Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy Eight.
Been planning this for a while, and I finally got it all typed out. I know it's OOC. I planned it that way this time. It's a little more in our universe too, so I hope you enjoy.
Chapter One
Rinoa Heartily, in her prime at the age of twenty-one, just old enough to drink and just young and innocent to get away with that cute, I-didn't-know-better attitude. Settling down was far from her style, as was the following: Cleaning, boredom, giving attention, begging. Especially begging. Her father gave her everything, and in return, she was the spoiled princess she thought she always deserved to be. In fact, at this moment, she was talking on her brand-new cell phone, preparing for an airplane headed to one of the biggest gambling spots in the world for her birthday. Could she celebrate her birthday any better, then being able to legally drink? Nothing she could think of.
"I don't know, Quisty, but I have to hurry. I'll call you back." Rinoa clicked off her phone and shoved it into her small jeans that she had to diet for weeks to fit in. So far, she accounted everything in her suitcase. Tiny bikini, slinky dresses, low-cut shirts, short skirts, and tight jeans. Everything she would need for a vacation where the men were drunk and incoherent to anything she was saying. Perhaps this would be her lucky vacation. Although she was quite attractive, keeping a boyfriend was hard because they had to be sober at some time or another, enough to notice that she was a little. . .on the spoiled side. Even if they did want to keep her, they could hardly afford her, so before she was dumped, her and their credit cards went for a little goodbye trip.
The pink suitcase was zipped, the designer sunglasses slipped on, and the phone in her pocket for any emergency calls while she was gone, like say, more money? She ran down the stairs, where her father was waiting for her by the door.
"Goodbye daddy, I'll be home soon."
"Two weeks latest, after all, you are old enough. I love you." He kissed her on the cheek and she was already out the door as fast as she could be. The convertible top was down, and she had already hopped in, ready to start her adventure. Twenty-one and she was feeling good. First, she had to make a few calls, of course. Pulling out the obnoxious, very small pink phone, she hit a number on speed dial.
"Hey Selph."
"Hey Rinny, you coming?"
"In the car right now, be ready, because I'm not waiting."
"Alrighty, see you soon!" The phone clicked and Rinoa put her phone in her brand new purse that she had taken the liberty of buying for herself. So what if she was a little spoiled? She had fun, and that was all that mattered at her age, right? It was the few years where she wouldn't be thirty, and over with a third of her life or so, so why waste those beautiful years? Instead, she was putting her young years to good use, and she'd deal with the consequences later. Another Rinoa attribute- Never think ahead, it'll just make your mind hurt.
Driving as fast as she could, knowing that if any cop was on their way, she could sweet talk her way out of a speeding ticket as easy as a kid could get their hands on vodka - which was pretty easy, Rinoa learned. No, she wasn't an alcoholic, but all of her past boyfriends were, and it was her job to get it while they sat at home. She never really liked the taste of beer, but champagne was much better. Champagne on a champagne budget, exactly how she rolled. She had grown up in a rich society, socializing with people, and she had acquired the taste for everything she was supposed to acquire a taste for.
It wasn't her fault that she had been raised to enjoy and of course, get all of the things in the finer life. Somebody just blessed her with the birth to the right people, and in return, she grew up to be just like them, whether people could consider that good or bad. Her lifestyle was easy to accustom to, and that was exactly what she had been doing since she was born. Her father had taught her one of the only morals Rinoa ever lived up to – If you were born with it, embrace it – and Rinoa embraced it all. Her bank, her curves, her looks, she was one of the girls who had it all but the value of a dollar and someone's worth. Being brought up in a higher society left her tending to look down on people, but that was expected, right?
It wasn't soon after that Rinoa had pulled up to Selphie's house, who as promised was ready with her own imported suitcase. She ran up and threw it into the back of the car, and hopped in the seat of the car. Like Rinoa, she had been brought up rich, yet she took less of an attitude about it. Selphie was just as bad when it came to spending, but she did have a sense of right and wrong about her that had somewhat rubbed off on Rinoa. If it hadn't been for her, Rinoa would be spoiled and heartless. Next was Quistis' house, but instead of the radio, they had mindless gossip and chatter to catch up on.
Rinoa really wasn't all that mindless, she did go to school, she did have an education, and she did have her own theories that if were ever expressed to the richer people, would make her a social outcast. She could put herself in much better light around people, but she had to keep her aptitude for gaining knowledge and her deep thoughts to herself. Unlike those stupid morals in grade school, everyone really did care about what others think, or else they wouldn't express their ideas in the first place. Her charisma and charm had gotten her out of many situations, and she wouldn't cease to quietly hone those skills towards perfection. Quistis' house came into view, and the car slowed down to meet with it's awaiting customer. Quistis generously packed her way to many bags in the back of the tiny car, and managed to squeeze her way through.
"Hey girls, are you ready?"
"Of course I am, look at my Rinny, already grown up!"
"Knock it off Selph, you're only three months older. It does seem like you're a little younger if you ask me, however."
"Oh Rinny, it was a joke." Selphie turned on the radio in evasion to the conversation, where a poppy song came on that all girls in the world knew the words to. It just like "I don't wanna miss a thing," Aerosmith, forgotten about, but lyrics always remembered. The other two women sang along while Rinoa concentrated on the road, with the annoying squeals of Selphie and Quistis in the background. It was going to be a long trip there, but completely worth it in the end. Shopping sprees, live shows, guys there not for relationships, but that quick romance they could brag to their buddies about, without even getting a phone number. Just her kind of place, and the best part of all, was that she had the money to spend on it.
Why in the world did they have to place an airport so far away from such a populated area? It took at least half an hour to make it to the airport from Quistis' house, and that was just an estimate, seeming even longer when you had Quistis and Selphie screaming – or singing – in your ears. What a bliss it was to see the airport approaching view after an hour, thank the traffic for the time contribution. How kind of it to donate another half an hour to listen to the radio with two hyped-up women. Due to strategic planning, however, they were just in time to get in the airport. Hauling the suitcases were a pretty tiring job, and afterwards they were completely fatigued when they dumped them on.
To top off the stressful time before the plane, there was a long line just waiting to get onto the plane with their tickets. How convenient for all of the people to get their in the airport at the same, exact time. The birthday weekend was already taking a turn for the down.
-
Squall Leonheart was already running late that night, and the fact that his pals, Irvine and Zell were coming along wasn't making things any better. They insisted on fooling around and being as annoying as possible, while Squall was trying to keep his car on the road.
"C'mon, Squall, loosen up!" Zell said, punching Squall and making him almost veer right off the road.
"Yeah, Squall, it's not every weekend we get to go to a place like this." Squall rolled his eyes, and lined up his car again. He was a perfectionist, and even a missed detail like that was getting on his nerves. For all he could remember, he was brought upright, he was making it through medical school, these kind of weekends were not tolerable for him. Squall didn't want to gamble and go to the strip bars, he just wanted to study and keep his 4.0 at that level. It ran in his family to be successful, and to even get a 3.9 grade point average would spell out failure.
"You call this fun? Gambling away money that had been respectfully earned, and then look at nude, degraded women all day?"
". . .Can you call that boring?" Irvine countered. Squall couldn't believe that men like Irvine and Zell could even hang around such low-lives. Who would even desire that? That was just like Squall, - Imperfections are born from conflict in raising – and neither Irvine nor Zell were all that rich in the moral field. They just sponged off their parents, they didn't even have their own jobs or bank accounts. How irresponsible, Squall sometimes wondered why he hung around them.
"Come on Squall, hit the pedal. We're going so slow!"
"We're going the speed limit . . . or a little below it." Graciously, Squall tapped on the pedal, and they were a little faster.
"Oh you devil, Squall. We might even catch up to that turtle." Squall gave up. He couldn't handle his friends at a stressful time like this.
"If you think you can do so much better, you try!" Squall stopped the car, and took his seat in the passenger seat while Zell took his newly-given spot in the driver's seat. Immediately, Squall felt the car lurch forward to a terribly quick speed.
"Zell. . ." Zell just kept his speeding pace, and once Squall saw the needle go over the max speed limit, he couldn't handle it "Zell, slow down the car!"
"Relax, Squall. Now we might make it on time."
"Zell, I'm warning you. . ."
"Just a few more minutes." Squall's knuckles whitened as he clutched onto the side of the door as hard as he could. With Zell in the seat, who knew what accidents or ungodly speeds could occur. The airport came into view, and Squall knew it was going to be one hell of a trip ahead of him. What had compelled him to agree to this vacation in the first place? Spring break? Time wasted that could be used on studying to maintain his flawless grades rather then whatever entertaining the fools in his car. If one thing could be certain about Squall Leonheart, he was raised well.
He didn't swear, because he had deemed that inappropriate. He stereotyped, he was sometimes blunt while being honest, he was a skeptic, he was the kind of person who wouldn't help a child when they fell down because they ''learned a lesson not to run.'' It all sounded like he was cruel, but who could really help how their parents raised you? In his world, when you were born, you were just a wet ball of clay, everything that touches you will start to form whom you are going to be. Although he was mature, he still had that one factor every other human did. It was never his fault, or perhaps he emphasized that a little more then other people. Blame was always easier being set upon the person closest to you, and that moment, he blamed Zell and Irvine for making him late while he was driving to the airport.
Too much traffic for one day, he sped up and took all the suitcases, tossing one to Irvine and Zell who caught it and flew after him. They needed to run, and although they looked foolish, if it kept them on time it would be fine. He didn't have time to keep his image up, and of course that was another thing that he so happily burdened Zell and Irvine with. It was their fault that he looked like an idiot, going to a place where idiots gathered, on a plane full of idiots. His knowledge would be completely wasted this weekend.
The line for his plane was long, and running didn't leave him much time, and he ended up bumping into the woman in front of him. For that, he blamed on her obnoxiously pink suitcase, her too tight of clothes, and her loud voice. He could already tell, that this weekend would be outrageous, and at the same time, completely horrible.
-
Rinoa thought she was standing around innocently, sipping her favorite coffee (double vanilla cappucino with whip cream), when she was bumped into from some stiff looking guy behind her. When she turned around, she did notice he was attractive, but not to mention a little too serious and "appropriate" for her. His brown hair was a little long, his blue eyes a little serious, and his attitude a little irritated. Of course, while thinking that, he had another push and her coffee conveniently spilled all over her top. She let out a yelp as it burned her, and the man looked as if he wanted to help, but to where the coffee landed, that would be a little hard.
"I apologize, I was in a hurry."
"No kidding." She said, trying to keep her calm while Quistis handed her a few napkins to clean herself up.
"With these lines this long, it's hard to stop in time." Rinoa gave a little giggle, but was still a little mad at her ruined top. If it weren't the fact that it was a simple travel top, she would have been extremely upset.
"Tell me about it. They haven't even let us on the plane yet. Some birthday this is." The man let out a sigh, but didn't discuss anything further. Soon, the line finally started to move and let all of it's passengers on board. Things had already started out like this, what else would happen, no one could ever suspect.
