Silver and Platinum

By Selphie Leonhart



Disclaimer: All characters used in this story are the property of Squaresoft and are used without their permission. Please do not put this story on any other website without my permission.

Rinoa sang softly to herself as she locked the door to her room at the Galbadia Hotel. It was paid for by her father, and she was going to enjoy every penny of it. Happily, she kicked off her expensive suede boots and threw herself on the soft bed, sighing in pleasure. She hated Deling City, it reminded her of her father, but she had to come here sometimes, now she was involved with SeeD, and in particular, with Squall.

Squall, she thought with a smile. He was so gorgeous. And best of all, he was a SeeD. He could protect her. Infact, he was her paid body guard right now, she thought, grinning. Her contract with Garden still hadn't expired, and now the Sorceress was such a threat, they had no time for the liberation of Timber. She sat up on the bed, her long hair falling in a silken cascade over her shoulders. She stood up and walked bare foot over to the bathroom, enjoying the feel of the thick cream coloured carpet.

She leant over the ornate shell shaped bath tub, turning on the gold faucets, smiling as she saw the steaming water rush out. She reached up to her neck, pushing back the dark strands of hair as she undid the latch of her necklace. She took it off and put it on the shelf by the sink, gazing at the dull metal platinum ring, and the much smaller, lighter silver one, which in contrast shone brightly. A metaphor for her and Squall, she thought, touching the cold metal bands. He was strength,hidden value, she was lighter, less intense. They made a good combination.

Just then she heard a knock on the door. She sighed, mildly annoyed, but went to answer the door. Anyway, she thought to herself, if it was Squall she could ask him to share the bath with her...

Smiling at the thought, she opened the door. It was Irvine. "Hey beautiful," he said by way of greeting. "Hi." she said. He scratched his neck awkwardly.

"So, um, you seen Squall recently?" he asked her, leaning against the door frame in a casual pose, which she supposed, he thought was sexy.

"No, why?" she asked, a little impatiently. She could hear the water running in the other room.

"He's downstairs. Getting a little drunk, I reckon.." said Irvine with a grin. "Zell's already way gone, looks like Squalls going the same way!" She rolled her eyes.

"No way. You know what he's like," she deepened her voice in an impression of Squall.

"We're SeeDs, not kids, we must act accordingly. No fun until after eliminating the sorceress, liberating Timber, and writing full reports." Irvine laughed at her. She did sound incredibly like him. "Sorry to disturb you Rinoa, but come down when you feel like it. It's getting quite amusing. Squall's already had to restrain Zell twice. Might give you an opportunity to throw yourself on top of him..." She slapped him lightly on the arm in mock anger.

"It's a good thing you're eight and a half inches taller than me, or I'd scratch your eyes out for that remark." she joked. He turned away from her with a little wave as she shut the door.

"Oh..." she groaned as she ran to the bathroom. The shell-shaped bath was almost overflowing. She quickly turned the taps off and tied her hair back to stop it from getting wet. She finished undressing and stepped into the bath, smiling. It wasn't often she had had the chance to relax on her journey with the SeeDs. They usually washed in streams or lakes, or when they were lucky enough to get to a town, she usually only had time for a quick shower.

This time was different. The reason they were in Deling City was because she had been called there by her father. Usually she would ignore any order from him, but this time he had almost pleaded with her, a very rare thing for the hardened military officer to do.

She frowned as she thought of her father. Often when she was travelling, they would sleep outdoors. She remembered the first time, about a week after leaving Timber, they had had to camp in the Kashkabald Desert. They were too far from any town, and it was getting dark. She remembered being utterly exhausted, and almost begging Squall to stop. They had eventually, she lying against a flat rock, her aching muscles almost making her cry, whilst Selphie and Quistis helped build a fire and put up the tents. She was amazed at how much stamina they had, Selphie and Quistis were softly laughing and joking while they worked, not seeming tired in the least. Squall was talking to Zell, and she remembered watching his face in the flickering light, it made his eyes shine. The two men had gone to find some food, as they had run out of their rations the day before. Irvine was lying next to her, on the pretext of protecting the women.

When she lay in her tent that night, lying between Quistis and Selphie for warmth, she felt angry, thinking of her father with his huge mansion, while she slept in the freezing cold. She didn't know how her SeeD friends did it, walking fast all day, fighting countless battles, then sleeping in the freezing cold. She saw Selphie shivering with the cold, the thin blanket they were sharing hardly seemed to make a difference...

Shaking herself out of her memories, Rinoa shivered herself as she realised the water had gone cold. How long have I been lying here? She wondered, lifting herself out of the lukewarm water. She wrapped the huge white towel around her tightly and walked through to the luxury bedroom she had been given. It happened to be the Presidential Suite, and must have cost her father more than 50,000 gil. Her friends had all been given luxury rooms also, all with connecting doors. Her father enjoyed showing off how much money he had,she thought bitterly. She had never told Squall, but the amount she had paid Garden was only 3000 gil. It was a stupid amount, only a formality to balance out the forms. But Squall didn't know he was being hired for only an sixth of his own salary.

She sighed, and switched on the widescreen TV, which showed a news program discussing the apparent disappearence of Sorceress Edea. It showed TV footage of the battle she Irvine and Squall had fought against Seifer and the Sorceress, which brought back bad memories. Deciding to join her friends at the bar, she put on a cream coloured satin dress, similar to the one she had worn at the SeeD party, except this one was strapless, and a little shorter. Brushing her hair, she put a little make-up on and went downstairs, locking her room behind her.

Down in the bar, Irvine was smirking at Zell as he poured out his heart to Squall, who obviously wasn't listening. Zell was drinking beer out of a bottle, and from the amount of empty ones on the table, he had drunk a lot of them. Irvine was laughing quietly as Zell rambled on to Squall about all his worries and which girls he liked at Garden. Among these he listed Quistis, whom he said he had had a crush on for years. Squall was looking the other way, looking half asleep as he ignored Zell.

Selphie was sitting at a nearby table with Quistis, and they were laughing loudly at something. Selphie, who was exuberant without alcohol, was completely uninhibited with it. Her sweet laugh filled the air as she and Quistis joked over their friend's behavior. They were both drinking spirits now, having started off the night with white wine, had now moved onto vodka and mixers. Irvine smiled as he saw Selphie throw back her head to take another shot of vodka, laughing when he saw the disgusted look on her face afterwards.

Looking up, he saw Rinoa decending the stairs. He wolf whistled loudly at her, smiling when he saw the blush rising to her cheeks. She looked stunning. This ought to wake Squall up...he thought with a smirk, nudging his companion.

"Hey, there's Rinoa," he said, nodding in her direction. Squall looked up as the smiling girl walked over to them. His mouth opened slightly as he took her in. She really looked great tonight, he thought, watching the way she moved in the satin dress and high heeled cream shoes. Really nice....

Irvine's laugh stirred him out of his fantasising. He realised his mouth was still open, and shut it to stop himself saying something rude to Irvine. Rinoa waved at them, then sat down at the table with Quistis and Selphie. They were really having a good time, thought Squall, watching the green eyed brunette and the blond taking two more shots, and encouraging Rinoa to do the same. She shook her head, instead calling the waitress over to order wine for herself. Selphie jumped in ordering three vodka's and cokes, and Rinoa didn't stop her, instead smiling at Selphie's flushed face.

"So Quisty, which one is it?" Selphie asked Quistis, who was smiling happily.

"I'm not going to tell you!" Quistis replied, her speech slurred. Selphie moaned in dissapointment.

"What's that?" asked Rinoa. Selphie turned to her with a smile.

"Well, Quistis had a one night stand with on of the other instructors from Garden last Christmas. She won't tell me which." Rinoa gasped and turned to Quistis.

"You didn't! Which one!" she asked, shocked. Quistis smiled.

"I'm not telling. It would be...unproffessional." she said with a smug smile. Rinoa took a gulp of her wine, and turned back to Selphie.

"Do you know who it is?" she asked excitedly. Selphie grinned.

"I've got an idea..." she said, whispering to Rinoa who she thought it was. Rinoa opened her eyes wide.

"Uh, no, I've seen him, he's old...and so cruel..." she said. Selphie shrugged.

"Well, you know Quistis. She likes the tall, cold, scarred type."

"Shut up Selphie..." growled Quistis. Rinoa just smiled.

"So do I," she said, gazing to the other table.

"So, then I asked her why she had gone to my house and spoken to my mother, and she just looked at me and said, 'Zell, you know how....." Squall managed to shut out Zell's voice as he retold the same story for the third time. Squall himself was beginning to feel a little lightheaded. He was gazing at Rinoa, watching the way she moved her head, her neck, letting his eyes drift over her body, which was partially obscured by Selphie. He smiled at her as she looked over, and she seemed surprised. She tilted her head, asking him with her eyes if he wanted to come over. He smiled and shook his head, giving a little nod in the direction of Zell, who was telling them just how much he missed his mother.

Rinoa shrugged, and turned back to her friends. Quistis had just slapped Selphie playfully for revealing the correct identity of her one night stand, and Selphie was laughing hysterically over the image of Quistis with the thirty-something instructor. Rinoa joined in, because she had seen this instructor, and knew he thought he was God's gift to women.

An hour later, and Rinoa was hitting the vodka hard. She had given up on wine after Selphie had spilt some right down the front of her dress, not getting the dress wet, but making Rinoa sit up sharply at the sensation of the icy cold liquid on her chest. Selphie and Quistis of course, laughed hysterically at this, thinking the look of shock on Rinoa's face was the funniest thing since Zell had announced to the bar that he 'missed his mummy.'

Rinoa glanced over to Squall occasionally, noticing with a smile that he was now laughing easily with Irvine and Zell. He's definatly loosened up, she thought with a smile. Perhaps he'll make a move tonight, she hoped dreamily. He was wearing black jeans and a loose black t-shirt with a v-neck, which she thought made him look really sexy. He was wearing his platinum necklace, as usual, which shimmered in the low light of the bar.

Quistis shook her out of her daydreams. "D'you want another drink?" she asked, her blue eyes sparkling. Rinoa nodded, feeling lightheaded. Quistis stood up shakily, and walked over to the bar.By now the waitress was avoiding their table, hoping to discourage them from ordering anything else.

Selphie was sitting slouched in the comfortable chair, her eyes shut. " feel...ick... Ri....oa...uhhh." she slurred, blinking her big eyes a couple of times, before resting her head an Rinoa's shoulder. Rinoa sighed, and rubbed Selphie's arm sympathetically. Rinoa looked up as there was a shout of laughter from the boy's table, Squall's deep laugh drifting over to her. She smiled, she had only every heard him laugh bitterly, at a comment Seifer had made before, and then it had been a harsh sound, one she could hardly call a laugh, more like a growl. Moving over, she gently removed Selphie from her shoulder, smiling as the girl asked for another drink. "Quistis will bring you one," she assured her.

Doing her sexiest walk (although it turned out to be more like a drunken stagger) she sashayed over to Squall and sat close beside him, crossing one leg over the other, ensuring that enough leg was visible to make him sit up straight. She smiled at him, and he smiled back, ignoring the rude noises Irvine and Zell were emitting, and the crude comments the taller one was making about the connecting doors in the hotel. Rinoa smiled at Irvine, kicking him hard under the table, making him wince. Rinoa knew how to treat men hwo annoyed her.

"So, Squall," she whispered, her mouth close to his ear. "Having fun?" she asked. He smiled at her, turning his face so their lips were almost touching.

"I am now." he whispered back. She put her hand on his waist, pulling him closer to her as she kissed him lightly on the lips, evoking a chorus of whoops and yells from Zell, Irvine, and now Selphie, who was sitting on Irvine's lap, wearing his hat. She drew back, grinning, leaving Squall with a slightly bemused look on his face. He moved a few centimetres away from her, taking a big gulp of his drink. She knew he wasn't as drunk as she was. The men had been drinking beer, it was only she Quistis and Selphie who had been drinking vodka, and lots of it.

What the hell, she thought. It was all on her father's tab, so they should enjoy it.

She closed the gap between her and Squall by sliding closer to him. She was so close she could smell the aftershave he was wearing, but by the look of his still-smooth cheeks, she guessed shaving wasn't a thing he had to do often. He turned his head to her, the smile all but gone and put his hand on her arm, pulling her closer. She smiled wickedly at him, and shut her eyes as he kissed her, this time with more feeling. She became suspicious when she realised she couldn't hear any shouts from the others, and broke away from the kiss, slightly breathless, and looked towards Selphie and Irvine. She giggled when she saw that they were in a tight embrace, kissing passionately, Irvine's hand riding up Selphie's thigh. Zell was staring at the interlocked couple with a look of shock on his face. She herself was shocked, not at Selphie and Irvine, but at Squall and herself. This was so absolutely out of character for both of them. But right now, she didn't care.

Rinoa grinned, turning back to Squall, who was looking intently into her face. He moved towards her again, and she put a finger on his lips, pushing him back.

"Let's go," she whispered, standing up from the table, and taking Squall's hand. She began to walk, but he stopped and spun her round to him, holding her tight, one arm slipped round her waist, the other holding her wrist. "Rinoa," he whispered, looking into her half shut eyes. "What are you doing?" he asked softly, not wishing for her to do something she might regret.

"I'm taking you up to my room." she replied, giggling. He smiled at her wistfully. He was beginning to feel sober again, as his sense of responsibility kicked in.

"Rinoa, I'm meant to be looking after you, not...." he trailed off as she put her hand on the back of her neck, pulling him towards her. She kissed him deeply, at the same time pulling him closer to her. She felt like this was a dream, she knew she was drunk, but she didn't really care. He pulled away from her, letting her go.

"You're drunk," he reminded her gently. She turned and walked away from him, not entirely in a straight line. As she passed the table where she had been sitting earlier, she leant over to pick up her purse, which matched her dress, and was annoyed to find it was covered in a liquid. Probably vodka and coke, the thought, her head swimming. She took a deep breath, trying to regain her balance. She failed miserably and collapsed in the chair.

Concerned, and feeling guilty, Squall sat beside her, his arm placed protectively around her shoulders. He was beginning to regret drinking so much, more than he ever had before. He of all people should be the responsible one. He still felt lightheaded and detached, and wasn't sure whether he would bother to fend off Rinoa's advances if she chose to try again. Putting his arm under her shoulders, he helped her to her feet, and helped her walk as she leaned heavily against him.

He heard a muffled scream from the table where Irvine, Selphie, Zell, and Quistis were sitting, and turned his head to see Selphie lying on the floor, laughing hysterically, while Irvine knelt beside her, pretending to help her up, while all the time trying to put his hands where he shouldn't.

Squall smirked despite himself. He didn't think Selphie would mind his groping in the state she was in now. She would probably encourage it. He had been surprised that Irvine was the only one who hadn't been drinking, but he saw why now. He turned his attention back to the wilting Rinoa, who had her head against his chest as they slowly walked up the stairs, and had her arm tightly around his waist. He suspected she wasn't as helpless as she was acting.

When they reached the top of the stairs, she let go of him, and faced him.

"Aren't they sweet?" Rinoa said sleepily, pointing to the four friends below. Quistis was half-lying in Zell's arms, he was holding her tightly against his chest as they talked quietly. Squall smiled. He knew those two would never be lovers, but they were close, and he was glad he didn't have to suffer Zell's incessant talk anymore. Selphie was sitting close to Irvine, whispering something in his ear as she put her arm across his chest, and rested it on his shoulder, gazing into his green eyes. He laughed at what she said, and nodded a goodbye to the couple on the stairs.

"Come on, let's go," he said to Rinoa, helping her across the landing. She stood up straight as she walked past the reception desk, anxious not to appear drunk infront of the two receptionists, as they knew who she was, and who her father was. She groaned inwardly as she realised that by tommorow the Galbadia Sun's gossip column would be full of the tale of her being escorted to her room by a young man. Even though she had been in Timber for the past two years, people around here held her father in high regard, and any scandal involving her would be a reflection on him.

"The hell with it..." she thought, giggling as she wondered whether thoughts could be slurred. Squall sighed as she attempted to walk without his help, smiling a little. The alcohol had certainly loosened him up, he hadn't smiled so much since...well, he had never smiled so much. But his sense of responsibility never left him, and his thoughts were now on the drunken Selphie and the sober Irvine, who he knew wouldn't have any second thoughts about taking advantage of the petite girl. He made a mental note to check on her once he got Rinoa back to her room. If she let him go. He had no idea she was so....that she liked him so much.

They stood outside the door of the Presidential Suite. It was a gilded mahoghany door, which was almost as impressive as the interior of the room. Squall put his hand on Rinoa's arm and looked into her upturned face. "Are you going to be ok?" he asked. She nodded sleepily and put the key into the lock of her door. When she finally managed to find the keyhole, she opened the door and turned to Squall with a smile. "Bye," he said, turning away. She smiled wickedly, and grabbed his t-shirt, pulling him into the room after her and slamming the door behind him, ignoring his startled yelp as she nearly choked him.

Downstairs, Zell was feeling depressed. First Squall and Rinoa had disappeared upstairs, and now Selphie and Irvine were acting like they were auditioning for an over 18 film. He did have a beautiful woman in his arms, but his interest in her was purely friendship. Quistis sighed, and shifted a little, her head resting on his chest. He had his arms folded across her stomach, pulling her against him. He admitted, they did look like a couple. Quistis looked up at him. "Shall we leave now?" These two are starting to offend me," she said, nodding in the direction of their friends, who were happily demonstating that Selphie had completely lost all sense of modesty and was now showing more than a few inches of her thigh to the rest of the people in the Galbadia Hotel bar. Not that there were that many there, it was after midnight, and there were only twelve or thirteen soldiers left, who were all too busy arguing to pay attention the the seventeen year olds. The bar staff, however, were taking an interest in the young couple, and were beginning to look concerned as to how lewd this was going to get. The Galbadia Hotel was a very expensive place, with a good reputation.

Zell released Quistis from his arms and the couple stood up. The fatigue had caught up with Quistis, and the effects of the alcohol were beginning to sink in. She felt tired and heavy, as if she was made of lead. Arms around each other's waists, they walked slowly to their rooms. Quistis felt happy. Until now, she had never had any reassurance that she was 'one of them' that she was accepted as a friend, not as their supervisor, their chaperone. She enjoyed being with them, she had never had many friends her own age, none once she became an instructor. She had got over her attraction to Squall, she certainly loved him, but it was more of a protective love, a sisterly one. Not like Rinoa...

She frowned as she thought of Rinoa. She had drunk more than Quistis (but definately no more than Selphie) and was revealing a side of herself Quistis had never seen. She was more confident, she had thrown herself at Squall (although he hadn't objected) and Quistis was worried she might do something she would regret in the morning. Then she felt guilty, knowing Squall, however drunk, would never let things get that far in the state she was in.

Rinoa shoved the startled Squall onto the huge four-poster bed. His aqua eyes were wide with shock at her strength, and he didn't know how to react to the pushy girl. Before him, she kicked off her high heels and pulled the satin dress off over her head. For a few seconds, he lay there staring at Rinoa's semi-naked body, but then managed to tear his eyes away from the sight of more naked female flesh than he had ever seen and almost ran to the door.

She quickly caught up with him, pinning him against the door. He felt out of breath, as if he had been running, and he didn't know exactly why he was running away. She was so beautiful, and she was standing there infront of him, in only a very revealing camisole and panties. He wanted to stay (god did he want to stay,) but he knew that she wasn't thinking clearly. He opened his mouth, trying to form a sentence, but found he couldn't.

"Give up?" she asked quietly, her voice deeper than usual. He blinked slowly, and nodded almost imperceptibly. She smiled wickedly, and removed the satin camisole....

"Umm, excuse me..." said the young waitress, looking incredibly nervous in front of the young couple. Selphie ignored her, instead kissing Irvine even more passionately. He in contrast, tried his best to get away, knowing there was trouble. He pushed Selphie away, and looked up at the waitress, who was shifting from foot to foot, anxiously.

"Umm, could you please....somewhere else...?" she asked, staring at the ground.

"Sorry," Irvine said, pulling the helpless Selphie to her feet. She looked like a sulky child, she had been enjoying the attention from him. She put her arm over his chest protectively, as if she thought the waitress might steal him from her. It was a ridiculous thought, Irvine was at least a foot taller than her. They left, Selphie leaning heavily on Irvine, unable to walk unaided. They reached Selphie's room, and Irvine put his hand in her pocket, trying to find her key. She didn't move, and glancing at her face, he saw she looked a little off colour. Not surprised, he leant away from her, knowing the colour of too much vodka when he saw it. Putting the small golden key into the door, he turned it and helped her into her room. He was surprised when he saw how elegant her room was, unlike his and Zell's, whose he had been into earlier. He guessed Rinoa's father didn't approve of her being friends with men (and considering last year she had a thing for Seifer, he wasn't surprised.

"Selphie, are you going to be sick?" he asked gently. She mumbled something he didn't hear. Not wanting to get too close to her face, he went to the bathroom, and soaked a cloth in water (noticing again how her room had a bath and his hadn't) he went back to her, and pressed the dripping cloth against her cheeks. She turned and smiled weakly at him.

"Thanks..." she said huskily, clearing her throat. Irvine sighed, remembering the passion of the last half hour. It didn't look as if he was going to get any further with Selphie tonight.

Still, he thought with a grin. He got further than he thought he would. Who'd have guessed that after a few drinks Selphie would be so up for it? He made a mental note to try and get her drunk more often. He turned to Selphie, and saw that she was fast asleep on the bed. He got up and left her, switching off the light as he shut the door.

Part Two ~ The Morning After !