Notes: *sighs as she looks at the lack of reviews* Well, maybe more people will review once it's finished? *looks hopeful yet doubtful* Oh well, I guess that means not very many people like the story then....*depressed* This is the last chapter before the epilouge.

Terminal Recovery

Chapter Eighteen - Winhill, Town of Secrets

By Tori Singer

I awoke to the strongest feeling of contentment I'd had in a long time. Warm arms were surrounding me, and I knew that I was being watched over. I smiled and opened my eyes, looking up at the white ceiling. I could hear soft snoring on my left side, that was Matt. And what sounded like a duck in heat, had to be David, who was curled up against my waist like a kitten. I leaned my head up, hoping that they'd move. I really had to piss.

Matt grunts when I shift, pulling me closer. Damn, I was caught between a rock and a hard place, litterally speaking. I wiggled out of Matt's grasp, trying to figure out how to get David off my stomach without making too much noise. I failed though, and his fingernails dug into my thighs in his sleep.

"Yes...." He mutters, making me blush. Just what was he dreaming about?! I scoot around Matt, slowly edging away from David's death grip. His head falls to the mattress and he lets out a loud snore. I almost start coughing as I try to hold in my laughing. Finally free, I inch my way down to the foot of the bed. I get up, stretching my arms once I'm standing. I hear rustling behind me as Matt rolls over.

I make my way to the bathroom, unable to hold it any longer. I relieve myself, blinking the sleep from my eyes. I could hear talking in the other room, so I took it that they were at least alive. I washed my hands and splattered water on my face. It felt refreshing, and I grabbed the small black comb out of the medicine cabinet. I styled my hair, never needing gel, just a lot of patience.

Finished, I padded back into the other room, where my friends were getting dressed. I walked over with my clothes in my hands. I piled them on the bed, grabbing the lime green boxers first. I tried to slip them on, yelping when a hand slaps my ass, hard.

"David!" I scold, falling forward on the bed. I glare at the sheet in front of me as David laughs at my expense. My ass was bared to them, my boxers around my knees. I was in a very embarrassing position. I stumble back to my feet, pulling my shorts up. I glare at my still laughing friend.

Pretty soon, we're all dressed and ready to go. We leave the room as I strap the Demon Transporter on my wrist. This was it, baby. We step out into the sunlight, and I blink my eyes at the brightness. I took the lead, strolling toward the train station. I waved to a couple of people I knew from when I was here with Squall and Selphie before continuing on. I yawned, still feeling a bit sleepy as we reached the station. We walked past the old man's house, and I have to laugh, remembering his 'Owl's Tear'. That was a funny time.

I ignore the looks my friends were giving me as we boarded the train. I paid this time, much to Matt's irritation. It was my turn to repay the favor. I walked over to a window and stared out. I listened to the announcement that we would depart soon. I could hear David pestering Matt about something. I could hear the word 'tatoo' and 'forget it'. I stifle a laugh and take a seat.

I was surprised that there wasn't anybody else on the train. I guess that hardly anybody goes to Winhill nowadays. I guess we're lucky that the train even runs that far, now. It didn't used to. We used to have to fly the Ragnarok over or take the Garden or a car, whatever. I leaned back in my seat as the train jolted forward. I wished I'd grabbed a doodle pad back at the hotel gift shop or something. I was bored...

"Mary had a little lamb, little lamb, little lamb!" I laughed, for once appreciating David's enthusiasm. Pretty soon, I had joined in with the singing, feeling motivated. I grinned over at them when Matt also joined in. We sang a different song.

"Wasted away again in Margaritaville. Looking for my lost shaker of salt!" I couldn't help but laugh, feeling happiness bubble inside me. We were possibly going to our deaths, and so I wanted happy memories as my last.

"Well, we're almost there..." I grimace at Matt's words. I could see the dusty town on the horizon. It didn't seem very long ago when I was riding this train with Squall, feeling scared around him. I just missed him so much, his frowns, scowls, and his occasional smiles and laughs. They were golden moments, and I cherished them as diamonds. I didn't let his memory become tarnished with grief, but cherished and remembered with love.

"Anybody got a plan?" I ask, turning in my seat to look at them. David shrugged and looked at Matt. He scratched his face, thinking.

"Well, I'm pretty sure that he's gonna know why we're there, so I don't think it will take very long to find him." I guess that it was our best shot. I just had to make sure I hit him with the lasor. I had three shots, but I was only hoping to have to use one of them. I hope that Joey was ok. Well, he's been in that house with Mikey for a while now, and it just doesn't add up. Why was Joey still lingering?

I pondered this as we pulled into Winhill. Something was not right about the whole thing. It just seemed way to straightforward. There was something I wasn't getting, this was what Squall was trying to tell me. But, I still don't understand. I'm gonna mess something up, and I will have failed everyone, including myself. I psyched myself up, stepping off the train. The dust rolled along the ground, caused by a light wind. I looked around the town, it looked abandoned, as always.

There was something strange, though. All the houses were....boarded up....

"The hell?" I hear David ask. I couldn't answer him, I didn't know what to tell him.

"Where is everybody?" Matt inquires, walking toward the store. It was boarded up as well. We followed him, hoping to find Katy. The door was covered in 2x4s and the windows were also. I peeked in a crack through the boards.

"Hello? Katy!" I holler, not seeing anybody behind the counter. She wasn't there because nobody answered. I turned to my friends and shrugged. They both looked clueless. Their house wasn't boarded up at all, it was just as they'd left it. I looked over toward Xu's house, noticing that it was surrounded by nothing but bushes.

"What the hell?!" I shout, pointing toward the house. They follow my gaze.

"That's why everybody's so scared. It looks like Mikey knows we're here." Matt states, looking at the seemingly unpenetrable woods surrounding the house. It looked too thick to squeeze through, and we didn't have anything to cut it either.

"Now what, huh?" David asks, sitting down on his haunches. I lean against the building, thinking. Duh.

"Why don't we just break into the store?" I ask, looking at the boarded up windows. Matt sighs and leans against one of the pillars.

"Katy would be mad, and, how are we going to get the boards off? And who's small enough to fit through once we get one off?" We just kind of look over at David, who was trying to sneak away. Matt grabs him in a headlock.

"Ah, I see we have a volunteer. Now, help me start pulling this board." I walk over to where they were, grabbing one of the 2x4s. We pulled, grunting when it didn't budge. My jaw fell open, Katy must've put at least fifty freakin' nails in one board! I run my hand over my eyes, this was useless.

"Let's check around back." David gasps out, pulling away from Matt. I nod and turn, heading around the building. The sun was bright on my face when I leave the shade of the arwing. I shield my eyes with my hand, finding all the windows were boarded up. Finally, we found the back door. It had one board on it.

"Must've ran out." Matt comments before grabbing a nearby shovel. David and myself watch as he pries on the board with the sharp end of the shovel until' we hear a crack. The board finally gives way, falling to the ground. David waves his hand in front of his face, dust flying into the air. I cough as it fills my lungs, watching Matt punch through the glass of the back door. He reaches in and unlocks the door.

"There we are." He comments smugly when the door swings open. David gasps at his hand, which had a few cuts. He waves him off nonchalantly.

"It's nothing important, now let's get in and out quickly." We nod in union before following him into the store. I'm surprised at the condition of the place. It looked like a tornado had blown through. There was stuff everywhere.

"Wow..." David comments before stepping over some broken glass. What happened here? I looked around, trying to find something we could use to cut through the weeds and thicket. Matt was looking also, uprighting fallen tables. I spotted gardening equipment in the corner of the room. There was lots of seed bags and flowers. Many shovels and other items littered the surrounding area, scattered across the floor. My vision landed on a long sickle laying on the floor.

"Hey, what about this?" I ask, pulling it out from it's resting place under a bag of fertilizer.

"Hmm, is that the only one?" I hear Matt ask as he walks over to me. I look around, I didn't see any others.

"I guess so." I say, handing it to my friend. He tests it's weight, looking it up and down.

"It should work." He comments, turning and making his way back to the door. I spot David stuffing money in his pockets.

"What do you think you're doing?" I ask, coming up next to him. He had the cash register open, emptying it's contents into his pockets. He grins at me.

"Oh come on! We're saving the town, man!" He walks past me and I roll my eyes. Jerk. I leave it lie as we go back out the rear door. I blink when the bright light of the sun blinds me once more. Matt stops and waits for us at the edge of town.

"Well, here we go. This is it, let's do it!" I feel nervous as we get closer to the weeds. It just seemed...wrong. Matt swung the sickle, cutting through the first line of bushes. Me and David kept our distance, not wanting to lose any limbs by Matt's wild swinging. Our blond friend kept going, cutting a small path through the incredibly thick bushes. I noticed that as we got closer to the house, the darker the sky seemed to get.

David grabbed my shoulder when thunder boomed across the sky. I looked up at the now cloudy sky as rain started coming down. This was not good. That demon really didn't want us back in the house. I had trouble keeping up with Matt through the rain. I could barely make him out ahead of us. We were terribly soaked by the time we made it through the weeds. My bare legs itched like the damn dickens!

I almost bumped into Matt as I tried to scratch my leg.

"Oof!" I gasp, smacking into his back. He never moves, only dropped the sickle. I look up where he was looking and my eyes widened. All the windows were lit up, like little lanterns. David cowers behind me, his body shaking in the cold rain. I just stare, it looked like a creepy jack-o-lantern or something.

"Uhh, I think I forgot something back in Esthar!" David turns but I grab his arm.

"Come on, you!" I say, dragging him behind Matt as we closed in on the front door. We stopped on the porch when the door swung open slowly. We looked at eachother. I stared down at my wrist, where the Transporter was. Well, it was now or die. I take a deep breath.

"Well, let's do it." I say, not complaining when Matt walked inside first. I followed, David clutching my shoulders, following behind me like a scaredy cat. I couldn't blame him, though. They'd encountered Mikey before, well, so had I but they actually had a conversation with him. I wondered what he really looked like. I'd seen him as a teddy bear and blue mist. Now which was it?

We all stopped when we got in the living room. The place was filled with candles. There was small ones, large ones, they were all lit up. That was why the windows glowed...

"Uh oh." I hear David whimper behind me. I gulped, fear rooting in my stomach. This could be dangerous, surrounded by fire, hell yeah. One wrong step and the whole place could burn down. We walked further into the room, stepping over the waxy candles. I felt the heat from them on my legs, I just hoped my shorts didn't catch on fire.

We all froze when a wind blew through. David squealed when all the candles blew out. The smell of smoke assaulted my nose. We watched in awe as the candles started melting down at an alarming rate. We whirled around when the front door slammed shut.

"Oh god oh god oh god!" David pawed my shoulder, obviously freaked out. If I'd known that he was gonna be such a clingy scaredy cat, I'd have left him at the store. We looked back at the candles, which were slithering into the middle of the room, creating one big puddle of wax.

"The hell's happenin'?" I ask, transfixed on the sight before me. The wax started taking shape. It was forming a body, and I fingered the bracelet on my wrist. I gasp when the body forms completely. Could it be?!

"Squall?" I ask, stepping forward, toward the wax version of my best friend. Matt puts a hand across my chest, barring my path.

"It's just an illusion, don't let him fool you." I blink up at him before looking back at the wax body. It starts shifting again, this time turning into a boy I'd never seen before. I couldn't tell how old he was, in his teens, maybe? He had a sad expression on his wax face. I could sense Matt visibly tense next to me. Was this...Mikey?

"Who are you?" I can't help but ask, watching the figure suspiciously. He slinks away, seemingly scared of us. I gape, wasn't he supposed to be the scary one?

"I am......as you see me. I have no body, I've never had a body. I wanted a body. I could never have a body. Why was I chose to be this instead of a human? Can you tell me this?" I blink as he talks. I wasn't expecting an interrogation. I look over at Matt, who looked just as confused as me. David was cowering behind me. Yeah, real brave David.

"Uhh..." I try, watching the wax stare at me. I didn't know how to answer that. Finally, he turns away from us, his waxy hair falling over his shoulders.

"Do you know what a guardian angel is?" He asks. I'm taken aback. I thought those were only in fairy tales.

"Uh, what about it?" I hear Matt ask. I can sense the hostility in his tone. The figure turns back to us, a sad smile on his face.

"Do you know what an imaginary friend is, then?" I tap my foot, this was getting ridiculous.

"What the hell are you talkin' about?!" I demand, pointing my wrist at him. He visibly shakes.

"You will kill me? You will regret it." I'm tired of hearing him talk. I point the Demon Transporter at him.

"Wait, Zell." I hear Matt say. I look over at him, confused by his actions. He looks at Mikey, who was just standing there.

"What....are you?" He asks, stepping a bit closer. Mikey steps back, looking uncomfortable.

"I already told you. I am......a guardian." I lower my wrist. What was he saying?

"When something evil happens, the angels send somebody down to set it right. They are what you call 'imaginary friends'." I still don't get what the hell he's talking about.

"What are you protecting?" I ask, still ready to shoot at a moment's notice. He smiles sadly at me before gasping. I step back as his body starts to disentigrate.

"The hell!?" I ask, watching the wax puddle into the floor. His face held a pained, yet relieved expression.

"Save him..." He gasps out before melting into the floor. I stood there, gaping. What the fuck just happened?!

"Zeeeeeell...." I look up at Joey, who was floating above the puddle of wax. He was wearing a triumphant grin.

"Joey!" Matt gasps out, stepping forward. Joey glares at him before looking back at me.

"Don't you just hate authority?" He asks me, giggling at my surprised look.

"Joey, are you free now?" I ask, looking down at the puddle of wax. We all step back when he starts laughing.

"Free?! You still don't get it, do you!? Stupid!" Fear shoots up my spine at his words. What was he talking about...

"Poor, poor Mikey, he tried so hard to correct me." He starts laughing again, the wax puddle in the floor starting to smoke and disentegrate. I watch as it totally disappears.

"B-but, Joey! I thought that Mikey was-!" I tried to get out, but didn't succeed. He laughs harder.

"Dummies! Morons! You totally don't get it! It was me, stupid boy! I was the one that stole Squall's soul!" I freeze at his proclamation. It was Joey the whole fuckin' time!?

"You were the one trying to kill me...." I whisper, not believing it. Joey smirks evilly at me.

"I would've gotten you sooner, but Mikey just had to keep interferring. You see-" He floats around the room above our heads, smirking at us some more.

"When I was a kid, I found a cave. There was a demon at the back of the cave. He promised me the key to immortality. Being the young idiot that I was, I accepted. The only thing was, that I would in turn become a demon. I was living with mom at the time, because Dave was in a foster home." He stops, glaring at David.

"You have no idea how much I hate you, David." I'm shocked as all this starts sinking in. He continues.

"You see, the key to my living forever was to first die. So, I started plotting ways to end my life without causing so much suspicion. But, then he came. Mikey, he claimed to be my friend, that he could live forever, too. He wanted to help me, he said. I was naive back then, so I accepted his help. I had to find someone to love, so that my soul would be ripe when I died." I looked over at Matt, who looked just as devestated as the rest of us. I couldn't believe my ears! Joey!?

"So, the timing couldn't be more perfect when David came home after mom died. He brought a friend with him, Matt." He looked at Matt, who was holding back frustrated tears. He went on, and I felt David take my hand. He was shaking.

"Well, I tried to get close to Matt, to get him to love me. It seemed to be working, but Mikey was getting increasingly frustrated with me. He said that I shouldn't trick people like that, that I should be a normal person and not be the demon I was supposed to be. Then I figured it out. He had tricked ME! He was one of those damn angels, here to keep me out of trouble or whatever. Well, it was just too perfect to let him destroy it, so, I stole his transparent body and let mine wander around soulless." He stopped for a minute.

"Then....then all that stuff we went through......was all a lie?" Matt whispers. I bite my lip, he had really loved Joey...

"What? I had to have someone fall in love with me! Well, I didn't plan on you two killing off my body, but I also didn't expect my body to become savage like that, either. I was lucky that I was so in love with you Matt, that my soul left my body without a hitch. Mikey was constantly fighting me, trying to get me out of his soul. He did finally succeed in getting rid of me, but, my soul had already tied to his enough so that I remained in this world as the spirit you see now."

This was so insane! Mikey was the freakin' goodguy the whole time!? If only I'd known....damn! Joey laughed at us cruelly.

"I have to steal souls to survive. But, the only drawback was that they had to be souls in love with another person's soul. That wretched woman that lived here didn't love anybody!" I briefly thought about Xu and flinched. Poor woman...

"But, I had plenty of fresh meat that dropped into town. Namely you, Zell. I want your soul so bad, I tried many times to get your soul, but that man would always save you! Curse him! But, I found the oppurtunity too tempting to pass up when he was standing there, his loving soul bared to me..." He laughs cruelly once more. I start shaking, damn him! He was the one that tried to kill me! He was the one that stole Squall's soul!

"You!" I growl, raising the Demon Transporter toward him. He smirks and disappears as I shoot. It missed. Damn!

"Dammit!" I holler, looking around for him. I can't believe we were played like bitches this whole time! David steps forward, looking around.

"I don't see him..." He comments, checking under the sofa. Leave it to him to be the idiot at a time like this. Matt was still standing there, looking frozen. I place a hand on his shoulder, he must be devestated...

"I'm sorry." I offer, it was the only thing I had to give him. He places his hand over mine and smiles.

"It's alright, we have to kill him, Zell. We have to!" I'm surprised at the fierce look in his eyes. I nod and turn toward the stairs. I knew where he was. I started up the stairs, listening as Matt and David followed me up.

I could hear music coming from Xu's room. It was that Elvis song. It was creepy to an extreme. The door swung open softly as we approached. I eased into the room, my eyes peeled. I didn't see anything at all. We all entered the room, looking around. There was an old record player sitting in the middle of the room, the Elvis song drifting from it. I approached it, leery.

"Now what?" I hear David ask as he searched the room. I shrugged, I didn't know. Suddenly, the music stopped. I jumped back when the record player disappeared.

"You guys really have it out for me, don't you?" We spin around to the doorway, where Joey was standing, looking ghostly as ever. I glare at him.

"Damn straight!" I say, shooting at him again. It misses as he twirls out of the way. Damn! One shot left, better make it count. We needed to distract him somehow....

"Hey! Joey!" I hear David holler. Joey looks over at him, disinterested.

"Yeah, that's right, I'm talking to you! You're supposed to listen to your older brother, y'know!" I caught on as Joey looked irritated. He focused on David, creeping closer to him. David backed up, continuing his insults.

"Yeah, you know that me and Matt hooked up after we killed you." He smirked unnaturally cruel at his younger brother. I flinched at the tone in his voice. I snuck around behind Joey, trying to get a clear shot.

"Yeah, we got along reeeal well after you died. We fucked the first night after!" This was really getting Joey upset.

"Why you dirty rat!" He scowls, floating over to David, who looked like he was about to faint. I raised my arm, preparing to shoot.

"You didn't miss me at all, did you?!" He screamed, flying at David. I let my lasor fly, gaping when Joey ducked out of the way.

"Nice try, Zell! I'm not stupid, you know!" I almost wanted to cry, I really did. That was my last freaking shot! Fear rooted itself firmly in my stomach, not letting me move as Joey focused on me, now.

"Now, I will finally have your soul. Give it to me!" I scream as he closes in on me. I throw my hands up in front of my face to shield myself. I hold my breath.....and then nothing.

I crack open an eye. Joey was standing there, looking shocked. I blinked and my vision fell on his stomach. There was a glowing blue light. The hell? He screams as he vanishes, his body breaking into millions of pieces before floating away as puffs of smoke. I stare at the doorway and gasp.

"Quistis!" I shout in shock. She lowers her wrist, which had a Demon Transporter on it. How in the blue bloody hell...?

"I'll explain later." She winks at me. I couldn't believe it! I look over at my friends, who looked just as shocked. Suddenly, people started forming in the room. They were souls, finally free from Joey's grasp. I didn't know any of them at all, they were all strangers. They gave us gratified looks as they floated to the ceiling. I watched them go, a tear forming in my eye.

I stop when a spirit floats up from the floor right in front of me. My heart starts beating incredibly fast.

"Can I have you?" He whispers to me, placing his ghostly lips against mine. The tears finally fall as I nod vigorously. He smiles softly, his whole body transparent.

"I always said that you'd submit to me, one day." He smiles again before frowning.

"Don't follow me, Zell. I'm not coming back." I freeze at his words.

"W-what?!" I say, reaching a hand out to him. He had already disappeared.

"I love you..." I whisper to him, another tear falling down my face. I look at my friends as more spirits leave this world. Quistis had tears of her own falling down her cheeks, and I noticed my other friends were there as well.

"Irvine, Selphie, Quistis, You guys.....I missed you so much!" I slunk to my knees, finally breaking down. Everyone rushed over to me. David knealt beside me. I wrapped my arms around his shoulders.

"It's not fair!" I scream as he pats my back.

"I know." He answers. I felt so bad for him and Matt and everyone else. I just let my grief leave me in tears. Squall...

I must've blacked out, because I don't remember leaving the house. Also, I awoke in my room. My room at garden. I sit up and look around. It looked like I'd never left it. I noticed my bag at the foot of my bed. When did we get that back? Have we been to Esthar? I rummage through the bag, looking for the book. I finally find it. I'm shocked, it was a bright purple. Wasn't it brown before?

I use the key and I open the book. I gasp when the key disappears after I pull it out of the lock. What the? I open the book and I see a picture, it resembled Mikey from what I could tell. I turned some more pages. I finally found some writing.

"Whoever's reading this, thank you, it means that you finally put Joey to rest. He was such a troubled child.....I tried so hard to save him, but I failed, in the end. I'm so sorry for all the grief that he's caused. I am truly sorry and very grateful that he has finally been defeated. His reign of terror is over now, and I am free. Do not grieve for me, for I have returned to Heaven. Thank you so much, and may you find what you are searching for..."

I close the book, and it disappears and becomes a flock of doves. I gasp and stand as the pure white doves fly out my open window. I smile. Thank you, Mikey. I sigh and look over at my floor length mirror. I looked like shit. I undressed, feeling dirty. I needed a shower after all this shit had hit the fan.

I smiled as I entered my bathroom. It felt good to be back home. I turned my shower on, relishing in the warm water. I stepped in, shivering as my body reacted to the heated water; goosebumps broke out all over my skin. I wet my hair, wanting to wash it quickly. I was eager to go talk to my friends, find out what all had happened. How did Quistis and them get there? And why did she have a Demon Transporter? And, where was Squall? He said that he wasn't coming back, did that mean he went to heaven? Or is he too ashamed to come back after all the killing he did?

I finished washing myself and left the bathroom. I dressed in my usual garden attire, styling my hair. I stared at the tatoo on my face, it was a constant reminder of a promise I had made long ago. I have been keeping the promise lately. I had promised to love and cherish my friends and family. I learned how to love and to be loved. I grinned at myself in the mirror before leaving the room.

I'm immediantly tackled by two of my friends.

"David! Selphie!" I gasp, being knocked to the floor. They both started talking at once as I tried to understand what they were saying.

"I've been accepted into garden!" He squeals at me. I grin at him.

"I knew you could do it." I tell him. He blushes and looks away. Selphie bounces up and down on me.

"Guess what?! David said he'd help me with the Garden Festival!" I'm glad to hear it. I knew they'd get along.... I hate it when I'm right sometimes. She jolts like she just remembered something.

"Oh yeah! Headmaster Quistis wants to talk to you, Zell." Her smile fades as she says that. I frown, too. So, Squall hadn't come back... I nod to her and stand, pushing them off of me. I wave to them before heading down to the lobby. I wave to a few students that I knew as I made my way to the elevator. People were stopping and staring at me sympathatically. I wished they wouldn't...

I made it to the elevator, and got in, pushing the third floor button. I waited as it reached the 3rd floor, leaning against the wall. This sucked. It dinged upon arrival, and I got out. I saw Xu sitting at her usual desk. I smiled at her and she smiled back.

"Uh, you know what happened?" I ask her. She nods, looking a bit frazzled.

"Yeah, I had no idea that such a secret existed in my summer house!" She said, placing a hand on her chest. I walked on past, after waving my goodbyes. I stopped in front of the large doors as memories flooded back. Back when Squall was sick and we tried to break in. That was funny, and scary. I didn't know what to think as I opened the big doors. I wanted to see Squall there, to see him sitting behind his desk, doing mountains of paperwork.

I frown when I see my good friend, Quistis instead. I loved Quistis with all my heart, but it still didn't fill the void in my chest. She looks up when I enter.

"Zell..." She greets, nodding to a seat. I walk over, plopping in a chair. She takes off her glasses before speaking.

"We had gotten worried about you and Squall. I decided that we should pilot over there and see what was taking you so long. Well, what a surprise we got when we found the house empty. The storeowner filled us in on the details of Squall." She stopped, looking at me.

"You should've told us, Zell, we could've helped." I suddenly felt angry.

"By doing what?! Killing him?!" I say. She frowns sadly.

"Zell, look at how many people he's killed. What do you think we could have done?" I sigh at her words. She was right, as always. I had just wanted to save him. I felt like Mikey, unable to do anything about it. She continues.

"Well, we took that lead to Esthar, and well, what we found was a bloody disaster. Luckily we ran into Dr. Odine. He gave us information up to date. He also gave me that Demon Transporter and told me what to do. Then, we headed for Winhill. We were all terribly worried about you and your two friends." She tells me. I smile at her, she was always looking out for us.

"Then, we arrived and found the house again. It was surrounded by weeds but luckily there was a path already through. That spurred us on, because we knew you guys were already in the house with the demon. Well, you know the rest." She smiled at me before looking to her computer screen.

"Oh yeah, you had a phone call from the mayor of Fisherman's Horizon while you were sleeping." I perked up, what could they want? She handed me a paper with a number on it.

"I'll...go call them. Thanks, headmaster." The word felt foreign on my tongue, but I suppose that I'd better get used to it. I left the room, wondering what FH wanted. A chill ran up my spine, what if they found the Ragnarok? I hurried all the way back to my dorm room, planning on using the phone there. I passed Matt, David, Selphie, and Irvine in the hallway. I waved at them.

"I'll see you guys in a minute, I have to go make a phone call!" I holler to them before going on to my room. I closed the door behind me and grabbed the phone on my desk. I dialed the number on the piece of paper. After three rings, an older woman's voice came on.

"Hello?" She greeted. I took a deep breath.

"Uh, can I speak with the Mayor, please?" I ask politely. I hear her say something before another voice comes on the line.

"Is this Mister Zell Dincht?" I tense, what did he want?

"Yes." I answer, curious as hell. He goes on, and I can hear papers rustling in the background.

"Well, I found a ship drifting near my city and found a maintenance number in the control room. Seems it was from Esthar, so I gave them a rang and they told me your story. Well, I just wanted to call and tell you that your ship is safe here." I sighed, I wondered if Squall was on board...

"Um, was there anybody on board the ship?" I ask, twisting the phone cord in my hands. There was silence on the other end.

"No, there was a lot of blood but there was nobody. Three of the lifeboats were gone, nothing else." I drop the phone and listen to it clatter against the floor.

Squall was....alive.

The End

 

 

Notes: Notes: Well, finally. I'm going to do an Epilogue also, so look for that coming tonight or tomorrow. Well well well!? What the hell did you think?! My fingers hurt so bad but it was worth it! Tell me what you thought, please!?

-Tori

PS: Review!

PPS: Was you surprised? *grins evilly* I hope that answers any questions you previously had about the story. *leaves to write epilouge*



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