Disclaimer: I own NOTHING. I live in a cardboard box behind The Mall of
America, I swear. Yup, there with my little pizza box, my cable modem....
and a peanut.
Author's Note: Ahh.. There isn't one? Oh well, just read, I'll have one when I'm done ^___^ Oh, wait. Nothing that happened in the game has happened here. The SeeDs all know each other, however none of them except for Seifer have met Rinoa. It's a Squinoa, by the way! Enjoy!
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The darkening clouds billowed up as the wind became more violent, and rapped at anything it touched. A single car drove down a twisting road, heading up to a large mansion on a side of a hill facing the sea. There were hardly any trees to shield the car or anything, really, from the wind, as it grew stronger, and the clouds more menacing. Finally, the clouds let loose, and the rain fell, not hard, but to the point of annoyance.
The driver of the car was already late. He swore under his breath, and ran a finger down the scar on his forehead. As he turned the last curve, he saw the mansion, its beautiful landscape, its full windows, all with light bursting from them. Fun, he thought. I don't like parties, what am I doing here?
He drove up the circular drive way, and stopped in front of a man. The man drew up his umbrella, and ran to the side of the car. The man in the car rolled down the window, and said "Yes?"
The man outside, who was soaked from the rain, wiped at his drenched forehead. "May I see your invitation?"
The man dug around in his coat pocket, and produced an envelope. He handed it to the man outside, and he looked at it.
"Lets see," he said, opening it. He took out the letter, and read the name quickly. "Mr.. Leonheart, is it? Very well, I will park your car. I expect they will be serving dinner soon. They have postponed it due to the weather."
Squall Leonheart stepped out of the car, drew up his own umbrella, and walked up the stairs to the large victorian doors. A man who was dressed in a dark blue tuxedo opened the door for him, and Squall entered. He himself was dressed in the SeeD uniform, the (forgive me if I get this wrong) dark blue pants, and overcoat. He straightened the pins on his uniform, for it was bad luck if any of them weren't neat, and proceeded into the foyer. Another man, also in black, met him there.
"Mr. Leonheart!" he cried, and came over to shake Squalls hand. "It is good to see you. Did you have any trouble finding your way?"
Squall stared at the man. "No, Headmaster. I'm sure no one could miss a mansion this big." He looked around. Everything was of higher class, a world he had never known. There was a grand staircase further up, and a set of double doors both on his left, and his right.
The headmaster laughed. "As I thought as well. But the Governor here thought it was his duty to host this get together. I do not know what to call it. And Squall, I am no longer your headmaster. Here I am just plain Cid. But, shall we go?"
Squall nodded, and followed Cid through the double doors on the left, and was amazed at the site. In front of him was a long table that, he guessed, sat about sixty. About half of the heads that sat turned their attention to him briefly, and then went back to their conversation. At the end of the hall were three very large windows, that displayed the game the weather played outside. On either side of the hall were waiters in black pants, white shirts, and a towel draped around their arm. Squall looked at Cid, and he smiled. "You sit near the front, Squall. In fact, right next to the head of the table, on his left."
Squall scanned the table, and saw, to his slight disgust, that Seifer Almasy sat at the head. As he made his way to his seat, he muttered, "of course he's there. This is his mansion, isn't it?"
When he got to the head, Seifer stopped his conversation he was having with the man on his right, and stood up. Seifer, who's scar was a mirror image of Squall's, regarded him for a moment, and then held out his hand. As much as they were rivals, deep down there was an understanding between the two. Squall clasped his hand and shook it, saying "Hello, Seifer."
Seifer nodded, and said "likewise," taking his seat again. He raised his hand as Squall began to look around again, and a waiter came rushing to him.
'Yes, sir?"
"Now that my dear friend Squall has arrived, you may serve dinner," he said with a brief glance at Squall.
"Yes, sir." The waiter said, backing away. "Very good, sir."
Squall hadn't noticed Seifer glance at him, but now he was just staring at him. "Well," he said, breaking Squall out of the slight glance. "What do you think?"
Squall looked at the guests he sat by. A few of them he recognized as fellow SeeD members. Most were men, but a few women sat also. Across from him sat Headmaster Mortimer, of the Galbadian Garden. To his side was a woman who Squall didn't know. She simply smiled at him, brushing dark brown hair out of her face, and tucking it behind her ears, only to have it escape again. Squall looked back at Seifer. "I wouldn't expect you to be the type to have people wait on you, Seifer."
Seifer laughed, and took a grape from a small bowl in front of him, popping it into his mouth. "Yes, well, if you've got it, you've got it. This is actually my father's mansion. Renald's. He's sitting at the head of the other end."
Squall looked down the row of people, noticing a few other people he knew, and saw, for the first time, Seifer's father. He was dressed in a dark green suit that brought out the green in his eyes, not that Squall could tell, and with dark grey hair, mixed in with black. To the right of him was a lady dressed in lavender, her blond hair done up in a bun in the back of her head. She had a cold expression on her face as she listened to Seifer's father talk. Across from her was another lady, only, she was younger than the rest of the guest, about Seifer or Squall's age. She, too, was talking with the man, and turned slightly, noticing Squall's gaze. She smiled at him, and went back into her conversation.
Seifer noticed his gaze, and said casually, "the lady to his right is my Mother, Lianne. On his left is my woman, Rinoa Heartilly." Squall looked at him. Well, he didn't think a girl would be interested in him anyway, even if for the first time he was lost in her beauty. He looked at the girl again, and banished her from his mind. She's Seifer's, he thought. She must be just like him, which is hard to believe. Better to stay away from her.
And that was that. In his mind, he already disliked her. Throughout dinner, he did not even once look at her. He didn't notice that she, herself, had caught herself looking at him, rather than to her fiancé, Seifer.
"Rinoa, my dear," said Lianne, smiling at her. "How have things been lately?"
Rinoa thought on this for a moment, and sighed. "A little hectic. This, gathering, if you would call it that, has been a bit hard to plan. There was the food, the party afterwards, and then the meeting after that." She looked at her plate, a bit frustrated. "Seifer wouldn't let me do anything else. He seems to be keeping me busy lately, and I'm not sure that I like it." Her eyes suddenly widened, for she had spoke her opinion. Seifer's mother believed that Seifer should marry a woman without an opinion. 'Easier to keep tract of, if you asked me.' But his father was a different matter all together. He rather liked Rinoa for her strong spirit and talented mind. She knew battle tactics, she could use a weapon, and would be a good general, given the chance. He frowned at Rinoa, feeling her frustration.
"Well," he said, cheerfully, patting her slightly on the back. "I think he wants you to be occupied so you don't worry about the wedding. How is that going, by the way?"
Rinoa's eyes brightened. He could always cheer her up. "Great! I found a beautiful church, with beautiful stained glass windows....."
Squall leaned against a large pillar, and sighed, taking a sip of his drink. All around him music flared, dancers danced beautiful dances, and people laughed, or talked. He saw Seifer dancing with his mother, Rinoa with her soon to be father-in-law, and became angry. How was it fair that Seifer has such a wonderful life without working for a thing, and he has to struggle everywhere? He decided that he couldn't look at them anymore, and walked over to a set of doors and out onto a balcony. He leaned over the railing, looking at the terrace below, watching the guards shift around, or play cards. The moon was full and bright, and the rain had stopped, although there was a slightly breeze. Perfect for a midsummer night. He heard the doors to the balcony close behind him, and decided not to look to see who it was. A man leaned against the railing next to him, but Squall could not see who it was, as his eyes were focused on the men below.
"Beautiful night, isn't it, Squall?"
That voice struck a cord in his memory. Where had he heard that before? Ah, now he remembered. He straightened and looked at the man. "Yes it is, General Caraway."
The General laughed. "I didn't think you would remember me, Squall. May I ask what you are doing out here, instead of in there?" He gestured at the doors. Squall shrugged.
"I don't like parties."
General Caraway laughed. "Sure you do! Everyone loves to dance."
"Everyone except for me."
The General looked at Squall thoughtfully for a moment, and smiled, and idea striking him. "You should have a talk with my daughter. Graceful as a swan, that one is. She can teach you."
Squall, surprised, looked at him. "You have a daughter?"
Caraway laughed. "Yes, didn't you know? Well, I suppose not. She hasn't worked up a proper ladies name-" Squall raised his eyebrow. "No, not like that. She knows more about the military and the wars and such than I do, sometimes. One moment, I'll find her for you."
Before Squall could protest, he was halfway through the doors. Sighing, he crossed his arms, on the railing, and laid he head in them, looking at the sky again. Below him he heard the guards wrapping up their game; the meeting should be starting within a half an hour, he heard one of them say. Squall, grateful to hear this news, straitened up, and turned around. He didn't hear the door opening, and was looking down at the pattern of the tile on the floor, and bumped into someone.
"Sorry," he muttered, picking himself off the ground. He looked over, and to his horror, it was a woman on the ground. He extended his hand, and a tender one grabbed it, happy for the help. She stood up, dusted her hands, and smiled at him.
"You must be Squall."
Squall looked at her. This must be Caraway's daughter. But she looked strangely like- "My name is Rinoa. I'm General Caraway's daughter. Nice to meet you." She held out her hand.
Squall took it, muttering "whatever" low enough so Rinoa couldn't hear him. The door behind them opened again, and Seifer poked his head out. Squall looked over, a look of panic on his face, as Seifer came strolling out.
"What are you doing out here?" he asked Rinoa, looking from her to Squall.
"Father said there was someone out here I should meet. He said I should teach him how to dance." Squall looked down, slightly shaking his head. Seifer laughed.
"Well, that would be Squall for you. Squall, my fiancé Rinoa. Rinoa, my long time rival, Squall."
Rinoa was slightly annoyed, and said "we've met."
Seifer, more interested in the tone she used rather what she said, grabbed her arm tightly. Rinoa kept her face straight, but Squall could see her bitting her lower lip from letting sound escape her lips. Seifer smiled. "Come, Darling, Squall. The meeting is starting in the conference room."
Seifer pulled Rinoa away, through the doors, but didn't see the look in Rinoa's eyes as she looked at Squall before the door closed. Was that a plea for help? Squall shook his head. "What does it matter? It has nothing to do with me," he said to himself, and opened the door, and walked back into the ballroom, making his way for the conference room.
(~)(~)(~)(~)(~)
Author's note. Iie! I didn't think that was that good. But oh well, I have noticed a lot of authors don't think their work is satisfactory. Who am I to judge? I hope you liked it! Please review! Criticism is welcomed, and I warn you: My spell check doesn't like me. *Pats it* that's okay, though. I don't like it either *Grins* Thanks for reading! Ja ne! ^________^
Author's Note: Ahh.. There isn't one? Oh well, just read, I'll have one when I'm done ^___^ Oh, wait. Nothing that happened in the game has happened here. The SeeDs all know each other, however none of them except for Seifer have met Rinoa. It's a Squinoa, by the way! Enjoy!
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The darkening clouds billowed up as the wind became more violent, and rapped at anything it touched. A single car drove down a twisting road, heading up to a large mansion on a side of a hill facing the sea. There were hardly any trees to shield the car or anything, really, from the wind, as it grew stronger, and the clouds more menacing. Finally, the clouds let loose, and the rain fell, not hard, but to the point of annoyance.
The driver of the car was already late. He swore under his breath, and ran a finger down the scar on his forehead. As he turned the last curve, he saw the mansion, its beautiful landscape, its full windows, all with light bursting from them. Fun, he thought. I don't like parties, what am I doing here?
He drove up the circular drive way, and stopped in front of a man. The man drew up his umbrella, and ran to the side of the car. The man in the car rolled down the window, and said "Yes?"
The man outside, who was soaked from the rain, wiped at his drenched forehead. "May I see your invitation?"
The man dug around in his coat pocket, and produced an envelope. He handed it to the man outside, and he looked at it.
"Lets see," he said, opening it. He took out the letter, and read the name quickly. "Mr.. Leonheart, is it? Very well, I will park your car. I expect they will be serving dinner soon. They have postponed it due to the weather."
Squall Leonheart stepped out of the car, drew up his own umbrella, and walked up the stairs to the large victorian doors. A man who was dressed in a dark blue tuxedo opened the door for him, and Squall entered. He himself was dressed in the SeeD uniform, the (forgive me if I get this wrong) dark blue pants, and overcoat. He straightened the pins on his uniform, for it was bad luck if any of them weren't neat, and proceeded into the foyer. Another man, also in black, met him there.
"Mr. Leonheart!" he cried, and came over to shake Squalls hand. "It is good to see you. Did you have any trouble finding your way?"
Squall stared at the man. "No, Headmaster. I'm sure no one could miss a mansion this big." He looked around. Everything was of higher class, a world he had never known. There was a grand staircase further up, and a set of double doors both on his left, and his right.
The headmaster laughed. "As I thought as well. But the Governor here thought it was his duty to host this get together. I do not know what to call it. And Squall, I am no longer your headmaster. Here I am just plain Cid. But, shall we go?"
Squall nodded, and followed Cid through the double doors on the left, and was amazed at the site. In front of him was a long table that, he guessed, sat about sixty. About half of the heads that sat turned their attention to him briefly, and then went back to their conversation. At the end of the hall were three very large windows, that displayed the game the weather played outside. On either side of the hall were waiters in black pants, white shirts, and a towel draped around their arm. Squall looked at Cid, and he smiled. "You sit near the front, Squall. In fact, right next to the head of the table, on his left."
Squall scanned the table, and saw, to his slight disgust, that Seifer Almasy sat at the head. As he made his way to his seat, he muttered, "of course he's there. This is his mansion, isn't it?"
When he got to the head, Seifer stopped his conversation he was having with the man on his right, and stood up. Seifer, who's scar was a mirror image of Squall's, regarded him for a moment, and then held out his hand. As much as they were rivals, deep down there was an understanding between the two. Squall clasped his hand and shook it, saying "Hello, Seifer."
Seifer nodded, and said "likewise," taking his seat again. He raised his hand as Squall began to look around again, and a waiter came rushing to him.
'Yes, sir?"
"Now that my dear friend Squall has arrived, you may serve dinner," he said with a brief glance at Squall.
"Yes, sir." The waiter said, backing away. "Very good, sir."
Squall hadn't noticed Seifer glance at him, but now he was just staring at him. "Well," he said, breaking Squall out of the slight glance. "What do you think?"
Squall looked at the guests he sat by. A few of them he recognized as fellow SeeD members. Most were men, but a few women sat also. Across from him sat Headmaster Mortimer, of the Galbadian Garden. To his side was a woman who Squall didn't know. She simply smiled at him, brushing dark brown hair out of her face, and tucking it behind her ears, only to have it escape again. Squall looked back at Seifer. "I wouldn't expect you to be the type to have people wait on you, Seifer."
Seifer laughed, and took a grape from a small bowl in front of him, popping it into his mouth. "Yes, well, if you've got it, you've got it. This is actually my father's mansion. Renald's. He's sitting at the head of the other end."
Squall looked down the row of people, noticing a few other people he knew, and saw, for the first time, Seifer's father. He was dressed in a dark green suit that brought out the green in his eyes, not that Squall could tell, and with dark grey hair, mixed in with black. To the right of him was a lady dressed in lavender, her blond hair done up in a bun in the back of her head. She had a cold expression on her face as she listened to Seifer's father talk. Across from her was another lady, only, she was younger than the rest of the guest, about Seifer or Squall's age. She, too, was talking with the man, and turned slightly, noticing Squall's gaze. She smiled at him, and went back into her conversation.
Seifer noticed his gaze, and said casually, "the lady to his right is my Mother, Lianne. On his left is my woman, Rinoa Heartilly." Squall looked at him. Well, he didn't think a girl would be interested in him anyway, even if for the first time he was lost in her beauty. He looked at the girl again, and banished her from his mind. She's Seifer's, he thought. She must be just like him, which is hard to believe. Better to stay away from her.
And that was that. In his mind, he already disliked her. Throughout dinner, he did not even once look at her. He didn't notice that she, herself, had caught herself looking at him, rather than to her fiancé, Seifer.
"Rinoa, my dear," said Lianne, smiling at her. "How have things been lately?"
Rinoa thought on this for a moment, and sighed. "A little hectic. This, gathering, if you would call it that, has been a bit hard to plan. There was the food, the party afterwards, and then the meeting after that." She looked at her plate, a bit frustrated. "Seifer wouldn't let me do anything else. He seems to be keeping me busy lately, and I'm not sure that I like it." Her eyes suddenly widened, for she had spoke her opinion. Seifer's mother believed that Seifer should marry a woman without an opinion. 'Easier to keep tract of, if you asked me.' But his father was a different matter all together. He rather liked Rinoa for her strong spirit and talented mind. She knew battle tactics, she could use a weapon, and would be a good general, given the chance. He frowned at Rinoa, feeling her frustration.
"Well," he said, cheerfully, patting her slightly on the back. "I think he wants you to be occupied so you don't worry about the wedding. How is that going, by the way?"
Rinoa's eyes brightened. He could always cheer her up. "Great! I found a beautiful church, with beautiful stained glass windows....."
Squall leaned against a large pillar, and sighed, taking a sip of his drink. All around him music flared, dancers danced beautiful dances, and people laughed, or talked. He saw Seifer dancing with his mother, Rinoa with her soon to be father-in-law, and became angry. How was it fair that Seifer has such a wonderful life without working for a thing, and he has to struggle everywhere? He decided that he couldn't look at them anymore, and walked over to a set of doors and out onto a balcony. He leaned over the railing, looking at the terrace below, watching the guards shift around, or play cards. The moon was full and bright, and the rain had stopped, although there was a slightly breeze. Perfect for a midsummer night. He heard the doors to the balcony close behind him, and decided not to look to see who it was. A man leaned against the railing next to him, but Squall could not see who it was, as his eyes were focused on the men below.
"Beautiful night, isn't it, Squall?"
That voice struck a cord in his memory. Where had he heard that before? Ah, now he remembered. He straightened and looked at the man. "Yes it is, General Caraway."
The General laughed. "I didn't think you would remember me, Squall. May I ask what you are doing out here, instead of in there?" He gestured at the doors. Squall shrugged.
"I don't like parties."
General Caraway laughed. "Sure you do! Everyone loves to dance."
"Everyone except for me."
The General looked at Squall thoughtfully for a moment, and smiled, and idea striking him. "You should have a talk with my daughter. Graceful as a swan, that one is. She can teach you."
Squall, surprised, looked at him. "You have a daughter?"
Caraway laughed. "Yes, didn't you know? Well, I suppose not. She hasn't worked up a proper ladies name-" Squall raised his eyebrow. "No, not like that. She knows more about the military and the wars and such than I do, sometimes. One moment, I'll find her for you."
Before Squall could protest, he was halfway through the doors. Sighing, he crossed his arms, on the railing, and laid he head in them, looking at the sky again. Below him he heard the guards wrapping up their game; the meeting should be starting within a half an hour, he heard one of them say. Squall, grateful to hear this news, straitened up, and turned around. He didn't hear the door opening, and was looking down at the pattern of the tile on the floor, and bumped into someone.
"Sorry," he muttered, picking himself off the ground. He looked over, and to his horror, it was a woman on the ground. He extended his hand, and a tender one grabbed it, happy for the help. She stood up, dusted her hands, and smiled at him.
"You must be Squall."
Squall looked at her. This must be Caraway's daughter. But she looked strangely like- "My name is Rinoa. I'm General Caraway's daughter. Nice to meet you." She held out her hand.
Squall took it, muttering "whatever" low enough so Rinoa couldn't hear him. The door behind them opened again, and Seifer poked his head out. Squall looked over, a look of panic on his face, as Seifer came strolling out.
"What are you doing out here?" he asked Rinoa, looking from her to Squall.
"Father said there was someone out here I should meet. He said I should teach him how to dance." Squall looked down, slightly shaking his head. Seifer laughed.
"Well, that would be Squall for you. Squall, my fiancé Rinoa. Rinoa, my long time rival, Squall."
Rinoa was slightly annoyed, and said "we've met."
Seifer, more interested in the tone she used rather what she said, grabbed her arm tightly. Rinoa kept her face straight, but Squall could see her bitting her lower lip from letting sound escape her lips. Seifer smiled. "Come, Darling, Squall. The meeting is starting in the conference room."
Seifer pulled Rinoa away, through the doors, but didn't see the look in Rinoa's eyes as she looked at Squall before the door closed. Was that a plea for help? Squall shook his head. "What does it matter? It has nothing to do with me," he said to himself, and opened the door, and walked back into the ballroom, making his way for the conference room.
(~)(~)(~)(~)(~)
Author's note. Iie! I didn't think that was that good. But oh well, I have noticed a lot of authors don't think their work is satisfactory. Who am I to judge? I hope you liked it! Please review! Criticism is welcomed, and I warn you: My spell check doesn't like me. *Pats it* that's okay, though. I don't like it either *Grins* Thanks for reading! Ja ne! ^________^