Her Story

Drifting Sentiments

Rinoa awakens from cold sleep to find herself in space, drifting safely away from a Lunar Cry but dangerously running out of oxygen. Alone and believing that she's about to die, she calls out to Squall in her mind.

Meanwhile on an escape pod leaving the Lunar Base, Ellone tells Squall that Rinoa is calling out to him. Squall begs Ellone to take him to her past and although it may not work, Ellone tries her best.

Squall finds himself experiencing memories Rinoa had before they knew each other well but it was too far back. He asks Ellone to try again and Ellone finally gets the right memory. He watches as Rinoa becomes possessed by Ultimecia. Rinoa and Ultimecia could sense Squall's presence but he couldn't do anything to save her. He couldn't change the past.

Ellone and Squall then realize what's important is the present. They need to help Rinoa now. Ellone takes Squall to the closest compressed state of time to the present and tells Squall to try and reach her by using his heart, not his voice.

The life support on Rinoa's suit terminates and Rinoa silently bids farewell. The last thought on her mind is Squall. Watching this, Squall tries to tell her to not give up but she can barely hear his thoughts. Rinoa strains to keep her eyes open until her breath becomes shallow and she eventually passes out.

Squall doesn't give up on her and tries to reach her with his heart. As if in response, the two rings on Rinoa's necklace float up towards her eyes and she wakes up to the sound. Tears fill her eyes as she thinks she heard Squall's voice. The symbol of the lion passes by her field of vision and she tries to become strong, just like Squall is trying to tell her. Subconsciously hitting a button on her suit, she activates the reserve tank and tries harder to stay alive.

The Loneliness of Outer Space
Space, how did I get here? Drifting feels strange, but familiar. Out here everything seems so far away and quiet. Even the stars. It's hard to believe their light reaches us, even though they're so far away.

I can see the moon and a stream of monsters going to the earth. I remember now. It's all my fault, isn't it. There is no going back. I'm lost anyways.

My time is running out. I guess this is it...? There's no more air left in this suit, just breathing is getting hard to do.

This is it. (...noa)
There's no use. (...Rinoa)
I think I'm gonna sleep.. (Don't give up!)
I feel so sleepy– (Try to remember!!)

Just as I close my eyes, a small sound reaches my ears. My necklace, which was holding our two rings has floated up and into my view. That's... his LION. A beast known for it's strength and pride. That's right. I was supposed to try and be like that LION. But, this situation is IMPOSSIBLE. What am I supposed to do, power can't fight this!

I suddenly tried using a button attached to the suit. A reserve tank opened and gave more oxygen, I think I understand why. I, wont give up yet.

Thanks to that, I know I'm not alone. Everything will be fine, Squall... we'll be together soon. I really want to see Squall. I want to be stronger. This is why I won't give up hope!
–Rinoa in outer space

Moments later, someone in a suit drifts slowly into her view. Rinoa somehow knows it's Squall. She thanks Squall for saving her life because his voice reached her. Having no idea what to do, the two float aimlessly until a large derelict space ship named Ragnarok appears in their path. Squall decides to float towards it and they board it.

In the airlock, Squall finds that life-support on this ship is still intact. Once changed out of their suits, Rinoa puts her hands behind her back and shifts from one foot to the other. Her eyes show an unspoken question but since Squall doesn't quite get it, she thanks him for rescuing her. She then holds onto their rings, thinking of how they saved her. As usual, Squall brushes the rescue off as just something he wanted to do.

Since Squall still didn't respond the way she wanted, Rinoa adjusts her arm bands and flips her hair behind her shoulder. Squall looks at her, still confused. She then opens her arms wide and motions for a hug, her excuse being that a hug will prove that she's really alive. Unfortunately for Rinoa, Squall doesn't give her a hug because their situation is still serious.

They decide to wander around the ship and find a way to control it. While defeating the monsters which have taken control of the ship, Rinoa wonders whether Squall has noticed that she's not quite the same. When in a pinch, the image of wings sprout out of her back and she gains extremely strong magic power. Rinoa is aware that she had become a Witch but she fears her own friends would become angry at her. Witches have been feared by the whole world and SeeD's purpose is to kill them.

Squall and Rinoa reach the cockpit and Rinoa is so happy that she runs in with her arms at her sides, reveling in the huge possibility of getting rescued. A radio signal is being transmitted to the ship and Rinoa points it out to Squall. When Squall is able to respond back, she's filled with relief and hugs him from behind. The Esthar Airstation technician then guides Squall on how to pilot the Ragnarok back to Earth.

Rinoa is thinking about her future as a Witch until the artificial gravity suddenly goes off, surprising her. Squall floats towards her and takes her in his arms, carrying her to their seats. Instead of sitting where she should, Rinoa settles down onto his lap and puts her arms around his neck.

Rinoa refuses to go in her own seat and asks if he doesn't like her being so close. Squall says he simply isn't used to it and opens up to her, telling her why he isn't fond of physical contact. He doesn't remember his parents and his one source of comfort and security, Ellone, disappeared when he was young. Feeling sorry for him having missed out on life, Rinoa hugs him tightly, trying to comfort him.

In the midst of their reminiscing, Rinoa tells Squall how she liked sitting in her mother's lap when she was little. Feeling more relaxed, Squall jokes about not being her mom and Rinoa laughs. She then tells Squall that he's the only person who gives her the most comfort and happiness, but annoyance and disapointment too. Squall apologizes for how he used to be and once again ask her to go back in her seat.

Rinoa turns the other way and asks to stay near him a little longer. She is fairly sure that when they get back to the surface, they won't be able to stay together. Squall doesn't understand what she is worried about but holds her hand and reassures her using a piece of advice that she gave him once.

Just as Rinoa finally goes in her own seat, Esthar Airstation tries to communicate with the Ragnarok again. Apparently, everyone from the Base has made it to the surface but the "Witch Rinoa" is not among them. Their reaction to finding out Rinoa is on the ship doesn't sound good at all. The person at the Esthar Airstation is shocked and says the Witch will be seized upon arrival.

Rinoa puts her knees to her chest in fear, while both she and Squall ignore the Airstation's comments. She confirms that she has indeed become a Witch and that this power will make her both feared and hated. She doesn't want to go back to the surface, she just wants to stay with Squall. As the Ragnarok lands, Squall comes out of his seat to hold her in what could be their last moment together.

I Promise

As the Ragnarok descends, Rinoa comes to terms with what must be done for the sake of the world. She follows Squall out of the Ragnarok and onto Kashkabald Desert, where an escort from Esthar are waiting to take her.

The escort greets her in a formal manner, calling her a descendant of Hyne. She peacefully agrees to go with them, explaining that her power must be sealed because Ultimecia can possess her at any moment. If she is allowed to be free, Ultimecia will continue to control her body. Although she wishes that there was another way around this, she can't think of any other than being sealed at the Memorial.

The escorts lead the way and Rinoa follows them, pausing to wave goodbye to Squall. She's shocked when Squall shouts and runs to her, telling her to stay with him. She appreciates his sentiment but it doesn't change the way things must be.

Rinoa instinctively touches her necklace and notices that she still has his ring. She offers to give it back but Squall tells her to keep it. She nods her thanks, knowing how important it is to him and waves goodbye once more. Disappointed with how distant Squall acted while other people were around, she walks away without looking back.

While being transported to Esthar, Rinoa spends much of her time thinking to herself or having nightmares. She begins to believe that nobody, even Squall, will ever be around her. When they arrive at the Witch Memorial, she allows the engineers to imprison her and as soon as she's inside her cell, her heart becomes set on staying in Esthar.

Rinoa is suddenly overcome with emotions when she sees Squall outside of her cell. Realizing that Squall does indeed want to be with her, she pounds on the glass separating them. She watches with disbelief as Squall tries to free her.

When the cell opens she jumps down into his arms, finally sharing a tight hug with him. The reality of their situation hits and she tells Squall that he shouldn't do this because it's not safe for the rest of the world. Squall says that he doesn't care and they share another hug before leaving. Rinoa could tell that they both have truly changed.

While their friends hold off the Memorial guards, a huge man from Esthar orders the guards to disband. Squall seems to recognize him but the party takes the opportunity to run back to the Ragnarok.

Back onboard the Ragnarok, Rinoa can't stop crying because she's so happy. She constantly wipes her face and dries her tears with her sleeves, embarrassed at having thought nobody would come for her.

While everyone decides on what to do, Rinoa learns that Seifer is still under Ultimecia's control. Once again, she begins to think of how she may hurt people if Ultimecia controls her. She sulks and crouches on the floor, asking everyone if she can stay hidden at the orphanage they talked about in Trabia. Squall agrees with her and they head towards Edea's house.

At the fields behind Edea's house, Rinoa meets Squall and Angelo – who is also happy to see Rinoa back. After giving Angelo some attention, she orders her to go away so that she and Squall can be alone.

Rinoa has been in a contemplative mood and the first thing she says is what's on her mind: what is going to happen to her. Squall tries to take her mind off of it, telling her that things will be fine. Still, she's worried that Ultimecia will control her and do something worse, like fight everyone.

Squall seems lost in thought while Rinoa holds onto her necklace. Rinoa says that if she fights against SeeD, that Squall will eventually have to kill her. She lies, saying that it's alright if Squall's sword pierces her heart.

Squall is angry with her morbid comments. He realizes how much she sounds like the person he used to be and he wants her to stop. He says that he'd never do that, even if Ultimecia is possessing her because there has to be another way. Rinoa trusts him to find another way and eventually stops worrying about it.

Even though he doesn't have a plan, Squall tells Rinoa to just stay close to him. Rinoa is delighted by those words because he said the same in Deling City. She gets a little annoyed that Squall doesn't seem to remember telling her those words, though.

After their short chat, Rinoa begins to feel much better. She decides to tell Squall about a scary dream she had before being taken to the Memorial. She thought it was a premonition and felt like she had to tell him.

In the dream they made a promise to see shooting stars but she couldn't find him no matter where she went. She ran across the whole world looking for him and when she couldn't run any longer, she screamed for him until she woke up crying.

Squall tries to reassure Rinoa that it's just a dream and not to worry. He finally understands her intense emotions and takes special care to to ease them. He tells her that they couldn't find each other in the dream because they haven't promised yet. He then comes up with a plan, by promising to meet her at the flowerfields behind Edea's house if they get separated. Rinoa also promises to be there. She thanks Squall for assuring her that they will never get separated.

The two are interrupted when they get a message from Esthar's Presidential Palace requesting SeeD's help in defeating Ultimecia. Squall decides to go and help, since it is Kiros who contacted them.

Before they leave, they meet Edea at the front of her house. Edea now plans on being a normal woman and making amends. She explains that she willingly accepted a dying Witch's power 13 years ago and that her story is coming to an end. She then gives Squall a vague order: to fight until the end... even if it brings tragedy to others.

next: The Time Compressed – Fulfilled Days