Right
By My Side
Squall sat in one of the chairs in the Ragnarok's Passenger
Deck. He couldn't believe what he had just done. He let Rinoa go with the
Esthar soldiers. But, it wasn't his choice, was it? He couldn't have spoken out
because it was Rinoa's choice, right? Just a few moments before, Squall and
Rinoa landed the Ragnarok next to Esthar city. A big man with a couple of Estar
soldiers took her away, but he didn't want them to.
"I don't think we can stay together
anymore, Squall. I inherited the sorceresses' powers. Everyone will hate me,"
Rinoa had told him during the time they were alone in the Ragnarok's bridge.
Squall didn't want her to talk like that, because no matter what she did, he
would always love her.
"Hey, hero…where's Rinoa?" Zell
burst in. Squall didn't look at him and didn't say a word. Irvine ran in right
after Zell.
"Hey, Squall. You were great! Being
brave and going after Rinoa like that. Man, I wish I could've done that. When I
tried, I got thrown to the floor and blacked out. When I woke up, we must have
crashed. Ellone was gone, so was that weird guy," Irvine explained.
"They must have taken Ellone with
them," was all Squall could say. He was tearing up on the inside. Not only did
he lose his love, but he also lost the woman he was supposed to protect.
"Squall, you were great!" Quistis
and Selphie came in next.
"Hey, where's Rinoa?" Selphie looked
around. Squall slowly stood up and faced them. He couldn't believe what he was
about to say. He controlled his voice, as if it didn't matter to him, but it
did. It mattered so much, that he wanted to cry. But he couldn't. He couldn't
because he had to be the strong one. The one that had no feelings. The one that
could go on no matter what. Besides, he had a reputation he had to maintain,
and if he started crying now, what would they think of him?
"They took her away, the Esthar
soldiers," Squall quietly said.
"Rinoa!" Selphie ran out.
"Selphie!" Irvine went after her.
"How could you just let them take her,
Squall? I'm disappointed in you," Quistis frowned.
"What could I do? It was her choice,
I had no right to stop her," Squall looked at the floor, not wanting to face
Quistis.
"What? You had no right?! How
could you stand there and let them take her away from you? You might not ever
see her again! You love her. I know you do. Why didn't you stop them? You had
as much right to tell them no as she did," Quistis yelled.
"It was her choice to go with them,
I can't interfere with her decisions. Yes, I love her, but I can't say no to
what she wants!" Squall defended his belief. 'Why is she making this so hard?
Can't she just see it the way I do? Yes, I love her. I love her very much,
but…it was her choice to go. Not mine. I wanted her to stay. Can't you see
that? If you know I love her, can't you see that I'm breaking down inside
because she's not here by my side?' He screamed inside his head.
"Squall, think about this, why don't
you? Get this through your head: You'll never see her again! Who cares what she
wants. It's what you want," Quistis argued. Suddenly, the Ragnarok lurched
forward.
"What the…" Zell grabbed onto the
back of a chair as the Ragnarok started moving.
"I can imagine Selphie at the
controls yelling, 'Whoohoo!'" Quistis said as she tried to keep her balance.
"Come with me!" Squall ran out of
the Passenger Deck. For a second, he forgot about Rinoa. Zell and Quistis
cautiously followed him. The three got on the elevator platform and rode it up
to the bridge. There, they found Selphie flying the Ragnarok with Irvine behind
her.
"Selphie, can you fly this thing?"
Squall asked her as he stared at all the landforms racing beneath them out of
the Ragnarok's huge windshield.
"I don't know, but I'll try!
Whoohoo!" Selphie laughed.
"Isn't she great?" Irvine had a
dopey look on his face. Squall hated him at that moment because Irvine had the
one he treasured right in front of him, but he had no time for that now. He had
to get Rinoa back.
"Go to Esthar Memorial. I'm gonna
get Rinoa back," Squall took charge.
"That's the Squall we all know and
love," Quistis smiled at him as he glared at her. A few minutes later, the
Ragnarok came to the Memorial. Squall, Quistis, and Zell got out and ran up the
Memorial steps. They came to an Esthar soldier guarding the entrance.
"You guys must be here to see your friend one last
time. Go on in," he said. The three soon came to a landing, but they didn't
stop to rest. Squall couldn't, knowing that his love was only a few seconds
away.
"Who are you? What are you doing
here?" A scientist at the controls asked them as they busted in.
"You're not allowed in here!"
Another one yelled.
"I'm here to get Rinoa back," Squall
told them.
"You can't do that!" The first
scientist faced him.
"Squall, don't. Let me stay in here.
It's better for everybody," Rinoa told him through the glass she was being held
in.
"Rinoa…" Squall said.
"Get out of here! If you let her
out, we're all doomed!" The scientist facing Squall yelled at him.
"Shut up," Zell told him.
"Get out of here now!" The second
scientist came over to them.
"Make us," Quistis took out her
chain whip and twirled it around. Zell got in his fighting stance and looked at
the scientists.
"Ahh!" the two jumped back.
"Hurry, Squall, before soldiers come!"
Quistis told him. Squall didn't need another order. He ran to where they were
keeping Rinoa.
"Squall!" she cried.
"Rinoa…" Squall pounded on the glass
sphere. It hurt his heart to see the one he adored only a few feet away, but he
couldn't get to her. He didn't think he could last, seeing her like that. The
glass wouldn't crack. He took out his Flame Saber gun blade and slashed at the
wires. Gas leaked out and the sphere opened. Rinoa instantly ran to him. Squall
put his gun blade away and opened his arms.
"Squall, I missed you," she cried.
"I missed you too," he caressed her
silky black hair as they hugged. He could have cried, now that his love was in
his arms, but there was no time.
"Squall, we're outta time!" Zell
yelled.
"Let's go," Squall took her by the
hand and led her to the others.
"Good ta see ya again, Rinoa,"
Quistis said as they ran out.
"Same here," Rinoa said. They were
stopped just outside the door by the man who first took Rinoa away and an army
of Esthar soldiers. Squall couldn't stop thinking about where he's seen the man
before.
"Don't make us hurt you," Quistis
warned.
"Let them through," the big man told
his army. The Esthar soldiers backed away and the four ran to the Ragnarok.
They hurried inside and went straight to the bridge.
"Rinoa! You're okay!" Selphie
exclaimed.
"Thank you, Squall, everyone," Rinoa
looked around and blushed.
"Take us to Edea's House, Selphie,"
Squall ordered. He wanted to smile, but he had to keep his feelings hidden. He
couldn't let Rinoa see how he felt about her, even though she probably already
did. He'd tell her how he felt…one day…but now wasn't the time.
"Yes, sir, captain!" Selphie turned
around in the pilot's seat and headed for Edea's House.
"Wow, Squall, you're becoming
spontaneous. What's happened?" Quistis giggled. Squall just ignored her and
walked over to Rinoa.
"What's going to happened to me?"
She asked him.
"Don't worry about it," he told her.
She looked at him and smiled. His heartbeat went up as he stared into her
angelic face. How he dreamed about those soft brown eyes, and the silky black
hair, and the gorgeous face. How he longed for her to love him and adore him
like he did her. In no time, they arrived at Edea's House. Quistis, Zell, and
Squall went out to check it out. As they past the broken gates, Angelo came out
and started barking at them.
"What is it, boy?" Squall asked him.
Angelo ran to a spot behind a wall. The three went after him. They ended up in
a field full of yellow flowers.
Quistis giggled, "I'll go get
Rinoa."
"I never you were the roman—err….
that kinda type," Zell told Squall. Angelo rubbed against Squall's leg.
"What kind of type is that, Zell?"
Squall rubbed Angelo's head. Why was Zell acting so weird? And why did Quistis
go get Rinoa?
"Uh…" Zell tried to think of
something.
"Hi, guys," Rinoa came just in time.
"Hi," Squall turned to face her. He
could feel his face getting hotter, and his hands were becoming warm inside his
black leather gloves.
"Um…I guess I'll leave you two
alone…" Zell ran off into the Ragnarok.
"What's going to happen, Squall?"
Rinoa asked him.
"I don't know, right now," he
admitted. He didn't want her to ask so many questions. He wanted her to live
for today, and worry about everything else later.
"I know this is going to sound
strange, but I had a dream one night. We were to meet somewhere. I was getting
ready, and I couldn't wait to see you. I finished when I suddenly realized I
couldn't remember where we were supposed to meet. I ran through deserts and
plains shouting out your name, but I could never find you. I know it's a little
stupid. But, I felt like I needed to tell you," she stood next to him as they
stared into the field of flowers.
"Don't worry about it. It was only a
dream. And to make sure that doesn't happen, I'll promise you, that if we are
to meet somewhere, we'll meet here. But, until then, stay close to me, and I'll
protect you," Squall told her honestly.
"You said it! You said it again!"
Rinoa perked up.
"What? What did I say?" Squall
looked confused, but he loved the way Rinoa looked.
"Don't you remember? That time when
you saved me? You said it again!" Rinoa didn't help to clear up the matter.
"I don't remember," Squall said,
still thoroughly confused.
"Sure you do," Rinoa smiled.
"No, it must be because of the GF's.
You know how they erase some of our memory to be stored inside of us?" Squall
told her.
"I don't believe you. You have
to remember it. Oh, well," Rinoa said.
"As long as you're here with me, it
doesn't matter," Squall said under his breath as he smiled inside.
"What was that?" Rinoa looked at
him.
"Huh? Oh, nothing…" Squall smiled
sheepishly.
