Foreword: This story is nothing like what I have written before. The concept, the writing style, the characterisation is not something that is comparable to my previous works. Why have I chosen to write outside of my normal paradigm? Experiment and experience. Though I had no intention to start writing 'mature' fiction, the challenge of writing a story that I personally wouldn't read was tempting. Thus I have taken somewhat of a leap with my writing, interpreting the game differently to the norm, and it just so happened that this particular idea coincided with a writing style that is more adult.
Please note that this chapter will mostly likely not make sense. There is a saying, 'I'd rather be confused for ten minutes, than bored for fifteen.' Rest assured, the more you read, the more you will understand, and consequently realise why the characters seem different to their in-game selves.
I'd also like to take this time and thank n9neSTAR, Missyluv, Ashbear and Jebus Creiss for reading over the original draft, as well as their encouragement and support. Also, extra thanks and appreciation to Missyluv for taking on the job of beta-reading this story.
Disclaimer: I do not own the characters used in this story. Sadly, SquareEnix got to them before I did. I do however, look like Rinoa, so HA!
- Petal Among Lies -
Rinoa and Squall – If deception was your only chance at happiness, how far would you go?
A truth that forever haunts one, a petal among lies that destroys the other.
Sonnet VIII - (a poem to Petal Among Lies)
Scattered and broken they fall as one,
Pieces over time and man has begun
To question his actions, his mind and soul,
Hoping to make sense of this bottomless hole.
But his heart is diseased by which it carries
Jagged shards embedded in its arteries.
Hidden among a mountain full of lies,
The truth, if told, would only blind thy eyes.
Fill the hole with lies to become bolder.
Man's heart hardens as it grows colder.
A petal among lies prevents man to falter
In shedding the blood which stains the alter.
When the earth quakes and the lies are gone,
Truth radiates and righteous men stand strong.
- Chapter One -
A Petal of Engagements
Rinoa Heartilly let out an annoyed huff and kissed her teeth in frustration. Striving to get her hair perfect, she tried to get as close to the mirror as she could, but the large dresser underneath made her efforts in vain. For the hundredth time she yanked the flowery topaz, white-gold clips from her hair. That she couldn't get them to be symmetrical on either side of her head was unsettling. Of course she realized she was being absurd. Nothing could ever be one hundred percent, but still the sorceress persevered. Tonight everything had to be perfect.
Finally getting the clip secured on the left side of her head, Rinoa slowly backed away from the mirror; moving her head from side to side and scrutinizing her appearance. It was . . . satisfactory. Slumping her shoulders, she decided it had to do. Casting one last look at her reflection and matting down invisible stray wisps of hair, she moved back to her dresser and picked up her eyeliner.
Excitement and anxiety coursed through her veins. Tonight was her twentieth birthday party, a night she would celebrate with her friends . . . hopefully all of them. Twenty was not usually made a big deal of, unlike eighteen or twenty-one, which established the coming of age and maturity. But a meal with her closest friends and colleagues was reasonable enough.
Today was not special to her only, but to many citizens throughout Esthar and Galbadia as both countries had finally joined the World Peace Alliance. While Deling City had shown a relatively cool demeanour, Esthar had gone all out and invited over masses of political figures, socialites and celebrities to an expensive banquet. Citizens held street parties and gathered outside the Presidential Palace singing the national anthem to show their support. Rinoa only hoped that March 3rd was a step forward into a gradually healing world.
Of course SeeD never went unnoticed, and the Fated Children that had saved the world from near apocalypse had been invited to the banquet as well. Each of her friends had had an ivory, red wax sealed envelope delivered to their dorms requesting their presence. Rinoa knew it was more of a publicity stunt than anything. In order to get the rest of the world to forget Esthar's seventeen year absence and accept them back with opened arms, SeeD, and other well known figures, had to take the first leap. Though she had been both a part of the Fated Children's success, as well as an Estharian citizen for over two years, all she had received in the mail were bills and birthday cards.
She was honestly happy about the current events and had spent her entire lunch watching the live news feed across Esthar, hoping to spot a couple of her friends. Bursting into laughter, she'd spat particles of her sandwich as she watched Selphie vigorously shake hands with the President of Esthar. Then the camera panned to the three Garden Commanders, all standing in a row, posing for the cameras and blinking excessively from the unrelenting photography. It was the Commander on the right that had caught her sight, making her heart skip beats and her stomach churn with nervousness.
Just thinking back to how handsome he had looked, left her breathless with the thought of just seeing him again.
A knock on her door startled her from her daydream.
"How do I look?" she asked with a hopeful grin plastered across her made up face.
"Wow! You look absolutely gorgeous," Zone stated.
"Thank you. I think so too!" Rinoa giggled, turning back to the half-length mirror and wiping away the imaginary creases on her red, satin spaghetti-strap dress.
Keeping the grin on her face, she again turned to Zone, looking at him in admiration as he struggled with his red tie. She found it adorable that he had gone to the effort of matching her dress.
"Hey you think you can get this for me?" he asked, flipping the flimsy material over his shoulder brusquely and letting out an aggravated grunt.
"Sure," Rinoa replied. She walked over to him, loosened his tie and rearranged the material before successfully knotting it up in four brisk movements. "There," she said, tightening the noose.
Zone looked down at the tie, now looking much better than his jumbled mess that had previously resembled a poorly attempted gift bow. "Thanks," he said, looking into her eyes with a warm smile.
They held each other's gaze for a moment before Rinoa looked away in embarrassment. She stepped back and breathed out a nervous laugh, casting her eyes to her black stilettos with over exaggerated interest.
"Yeah so . . . we should leave pretty soon," Zone suggested, running a hand through his hair.
"Okay, I'll be out in a second," Rinoa replied.
Putting their awkward moment aside and resuming her process of preparation, she heard the doorbell sound downstairs.
"I'll get it," Zone offered.
Gathering all her things together, she followed shortly, walking into the lounge to find the back of a breathless Laguna Loire.
"Laguna?" Rinoa asked as the older man turned to look at her, his exhausted face softening in affection.
"Rinoa, I'm sorry to barge in on you like this," he apologised.
"It's okay. I thought we're meeting at the restaurant?" she asked.
"Ah yeah, sorry sweetie, but I'm going to be a bit late. The banquet has ended, but Balamb and G-Garden are announcing something on live TV and I'm needed there," Laguna replied.
"Oh," Rinoa responded in surprised interest. "Did they say what it was?"
"No, they're not letting anyone know anything until the nine o'clock news. I doubt I'm of any importance, but for publicity reasons my presence is vital," Laguna replied with a consoling smile.
Rinoa nodded, returning his smile with an air of disappointment. "It's fine as long as you make it to the party. It won't be any fun without you. Besides, I have a hunch Selphie's only coming to spend some unsupervised leisure time with you. We wouldn't want to disappoint her now, would we?"
"Haha, no we wouldn't. That girl can be quite the precocious one." The President rubbed his hand, causing Rinoa to giggle at his expense. "But seriously, I'll do my best to get there as quickly as possible."
Laguna took Rinoa into a tight embrace and patted her back. The younger woman leaned into the President, shutting her eyes, enjoying the brief, calm serenity she felt around Laguna, appreciative for his steadfastness when it came to being a father figure.
"Okay, I better get back to the Palace before Kiros sends out a search party. Er, are you still staying at the Palace?" Laguna asked gingerly, aware he was coming off as intrusive.
"Yeah, if that's still okay?" Rinoa replied, not wanting to put the President out, nor hurt Zone's feelings as well.
"Course it is!"
Rinoa caught a glimpse of Zone behind Laguna. Seeing him turn his head away in displeasure, she felt a stab of guilt deep in her chest. As one of her oldest friends, sticking by her through thick and thin, giving up the freedom of his life to accommodate her own, it pained her to know that he didn't always agree with her decisions. Although he went along with them anyway, it hurt even more in recognising that while he remained understanding and unopposed to her actions, he'd be lying awake thinking of her welfare while she'd be at the Palace.
Truly she was tired of hurting his feelings, knowing no other friend would have put up with so much. He cared for her - loved her even - and would go through fire for her, all the while knowing her heart wasn't synced to his.
Rinoa followed Laguna to the front door, as he opened it he gave her a goofy wave, before running over to his white limousine. As she stood on the threshold, Zone came up behind her; his breath tickling the top of her hair.
"You think he'll turn up?" he asked.
Rinoa could almost feel his eyes boring into her back. She didn't want to go round robin with him; God only knew how many times they had this conversation. Each time he'd unsettle her with his doubts, or cause her to worry, yet the end result proved always in her favour.
So naturally, with all the hope and faith she could muster, she turned to face him. "Of course he will. He never breaks his promise."
They arrived at the restaurant at 8:30 PM, walking into a room full of bright familiar faces who all wished Rinoa Happy Birthday. The first half hour was spent hugging the current guests, accepting gifts and making polite conversation. Everyone admired her dress and much to Rinoa's pleasure, not only basked in the beauty of her hair, but also complimented its symmetry.
As the night dragged on and the appetizers and amuse-bouche were consumed, the party-goers finally sat around the large rectangular tables spread throughout the restaurant and began to eat. Rinoa anxiously kept watch upon the entrance until she at last caught the hurried, flushed faces of her friends. Springing up from her seat, she made her way and flung her arms around Selphie's neck.
"Happy Birthday Rinny!" Selphie cried gleefully into her ear.
Wincing from the sudden ringing in her ears, Rinoa moved across the line of friends and hugged the rest of them. "Thank you. And thanks so much for making it here on time, guys. We're just about to eat."
"We wouldn't miss this for the world," Quistis replied with a smile. "Not every day you turn twenty."
"Yep, and not every day you get to eat Estharian birthday cake," Zell piped in, causing the sorceress to giggle.
"Here Rinoa, these are from all of us," Irvine held out a bag of gifts. "So the big two-zero, huh. How do you feel?"
"Not much different from when I turned nineteen. I think it'll settle in once I start writing down 'twenty' on registration forms," Rinoa giggled. Looking behind Irvine, she peered outside, before turning back to her friends expectantly.
"He's back at the hotel. Balamb Garden and G-Garden have some important news," Quistis knowingly answered Rinoa's unspoken question. "Laguna's on his way, though."
Trying not to outwardly express her disappointment, nor a fleeting hope, Rinoa smiled at her friends and nodded. "Why don't you join us, there's some people I want you to meet."
Leading them into the dining area, Rinoa introduced them to several friends and work colleagues and then eventually settled down between Selphie and Zone to eat her meal.
The conversation at the table was pretty much what she had expected. The people of Esthar were fascinated by the 'outsiders', especially as they were none other than the three SeeDs (plus one) who were roaming around the Esthar streets three years prior. Unsurprisingly, they were asked to relate their tales of the Lunatic Pandora and Adel, a subject which was still sensitive for Rinoa's guests, as many of them had been the victims of child abuse some twenty-odd years ago. And unsurprisingly, Zell took a moment to recollect all of his memories of being the gang leader.
"Yeah so there I was, adrenaline pumping through my body, as I ran straight up to that weird light bulb looking machine and showed him who's boss!" Zell enthusiastically related, illustrating his eagerness through his rapid arm movements as the audience listened in awe.
"Until we had our asses handed to us and were thrown out of Lunatic Pandora," Irvine finished off.
"Dude," Zell hissed.
Rinoa only let out a brief, amused laugh, before turning to privately engage Selphie. The two friends conversed formally at first; the SeeD asking how her lab observations were going and how she was generally coping.
"I just wish I hadn't acted so stubbornly. Maybe if I had forgiven him I could have had a chance to make amends."
"Don't beat yourself up over this Rinny. You know he never held anything against you, even during our mission against Ultimecia, he requested we all take good care of you. He really loved you; I don't think he would have held something like that against you." Selphie placed a comforting hand on Rinoa's shoulder and squeezed it.
"Thanks Selphie, that's sweet of you to say. But still, I just wish I'd relented a small fraction and told him how much he meant to me, even when we didn't get along." Rinoa grimaced at her words, feeling the tugging at her heart. Shaking her head and dismissing her thoughts in defeat, she let out a deep breath. "Let's talk about something else."
"Sure, what do you wanna talk about?"
"How's Squall?" Rinoa asked carefully, braving the situation and observing her friend's demeanour to catch any subtle changes that would indicate something contrary to her answer.
"He's all right. He misses you," Selphie's smile caught Rinoa off guard before the brunette continued. "I know he's just as excited to see you as we are."
"I miss him too," Rinoa honestly answered, unable to hide her smirk.
"You talking about Squall?" Zell loudly interrupted, causing a few heads to turn, one of which belonged to Zone who only rolled his eyes at the mention of said Commander. "Feel sorry for the dude. We're all enjoying the party while he gets left behind with the old farts."
"Speaking of which," Quistis spoke up across from Zell, "Is there a TV here? I want to find out what the big announcement is." The Instructor looked around the room before spotting a wide screen TV to one end. She approached a waiter and gestured towards it.
"So you guys don't know what this big news is?" Rinoa asked sceptically.
"No, they didn't tell us anything. Some people are speculating that the two Gardens are joining as one, which I don't believe since it's just silly and insensible. I mean, Balamb Garden and G-Garden are on opposite sides of the world. Why would they get rid of one only to merge it with another?" Selphie questioned. "Others are saying that they're probably going to work together to build another Garden, maybe somewhere near the Winhill district; there's a lot of disused land there."
"You think so? Aren't three Gardens enough?"
"Hm. Maybe. But over the years, each Garden has seen an influx of prospective cadets that building another Garden could reduce the possibility of overcrowding."
"Hmm." Rinoa decided against verbalising her opinions on yet another mercenary establishment that trained people into robotic, unemotional shells without any thought or judgement of their own.
"I'm hoping the big announcement is G-Garden and Balamb working together to fund an extension for Trabia Garden. That way Trabian cadets can start taking their SeeD tests in Trabia and won't need to transfer." Selphie grinned.
"Maybe. You won't lose anything by being hopeful," Rinoa offered.
The SeeD dismissed her comment, looking over Rinoa's head towards Zone who was fully engrossed in a conversation with Watts and his wife. Taking the opportunity, she whispered loudly enough for Rinoa's ears alone, "So, how's it going with you and Zone?"
"Really well," Rinoa automatically replied with a firm nod. Instantly Selphie cocked an eyebrow. "What? It is! He's a really nice guy."
"I know he's a nice guy Rinny, but you don't leave fantastic guys like Squall for nice guys like Zone," Selphie remarked candidly, turning to face Rinoa and inspect her with frowned eyes.
"Not again, Selph." Rinoa rolled her eyes, hoping to avoid the conversation altogether.
"Hey, I'm happy for you both if you're happy . . . I just still find it a bit hard to believe you'd want him over Squall," Selphie continued on, creasing her nose at Zone's direction.
"Zone's lovely and he has a major plus point Squall doesn't - he's here," Rinoa retorted.
Glancing in Zone's direction to make sure he was still engrossed in his conversation, Rinoa clarified a bit further. "After everything that happened between me and Squall, Zone was there for me and I realised he always has been. I may not have always felt this way for him . . . but being here in Esthar these past two and a half years has strengthened our bond."
"Fair enough. But now you're living together?" Rinoa had difficulty replying to that, but thankfully Selphie continued on to particularise the meaning behind her question. "I thought you and Squall cooled it off because of the living situation. You said you needed space."
"I know . . ." Rinoa replied. "But after Watts got married, Zone needed a place to stay, and given the time, I needed someone by my side. Again, he was there for me." The last part of her words were an answer to Selphie but directed to Zone's back as Rinoa looked at him appreciatively.
"So, it had nothing to do with replacing Squall?"
"No," Rinoa answered honestly. "There are some things Squall couldn't give me . . . some things he wasn't allowed to. I had to break it off if I wanted to be happy in the long run." With a huff, she remarked, "Sefie, you won't understand now, but you will some day."
The SeeD eyed her carefully before looking away and releasing a sigh of her own. "No, I do understand. Love isn't always like the fairytales we read in books. Sometimes love can be more dangerous than a poisonous dragon fang."
Rinoa nodded her head, thinking hard to herself before narrowing her eyes at the brunette. "Did you like, read that off a bumper on a SeeD car or something?" she asked amusedly.
"Er . . . No-no . . . nope, I don't think I did," Selphie answered with a giggle. "Honestly, I am happy for you both and I'm glad that even though you're no longer together, you're still good friends."
Rinoa smiled at her friend, although her insides were swarming with guilt. But she pressed on and took Selphie's hand, squeezing it tenderly. Even after seven months of absence, only conversing over impromptu phone calls and rushed e-mails, they were at her side on one of the most memorable days of her life.
However, despite the presence of her friends, nothing could equate to Squall being there. She continued to periodically check the TV screen, waiting for the news reporter to bugger off, and finally transmit to the live feed.
"Toast," Zone whispered in Rinoa's ear, taking her hand and lifting her off her chair. "Everyone, Rinoa wants to make a toast."
"Oh no!" Rinoa instantly retreated, shooting a glare at Zone.
"Go on Rin!" Zell cheered with a mouthful of food, resulting in supportive chants for Rinoa to make a speech.
Rolling her eyes, Rinoa finally relented and picked up her glass. "Fine." She huffed, briefly pondering where to begin. She then spoke. "I want to thank everyone for being here; each and every one of your presence in my life is significant. I couldn't imagine a life this blissful without you guys.
"My friends from the lab, my friends from work and my oldest friends from Garden and the Forest Owls . . . every one of you mean the world to me. Today marks my twentieth birthday and hopefully not only will I be blessed with well wishes but so also this country and my homeland Galbadia. There's nothing I'd love to see more than world peace, and yes, I know, that's very Miss World of me . . ." She looked around the room with a saucy grin. "You know, I'm thinking of running next year."
The room filled with obligatory laughter and a couple of low whistles from Irvine before near silence settled for the sorceress to continue.
"Finally, I'd also like to take this moment to remember my father, General Fury Caraway, who was killed in the Timber summit. It's coming onto a year now and . . . I can't begin to explain how I felt when I heard the news. Even now I feel the earth beneath my feet tremble just remembering how alone I felt losing another parent."
Rinoa felt a hand on her elbow and looked down to find a sympathetic smile adorning Zone's face. He was such a comforting presence in her life. She smiled back and then turned to her listening guests.
"Oh sorry! Also, thanks to my wonderful boyfriend Zone who has shown nothing but great support throughout my entire life. You're the best-"
"It's on!" Irvine cried, pointing to the TV.
The video footage was currently of a long rectangular table with six people seated along it. Rinoa immediately recognised Cid Kramer sitting in the middle, unable to forget his dorky glasses and near balding head. He had bulked up a bit in the two years since she had last seen him and had aged slightly around his eyes. At his left sat the Headmaster of G-Garden, Brandon Alves, a man roughly the same age as Cid but with a thinner posture and sharper facial features. His short grey hair was gelled backwards and his spectacles rested right at the bottom of his long, protruding nose, looking as if they would almost fall off.
As Rinoa's eyes moved away from the two older men, she spotted on either side of the Headmasters the two Commanders, Michelle Haize of G-Garden . . . and Squall Leonhart of Balamb. She didn't even bother to pay interest to the other people sitting at the table once her eyes were glued upon Squall. She took in the breadth of his beauty, picking up every particle of his appearance that she had missed in the time she hadn't seen him. Even through a TV screen she could make out his freshly trimmed hair, his clean shaven face and smooth pursed lips – that was one element of his body she had always enjoyed; the softness of his pink lips caressing hers.
Rinoa couldn't peel her eyes away and remained standing in a trance-like posture, watching as Squall cleared his throat, brushed down the sleeves of his SeeD uniform and glanced along the table in what seemed like nervousness. Spending far too long admiring the picture of the Commander, she was finally brought back to reality when the image zoomed in on Cid Kramer who was beginning to speak.
She took her seat again as her friends showed their eagerness to know the big announcement. Her mind couldn't register at first what Cid was saying as all her thoughts were concentrated on wishing the camera would pan back to Squall. Finally, she started picking up pieces of information.
"Today hopefully will mark the start of a glorious day, a bright future for the children we are rearing to become better people. It gives me great pleasure to announce some very joyous news that was shared with Headmaster Alves and myself regarding our two Commanders, that we persuaded them into announcing it today - making this day even more joyous.
"Over the years, G-Garden and Balamb have reconstructed their alliance, vowing never to repeat our mistakes of the past. We're always looking for better ways to make our Gardens work in conjunction and harmony with each other. I think what you're about to be told today will cement that intention and goal like no other. Commander Leonhart?"
The camera panned back to Squall. Rinoa's heart thumped wildly in her chest, the corners of her mouth turned up into a smile as Squall looked cutely annoyed; he never did like public speeches. He cleared his throat, and she bit her lip and tried to prevent a pleased grin from emerging. But the sound of his smooth, velvety voice made it difficult. Squall held out a card in front of him and read from it, sounding monotone.
"Thank you, Headmaster Cid. I hope you all receive this news with as much happiness as our comrades and superiors at Garden have. It gives me great pleasure to announce that Commander Haize and myself . . . are engaged to be married."
Rinoa's smile remained on her face, although the sincerity had all but dissolved. Over the claps of the audience and the shocked responses from the people around her, she questioned whether she had heard right. Surely Squall didn't just announce that he was getting married? Looking at the reactions of her friends, they all cast frowning, curious glances at each other, silently asking whether or not each other knew.
Each of her friends then looked at her, observing her reaction to the news and inspecting the genuineness of the smile that lingered on her lips. She grinned harder at each of them reassuring them that she was fine. That she was happy for him. Happy that he had found someone else to love and settle down with.
But although she feigned her acceptance and maturity, Selphie's consoling hand made its way to her shoulder and gave it a squeeze. Sure she could put up a front and act completely unaffected when finding out through live international television that her one true love was getting married, but inside she couldn't deny the rejection, betrayal and humiliation that overpowered her.
She continued with her façade and kept the smile plastered across her face, even repeating the phrase, 'I'm fine, I'm happy for him . . . honestly,' many times to convey her deceit. But her heart couldn't bare the false pretences, her eyes were begging for a moment of remorse, and her lips were pleading to be given a rest and put her duplicity to a stop.
Rinoa ignored all these feelings, smiled at her friends, played the act and even gave Zone a quick peck on the cheek for good acting measure. She wouldn't show them her true feelings; she would let them believe she was fine. When she was completely alone, she would give her body its rights and allow her eyes to shed their mortified tears.
Squall Leonhart hurriedly tied his laces before grabbing his watch off of the nightstand. Looking at the dial as he secured it around his wrist, he watched as the thin hand made its way to 10:24 PM. He hadn't anticipated that his announcement would take so long, or that reporters would badger him into a series of questions relating to his announcement and how exactly he had wooed over the impassive, ruthless, and domineering Commander Haize. Although he hadn't needed to delve too much into that aspect once Michelle swooped in and seized all the attention upon herself, allowing him to make a swift exit. Not that he assumed that her action was for his benefit; she just loved being the centre of attention.
The party had started three hours ago and no doubt people would be retiring for the night. Although today had been a memorial social holiday, tomorrow was just another insipid day of the week that required returning to jobs, schools and chores.
Squall quickly fixed his hair from the disturbance it had suffered during his hurried disposing of his SeeD uniform for a more appropriate black shirt and trousers. Behind him he heard his hotel room door open.
Michelle walked in, an air of alacrity in her stride, and a smirk pinned upon her glossy lips. Spotting Squall in front of the mirror, she made her way over to him and draped her sleek, slender arms around his neck. Her lips upturned into a confident smile while a thin eyebrow rose in anticipation.
Squall had no time to waste on her and effortlessly pushed her arms away, "What do you want?"
"That's no way to talk to your future wife," Michelle teased, her voice lathered in mock hurt.
She walked circles around him, her hand still lingering on his chest, moving across his body and stopping just between his shoulder blades. She then pressed herself against him from behind and wrapped her arms around his chest. "I thought we could celebrate our engagement." Her hands travelled further below to Squall's lower abdomen, not quite reaching his nether regions as he gripped her hands and removed them.
"What do you have in mind?" he played along apathetically.
"Well, we're staying at a suite in one of the grandest hotels in Esthar. There's a hot-tub in the bathroom, in case you didn't notice," Michelle enticed.
"I didn't bring swimming trunks," Squall replied.
"Well I didn't bring a swimsuit either, but that doesn't have to stop us. It'll be easier this way . . ." she whispered seductively as she walked back in front of him, unbuttoning her crisp white shirt, and kissed his collarbone, ". . . we won't have any barriers to remove."
"Commander, you should be well aware of Garden's rules pertaining to promiscuity and illegal premarital sex," Squall remarked, his smirk mocking the other Commander.
"We're engaged; they'd make allowances. Besides, Brandon doesn't care too much; he's more lenient than Cid."
"Is he now?" Squall enquired, pushing Michelle off him for the second time.
"Of course. How else do you think I made Commander?" Michelle asked, causing Squall to throw her a suspicious and doubtful look. The female Commander only smirked back in response, blinking and nodding once to confirm her seriousness.
"You're sick." Squall shook his head and began walking towards his bag near the door.
"And where are you going?" Michelle called out, placing her hands on her hips.
Squall cocked his head towards her, stopping in his stride when he reached the door. Picking up his duffle bag, he produced a red gift bag and held it up for the other Commander to see.
Michelle let out a haughty laugh, bending over in exaggerated hilarity. "Please Squall, tell me you're not serious. She's moved on; she has a boyfriend. It's pathetic that you're still pining after her."
"Who said I was pining after her? She's a friend and it's her birthday. As a friend I'm going to wish her the best. Not that you'd know what it's like to have friends." It was ironically hypocritical that Squall Leonhart stood there berating Michelle for her lack of friends and social etiquette.
"I have friends," Michelle replied, her eyes squinting at him in opposition.
"Oh yeah, sorry I forgot; Headmaster Brandon . . . your friend with benefits."
Squall smirked harder as Michelle's face went red and her jaw dropped. She glared at him before pressing her lips together and breathing hard. Squall stood for a couple of seconds, anticipating what the young woman's next response would be.
"Well at least I'm not as pitiable as you. Gosh it's humiliating just seeing you doll yourself up for someone who clearly doesn't want you anymore. Your efforts are derisorily ludicrous. Don't you have any shame?"
"Shame?" Squall asked with a raised brow. "What would you know about shame? You're standing here begging me to stay and make love to you." He gestured to her half open shirt.
"Ha!" Michelle let out a forced cackle. "Who said anything about making love? It's just sex Squall, you shouldn't be so frigid."
Squall sauntered over to Michelle coolly, stopping in front of her and placed a finger under her chin, tilting her head to make her look directly into his eyes. He looked into her large hazel ones and smiled. Moving his head even closer until his lips were suspended just above hers, he could smell her mint-fresh breath, see her eyes flutter close as she waited for his lips to descend upon hers.
"Desperation is a major turn off," he whispered, backing away when Michelle opened her eyes in startled surprise and humiliation.
"Screw you," she cursed.
"Oh, I'm aware you're dying to," Squall remarked, not bothering to give the other Commander a second glance. "Don't wait up for me; I'm staying with my father tonight."
With his bag hauled over his shoulder, the Commander wasted no time shutting the hotel door behind him. Once the lock clicked, Squall heard a loud shriek emerge from the room as something was thrown against the door, the sound of glass shattering after. The room was reserved under his name and no doubt he'd have to fork the bill.
"Whatever," he muttered to himself, shaking Michelle and Garden out of his mind. Sprinting towards the elevator, it was a refreshing relief to finally get out of Garden's errands.
Glancing back down at his watch, he cursed under his breath. It was already 10:45 PM and it would take him half an hour to get to the restaurant. There was no way the party would be still going this late, but he desired to see Rinoa on her birthday. There was nothing he wanted more and only hoped he could make it in time to see her.
The night had accelerated full speed and by the time the clock hit eleven, Rinoa knew it was time to head home. Most of her work colleagues had left already, cursing the next morning.
It was a hard blow to her chest watching as each person left the restaurant, until every chair stood vacant and the room gradually quieted to only a few murmurs, yet still Squall hadn't arrived.
But the blow wasn't as painstaking as the announcement she had heard. That betrayal was indescribable. She promised herself she wouldn't cry or give any sign of remorse so as not to prompt the others to come to her attention and tend to her needs. She didn't want any sympathy, she didn't want any pity and she certainly didn't want anyone questioning her feelings for the Commander. She had said she'd moved on, was happy with Zone now, and that was what everyone needed to remember. Pitying her was unnecessary as she already had a shoulder to cry on.
Flinging away her thoughts, Rinoa headed over to Laguna, bringing attention onto herself as her friends looked up to her.
"I'm getting tired," she announced, hoping Laguna and Zone would get the point.
Laguna stood and offered a supportive hand, "We should get going then; it's nearly eleven."
"I'll drive you to the Palace, President Loire." Zone offered, pulling his keys out of his jacket. Rinoa smiled at his attempt to play along, although the tugging at her heart re-emerged.
Quistis and the others stood as well, Zell stretched his arms up into the air and released a rather loud yawn.
"Thanks for coming guys. I really enjoyed seeing all of you again," Rinoa exclaimed, appreciating the goodbyes, hugs and well wishes.
"Like I said before, we wouldn't have missed this day. It's quite boring around Garden now that you're no longer there," Quistis said.
"Yeah, don't be a stranger. Come visit us more often." Irvine nudged Rinoa's arm, causing the girl to nearly lose her balance. She felt Zone's hand immediately steady her, although it was unnecessary as she wasn't in any danger of falling over. She gave him a quick, appreciative smile.
"I'll try and come down soon, I promise. It's just hard to fit the time in with work and then having to get back for my sessions at the lab." Rinoa gave the feeble excuse.
"That's understandable. But my birthday is approaching in a few weeks, so I better see you there with a crate of Estharian birthday cake." Zell joked.
Laughingly, Rinoa swatted his arm before remembering the half eaten cake, "Oh there's still some cake left, why don't you take it?"
"Nah, I was kidding."
"Seriously Zell, you're welcome to it. It'll only go in the bin." Rinoa peered towards the dining area to find the restaurant staff already in the process of clearing the tables. "Hold on."
She quickly requested for the remaining cake to be cut up and put into three take-away containers. Soon after, Rinoa returned with the containers and handed them to Zell.
"Here's one for you, one for Sarah since she couldn't be here, and one for Squall." The latter part of her sentence was said with difficulty as she couldn't hide from the group's attention.
"He would have come-"
"I'm sure he got caught up-"
"Garden keeps him so busy; we don't even get to see him-"
"Does Squall eat cake?"
Letting out a soft giggle, Rinoa held out her hand, "Guys, guys! Seriously, it's not a big deal. I know how busy he is and I'm sure the announcement on TV was why he couldn't show today. No doubt he was overloaded by questions from reporters."
"I still can't believe Squall is getting married!" Selphie jumped in joy, a grin across her face so wide that Rinoa could only come to one conclusion: Selphie would definitely beg to plan his wedding. Whether or not she'd get the chance was debatable as her equal prowess in blowing things into smithereens and throwing amazing Garden Festivals really struggled to outweigh each other.
"I can't believe Commander Haize is getting married. I mean, sure she's a babe with that body, but that woman is like the spawn of Satan," Zell shuddered.
The group let out a short laugh at Zell's words, but Rinoa glanced away to see Zone sitting on one of the table tops, looking out the window. She gathered this probably was as far as he came to being close with her other friends. It was hard for her to merge both worlds as one. Zone wasn't antisocial, but there was so much he could understand before he became inept to their conversations.
"That's a bit harsh, Zell." Quistis's disproving comment caused Rinoa to turn back to her friends and witness the Instructor narrowing her eyes at him.
Rinoa looked between her two friends, her own frown creasing her forehead, wondering if Zell's analysis of the other Commander was correct.
"It's not! When Irvine and I were on that mission in Winhill - you know the one with the Blue Dragons wrecking the town – well, we stopped by G-Garden to contact Squall since our radio devices and cells were smashed. Haize just walked in when I was on the call and demanded to speak to Squall."
"Yeah apparently she was trying to get through to him and we were holding him up," Irvine added, rolling his eyes in annoyance.
"She just grabbed the phone off my hand, pushed me aside, and told me to get out."
"Correction, she told you to get the 'fuck' out." Irvine grinned teasingly, as Rinoa's eyes widened in shock.
"When was this?" Quistis asked in disbelief.
The Martial Artist thought in his head for a couple of seconds before managing a reply, "Coming on to two years."
Quistis rolled her own eyes and gestured with her arm, "Oh Zell, that was years ago, she's most likely changed quite a bit from then."
"Well, that's not all!" Zell argued back. "She had two cadets, barely even ten years old, cleaning out the toilet cubicles because they were playing 'Tag' in the mess hall. And I even heard she reduces pay by half for any SeeD who forgets to return Library books."
"What?" Selphie asked in amused doubt.
Quistis sighed. "Regardless of what we think or we have seen, she is a superb commander and a great asset to both Gardens."
"Yeah, you guys shouldn't be too hard on her. I'm not condoning her behaviour or manners, but maybe she only acts like that because she's the only female superior. She probably doesn't want the other Commanders or Headmasters to think she's incapable in her job, because as a woman she's stereotypically emotional," Selphie suggested.
"You're not wrong there. That's one of the reasons they said I wasn't a good instructor; my past with Seifer had me too emotionally attached that I failed to discipline him." Quistis gave Zell a thin smile, hoping her example would make him reconsider his thoughts on the other Commander.
"Ah, that's complete bull. We know you women are just as capable as us men," Zell remarked, before ignorantly adding, "If anything, I think it's 'cause she's Galbadian."
"Hey!" Rinoa, Irvine and Laguna yelled in unison, causing the others to laugh.
"That's so unfair!" Rinoa remarked with mock offence.
"Not to mention racist," Laguna quickly added, smiling at Zell.
"Sorry, I just meant that G-Garden tends to be a lot stricter and has a harsher approach to discipline. I'm telling you, I always knew Seifer was at the wrong Garden."
"Well I know I was," Irvine retorted.
"Okay guys, let's get going." Quistis looked at her watch and nodded to herself. "We have a train to catch at eight in the morning. Thanks for the invite, Rin. Make sure to come see us soon."
Giving Quistis a warm hug, Rinoa said her goodbyes to the others until she was finally alone with Zone and Laguna. Paying their thanks to the caterers, they soon made their way home.
The drive to the Palace was pretty much silent, Zone and Laguna occasionally making brief conversation on several new refurbishments they passed while driving through the newer part of Esthar City to the Palace gates.
Laguna got out of the car first, giving Rinoa the time and space to say her goodbyes to Zone. Before she could relay her thanks, Zone gently grabbed her chin and worriedly looked into her eyes.
"Rinoa, are you sure you don't want to come back with me tonight?"
She hadn't expected as much, but hearing the pleading in his voice was enough to make her heart skip a beat, the tiny hairs on her arms rise, and her gut twist in guilt. She didn't want to do this to him; he didn't deserve it, but what else was she to do? Nothing in life for Rinoa was ever easy. Every path she took was difficult and unfortunately, every person she met along the way, suffered one way or another. Even Squall had suffered and was still suffering from the decisions she had made nearly three years ago.
"I'm sorry, Zone," was all she could muster, not having the courage or callousness to hurt him further by saying anything more. Zone nodded solemnly as if interpreting some hidden comprehension.
Rinoa got out of the car, her overnight-bag in tow, and joined Laguna as he waited by the doors. She heard Zone start the engine, heard him back away from the curb, but only when he was a good few feet away, did she turn with a penitent look to watch him drive off until his car could no longer been seen in the distance.
Then Laguna led her into the Palace, making short conversation about all the new ornaments that were sent to him on his birthday from people all over the world and promising to show her the statue of him sent from Shumi Village which she had a part in producing.
All the while, through each conversation, Rinoa detected Laguna's quick responses, tangents and hurriedness to show her to her room. She gathered that he felt just as uneasy as she did and probably didn't have any fluid or coherent thoughts on his son's engagement. Rinoa couldn't blame him even if Laguna had known; it wasn't something he could just spring on her. She had to find out her own way and if Squall didn't have the integrity to tell her, a TV station did just fine. In all honesty though, she was grateful for Laguna's blubbering conversation as she would have much rather avoided that can of worms altogether.
Finally arriving at her room, Rinoa said her goodnights to Laguna and shut the door. She breathed in and sighed thinking of Zone. She wondered if he'd safely arrived at their home yet. She really didn't like doing this to him, more so because she knew he worried leaving her by herself. No matter how much Rinoa assured him Laguna would never let anyone harm her, Zone was still apprehensive. By the looks of it, telling him she wanted to visit Garden in two weeks probably wouldn't go down too well with him either.
Rinoa took out her nightie, slipping her red satin dress off and throwing it to one side of the room in despair. The dress really hadn't done anything wrong, but the sorceress didn't have any other means to vent her disappointment and throwing things about seemed like a methodical process to project her frustration.
Once her cotton nightdress was snugly covering her body, Rinoa turned the light switch off. The room darkened immediately, only the moonlight outside cast a hazy white glow from behind the closed curtains, allowing her vision some clarity. Feeling her way through the room to the bed, Rinoa threw the blankets aside and got in between the cool sheets, covering herself and closing her eyes.
Slowly the tears began to form at the corners of her eyes, trailing over her nose and falling onto her pillow. Her throat hardened as the feelings of betrayal, dejection and insignificance resurfaced and Rinoa found it hard not to whimper in the darkness.
She questioned his integrity, questioned his reasoning, and questioned his loyalty to her. She was embarrassed for herself, shamed by the effort she had made hoping he'd turn up. Learning of his engagement was a slap on the face. Rinoa could only hope her friends hadn't caught on to her deceit. But Zone had figured it out; throughout dinner she had sensed him looking at her, trying to decipher whether or not she was distressed by the news, or if she had known all along. No she hadn't, and yes she was distressed. Again the feelings of guilt resurfaced while thinking about Zone and Rinoa grimaced at her conceit.
A light knock at her door caused Rinoa to vigorously wipe away her tears. Sniffing hard, she turned on the bedside lamp and looked at the clock. Time had flown by at such speed; it was already just coming onto midnight. Taking a couple of tissues from the box beside the lamp, Rinoa wiped away any traces of grief and stood calmly, fixing her hair and pulling down her nightshirt in an attempt to cover her exposed thighs.
Impatiently, the knocking reverberated against the doorframe a second time. Rinoa waited another moment, taking several deep breaths and fanning her face in hopes of reducing the puffiness around her eyes. When she was composed, she slid the lock aside, and opened the door, allowing the figure to slip in. It startled her as the heavy wooden object slid quickly through her hands and shut swiftly.
She didn't have time to look up, as her body was pushed and pressed up against the door, her chin pulled up while a hand ran beneath the back of her shirt, holding her in place as lips clamped onto hers.
It took her a moment to gather what was going on, before she began to massage her own lips against the softness of the other mouth, her hands making their way to the locks of silky hair as they weaved through her fingers. She felt him press against her, felt his need rise against her lower abdomen, before her brain strayed from her body's concentration and took over. Without a second hesitation, she pulled away and shoved his chest, until he was forced to step back and look at her with concerned disbelief.
She glared at him with hurt and displeasure; her arms folding in front of her chest.
"What took you so long, Squall?"