ahh. another chapter! hooray! enjoy.
(addition- i feel like SUCH an idiot!! there were two changes that i had meant to make to this and i FORGOT so the people that read it at first saw my mistakes!! ahh this is terrible!! but i fixed it now!!)
disclaimer- not only do i not own FFVIII, but i don't own Twilight either... and that's what that excerpt down there is from. Twilight, by Stephenie Myer, otherwise known as the world's greatest author... other than J. K. Rowling.
Rinoa watched as an ugly rubber mask retreated through the small crowd of people. Stomping her foot in frustration, she turned, scanning the house for Selphie's bouncy little form… or, a sailor's hat.
She really had been enjoying Laguna's Halloween party. She thought it was a great idea, and a wonderful excuse to dress up, because at the age of seventeen she was considered too old to trick-or-treat without seeming weird. Then, she had seen Squall. And for once, she really didn't want to go and annoy him at all. She just wanted to tell him she thought he had a nice house, and that his dad seemed really nice.
Rinoa sighed. Well, I suppose I don't blame him for running away like that. But come on! It's a Halloween party! Why would he run away anyway? And in his own house? I just do not get that boy one bit. Why does he always have to be so… antisocial? She frowned. And obviously I can't force him to be social… I bet he'd be nice, if he wasn't so… mean…
When Rinoa finally found Selphie, she kicked herself for not looking there in the first place; Selphie was with Zell at the table which was piled high with candy.
"Hi, Rinoa!" Selphie chirruped, before continuing to shove handfuls of candy into her mouth.
Zell, meanwhile, was standing off to the side, grinning and nodding his approval. "I've taught her well!" he said admiringly.
Rinoa laughed. "Selphie… you're going to get a stomachache, and then you're not going to be able to sleep tonight," Rinoa warned.
"Oh, come on, Rinoa! We all know that sugar has no affect on me whatsoever! Right, Zell?"
Zell looked at Selphie, who was bouncing excitedly from foot to foot, apparently unable to stand still, and then back at Rinoa. "Yeah! Of course!" he said confidently. Then, only for Rinoa's ears, he said, "Heh, glad I'm not the one who has to deal with that tonight!" He jerked his thumb in the still-bouncing Selphie's direction.
Rinoa glared.
Then, out of the corner of her eye, she thought she saw a very ugly monster mask that she recognized. With a hasty, "I'll be back, guys!", she left in pursuit of the mask and the one wearing it. She followed him to the kitchen, then to what she thought must be a dining room, then down a hallway, and up a flight of stairs. Then, one left turn and an open door later, she was staring the ugliest rubber mask she had ever seen face to face, and then it was being removed, and then suddenly she wished she was still looking at the mask.
Squall's eyes, while piercing, were filled with irritation and something that seemed a lot like blatant hatred.
"What are you playing at, following me up here?" he almost shouted.
"I-I… wanted to um—" Rinoa stammered, before being cut off.
"To what? To irritate me some more? You never give up, do you? Just leave me alone for once!"
"No! But— I-I really did want to apologize for— I mean, your—"
"I said, leave me alone." Squall's voice had a note of such discordance, such finality, that Rinoa turned on her heel and walked back into the hall.
Her heart was beating unpleasantly fast, as it always did when people shouted at her. Also, her hands were trembling. There was no doubt about it; Squall really was just an absolutely terrifying young man. It was as if his words had been carefully woven with hatred before he spoke them, so that it rung through each and every syllable.
When Rinoa had managed to find her way back downstairs, she discovered that she would rather be anywhere but Squall's house. In fact, she had no wish to ever return to his house… not that, under any other circumstances, she would have wished to come back anyway. But now, she had a real reason to stay away, and she was fine with that. Moreover, she decided that she really never wanted to see Squall again… she felt that if she did, her heart would swell up with fear and she would just run away.
Well, I guess he'll be happy when he realizes I'm not going to bother him anymore, won't he? she thought.
After telling Selphie she didn't feel good, Rinoa left. While walking home, thoughts were flying through her head at the speed of light, and she could hardly grasp one of them before the next came.
First, she thought that she really didn't know why she had insisted on annoying Squall all the time. At first, it had been to get back at him for being unnecessarily rude to her, but she realized that after a while that hadn't been the case at all. No, she had thought, and selfishly, of course, that maybe she could force him to talk. And then, that maybe, after she forced him to talk to her once or twice, he would find that he didn't mind it; enjoyed it, even. Then, she could be the one to say, "I did it! I made Squall normal!" and she could continue their friendship from there.
What a waste of time.
Then, she was thinking that, while he had looked very alarming when he was yelling at her, Squall had also managed to look… well, beautiful. But that thought fled her mind as quickly as it had come.
Then there was another thought, which struck Rinoa as something rather ironic. Thinking back to how intensely Squall had spoken, she realized that he must be one of the gifted few that had the ability to convey their emotions perfectly with words. Rinoa had only ever known a couple of people she thought were good at that, and she wished Squall didn't keep all his thoughts, words, and emotions so bottled up inside. If he would only talk every once in a while, he could probably astound people.
And if Squall Leonhart ever says something that isn't hateful or introverted to me, I'll give him a huge hug.
Since she knew that would never happen, she pacified herself instead with a firm decision to never speak to Squall again. And somehow, even though she had never been able to call Squall her "friend" or even her "acquaintance", she felt a strange sort of loss once that decision had been rooted deeply into her mind. Rinoa had grown accustomed to Squall's irritated sighs and cold glares. To think that she would never get to cause him agitation again was kind of unsettling. But, all for the better, she supposed.
It was then that Rinoa realized just how cold it really was outside— I thought seaside towns were supposed to be all sunshine all the time! Rinoa thought, irritated— and quickly headed to Selphie's house.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
An hour later, Rinoa sat in her room, reading a book as she waited for Selphie. Her eyes widened suddenly as a passage she was reading hit close to home.
It read:
"…What was wrong with him? Was this his normal behavior? I questioned my judgment on Jessica's bitterness at lunch today. Maybe she was not as resentful as I'd thought.
It couldn't have anything to do with me. He didn't know me from Eve.
I peeked up at him one more time, and regretted it. He was glaring down at me again, his black eyes full of revulsion. As I flinched away from him, shrinking against my chair, the phrase if looks could kill suddenly ran through my mind.
At that moment, the bell rang loudly, making me jump, and Edward Cullen was out of his seat. Fluidly he rose— he was much taller than I'd thought— his back to me, and he was out the door before anyone else was out of their seat.
I sat frozen in my seat, staring blankly after him. He was so mean. it wasn't fair…"
Rinoa sat on her bed, staring at the open book in amazement. It was almost as if the author had come to Balamb, met Squall, and then decided to base this "Edward" character off of him. Her initial reaction was to dislike Edward, since she would now think of Squall every time she read his name. However, Rinoa thought she would reserve her judgment on Edward Cullen. Maybe, as the plot thickened, he would become nicer. She knew that if, indeed, he did change as the story progressed, it would give her a sense of hope. Hope that maybe, Squall could turn to a friend after all.
Why do I keep thinking this? Rinoa asked herself. It makes no sense. I don't even know Squall… and yet, I want nothing more than to be able to call him a friend. Not an acquaintance, a friend. She sighed. This is all so confusing…
Then, there came a loud stomping noise, and Selphie burst into Rinoa's room excitedly.
"Hi Rinoa how are you doing did you wait up for me? How sweet of you!" Selphie, who had been speaking at an alarmingly rapid rate, threw herself into Rinoa's arms, apparently overcome with emotion at the idea that Rinoa had actually waited up for her.
"Uhh…" Rinoa began, patting Selphie's back hastily, "Selphie— exactly how much candy did you eat after I left?"
"Not too much why does it look like I gained wait or something? 'Cause I was actually just telling Zell that this sailor outfit was really starting to feel a little bit snug! How on earth did you know Rinoa? Tehe, know-Rinoa. They kind of rhyme!" She laughed appreciatively.
"No, Selphie… it's just that I think you're a bit hyper right now," Rinoa explained patiently.
"Nonsense I'm feeling fine and besides I'm always hyper I thought you would have guessed that by now."
"You should go to sleep," Rinoa told her firmly.
"Okay Rinoa I'll get right on it and in the mean time you get some sleep too good night Rinoa sweet dreams I hope you dream of nice things!"
And with that, Selphie bounded happily out of the room, leaving Rinoa on her bed, shaking her head and smiling.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
A week later, Rinoa woke up to the sound of raindrops on her window, and almost jumped out of bed with excitement. (Of course, as usual, she was way earlier than Selphie, because Selphie was a Five more minutes! type of girl.) She could almost feel it; today was going to be a spectacular day. Not only was it raining, which Rinoa took to be a good omen rather than a bad omen like most people, but it was Friday… and Fridays never went wrong. So, she hummed as she got ready for school, and smiled as she grabbed her umbrella on the way out the door.
Rinoa had always thought that everything looked three times more beautiful when it rained. So, twirling her umbrella above her, she stared at her surroundings even more than usual, admiring how each individual blade of grass had a drop of water on it, or how every flower seemed to be so much brighter in color. Then, to her slight disappointment, she made it to school.
She had been at school for at least ten minutes, when she saw Quistis walking toward her. At first, she couldn't understand why on earth Quistis would be at school; not only was she no longer in school, but she wasn't an instructor anymore, either.
"Hey, Rinoa," Quistis said, smiling.
"Hi, Quistis. Umm, sorry… but, what are you doing here, exactly?" Rinoa gave her a genuinely confused look.
"Oh! Heh, I'd almost forgotten. I'm to give you a message."
Rinoa waited, and when Quistis didn't tell her what the message was, she said, "Okay, what is it?"
"'Miss Heartily, go to the Headmaster's Office immediately,' or something thereabouts."
"So, that means that I should probably be getting to the Headmaster's Office right away, then?" Rinoa asked, starting to go to the elevator.
Quistis nodded. "And, I'll be accompanying you, because I have business there as well."
So, they headed for the Headmaster's Office on the third floor. When they walked in, Rinoa was absolutely astonished to see Squall standing there. He looked just as surprised to see her, and she wondered what on earth the headmaster could want with them. She hoped Headmaster Cid would tell them soon, because she felt slightly awkward standing in the same room with Squall when it wasn't class… especially because she hadn't spoken to him since his father's Halloween party.
The headmaster looked up. "Ah, finally. Miss Heartilly, I'm sure you are wondering why I have called you here, as Mr. Leonhart is." He raised his eyebrows in Squall's direction. "Well, I will get to the point. I am in need of someone to run… oh, an errand for me, you could say. I have called you two in here to do just that."
When the headmaster made a brief pause, Squall opened his mouth to protest. There was something like fury in his eyes.
"But, Headmaster, I—!"
"Mr. Leonhart, would you kindly listen to my request before turning it down? Anyway," he continued, "I have called you both in here for specific reasons. Squall, because he is the only teenager in this entire building that acts nothing like a teenager, and therefore I trust him greatly with matters of importance. You, Rinoa, I am calling in here after Quistis' advice to me. It appears that Mr. Leonhart is lacking in the— ah, people skills department. So, Miss Trepe suggested that I send you with him, because apparently you show an incredible knack for talking to people."
Rinoa smiled. "Anything you need me for, sir, I'll help with."
"Good. So, Squall, will you run this little errand for me?" The headmaster looked hopefully in Squall's direction.
"What exactly is this 'errand', sir? If I may ask?" Squall asked, sounding irritated.
"I have a letter for you to give the mayor of a little town called Fisherman's Horizon," Headmaster Cid replied.
"And, I assume it won't take long?"
Of course he doesn't want it to take long… anything requiring him to spend any time with me probably sounds like utter hell to him, Rinoa thought sadly.
"Oh, surely not. A couple of hours there, a couple of hours back. We already have the ship prepared for you down at the docks, in fact." He gave Squall a look suggesting that he could not possibly refuse after hearing about the ship.
Squall sighed heavily. "Fine."
The headmaster looked delighted. "Good! Here you are, there's the letter I told you about. I'd really appreciate it if you did not look at it, thanks. Now, go to the parking lot, there's a green car waiting there for you… the only green car in the lot. Drive that to the docks, and board the ship from there. Thank you two." He smiled and ushered them out of his office.
"Good luck!" Quistis called after them.
Rinoa followed Squall to the elevator, and, once they were on the first floor again, to the parking lot. They spotted the green car immediately.
"Can… can I drive?" Rinoa asked timidly.
Squall's way of replying was to get into the driver's seat and start the car. Rinoa frowned, getting in on the passenger's side. They drove to the docks and were then quickly steered to the edge of the proper dock, where they boarded some kind of ship. Squall did not speak to Rinoa through the entire process, and she stayed silent as well.
But, once they were on the ship, it was not Rinoa who broke the silence.
"Rinoa," Squall said.
She looked up, startled. "Y-yes?"
"I just wanted to let you in on a little knowledge. There will be no need to speak to me the entire time we are on this ship, or when we get to Fisherman's Horizon. Likewise, there will be no need to speak to me on the way back. I will not speak to you, either. We are here on an errand for the headmaster, so please do not treat this like it's some kind of field trip. I'm not your friend, and I don't intend on acting like it simply because we are stuck on this ship together."
When he finished his little speech, he immediately turned to the window, and Rinoa could tell he did not intend on waiting for a reply or even apologizing for being so blatantly honest. She stared at the back of his head, absolutely appalled at the rudeness with which he had just spoken. Not only that, but he had actually said more than a sentence fragment, and all at once. Plus, he had actually, for the first time ever, said Rinoa's name.
Yeah, he said my name, and then he said the meanest thing anyone has ever said to me. Her thoughts briefly turned to Seifer, and then back to her current situation. Okay, so not the meanest. But wow… he really, truly hates me. Edward Cullen turned nice, wonderful even… but I suppose there's no hope for Squall Leonhart.
Sighing, Rinoa turned to look out her own window.
What a shame. A rainy day, wasted, and all because Squall hated her. And she had woken up with such high hopes for today… but it turned out to be a terrible, disappointing Friday.
She watched as the ocean drifted lazily by. It was surprisingly calm for a rainy day. But, it was iron gray, a perfect reflection of the tempestuous sky.
Then, surprisingly, she giggled to herself. Tempestuous, stormy, rainy… those all pretty much mean the same thing… and Squall means almost the same thing as all of them!
She peeked over at Squall, who was staring at her, glaring, as if daring her to giggle one more time.
"Sorry," she said, quickly looking back out her window.
There was a long, drawn out silence. She giggled again. She just couldn't handle silence.
Squall sighed, obviously annoyed. "Do you have to giggle every three seconds?"
"Yes," Rinoa told him truthfully.
"Well, stop. It's childish and annoying."
"You might try laughing every once in a while too!" Rinoa burst out, before she could stop herself.
Squall glared at her. "Whatever. I told you I wasn't going to talk to you, so please be quiet now."
"You're the one who talked to me, buddy," Rinoa pointed out.
Squall stayed silent.
Rinoa looked back out her window.
This was going to be a long trip.
okay, so i'm really really ridiculously proud of this chapter. i don't know if anyone else feels the same... but yeah i like it. it's the longest one since the first chapter, woohoo! but.. that could just be because of the Twilight excerpt... i wanted to put a slanty face right there but i don't think it'll come out ... and... i can't help but think of Dumbledore when i write anything and say "headmaster"...anyway, review review review review!! and... hooray for today being friday and for EilayAdnayVoilay's three-day weekend, which means that she might possibly update Addicted! ridiculously excited for that!! anyway, review!!!!!!
P.S. i've noticed that now that i've started to tell you to review, you don't review. so i think on the next chapter, i won't say it. lol.
