Squall and Rinoa have found themselves in a complicated position, their allegiances to society and their desire for each other clash but will Seifer's revenge kill their spark?

Chapter 2

Misdirection

Selphie watched and listened in silence as Seifer complained loudly about Rinoa to Raijin and Fujin. It was difficult to gauge their reactions – Fujin only ever spoke single words at a time and Raijin was so drunk he could barely slur his words. Seifer however was starting to turn aggressive, punching the bench with every claim he made of Rinoa's ineptitude as a girlfriend. Several times, he spoke of how he had tried to show Rinoa what she was missing by staying out of his bed but Selphie didn't want to hear any of it. Her best friend was being slandered and she had to stay still and silent.

It was a while before she realised that someone was crouching behind her.

"Having fun?" A male voice whispered, almost causing her to shout in surprise. It was Zell, a boy she knew from a few of her classes and his infamous hotdog obsession.
"Zell. Why are you here?"
"Same reason you are, making sure Seifer doesn't try to go interrupt Squall and that girl."
"Uh… what are you on about?" Selphie lied.
"Don't play dumb, I want them two to get together as much as you do which is why I'm helping to keep Seifer off their trail. Don't worry, Squall didn't ask me to do it, I took the initiative."
"Well then go watch from somewhere else, we're too obvious together and he might go either way. Plus, if he finds one of us, we don't wanna blow each other's cover." Zell nodded and crawled away, obviously intending to walk around the fountain to another plant on the other side of Seifer's bench. Selphie turned back to watching Seifer. He was standing now, bearing down on Fujin.

"Am I not desirable enough? Why won't she give in?" The silver haired woman stayed silent, obviously used to Seifer's drunken behaviour. "I should go show her what she's misshing out on." Selphie's heart almost stopped. "Teach her a thing or two about what happensh when shomeone rejectsh me."

"Sit." Fujin said calmly. Obediently, Seifer slunk back onto the bench. Selphie's knees were starting to hurt but she dare not relax them or move too much lest she be caught. Selphie would make Rinoa give her a back massage for this.

"We shouldn't…" Squall muttered, pulling away from the girl's soft lips. His body screamed at him to shut up and enjoy the moment but he was well aware of the consequences of what they were doing.
"Why not?" She asked, confused. The way her eyebrow creased sent new shivers of desire into Squall's brain but he controlled his emotions… Just about.
"You're still technically with Seifer and… you don't want to be involved with me anyway."
"Seifer and I are as good as over. I barely know you but… I feel so safe around you. I want to be with you…to kiss you…" She leant forwards again, her lips brushing gently against his. Squall allowed himself to kiss her back for a moment before he drew away again, his body squealing in protest.

"You know my name, but I don't know yours."
"Are you trying to find a way out of this, Squall? Seifer can't do shit about it. I have feelings for you and I want to show you that."
"I know…"
"Is it because you don't know me well enough?"

"Fine, my name is Rinoa Heartilly, I joined Balamb Garden just a week ago, I met Selphie when I was a kid and I went to Headmaster Cid, asking him to allow me to join Balamb so I could see Selphie, help people and meet interesting new people like you. I have known Seifer for years and I was more dragged into the relationship than asked. Tomorrow, I am going to set him straight and tell him that I never want to see him again. Then, I will visit you and let you weigh the options." Squall looked down again, his ears burning with embarrassment.
"You'd throw all that away… just to show me how you felt?"
"Yes, Squall. I really like you. I feel like with you is where I should be…" He looked up at her, surprising her with a kiss. Rinoa's eyes fluttered closed and she leant into him again.

"And you… how do you feel, Squall?" Rinoa said, drawing back just far enough to speak.

"Feel?" His eyes widening. Fear darted into his heart. He wasn't supposed to feel.

"Yes, feel. I need to know how you feel back."
"I know that this shouldn't be happening, you're practically cheating and… I'm enjoying it. I know you shouldn't risk yourself to be with me and I don't want Seifer to hurt you. I… I'm not meant to feel. I'm meant to be calm and calculating. So… maybe I should go to bed and think this over…"
"You're not even going to tell me whether you like me back?" Rinoa asked as Squall pulled away and stood up.

"I…I do." Rinoa's smile broadened with happiness and relief. "But I don't want things to go fast. I… I'll talk to you tomorrow, Rinoa." Oh, Hyne how good her name sounded on his lips.

"I shall let you out then." Squall nodded. Rising gracefully, Rinoa pulled the door open but not before stealing a quick hug and a kiss from Squall's immobile body. "Good night, Squall. Sleep well."
"And you… good night Rinoa." He breathed before stepping out of the door, hoping he wasn't too red. Squall hurried out of the Girls' Dorms and started quickly back to the boys', worried about meeting someone on his way. Then, he realised that Zell was knelt on the floor behind a plant just in front of him.

Crouching, Squall crawled to where Zell was hiding.
"Who you hiding from?" He asked quietly, hoping Zell didn't jump in surprise, instead the blonde teen turned around to eye Squall.
"When did you get there?"
"Two seconds ago. Who are you hiding from?" Squall asked, repeating his question.
"Well, one of the girl's friends and I were watching Seifer to make sure he didn't stumble in and… interrupt you two."
"What do you think we were doing, Zell?" Squall questioned, his face heating slightly. "I was only returning her books."
"P-lease. I've seen the way you look at her, act around her and the way you blush like crazy when someone just mentions her." Squall scowled. "Well, no need to keep an eye on him now that you're back." Zell crawled away from the plant and stood up, indicating for Squall to copy him. Together, they walked past the bench where Seifer, Raijin and Fujin sat, the males sipping from bottles hidden in brown paper bags.

Trying his best to not appear bothered by Seifer's presence, Squall forced his walk into its normal speed and looked straight ahead, focussing on his goal and ignoring who he was walking past. By an amazing stroke of luck, Seifer didn't look up and shout to them, his cronies ignored them too, focussing instead on the floor. Behind another plant on the other side of Seifer was Selphie, her eyes big and watching them. She turned and started to walk with them.

"Well?" She asked Squall quickly as they all fell into pace.
"Well what?"
"What happened?"
"…Nothing." Zell and Selphie exchanged disbelieving looks.

"You're lying, something happened, I can see it in your eyes. AND you smell of Rinoa's room."
"I took her books to her, sat on the bed for a minute then left. Nothing more." Squall replied defensively, pulling the guard he had allowed to slip in front of Rinoa all the way back up.

"Hmph." Selphie protested, not pressing the issue further but equally not giving up.
"Look, ask Rinoa. I'm not telling you anything." Selphie's eyes sparked with mischief.
"Dude, you found out her name?" Zell beamed.

"You cudda asked me her name, moron." Selphie shot back at Zell.

"Yes." Squall stopped the fight before it erupted.
"Oh Hyne, you're never going to hear the end of this."

"Great…" Squall muttered, turning away from them to go into the Boys' Dorms. Zell said 'goodnight' to Selphie and then followed Squall. Their dorms were right next to each other and they muttered their farewells before laying down to rest. Putting his pyjamas on, Squall lay on his back on his bed, staring up at the ceiling.

Her lips tasted so good. He thought to himself, all of his body still telling him that he was stupid for leaving without letting her know how he felt about her. Stupid, stupid, stupid. He repeated. She was so obviously into him and what he had done was push her away. It seemed to be what he did best, push everyone away when he started to feel so that nobody could get hurt. But Rinoa was different… she seemed to know what he was doing and was trying her best to stop him. If Squall really wanted to stop her, he'd have to try harder. That was, if his body even let him say 'no' again… damn it all. Turning on his side, Squall ran through the day's events in his mind. From the first second Rinoa landed on him to when he'd left her room. He analyzed her every word and each response.

Why couldn't he have just gone to class early? He'd never have known about her and he'd be blissfully ignorant of how much his heart longed for her. He wasn't going to get a lot of sleep tonight. Pulling the covers over him and setting his alarm for the next day, Squall begged for sleep to come, but instead images of Rinoa appeared and the way her skin smelt taunted his nose.

Just after Squall left, Rinoa collapsed on her bed, touching her lips tenderly with her fingers. Hyne, he knew how to kiss. Squall knew how to send shivers of delight down the length of her spine and leave her craving more. She was resisting the terrible urge to jump out of bed and pursue him, push him into his room and kiss him until he took back what he'd said. But part of her agreed with him, she was moving a bit too quickly and he was hardly the type to be so open about his emotions anyway. Such a mess… how would Rinoa get out of it?

She'd meant what she'd said. Tomorrow, Rinoa would go up to Seifer as soon as she saw him and tell him that she didn't want to see him anymore and that there'd be trouble if he tried to hunt her. Then, Rinoa would spend her breaks with Selphie, asking her how to go about talking to Squall… properly this time. They'd share a bit of girly gossip and then, after all her classes had ended, she'd ask that nice blonde boy from earlier where Squall's dorm was, knock on his door and tell him exactly how she felt. Depending on his response, she'd sulk back to her dorm broken-hearted or she would make arrangements to see him as soon as she could.

Her plan set in concrete in her mind, Rinoa rolled over to look at her clock. 11:24. One last thing before she fell asleep… grabbing her phone, Rinoa hit the 'reply' button and typed a quick response before closing the phone and her eyes to enter the dream world.

'Thanks, hun x'

The daylight burnt, searing Rinoa's tired skin and dragging her from her wonderful dream where Squall appeared at her dorm door, told her that he loved her and swept her off her feet. Still smiling from the lingering dream, Rinoa rose and got ready to get into the shower. Her problems with Seifer seemed a world away. The water was hot and soothing, calming all her thoughts and cheering her up for her day ahead. Already, she couldn't wait to see Squall and tell him how she felt. Oh, Hyne I want to feel his hands touch my skin again.

Rinoa looked down at herself and realised that the bruises from the day before were very visible. Thinking for a second, Rinoa ran into her room and took a thick blue ribbon from out of her drawers, the colour matched her duster perfectly so she slipped it around her bruises, hiding them from view. It wasn't that she was ashamed of showing what Seifer was capable of, more that she didn't want Squall to be worried about her.

Brushing her hair through quickly, Rinoa decided to relax on the Quad before getting some breakfast so she had time to let her hair dry naturally and get some time to start thinking of what she would say to Squall later. The sun was out, heating the ground where Rinoa walked and blinding her if she looked upwards. It seemed so…perfect. Like today had chosen the perfect weather to put her in the best mood possible for her encounter with Squall. Taking a deep breath of the natural scent, Rinoa walked around to where the stage was being built for a concert that would soon consume the entire Garden.

All Rinoa had to do to make herself smile was thinking of Squall's eyes, his smile and the way his soft lips brushed carefully against hers, as if frightened he would hurt her.

"Rinoa." Someone whispered behind her. Smiling, thinking it was Squall, Rinoa turned. Her face fell as Seifer's grinning grin bore over her.

"Uh… Seifer." His eyes dug deep into hers as if he knew what she had been doing last night.

"Hey babe, feeling better?"
"Y-yeah. I'm fine."

"Brilliant. You should come to Balamb town with me later, there's something I have to show you." He was arrogant, he'd completely forgotten about the night before. Typical.

"Actually, Seifer. I can't." His eyes sparked crimson.

"And why not?"
"Because I don't want to go with you. Look, Seifer. You're too possessive and I can't deal with you anymore. I spent a year of my life trying to make myself love you but… it just feels sometimes like you're the only one in this relationship and you're forcing me into it. You constantly hammer me for sex when I obviously don't want it and you never show me any affection when we're alone, it's all for show.

"I'm not interested in being your toy any longer. I'm sorry Seifer, it's over." His eyes sparked, his fist raised and threatened to crash into her face. Shielding herself with her arms, Rinoa felt an arm wrap around her waist and pull her backwards, nearly toppling her.

"Piss-sake, fuck off!" Seifer growled. Rinoa removed her arms to see that Squall was holding her protectively against his chest. Instantly, her heart started to beat ten times faster. "Would you just give us a FUCKINGminute alone?"
"What? So you can beat her? No, Seifer." Rinoa snuggled closer under Squall's arm, seeking the heat of his body. She was rewarded by him pulling her even closer to him, warming her body with his unbelievable warmth.

"You think that just because she's confused and playing at breaking up with me, you can move in on her?" Squall's eyes widened marginally, so that only Rinoa noticed.

"I ambreaking up with you, Seifer. I don't want to be with you anymore."

"Uhhhhh!" He screamed, pulling his gunblade from its sheath at his side. Squall twirled Rinoa around him so that she was hidden behind his back before pulling his own gunblade out in defence. Seifer attacked, sending sparks flying where his and Squall's swords collided. They started to move in a circle and Squall brushed Rinoa's arm briefly, giving her a quick look telling her to back away. She did so, not wanting to get caught in the crossfire of strong strokes.

Squall never attacked, only used his blade to stop Seifer from cutting any part of him. It was then that Rinoa realised that Squall and Seifer's cuts on their faces were opposite, crossing in different directions… had they fought before? Squall had said he'd known Seifer for a while and Seifer never had given her a straight answer when she'd asked…

"Rinny!" Someone called, looking over her shoulder, Rinoa saw Selphie running towards her. As she was eclipsed in Selphie's arms, Rinoa watched the heated battle. Selphie's green eyes widened to the size of dish plates as she watched the swings and defence of the battle before them. She took a few haltering steps backwards until she felt far enough away from the sharp blades and the concentrated minds of their wielders.

Squall knew that someone had called Rinoa's name and that both of them were now standing watching the match but he dared not sneak a glance in case Seifer took advantage of his distraction to land another blow on him.

"Seifer…this isn't going anywhere. Yield." He called, keeping his frustration and anger out of his voice.

"Never. You want to fight dirty? I'll show you dirty!" Not again… Seifer's spare hand raised, fire illuminating his glove and flying towards Squall. This time, he was ready and countered with a quick blizzard spell and dodged the collision. Seifer growled angrily and swung his sword at Squall's head. Spinning, Squall managed to avoid the cut by what he expected was a matter of centimetres. "I told you I'd kill you, Squall. And now I'm going to. This time, I won't make any mistakes." Seifer raved; he was starting to lose the plot…which meant he was losing concentration. That was Squall's chance to win the fight – wait for Seifer to lapse and then immobilise him as soon as possible.

The strokes of the sword battering down on Squall's own blade were getting harder and more difficult to maintain. However, what Squall lacked in strength, he made up for in intelligence. It only took him a minute or two to locate where Seifer's weakness was, his knees. Spinning around his foe, Squall brought his foot down hard on the back of Seifer's kneecap. The blonde fell straight onto his knees. Squall used a paralyze spell and stepped away from him. Sheathing his weapon, Squall walked over to where Rinoa and Selphie stood with their mouths agape.

"Let's get back inside before he can move again." He told them, Selphie let go of Rinoa's arm and raced to the door back into the Garden. Rinoa stopped only quickly to shake her head at Seifer before following Selphie. Squall walked behind, conscious that Seifer could regain his control over his limbs at any point. All three of them mutually decided to walk to the cafeteria together.

Squall had just started to mind his own business when, out of the corner of his eye, he saw Selphie push Rinoa into him. Bracing himself, Rinoa hit his side hard and yelped in surprise. Her knee collapsed and Squall quickly grabbed her wrist to keep her upright. Selphie seemed pleased with her work and bounded off faster down the hall.

"Uh… sorry." Rinoa blushed, hiding behind her hair.

"It's fine." Squall replied, letting go of her wrist and carrying on with his normal pace.

"I…uh. I didn't tell Selphie anything about last night… she asked but I said nothing happened."
"Okay."
"You don't have anything to say about it?"
"Not really."
"Squall!" She wheeled around pulling him to a stop by his arm. "I don't regret what I did and I hope you don't either. A night's sleep hasn't changed the way I look at you and I still want the same things. I meant what I said. If you didn't then fine but I'll be waiting for your answer." She stormed off after Selphie.

Making sure there was no one around, Squall turned to the wall and smacked his head against it, likely leaving an angry red mark there. Why was he so stupid? He should have stopped her, told her something so she wouldn't be angry with him. No, he wouldn't be able to go into the cafeteria now, he'd have to wait until lunchtime or send Zell for him. Walking back to his dorm, Squall sighed. Why was Rinoa so unpredictable?

"Where's Prince Charming?" Selphie teased when Rinoa walked into the cafeteria alone. She wasn't angry with Squall, no she was upset because he'd taken such lengths to protect her and then seemed indifferent.

"I dunno, sulking most likely." Selphie handed Rinoa a tray of food and they sank into seats together.

"Why?"
"Doesn't matter. I'll sort it out." Selphie nodded and smiled. In unison, they dug into their bowls of cereal.

"Selphie?" She looked around. It was the guy from the day before… one of Squall's friends.
"Zell! Sit." Selphie replied kindly, smiling.

"Hey, Princess." Zell said to Rinoa, grinning.

"Why 'Princess'?" She demanded.

"It's what Squall kept saying last night in his dream. When I asked him who his 'Princess' was, he blushed. I'm betting a week's worth of hotdogs (and I can't live without them, mind you) that it was you." Rinoa tried to contain the blush across her cheeks.

"Uh…thanks."

"My name's Zell by the way, combat specialist and ten year winner of the hotdog eating competition." Rinoa laughed.

"Nice to meet you, Zell. Are you very good friends with Squall?"
"You could say that. I'm the closest thing he has to a friend but he sometimes even holds me at a distance."
"Oh…" Rinoa sighed, remembering the way he'd acted towards her. Did that mean he did care but he was just being cautious?

"Don't worry about it, Rinny. He'll come round." Selphie winked. Rinoa laughed at her friend and shovelled another spoonful into her mouth, wishing Squall was sitting with them.

First period was biology. Yet another class with an unknown location and an even more foreign sounding teacher. Following her map carefully and taking extra caution not to walk into anyone this time; Rinoa followed the route to the letter and arrived outside the door before the bell had even rung. She decided to wait for a bit until a few people had gone into the classroom so she wouldn't be stealing anybody's seat.

The bell resounded down the hall and Rinoa counted ten students

before she herself walked into the classroom. It was a fairly large room with two people per bench. Most of them were filled but one of the tables towards the back caught her attention. Squall was sitting alone right at the back of the classroom and her heart did little somersaults just looking at him. Rinoa, knowing the drill, walked up to where the teacher stood, watching her students and showed him her ID card. He nodded.

"You can be Mr Leonhart's biology partner, Miss Heartilly." She nodded excitedly, walking over to sit next to Squall.

"Uh… hi again." She giggled as she sat down next to him, he watched her carefully.

"I thought you were mad at me." Rinoa almost recoiled in shock. Why would she be mad at Squall?

"Of course not, I just wanted to give you some alone time."
"Oh…"
"I'm sorry if what I said offended you…"
"No, it didn't… it's just-" Squall started, his hand reaching towards Rinoa's.

"Today, class, we'll be beginning with…" The Instructor's voice cut through their conversation. Squall sighed, took his hand back and faced the front. Gritting her teeth, Rinoa forced herself to look forwards and push away her disappointment; he'd obviously been about to hold her hand. Using her hand that was already under the table, Rinoa brushed her hand against Squall's causing him to shiver slightly. His hand repeated her action. Rinoa snaked her hand into the warmth of Squall's trying not to grin like an idiot. His face seemed impassive but Rinoa could see the hints of delight in his eyes. She was starting to get better at reading him where others would just think him stoic.

Laid down side by side, Rinoa and Selphie basked in the sun's glow, lapping up its rays and talking quietly.

"Do you think he'll ask you?"
"I don't know, he's guarded but I think I'm finally starting to get him out of his shell." Selphie giggled. "What about you, Selphie? You seem pretty chummy with that Zell guy." She rolled her eyes.

"Pshh, as if. I've got my eye on somebody else." Rinoa pushed herself up on her elbows quickly, shocked.

"Who?" She demanded. Selphie turned into a giggling wreck.

"Someone I've liked for a while. The only problem is I know he doesn't like me back."
"How can you be so sure?" Rinoa asked.

"Because he's a boy that goes out with a girl for a week then dumps them for another one."
"Oh… maybe you can straighten him out." Rinoa winked.

"I wish. But if he would ask me to the concert, oh Hyne I'd never ask for anything again."
"Until the summer sales…" Rinoa laughed.

Rinoa lay on her back again, smiling and thinking fondly of how her hand had felt linked with Squall's.

"Rinoa, can I talk to you?" Looking up, Rinoa saw Squall standing in front of her, blocking the sunlight from her. Blushing furiously, Rinoa stood up.

"Will you be okay, Seffie?"
"I'll be fine, you two have fun." Squall seemed to scowl but he walked away, leaving Rinoa struggling to keep up. They walked all the way back to his dorm. Remembering the number, Rinoa let him hurry her inside.

The room was commission, no posters or pictures anywhere. The room was tidy, everything in its place. Rinoa turned to face Squall.
"What's up?"
"You…" he strode closer, pulling her into a hug. She wrapped her arms around his neck while his slunk around her waist. "How… how can you make me feel like this… without even doing anything?" Rinoa made a confused face. "Cute…"
"What do you mean, Squall?" She knew what he meant but she wanted to hear it from his own lips.

"I can't stand to be away from you, it hurts my heart more than you could ever imagine and… I feel like I'm losing my mind. Last night, I was tormented by the memory of your lips on mine… I could barely get to sleep and when I did, I was tortured by dreams of you…Rinoa… I think I'm losing it."
"No, you're not Squall. I feel the same way." He looked up at her.
"It doesn't feel right when you're not near me and when you are, I just want to pull you close and forget everything, all the pain and…all the damned consequences of what us… being together… could mean."
"Squall, what are you saying?" He leant down, pushing his mouth onto hers, more forcefully than the night before. When he released her, Rinoa felt like falling her head was spinning that fast.

"I know I said I don't want things to go quickly but I can't help wanting to kiss you… and wanting to be with you." Rinoa gasped. "I want to protect you and hold you close, I want to watch the stars with you and I want to be the one you kiss goodnight."

"You will be, Squall." She gulped. "But first, you have to ask me something." His stormy eyes flashed with apprehension.

"Rinny, my Princess… will you go out with me?" She left barely more than a millisecond before she answered.

"Yes, Squall. I will." He grinned, a completely uncharacteristic response. Then, he picked her up and spun her around his small room. Rinoa laughed, never feeling more loved.

"I promise to do everything I can to make you happy." He chuckled, holding her as close to him as he could.

"I know, Squall. I know." Rinoa muttered, closing her eyes and kissing him.