Over the comm, Laguna was barking orders to central control to find a way to remedy the problem and seal up the fuel tube.
Squall opened a comm channel to Rinoa.
"Rinoa...." he looked longingly into the comm screen at her face, "Get the barrier up, Seifer will deliver the stone and bring it home...."
"No.....you can't....you wouldn't..." Rinoa pleaded over the comm.
He looked at her knowingly, "I'll be okay, but we have to destroy the Cry...Seifer....is....Gemini..."
Rinoa did a double take, "What! Seifer--a Zodiac Brave?!"
Seifer just looked at Squall in disbelief..., “How did you know my Birthday??”
"No....don't....," Rinoa pleaded.
"The people of Esthar are counting on us...."
Squall looked at Seifer intensely, "Seifer.....take the stone..."
Seifer was given the container, it silently glowed deep in space, a dark purple color. He was a brave. He looked up a Squall...whose eyes seemed much more ancient and wiser than his.
"Take it....go back to earth."
"GO!"
Seifer turned his back on Squall and boosted out of orbit, heading to earth. If anyone saw the look on his face, it was the first time Seifer respected and was...proud...of Squall.
"I will........Sorceress' Knight..."
Squall stared silently into the comm.
Rinoa could feel the tears flow freely.
"I...must protect the earth.....I.....love you...Rinoa...."
"Squall.......don't........go...NO!" She grasped at the video screen in desperation.
It was then that Delita saw in amazement the full effect of Rinoa's sorceress powers. Her wings appeared as gold as they spread, but then they turned a silvery gray. And power filled her eyes and hands.
"I.....will protect the .....earth....for all mankind." She had said between ghasps.
Seeing this, Delita knew now was the time to pull up the barrier, pointing his sword Legend to the sky, he said to Laguna.
"Contact the other braves, we need the barrier up now!"
It was only a matter of time to see if this would work.
The news was related to the other 10 braves, each now preparing to deflect the beam.
"I pray this works....." Ramza thought.
Silently in space the mass of monster fluids coagulated into one massive orb, like a giant eye, preparing to fire the largest lunar cry in their known history. Squall's eyes were resolute and defiant of all the chaos surrounding him. Nothing more he could do but watch, he stood eyes fixed upon earth and the monitor that kept a link with his precious Rinoa. He saw her eyes just as fixed upon the monitor, but now glowing with power as she produced a massive barrier.
A large glowing barrier could be seen from space, and Squall knew Rinoa had fulfilled her part.
"Now the Braves must do their duty......" his thoughts more of a plead now than ever.
The golden aura that was the barrier just barely contained all the sectors, but Delita saw that it was going to work. Even Seifer had made it to the 11th sector, surprisingly he turned out to be the brave and not Squall.
"I wonder why...?" he pondered the mystery as he prepared to channel the energies of the Zodiac stones into the barrier for an anti-lunar cry.
As the stones charged their energies, thoughts haunted the braves.
Aries "We fight for all futures, so I must fight."
Taurus "This world and all others are counting on us."
Gemini "So this is my romantic dream....?"
Leo "Let's do this."
Virgo "We can do it, all of us together."
Libra "With this stone I pledge justice...we will defeat the darkness."
Scorpio "Come on, you stupid hunk of glowing rock, work!"
Sagittarius "No matter what may have been, I fight for this day. No regrets."
Pisces "Please let this work."
Cancer "No matter what, I won't lose my heart again."
The stones finished casting their lights when....
The cry fired.
A massive beam flashed downward in a burning spiral aimed specifically and directly at the barrier, it only took a matter of moments for the cry to hit. The actual weight and pressure of the beam pressed deeply on Rinoa. She strained to hold the barrier, looking into Squall's eyes for strength. Her powers reached out to him, his face, his form, his soul.
It seemed to ignite something in him, a bond so great they were able to transfer their thoughts to one another.
"No matter what happens.....I'll always be with you Rinoa."
"Together with you my knight....for eternity, we must be together ALWAYS....."
