A NOTE FROM AYUMI: So, I really can't tell you why I wanted to do this. To rewrite this fic from scratch but I think a lot of it had to do with the multitude of times I'd hit writer's block, I've read this myself a thousand times and honestly, it just feels a little discombobulated and like it has holes in the story here and there that I really can't quite explain and I think a lot of it is I don't actually plan anything or think about where the story is going to go before I write it. Which is a huge mistake on my part. The second is that I don't have anyone to beta my chapters and be like: "uhm, what, this makes no sense" and whatnot. While I still don't have one as of right now, I'm going to try and rewrite this in a way so that it doesn't seem like it's all over the place. I can't guarantee this will go at the same pace as the last or that some events won't be cut or changed so please bear with me as we go on this journey together! Thank you all for your continued love and support and hopefully this rewrite comes out much better but still retains the love of the original.
The Original will remain up for anyone to re-read and enjoy. I will be adding the [SCRAPPED] tag to the description as I have for other stories. I do not like removing stories I have scrapped. Another thing I cannot explain why I do.
DISCLAIMER: I don't own Final Fantasy VIII, If I did, oh the things I would do lol. Also, the only character I own in this story is Sky (formally known as Aria), who most wanted to kill so let's hope she's a little more likable in the rewrite lol. I also do not own anything from Final Fantasy XV. The game itself is mentioned as a place that Esthar trades with.
**The Cover art is by: Mar-Ka of Deviantart, the text was added by me. The Watermark remains at the bottom of the image!**
This rewrite is dedicated to Elendyr who is one of my most faithful reviewers and I can only hope that they love this story as much as they did the last one. Thank You for always bringing a smile to my face and I hope that I can do the same for you.
Chapter 01 Disclaimer: I do own Dahlia, the sorceress mentioned in the beginning of this story. She is basically there in place of Edea. Since this story doesn't really follow the lore of the game that closely, more like it is a general telling of the original story with a few little details changed.
The train ride from Deling City had been much longer than Rinoa had thought. She was still trying to get used to the fact that she wouldn't be seeing her home for a long time. Her father was sending her to Balamb Garden for her own safety, that was what he had kept telling her all of the times that she begged him not to go. She believed him, but she also was nervous. This school had a reputation for producing some of the world's most elite mercenaries. The assassination of Ultimecia only four years ago had only taken five SeeD members. The killing on Dahlia prior to that had only taken three. These soldiers were something special and Rinoa had never thought of herself as anywhere near special.
She was your typical average seventeen year old girl. She wasn't especially pretty, she wasn't strong or athletic. She spent most of her time in school with her nose buried in a book. She knew her history better than she knew anything about sports. She hadn't even known anything about Balamb Garden until her father had mentioned sending her there. She only knew as much as she did because she had spent the last week researching the place non-stop. They had their elite SeeD program and then the sorceress program.
Well, maybe there is one thing about Rinoa Caraway that was special. She was a sorceress, she had inherited her powers from Dahlia. Her father had brought her with him to the hospital hours before the woman passed away and Rinoa being the closest approximate female to the dying sorceress, her powers had been passed on. At first, Rinoa had tried to deal with her new powers on her own. Then, when that failed she tried to ignore they were there but when she threw spells with no control or caused something to float and fly at her father in times of great stress she had become frightened of these powers and thus, her and her father had talked. Balamb Garden was one of two viable options, the other had been under Dr. Odine in Esthar. Rinoa had chosen Balamb. A school setting sounded much better than whatever some nut job scientist in Esthar would have cooked up for her.
She was brought back to reality when the train jerked to a stop. She had zoned out reading a book on a Queen from the far away kingdom of Lucis. She closed her book and stuck it into her bag. Standing up she waited until it came time for her row to file off the train and she followed behind. Stepping off into the depot. Once on the platform she looked around for the person who was supposed to meet her. A woman known as Selphie Tilmitt, a name she knew she recognized but couldn't place where she had heard it before. As she walked she suddenly noticed a young brunette woman holding a sign that read "Heartilly'' on it. Rinoa had forgotten that she had asked her father to enroll her under her mothers maiden name so as to not attract attention.
With a small smile she walked over to the other girl. "Hi, I'm Rinoa." She said, "I believe that sign is for me." She tried to joke, although she was pretty sure it was obvious.
"Hi! I'm Selphie! I'm here to pick you up!" She said happily as she put the sign down. "Irvine is getting your bags, I'm sure you're ready to settle in so let's get you to the car. Come on!" Selphie sounded excited and much like she hadn't stopped to take a breath during her speaking.
"Uhm, Irvine?" Rinoa asked hesitantly. Another name that sounded so familiar to her.
"Irvine Kinneas." Selphie said as if that was going to help Rinoa know more about the man. "He's another SeeD and my fiancé." she giggled as she turned and started out of the car. Once out of the station there was a brunette man loading bags into the trunk of a black SUV. Rinoa assumed the man was Irvine.
"Are we all set?" Irvine asked as he shut the trunk. "It's nice to meet you Ms. Heartilly, I'm Irvine." He said with a tip of his hat.
Rinoa smiled and laughed a little as he stuck his hand out to be shaken. She happily obliged him. "It's very nice to meet you too." She said,
"Please" He led her over to the back passenger door and opened it for her. She quietly thanked him and got into the car. He then did the same for Selphie who pecked him quickly on the cheek before hopping in herself. He made his way over to the driver's side and got in, starting the car and soon enough, they were headed on their way to her new school.
"So..." Rinoa started after a few minutes. "I've read about Balamb, I mean it's really famous but... What's it like there?" She asked, not really sure what she was expecting to hear.
"Well, Balamb is interesting but great! Never a dull moment." Irvine started.
"I don't think that's what she means silly!" Selphie said as she playfully batted at his shoulder. "So, Balamb is a military school, I'm sure you know that. Founded by Cid Kramer and his wife Edea. Edea isn't as involved in the school, she runs an orphanage in Centra." While she was speaking Selphie offered a bottle of water to Rinoa, which she happily accepted.
"So, Cid is the..." Rinoa tried to think of a good word. "Like a principle?" She couldn't think of anything but she was sure that Kramer did way more than be a principal of a high school.
"Headmaster." Selphie corrected. "He's in charge of the school itself as well as the education portion of the Garden."
"But wait, I thought Balamb Garden made mercenaries?" Now Rinoa was confused.
"It does, but they also get an education. Cid in charge of all of that. He handles all the plans to get them ready for the SeeD exam. Once they pass, they are officially SeeDs and only beholden to Commander Leonhart." Selphie continued.
"And, what does Commander Leonhart do?" Rinoa asked. The name, which she imagined was a last name sounded so familiar, why couldn't she remember where she knew all of these names from. It was driving her crazy.
"He manages the SeeDs" Irvine said, as if that was just it. There was nothing else.
"Squall would kill you if he heard that." Selphie said as she punched him in the arm again. "Okay, Commander Leonheart's position is kind of tricky. He handles all the requests for SeeD and determines which jobs we will take. He runs the Garden if the headmaster is away, He determines who passes and fails in exams, but he lets us vote. There's paperwork, accident reports, budget reports, uniform expenses, per diem paperwork, next of kin notification" At that point Selphie was just counting out things on her fingers and Rinoa started to zone out. "Oh! And he teaches a monster class in the training center. So, he has a pretty hectic job."
"Sounds like it..." Rinoa said as she turned her head out the window. Selphie must have taken that as a sign that Rinoa didn't want to talk anymore because she stopped talking and they drove silently the rest of the way to the school.
As they arrived, Rinoa's eyes widened at the sheer size of it as they went through the main gates. The car pulled to the front and the door was opened for her. She grabbed her bag and hopped out, thanking Irvine again.
"I'll handle getting your things to your room. Selphie will help you with the intake process. It can be kind of confusing to do on your own." He said and Rinoa nodded.
Selphie tapped her on the shoulder. "This way! So, currently headmaster Kramer is on vacation so Sq-Commander Leonhart is handling everything." Selphie explained to her as they walked into the school. "I should warn you ahead of time. Commander Leonhart is blunt, most mistake it for him being an ass, which okay he kind of can be sometimes but he's not the type to sugar coat things or beat around the bush." She explained.
The school was just as large on the inside as it was on the outside. There was water all over the great hall, as if it was built on bridges. As they walked Rinoa couldn't hide the amazed look on her face as they headed up the stairs to the elevator.
"Everyone looks like that at first, you'll get used to it." She said as they stepped into the elevator and Selphie swiped a keycard before hitting the fifth floor.
As the doors opened to the fourth floor there was a young blonde guy sitting at a desk. When he looked up at her, all she noticed was the tattoo on his face.
"Hey Zell, He's in?" Selphie asked.
"Yeah, he's in a pretty good mood too." Zell smiled at Rinoa and Rinoa smiled and nodded back.
Selphie stepped up to the door and pushed a button before the door whizzed open a moment later and Rinoa was a little surprised at the loud music playing in the office. It was rock music which wasn't Rinoa's favorite type of music but she didn't worry about that at the moment. She glanced forward at the desk and her breath nearly caught in her throat at the sight before her.
A male sat behind the desk, eyes on a file beside him but his fingers were moving at a rapid pace across the keyboard, a steaming cup of coffee beside him that he sipped on every so often. He had a slight but muscular build, even though he was sitting, Rinoa could tell he was tall. Chocolate brown hair. When he looked up she could see that he had the most intense and beautiful blue eyes she had ever seen but she also noticed the scar in between his eyes.
"Commander!" Selphie said happily as she walked over to the desk and looked at the file he had been looking at. "The job in Trabia?" She asked.
"Just sending an email approving additional funds for more volunteers to rebuild. The construction is going well but since the snow is coming I want to be sure we have places for the workers and students over the winter, so I at least want the dormitory done before the snow starts." The commander said, his eyes glanced over to Rinoa who nodded her head at him a little. "The new girl?" He asked, Selphie nodded.
"Oh...Oh! That's today?" He shook his head. "Okay, where is that file?" He started searching his desk before Selphie laughed and lifted the file he had been looking at and pulled out the folder below it, handing it to him.
"Manilla is SeeD requests, Red is mission agreements, Green budgeting and Blue is student intake." Selphie said.
"Right, right, right, thank you!" He said as he took a sip of his coffee, setting the file in front of him and opening it. "By the way Sel.." he started as he looked over the information. "The festival committee in the quad was looking for you. Sounded important." He said. "I can handle this."
"Oh now, what did they mess up now?!" She didn't even say bye, she simply hightailed it out of the room. When Rinoa glanced back from her eyes following the girl out to the door, the Commander was laughing, he shook his head and looked back down at the file, picking up the remote and turning the music off.
He adjusted himself in the chair for a moment before looking up at her. "Okay, Rinoa... you prefer Heartilly, not Caraway, yes?" He asked.
"Yeah, I didn't want to draw attention for being the general's daughter." She said,
He nodded. "Sounds like a good idea. Let's see..." He looked at his computer, typing a bit of information in. Eyes looking down at the file.
"That's amazing..." Rinoa couldn't help the comment that came out of her mouth.
"What is?" He asked.
"That you can type without looking at the keyboard. Sorry, it's just I have to stare at it or I make too many typos." She ran a hand through her hair. There was something about him. She couldn't tell what the feeling she felt was.
"Oh, thanks, it's just muscle memory. It's nothing special." He said as he looked back at the screen, the room stayed silent for a few minutes and Rinoa almost preferred the music to the silence.
"Okay, so you're in Dormitory G. '' He said. The printer started up behind him. "You're head instructor is Almasy." He said. He turned around in his chair and grabbed the stuff from the printer and a couple things from his desk drawer. "Okay, class schedule, map, rules sheet, qualifications for the SeeD exam, and this is your student ID. It will also open the door to your dorm." He said. "Now, you have any questions?" He asked.
"Uhm, not that I can think of right now." She said with a smile as she picked up all of the papers. "When will I meet the headmaster?" She asked.
The brunette simply shrugged. "Don't know when he will return so right now, I'm in charge." He said. "I'm sure you will soon. Now, I'll get Zell to show you to your room, classes start Monday so I'm sure you'll want to get settled." He reached over to pick up the phone before the doors opened and he looked up.
"Sky? What is it?" He asked, a look of concern on his face.
"Nothing, I'm just aggravated. Can I hang in here?" She asked.
"I've got a ton of reports to do." He said as he got up and walked around the desk, going to the girl.
Rinoa thought at first that maybe it was his girlfriend but then something caught her eye. It was the girl's eyes. They were the same, now that Rinoa took a better look the two were almost identical.
"But.." The girl called Sky stared at him.
"I've got lunch coming soon and you can hang with me all afternoon, just let me finish. Okay?" He said, glancing over at Rinoa. "Wanna show her to your room? She's your new roomie." He asked her. "It will give you guys time to get to know one another. It will give me time to finish this stuff up and then we can have lunch together. Okay? I promise."
"Why you decided to put two sorceresses in the same room and hope they don't blow up the whole dormitory wing is beyond me." She said, "Okay, okay, I'll do it." She said,
Sky turned to Rinoa and smiled. "I'm Sky. It's nice to meet you. Shall we go?" She said,
Rinoa nodded and picked all her stuff up. "Thank you commander." She said as she turned and walked out with Sky.
Once they had reached the first floor, Sky turned and headed in what Rinoa was assuming the direction of the dorms. They didn't say anything to one another for quite a long time and finally Sky laughed a little, which piqued Rinoa's attention.
"You're trying to figure out how I am on such terms with the commander." She said with a laugh. "My name is Sky Leonhart. Squall, I mean, shit, Commander Leonhart is my twin brother." She said, pushing some of her pale pink hair behind her ear.
Rinoa nodded and laughed a little. "How did you know I was wondering? Can you read my mind or something?" She teased.
"No, of course not. It was the look on your face." She said as they walked. "Come on, detour. I need caffeine." She said as they turned and walked into the cafeteria.
Sky got a coffee and muffin and Rinoa just got a hot tea. They found a table and sat down. Sky took a sip and looked up at her. "So..." She started. "We're supposed to be friends. I think that is what my brother is hoping for. Or at the very least that we are not going to kill each other." She said,
Rinoa nodded. "I'd like to be friends. Honestly, since I got my powers, I didn't really have any because I couldn't control it."
Sky took a sip and smiled. "The power is linked to your emotions. If you can't control those, you can't control the magic." She said, "I mean, it's going to be harder for you than it was for me. I already had experience with embracing my gift but..." She trailed off.
"But..." Rinoa asked.
"Look, I'm gonna be honest." She said, "You have a lot of power. I can feel it, but without a knight. Controlling your power is a pipe dream. It's like your power is a puzzle and you're missing a piece. It's gonna be really hard." Sky shrugged.
"Can you control yours?" Rinoa asked. She could sense the magic coming off the other girl. She had since the second that she had met her.
"I'm learning." She said, "But, I have a knight. So it's easier. Your knight brings you balance. They...they can feel your emotions, you can feel theirs. They bring the balance needed to stop your magic from spiraling out of control. They are a protection against possession. Without a knight, even if you learn to control your powers. You're open to possession and that makes you dangerous."
Rinoa could tell that Sky didn't quite know how to explain the knight thing, but it intrigued Rinoa, she had read about knights when she first got her powers but there wasn't much information on them.
"So, a sorceress chooses her knight and it makes it easier?" Rinoa asked.
"Well, no..." Sky started. "A sorceress doesn't choose her knight. It's a connection. It's instant and it's intense, especially for the knights." As Sky spoke, she played with a ring on her finger. "They are put on this earth to protect us. They are... born for it." She said, "The connection won't sever unless one dies and even then, one can't live without the other." She said, she got a sad look on her face when that happened.
"But I wasn't born a sorceress." Rinoa said.
"Doesn't matter. You have the power." Sky said. "You have a knight. It's just a matter of finding him." She said. She finished her coffee and tossed it in the trash can. "Come on, let's set you to the room." She said,
The two walked quietly to the dorm and when Rinoa entered she noticed all her bags already placed in the room. She silently thanked Irvine and set her stuff on the bed.
"You're gonna wanna get unpacked, so, I'll leave you to it. I have a lunch date anyways." She chuckled as she waved and left the room.
Rinoa sighed and sat down on the bed, looking around the room before grabbing the box labeled clothing and she started to unpack the box. Working on getting all of her things sorted.
As she got to the bottom of the box, she picked up a magazine that she had forgotten about and opened it, her eyes widened and she sat down on the bed. That was where she knew them from. Selphie Tilmitt, Irvine Kinneas, Zell Dincht, Quistis Trepe and Squall Leonhart. They had been the team that defeated Ultimecia. Her eyes stopped on the photo of Squall and she couldn't help the feelings that overcame her and she closed her eyes, trying to steady the rapid beating of her heart.
"Come on Rinoa, get it together." She said, "You just met, and he's too busy to be chasing after a girl. He probably only sees you as just another student. Don't go getting your head into the clouds." She chastised herself before tossing the magazine back into the box. Running her hands over her face she sighed. "What does all this mean?" She asked herself.
"Isn't putting them in the same room a bad idea? What if they don't get along?"
Squall rolled his eyes at Zell, who was lazily in the chair on the other side of the desk Squall was currently at. Even though his friend had a point, Squall had thought it the best idea at first.
"Sky has calmed down a lot since she first got here. She doesn't fly off the handle like she use to." He said. "I think they will be fine. Besides, Sky spends more time with Seifer than anyone so I'm sure she will hardly be in the room most of the time." He said as he leaned back in his chair a little.
"Yeah, I remember all the times she burned holes in your carpet. I was really worried about letting her bounce around unchecked for the longest time." Zell said with a chuckle.
"Zell, bounce around?" Squall laughed. "Anyways, she's not completely unchecked these days." He said. "Seifer has managed to keep her under control somewhat, even if it's just because she enjoys antagonizing him."
"Poor Seifer, first you make him an instructor, now he deals with Sky all the time? Poor guy." He said laughing.
"Hey, he took the exam and passed so, he wanted the instructor position and he's good at it." Squall said. The brunette glanced over at the clock and sighed. "Damn, it's late. Okay, I go to get to my class." He said as he stood up and gathered his things.
"Still don't know why you decided to teach, you have enough on your plate already." Zell said. "I took the easy part of this job, worrying about all the details of your life so you don't have to worry about living it." The blonde jokes.
"If I stayed up here all day, I'd go nuts. Besides, it's fun!" He said as he gathered his things and headed down to the training center. When he entered he saw all the new students, he especially noticed Rinoa who smiled at him and waved a little. He bit back his urge to go and hug her, mostly because he didn't understand why he couldn't stop thinking about her.
He simply walked to the front of the students and set his case against a rock. "Good afternoon. Welcome to Fiends 101. I'm Commander Leonhart. Those of you who fall into my good graces will come to know me as Squall, those of you who do not will refer to me by the name my failing students call me and think I don't know about... The evil bitch monster of death."
The whole class chuckled and Squall nodded before continuing.
"Make no mistake. This is a hard class. I assign a lot of work, I talk fast and I expect you to keep up. Those looking to coast, this isn't the class for you." He said. "Any questions?"
He was greeted by the silence he always loved to hear after his opening speech. He looked over the class and he sighed. "Okay, who's seen a fiend?" He asked. Most of the students raised their hands and he nodded. "Okay, a good majority of you. For those of you who haven't. You have now."
He reached over and grabbed a tank, setting it down in front of them. Inside was a small-ish fiend.
"This, is a Gachnar, a fear demon." He said. The class started laughing and he shook his head. "That's the reaction most give. I get it, he's tiny. But, remember, size is never something to judge a fiend by. Right now, he's harmless because he's in this... cage. I let him out and he can wreak havoc."
A student stepped forward to get a closer look. Squall watched the student and let him explore.
"Who's a little fear demon! c'mon! Who's a little fear demon?!" The student said in a cutesy voice as if he were speaking to a cute small animal.
"Kendrick..." Rinoa stepped forward, it seemed she was already making friends. "Don't taunt the fear demon." She said,
Squall stepped back and sat on a rock, just watching.
"Why? Can he hurt me?" Kendrick asked.
"It's just tacky." Rinoa asked. "And yes, he can."
"Heartilly." Squall started. "You seem to know something about Gachnars, let's hear it." He said.
Rinoa stood back up straight and turned to the class. "The Gachnar are native to Galbadia, they are fear demons that live underneath homes. They secrete a chemical that slowly drives humans insane. Causing all kinds of violence. Granted they are easy to kill but they are expert at remaining hidden and more than likely. You'll go insane before you find them to kill them." Rinoa turned back to Squall with a smile.
He nodded and clapped his hands. "That's right. Good Job." He said as he stood back up. "Now, a Gachnar can only grow to be about six inches tall. So you see one? Don't hesitate to step on it. They tend to make people feel a little...homicidy." He picked the container up and set it to the side.
"Okay, so inside the training center we have an array of different types of fiends you can face." Squall started. "Grendels are the most common because they are easy to defeat and great for beginners." He added. "With the experience you have, I recommend you begin there. You see a T-rexaur, you run. Got it?" He said. "I mean it. I really don't want to have to call your parents because you were stupid. That's it for today. I want a two page paper on Gachnars by next class? Dismissed." He said as he picked up his stuff.
Rinoa came up to him and he smiled. "You're not in this class. You're lucky I didn't kick you out. I have a habit of doing that, you know." He said as he crossed his arms.
"I don't know much about fiends and Kendrick told me about this class so I thought I would crash it. I'm sorry." She seemed genuinely sorry for it.
"You seem to know some." He said as he looked over at the cage.
"I've read about Gachnars. My aunt had one in her home when I was little. She lived alone thank god or she might have killed someone." She explained. "So, is there a way for me to be in the class?"
Normally, Squall would have told her no, since this class was more for younger students but for some reason. Looking at her right now, he couldn't say no to her. "I'll see what I can do." He said. "You better get going, you have a paper to write." He gave her a wink and picked his stuff up.
"Yes, Commander!" She said excitedly and picked up her stuff, turning to leave.
Squall shook his head and finished gathering up his things, returning the small fiend to the research lab before heading to the cafeteria for something to snack on. Once inside he saw Seifer and it was perfect timing. He had some questions for the blonde.
"Almasy. Hey." He said as he walked up to the blonde.
"Commander." He saluted. "Everything okay? You look shaken." He said.
"I have something I need to ask you. Can we take a walk to my office?" He asked.
"Uhm, sure."
They both headed up to his office and Squall shut the door, they both headed over to a sitting area to the left of his desk and sat down in the comfy chairs. Squall sipped on his juice. "So…" He started, trying to figure out how to word what he wanted to talk about.
"When you first met Sky. What did it feel like?" He asked.
Seifer looked genuinely shocked at the question. "Wow, uhm." He looked down at his feet for a minute as if to compose his thoughts into a coherent sentence. "It felt like I had known her my whole life. I couldn't stop thinking about her. I wanted to just throw myself at her all of the time." He said. "I mean I kind of did but she was having none of my shit." He said with a laugh. "But, at that moment. The moment I first saw her. I wanted to protect her. I would have killed for her, I would have died for her and she hadn't even said a word to me." He explained. "Why?" It was Seifers turn to ask a question.
"This new sorceress, Rinoa." Squall started.
"Oh yeah, I've seen her. Nice girl." Seifer interjected.
"Yeah, it's like. I can't stop thinking about her and even more so. I can't seem to say no to her. She crashed my class and I didn't kick her out."
"So, you think you might be her knight?" Seifer asked him.
Squall stood up and walked to the window, looking out over the first floor. "I have no idea and it's bugging the hell out of me." He said. "I'm on fire when she's around."
Seifer looked at him and set his drink down. "You're the twin to a sorceress Squall." Seifer said. "It would make sense that you're a knight. Every book I've read, most sorceresses are only children. I don't know why, but when they are born with that power. They make it so there are no others. You have a twin."
"Don't forget about Ellone." Squall said.
"Ellone's adopted, she doesn't count." Seifer said. "If you're asking me if you're this Rinoa's knight. I'd say to wait a little while and see what you feel but I also would say it's a good chance that you are." Seifer told him.
"What about the school?" Squall asked. "I have a job to do."
Seifer laughed. "As do I. Just because you're a knight, it doesn't mean you have to quit your day job. You just have to figure out how to balance the two of them."
"I thought a knight and a sorceress were supposed to balance each other out? Why the hell am I so on edge?" Squall asked.
Seifer raised an eyebrow. "Because your brain is fighting it, so it's giving you anxiety." He said. "I tried to fight against it for a while and well, bad bad mood time." He laughed. "Take your time to figure out what you feel. And if you have any questions, throw them at me. I promise I won't laugh." Seifer said seriously.
Squall shook his head. "You used to laugh at me if I breathed."
"Well, I was young and dumb and wanted noterioty. Of course I was too stubborn to listen when I was told that notoriety is always a bad thing." He said.
"I tried to tell you." Squall said with a laugh. "Thanks, I appreciate it."
"Just take some time. Don't jump into anything. It will make itself known in time what she means to you. When you're ready to give up the world for her. Give up your own life. That's when you'll know." Seifer clapped his friend on the shoulder and left the room and Squall turned to the window.
"Problem is, I already feel that way." He said to himself as he shook his head and took a seat at his desk.
He was going to try to work but he couldn't get his brain to function. Suddenly his phone rang and he grabbed it off the hook.
"Leonhart." He spoke into the receiver.
"Son! Son!" The voice was so excited and loud on the other end that Squall had to hold the phone away from his ear.
"Hello, father." He said. "What can I do for you?" He asked.
"Can't a father call and check up on his kids?" He sounded like a whiny child when he spoke. "I was hoping you two would come out and visit soon. It's almost time for the trees to bloom and you promised you would come and see them!"
"Soon? The trees bloom in April, it's January." Squall said into the receiver.
"I know! But that is so soon! The festival is gonna be wonderful! You used to love going to the sage festival when you were little. Please?"
"Okay, Okay, I'll try. I promise." He said. "By the way, I sent back the latest files you sent on the updates to the defense mainframe. They look good, So I would go ahead and get the engineers started on it." He said.
"Oh yeah! I forgot all about that! Thank you son! It's so nice to have your help with things like that. I don't know the first thing about our defenses." Laguna laughed into the phone.
"Yeah, that's not good." He said. "Anything else you need from me?" He asked.
"Yeah, some background checks. You know most computer systems don't like Esther poking around. I was thinking you could run them quiet like?" Laguna asked.
"Immigrants?" He asked.
"Yep!" Laguna chimed.
"Okay, send me the names and I'll get it done tomorrow." Squall leaned back in his chair, Scratching an itchy spot in his hair. He was starting to get tired. He just wanted to go home.
"How is sis?" Squall asked as he stopped thinking about his exhaustion for a moment.
"Missing her baby brother and she's more than ready for you to come home for a visit. She has a friend she wants to introduce to you. A girl friend." Laguna said suggestively.
"No, tell her no more blind dates. I'm not having it." He said. "The last one went horribly and I'm not putting myself through that again. Besides, I'm fine with being alone and I keep trying to explain that to her. Maybe you can get her to see reason." Squall said.
"Now, Why would I do that? I want to see you with someone that is going to make you happy!" Laguna said back into the phone.
Squall thought for a moment about telling his father about the girl that seemed to have captured his attention but he didn't want to get Laguna over excited about something that Squall didn't even know what it meant. So he held back until he understood it a little more.
"I doubt that a blind date from my sister is going to lead to that." Squall said into the phone.
"You never know! And I expect you to be here in April!" He said. "I've got to let you go. Time for Din Din! I'll send you those names! Love you!" Laguna waited a moment, as if he were expecting to hear Squall say it back.
"I'll see what I can do. Bye dad." He hung up the phone before he leaned back in the chair again. Sighing. He turned his monitor off and grabbed his keys. Taking his leave from the office for the day seemed like the best course of action since he figured that he wasn't going to get any more work done for the day.
He made his way to his apartment which was located through the dormitory and up the stairs to the tenth floor. There was an elevator, but Squall liked to take the stairs a lot of the time as a good sense of exercise. He swiped his key and opened the door. Letting it shut and lock behind him as he set his stuff on the entryway table and kicked his shoes off. A white longhaired cat meowed at him from the hallway leading to his bedroom.
"Pix!" He called and the cat came over to him. He stood for a second before patting his chest for a second and the cat scaled up his legs into his arms. "Hey girl. I know, I'm hungry too. Maybe we'll just order something from the cafeteria. Balamb fish sounds amazing huh?" The small cat climbed onto his shoulder and got comfy in her spot as he picked up the phone. "Yeah, can I get two Balamb Fish, Leonhart, yeah. Thanks." He hung up the phone and reached up to scratch the kitten's head. "Okay, now we wait."
He walked over from the kitchen where the phone was to the sofa and he sat back on it. Laying back and his hand continued running along the kitten. Most people didn't expect the cold Squall Leonhart to have a pet. Even Squall had never really thought about getting a pet. But he had found the small baby on a mission and couldn't bring himself to leave her there. So, he had brought her home and within a day he couldn't bring himself to give her away and so he had named her Pixie and decided to keep her.
The food arrived sometime later and he took the fish out of the second serving and put it on the floor for Pixie, eating the other portion himself. "So, I met a girl today." Yeah, he had become that weird person that had conversations with his cat. But at the same time, it did often help to talk out his problems. Even if the kitten didn't understand. It still soothed him. "She's really pretty but more than that. I feel like she's supposed to be in my life and I can't really explain why." He said. "What do you think, Pixie? Am I a knight?" He asked the kitten who simply ignored him for the fish in front of her.
"Yeah, you're a big help." He said as he finished eating. He put the plate in the sink and sighed as he grabbed a beer from the fridge.
"She really is cute though." He said. "I wonder what she feels. Maybe I should ask Sky how she felt about Seifer when she first met him." He said as he took a swig. "God, I haven't been this tired in a long time. My brain really is working overtime today Pixie." He said as he walked back to the sofa, sitting down and turning on the television. Channel surfing to try and find something that caught his attention to get his mind off his Dilemma. He stopped on a cop procedural show called Trabia 99. Normally this wasn't the type of show he would be interested in because it was about a bunch of cops basically goofing off all the time but he also loved it at the same time.
He was enthralled in his show when Pixie jumped up on his lap and dropped her toy. He looked down and picked up the small stuffed mouse, tossing it to some corner of the living room and the kitten took off. Coming back and dropping it in his lap again a few moments later. He picked it up and threw it again. He had never heard of a kitten playing fetch but it was kind of cool that she did. He threw the mouse for the duration of the show and by the time it was over, Pixie had come back mouse-less and curled up in his lap. His hand petting her absentmindedly.
"Are you ready for bed?" He asked the kitten. "Yeah, me too." He said. "Come on. Let's go." He got up from his spot on the sofa and turned the television off. Picking up her plate from the floor and setting it in the sink before chugging the rest of his beer and throwing the bottle in the trashcan and he armed his security alarm and checked the lock on his front door. Turning off the light and heading to his room. The kitten jumped up on the bed and circled the pillow on the right side before she laid on it.
Squall headed into his bathroom and stripped. Taking a quick shower. He came back out a few moments later and grabbed the bottle from the bathroom counter, dumping one of the pills out and tossing it in his mouth before drinking from the sink faucet and swallowing. He washed his face and brushed his teeth and changed into black lounge pants and left the bathroom. When he came back into his bedroom, Pixie was already fast asleep and he sighed. "Traitor." He said to her for falling asleep before him.
He sat on the edge of the bed, running a hand through his hair. The medicine was starting to kick in and he opened the top drawer. Picking up the pistol and checking the clip before setting it back in the drawer and closing it. Because of the sorceress war, Squall had to admit that maybe he was a little more paranoid than he used to be but it wasn't like he kept the gun underneath his pillow. The medication was for nightmares. Squall had seen a lot for someone at the age of twenty one. The medicine helped him sleep.
He got up and pulled the blankets back, getting into the bed and he reached over and turned the light off. His eyes were staring at the ceiling. His thoughts turned back to Rinoa. As he drifted off, he realized he had no clue how to deal with this and he needed to make a call in the morning.
A Note from Ayumi: Okay, so this is the end of the first chapter of the rewrite. It ended up being completely different from the first two chapters of the old story. Don't worry I won't keep comparing the two. This one chapter kind of follows the timeline of the first two chapters. As you can see, half is from Rinoa's point of view and the other half is from Squall's. I really do hope you all enjoy it. I do have to note a couple of things though.
Yes, I changed Aria's name. I wanted something that fit more with Squall. So, she does have a new name. I also turned down the rage quite a bit. I wanted her to have mellowed out a little. Since she has been at Garden for a while.
I also wanted to hint that there are two different ways to become a sorceress. You can be born one, or you can inherit the powers of one who passes away. The only plot hole in this chapter that drives me nuts is why Caraway would bring his daughter to a hospital to see a dying sorceress but honestly. I couldn't explain how Rinoa got her powers any other way and I kinda wanted to show that there are some differences between those who inherit and those who are born with it. This will come in to play more later on in the story.
Finally, yes I know, Squall isn't the type to have an animal but you know what? The Squall in my story has lightened up a little in the years! And a kitten sounded nice for him to have. You also notice that both Squall and Rinoa have better relationships with their fathers. Most stories they all hate one another and I honestly wanted to do something different. I know in the previous version I changed it so that Rinoa actually got along with her father.
I also ramped up the sorceress connection a little in this rewrite because It just seemed like Rinoa was the one that felt it and Squall went with the flow in the old story so I wanted to show like an internal struggle on Squall's side if that makes sense.
Okay, last thing, then I'll end this off. The section in which Squall is teaching his monster class. His opening speech is honestly ripped off from Professor Walsh from Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The whole bit about the Gachnar is also from Buffy, I love that part of the episode lol. Anyone who knows me, knows that I do occasionally take from popular culture that I see and have incorporated it into my stories quite frequently. I always make sure to credit though , One more credit. Trabia 99 is essentially based on Brooklyn 99 because I love that show!
Okay, I'll shut up now and I hope you all enjoy it! Please please please! Read and review! Reviews keep me going, even if they are constructive criticism.