ultimecia back even more. She let out a terrifying, blood-curdling scream and vanished.
I somehow stayed upright. Rinoa gripped my arm, looking at me with worried honey-colored eyes. I focused on Seifer. “You would be able to just show up and take her out with one hit.” I whispered.
The edges of Seifer’s lips twitched, but he didn’t smile. “You did a lot of the work. I don’t know whether to feel jealous or pleased.”
“It’s not over.”
“Yeah, I figured.” Seifer swung Hyperion up to his shoulder. “It’s time to break out all the stops, princess. You ready?”
Rinoa released me and stood tall beside me. Her hands clenched and shook slightly, but she held her head high. “I’m ready.”
As if Rinoa’s words were the exact spell to summon her, Ultimecia appeared as the world went black around us. She was in her final form, her true form. Just like Before, if we fell here, Ultimecia would win. Time Compression would destroy everything. I wouldn’t allow that. I had beaten her once, and I was sure I could do it again. This time, I had Rinoa and Seifer by my side. I still had Eden and the other Guardian Forces. Unless something unforseen happened, there was no way we could lose.
Ultimecia spread her arms wide. “I am Ultimecia.” she said, her voice echoing from all angles. “Time shall compress... All existence denied.”
“Shut up.” Seifer growled, launching into the first of his attacks. Hyperion howled through the air as it sought to cut into the sorceress’ flesh. When she focused on him, I realized that she recognized him. She knew who Seifer was.
Her lips split into a wide, cruel smile, but no words came out. I saw Hyperion flicker out of the corner of my eye and Seifer suddenly went down on one knee, his gunblade buried in the darkness at our feet. His green eyes burned bright as he glared up at her, his teeth bared in a vicious snarl. Whatever was happening, it was only happening inside his head. There was nothing Rinoa or I could do for him; he was on his own, with the only help being the Guardian Forces I gave him. But there was still something I could do while he was raging his internal battle with the sorceress that had sought to ruin him.
“Rinoa.” I said softly, gaining her attention. “Stay here and keep an eye on Seifer. He’s going to need you.”
“Be careful, Squall.” Rinoa said, quickly crossing behind me to Seifer, where she put her hands on his shoulders. I saw him relax slightly, and then Rinoa’s eyes became bright gold, her brows furrowing together as she stared up at Ultimecia.
Knowing that neither of them could hear me, I didn’t bother to say what I wanted to. It wouldn’t matter, anyway. I readied Lion Heart, recast Aura on myself, and launched into Renzokuken. Lion Heart took chunk after chunk out of Ultimecia, spattering the darkness with her blood and flesh. I saw her face contort with pain; she could feel everything I was doing to her body, but because she was locked in mental combat with Seifer and Rinoa, there wasn’t anything she could do about it. She would have to break from Seifer to face me. Evidently, she was thinking along the same lines, for Rinoa suddenly let out a shriek and collapsed beside Seifer, who had collapsed to his hands and knees and was panting harshly.
I spared them a glance, and it cost me.
Ultimecia’s attack hit me full on, sending me flying backwards. I hit the ground on my shoulders, tumbled heels over head, and came to rest beside Seifer and Rinoa. I cursed, feeling every fiber of my body protesting my cruel treatment of it. I struggled upright, casting Curaga on myself. Rinoa was pushing herself up as well, blood streaming down her chin from where she’d bitten her lip. Using her back of her hand, she wiped it away, then got to her feet and cast several healing spells in quick succession on both myself and Seifer.
“Fuck,” Seifer breathed, shoving himself upright. “She killed them. That bitch... fucking... killed them.”
I closed my eyes, feeling a flash of pain. Ifrit, Cerberus, Diablos, and Carbuncle, all gone. They had given everything they had to protect Seifer’s mind from Ultimecia’s influence, and they had paid the ultimate price. I inhaled deeply.
“Yeah, I got it, Leonhart,” Seifer growled. “Use everything you got. We won’t need it after this.”
I opened my eyes, staring up at Ultimecia. “Distract her.”
Seifer didn’t answer me. He simply charged forward, Hyperion swinging. Behind me, Rinoa drew upon her powers as a sorceress, which granted her an inexhaustible supply of magic. Spell after spell, from offensive to defensive to healing, she flung at both Ultimecia and Seifer. I used the time they bought me to first summon Shiva. The goddess of ice gave everything she had into her attack, her anger and sorrow at the loss of her friends giving her attack more bite. I summoned Siren, Doomtrain, Bahamut, the Brothers, Cactuar, Tonberry, Quetzacoatl, Leviathan, Pandemonia, and Alexander. I lost them all when Ultimecia counterattacked, destroying each one when I tried to summon them a second time.
Seifer retreated from Ultimecia’s latest attack, panting hard. Rinoa also looked exhausted. I only had Eden left, a handful of Aura spells, and my own strength. It had been Aura and my own determination that had ended Ultimecia Before, and it was starting to look like it would end up being the same now.
I summoned Eden.
I didn’t wait for Seifer to recover. I didn’t wait for Rinoa’s healing spells. Eden’s final attack opened up an opportunity for me. I had to end it now. If I didn’t, I knew Ultimecia would kill Rinoa and Seifer and I would face her alone. I drew upon everything I had - my friendship and bond with the others, my bond to Rinoa, whom I thought of as a beloved sister, my love for Ellone, who was my beloved sister, and my deep love for Seifer, for whom I had relived this entire madness for, in order to protect him.
The Aura spell triggered my Renzokuken and unleashed Lion Heart upon Ultimecia. Each strike dealt massive damage, to the point that there would be no recovery. Blood spurted from Ultimecia’s wounds, her voice turned shrill as she screamed, but I refused to stop. I pounded away at her until I had nothing left to give to the attack. I dropped to the ground, stumbled backwards, and then found myself braced against Seifer. He gripped my wrist, allowing me to keep a tight hold on my gunblade. His eyes were narrowed as he glared up at Ultimecia, but he didn’t say a word. He didn’t really need to. Ultimecia swayed to the left and right, her chest heaving as she struggled to draw air into her lungs. She reached for us, or tried to, but her arm never seemed to raise high enough.
There was fear in Ultimecia’s eyes when she focused on us. She had been so certain of her victory that she hadn’t thought to be scared. She hadn’t thought that she would lose. I almost felt pity for her, but just almost. Perhaps it had been the way I’d been raised, but when you committed yourself to a battle, you gave it everything you had. You fought not for victory, but to survive. You don’t want to die, so you fight to live. Victory, or defeat, is just a by-product of the battle.
She knew now that it was the end. There was nothing she could do now to recover from this fight. Even if she managed to turn Seifer to her side - which was impossible now, I was certain, because of Rinoa - there would be no way she could win. She didn’t want to die.
I didn’t want to die either.
I shook off Seifer’s hand, gripped Lion Heart tighter, and cast my second to last Aura spell upon myself. Then I turned to Seifer, and cast my final Aura upon him.
“Come back to me.” Rinoa said suddenly. We both looked at her, Knights regarding our Sorceress. “Come back to me. Come back alive. I’ll be waiting, so, you better come find me. I won’t forgive you if you don’t.”
Ultimecia finally managed to get her hands up high enough to focus her final attack upon us. Seifer grinned at Rinoa and gave her a mocking bow. “Don’t worry, princess. We’ll be back.”
I said nothing, just allowing myself to smile gently at her. Then I turned and broke into a flat run, Seifer right behind me. I launched into a Renzokuken, Seifer attacked with his Fire Cross limit break, going straight into Bloodfest because of the Aura spell I had cast upon him. Ultimecia could do nothing against us as we combined our strength and tore away at her with our gunblades.
It was strange, because now, in the heat of battle, I noticed things that I hadn’t Before. Ultimecia was crying. Tears were streaming down her face. Her lips moved, but she made no sound, other than to rasp for breath, but I could make out what she was trying to say. She was trying to beg for her life, trying to convince us to stop, to let her live. As much as a part of me wanted to show her mercy, I knew I couldn’t.
Lion Heart bit into the flesh just under her collarbone and tore an elegant, bloody line from right to left. Hyperion caught her in the throat. Just before the Aura spell ran out on both of us, Ultimecia collapsed.
I landed lightly on my feet, panting hard. Seifer landed beside me, still holding Hyperion at the ready. When Ultimecia didn’t move, Seifer lowered his weapon and let out the breath he’d been holding.
Seifer turned to regard me. “Did we-“
The room exploded into blank white.
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One (Last) Chance