Of Heart

¤ Chapter One : Reminder of Heart ¤

Every now and then, the clouds over Deling would unleash short but sudden downpours of both hail and rain. The weather was not ideal for shopping, but nevertheless, Squall Leonhart was toting several bags in his hands, being led around the street by Rinoa. Squall thought he had a reasonable amount of stamina, but he was thoroughly worn out. His raven-haired girlfriend, however, was quite the opposite. It was almost as if her body thrived on sales and clearances.

Caught in the middle of another downpour, they rushed inside the nearest building, which was a less-than-fancy cafe. They were waiting, staring out the large window for the weather to clear up, when Rinoa suggested they get something to eat there. Squall's stomach grumbled and left no room for protest. A waiter sat them down in a booth, and Squall slid in next to Rinoa. The waiter handed them worn menus.

Rinoa skimmed over it and politely asked the waiter for water. Squall requested a bottle of soda and started browsing the menu. The girl next to him sneezed, prompting a 'bless you' from Squall.

"You're catching something," Squall pointed out.

She giggled. "Yeah, I guess. This bad weather...I'll have the number four lunch plate."

"We should go home," Squall suggested, then he turned to the waiter. "Number six. Look, you're already soaking, Rinoa. Any wetter and you won't be guessing."

She shook her head resolutely. "No. I still haven't found that pair of shoes I saw in the magazine. I'm determined, absolutely determined to find them and buy them."

"Then we'll come back another time-"

"But I've been putting it off for days," Rinoa coaxed. She put on her one of her best pouts, but it broke into a warm smile. "Come on Squall. I know you hate the shopping scene, but once we find my shoes, then we're gone, and I'll never bring you on another shopping trip again. Deal?"

Looking skeptically at her, Squall replied shrewdly, "If we haven't found your shoes by three and it's still raining, we're going home."

Rinoa laughed, "Ok then!" She leaned into him and kissed him on the nose. "You're a very good business man, you know."

Squall grinned lightly at her. Then she gave him that award winning smile, the one that forces her eyes into a beautiful shape that could only be described as a 'smile' for eyes. Just then, he felt the skin in his abs begin to tingle in a most pleasant manner. Someone laid a hand on his shoulder. He turned and looked at none other than the elegant Quistis Trepe.

"Quistis!" Rinoa exclaimed. She nudged Squall, signaling for him to get up so she could get out. Once she was off the booth, Rinoa embraced the blonde woman in an enthusiastic hug. Quistis looked a bit overwhelmed, but she returned the hug all the same. "Where have you been- sit down. Are you hungry? We were just having lunch."

Quistis laughed and shook her head. "No thanks. I just had something to eat over there." She waved her hand in some obscure direction, but she did sit down across from the couple. She smiled at Squall, who offered her a nod. Rinoa saw the exchange and rolled her eyes.

"Don't mind him. He's cranky because we've been shopping all day."

"So I noticed," Quistis replied, raising her eyebrows at the pile of bags next to her. "There's a big sale at Wimbly's. Lots of shoes."

Rinoa giggled, nudging Squall. Squall was looking out the window, not bothering to make eye contact with Quistis. It had been more than a while since he had seen her. After the Sorceress Conflict, she had transferred to Galbadia Garden, where she had been offered a teaching position. Naturally, she jumped for it. Since then, though, Squall had not seen or heard from her at all. Zell or Selphie would mention they had talked to her the other day, or she had visited one of them on such-and-such day. Squall wondered why Quistis had not bothered to keep contact with him, and it was very suddenly irking him.

"So how's Galbadia Garden?" Rinoa asked.

Quistis shrugged. "It's nice... They're considering creating a mercenary force like SeeD, and they want me to head it up. It' s not approved yet, though. Even so, I'm not sure I'll accept the offer."

"Why not?" Rinoa asked. "Everyone knows you're the best instructor anywhere."

"Tell that to Balamb Garden," Quistis laughed. "Anyway, Galbadia Garden is nice, but it's much larger than Balamb. I like the hustle and bustle- it keeps me busy- but I kind of miss the beaches at Balamb. They were very peaceful..." Her voice trailed off, a nostalgic look in her eye. "I've been getting a bit homesick."

Rinoa nodded. "I know what you mean. I'd like to go back to Timber, but Mr. Exciting over here thinks Deling's 'just fine.' He doesn't understand..."

Smiling, Quistis said, "You could take a vacation there for a while. I hear it's nice this time of year. Deling City is my kind of city, though. It's very..."

"Busy?" Rinoa finished.

Quistis laughed, "I guess that's the word."

The younger woman smiled. "Anyway- how can I get ahold of you? I need your number or something."

"Here..." Quistis fumbled around in her purse and withdrew a pen and a tattered looking piece of paper. She straightened it out and scribbled a few things on it. Quistis slid it across the table to Rinoa as she placed her pen in her purse with her other hand.

Rinoa nodded at the piece of paper, a receipt for something. "Ok. I'll call you up sometime. You'll make a better shopping partner than Squall," she snorted, elbowing Squall lightly in the ribs. He arched an eyebrow at Rinoa, then looked at Quistis. A hand was placed lightly over her lips, her shoulders were shaking with laughter ever so slightly. He hated this, being talked about like he wasn't there. Squall turned his attention to the sign across the street. Rinoa frowned a little at him, then leaned over and kissed him lightly on the cheek. She whispered something in his ear, then smiled warmly at Squall.

He threw her a faint smile and shrugged, but continued to stare out the window. Rinoa shrugged and shook her head. "So what are you doing in Deling, Quistis?"

The blonde woman shook her head, with an almost bored look on her face. "Nothing, really...Headmaster Legrange practically forced this vacation on me. Exams are in a few weeks, and I didn't want to leave, but he suggested I take my vacation time. Two weeks in Deling. I think I'll go back a little early, though."

"You're such a work-a-holic," Rinoa said with a smile. "A nice long vacation in a slow place like Timber is the thing you really need."

"You think?" Quistis quizzed thoughtfully, tilting her head to the side and obviously considering the suggestion. "That sounds...nice, to say the least."

Squall turned to look at his ex-instructor, but instead noticed the glow in Rinoa's eyes as her face lit up. That glow she got when one of her 'magnificent' ideas popped into her head. He closed his eyes and muttered an oath beneath his breath, utterly dreading what would come next out of Rinoa's mouth.

"Why don't we all go to Timber together?" Rinoa exclaimed. "It would be great! I could show you around Timber! Come on, whaddaya say?"

Quistis began to shake her head. "I'm not sure-"

"Just think about it!" Rinoa said. "Look, I'll call you tomorrow and you can give me your answer then. I won't take no just yet, not until you've at least given it some thought. It could be fantastic, Quis'! Me, you and Squall in Timber- just imagine!"

Squall failed to see what was so fantastic about being stuck in Timber with two women. The very thought put him in a dark mood. He shifted his weight uncomfortably, but did not say anything in front of Quistis. He did steal a glance at the blonde woman sitting across from him. She seemed to be considering Rinoa's request with acute interest. For a second, Squall thought she might actually accept the offer right then and there.

"Mmm...okay, I'll think about it. Well, the rain's stopped. I better be going," Quistis said with a half smile. "It was nice talking to you, Rinoa. See you around, Squall." She had said the last sentence in a strange way, as though directed not to Squall but to no one in particular.

Quistis walked out of the cafe feeling bored. She had been wandering around aimlessly, and just happened to take cover in the shabby restaurant when the onslaught of rain began. She certainly had not expected seeing Rinoa and Squall there, together. Quistis laughed to herself as she clutched a bag closer to her. She never would have thought Squall would put up with Rinoa for so long. Sure, she was sweet and pretty- Quistis liked her- but she just didn't seem Squall's type. She thought for sure he'd drop her after the whole Sorceress Conflict thing was over. Quistis shrugged, deciding that Rinoa was more than she gave her credit for.

The offer Rinoa made Quistis about Timber was still lingering in the forefront of Quistis' mind. The more she thought about it, the more appealing it became. She had heard the scenery near Timber was beautiful around this time, and she remembered from her previous visits that it was a laid-back community. It would be a relief to have someone like Rinoa to show her the place, too.

Briefly, Quistis wondered how Squall would affect her vacation, if Rinoa managed to drag him along in the first place. He hadn't changed much, she saw. His chilly attitude toward her had not gone unnoticed. Quistis took a few guesses at what about her sudden appearance made him so frigid all of a sudden. She shrugged it off, deciding it was just Squall being Squall.

~ ¤ ~

The rest of the day, Squall had been moody like nothing. Rinoa led him back to her mansion in the heart of Deling City at around one thirty, having not found her pair of shoes. She left him sitting in the living room, declaring somewhat angrily that she was in no mood for his icy glares and retorts.

Squall sighed to himself, wondering for a moment if he should apologize. He was purposely snapping at everything Rinoa said purely because of the offer she made Quistis at the cafe. He wasn't sure why, but the idea of spending a week in Timber with Quistis was unnerving. He was still bugged by the fact that she had not bothered contacting him since the end of the Sorceress Conflict. A nagging voice in the back of his head dared say But you didn't bother either, now did you?

Squall glared at the coffee table, and continued doing so, until Rinoa came out of her room, looking happy. She placed a kiss on Squall's forehead and said, "Bye! I'm going shopping with Quistis. See ya later!" Seconds later, he heard a door slam and knew he was alone in the house. He kicked his feet up onto the coffee table and leaned back, inhaling deeply. Squall was suddenly aware of how much that blasted shopping trip had worn him out, and dozed off...

~ ¤ ~

Squall woke with a start. The phone was ringing. He leaned over the arm of the chair and pulled the cordless phone off the receiver.

"Hello?" Quistis asked from the other end. "Squall?"

"Er...yeah," Squall replied, unable to explain his sudden breathlessness.

"Can I speak with Rinoa?" she asked politely. Squall thought it was odd she was being so formal with him. Hadn't they been through enough that she could at least be comfortable with him? He shrugged.

"Yeah, let me go find her." He got up, and glancing at a clock, he realized he had slept for a good three hours. Out of curiosity, he asked, "Did Rin' find her shoes?"

"After a quite a bit of searching, she managed to find a pair her size."

Squall smiled at the thought of Rinoa, submerged in a pile of similar but different sized shoes and looking for one that would fit her. Already, he felt his mood rising. Once he found Rinoa, he would apologize for being so snappy at her before, and then make it up to her somehow...

...only problem was, Rinoa was no where to be found. He looked in and out of several doors, but she was behind none. In the back of his head, Squall noticed that Quistis was humming. He could practically see her tapping an impatient foot.

"I can't find her," Squall said bluntly. He could visualize his old instructor frowning.

"Oh. I see. Well, when she gets back in, could you tell her to call me?"

Squall nodded, forgetting she couldn't see him anyway. "Anythin' I can help you with?" He said it before he thought about it, and it left him feeling vaguely like a receptionist.

"No, it's just I let her borrow my sweater, and she forgot to return it to me. I was hoping to get it back," Quistis replied. "Just tell her to call me."

"Hang on," Squall said. He fairly jogged back to the living room, remembering seeing something there. When he opened the door and stepped in, he saw a white sweater draped over the arm of the sofa. "Is it white?"

"Yes."

"I've got it over here. She must've stopped by before she took off."

"Would you mind if I picked it up? The weather's kind of cold, and it's the only one I've got..."

Squall looked around the house, and shook his head. "Why don't I come to you?"

"Oh...okay...Do you know where I am?"

"Only one hotel in Deling..."

"Ha ha. Room number #138. Thanks Squall, I appreciate it," she said. Then the other line went dead. Squall replaced the phone and picked the sweater up off the sofa. He left the room, but stopped at the mirror outside. A few strands of hair were sticking up awkwardly, so he took the time to smooth them down. Squall continued walking, but stopped at yet another mirror and noticed that one of his belts looked a little loose. He unbuckled it and tightened it a loop.

Midway through fastening the belt, he stopped and put it back to its previous setting. He had stopped at every mirror seen since he had started leaving and found something wrong with his appearance in each one. Squall shook his head. There were tons upon tons of mirrors in Rinoa's house. At this rate, he'd never leave the house.

But why are you suddenly so anxious to leave, hmm? a devilish voice dared ask. Squall scowled at his reflection and continued, not stopping once.

¤ End of Chapter One ¤

Well....whaddaya think? I put a lot of effort into this one, I hope you can tell. Anyway, I'm still not sure what the ending couple will be! Which would you rather see, a Squall x Quistis or a Seifer x Quistis?