CHILD TROUBLES

DISCLAIMER: Final Fantasy VIII, the characters, places or whatever related to them belongs to Square-Enix. Some scenes were on some films or writings

The lines written at the center were taken from the story "Storms" written by Ronin-AI…NOT MINE. GOT THAT?

Note: The bold italic lines mean flashback while the non bold italic lines mean talking mentally.

All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead is purely coincidental.

Author's Note: I really love the story Storms written by Ronin-Ai so I asked her permission to write a fanfic based on that story last March 28 and she let me do it. She said she'd like to see what I came up with.

Another note: This chapter happened after the story Storms and…Wait, it focus on the twin children so no lemons here.

He told his wife, "He is going to be a heartbreaker in a few years."

His wife answered, "Julie too."

How truth it was?

Chapter 1 - Saber

Rinoa came home first from her work since her sexy husband told her that he would be coming late due to Garden's meetings. Even so, they were keeping in touch through their mind link. Despite being tired, the sorceress glanced at the wall clock. There's was one and a half hours for their twin children to return from school so she could prepare their dinner.

As she was done, she heard the school bus blowing its horn meaning: the kids were back. The twins, still full of energy ran towards their mother and gave her a very lively hug then they gave her a kiss on her cheek.

"How's the school?" Rinoa asked.

"It was so much fun." Saber lively said.

Rinoa looked over at Julia Raine. "How about you Julie"?

"We played a lot." The daughter said softly.

The mother smiled. "Good to hear. Oh! The dinner is ready. Time to eat."

"Yeah!"

As they sat on their chair they'd noticed that their father was not there yet so Rinoa told them that he would be going home late. While eating, they were discussing the school happenings and based on the expression seen on their face, there was nothing to worry about. Then, Squall made his presence felt.

"Rinoa? Honey? How's your day? The kids?" It's so damn traffic here".

"Don't worry sweetheart we are just having fun. Nothing to worry about." Rinoa replied.

"You're having fun while I'm stuck in the road? That's not fair." Squall said in a mock anger.

"Squall, the kids were so lonely without you here. You know that. I'm trying to entertain them."

"Alright, alright, you win. But Rin, it's already evening. Make sure you lock the doors and take a good care of them. I love you." Squall reminded his wife.

"I'll be waiting sweetheart. I love you too." Rinoa then closed her mind link.

Rinoa was so tired after doing the house hold chores as she sat down on the couch. Out of curiosity and just to ease her fatigue while waiting for Squall, Rinoa sneaked on Saber's room to make sure that he was taking a nap and she carefully took away his bag to check if his things were organized. Saber was so messy and Squall was always reminding him to be organize since he was a military man, he must behave as a good example as a person, as a soldier, as a commander and as a father.

The beautiful mother opened his bag. It was organize which was a very good thing, pulled out the pad paper and she lay down. Next, she started to read the pages one by one and was proud of the grades that he got. Most of it was perfect. She smiled. However, while reading, something had fallen between those pages. Rinoa picked up the folded paper but as soon as she unfolded it, her smile had quickly faded. There was a writing which startled her. There were two names on the paper with the shape of the heart with an arrow on the middle of it.

CARLA LOVES SABER.

Rinoa gasped. And all of a sudden, she shifted her position from laying to sitting position because Saber, her boy had been already being crushed on by someone on that early age. The boy was just only seven years old. She put the unfolded paper aside on the center table to continue on turning the pages of her son's pad paper but this time hurriedly. When the mother reached the last page she was totally dumbfounded on the writings. Her eyes almost went wide as she read each of those sentences feeling like she was that girl.

"DEAR CARLA, I HATE YOUR STINKING BREATH." Her jaw dropped.

"YOU MAKE ME VOMIT." Rinoa winced.

"YOU'RE A THORN ON MY THROAT. LOVE SABER." Rinoa's breath hitched. She was in total shock. Speechless.

The mother never ever thought that her son could write something like this. She almost forgot what to do especially if Squall found out. She knew that Saber had yet to give the letter so she took the unfolded paper that fallen earlier and tore the last page of pad paper just before it could reach or read by other students. If 'that girl' received it, it would be a total disaster. Then, Rinoa heard the clicking sound coming from the door that had opened and she immediately hid the papers under the throw pillow.

"Honey, I'm home." It was Squall. He approached his wife and shared an embrace and a deep passionate kiss and Rinoa led him at the dining area. Rinoa smiled at her husband while setting up his evening meal.

"Come on loves, eat your dinner."

The dinner composed of pork curry with rice, chicken drumstick and pineapple juice. As soon as he glanced on them he became hungrier. He reached for his wife's hand and squeezed it, smiling. Rinoa could also see the exhaustion on his face from the whole day work so she wouldn't bother him to tell her about Garden matters. There was an issue to resolve here at home. But surprisingly, Squall was the one who started the conversation.

"Sorry, for coming home late. The meeting was all about last week's trouble makers." He said.

"Oh! about the broken glass near the elevator right?" His wife asked. Squall nodded.

"As a punishment they will not be allowed to play ball until its fixed." He responded tiredly.

The moment he took the food on his mouth he smiled again and ate more. Then, he commented with a grin while giving the empty plate to her. "This is so delicious Rin, One more please."

Rinoa was so amused. "Done already? Alright, a plate of rice coming up." She took the plate from his hands and went over the rice cooker to get more rice. When he's done eating, he helped Rinoa on washing the kitchen utensils then he told her that he was going upstairs to take a shower. But the time they'd opened their mind link again, he sensed his wife anxiety so he went back for her.

"Rinoa? What's the matter?" The commander asked with a concern while he gently held both her shoulders.

His wife asked him to sit down at the couch, took a deep breath and spoke, "Squall, I will take what I said earlier that there's nothing to worry about but actually there is." Rinoa said anxiously.

"What?" Squall asked as he received two written pad papers from his wife. The reaction seen on his face was a total shock at first but eventually, he chuckled while reading those papers. For him, this was so humorous. Squall put the papers back to the table followed by laying his eyes on Rinoa and his wife glared at him crossing her arms.

"This is not a laughing matter Leonhart." His wife said intently. Of course for her, this problem was so serious. She was so damn worried and yet her husband just laughed, just only laughed. Squall swallowed in fear because like him, Rinoa could be sometimes frightening when getting angry.

She added that she almost raised her voice mentally so the children won't hear her while showing him the papers again. "Your… our son is already a heart breaker! Since when!? I'd never thought that you could be such a bad influence. Is this what you teaching him? "

Squall answered back while he held his hands up like he was retreating in fear mentally. "Wait! Hold on a minute there, Rinoa. Of' course I'd never taught him that. Did you remember what I said before? Half of that comes from their mother."

"Maybe. At least not on that early age." Rinoa said arrogantly.

Both of them thought of how and when did Saber learned to respond like that. Oh! They'd figured that out. There was only one person who was capable of teaching him that. It's Irvine. And it's all Irvine's fault. It was often that the twins were being left in that playboy's care and his wife while the couple was away at the mission or even staying at the hotels for the night. The commander sometimes couldn't even help but to blame the gunner and Selphie teasingly criticized the parents for leaving the children that long. Squall would discuss this with Irvine if he had time. Or maybe it was their fault too for being busy on their own jobs and they felt that they neglected their children. They had to make some adjustments.

Squall snorted. "Alright, alright you win again. You're right Rin. You're right." Squall sighed deeply.

"Gods, please help us. Not again." He said while he read the papers again.

This was not actually the first time that Saber went into trouble. He got his the very first black eye on his left when he and his friends teased one of their girl classmate, "PIGGY, PIGGY, OINK, OINK," due her large size. The girl confronted him and she punched him. But it didn't end there, there were five boys sitting at the bench saw the spectacle laughed on him just because a guy being owned by a girl was such an embarrassment. Saber could easily figured out that he was the one who was being laughing at so he immediately approached them and he threw a punch on one of those boys and then the rest of those boys and Saber's group followed through. It was a rumble.

(Note: That PIGGY, PIGGY, OINK, OINK thing was a nursery rhyme that sang often at the other side of the classroom when I was in a third grade.)

The two groups were sent at the principal's office. Most of the witnesses were female classmates and they told the school staff the same story: That Saber Leonhart was the one who started the trouble physically. And who did the school called? It was none other than the mother: Rinoa Julia Heartilly Caraway-Leonhart.

Meanwhile, the mother was in the middle of her duty when the phone rang. She answered the phone. "Hello?"

"Good afternoon Mrs. Leonhart. This is Mrs. Smith, Saber's adviser. I called to inform you that your son's is now at the principal's office. He was involved in the brawl. Could you please give us some of your time?"

Rinoa eyes went wide "What!? Alright I'll be there." She asked Dr. Kadowaki for the permission then she left.

Squall, unaware of his son's foolishness had finished on preparing their dinner because Dr. Kadowaki had many patients to take a good care of and she needs Rinoa's assistance so badly. He was not the type of person who believed that the women should always stays at home doing all the household chores while the men always away at home doing whatever they could to support their family. He only believed that husband and wife, especially sorceress and knight should help each other out. He sat on his couch to wait but not even reached thirty seconds of waiting he heard someone's getting angry although the voice was familiar to him.

"Saber even it's true, you have no right to insult anybody."

It was Rinoa. Squall heard his wife talking to his son so he immediately stood up from the couch to open the door. As the moment he saw his wife he embraced her and gave her a soft kiss and when he looked over at his son he was shocked. Saber was a total mess and his left eye had been in red and violet in color then he approached his son to check his face asking why he was on that state. They sat down on the couch.

Julia Raine just told her father what happened that noon for she too had been called at the principal's office at the middle of her own class. Squall listened to her intently and after that he sighed deeply and did a face palm. Then he told his wife and daughter to eat the prepared dinner while he and Saber were going to have a man to man talk.

"Saber, all of us have own flaws and whatever flaws you saw on other people don't ever hurt their feelings." Then Squall glanced at his son's left eye. "Look at what happened to you. Your classmate punched you because you hurt her. What if you switched places, how would you feel? If they'd done something badly to you, then they had their reasons especially what you did. Remember, whatever you did so badly you should be responsible for your own actions. After all, it's your fault in a first place. And you should also keep this to your mind: As soon as you could, don't ever involved in any fight."

He fixed his son's hair and added. "Alright then, I hope that you would never ever insult anybody again. Is that clear?"

Saber nodded." Yes daddy."

"Good. Come on, let's have a dinner. "

"OUCH! It hurts mommy." Saber said.

"But who started this whole mess Saber?" Rinoa asked.

"Me." The child said sadly.

"Then deal with it." The mother said while tending his wounds but the child still continued its whining, Rinoa groused. "Ugh! Will you please stop that? How can you protect the girl of your life if just a simple and small wound you are already complaining? Daddy told me that you want to grow up like him. If you want to then you'll have to go through this."

Squall just looked at them and laughed softly while reading the newspaper and told her mentally, ruefully. "Honey, relax. You're scaring him. Don't forget, Saber is still a kid. You're forcing him to grow old."

His wife gave him a confused look on his statement and responded. "Squall, you went through this too remember?"

"Well, yeah. But I have too. I was always alone with no love ones to guide me. You're too intense. Take it easy."

Rinoa snorted. "Fine. If that's what you want sweetheart." Then, she finished treating her son and added. "There, there it's done Saber. And please son, behave properly."

"Daddy!" The twins called loudly while running towards their father and gave him a crushing hug and a kiss on his cheek. They saw their father sitting at the couch after going at the bathroom to pee. Squall smiled while he hugged them back. The twins were now being importunate while growing up but when it came to being affectionate, they're the best. And Squall was very prone to it. He looked over at his wife and she reminded him of the topic.

Squall looked over Saber seriously and spoke. "Saber, we need to talk." The child saw that expression on his father's face and the boy had started to feel afraid.

"Dad, am I in trouble?" Saber fearfully asked.

"Well son, a little. Please take a seat." Squall answered calmly. He showed those two papers in front of his son asking for a clarification while he ordered Julia to go back upstairs.

Then, the head of the Leonhart family began to ask him questions. "Saber, where did you get these letters?"

"I don't know dad. Maybe they hid it while recess." Saber answered.

"And this?" Squall showed the 'hate note' to his son.

"I wrote it." Saber answered.

"And this is supposed to be your answer?"

"Yes." Saber firmly said.

The mother corrected him. "Saber, that's not the right way of refusing girls. If that girl really likes you and you don't want her then tell her that study first, crush later."

"But mommy what I said on that letter is true." Saber defended himself stubbornly.

"Saber, be nice. What did your mother reminded you about other's feelings? " Squall said. The child was silent. He knew the answer.

Rinoa speculated that the first letter could be some kind of a prank for Saber because the boy was so naughty sometimes at school so that some of his classmates might have wanted revenge. Perhaps, it was Saber's problem before and the boy was very annoyed at the girl that's why he wrote it so the girl would stop. She also visualized that just in case it's a prank and Saber gave his reply to the girl, the girl probably would either laughed on him or worst, notify him that she didn't like him ever in a very bad manner. Saber was being rush on his actions. Then she asked him something with interest.

"Then what would you do if she grew up as a beautiful young woman?" The mother asked.

The boy immediately looked at his mother in disbelief. Was that possible? The boy only knew that ugly stayed ugly forever. The mother advised Saber that people would change when the time came .Or stay the same. There were no stopping on those changes. What would he do when they meet again?

"Then I'm going to ask her out." Saber answered confidently.

The couple was surprised on his response. Those answers were not from any normal kids but from grown up guys. Squall took a deep breath and spoke.

"Saber, son, if that's the case then you should stop chasing girls."

"Why?" Saber asked.

"Son, there are many so things that you should learn before that. Put that 'love' thing aside. You are still too young to understand that. For the meantime, enjoy the moments you have. You cannot stay as a kid forever. When you grow up you will realize what I really mean. Ok?" Squall then crumpled the paper and threw it on the trash can.

"Okay." He hugged his father once again and went back to his room.

Rinoa sighed deeply when problem had been solved. Her husband pulled her lightly in his arms kissing her hair and looked at her gloomily telling her that it had began: The more the twins grew, the more the problems they're going to face as parents not only on themselves and they knew they could handle it. Afterward, the couple headed for their own rooms and Squall stripped down to his boxers to follow Rinoa to the bed and his wife wrapped her arms tightly around him and she kissed his still muscular chest.

"Make love with me tonight Squall?" Rinoa asked lovingly.

"Wish I could but the stress got both of us. I'm sorry Rin, but not now." Squall was so tired to speak so he responded and laughed mentally."You know, what you said earlier about not being crushed on that early age. It's hard to believe. Were you serious? I knew how beautiful you were back then as a young girl. I could picture that."

Rinoa smiled on that compliment and answered. "I was serious Squall. How about you? You were able to give Saber a parental advice without any previous love relationship experience before we met. I'm so proud of you."

Squall smiled wistfully. "I had witnessed and heard many love relationship while training at the Garden and all of them... were very awful."

His wife laughed on that and they were both sleepy. Squall whispered. "Good night. Rinoa."

Rinoa whispered back. "Good night Squall." They finally relaxed.

Author's Notes:

Those hate notes, do you know where they taken from? Guess, Guess….that's why I categorized it as parody. Before I forget, the chapter's order of this story was based on who was born on first. This story is a 'filler gaps.'