Chapter 9: Pieces…
1:55am— Monterosa Plateau, Galbadia
Squall slammed the trunk of his car shut. After having assured the safety of the contents within, he'd only need to check for two more things before he was able to go back inside the safe house where Rinoa was still asleep.
After driving from Deling City for over three and a half hours, they had finally reached Monterosa where everything passed this point would be considered the Yaulny Canyons in Timber territory. It was safely hidden away between the mountains and in a forest area where the next town was well out of sight. The only ones who would know of this place's existence would be he and his fellow teammates. The real test at this point would not be if the enemy could find them first, but if his team could actually be considered his friends and not sell this location out to anyone—at least for a few a hours. He needed rest.
He sat in the vehicle and then pulled the door shut. The lack of sleep stung at his eyes, but there was no time to give in, no time to rest. He had been outside scanning their surroundings using an instrument that was built into his car. He wanted to be certain they were safe. So far it proved useful, they were in the clear as he'd hoped; however, he knew that the special force would be after them again. He did not expect that this peaceful retreat would be a permanent stay at all.
Sure they'd found this house in the past abandoned and fixed it to withstand an array of attacks, but it was not designed to handle the same brute force that had been inflicted upon his car. He'd been thankful for the technology available to him for now. Without it, they would be dead.
They were never going to stop coming after him. He couldn't define 'they' just yet, and it was beginning to piss him off. Furthermore, how would he ever tell Rinoa everything without sounding like a criminal? The media already did a good job of destroying his image.
Turning on the car radio, the first sound Squall heard was of a radio personality exploding with breaking news content. At this point, it was still the same news he'd heard since first arriving at the safe house with Rinoa. It was the media's job to report, or drill, the same topic in the public's mind until everyone was paranoid by it. Listening until you felt like said criminal, or in this case the enemy, was watching you sleep at night or breathing down your back so faintly, the back of your neck hair stood up.
Squall shut the program off, having heard enough.
How could he possibly explain anything to her now?
Since the area was still clear of all suspicious activity, he would now make his way back inside the one level safe house. Hopefully Rinoa was doing okay, though she was probably still sound asleep within. She had a lot on her plate at the moment, probably worse in some cases when compared to his. He would still never be able to bring himself to fully ask who she'd been involved in the car accident with and where it took place. If only they hadn't attacked his car, that episode of her reliving the past would never have happened.
He hated being forced to bring her along in this situation and if it was just him, he would tell her that it was just another emergency and leave. Even so, he wondered how many more times she would allow him to get away with doing that. Even he was tired pulling the same excuse.
Once inside the house, Squall found Angelo waiting at the door for him. Bandages covered his front leg where the shards and pieces of the door had once penetrated him. After having gotten Rinoa into bed as soon as they arrived, Squall took some time cleaning the dog's wounds and bandaging him up. Angelo was a good sport, allowing Squall to remove the debris without as much as a cry. He was such a strong hearted dog, a strong companion for Rinoa. Apparently, the dog was now growing concerned for him as much as Rinoa.
Squall reached down and scratched the top of Angelo's head softly with a smile, happy to have grown so close a relationship with the canine. Angelo decided to tag along with him after that, taking well paced steps as to not upset his wounded front leg and paw.
The young man walked into the opening foyer which was a living room and kitchen in one. He placed his keys on the kitchen counter and made his way to the refrigerator. There he grabbed two bottles of water and then shut it with a thud. The cabinet beside the refrigerator and overhead was reserved for expensive medicines, Squall grabbed a full bottle from the back labeled Elixir which was a powerful pain killer brand. Afterwards, he made his way out of the kitchen and continued into the hall. The long hallway extended from the kitchen all the way to the back of the house. There were four doors on the left side and one in the middle on the right. The four doors on the left were four bedrooms whilst the one on the right led into to a large workout room that equaled the combined length of the four rooms across the hall.
This house would be what they, he and his team, referred to as a second home away from Balamb. Each of them had taken turns living here in between missions across Galbadia. After moving into his apartment in Deling City, he rarely came back to stay here and now the responsibility of its upkeep fell mostly upon Zell and sometimes Selphie. For good or bad, both were not present at the moment. Squall was glad Selphie had lived there for a while because she left a decent amount of clothes in her wardrobe. He was sure Rinoa would want to get out of the dress and change into something more suitable and comfortable for car travel. Who knew how long they'd be on the run…or if she'd even want to keep going with him?
Squall stopped at the second to last room, hesitating at the door. He was filled with raging nerves. He would finally have to tell Rinoa everything. This was probably going to be the most difficult task he had ever faced before, including going up against soldiers from across the world and having sometimes only himself to rely on.
The brunet steeled himself and then opened the door to find it pitch black inside the room.
She's probably still asleep.
Squall made his way into the room and placed the water bottles and medicine on the nightstand beside her bed. Oddly enough, he could not sense her presence on the bed. Curiously he reached his hand over and touched the area to find only the blanket, sheets, and one empty pillow. Squall reached for the lamp and tugged at its string. With the sudden light emanating from the lamp, it confirmed what he feared might be true. Rinoa was not in bed.
He caught Angelo's figure at the corner of his eye and turned around to face the dog, finding him lingering outside of the small bathroom door. Rinoa was probably inside. Squall took a deep breath and paced toward the narrow door.
He knocked softly and waited for her response. After another prolonged moment, he sighed knowing he'd have to force a response from her.
"…Rinoa…" Squall said into the door, his hand still balled into a fist against the frame. Nervousness vibrated his speech. "…Are you in there?"
Inside the restroom, Rinoa closed her eyes and leaned her back against the door. She felt him pressed up against it on the other side. Her heart raced maniacally the moment she heard his voice. She hadn't exactly prepared herself for this confrontation.
"…Are you okay?" His voice was muffled by the wooden door, but the concern was still present and evident. "…I brought you a couple bottles of water. I'm sure you're thirsty. I, uh…I also grabbed some pain killers and left them next to the bed. You can't miss them. It's underneath the lamp."
"…Thanks," she said, genuinely grateful that he brought bottled water to her. Her throat was still not its best, even after she'd taken in some tap water from the sink to help quell her dehydration.
Squall released the breath he held unknowingly at her quick and easy response.
"Rin," he whispered. "…There's something I've been meaning to talk to you about. It's very important." Squall pressed his forehead against the door and took another shaky breath. "…If you're busy, I'll wait till you're done. I…I just want to talk to you."
"…You can tell me now."
Squall wrinkled his eyebrows in confusion. Judging by the sound of her voice, she was leaning against it and purposely barring his entry. He reached for the doorknob and gave it a turn only to confirm that the handle wouldn't budge. Rinoa had already locked the door.
Either something was wrong or…she knew.
"Rinoa..."
"…I went all those months thinking you were a railroad engineer. I actually believed you had a crazy work schedule and that you were just a nice, regular guy who was sweet, caring, and fun. You were a loving person to me…to Angelo…to anybody who came into contact with you. You made me feel special, really special. I've never felt so special in my entire life."
Squall drew in deep breaths at the door, closing his eyes and squeezing his hand around the doorknob.
"…And then," Rinoa continued. "…I turn on the TV to find out that you…you're suspected of attacking the president! Everything makes sense now. Everything... Everything from your injuries to your work schedule, how you were able to fight off those guys and it's also how we managed to escape those bikers. …There's no need to tell me anything now, Squall. I already heard all about it," she said from behind the closed door. Rinoa grinned hollowly. "I haven't been able to wrap my mind around a lot of it, but for the most part I understand that…everything we had, everything was a lie."
"No! It's not a lie!" Squall finally spoke up. "I was…I was about to tell you the truth just now. Do you have any idea how hard it was not to tell you anything over the past months? It's not a glorious job. I could never find the right words or the right time to tell you what I did for a living. I planned to tell you last night, but I…I got so caught up in the moment with you and it escaped me. I didn't want to lose that with you, Rinoa. I never wanted to lose what we had. The next thing I know those guys ambushed the place and then I focused on keeping you alive, getting you to safety first. I have always intended to tell you the truth."
"They said you're a SeeD who attacked the president... The only reason we were ambushed was because of what you did!"
"No, I didn't attack the president. I was a SeeD, yes, but I actually quit five days ago! I was ordered to investigate the president. I never assaulted him nor would I take it upon myself to do so. I don't even know where the media got that idea. If the story's being broadcast on TV, I'm willing to bet there was no surveillance footage of me in action on screen. I'm being framed, Rinoa. I was coming here to tell you that, to tell you everything!"
Rinoa listened to his voice, studying his tone closely. She knew Squall well enough to distinguish between the lies and the truths that he told. Although hard for her to admit it, his speech patterns now was what it sounded like when he was telling the truth. Even so, how could she believe him so easily? She'd be a fool, right?
"Look, I'm sorry you had to hear that about me on the news. I really am because I was supposed to be the one to tell you about my real job months ago, but the media took that responsibility away from me. I should've just told you everything when I had the chance, or even yesterday before any of this got started," Squall muttered that last bit.
Her eyes burned with anger, confusion, and sadness. The girl rested her face against the doorframe. It felt warm like Squall, filled with his body heat, filled with his anger and determination; just like hers.
"Rin…you're my biggest priority now. No matter what happens, I'm going to protect you. I'm going to make sure you're safe. Even if you don't believe anything that I have to say about what's happening right now. I never intended for this to happen, and I'm…I'm so sorry I got you involved. I just hope I'm not too late… I need you to understand that," Squall murmured through the door.
Rinoa's heart was pounding inside, as had Squall's. Her eyes filled swelled up with heat and tears.
"Please," Squall said, wondering if she would ever speak to him again. He imagined that he was touching her face instead of the wooden door between them. He'd much prefer to tell her while looking into her eyes anyway.
"I…don't know what to say to you, Squall." Rinoa answered in a whisper. "…I really…don't know what to say."
"…"
Hot tears escaped her eyes. She covered her mouth and hid her cries from him knowing that probably just as hurt as she was by her response.
He would never be able to touch her again.
Squall turned around and placed his back against the door while Rinoa buried her face in her hands. She cried silently to herself. All the days and time they'd spent together came rushing back to her recollection. How could that sweet and loving guy be capable of so much violence? Violence she witnessed firsthand at various times in their night together. How was she supposed to see the same guy in him now?
He leaned his head back against the door and stared at the ceiling. Unbeknownst to Rinoa, Squall heard her crying all along. The fact that she refused to let him in to comfort her ripped his heart in two. His eyes stung with heaviness.
Squall slid down the door fame and sat on the floor, focusing on the low ceiling of the room. Maybe someone would find him and stab a real knife into his heart. That would probably hurt less by far.
There was silence between them, sadness filling the air around them. Not a single thought of anything else passed through his mind at the moment, but Rinoa. He had failed the most important person in his life. What was the point of anything anymore?
Angelo approached Squall as he sat on the floor, his nubby tail wagging happily. The dog sniffed at Squall's eyes, trying to lick away the salty fluid at the corners of his face if not for Squall moving away in time. Persistently, Angelo gave him one lick across the cheek, finally causing Squall to smile. He looked over at him and scratched underneath the canine's chin. Thanks, buddy. I'm sure she needs you right now too.
"Rinoa," Squall's voice was low and crackly, "Angelo wants to see you."
"…Angelo?!" Rinoa gasped and uncovered her face. She cleared her throat and unlocked the door.
Squall reached the doorknob behind him and helped to open the door, allowing Angelo to trot through to his owner. He closed the door after the dog and leaned back again, satisfied at hearing the sounds of Angelo's happy whine and Rinoa's comforting murmurs during their reunion.
Squall closed his eyes and absorbed the memory he would never have the pleasure of seeing with his own eyes.
"His leg…" Rinoa said suddenly, sounding to be sitting on the floor now as he was.
"I stitched it up," Squall answered. "He was injured in that blast from your front door earlier. It's not too bad of a cut, though. He'll be fine."
"…Thank you for doing that."
"You're welcome." With that, Squall sighed in relief. It was good to hear her sounding normal again. At least she had finally stopped crying.
"…Squall," Rinoa's voice emerged from the door again. "…Regardless of what's being said about you right now, you kept us alive. …I can't deny that. But even if you are telling the truth about the president, it doesn't change the fact that you're still wanted. What do you suppose I do, go along with you until they capture you? …I…I just don't know what to say about that."
"..All I wanted was to tell you the truth before any of this came to light. I'm not going to force you to do anything against your will. Believe me, if it hadn't been for the way they blasted into your apartment last night, I might've just told you everything right there and then disappeared to deal with this on my own."
"…That sounds familiar," she released a hollow laugh.
"…I'm not proud of my track record," he admitted. "…But I couldn't let you stay there alone. It's way too dangerous now, and I certainly can't go back in time to tell you my life story before everything starts. It didn't happen to my liking, but…I'm actually really glad you know everything now." Squall took a deep breath and continued. "We probably won't be able to stay here much longer and I can't force you to trust me, but I want you to know that I'm innocent. I'm being framed by someone and I'm going to find a way to prove it. If you believe me, then…I'd love it if you'd come with me. I'll figure everything out along the way. I'll keep you safe."
"…And if I don't?"
"…If you don't believe me, then I'll still take you to some place safe…but you'll never have to hear from me again. I can promise you that, too" he said. "…Whatever you decide to do, Rinoa, I'll respect your decision."
"You're gonna keep running?"
"…I have to. I don't have a choice anymore." Squall took a deep breath and stood to his feet. "I'll give you some time to decide, but remember, we can't stay here much longer. Now might be the best time to get cleaned up and ready to go at any second. I'll be in the first room if you need me."
"…Okay."
Rinoa took his advice and got cleaned up. She would take a quick shower and change into some clothes from the wardrobe. She was able to piece together an outfit that would suit the needs of one on the go. There was something about this female's style that suggested she took a liking to skirts and hiking boots. Thankfully, Rinoa found a fresh pair of black tights, a large and black spaghetti strap shirt that fell down at the top of her thighs like a miniskirt- dress, and a baby blue hoodie that she wore over it all. She found a pair of black hiking boots and a fresh pair of socks to comfort her feet for the duration of the trip.
Squall also decided he'd get out of his date night clothes and head to the shower as well. He might not have been able to take one for as long as he needed, but he'd make it a quick an effective ten minute shower. But even setting a time limit, he could not stop his mind from wandering through all the curves and branches of his deepest thoughts. He did his best thinking while in the shower after all. He had to think of a place to go should unsuspected danger befall them, and there was his problem. He should have already figured everything out by now, but he hadn't. He could easily blame this shortcoming on the lack of sleep.
Although it was a major tale tell sign of insufficient sleep, deep down he knew he could not move forward until Rinoa had reached a decision as well. He really wanted her to go with him, to believe him. Hell, he couldn't even finish a mission properly without thinking about her at least twice in the past. She really was a major part of his life whether Rinoa wanted to believe that or not, and whether he wanted to accept it at all.
After showering and towel drying his hair, Squall was now adorned in his working attire; white shirt over dark leather pants and steel toed, black combat boots. He'd have to explain more clearly to Rinoa about the belt straps on his right thigh that would usually hold throwing knives for swift combat decisions. All of his gear was still in the trunk of the car and ready to go. Now that he was good as new, he figured it might be the best time to get at least one hour of sleep. If not, he'd be forced to make a pot of coffee and drink the entirety of it in an attempt to stay awake and active for any unseen danger.
At 2:45am, he was finally able to lie in bed for the first time. With closed eyes, Squall tried to welcome rest, but nothing came of it. His mind only chose to remind him of how long it'd been since he caught sleep. The train ride back from Trabia following the investigation was probably the last time he had gotten close to full sleep, and even that was short lived because Irvine and Zell insisted on telling him about much of a pain in the ass Seifer was. Too many thoughts crossed his mind at once. He also felt there were too many things out of his control to just take a complete load off. If he did allow himself to sleep, would he be placing them in danger? What was the worst that could happen anyway? They might kill him and take Rinoa away, rescuing her from her supposed kidnapper and president assaulter, or whatever else the news was tossing around about him now. Regardless, dying was always an outcome possibility.
Squall shook his head at the impeding thoughts of death and hopelessness, now he was being plain ridiculous.
A headache began brewing at his frontal lobe and right behind the eyes, the kind that occurred when one forwent sleep.
Suddenly the pattern of the airflow around him changed, like something was pulling it toward the door now. He opened his eyes and found Rinoa looking at him from the now opened door.
"I'm sorry…are you sleeping?" She asked.
He shook his head first. "…I can't sleep," he said while reaching over to the lamp on the left table of his bedside. He pulled the string and caused a soft light to fill the room.
Rinoa sighed and stepped into the room, shutting the door behind her. He was surprised to find that Angelo hadn't followed her in. She sauntered toward him on the bed.
"What's wrong?" Squall asked while sitting up from the bed, rubbing his forehead and then looking up at her.
"…A lot's happened today…and I," her eyes fell down to the floor. "…I don't wanna be alone right now."
Squall softened his eyes and then motioned his head to the empty space on the left side of his bed where he made space by moving over a smidge. A tiny grin appeared on her face, a smile of relief. She walked closer and slid into the bed beside him. He took notice of Rinoa's change in appearance and the sweet scent of feminine shower gel filling the room with her slow descent onto the empty sheets at his side. The brunet turned over in an attempt to clear his mind. Now was not the time to think of her romantically.
Being closer to the lamp, Rinoa turned it off and continued facing the wall with her back to Squall's. Leaving her tithes to the pillow, he rested his head onto his arm, eyes wide opened.
"…I thought a lot about what you said," she muttered, placing her head to just a corner of the pillow behind her.
Squall remained quiet and focused on the wall beside him.
"You've always held my best interest at heart…And although I'm scared of what could possibly happen to us," Rinoa said, inhaling and exhaling gently. "…I believe you, Squall. I thought you should at least know that."
She reached her hand backward and found his arm as it rested on his side, and looped it together with his.
All at once, Squall felt every ounce of tension escape and release from his being. He could not express the amount of relief he felt upon hearing Rinoa's words.
The brunet turned around and scooped her body into an embrace from behind, squeezing her tightly. He rested his face between her neck and shoulder. Rinoa reached up and touched his arms as they enveloped her from behind.
"Thank you, Rinoa," he murmured into the crevice of her neck.
Rinoa smiled and enjoyed his warm embrace around her body. Regardless of his real job, Rinoa chose only to focus on his heart. The outside world might never understand why she would choose to stay by his side, but she could not turn down the voice that was in her heart since he first told her the truth. Her heart told her that this was the right decision. She had to stand by his side even if no one else would. Rinoa wondered what her parents would think of her decision right now. They'd probably think she'd lost her mind.
Rinoa gasped all of a sudden.
"…Squall! What about my mom? I need to talk to her," Rinoa said while sitting up from his embrace. "Do you…do you still have your phones? Either of them…?
"Yeah, I do, but…"
"But what…?"
"…Just be really careful. Someone will probably tap into my phone if you stay on too long."
"…I guess you're right. Still, I need to make sure they're okay."
"I understand," Squall nodded and sat up as well. He reached beside him and grabbed his everyday phone and then handed it to Rinoa.
Rinoa took it gently and then opened the dial screen. She pushed her parent's house number, send, and allowed it to ring. Rinoa brought it to her ear and listened as it began in a low dial tone and then rang well beyond several times before she became disheartened and hung up. She offered the phone back him, sadly. Squall took it and placed it back at his side, next to his work phone. No one answered. Frowning, he threw his arm around her where Rinoa took comfort and rested her head on his shoulder.
"I'm worried about my parents, more specifically, my mom," she said. "I spoke to her yesterday. After I realized I didn't have anything to wear for our date, I went back home to check my old closet at their house…and I found my mom."
"Really..?" Squall lifted an eyebrow.
"Yeah…" Rinoa answered. "…I'm just worried about her. She was alone in that huge place."
Squall's arm muscles flexed around her, and Rinoa couldn't help but to notice.
"What is it?" Rinoa asked.
"Huh? …Nothing. Just listening…"
"…You tensed up," Rinoa said and waited for his response. It was the second time she'd taken notice of his bodily changes whenever something did not sit well with him. It was funny how she never noticed that about him before these chaotic events started happening.
"It's great that you saw her, Rinoa. I'm just remembering all the times you told me you couldn't get a hold of her recently…I'm just really surprised you saw her, is all."
"Well, she's been busy with making preparations. It couldn't be helped."
"Right…" He said and lied back with his hands beneath his head, staring at the dark ceiling.
Rinoa couldn't shake the feeling that Squall had other thoughts going through his mind at the moment. She moved over into his line of sight, trying to find his eyes in the dark.
"…What…?" Squall asked when their eyes finally locked in the darkness, knowing she would pry.
"What are you thinking about?"
"…." You won't like the sound of this. Squall took a deep breath. "…It's fine you saw her, but what was she doing there?"
"…She said she was there to collect their clothes for the upcoming events. They'd somehow forgotten to pack the clothes that mattered beforehand…Why?"
"...According to the news I heard earlier, President Martine was assaulted two days ago. Where was she then?"
"…I don't know, maybe Deling City already? She said she'd done some shopping and forgot to let me know that she was back in town."
"She's expected to attend the banquet with your father, right?"
"…Yeah, as one of the head event coordinators in attendance there. What's your point, Squall?"
"Then she'd be considered an exclusive member and would have already known about the attack before it reached the media."
"Squall…" Rinoa warned him.
"Something's not adding up, Rinoa. What was your mother doing back in town?"
"She said…she said came back to get their clothes," Rinoa repeated, although this time with a bit of uncertainty which was even more apparent as she continued, "My dad had been asked to do a special favor for the president and would be really busy…that I probably wouldn't see him until after everything was over…"
"Since investigating Martine, I realize your dad has a close friendship with the president because they'd worked together years before he reached that title," Squall said. "But if President Martine was attacked, everybody closest to him will be questioned about it as well. Why was your mother back at the house…and alone?"
"I…I hadn't even thought about that," Rinoa said. "…I don't know, Squall. What if she was completely unaware of the attack? Maybe, you know, she was uninformed due to her shopping spree? I mean looking at my mom yesterday, she looked fine. She was acting like herself. I didn't see anything wrong with her. She was just being herself. I don't want to think about my parents that way, especially my mother, Squall. I can't do it."
"I'm sorry… I'll drop it," he said. That's why I didn't want to say anything.
Rinoa touched her hand to his chest, feeling his heart beating beneath her finger tips. Squall moved his hand atop hers and squeezed it in his palm.
"…I think this is a going to be very complex situation," he said "one that goes well beyond the two of us. You'll have to pay attention to everything now. Did anything else happen out of the ordinary yesterday?"
"…I don't…" Rinoa gave his question some serious thought, but nothing came to mind except... "Now that I think about it…something strange did happen as I was leaving the house…"
Squall allowed her to continue.
"…It might just be a coincidence, but….there was a motorbike that cut in front of me as I was leaving the driveway. I'm still not sure where he was going or where he came from. I just know that it scared me and Angelo really badly."
"…A motorbike?"
"Yeah…the bike was black and the driver was wearing all black, too, kind of like those bikers from earlier. But it could've just been a crazy driver who was looking to cruise or I just turned out into the street too fast without paying attention. Like I said, it's probably nothing."
"…Hopefully you're right," Squall said. …No, that's no coincidence…
"Anyway, I didn't talk to my parents very much, but I don't feel comfortable thinking of my family in that way… To tell you the truth, I'm not sure what to feel about anything anymore… How do I even know that they're okay? We can't and won't be able to find out anything else about them for now. I…don't wanna think about it anymore."
"I'm…really sorry, Rinoa," Squall sat up again and brought his hand to her face. "…I wish…I wish things didn't have to turn out like this, either."
"It's okay," she said and then eased closer to his body where his arms fell around her again. Their bodies filled the bed together. Squall rested his hand on her midriff and closed his eyes.
Julia Caraway…what are you hiding?
Eventually the two fell asleep together, comfortably in a spooning position. Squall snuggled closely behind Rinoa and squeezed her body in his arms. Although Rinoa hadn't spoken it, she would treasure the remaining time they'd have together. It was the best sleep he'd gotten in a while as well, till about an hour later when he felt a buzzing vibration behind him.
The sound of bells filled the room. His work phone was now ringing. He reached back and grabbed it up from the bed. With the screen fully illuminated, he read two missed calls and one incoming call from Mr. Ego. Sliding the digital bar across its front, he answered the call with a stifled sigh.
"Leonhart..." the brunet answered, trying not to wake Rinoa.
"I don't know where you've been, but we've got serious trouble out here."
"No shit, Seifer," Squall replied, as he pulled back slowly from behind her.
"Where are you now?"
"I'm on the move at the moment. Been too busy trying to stay alive to take any calls… What about you?"
"I'm at the lodge. It's too early in the morning for this shit," Seifer complained.
"I'll say," Squall agreed. "You mind telling me when the hell this turned into an assault…? When it made the news for that matter?"
"Ruined your honeymoon, did it?" Seifer laughed.
"This isn't funny."
"He's still in critical condition, huh."
"That's what I heard on the radio."
"As far as I know, someone found out about the investigation and gave that information— to the army, which is why I had military gunning after my ass all night in Timber..."
Those guys were military forces…? No way. They looked so…
"I also had the pleasure of almost being blown sky high by a freaking tank at midnight."
"…What about the headmaster? Has he said anything else?"
"I'm sure you've heard his statement to the press by now. The old man couldn't handle all the pressure and attention Galbadia's been showering him with after our alleged assault. He doesn't want to be held accountable for anything, not even for the initial investigation that started everything, and it gets worse..."
Squall took a deep breath.
"Cid renounced us. Since he claims we acted solely of our own accord, he wants to show his support and newfound loyalty to the galbadian government. He's now in cahoots with the army in our search, meaning it's not just gonna be the military that's after us. You'll have to watch out for SeeD now, too. They plan to capture and/or execute us since we've been labeled a threat to the galbadian society."
So that was SeeD…? Not their usual tactics, though… "…What about the others? Are they okay?"
"As the ring leaders, Squall, you and I are taking full responsibility for this. I doubt the others will be mentioned, so I'm sure they're okay."
"Good. At least some of us have good news today."
"I wouldn't celebrate too fast. We might actually have to go up against them soon. They're still under his orders."
"…I know," the brunet said. He might never be free again. "…I'm gonna have to go now. They might try to track us."
"Don't tell me your wife's there. That would totally suck for you."
Squall glanced at Rinoa with a sigh and furrowed his eyebrows, glaring at the ceiling.
"…I don't care about not being a SeeD anymore, but I'm not going to let them kill me before I get down to the bottom of this."
"Touché... Stop by if you can. We'll be in touch."
"All right," Squall said and then terminated the call. He placed the phone back at his side and rubbed his forehead, then looked over at Rinoa again. He crawled behind her again and pulled her closely against himself. "Rinoa, we gotta get up."
Rinoa murmured in foreign sleep tongues while shifting from her sleep. Squall couldn't help the smile that took over his face. Begrudgingly, he unclasped his hands and arms from her body and sat up.
"Rinoa, come on. Wake up. We gotta go," he said while tapping her thigh.
"Where are we going, Squall?" She asked finally, turning over and rubbing her face.
"I have to meet up with Seifer, my coworker, and confirm something."
She titled her head quizzically and faced him. "Seifer…?"
"Yeah…"
"…You worked together long?"
"Long enough," Squall answered while stretching his arms overhead, a yawn accompanying his response.
"Is he like a friend to you?"
"…I don't know," Squall shrugged his shoulders and let his arms drop. "I guess I'd like to believe that right now."
"…You don't know? Don't you trust him?"
He took a deep breath. "We've worked together for a long time. We respect each other and our skill set, and we don't get in each other's way. It's just a mutual understanding. At this point, it doesn't matter what he is to me, we just need to find out a little more information and then I'll keep going."
"…I bet he's the one…" Rinoa muttered softly, finally sitting up as well.
"He's what now?" he looked over at her quickly.
"…That night you got the strange phone call. He's the person who called you, right?"
"Maybe, why..?"
"…Oh nothing serious, but if he's the guy who called you, interrupted us, made you upset and have to go…then I don't think I like him very much."
"That makes two of us," Squall grinned, to find Rinoa shoving him playfully. How he can find laughter in a serious situation like this one was beyond her. She couldn't help the smile that formed across her mouth either.
"Come on," he said while standing up from the bed, and then helped her up as well.
It was about four thirty in the morning and he was glad to see another day. The sky had yet to show any signs of the new day though.
After some secondary washing up, the two emerged from the room fully awake and refreshed.
Squall went back to Rinoa's first room and found Angelo asleep on the bed. He woke Angelo, reclaimed the pain killers from the table top, and had the dog follow him to the front where Rinoa was waiting. She gathered more water and some snack foods from the kitchen in a small box. Afterwards, Rinoa joined him as he opened the front door and scouted the area. So far no threat was in sight. For a moment, he considered that the plateau might be the best place to hideout should it become too dangerous to proceed, but then he didn't want to remain in Galbadia or Timber any longer than they needed to.
"Let's go," he said, leading them to his car and unlocking the doors.
Inside, Squall adjusted his car with the dim morning light so that it would blend in with their surroundings. After leaving the safe house, he pulled through onto the main road that would lead them out into the open highway. They would be heading to a lodge found near Obel Lake. Taking the main road to Timber would get them there faster and easier, but it would still take more than a couple of hours to reach the area by car. Not to mention, he was at a half tank of gas already.
"…You know…" Rinoa began, "if you wanted to get me out of work today, Squall, all you had to do was ask nicely."
He smiled and shook his head, glad to find her sense of humor returning too.
The drive was mostly a quiet one. There were thoughts shared by the two of them traversing their minds, other thoughts that didn't seem worth mentioning, and sometimes Rinoa wondered about his past, the parts he couldn't tell her before. Over all, she knew the questions would become clear as her mind was able to wrap around and absorb the information she'd learned about him thus far. In the meantime, she entered an unspoken agreement with him that they would keep it as light as possible for now. However, some questions became apparent and natural.
"…What…what made you become a SeeD?" Rinoa asked, turning away from the view of the open fields surrounding them. Sunrise was now in full motion. The smell of morning filled the air inside the car.
Squall grinned momentarily, and leaned onto his left palm while his right hand remained on the steering wheel.
"…My dad," he said.
"Really?"
"Yeah," he nodded. "…He used to be in the galbadian military back when my mom was still alive. Seeing him coming home from service, I felt so proud to be his son."
Squall let his hand drop from his face and sat up in his seat.
"…When she died, everything changed. In a way he...was still the same, but I couldn't handle him without mom around. I'm not proud of it, but I didn't want his help with anything after that. He said he wanted to pick up and leave Galbadia completely, and I told him to go, that I didn't need him. I thought I'd prove myself the better man by becoming a soldier too, but because I was too young to sign up for the g-army, I went to Balamb Garden instead. I couldn't be just like my dad, and I was glad I got accepted into Balamb. I wanted to enlist, but I didn't want to follow his path exactly. It was there that I learned about SeeD and what it meant. I don't know…everything just…fell into place afterward. Don't tell him I told you that, though…he'd probably cry."
"…About your mom?"
"No, about me trying to emulate him."
Rinoa laughed. "What's so wrong with that? Lots of boys want to be like their fathers. I think that's great, Squall."
"…Sure, in a normal family," he said, a wide grin filling his face.
"That's horrible," she held her face, still laughing. "You're so mean…"
She spent the remainder of the trip listening to Squall's comedic and yet adventurous stories of his father Laguna. It wasn't that Squall had never talked about him before, but he hadn't talked about him in the level of detail that he was able to now. Rinoa sensed the amount of relief emanating from him. It was evident in his words and the tone of his voice. She knew this time was probably the happiest he'd truly been in a long time. If only things could stay so peaceful… Sooner or later, she'd have to ask him what truly went on in his life as a SeeD, and why they were in the position they were in now.
Author's Little Corner:
Hey, everyone! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I wanted to cram everything into one gigantic chapter, but thought it was better this way because it was easier for me to edit. On a side note, I have to try hard to not be overly dramatic in terms of dialogue. I have a tendency of doing so way too often in my other stories and I'm trying to break that cycle. I went through their confrontation in my mind again and again, and decided with the above. When writing a story, I'll have my share of awkward chapters, but overall, I hope it's still enjoyable. Not to mention, this is the point where I usually get plot crazy…so yes, it's about to get there soon. With that, I guess I've said enough, so I'll take my leave. Thanks for reading and please leave a review. I'll try to respond as soon as I can.
Have a great week everybody, and see you next time!
Ray
