Disclaimer: We've been over this okay?! I DON'T OWN FINAL FANTASY VIII! I dedicate this chapter to Elendyr who is my most loyal reviewer at this current time! I hope you enjoy this chapter! This is for you!
Squall opened his eyes. He wasn't really aware of what was going on until the fog of a drug induced sleep started to ware off. He was in the infirmary. He let out a loud groan as she started to sit up, feeling a spark of pain when he tried to use his right arm to support himself.
"Easy killer."
Icy blue eyes searched for the source of the voice and he spotted Seifer, He was kicked back on the bed, green eyes on Squall. His arms were wrapped around Aria, who was sleeping against his chest, snuggled into his long jacket. Squall managed to get into a resting position, glancing around the room. Then, back to his sister. He remembered what happened on the Vessel.
"Is she alright?" Squall asked the blonde, who simply looked down at the woman sleeping away in his arms.
"She seems to be." Seifer started. "Not like the medical staff really has any idea of how Aria ticks." He added and Squall nodded.
"Watch her for me, that spell was huge." Squall was actually impressed by the magnitude of it. "I didn't realize she had learned to control her power at that level." He noted, not really to anyone in particular.
"I don't think she can." Seifer replied as the girl squirmed in his arms. "I think it was connected to her emotions. She was terrified of anyone getting hurt." He said. "That must have made the spell stronger." Seifer was guessing of course, he didn't have any idea about Aria's powers anymore than Squall did.
"What about Rinoa and Nina? Are they alright?" Squall asked.
"Nina is fine." Seifer said. "Rinoa was exhausted and embarrassed." Seifer said. "I think she feels guilty for freezing up. She feels like you got hurt because of her."
"What the hell went wrong?" Squall questioned and the blonde across from him just shrugged.
"No idea. But they aimed for you." Seifer said as he shifted a little. Squall glanced over.
"Are you alright?" Seifer and Squall may have only come to some kind of truce due to Aria, but that didn't mean that Squall wasn't the least bit concerned over the blonde. The two had a rocky past. The brunette knew the two would always have a complicated relationship.
"I'm fine, arm's asleep." He said with a soft chuckle. "But I'd rather deal with it than risk waking her. She's exhausted." He said.
Squall chuckled a little and turned to face the door of the room. "She loves you Seifer. Protect her, please." He said to the blonde.
"You don't even have to ask. I'd die for her." Seifer said.
Squall moved to get up and leave when Dr. Kadowaki strolled into the room. "Whoa, Commander, lie back." She came over to his side and ushered him back down, but he simply swatted at her.
"I'm fine. It's a graze." He said.
"Stubborn as ever I see. Alright, Alright. Just let me put this on." She grabbed a sling and slid it over his shoulders and got it clipped up. "It will at least stop you from tearing you stitches." She said as she adjusted it over his shoulder.
"Fine. Can I go?" He asked, slightly annoyed and the doctor just threw her arms up in surrender.
"Alright, Alright. Here, just take these for the pain. Preferably before bed, they will make you rather drowsy." She handed him a small pill bottle and he took it.
"Don't lie to him doc. You gave him a dose earlier and it knocked his ass out!" Squall heard Seifer sound from the bed and he smiled, shaking his head a little as he headed out of the Infirmary.
He walked down the hallway, intent on heading back to his office to rip into some people to find out where the intel for the mission came from. He wasn't exactly paying attention when he rammed into someone. He got a pained look on his face and he glanced up, planning on yelling at the person, but when he saw who was in front of him. He couldn't help but rid himself of all intentions of being an asshole.
"Squall! Thank god! I was just coming to check on you! Are you okay?" Rinoa looked so concerned, he could see a small bruise lining her cheek from where he had smacked her.
"Uh-I'm fine, thanks." He replied back. "It's just a graze." He said for what felt like the one thousandth time today.
"I was really worried." She said, not even holding back the concern in her voice. Before Squall knew what he was doing he had reached out and his fingers ghosted along her cheek.
"Sorry, about this." He said simply.
"I froze. I'm sure you tried other things before you slapped me. It's okay." She said with a smile, she seemed to lean into his touch. He pulled his hand away, trying to straighten himself up.
"Still, I'm sorry." He sighed and moved around her and she turned. "I'm uh- just heading to the office to try and figure out what went wrong." He said.
"You should rest Squall…" Rinoa said, clearly concerned.
"My students could have gotten killed because I got bad intel. Someone is getting their asses kicked for this." It was actually kind of amusing how mad Squall was over this. He wasn't known for showing his emotions too much.
Rinoa opened her mouth to protest but closed it. The male could tell that she understood why he was on the warpath at the moment and she was going to let him do what he needed to do.
"Well, I was just gonna check on Aria." She finally said and he nodded.
"Seifer's with her. Just a warning. He's not in the best of moods." Squall told her and she nodded and turned, walking away. Squall watched her for a second before he turned and made his way back up to his office. Once he got inside he shut the door. Glancing at his desk he walked over to it and walked around to sit down, before he did thought a wave of anger came over him and he slid his arm across the surface. Knocking everything to the ground before falling back into the chair.
Squall heard the door open and Zell poked his head in, walking into the room and letting the door shut behind him.
"WHAT THE FUCK HAPPENED?!" Squall yelled and Zell shrank back at the voice.
"We don't know…" Zell said hesitantly and braced himself for some kind of angry gesture. Whether it be Squall throwing something or yelling again, but Squall said nothing.
The door opened again and in came Quistis, Irvine and Selphie. Quistis turned and shut the door and Squall was grateful for that. He couldn't take anymore people. Quistis glanced around the office but didn't say a word. Her and Selphie just walked over to the mess and started cleaning it up.
Irvine sat down in one of the chairs, so did Zell, once the girls had finished cleaning up the mess they joined the males. Together, they all sat in silence. Squall simply sighed and spoke after a moment, finding the silence a little deafening, which was something coming from the brunette because he usually liked the silence.
"How could it have gone wrong?" Squall asked.
Zell was about to open his mouth again and Squall cut him off. "If any of you say 'we don't know' then I'm going to fire you all here and now. Tell me something, anything." He said.
"Deling" Irvine stated simply. As if it were something he had known all along. Squall glanced over at the cowboy.
"Well… I'm waiting Kinneas…" Squall said.
"Deling is the only logical explanation, who else would hate Balamb Garden and Esthar enough to put something like this together?" Irvine said.
"You think Vinzer Deling was behind this? Do you think General Caraway was in on it?" Quistis asked.
"No, It doesn't sound plausible that he would endanger his own daughter. He was the one who sent her here in the first place." Squall said. "I doubt he had anything to do with it. But at the most, if he did, then he didn't know the full story."
"Who was the target though?" Selphie asked.
"My guess would be Squall." Quistis said. "There was a sniper there, I'm sure of it."
Squall glanced over at his shoulder. That much was obvious.
"Do we retaliate?" Zell asked the million dollar question. Squall leaned back into his chair and thought about that for a moment.
"Right now, we make like nothing is wrong." Squall said. "We don't want to cause a panic before we know all of the details. I'll give Cid a call and see what he has to say about it." Squall felt like he didn't have enough background on the bad blood between Galbadia Garden and Balamb. "Right now, let's just focus on the exam results. How many students took the exam?" He asked.
"Ten." Quistis said, searching through the picked up paperwork to find the file. She handed it to Squall who took it with his good arm. The brunette then set it on his desk and opened it.
"How many do we think passed?" He asked.
"Due to bad intel, I think we should re-hold the exam. No one knew how to react in the situation because it wasn't what they were expecting." Quistis said and Squall shook his head.
"No, if anything good came of this. It made the students think on their feet, which was what we wanted." He said. He heard a knock on the door and he looked up. "Come in" He sounded and the door opened.
Seifer strolled in and took a seat. "Sorry I'm late." He apologized and Squall glanced at the blonde male.
"Why aren't you with Aria?" He asked, maybe his voice was laced with a little more attitude than he intended.
"Rinoa is with her. She was still asleep when I left. So I decided to make myself useful." His jacket was still missing, Squall assumed that he had left it with Aria to comfort her if she were to wake up.
"We were just determining who passed and who failed. Quistis thinks we should void this exam and hold another. What do you think?" Squall asked Seifer, to the surprise of everyone in the room.
"Hell no, this was good. They were forced to think on their feet. It was the most realistic exam we could hope for. They know now to be prepared for anything. As a SeeD you can't always trust that the intel you receive is any good." It made sense, If anyone was not going to side with Squall, then it would have been Seifer.
"Okay, so who passed?" Squall asked, looking over the file.
"Aria. Rinoa." Seifer said without hesitation. "True, Rinoa froze at first, but she stepped in and helped with the protection spell. Together, those two saved our asses."
"But Rinoa froze, that's dangerous. If a SeeD freezes on the battlefield, then it could get someone killed." Quistis shot back.
Squall looked back and forth at the debate, listening to all the points being raised by the two before he thought about his own opinion. He didn't like deciding these things alone and if he trusted anyone with anything, it was the people in the room with him.
"ARIA COULD HAVE DIED IF RINOA HADN'T STEPPED IN" Things were getting heated now. Squall looked over at Seifer who looked as though he was a predator about to pounce on his prey.
Quistis remained nothing if not calm. "Honestly, neither one of those girls should pass." She said simple.
"Explain." Squall said sternly.
"Squall, I know Aria is your sister. But let's face it, they have too much power. Between the two of them, if something goes wrong. It will put everyone at Garden in danger." She said. "If anything we shouldn't be nurturing their powers. We should be finding a way to suppress them."
"Suppress powers that they can't control? Yeah, that's brilliant. What happens when that backfires? Which it eventually will." Seifer's voice was laced with sarcasm.
"Why are you even in this? We all know no matter what you will side with Aria!" Quistis retorted back.
"He's here because I trust him." Squall told her and Quistis looked surprised. "Squall…" She started and he cut her off.
"How would you suggest we suppress these powers?" Squall asked and Seifer interjected
"Squall you can't be-" He was cut off by the leading brunette.
"I'm not saying we are going to do it Seifer, but her opinion is just as valid as yours. I'm going to hear her out." He said simply.
"Dr Odine says he has a piece of jewelry that can suppress the powers of a sorceress." Quistis stated. "I talked to him about it when we started the program and procured a few. Just in case."
Squall looked taken aback for a moment, sighing. "So, you're telling me… You went behind my back."
Quistis started to speak to defend herself but Squall raised a hand, causing her to stop.
"Quistis, you went to Odine, procured these elements without my knowledge, my approval." He said simply as he leaned back a little in the chair. "You better have a damn good explanation."
"Your judgement is clouded by emotions, Squall Leonhart." The female stood up from her chair, placing both of her hands onto the desk. "Ever since you found out about Aria you've done nothing but cater to her every need, even changing this school so that it will accommodate her when she is nothing more than a ticking time bomb, that will explode when we least expect it."
Squall watched her for a moment before sighing. "I'm only going to say this once. You went behind my back. I trusted you and you didn't think to tell me." He sighed. "Quis, I understand why you did it. And if you had come to me, I probably would have told you to get them because we don't know what their powers are capable of. It's a good backup plan. But.." He looked at her. "You didn't tell me. So, We're not using them." Squall said simply, much to Seifer's satisfaction.
"Not that I agree with Quistis…" Zell started. "But, why not?" He asked.
"It's okay Zell, that's a perfectly logical question." Squall said. "It's not that I don't want to keep them under some kind of control. They can't be left to their own devices and bounce around this school. We need to figure a way to keep them… and their powers, in check." He explained. "But, I'm not considering using Dr Odine's creations because we don't know what it will do to the girls." He was worried about their safety. "We don't know much about their powers and how ingrained they are into their systems." He tried to explain it as clearly as he possible could. "We don't know if these things have any side effects, or if it will hurt them or worse. They may be powerful but they are still human beings. They have given us no reason to see them as a threat." He finished.
"No reason to see them as a threat?! Aria's temper is beyond control!" Quistis shouted and Squall glanced over it her. "And her being around Seifer doesn't make it any better. Have you forgotten what a loose cannon he is Squall?!"
Squall traced a finger along his scar, watching Seifer's reaction as he did so. "No, I haven't forgotten. I'll never forget. But…" He looked at the female blonde. "He's mellowed in the past few years. So have I." He said. "Besides, He can control Aria more than any of us here. If anything she listens to him. You may not think it's a good thing Quistis, and it may not be. But, He's the only hope we have of having some kind of control over her. And personally, he's proven himself to be a valuable asset here at Garden. Not just because of Aria." He said.
"Ummm.." Selphie piped in and Squall glanced at her, giving her a soft smile. Selphie wasn't usually involved in these types of meetings because she was so happy and go lucky. She always saw the most positive outcome. It was one of the reasons that Squall trusted her.
"Go ahead Selphie." He told her kindly. "Don't hold back." He said.
"What about Rinoa, I've talked with Aria and she says that Rinoa is powerful, really powerful. I agree that while Seifer is around, Aria's kept in check, as much as she can be. But there really is no one that is keeping Rinoa in check. I think, that… we should worry more about her then Aria." Selphie actually looked and sounded terrified, like saying this would make Squall upset.
"You're right." Squall told her and she looked surprised. "Other than my sister, there is no one keeping her in check. That's something we do indeed need to worry about." He said.
"Squall…" Seifer piped in and Squall glanced at the scarred blond. "She's taken with you. I think, if anyone can keep her in check, it's you." He said.
"I agree." Irvine pipped in, Squall received a thumbs up from Selphie and a nod from Zell. Quistis was the only one who didn't speak.
"Got a problem with that one too, teach?" Seifer spouted.
"Squall has more important things to do than traipse after some girl." The blonde spouted back. "This whole place is under his command. What happens when the students, the staff and SeeD don't trust him anymore, this place will fall into utter chaos." She said.
"He's also twenty years old!" Seifer debated. "Cid should never have put this on his shoulders. Not at twenty, and sure as fuck not at seventeen!"
"Like you care!" Quistis stood, glaring at Seifer.
"Guys… please…" Squall held his hand up again, trying to get everyone to calm down. "We're getting off base and I'm tired and sore, and I got shot today. We're all still on edge from the mission and we all need to get some rest. So, let's just figure out the exam results and get out of here." He said. "Seifer says Rinoa and Aria should pass. Quistis says they shouldn't. Zell? Selphie? Irvine? What do you guys think?" He asked.
"Pass." Zell said.
"Pass." Irvine concurred.
"Pass." Selphie said meekly.
"Pass." Squall said finally. "Then it's settled, Sorry Quistis, you're outnumbered." He said. "The more we make them feel like they belong here. The more chance we have of keeping them contained and making sure they don't pose a threat. We have to find a way to break this never ending fucking cycle of wars between us and them." He said. "That's what this program is all about. If we assume right away that they are going to be a threat, then they will become a threat in order to survive. I'm going to do everything in my power to ensure that doesn't happen." He said.
They settled on two more names. Nina and another boy named Gavin. Squall finally closed the folder and sighed. "We'll post the names tomorrow, and have the celebration tomorrow night. Selphie, I'm sorry but think you can handle the planning on such short notice?" He asked her.
She smiled a little and nodded. "As long as I can focus solely on that then yes." She told him.
"Thank you, we will trudge on without you." He sighed and stood, "This meeting is adjourned, thank you everyone. Get some rest." He said. "Oh and Quistis."
She stopped and turned, they all did. Looking to Squall.
"You're suspended for a month." He said simply.
"What?! Squall?!" Quistis started but Squall stopped her.
"Keep it up and it will be without pay." He said. "You went behind my back. You betrayed my trust. Do it again, and you're gone." He told her. "I think of you as a friend and up until this incident. I trusted you, now, you need to earn that trust back." He said.
Quistis didn't say anything else. She simply turned and stormed out of the room. Clearly upset, but Squall didn't care. He had to assert his dominance in order to keep his position. Even with his friends.
The next morning life went on. Squall was locked in his office most of the day in order to deal with the pressing matters of what had happened in the exam. As well as any possible enemies of Garden. He had a relatively long phone call with Cid about the history between Garden and Galbadia. He also spoke with Edea for a half an hour, learning anything he could about the two girls in his care and their power.
It was two pm when he finally got everything he needed done. He decided to go and check on his sister. Getting up he walked out of the office and down into the main hall of the Garden, stopping to smile and nod a head at a few students who saluted him. He made his way to the infirmary and when he got there he was surprised that Aria wasn't there. He looked around and finally after a moment Dr. Kadowaki came into his sight.
"Where's Aria?" He asked, concerned.
"Seifer took her home this morning." She said with a smile. "I gave him something for her in case she was having trouble sleeping. I would assume she's still with him."
"Oh, Okay, uh- Thank you." He said.
"How's the shoulder?" She asked him. Clearly wanting to make sure he was alright.
"A little sore, but I'm okay." He told her.
A few more minutes of conversing and he managed to excuse himself. Leaving the medical hall of the school and he thought about where to go next. He was sure that if Aria was with Seifer she was fine and he could always stop by Seifer's apartment and check on her. Squall just started walking, finding that his feet took him to the Quad where Selphie was busy arranging the gala that would be held that night.
"Hey Squall!" She said happily, he had no choice but to smile at the brunett. Selphie's smile was contagious and even if Squall had taken a long time to warm up to the green eyed girl. She was one of the closest people in his life now.
"How's it coming?" He asked her.
"Great! Everything will be lovely tonight! What are you doing here though?" She asked him.
"Just wandering around I guess. Decided to come here and check up on you." He said with a smile. "Do you, need anything?" He asked her.
"Okay, who are you and what have you done with Squall Leonhart?" She asked, clearly shocked.
"What?" He questioned.
"In all the years we have known one another, never once have you asked if I needed your help for one of these parties. You usually just hide in your office so that I wouldn't ask you." She said. "I think the drugs are going to your brain."
"Well fine, if you don't want it…" He started to walk away but she grabbed his hand.
"Wait! Actually! I do need something!" She said, stopping him. Squall stopped and turned, waiting on her to tell him.
"I need this up there." She held up a decoration to him. "But even on the ladder I'm too short." She said with a smile and he reached out, taking the decoration from her. He walked over to the ladder and stopped for a moment. Taking off his sling, he carefully climbed the ladder, trying not to jolt his shoulder too much. When he got high enough he shifted a little so he could hold himself on the ladder with his injured arm and put the decoration up with the other. Selphie was at the bottom of the ladder, holding it steady.
"Here?" He asked her.
"Perfect!" She sounded off.
He placed it where she wanted it and climbed back down. She smiled at him and helped him with the sling, putting it back onto his arm. If anyone else close to him saw him without it on, then they would freak out. Telling him that he needed to mind his health. He for sure didn't need the added stress of them doing that.
"Selphie, are you okay?" He asked her as they went and sat down on the brick wall. Squall had been so busy with everything going on that he hadn't really had a chance to talk to his friends and he felt bad because Selphie was always so cheerful. He felt like he neglected her more than any of his friends because she was always so happy.
She nodded, playing with her hands in her lap. "It's hard sometimes, having Irvine going back and forth between here and Galbadia, but he's a great ambassador for Garden. So I don't complain." She said.
"Isn't your anniversary coming up soon?" Squall asked her. He was no good with exact dates, but he usually remembered about things like this. At least when they were drawing near. He knew he was correct when she nodded. "Listen, how about I give you and Irvine a little time away? It'll be my anniversary gift to you." He said. "Say, two weeks? Paid leave and you two can go and do whatever you want." He told her.
She looked over at him, a hopeful look in her eyes. "You would really do that?" She asked.
"Of course, You both deserve it anyways. You're doing great work." He told her as he glanced at the current state of things.
"Thank you Squall! Thank you!" She said excitedly, as if he had just given her a shiny new car or something. She hugged him, but carefully, as not to jar his shoulder.
"You're welcome." He said with a smile.
The two sat and talked for a while, simply catching up on what was going on in their lives. Finally, Selphie had to get back to work and Squall needed to report to his office to greet the passing SeeD candidates. They hugged, something that Squall had gotten use to over the past few years.
He headed out of the Quad and back up to his office, arriving shortly before the candidates. Looking at all of them lined up he smiled. Aria looked positively exhausted, but there was a smile on her face. Her long brown hair was thrown up into a ponytail. He glanced at Rinoa who was smiling at him too. But there was a hint of surprise in her eyes, as if she hadn't expected to pass.
"As of this moment." He started, taking the certification folders from Zell. "You are no longer students of Balamb Garden. You are SeeD's. Everything you have worked for, you have achieved. Congratulations." He walked to each one and presented them with their folders. When he got to Rinoa, he smiled at her before handing her the folder. Walking back to the position in front of his desk he saluted them and the action was returned.
"There will be a gala tonight in your honor. Formal dress or SeeD uniforms. Remember: have fun tonight, but your actions will be the reputation of this Garden. So act accordingly. Dismissed!"
They all turned to leave, and he sat back at his desk. Smiling.
The gala was beautiful, Selphie really managed to out-do herself this time. Squall couldn't be prouder as he entered the Quad. He saw Selphie who was running around as if she was making sure the party was going according to plan. She saw him and came over.
"Well?" She asked him.
"You did an amazing job, Selph." He said as he took a glass of wine from the server who handed it to him.
"Right? Let's just hope that nothing goes wrong." She said, looking around as if she was making sure.
"Selphie, stop working. You're off the clock." He handed her the glass in his hand.
"I never thought you would say that to me!" She said with a smile as she took the glass and took a sip. "You know, you've lightened up over the years. I remember when I first met you. I thought 'whatever' was the only word in your vocabulary." She said with a small chuckle.
"Whatever." He said to her, but he had a smile on his face. Which only made hers bigger. "Selphie, enjoy the party. Stop working." He placed a kind hand on her shoulder and walked past. Greeting some of the more important guests that were present. Making sure to spend adequate time with them.
Finally, after what seemed like forever he sat down at a table. He was on his fourth glass of wine from all of the vain conversation. He still hated having to talk to people he didn't know. Squall Leonhart may have mellowed, he may have even become more open with the people who were closest to him. But when it came to strangers, he was still the cold ice prince with piercing blue eyes as he always had been. He could see other's dancing, he smiled to see Aria dancing with Seifer. His twin sister was nothing but smiles when she was around her knight. The dress she was wearing looked beautiful on her. Even Squall had to admit it. The dark blue fabric matched her eyes. The piercing blue eyes that matched Squall's own. The ends of the dress twirled with her movements, He had to admit, when he had first seen it, it wasn't his style. On the hanger, it looked as though it was a short dress with the skirt attached to make it more modest, but now that it was on his sister's slim figure, it looked amazing.
Squall continued to look around the party. He spotted Selphie, in her yellow dress. That girl always looked best in yellow. She was dancing with Irvine, a loving glow on her face. He saw Zell off to the side, talking to one of the guests. Zell had been the only one who had managed to stay single over the years, him and Quistis and of course Squall. Zell spotted him and raised his glass, Squall returned the gesture and took a sip. Zell's head turned and he stared. Squall's eyes followed Zell's and his face turned to the same expression.
Rinoa walked into the party. Her long hair framed her shoulders, as if connecting to the red strapless dress she was wearing. Squall couldn't help but stare. She looked beautiful. Rinoa looked around for a few minutes before she spotted Squall, smiling she walked over to him and sat across from him, taking the glass that was offered to her.
"Wow.. you look…" He was speechless.
"Really? Thank you." She said as she took a sip. "So, interesting party?" She asked, clearly trying to make conversation. "Or do you usually avoid these types of things like the plague?" She asked with a small laugh. He laughed as well, it did seem like something he would do.
"Even if I tried, I would end up getting dragged down here anyways. It's part of my position here." He said with a smile.
"Well, you look nice." She told him with a smile.
He was wearing his SeeD uniform, which pretty much all of the men in the party were wearing the same thing. "Thank you." He told her as he ran a hand through his hair.
"So…" She started and he glanced back up at her.
"So?" He asked, trying to figure out what was going on in that brain of hers.
"W-Would you like to dance?" She asked him after a moment.
"Oh, Oh no. Thank you." He told her.
"It doesn't make you any less masculine you know. I mean look! Even Seifer is kicking it on the dancefloor." She said glancing over at Seifer, his eyes followed as well.
"It's not that. I-I can't dance." He said.
"It's not that bad! Why do men always think dancing is the worst thing on earth?!" She said.
"No, I mean I don't know how." He told her.
"Oh.. Okay then!"
Squall thought she would drop the subject after he confessed that he didn't know how to dance, but instead she downed the rest of her glass and stood up. "Come on!" She held a hand out to him and he looked at her confused.
"What?" He questioned.
"Come on, Commander." Rinoa emphasized the word 'commander'. "I want to dance and I can't do it alone." She took him by the hand and practically dragged him out to the dance floor. "Come on! Come on!" She said leading him like a lost puppy dog.
Once she stopped, Squall stood there, confused. "Okay!" Rinoa told him as she took a hold of one of his hands. "This one here." She placed his hand on her waist. "Gimme this one." She entwined their fingers. She placed her other hand on his shoulder. "Follow my lead." As she started to dance Squall tried to keep up, which pretty much consisted of his feet skidding across the marble floor.
He stepped on her foot and she stopped for a second. "I-I'm sorry." He apologized and she looked up at him with that goofy smile on her face. "It's alright, let's try again." She said as she placed their hands back into position. Rinoa started again and Squall followed along, seeming to get a hang of it, which made him smile a little. "Okay, Okay, I'm getting the hang of this." He said to her.
Rinoa twirled out and pulled him to her, which caused him to bump into her. As she recovered from the unexpected bump, Squall shook his head. "Nope, no no, Sorry. I-uh- I can't do this." He turned to walk away before she caught his hand.
"You're not getting away that easy!" She told him as she spun around him. He stood in the middle, not really moving. Trying to figure out what the hell she was up too. When she grabbed his shoulder again he automatically placed a hand on her waist. This part he had figured out. Or at least he thought he had until they bumped into another couple on the floor.
"Hey! Watch it!" The male's voice was laced with condescension.
"Oh, uh-Sorry." Squall said nervously and glanced over at Rinoa who was sticking her tongue out at them. "What are you doing?" He whispered.
"They were being rude!" She whispered back as they moved a little.
"We never would have bumped into them if you hadn't dragged me out here!" He told her.
"Squall!" She whispered back harshly, the two were stopped in the middle of the floor. "This is not the battlefield! It's a dance. You're overthinking it! It's not that hard. Get it together!" She told him, which Squall had to admit that sort of shocked him. Rinoa's expression softened. "You can do this. It's simple." She told him.
Rinoa brought them into starting position and smiled at Squall once more. "Don't think." She told him. "Just feel it."
The dance went perfectly. As they came close to one another for the Waltz the fireworks started above them. Squall turned his head to look. He didn't notice that Rinoa wasn't looking at them.
"Pretty." He heard her whisper and he nodded his head. "Yeah." He said back to her, turning his head back to face her. She had the hugest smile on her face.
"You did it. I told you." She said as they moved with the music.
"This.. This feels weird." He said to her with a soft chuckle.
She smiled at him and he smiled back at her. The two didn't move for the rest of the song, they stood in the middle of the floor, as if they were the only ones there and they looked into one another's eyes.
Finally the song ended and they looked around at the people clapping, not for them, but for the song. They both walked off of the dancefloor. For the rest of the party they sat and talked, Rinoa had danced with Irvine and Zell, even Seifer. Aria had stolen a dance from Squall, and since Selphie had seen him dance twice she felt she needed to be the third charm.
As the party started to wind down, they all sat at a table in the back, talking and laughing, and of course drinking. Squall had looked around a few times to see if he could spot Quistis, but she had decided not to show up. She was probably still sour about him suspending her. He wondered if he was too hard on her. But at the same time, he felt like he needed to be firm. It wasn't because he loved his position. It had just kind of been thrust upon him. But he still needed to assert his dominance. Because if he didn't, then they would take it from him. Squall was the type of person who held onto anything he had.
"Squall Leonhart, you are so trashed." Rinoa said as they walked down the empty hallway, toward the elevator.
"Yeah, sorry about that. I didn't intend to drink that much." He said amidst a few giggles.
"Let's just get you home and into bed." Rinoa told him as she walked with his arm around her shoulder, keeping him from stumbling around too much.
"How did you end up being the one to walk me home?" He asked her, his speech slurred.
"Well, Selphie and Irvine decided to go back to their place, I bet you can assume what they wanted to do." She said.
"Gross." He said, laughing.
"Aria and Seifer left, no doubt for the same reason." Added Rinoa.
"Don't need that image in my head." Squall replied.
"And Zell offered to walk you back and you told him that you don't swing that way. Oh and I quote: 'Besides Zell, you're ugly. But I'll be sober tomorrow.' Which by the way, makes absolutely no sense."
Squall burst into uncontrollable laughter. A side effect of the brunette being intoxicated was that he tended to laugh at just about everything. It was like he came out of his shell completely when he was heavily intoxicated.
They finally managed to get into his apartment without any major incidents. Sure, Squall had stumbled a couple of times and even tripped once, bringing Rinoa down with him. But they got inside and she helped him over to his sofa. Sitting him down and sitting next to him.
"I like this side of you. You smile more." She told him as they sat there together.
"I know… I know everyone thinks I have a really massive stick up my ass." He said, his eyes squinting a little. "But.. I have my reasons. And besides...I can be fun! Just ask Selphie, she seems to like me plenty." He said with a soft laugh.
Rinoa couldn't help her laughing. "You are hammered. You need to go to bed." She said.
"No, No, Not yet." He said. "I wanna talk more."
"I didn't think I would ever hear you say that, but okay. Let's talk more." She said happily.
"First. I need water." He told her.
"Okay, Hang on." She got up and glanced around the large apartment, finding her way to the kitchen and she came back with a bottle of water, handing it to him. "You know, you should really eat something. It will sober you up a little." She said.
"Nah, it'll just make me hork. And I hate horking." He said.
She burst into laughter again. "Hork? I don't think I have ever heard that word before in my life." She said.
He opened the bottle and took a sip of it. "Well you have now." He said with a laugh. He started at her for a moment. Rinoa's eyes widened as if to silently say 'what are you looking at?'
"You looked really beautiful tonight." He told her.
"Thank you. You took the words right out of my mouth." She said.
"FYI princess, men don't like to be called beautiful." He said with a smirk.
"Okay. Well, how about 'sexy'?" She asked. "You looked really sexy tonight." She said.
"Are you coming onto me, Miss Heartilly?"
She bit her lip, maybe it was the liquor in her system or the fact that Squall was intoxicated and more out of his shell than he would ever be sober.
"Maybe. Would that be such a bad thing?" She asked him as she moved closer to him, running her fingers along his cheek. Her hand moved upward, brushing some of his chocolate hair from his eyes.
"You-You" He pointed his finger in her face. "You're… drunkfaced." He said.
"No Squall, that would be you." She said with a soft smile. Her patience with him seemed to be never ending.
"Well, Opps. My bad. Did I tell you I got shot yesterday?" He asked her and she giggled.
"I know. I was there." She said.
"Oh yeah…" He slurred as if suddenly remembering it. "I slapped you. That wasn't cool… Bad Squall." He coughed a little.
Rinoa moved and next thing he knew, she was straddling his lap, her dress pulled up high enough so her legs would comfortably rest on either side of him. "Squall…" She said quietly as she tilted his face to look at her.
"Huh?" He said, looking at her. Almost dumbfounded.
"Shut up."
"O-Okay." With that answer from Squall, Rinoa leaned in and kissed him.
A Note from Ayu: WOO! My fourth chapter update of the week! I'm so proud of myself! This chapter was kind of... okay... REALLY long, it's about seven thousand words and when I typed it in my document it spanned nineteen pages, I wanted to cover some of the stuff that I felt like was being left out. So this chapter ended up being probably one of the longest of the story. Although, there are a few things I wanted to clear up because, although they are not brought up as confusing I felt they were rather confusing, so I wanted to take this opportunity to clear them up. Rinoa and Squall have a larger age difference in this story than normal. In the game, as you know they are the same age. In this story, Rinoa is her normal age of 17. Squall, because this is a different story line from the game is actually 20, as is Aria. Seifer and Quistis are both 21. Selphie, Irvine and Zell are also 20.
I felt like I was leaving out a lot of the supporting characters from the game (Selphie, Quisitis, Irvine, Zell) so the office scene was an attempt at bringing them into the story more. I also wanted Squall and Selphie to have some one on one time. I feel like she and Irvine are left out of the story the most, so I thought it was important that they have some more plot behind their characters. I know I made Quistis out to be kind of a bitch. NEVER FEAR! I am not a Quistis hater. I felt like she is the mom of the group kind of. If there was anyone who could challenge Squall openly, it would be her. That is the reason she is kind of against everyone else in this chapter. She is only trying to protect them and such.
I save the best for last! First of all, my favorite cutscene of the entire game is the dance cutscene between Rinoa and Squall, so I kind of stole that from the game. The dialogue of course is mine since they don't speak in the cutscene. Also, yes, when I started the chapter I knew this would be the chapter in which Squall and Rinoa finally get closer and end up sleeping together. No, I did NOT intend on Squall being drunk. I just thought it would add a little humor to the story and to Squalls character!
I REALLY hope you all enjoy this chapter. This is probably by far my favorite that I have written so far! I am planning on attempting to get one more chapter up this week since I just started my days off from work. I'm gonna shut up now because I'm rambling lol! On to my reviewers!
Elendyr - I'm really happy that you liked the suspense and the chapter! Thank you so much for your reviews! I wish I got more, because as a writer it makes me so happy and it makes me want to continue the story and push to make it better. I really REALLY hope that you enjoy this chapter! As for the idea about Squall and Aria being twins, that really came out of nowhere for me. I wanted something different I guess. Although Ellone has yet to make an appearance, she will. That I promise and there will be more of the other characters in there. Again... THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS REVIEW!
