Disclaimers: I don't own anything Final Fantasy VII/VIII but this story.
A/N: Hey everyone! I hope you all had a good, safe holiday! :) Anyways, just a little bit of character interaction in this chapter as well as a few (not really hidden) hints at what's to come. So in other words…a little boring. -shot- But c'mon! Good things will happen soon! ;)
Thanks to all my readers for sticking with the story thus far! And let's not forget my reviewers; you guys always seem to make my day and I love reading your reactions to each chapter I post! Thanks to my reviewers: aichioluv, Funk3y Fr3sh, Anonymous, Alessia Heartilly, Niqsta, crepusculo4ever, saya (I'm glad you like the lengthy chapters!), rinny (LOL your reaction is my favorite! XD), Nagia Heartilly, Scribbleness, Destiny-N, Turk 4 Life, and Galneryus!
Thanks again and remember to R&R!
PS: Happy Birthday Laguna! -scatters hearts everywhere-
"My heart will never change
If its with you, I will go anywhere
I'll love forever with you"
~Big Bang: Forever with U ft. Park Bom
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"Rinoa," Squall whispered again, taking hold of her hand and squeezing it. Had he died and gone to heaven or was this an illusion in hell? No matter. She was here with him now; taking care of him...talking with him again.
"Wait, who?" Rinoa's voice was laced with confusion. She pulled away from Squall, "I'm not—"
"She isn't Rinoa you idiot."
Squall looked to his left, spotting Seifer sitting on the ground. He was leaning against the bottom of a chair as he continuously flipped through the television channels using a remote. Seifer didn't spare Squall a glance as he suggested, "How about you try and actually look at her?"
Puzzled, Squall went back to glance over Rinoa's features. Same big eyes, long dark hair, a heart-shaped face, teardrop earrings… Wait, earrings? Rinoa didn't wear earrings! Squall blinked in surprise as he looked over once more. Yes, she did have brown eyes, but they were more wine-colored than brown and her hair went further down the small of her back than usual. And her face…was completely different. Yes; this was definitely not Rinoa. This was a completely different person!
Squall flustered immediately, realizing he had been caressing a complete stranger. He moved away hastily on his makeshift bed and looked anywhere but "Rinoa" with embarrassment written all over his face. Mortification overtook his attempt at speaking in a calm manner, "I'm sorry. I didn't… I didn't realize…"
The girl blinked before sighing with a smile. She purposely ignored Seifer in the background who was currently laughing his head off, "It's alright. Seifer told me you'd probably react like that…"
"Damn straight!" Seifer grinned, finally looking back at the two, "That was priceless; simply priceless!"
The brunette momentarily flinched before sending a glare in Seifer's direction. However, Squall only realized something was off. Examining the blond's facial features a moment longer, Squall's expression switched to one of surprise, "What happened to your face?"
Seifer frowned, pointing to the bandage running from the left side of his forehead and across the bridge of his nose with his thumb, "What? This?"
"Well...yeah," Squall answered unsure. How in the world did Seifer end up with that? The blond did stupid things, but not enough to receive an injury like that.
"You can't remember can you?" Seifer sighed before standing up. He strutted over to the couch Squall had been lying on and reached over, poking the spot between Squall's eyes with his index finger. The action would've annoyed Squall, but instead, he felt a surge of pain run across his face. He automatically shot a hand up as if to ease the pain, but that only made it worse.
The girl's eyes widened as a result and immediately placed her hands on Squall's shoulders, "Seifer!"
The blond simply shrugged, "What? He has to know that I'm not the only one with a bandage to the face, Lockhart."
"Bandage?" Squall winced. He was still baffled, but a sudden thought ran through his mind. The gang leader with a knife in hand… Squall suddenly remembered the bastard swung a knife in his face, Oh yeah… That's what happened…
"Still! Be a little more considerate!" the girl warned Seifer with a slight glare. She turned back to Squall and rubbed his shoulders while speaking gently, "Are you okay? I have pain medication, but I'm not too sure of its effectiveness..."
Squall shook his head, feeling the pain subsiding, "It's fine...um..."
"Tifa," she smiled. Tifa gave Squall's shoulders a light squeeze before moving back a bit to outstretch her hand in a friendly gesture.
He glanced at her hand before looking back at her face. She was similar to Rinoa in a way; maybe even more mature looking, but Tifa wasn't Rinoa… He took her hand after a moment's hesitation and nodded with a mumble, "…Squall."
Tifa giggled lightheartedly before standing up and dusting off her pants. Running a hand through her long dark hair, Tifa sighed, "I still don't understand why you won't go to a hospital, Seifer!"
Seifer rolled his eyes and clicked his tongue. Squall assumed that they had argued about this before; most likely when he was unconscious, "Because it would've caused problems alright? How many times do I have to tell you this before you listen?"
"Well how many times do I have to tell you a doctor is much better suited to treat wounds like those?"
"Ugh!" Seifer threw his hands in the air and turned away with a grumble, "Women..."
Tifa crossed her arms in vexation and retorted, "Men!"
Squall was pleasantly surprised that Tifa could tolerate Seifer's attitude. So far, Squall only knew Quistis had the patience to deal with the arrogant blond and this development was certainly interesting. He didn't know how long Seifer and Tifa were acquainted, but seeing an unfazed Tifa argue with the hot-headed Seifer was amusing in itself.
Tifa must have caught his reverie for she smiled sweetly at him, "Are you hungry Squall?" He looked away from her to his bandaged palms and shook his head. Squall heard Tifa sigh, "You really are quiet... Listen, I'll make you something anyways okay? With injuries like that, I think you should keep your energy up."
Her footsteps quickly exited the room and Squall couldn't help but lift his eyes to watch her leave. It was strange. Tifa looked a little like Rinoa, but the woman leaving the room was a completely separate person. The way she carried herself... Tifa had a stronger, more independent stride than Rinoa's playful, sometimes carefree walk. Their backs were the same, but Tifa exuded her confidence sparsely whereas Rinoa wasn't afraid to show it.
Squall suddenly heard Seifer chuckle from his side of the room and Squall was hesitant to glance over. A randomly laughing Seifer usually meant trouble...at Squall's expense. Sighing with annoyance, Squall examined his arm and rubbed at an aching joint, "What?"
"You were checking her out weren't you?" Seifer grinned, leaning on his palms. He continued to mock as Squall groaned in aggravation, "The great, silent Squall Loire was checking out a woman! Oh, we are experiencing the beginnings of hell freezing over: Squall just hit puberty!"
"Shut up, Seifer," Squall gritted, shooting the blond a deadly glare. Seifer thought nothing of it and continued to laugh at Squall regardless.
The brunette growled lowly before looking over more of his visible injuries. Fighting a gang of ten or so men really did a number on his body. Cuts and scrapes, bruises and scabs; they were everywhere, but many were fading away. Squall assumed Tifa used a potion to visibly reduce evident bruises and speed up the healing process of the body.
Speaking of Tifa...
"Who is she?" he looked over at Seifer, seeing he went back to channel surfing.
Seifer rested his head lazily on his shoulder as he flipped quickly through the channels, "A girl obviously."
Squall shook his head, allowing his impatience to show, "I asked who she was."
"Well pardon me," Seifer sarcastically remarked with a roll of his eyes. When he wasn't satisfied with channel surfing anymore, he turned off the television and faced Squall altogether, "Tifa's an old friend of Zell's. They studied at the same dojo in Balamb before chicken-wuss decided to move to Esthar for schooling. I met her at the café the day before. You would've noticed her too that day…if you weren't already moody. She was the waitress Kinneas was drooling over."
"...And you're so close how?" Squall asked with a look full of skepticism. It wasn't like Seifer to suddenly befriend people in a heartbeat; especially women.
Seifer scoffed, "I'm not like you, who by the way, has to take Hyne knows how long just to define a person with the 'friend' label. Tifa and I really hit it off since she's so gutsy...and wipe that idiotic look off your face."
Squall blinked, "...What look?"
"That look that says I'm cheating on Quistis, dumbass," Seifer narrowed his eyes at Squall with a frown. He seriously stated, "I may do a lot of stupid things, but screwing around isn't one of them."
The brunette looked away from Seifer's heated glare. Squall figured he was out of line with that notion. The blonde couple did fight a lot, but it was obvious how much Seifer treasured Quistis... Seifer's heightened sense of jealousy towards other guys who came within three meters of her was the best indicator… Somehow, the thought that Seifer and himself had similar mindsets was scary…
Nodding, Squall curtly apologized, "Sorry."
Seifer huffed before adjusting his position on the floor. He continued as if the little accusation never happened, "Lockhart's impressive. She can take care of herself, she's responsible, yada, yada... I think she can keep any man on his toes if he knows what's good for him."
"What do you mean?" Squall questioned in confusion.
"While you were knocked out, Tifa singlehandedly beat the crap out of that wannabe gang," Seifer stated with no room for doubt.
Tifa did? Squall thought bewildered. There was no way Tifa could've handled that big a group by herself! Squall and Seifer had to form a tag team just to knock down most of those thugs, but even then they ran into a boatload of problems... Tifa beat them without a scratch on her? Then again, Seifer did mention she studied with Zell at the same martial arts dojo...
Seifer nodded as he watched Squall analyze the idea, "I didn't think she could do it either, but she did; I was awake when it all happened. It's hard to believe she and Dincht had the same teacher... Of course, watching Lockhart fight is a lot more appealing to the eyes."
"I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that coming from you," Tifa interrupted, walking into the room with a bowl of chicken soup. She rose an incredulously eyebrow in Seifer's direction and all the blond did was smirk suggestively. Tifa rolled her eyes before carrying the bowl over to a table stand near the couch Squall sat on, "Here. I know chicken soup is usually for colds, but it is freezing outside. Plus, this'll soothe some of the aches in your body for now."
Squall glanced at the soupy liquid and nodded. Truth be told, he was pretty hungry, "Thanks..."
"Don't worry about it," Tifa smiled, causing Squall to look down in embarrassment. What was this? Anyone with Rinoa's face induced the ability to make him blush? Please!
"Hey Lockhart, I'm using your phone," Seifer suddenly commented.
Tifa nodded in his direction, pointing to the bookshelf in one corner of the living room, "Phone's over there, but why?"
Seifer stood up, slightly wiggling out the smaller aches in his body as he answered, "I need call Quistis before she freaks out about me disappearing off the face of the planet. Damn woman worries too much." He strolled over to the cordless phone, grabbed it, and disappeared out the living room into the kitchen.
It was silent for a moment before Squall muttered, "Oh crap..."
"What is it?" Tifa asked in alert.
"It's almost midnight isn't it?" Squall asked. When Tifa nodded her head, he let loose another sigh while running a hand through his hair, "My parents must be wondering where I am..."
"I don't think you have to worry about that. Seifer made a phone call right after he carried you here and dressed his wounds," Tifa reassured. She shrugged, continuing to explain as if the small memory from her perspective had any relevance, "He was strangely polite on the phone and he brought up your name a couple of times. I just assumed he was talking with one of your parents or something."
Squall nodded, silently grateful Seifer had given him an alibi. But how Squall was going to explain the bruises would be all him; he wasn't even sure he'd be able to go to school tomorrow... Ridding himself of such thoughts, Squall concentrated on the now, "Did he say anything else?"
Tifa furrowed her eyebrows, "He lied and said you were staying at his place for the night...which you guys aren't; you're in my apartment."
"Oh..." was all Squall could muster. He never realized it before, but his current setting did scream femininity in a way... He was staying over at a girl's home? Squall immediately apologized, "Sorry we're intruding on you."
"Oh! No worries!" Tifa waved him off sheepishly. She smiled with a look of understanding, "I don't really know what's going on, but you're more than welcome here."
He let out a sigh of relief along with a nod of his head. Yes, he didn't know Tifa well, but she was really accepting despite only knowing him in a few hours...well, more like in the last few minutes, but it was all the same. She was really like a mother of sorts... He glanced at Tifa again and asked, "Seifer says you're not from around here… What brought you to Esthar?"
The dark haired girl answered while gesturing for Squall to finish his soup, "I'm actually studying abroad from Balamb. I only started my term a few weeks ago."
He hummed and asked another question, "From what?"
"Balamb Private Academy for Girls. There was an itinerary with a sister school here so…I thought 'why not study in a different country?'" Tifa explained shyly, playing with her hands.
Finishing the last of his soup, Squall eyed her, "But you aren't living in a dormitory. How come you've got this place all to yourself? …No offense…"
Tifa laughed, shaking her head, "It's alright. Actually, I'm borrowing this place from a relative who won't be in the city until the end of the semester. I didn't really want to stay at the dorms anyway; I thought it would be a waste of money. Besides, I wanted to try my hand at taking care of myself even if that meant I had to be the one to take care of my own livelihood."
"Isn't it hard?"
"But isn't that how life is? You can't really go through life without hardships and I want to face them head on," she smiled sweetly. Tifa leaned back on her palms and sighed, "But honestly? I just wanted to get away from home. My father's really strict since I was raised in a small town and he believes I should just settle for that. He doesn't understand that I want to get out in the world. That's why I'm trying so hard now; just to prove to him I can do fine on my own."
Squall nodded, pushing his empty bowl to the side, "So that's why you have a job even though you're studying here…"
"Yup! I still need to earn my wages! The school may be paying for my studies, but I need to save a little extra for the 'luxuries' of living alone."
"I see," Squall replied in respect. She really could hold her own. Squall had never met such a resilient woman in his life until now. He coolly commented, "Well, I hope you'll continue to exceed in...whatever."
"Thanks Squall," Tifa laughed in gratitude.
"I already told you I have all my credits! One measly absence isn't going to change anything!"Seifer's voice shouted from the kitchen. Squall and Tifa turned to look in the kitchen's direction, confused yet amused at the same time. They head Seifer let out a tired sigh after a short pause, "Hyne, what is it with you women? Always so naggy!"
"Hmph! Well sorry," Tifa scoffed lightheartedly, smirking at Squall.
The brunette couldn't help but let out a snort in agreement, So she does have a playful side like Rinoa.
Suddenly, he felt a pang of regret from remembering that one name.
Rinoa.
How was she coping after his little disappearing act? Was she as worried as Seifer claimed?
…Probably not; she had Cloud to comfort her after all…
Squall looked back at his hands. Wrapped in bandages were hands that were bloody just hours earlier. Be it Cloud's blood or the blood of those gang members, it didn't change the fact that Squall had snapped. He was a ticking time bomb just full of suppressed emotions.
"Squall?" Tifa's hand gently touched his upper arm and the brunette flinched at the contact. It was noticeable as Tifa furrowed her eyebrows in concern, "Are you alright?"
"Yeah," Squall mumbled in a poor lie.
Tifa blew her bangs out of her eyes as she huffed in doubt, "Something's bothering you and it's not good to keep it inside. I'm willing to listen if you let me."
You're just a stranger. I have nothing to say to you, Squall bitterly thought, freely showing his annoyance. He knit his eyebrows together and vexed away from Tifa's touch, "You? Just because you helped me once, doesn't mean I'm going to freely admit my problems."
"I didn't mean to pry or offend you," Tifa apologized, surprised Squall's attitude quickly changed to a defensive one. She offered, "But when someone's in pain, I can't help but worry…"
"Well, thanks, but no thanks. You don't have to give me charity. I'll deal with it myself."
"You can't deal with it yourself! You'll only fall apart."
Squall snapped, controlling the last string of his sanity, "And how would you know that?"
Tifa paused for a brief moment before painfully looking away. She tightened the fists on her lap as she whispered, "…Because I knew someone who broke down and couldn't stand up again. He struggled, but couldn't conquer... And it was all because of me; I didn't listen to him."
Squall blinked. This girl, the one who singlehandedly beat up a gang of more than a dozen men, was feeling the guilt of supposedly destroying one person's life? Maybe there were layers to her personality that she kept hidden from other people. Squall...he could relate to her. He felt remorse for snapping at her when she was only trying to help. Why was he so edgy nowadays?
"I'm sorry," Squall hurriedly apologized to dissipate the awkward silence lingering in the air, "I just... I don't know how to handle the aftermath of something that's happened..."
Tifa gave him a small, sad smile, "With...Rinoa right?" The name was already made known earlier, but Squall still couldn't keep the surprise off his face. Tifa shook her head with a giggle, "You'll get through it, Squall. I'm not sure what happened with this Rinoa, but you don't look like the kind that will just give up."
Squall looked down in defeat, biting his bottom lip, "I'm not as strong as people see me to be…"
He never expected Tifa to lift up his chin gently with her hand. Squall gazed at her in shock, watching as she bore into his eyes intently. Her mouth was in a hard thin line before she beamed sweetly and tapped him under his chin, "You don't give yourself much credit; all I see is someone who still has a chance to fight. Be resilient, Squall. Don't lose sight of what's important to you. Stubborn is as stubborn gets after all, right?"
Her words echoed in his mind. She was trying to encourage him and Squall wasn't sure if it was going to work, but somehow, Tifa's words lightened his burden. Be resilient... He had been for the last eight years, so why should he stop now? And he could still save what was left of his ties with Rinoa right? Squall still needed to clear the air between them; that was his main responsibility now...
Squall hummed in thought before glancing at Tifa thankfully with a small upturn of his lips. Tifa blinked in astonishment as she glanced down and blushed, mumbling, "So similar..."
"Huh?" Squall questioned in confusion. Somehow, he was starting to hate the fact that he was being compared to everything, "To who?"
"To this boy I knew..."
Before Squall could asked any more questions, Seifer barged into the room ranting under his breath. He slammed the phone down on the receiver and slumped on the ground, once again turning on the television and endlessly flipping channels.
"...Seifer?" Tifa hesitated to ask.
"What?" Seifer's barked in frustration.
Tifa fidgeted in her spot, apparently not used to Seifer's more dangerous mood swings yet. Squall felt bad for her since Seifer's attitude was uncalled for. Saving her, Squall continued for Tifa, "What happened?"
"Quistis's nagging! That's what!" Seifer shot back. He turned to Squall and began ranting again, "I swear to Hyne that woman's as cold as the ice up in Trabia! Did she care when I told her I was hurt? No! She thinks I was lying so I could skip school! What the hell kind of reaction is that?"
Squall rolled his eyes, "Can you blame her? You always make up an excuse not to attend school."
Seifer pointed a threatening finger at the brunette...because he was right, "You're lucky I tolerate you, otherwise I would've left your ass out to dry hours ago."
Tifa furrowed her eyebrows at this, "Seifer."
"What is this? Does everyone want to badger Seifer Almasy today?" Seifer exaggerated, throwing his hands up in the air while turning off the television. He pulled himself up on the second couch in the room, grabbed a blanket that was lying on the floor and wrapped himself in it, looking away from the people in the room, "I'm going to sleep. So don't disturb me or I'll beat you up."
Squall and Tifa stared at him in awkward silence before Tifa giggled, shaking her head and whispering, "Is he always like this?"
"Only when he wants to be the center of attention," Squall smirked.
"...I heard that," Seifer growled under his breath, his tone suggesting they stop talking about him behind his back...literally.
Tifa giggled again before she stood up, "Anyways, it's late and I have to work in the morning."
Squall replied, "Night Tifa... Thanks again."
She smiled at him, picking up Squall's empty bowl after giving his shoulder one more supportive squeeze, "You don't have to thank me; I'm happy to help. And remember what we talked about." Squall softened his gaze a little and gave her a curt nod, causing her smile to grow. Tifa began to walk away, parting, "Good night, Squall; Seifer."
The blond grunted in response and Tifa made her way out of the living room. Sounds from the kitchen were made before the click of a door closing was heard down the small hallway around the corner. Squall just sat there, watching the spot Tifa disappeared from. He was starting to like her; she reminded him a little of Ellone. She was supportive and a sincere... Like a sister.
"Do you like her?" Seifer questioned from his spot on the couch.
Squall proceeded to lie down on his makeshift bed on his couch, lifting the blanket to cover his body. He shook his head even though Seifer couldn't see him. Squall read the double meaning in the question and answered Seifer with his self-proclaimed correct response, "No, I don't."
Seifer sighed as he turned off the lamp and the lights went out in the room. He added after another pause, "Tifa would be good for you; a practical match up. Why can't you look at any other girl?"
Squall didn't bother to answer; he and Seifer would only have a ping pong argument about this. Instead, he stayed quiet, pretending to put on a facade that he was already sleeping. The blond never replied back and Squall assumed he either fell for his tactic or simply dropped the subject altogether. Squall thought the latter. The brunette closed his eyes briefly before opening them again, catching a small ray of light outside the window. He turned his head to gaze out at the night sky. The stars were out tonight...
"...if you still feel lonely and scared, wish on a starry night!"
Rinoa's words that day in Winhill rang in his ears...
"I know you'll be okay, Squall. Be brave!"
So he wished. Closing his eyes and thinking hard, Squall wished on those stars that he could regain his dignity and courage to face Rinoa again. She deserved better than what he gave her the past few days. If he had to, he'd start from square one again.
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It was probably early in the morning now, but Squall could care less. He wasn't able to sleep a wink with his thoughts filled with Rinoa. He had been contemplating about her, wondering how he should face her. He had to go home some time right? Laguna and Julia were probably worried sick now.
He carefully sat up, throwing his legs over the couch. He wasn't hurting as much anymore, but Squall still felt tender on certain parts of his body. Quietly getting up, Squall tiptoed down the small hallway to get to the bathroom. Tifa's bedroom door was closed and Squall hoped she was still sleeping. He was grateful to her for taking care of both him and Seifer, but he didn't want to burden her anymore.
Squall turned on the bathroom light and immediately cringed at the sight reflecting off the mirror. He had a few bruises on his face that were slowly fading away, but the bandage across his face stuck out more than the bruises. Squall took a deep breath, anticipating what he would find underneath it. Grabbing the top left corner, Squall slowly peeled off the bandage. He flinched slightly, but pressed on. When he finished unwrapping the visible bandages on his face and arms, he ran the tap and washed his face, gently removing the dried blood crusts around the bridge of his nose. The water was cool against his skin and numbed some of the remaining pain.
Turning off the faucet, Squall wiped his face with his arm as a substitute for a towel while raising his head. Slowly looking at the mirror again, Squall stared at himself. The knife wound ran deeper across his face than he thought. The wound had permanently marred his face and Squall groaned. He didn't overly enjoy vanity, but the scar was an ugly reminder of his stupidity… What would Rinoa say if she saw him with this scar?
Squall let out a long sigh as he touched his reflection. He couldn't do anything about that anymore. All he could do was move on. Wiping the remaining droplets of water from his face, Squall left the bathroom and went back to the living room to fold the blanket and sheets he borrowed to sleep with. Finding his school jacket neatly folded by the couch and cleaned of blood stains, he grabbed it since it was his only possession at the time. He didn't want to leave evidence that he had spent the night at a girl's house…
"Going already?" Seifer's voice drowsily interrogated by the time Squall stood up again.
"Yeah…" Squall nodded without looking at the blond. He was ready to leave the living room before he paused, turning around to face Seifer, "Are you going home yet?"
Seifer yawned with a shake of his head, the bandage on his face long gone. What was left was a deep scar mirroring Squall's very own. Seifer leaned against his pillow nonchalantly and answered, "I'll probably crash a little longer until noon… And no, I'm not cheating on Quistis so shut up."
"I wasn't even implying that," Squall retorted with a narrow of his eyes. He got the message yesterday night after all. Besides, it wasn't any of his business where Seifer lazed around. If Quistis found out, it was Seifer's death bed; not his. Squall turned around again, mentioning, "Give Tifa my thanks. I owe her one…"
Before Squall could take another step, Seifer stopped him, "You need to let go of her, Squall."
Squall didn't have to speak to know what Seifer was talking about. Instead, he stood silently as he waited for Seifer to continue.
Seifer sighed, Squall hearing him shift in his spot, "This time, I'm serious. You got your answer didn't you? Rinoa… She doesn't want to see you other than a brother. Move on man."
He wanted to. He wanted so badly to let her go; to set her free… But Squall couldn't. He wouldn't give up on her. People could call him crazy, obsessed even, but Squall just couldn't give up on this unrequited love.
Tightening a fist at his side, Squall shook his head with a whisper, "I can't Seifer. Rinoa means everything to me… Isn't that how you felt with Quistis? When you both lived in different crowds?"
Squall heard no reply.
He concluded, "She was already dating Vincent when you were pining for her. It's the same with me and Rinoa except…our situation hits a little closer to home…"
Seifer remained quiet before Squall heard more shuffling. The brunette turned to face him, seeing Seifer once again lying on his side with his back facing Squall. He sighed, but before Squall could truly leave, Seifer advised with an edge, "Tifa says she has potions lying in one of the kitchen cupboards. I'd take one and smash it against that thick skull of yours, but I'm too lazy to do it right now. Hurry up and get out."
It was harshly put, but Squall understood where he was getting at. It was Seifer's way of showing he cared…if that was possible. Sighing with a small smirk, Squall nodded without a word. He stepped out of the living room and into the kitchen, finding and grabbing one of Tifa's potions. Squall downed it, feeling the remainder of his aches fading away. Silently thanking the girl, Squall headed for the door of the small apartment and finally left.
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Rinoa… What do you want me to do? Squall thought to himself. He still wanted to talk to Rinoa about everything, but first, he had to really look at himself. Squall couldn't afford to snap and lose his temper again. But how was he to establish a firm place in Rinoa's heart again? He had already broken her trust…
A trio of kids ran past him, playing a game of tag and Squall almost ran into them. He stumbled in his step, catching his balance and narrowing his eyes. The kids didn't seem to care about the notion of being crushed by Squall as they chased each other, giggling and disappearing out of sight. Squall let out a quiet sigh. Kids these days were too carefree. Running around with not a care in the world… Squall wished he was a kid again just because living as such was simple.
It was then it hit him.
He knew where he had wandered off to after leaving Tifa's apartment. Looking around, Squall smiled a small smile as he examined the park. He, Rinoa, and Ellone used to play here a long time ago: playing tag, hide-and-seek, the general things kids do when they visited the local park. It was reminiscing in a way and something that made Squall purely happy. He was usually the passive child who had to be persuaded by the more energetic Rinoa just to climb the monkey bars… How he missed the past.
He stared a moment longer before turning around to leave. However, something caught his attention from the corner of his eye. Squall squinted for a moment to take in the figure sitting solemnly at one of the swings. It was a teenage girl with medium length raven hair… It was Rinoa.
Squall's heart raced just looking at her. She was here. Was this a sign…? No, wait. Why was she here? School was soon to start right? Why was Rinoa in the park? He saw her lift her hand from the chain of the swing and brought it to her face before looking down at her lap again.
Rinoa…
He weighed his options and decided to take the bait. Taking a deep breath, Squall glanced at Rinoa in determination while strolling over to her. He tried to stop his heart from hammering in his chest, but it wouldn't cease. Squall was probably three paces away from her now and he could practically hear her breathe.
And then he stopped.
What am I going to say to her…? Squall suddenly panicked. How in the world was he suppose to approach her after disappearing yesterday?
The brunette didn't get a chance to thoroughly think it over when Rinoa slowly lifted her gaze. In that instant, her brown eyes locked with Squall's ocean blue ones in surprise. Squall's heart started beating in his ears again as Rinoa's eyes widened with every passing second she remained on the swing.
"S…Squall?" Rinoa stuttered, her mouth gaping and her gaze never looking away.
Squall remained calm and stoic outwardly, but sheer chaos raged within his being just by staring at her. This was it: his final chance to clear things up with her. Taking in a silent breath, Squall let out monotonously with one step forward, "…Rinoa."
