//Squall! Squall, please help me!//
Rinoa. She was calling him. But where was she?
"Rinoa?" Squall called. No response. "Rinoa!" he yelled more urgently.
//Squall!!!!//
* * *
Squall woke up, a sheen of cold sweat running down his face. A chill ran through his body as he sat up, the sheets falling from him, revealing his bared chest. He ran a hand through his disheveled hair, exhaling a bit of stress from his mind. Ever since he and Rinoa had broken up, he'd been haunted by these incessant dreams. Every time, Rinoa would be in trouble, but he wasn't there to save her this time. Is that what will happen since they broke up?
Of course not! He immediately reminded himself. Just because they aren't together anymore doesn't mean that Rinoa is in mortal danger...does it?
Knock knock knock
Squall looked up as the door creaked open and dark eyes met his.
"Squall, are you alright?" Rinoa asked thoughtfully, making her way to the side of the bed.
"I'm fine..." he muttered quietly.
"Oh..."
There's a prime example of why they broke up in the first place. Rinoa hated it when Squall wouldn't express his feelings to her. She believed that if they were ever to have a successful relationship, then they would have to trust one another. Apparently that meant that secrets were not allowed in such a relationship. Squall thought otherwise and that was the start of the bumpy road to their break up. It wasn't tear-filled or anger-causing. Both were mature enough to realize that they really weren't meant for each as they both originally thought. So the break-up was more mutual than anything, neither dumping the other, and they decided that they would remain friends afterwards.
"What is it?" Squall asked, casting his stormy eyes in Rinoa's direction.
"Headmaster Cid has an assignment for you."
Squall looked to the analog clock next to his bed. 5:00 AM.
"He couldn't wait 'til the sun rose?" he asked sarcastically.
"We have to leave today at 6."
"We? You're not a SeeD. Why are you coming?"
"I'm coming because your assignment is to escort me to Dollet."
"Escort you? Why are you going to Dollet and why do you need an escort?"
"Because of my powers, Dollet wants my help as a sorceress and I need you as an escort because there are still people out there who are against the sorceress."
"And I alone am supposed to protect from potential assassins?"
"You underestimate yourself..." Rinoa chided. "Besides, you aren't my only escort."
"Who else is coming? Quisty?"
"No."
"Zell?" Rinoa shook her head.
"Not Irvine I hope."
"Rest assured."
"Selphie?"
"Nope."
"Then who?"
Rinoa hesitated before answering, "Seifer."
//Seifer//? Squall asked himself. //Oh, he's a SeeD now. I forgot, he came back and passed the exam...// Ever since Seifer came back, he's been more...laid back. He was still as cocky as ever just more reserved about it. More mature, perhaps. Then again, had it not been for Squall's influence upon the headmaster, Seifer would probably be alone somewhere, rejected from every job possible due to his infamous time served as the Sorceress' Knight. That could explain his slight humbleness. Key word; slight.
"Squall?"
Squall realized that he'd been staring blankly for a moment, thinking. Yet another thing Rinoa disliked about her former boyfriend.
"Hmm?" he responded as fast as his mind would allow him.
"Are you ok with that?"
Squall sighed. "Why wouldn't I be? It's not like I hate Seifer or anything..."
"Oh good!" Rinoa said happily as she clapped her hands together. "Seifer and I will meet you at the lobby at 6. See you then." She said cheerfully as she left.
//How the fuck can she be so happy this early in the morning?// Not all the pet peeves belonged to Rinoa. Squall had a few of his own and that included all the crap-happy shit Rinoa tried to force him to do while they were together. Going out to dinner, going to parties, being in public in general really pissed him off. He preferred his solitude and Rinoa just couldn't understand that. And what the young woman couldn't understand, she was determined to change. Luckily for Squall's sake, she failed in changing this particular gunblade specialist. He figured that if he can't be himself around the one he loves, then it just wasn't meant to be. He didn't want to put on a mask of optimism in order to be with Rinoa. It just wasn't his style.
Squall sighed. The couple known as Squall and Rinoa is over. He heaved another heavy sigh to relieve some of the sleep daze he still had before crawling out of bed to take a shower.
* * *
"I can see you still haven't lost the infinite number of belts yet..." Seifer scoffed as Squall walked up to the directory where his rival and ex-girlfriend stood.
"I can see you have lost the trenchcoat..." Squall mocked, tugging on the material. Seifer pulled away.
"Lay off, Leonhart." Seifer scowled quietly. "This coat's one of a kind."
"Enough, you two..." Rinoa interrupted. "We should get going."
The three walked out of Garden and proceeded to board Ragnarok. Rinoa stood back as Squall manned the pilot's seat, Seifer behind him to help navigate. Squall ran a gloved hand through his chocolate hair, tossing it back and slightly hitting Seifer on the chin. Seifer's head jerked back.
"Cut your hair." He said simply.
"No." Squall replied in a similar manner.
Seifer shook his head. Arguing about Squall's hair would be worthless. Besides, the point was moot; the man wouldn't cut his hair if Hyne herself demanded it. Then again, sorceresses have never been very successful with Squall Leonhart. They either wound up dead, powerless, or broken hearted. Perhaps that's why so many referred to him as Leonhart- less.
"Yo, Rin, why the hell do we have to leave so early if 'Rok'll get us there in, what, an hour? Does Dollet really need us there so fucking early?" Seifer grumbled, covering a yawn after finishing his complaint.
"Seifer, didn't you read the mission outline?" Rinoa asked.
Seifer gave his signature smirk. "Do I ever?"
Squall scoffed as he pulled Ragnarok into the air. Seifer heard him, but decided not to confront the SeeD. He'd have plenty of time for that later.
Rinoa merely rolled her dark eyes. "Dollet is in the middle of an internal revolution."
"You're kidding?" Seifer interrupted. "Dollet is having more problems? Fuck, they need to get over it already..."
"How diplomatic of you..." Squall ridiculed.
"Diplomatic? Who gives a shit? Diplomacy just leads to more fucking chaos. If you ask me, I'd just shove Hyperion up whoever happened to start the argument's ass. That's my idea of diplomacy!" Seifer retorted, lifting Hyperion up for all to see.
"Put that away, Seifer." Rinoa reprimanded. "Anyways, because of this, a 5 kilometer radius of no-entry zones surrounds the city. We have to land Ragnarok outside this perimeter and enter by foot. Otherwise, they'll shoot Ragnarok to the ground."
"'Rok's loaded with weapons, why not blast through?" Seifer asked.
"We're here for diplomatic reasons. The government of Dollet wants my help as an official standing against the rebels..."
"Did I hear what I thought I heard? Rinoa Heartilly, a once devout member of the Forest Owls, a rebel faction in Timber, is now acting as a government official against something that she once strongly supported?" Squall asked.
"Things have changed, -Squally-."
Seifer snickered at the call of Squall's former pet name. Rinoa knew quite well that Squall despised the nickname for all its worth and so, she now used it on a constant basis.or at least whenever Squall made an effort to insult her...which happened to be on a constant basis.
"Don't call me that..." Squall growled, gripping the controls of Ragnarok until his knuckles whitened.
"Aw, poor Squally's mad..." Seifer teased.
"Back off, Almasy..." Ragnarok's pilot hissed through clenched teeth.
"Anyways," Rinoa continued, "You two are to escort me to Dollet."
"And what exactly are we protecting you from?" Seifer asked.
"There are still people out there who despise the sorceress no matter who that may be." Squall stated, shifting 'Rok to autopilot and leaning back in his seat. "There could be assassins waiting for Rinoa, thinking that if they kill her, then that'll be the end of sorceresses and the end of their troubles."
"You seem rather calm about this." Seifer pointed out. "Why?"
Squall didn't answer. There was nothing he could say. He truly didn't know why he felt so calm talking about people capable of killing Rinoa. Perhaps he thought that his prowess would be enough to defend Rinoa from anything. But he's never believed that before, so why believe it now?
Rinoa seemed unnerved from the silence brought about by the question. Something needed to be said. "It's not important, Seifer. Besides, you know how Squall is on missions, 100% focused on the task at hand." she said almost bitterly. Squall sensed the resentment in Rinoa's tone and knew exactly what she was hinting at.
Seifer, not realizing the tension between the ex-couple, smirked and said, "Good ol' Leonhart, always giving it his all."
Squall scoffed. "You're mockery doesn't amuse me."
"Nor does your state of constant insensitivity, Leonhart-less..."
"I won't dignify that with a response..."
"Enough you two. I'm starting to wonder why Cid assigned you two as my escorts." Rinoa interrupted, irritation edging her voice.
"I have to agree." Seifer stated, backing away from the controls and leaving the cockpit. Rinoa watched him leave then turned towards Squall.
"Why can't you two behave?" she asked rather bluntly.
"Why does the sun rise?" Squall replied in an icy monotone. Rinoa let the subject drop after that comment. One thing Squall was very good at was intimidating others. Regardless of his effeminate looks, his attitude could be colder than Shiva herself, an iciness that demanded respect. Rinoa sighed. Who cares if the trip to Dollet was only on hour? In her mind, this was going to be a long trip.
* * *
Rinoa. She was calling him. But where was she?
"Rinoa?" Squall called. No response. "Rinoa!" he yelled more urgently.
//Squall!!!!//
* * *
Squall woke up, a sheen of cold sweat running down his face. A chill ran through his body as he sat up, the sheets falling from him, revealing his bared chest. He ran a hand through his disheveled hair, exhaling a bit of stress from his mind. Ever since he and Rinoa had broken up, he'd been haunted by these incessant dreams. Every time, Rinoa would be in trouble, but he wasn't there to save her this time. Is that what will happen since they broke up?
Of course not! He immediately reminded himself. Just because they aren't together anymore doesn't mean that Rinoa is in mortal danger...does it?
Knock knock knock
Squall looked up as the door creaked open and dark eyes met his.
"Squall, are you alright?" Rinoa asked thoughtfully, making her way to the side of the bed.
"I'm fine..." he muttered quietly.
"Oh..."
There's a prime example of why they broke up in the first place. Rinoa hated it when Squall wouldn't express his feelings to her. She believed that if they were ever to have a successful relationship, then they would have to trust one another. Apparently that meant that secrets were not allowed in such a relationship. Squall thought otherwise and that was the start of the bumpy road to their break up. It wasn't tear-filled or anger-causing. Both were mature enough to realize that they really weren't meant for each as they both originally thought. So the break-up was more mutual than anything, neither dumping the other, and they decided that they would remain friends afterwards.
"What is it?" Squall asked, casting his stormy eyes in Rinoa's direction.
"Headmaster Cid has an assignment for you."
Squall looked to the analog clock next to his bed. 5:00 AM.
"He couldn't wait 'til the sun rose?" he asked sarcastically.
"We have to leave today at 6."
"We? You're not a SeeD. Why are you coming?"
"I'm coming because your assignment is to escort me to Dollet."
"Escort you? Why are you going to Dollet and why do you need an escort?"
"Because of my powers, Dollet wants my help as a sorceress and I need you as an escort because there are still people out there who are against the sorceress."
"And I alone am supposed to protect from potential assassins?"
"You underestimate yourself..." Rinoa chided. "Besides, you aren't my only escort."
"Who else is coming? Quisty?"
"No."
"Zell?" Rinoa shook her head.
"Not Irvine I hope."
"Rest assured."
"Selphie?"
"Nope."
"Then who?"
Rinoa hesitated before answering, "Seifer."
//Seifer//? Squall asked himself. //Oh, he's a SeeD now. I forgot, he came back and passed the exam...// Ever since Seifer came back, he's been more...laid back. He was still as cocky as ever just more reserved about it. More mature, perhaps. Then again, had it not been for Squall's influence upon the headmaster, Seifer would probably be alone somewhere, rejected from every job possible due to his infamous time served as the Sorceress' Knight. That could explain his slight humbleness. Key word; slight.
"Squall?"
Squall realized that he'd been staring blankly for a moment, thinking. Yet another thing Rinoa disliked about her former boyfriend.
"Hmm?" he responded as fast as his mind would allow him.
"Are you ok with that?"
Squall sighed. "Why wouldn't I be? It's not like I hate Seifer or anything..."
"Oh good!" Rinoa said happily as she clapped her hands together. "Seifer and I will meet you at the lobby at 6. See you then." She said cheerfully as she left.
//How the fuck can she be so happy this early in the morning?// Not all the pet peeves belonged to Rinoa. Squall had a few of his own and that included all the crap-happy shit Rinoa tried to force him to do while they were together. Going out to dinner, going to parties, being in public in general really pissed him off. He preferred his solitude and Rinoa just couldn't understand that. And what the young woman couldn't understand, she was determined to change. Luckily for Squall's sake, she failed in changing this particular gunblade specialist. He figured that if he can't be himself around the one he loves, then it just wasn't meant to be. He didn't want to put on a mask of optimism in order to be with Rinoa. It just wasn't his style.
Squall sighed. The couple known as Squall and Rinoa is over. He heaved another heavy sigh to relieve some of the sleep daze he still had before crawling out of bed to take a shower.
* * *
"I can see you still haven't lost the infinite number of belts yet..." Seifer scoffed as Squall walked up to the directory where his rival and ex-girlfriend stood.
"I can see you have lost the trenchcoat..." Squall mocked, tugging on the material. Seifer pulled away.
"Lay off, Leonhart." Seifer scowled quietly. "This coat's one of a kind."
"Enough, you two..." Rinoa interrupted. "We should get going."
The three walked out of Garden and proceeded to board Ragnarok. Rinoa stood back as Squall manned the pilot's seat, Seifer behind him to help navigate. Squall ran a gloved hand through his chocolate hair, tossing it back and slightly hitting Seifer on the chin. Seifer's head jerked back.
"Cut your hair." He said simply.
"No." Squall replied in a similar manner.
Seifer shook his head. Arguing about Squall's hair would be worthless. Besides, the point was moot; the man wouldn't cut his hair if Hyne herself demanded it. Then again, sorceresses have never been very successful with Squall Leonhart. They either wound up dead, powerless, or broken hearted. Perhaps that's why so many referred to him as Leonhart- less.
"Yo, Rin, why the hell do we have to leave so early if 'Rok'll get us there in, what, an hour? Does Dollet really need us there so fucking early?" Seifer grumbled, covering a yawn after finishing his complaint.
"Seifer, didn't you read the mission outline?" Rinoa asked.
Seifer gave his signature smirk. "Do I ever?"
Squall scoffed as he pulled Ragnarok into the air. Seifer heard him, but decided not to confront the SeeD. He'd have plenty of time for that later.
Rinoa merely rolled her dark eyes. "Dollet is in the middle of an internal revolution."
"You're kidding?" Seifer interrupted. "Dollet is having more problems? Fuck, they need to get over it already..."
"How diplomatic of you..." Squall ridiculed.
"Diplomatic? Who gives a shit? Diplomacy just leads to more fucking chaos. If you ask me, I'd just shove Hyperion up whoever happened to start the argument's ass. That's my idea of diplomacy!" Seifer retorted, lifting Hyperion up for all to see.
"Put that away, Seifer." Rinoa reprimanded. "Anyways, because of this, a 5 kilometer radius of no-entry zones surrounds the city. We have to land Ragnarok outside this perimeter and enter by foot. Otherwise, they'll shoot Ragnarok to the ground."
"'Rok's loaded with weapons, why not blast through?" Seifer asked.
"We're here for diplomatic reasons. The government of Dollet wants my help as an official standing against the rebels..."
"Did I hear what I thought I heard? Rinoa Heartilly, a once devout member of the Forest Owls, a rebel faction in Timber, is now acting as a government official against something that she once strongly supported?" Squall asked.
"Things have changed, -Squally-."
Seifer snickered at the call of Squall's former pet name. Rinoa knew quite well that Squall despised the nickname for all its worth and so, she now used it on a constant basis.or at least whenever Squall made an effort to insult her...which happened to be on a constant basis.
"Don't call me that..." Squall growled, gripping the controls of Ragnarok until his knuckles whitened.
"Aw, poor Squally's mad..." Seifer teased.
"Back off, Almasy..." Ragnarok's pilot hissed through clenched teeth.
"Anyways," Rinoa continued, "You two are to escort me to Dollet."
"And what exactly are we protecting you from?" Seifer asked.
"There are still people out there who despise the sorceress no matter who that may be." Squall stated, shifting 'Rok to autopilot and leaning back in his seat. "There could be assassins waiting for Rinoa, thinking that if they kill her, then that'll be the end of sorceresses and the end of their troubles."
"You seem rather calm about this." Seifer pointed out. "Why?"
Squall didn't answer. There was nothing he could say. He truly didn't know why he felt so calm talking about people capable of killing Rinoa. Perhaps he thought that his prowess would be enough to defend Rinoa from anything. But he's never believed that before, so why believe it now?
Rinoa seemed unnerved from the silence brought about by the question. Something needed to be said. "It's not important, Seifer. Besides, you know how Squall is on missions, 100% focused on the task at hand." she said almost bitterly. Squall sensed the resentment in Rinoa's tone and knew exactly what she was hinting at.
Seifer, not realizing the tension between the ex-couple, smirked and said, "Good ol' Leonhart, always giving it his all."
Squall scoffed. "You're mockery doesn't amuse me."
"Nor does your state of constant insensitivity, Leonhart-less..."
"I won't dignify that with a response..."
"Enough you two. I'm starting to wonder why Cid assigned you two as my escorts." Rinoa interrupted, irritation edging her voice.
"I have to agree." Seifer stated, backing away from the controls and leaving the cockpit. Rinoa watched him leave then turned towards Squall.
"Why can't you two behave?" she asked rather bluntly.
"Why does the sun rise?" Squall replied in an icy monotone. Rinoa let the subject drop after that comment. One thing Squall was very good at was intimidating others. Regardless of his effeminate looks, his attitude could be colder than Shiva herself, an iciness that demanded respect. Rinoa sighed. Who cares if the trip to Dollet was only on hour? In her mind, this was going to be a long trip.
* * *
