I'll Be Missing You
Updated: 2009.11.04
Summary: AU Rinoa and Squall have seen some hardships in their lives. Those hardships are what made them the people they are today. Can the two overcome one more hurtle to get a happy ending? My pointless and potentially never ending story. Songs end every chapter, feel free to leave ideas for future chapters and future songs.
Disclaimer: Don't own anything
I'll Be Missing You
Every step I take
Every move I make
Every single day
Every time I pray
Ill be missing you
Thinking of the day
When you went away
What a life to take
What a bond to break
Ill be missing you
-Puff Daddy, Faith Evans, 112
The speck that marked her friend in the backseat window finally vanished. Rinoa felt empty inside. Why did she have to lose her bestest friend? Would she ever have a new bestest friend? No, Rinoa was determined to never forget Squall.
Rinoa turned back to watch the buildings fly by as Julia drove her home. At least she still had her mommy. Julia would never leave her.
With that thought Rinoa moved to the right seat in the back so she could see Julia diagonally in the car.
Her mother noticed her movement and looked at her with a disapproving glance in the rearview mirror. "Rinoa, put on a seatbelt."
Rinoa quickly snapped the seatbelt in place and smiled up at her mother innocently. Julia's gorgeous black hair fell around her face as she concentrated on the road. Rinoa looked at her own hair, it was just as black but much shorter than her mothers. She decided she wanted to grow it out like Julia's. Rinoa looked up at the rearview mirror, well, Rinoa's hair wasn't quite as black, she had a brown streak running through hers.
Rinoa looked around, Deling looked so boring, grey sidewalks and black roads stretched in every direction. Small mom and pop stores dotted the roadside, all an ugly grey color. Rinoa fidgeted in her seat. Cars were flying by to try and make the light before it turned red. Julia chose to stop instead of step on it.
Soon many cars had stopped with their car and Rinoa choose to stare down the driver of the car on her right, there wasn't any on her left. The man was balding. He looked tired. Rinoa briefly wondered what he did. Was he a singer like her mommy? Or a general like her father? Rinoa didn't really know of any other occupations people could be. She studied the man. He didn't look like someone with a nice voice. He was probably a general like her father.
Rinoa looked behind her and felt the car start moving again, the light had turned green. She saw the driver behind hers begin to move forward, but instantly stop with a strange look on her face. She was looking off to Rinoa's right, which would be the leftside of the car. Rinoa turned just in time to feel Julia slam on the breaks as a beat up red sedan swerved to miss them.
Rinoa momentarily squinted her eyes at the reckless driver. Hey! You ran a red light! You're bad!
Her thoughts were cut short however as a sudden shock hit their car. Rinoa didn't remember what happened or why the shock occurred, nor did she know if the scream she heard came from herself, or Julia.
The little girl woke up in a strange place. Beige walls surrounded her, glaring white lights overhead. She found herself resting in a bed of sorts. It was much narrower than her bed at home. Not to mention there were high rails that were so cold to the touch.
Rinoa noticed she wasn't wearing her clothes anymore. In their place was a gown of sorts. It had teddy bears printed all over it. Rinoa decided it looked pretty. She noticed a wire sticking out of her arm. That wasn't pretty.
Her eyes followed the wire up to a bag filled with clear liquid. Water? Rinoa licked her dry lips and tilted her head trying to think of a way to get a drink. She gathered her legs underneath her to try standing on the bed to reach for the bag. When she tried to push herself up however she felt a sharp pain jolt through her leg and ended up falling back onto the bed.
Rinoa decided she couldn't get up. She couldn't get a drink. So she decided to look at the fancy machinery around her. One was beeping every so often. It had many squiggly lines on the screen. Rinoa tried to figure out what it meant.
The door opened as a man in white entered followed by some women in light blue. Rinoa thought the girl's clothes were pretty. The guy's was nice too but kind of boring.
The man walked over to her and helped her lie back in a resting position. "Hi, can you tell me your name?"
Rinoa glared at him. She wasn't supposed to talk to strangers.
The man frowned slightly before whispering something to one of the light blue clad women. She hurried out of the room.
Moments later the woman returned with another man in white. This one Rinoa recognized.
"Dr. Odine!"
The short man looked pleased that Rinoa recognized him.
"Hello, can you tell me your name?"
Rinoa looked at him confused.
"Dr. Odine? You know my name."
The man smiled.
"Of course I do, I was just wondering if you knew your name."
Rinoa was still confused but decided it must be a test. And she was determined to pass. How would she beat Squall next time they met if she couldn't pass her doctor's tests?
"Rinoa!" the little girl exclaimed in excitement. Would she get a reward for passing? That test was kind of easy.
Dr. Odine smiled again.
"Good, your father will be here shortly."
Rinoa nodded absentmindedly before her curiosity exploded.
"Dr. Odine, where am I?"
The man looked at her for a moment before realizing this was the first time she could remember ever being in a place like this.
"You're in a hospital."
Rinoa wasn't really sure what a hospital was but apparently that's what this boring place was called.
"Why?"
Her doctor sighed; apparently Rinoa didn't remember what happened.
"You were in a car accident."
Rinoa's brow furrowed as she tried to remember what happened to her. Car… Accident… Rinoa vaguely remembered leaving her bestest friend's house. And watching the bald man stare at the red light in front of him. And the lady, in the car behind her mother's, stare in shock at something to their side.
Then the floodgates opened. Rinoa remembered the shock. The scream.
The little girl's eyes shut briefly trying to block out the memory then opened wide as she remembered not knowing whose scream she was remembering.
"Where's mommy?"
"She's dead."
All eyes in the room turned to a tall man in full military dress uniform standing in the doorway. The doctors and nurses looked disapprovingly at the man, Rinoa looked on in horror at the man.
"Caraway!" The first man who had spoken to Rinoa exclaimed. "You didn't have to be so blunt! She's suffered a lot!"
The man stared the shorter doctor down. The doctor fidgeted and shrank back behind the even shorted Dr. Odine. "Don't you dare speak to me that way! There is no use in babying her. She'll find out sooner or later."
Rinoa was still in complete shock. Mommy? Dead? What did that mean? Was she coming back?
Caraway glanced over Rinoa's battered form before turning to Dr. Odine. "Use her."
Rinoa's doctor stared up at the man as if he was crazy. "Your own daughter? I thought we were going to do the experiments on a orphan."
Caraway glared down at the doctor, "I always intended to use Rinoa. Julia was against it but she isn't here anymore. Besides, Rinoa is cut up as it is. Should make it easier for you."
Dr. Odine stole a glance at Rinoa, the innocent child obviously didn't understand a thing her father said. She had no clue what her father had just committed her to. The doctor looked up at Carawary about to object until he saw the man's stern gaze silently informing him any backtalk would result in the loss of his medical license. Odine gulped then nodded, "As you wish General." The short man hurriedly left the room, unable to look Rinoa in the face.
It didn't matter though; Rinoa was still lost in thought. She could picture Julia smiling at her, comforting her whenever she was distressed. Then her thoughts turned to her father, frowning at her, disciplining her like his soldiers, yelling at her when she cried. Rinoa wanted her mommy back. Her mommy was her second bestest friend. Wait. What about her bestest friend? Her mommy promised to take her to see Squall.
Rinoa looked over at her father who was discussing something with one of the nurses. The only words he had even spoken to her since he arrived was to bluntly inform her that her mother was dead. He never tried to comfort her with the news, never tried to see if she was alright, never tried to embrace her. Not that Rinoa expected him to.
"Daddy!" Rinoa called out.
General Caraway turned towards her. Everyone expected to maybe see a softer side to the general. Boy were they wrong.
"Rinoa! What did I say about being in public? You are to refer to me as General Caraway!"
Rinoa shrank back into her hospital bed. She never liked being yelled at. Especially by her father's scary military voice.
"I'm sorry da… General Caraway. But, mommy said she'd take me to see Squall some time since they are moving away."
The general stared at her for a moment before replying, "Well I'm not your mommy."
Rinoa looked like she was going to cry. A nurse took pity on her and foolishly spoke up. "Oh, I could come and take your little girl to visit her friend sometime."
Rinoa looked at the young nurse with joy. She'd be able to see Squall again!
That hope didn't last long as the general's fury was redirected to the young nurse. "You will do no such thing! Playing is for the weak. My daughter will not be weak!"
Another nurse came to the defense of the first, "Oh come on General Caraway, even you must have had some sort of childhood. She just wants to see her friend."
"Bestest friend!" Rinoa corrected.
General Caraway wasn't going to cave in, especially to a female. "You!" He pointed at Rinoa, "'bestest' isn't a word. And you!" he pointed at the second nurse. "Don't you dare try telling me how to raise my daughter! My childhood is what made me weak, without it I would be much better off. I will not allow such a weakness to befall my daughter!"
The hospital staff decided to cut their losses and exit the room. Rinoa was stubborn though.
"'Bestest' is too a word! It's the best best friend!"
Caraway ignored his daughter and followed the hospital staff out. Rinoa jumped off the bed to follow, ignoring the stabbing pain in her legs that made her want to crumble into a ball. Maybe they would lead her to her mommy.
'Every step I take'
Rinoa stumbled forward on her shaky legs. It sure hurt to walk. She wondered if her mommy felt like this before she was 'dead'.
'Every move I make'
Rinoa winced as the stabbing pain caused her to fall to the ground. She let out a sharp shriek as she hit her head on the linoleum floor. The little girl ignored the pain; nothing could stop her from finding her mommy.
'Every single day
Every time I pray
Ill be missing you'
Rinoa got on her hands and knees, the pain was lessened and she began scampering on all fours in the direction Caraway and the hospital staff had gone. She had to find her mommy. Caraway couldn't be right. Her mommy would return to her.
'Thinking of the day
When you went away'
Rinoa turned left down the hallway. Caraway's military boots clicked ahead of her on the polished floors. A doctor and nurse combo rushed in front of her pushing a stretcher. Rinoa wouldn't have been tall enough to see who was on it even if she were on her feet instead of hands and knees, she didn't understand why she stopped so suddenly and glanced fearfully to her left side. Almost as if expecting something to hit her.
'What a life to take'
Rinoa made it to the room Caraway had vanished in. On the hospital bed was her mother. Her eyes were closed, the machines next to her made a long continuous beeping sound. The screens showed flat lines. The little girl watched as the doctors pulled the sheet over her mother's face and begin to wheel the bed out of the room, detaching the machines as they went. Oh no! What are they doing to mommy? Where are they taking her?
'What a bond to break'
As the bed passed the little girl Julia's arm fell down the side of the bed. Her wedding ring slipped from her limp finger and clattered to the ground. The hospital staff and Caraway didn't notice as they followed the hospital bed out of the room. Rinoa looked at the ring. Her mother's ring. She picked it up. She hugged the ring close to her chest. It finally made sense. Her mommy was not coming back for her.
'Ill be missing you'
