Chapter Twenty Eight

Rinoa watched Selphie bouncing on the balls of her feet, excitedly waiting for Irvine to arrive. He was supposed to be renting a car and driving to Balamb Garden, then would take Selphie into town, at least, that was the plan. Rinoa was waiting with her bags in a semicircle, surrounding her feet, and feeling as excited as Selphie, but also sick with nerves.

Squall was going to be meeting her here at the main gate, but must have gotten held up somewhere, which wasn't doing anything to calm Rinoa down. Every moment she waited she imagined something else going wrong. Her biggest worry was that Squall's sister would not like her, and since it seemed Squall and Ellone were very close, she would be the one to impress, not the father.

"He's late," Selphie said impatiently, a foot tapping a rhythm into the concrete.

"He is," Rinoa agreed, thinking of Squall.

"He said he'd be here, this is just like Irvine, always making me wait around."

Rinoa nodded, remembering that they were not waiting for the same person. She wondered whether Selphie was just eager to get going, or if she was nervous about seeing Irvine. It would be the first time they were away from home together, and everyone always said, a holiday was make or break. It was the moment in a relationship there was no escaping each other's company, and when you came to the conclusion of whether you actually like the person you were with. As for her and Squall, well since there was nothing to break, she could check that worry off of her list.

"Look, there," Rinoa said pointing. "He's only a few minutes late after all."

Selphie skipped down the steps, and waited for the car to draw nearer. As it parked outside, Rinoa noticed that it wasn't only Irvine inside. Selphie's happy smile fell from her face, obviously realising that her week of romance was going to be ruined.

All of the colour drained from Rinoa's face as she realised it was Seifer. Refusing to walk down the steps, Rinoa stood her ground and watched him get out of the car.

"Aren't you coming?" Seifer shouted up to her, holding open the car door, waiting for her to join him.

Rinoa looked at Selphie, puzzled. Selphie shrugged, just as confused. She had never said to Irvine that Rinoa would be coming with them, as she thought she had made it quite clear that she was looking forward to being alone with him. Not wanting to get involved in this, Selphie began putting her bags into the boot of the car.

"I'm not going with you," Rinoa said lightly, hoping that they'd just put it down as a misunderstanding. But Seifer looked annoyed.

"What do you mean? I've come all this way to take you out," he said, his voice accusing.

Rinoa couldn't believe that he had honestly thought she'd want to go anywhere with him. He'd made it pretty clear before that he didn't want a girlfriend, so what would be the point? She wasn't prepared to wait around until he decided he wanted her company, and look the other way when he didn't.

"Something wrong?"

Rinoa turned to see Squall stood beside her. She shook her head embarrassed. This was all she needed, to remind Squall about Seifer. Both Squall and Seifer stared at each other like sworn enemies, and Rinoa desperately thought of a way out of a confrontation.

Seifer swaggered around the front of the car to be nearer to them, squaring up to Squall, telling him to come down and face him. The challenge caught the attention of a few passers-by, who didn't know whether to continue walking, or draw weapons to defend their commander. They stood hovering instead, ready to act if need be. Squall walked down the steps, without the swagger Seifer seem to think was necessary.

Rinoa looked around hoping someone would put a stop to this, but whilst more and more people were gathering, no one was moving. Rinoa didn't know what was going to happen, but it was soon clear that if she didn't want it to happen, then she'd have to get involved. She hurried after Squall.

"Rinoa is supposed to be coming with me," Seifer said not looking at Rinoa, even though she was clearly confused and refuting the claim.

Overhead there was a rumbling noise like far away thunder, never ceasing, and growing louder by the second. Rinoa looked up at the sky, it was bright blue, and the birds had abandoned it to the noise. She wanted to ask Squall what it was, but it wasn't the time.

"Do you want to go with Seifer?" Squall asked, patiently waiting for Rinoa to answer.

"No," Rinoa said. "And I never said I was going to either."

Squall turned back to Seifer as if it was case closed, but Seifer was enraged. He felt Rinoa had tricked him here, even if it had all been his own assumption. He'd assumed that Rinoa would be going with Selphie, and therefore wouldn't be adverse to some company. He'd had too high an opinion of himself, and he wasn't prepared for being knocked down a peg.

"Fine. But remember, I had her first!"

Squall's hand clenched into a fist, and he raised his arm. He'd hit this man once and he'd do it again, even with all these people watching, but Rinoa was faster. Her knuckles cracked into the softness of his left eye and sent him reeling, clutching at his face, his eye streaming.

She heard someone whoop from amongst the crowd, and spotted Selphie's shocked face. She hadn't really been aiming. His words had been the red rag to the bull, and she had acted without thinking. In hindsight maybe it would have been better to have let Squall hit him, at least he might have done some more damage. As it was Seifer had been poked in the eye with great force, and while the excruciating pain would soon end, it had been enough to strike her message home.

In the chaos, Rinoa had missed the landing of the great red airship that was to take her to Esthar, and it soon became clear that the crowd had been assembling to see its arrival, rather than her argument. She took Squall's offered hand, waved to Selphie, and waved to the rather stunned spectators and climbed aboard.

"I am so embarrassed," Rinoa confessed sitting in the first seat she found. She waited for Squall to greet the pilot and send the SeeDs that had joined them onboard to another part of the ship.

Squall sat beside her, he watched her flushed expression and her hands nervously tucking her hair behind her ears. She wouldn't look at him, but eventually became still. She looked down at his hand instead, resting next to hers on the armrest. They were so close, that she almost imagined feeling the warmth of his skin on her own.

"You should put your seatbelt on," Squall advised.

Rinoa, flustered, stared down at her lap unseeing. She panicked; worried she'd never find her seatbelt in time. She heard Squall click his into place, but seeing her with only one end of hers, he reached across her. His hand grazed across her stomach and made her jump.

"Sorry."

"It's OK," Rinoa assured him, her voice barely there.

He kept her gaze as he clicked her belt into place, and for one breathless moment Rinoa thought he was about to kiss her. He'd leant in so close that she was sure; and her beating heart told her so. He felt something for her, she could see it, this very small instant in time told her everything she'd wanted to hear.

The ship shook as it lurched off of the ground, and the moment was lost. Squall looked away and when he looked around at her again she was forced to wonder if she had imagined such things in his eyes.


The journey lasted until the late afternoon, and Rinoa had become bored of looking out the window a long time ago. Squall had left her a couple of times to check on the pilots and the SeeDs, but had always returned to sit beside her, even if she could think of nothing to talk about to make the travelling seem faster.

Her thoughts were still caught on Seifer's reappearance in her life, and what she had thought she'd seen in Squall's eyes. By the time the airship touched down she had barely said anything to Squall, which begged the question of why he'd spent all his time sat next to a silent and boring passenger.

A solemn looking man, who came aboard to find them, greeted them. Rinoa smiled at him, but he didn't return it. At first she thought he was being rude, then she realised that he was looking only at Squall, and Squall was sheet white. Something bad had happened. The man told them that without even having to speak.

"Sir, your father has requested that you come with us, it's the fastest way through the city," the man said.

"What's happened?" Squall asked as he followed, Rinoa hurrying along behind him.

"It's your sister Sir, she's been in a car accident."