Chapter 6 : Finishing the Project
"Pour some sparkling energy into the windmill and shake it," Squall red from the scroll.
"And recite the following spell,"
After that, the box shone some light out and Voila! The shell is made. It looks like a glass ball more than a music box. Squall sometimes get fed up when he couldn't get some steps right. Sometimes he read the wrong charm, sometimes he forgot the lines, all due to his tiredness. He has spent so much time on this project of his, he neither comes out from his room nor to eat.
"Squall sama," a little voice came out.
It was a super deformed Carbuncle. The rabbit kinda look alike guardian force has been a good friend and a great fighting companion. Carbuncle would come out and entertain its master when he's bored. Sometime, it will bring him a cup of coffee or even massage him. Squall has been processing the box for a few weeks now and he only sleeps for 2 hours each day. He seldom goes for lectures too and this made Quistis and the others very worried.
"Squall sama, I think you need to rest," Carbuncle said.
"No, Carbuncle. I need to finish it fast. Christmas is just next week," he told him and forced smile.
Carbuncle could only frown at him. Squall indeed looked very tired and he has thick eye bags. The caring GF could stand him no longer and cast his powers over him.
"What are you doing?!" Squall shouted.
Not only he is tired but also grumpy but his favourite GF didn't blame him.
"Squall sama, you must rest! Rinoa sama wouldn't like it too if she knows about you," he said.
Squall knows it has its point. And so he listened to Carbuncle and lied down on his bed. He slept instantly and it was already 5a.m in the morning.
Zell came in the next morning to see how his buddy is doing. Squall was snoring like a pig when he came in. He wanted to wake him up but after few tries, he gave up. He pitied his friend and left him continued sleeping. Actually he came because Quistis have given the SeeD cadets an assignment to do. The assignment will bring them higher ranking and receive a world known badge for excellence, if they suceed. Since Squall was so sleepy, he planned to let him know later. This has happened for a few times until one night…
"Squall," Zell called as he came in.
"Quistis gave us an assignment to do. The 1st test will begin next week," he informed.
"Um…" was the only answer Squall gave him.
Squall was concentrating on his own project.
"Squall! This is a very important test! Come on, take it seriously!" Zell shouted at him when he acted like he listened.
"I know, I'll make it," he replied.
"You better come for tomorrow's lecture, Quistis is very mad at your absence," he continued and left the room feeling very angry over him.
Squall wasn't the Squall he usually knows. Last time, Squall would take any mission, any test seriously but now what only matters to him is doing his own project. Zell went to Selphie to talk about this matter.
"Selphie, Squall is getting on my nerves," he complaint.
"Why?" she asked in the bathroom, combing her hair.
"He is a changed person. He isn't like that last time. He takes his tests and assignment seriously but now after he started making that… that box thing, he isn't himself anymore," he told her.
"Well, as far as I know Squall, he is a responsible person. I'm sure he'll make it. Moreover, the box is important to him. Let's imagine how will Rinoa react if she knows he cared for her so much. If I'm her, I'll wrap my arms around his legs! Hahahaha!" she said excitedly.
"I find the wrong person to discuss this," Zell mumbled to himself.
The next day, Squall attended Quistis's class. She can hardly recognize him at first because he has turned pale, thin, has thick eye bags and even his cheeks were sunken. After the class, he went to her and asked about the test.
"Quistis, can you brief about the SeeD test?" he asked.
"What happened to you?! You looked…. Like a dead man walking. Did you sleep last night?" she asked her student with concern.
"Ye…awn, yes I mean, at 4am," he answered.
"Look Squall, not that I object you to do your own project but you must care about the SeeD's project too,"
"That's why I (yawn) came," he said and yawned.
"Squall oh, Squall," she sighed and gave him the instructions.
Later that night, he got his chance to finish the box. Due to her father's request, Rinoa has gone with him for a business vacation. This is beneficial to Squall because no one would disturb him and that night is the best night to do the performing because the last step requires the moonlight. This is the last section he has to complete in order to finish his project. And so little Carbuncle took the box and placed it on the windowsill.
He piled the last ingredient, which consisted the powder of the Dino Bone, the bullets and the music scores. He must have full concentration and think properly during the performance. Little Carbuncle just stood at the corner and watched him.
"Nothing I want, but to satisfy my Rinoa, may you grant, this box to be done," he recited and a bright light enveloped his body (ok, it doesn't rhyme).
He has full concentration on Rinoa. He thinks of her face and events they've gone through. He remembered the first time they met in the ballroom, how they dance and how she left. He remembered the next time they met again, he thought it was only an illusion because she looks like an angle and was gone after the ball. He remembered how they fought together, how they defeated the monsters, how she cared for him when he was injured and when she stayed by his side through thick and thin. He remembered how she cried for him and called his name, no one has ever cried for him, no one has ever been that good to him and knowing that she's the one for him. He remembered how she made him lunch when she doesn't even know how to fry an egg. He remembered they had many quarrels; they didn't last but strengthen their love. He remembered her kisses from her lush, sweet lips, which still lingers in his mind and hope to taste them when he wakes up every morning. He remembered…
The song, 'Eyes on Me' was played during the performance because that was what Quistis composed for him (I can't think of any other song, which fits this fic more perfectly ^_^). The magic music box was formed in a hexagon-sphere (I hope you know what I mean) and it turns anti-clockwise when the song is playing, its glass shell has turned into a crystal shell, which shone, ever so brightly under the moonlight.
Some magic dust landed on Squall right after he has finished it. He smiled with satisfaction and was proud of himself. Suddenly his focus becomes blur and all he sees is black in colour.
"Squall sama!" Carbuncle called.
He fainted.
Squall woke up in the infirmary with Rinoa on his side, sleeping with her head on the bed. He pressed his head, which felt like tons of stone in it. His movements made Rinoa jerked up from her sleep. She looked at Squall, just looked at him and Squall blinked. Then she buried her face on his chest.
"Squall! You're awake!" the rest came in and cheered happily.
"Wh…what happened?" he asked, shaking his head.
"You have slept for 3 days!" Selphie said.
"Irvine send you here in the nick of time or you are in he…" Zell told him and Selphie slapped his mouth went he was going to say 'it'.
"Urgh…"
"The patient need some rest, you guys can come later," Dr. Kadowaki said.
They left Squall and Rinoa there. Rinoa hasn't said a word since he woke up. She has buried her head for too long on his chest, he was feeling soaked.
"Rinoa?" Squall called her.
No respond.
"Rinoa, you dead?" he joked.
"Rinoa,"
"Baka,"
"Rinoa! Rinoa! Rinoa!" Squall called again and again.
"Baka! Baka! Baka! Baka no Squall!!!" she yelled and punched him.
All the patients there were looking at them. Squall nodded as a sign of apology.
"You scared me!" she shouted at him.
"I…" he started.
"You heartless little brat!"
"Am…" he was interrupted again.
"You're so selfish and mean!" she expressed and cried.
"Sorry…" he managed the word finally.
"Go to hell!"
Squall was silent and let her cry. Later she unglued her face to his shirt and looked at him with red, swollen eyes. Squall super-deformed for half a second.
"Promise me you'll never endanger your life ever, ever again!" she said loudly.
He went silent for a while and looked at her.
"I promise,"
Rinoa frowned and started crying and pressing her face on his chest.
"Nurse, can you pass me a clean, dry shirt?" he called for the nurse.
Rinoa boxed him.
Finally, it was the day. Squall was waiting at the waiting room with two sweaty hands and a blank brain.
"Squall Leonhart," the announcer called.
Squall stood up and walked towards the door and opened it. He walked along a short hallway before arrived at the exam room. He took a deep breath and entered the room.
"You can start now," the examiner said.
Squall sat in front of the blank screen. Not only the screen is blank, his head is blank too. Squall was thinking how he could survive this 2 hours computer exam. He didn't study for this exam much. After all, he spend too much time on making the present for Rinoa and the time wasted in the infirmary, resting was enough to make him forget and neglect his studies.
Anyway, Squall typed whatever he knows. Sometimes he paused and the examiners had to tell him to continue.
*I'm dead meat.
After the 2 whole hour passed, he walked out from the room feeling very unhappy and scared. Quistis was waiting for him outside and comforted him when she saw his expression. Quistis has somehow known this would happen.
"It's alright, Squall, it's just the first part of the test. You still have 2 more parts," she said.
Squall just locked his mouth. He has no one to blame but himself. He hasn't taken a test less serious than this one. He must get a higher ranking in SeeD. Quistis patted his back and he just walked away with his head down.
On the way back to his room, he accidentally met Rinoa at the hallway. She waved and smiled happily when she saw him but then her expression changed when she sensed something's wrong. She just followed him to his dorm without saying a word.
There she attempts to cheer him up.
"Squall! Look what I've brought you," she said cheerfully.
Squall ignored her and went into his room.
"Squall, I've brought you lunch and candy," she told him and went into his room.
He was lying on his bed with his hands covering his eyes.
"Squall, get up! You MUST try out my food! I've made candy, my nanny just taught me yesterday," she said and pulled him up.
"Eat, eat, eat. Try, try, try," Rinoa urged him to eat and hand him the food.
Squall pushed all of the food onto the floor.
"Get out! Leave me alone!" Squall shouted.
Rinoa was stunned for a while.
"I've come all the way from Galbadia…," she started but didn't finish her lines and went off.
He solemnly went back to his room and glanced from the window. He saw Rinoa running away wiping her eyes.
"Damn," he cursed and tumbled on his bed, raking his hair, regretting for what he had done. Will he spend Christmas without Rinoa?
"Pour some sparkling energy into the windmill and shake it," Squall red from the scroll.
"And recite the following spell,"
After that, the box shone some light out and Voila! The shell is made. It looks like a glass ball more than a music box. Squall sometimes get fed up when he couldn't get some steps right. Sometimes he read the wrong charm, sometimes he forgot the lines, all due to his tiredness. He has spent so much time on this project of his, he neither comes out from his room nor to eat.
"Squall sama," a little voice came out.
It was a super deformed Carbuncle. The rabbit kinda look alike guardian force has been a good friend and a great fighting companion. Carbuncle would come out and entertain its master when he's bored. Sometime, it will bring him a cup of coffee or even massage him. Squall has been processing the box for a few weeks now and he only sleeps for 2 hours each day. He seldom goes for lectures too and this made Quistis and the others very worried.
"Squall sama, I think you need to rest," Carbuncle said.
"No, Carbuncle. I need to finish it fast. Christmas is just next week," he told him and forced smile.
Carbuncle could only frown at him. Squall indeed looked very tired and he has thick eye bags. The caring GF could stand him no longer and cast his powers over him.
"What are you doing?!" Squall shouted.
Not only he is tired but also grumpy but his favourite GF didn't blame him.
"Squall sama, you must rest! Rinoa sama wouldn't like it too if she knows about you," he said.
Squall knows it has its point. And so he listened to Carbuncle and lied down on his bed. He slept instantly and it was already 5a.m in the morning.
Zell came in the next morning to see how his buddy is doing. Squall was snoring like a pig when he came in. He wanted to wake him up but after few tries, he gave up. He pitied his friend and left him continued sleeping. Actually he came because Quistis have given the SeeD cadets an assignment to do. The assignment will bring them higher ranking and receive a world known badge for excellence, if they suceed. Since Squall was so sleepy, he planned to let him know later. This has happened for a few times until one night…
"Squall," Zell called as he came in.
"Quistis gave us an assignment to do. The 1st test will begin next week," he informed.
"Um…" was the only answer Squall gave him.
Squall was concentrating on his own project.
"Squall! This is a very important test! Come on, take it seriously!" Zell shouted at him when he acted like he listened.
"I know, I'll make it," he replied.
"You better come for tomorrow's lecture, Quistis is very mad at your absence," he continued and left the room feeling very angry over him.
Squall wasn't the Squall he usually knows. Last time, Squall would take any mission, any test seriously but now what only matters to him is doing his own project. Zell went to Selphie to talk about this matter.
"Selphie, Squall is getting on my nerves," he complaint.
"Why?" she asked in the bathroom, combing her hair.
"He is a changed person. He isn't like that last time. He takes his tests and assignment seriously but now after he started making that… that box thing, he isn't himself anymore," he told her.
"Well, as far as I know Squall, he is a responsible person. I'm sure he'll make it. Moreover, the box is important to him. Let's imagine how will Rinoa react if she knows he cared for her so much. If I'm her, I'll wrap my arms around his legs! Hahahaha!" she said excitedly.
"I find the wrong person to discuss this," Zell mumbled to himself.
The next day, Squall attended Quistis's class. She can hardly recognize him at first because he has turned pale, thin, has thick eye bags and even his cheeks were sunken. After the class, he went to her and asked about the test.
"Quistis, can you brief about the SeeD test?" he asked.
"What happened to you?! You looked…. Like a dead man walking. Did you sleep last night?" she asked her student with concern.
"Ye…awn, yes I mean, at 4am," he answered.
"Look Squall, not that I object you to do your own project but you must care about the SeeD's project too,"
"That's why I (yawn) came," he said and yawned.
"Squall oh, Squall," she sighed and gave him the instructions.
Later that night, he got his chance to finish the box. Due to her father's request, Rinoa has gone with him for a business vacation. This is beneficial to Squall because no one would disturb him and that night is the best night to do the performing because the last step requires the moonlight. This is the last section he has to complete in order to finish his project. And so little Carbuncle took the box and placed it on the windowsill.
He piled the last ingredient, which consisted the powder of the Dino Bone, the bullets and the music scores. He must have full concentration and think properly during the performance. Little Carbuncle just stood at the corner and watched him.
"Nothing I want, but to satisfy my Rinoa, may you grant, this box to be done," he recited and a bright light enveloped his body (ok, it doesn't rhyme).
He has full concentration on Rinoa. He thinks of her face and events they've gone through. He remembered the first time they met in the ballroom, how they dance and how she left. He remembered the next time they met again, he thought it was only an illusion because she looks like an angle and was gone after the ball. He remembered how they fought together, how they defeated the monsters, how she cared for him when he was injured and when she stayed by his side through thick and thin. He remembered how she cried for him and called his name, no one has ever cried for him, no one has ever been that good to him and knowing that she's the one for him. He remembered how she made him lunch when she doesn't even know how to fry an egg. He remembered they had many quarrels; they didn't last but strengthen their love. He remembered her kisses from her lush, sweet lips, which still lingers in his mind and hope to taste them when he wakes up every morning. He remembered…
The song, 'Eyes on Me' was played during the performance because that was what Quistis composed for him (I can't think of any other song, which fits this fic more perfectly ^_^). The magic music box was formed in a hexagon-sphere (I hope you know what I mean) and it turns anti-clockwise when the song is playing, its glass shell has turned into a crystal shell, which shone, ever so brightly under the moonlight.
Some magic dust landed on Squall right after he has finished it. He smiled with satisfaction and was proud of himself. Suddenly his focus becomes blur and all he sees is black in colour.
"Squall sama!" Carbuncle called.
He fainted.
Squall woke up in the infirmary with Rinoa on his side, sleeping with her head on the bed. He pressed his head, which felt like tons of stone in it. His movements made Rinoa jerked up from her sleep. She looked at Squall, just looked at him and Squall blinked. Then she buried her face on his chest.
"Squall! You're awake!" the rest came in and cheered happily.
"Wh…what happened?" he asked, shaking his head.
"You have slept for 3 days!" Selphie said.
"Irvine send you here in the nick of time or you are in he…" Zell told him and Selphie slapped his mouth went he was going to say 'it'.
"Urgh…"
"The patient need some rest, you guys can come later," Dr. Kadowaki said.
They left Squall and Rinoa there. Rinoa hasn't said a word since he woke up. She has buried her head for too long on his chest, he was feeling soaked.
"Rinoa?" Squall called her.
No respond.
"Rinoa, you dead?" he joked.
"Rinoa,"
"Baka,"
"Rinoa! Rinoa! Rinoa!" Squall called again and again.
"Baka! Baka! Baka! Baka no Squall!!!" she yelled and punched him.
All the patients there were looking at them. Squall nodded as a sign of apology.
"You scared me!" she shouted at him.
"I…" he started.
"You heartless little brat!"
"Am…" he was interrupted again.
"You're so selfish and mean!" she expressed and cried.
"Sorry…" he managed the word finally.
"Go to hell!"
Squall was silent and let her cry. Later she unglued her face to his shirt and looked at him with red, swollen eyes. Squall super-deformed for half a second.
"Promise me you'll never endanger your life ever, ever again!" she said loudly.
He went silent for a while and looked at her.
"I promise,"
Rinoa frowned and started crying and pressing her face on his chest.
"Nurse, can you pass me a clean, dry shirt?" he called for the nurse.
Rinoa boxed him.
Finally, it was the day. Squall was waiting at the waiting room with two sweaty hands and a blank brain.
"Squall Leonhart," the announcer called.
Squall stood up and walked towards the door and opened it. He walked along a short hallway before arrived at the exam room. He took a deep breath and entered the room.
"You can start now," the examiner said.
Squall sat in front of the blank screen. Not only the screen is blank, his head is blank too. Squall was thinking how he could survive this 2 hours computer exam. He didn't study for this exam much. After all, he spend too much time on making the present for Rinoa and the time wasted in the infirmary, resting was enough to make him forget and neglect his studies.
Anyway, Squall typed whatever he knows. Sometimes he paused and the examiners had to tell him to continue.
*I'm dead meat.
After the 2 whole hour passed, he walked out from the room feeling very unhappy and scared. Quistis was waiting for him outside and comforted him when she saw his expression. Quistis has somehow known this would happen.
"It's alright, Squall, it's just the first part of the test. You still have 2 more parts," she said.
Squall just locked his mouth. He has no one to blame but himself. He hasn't taken a test less serious than this one. He must get a higher ranking in SeeD. Quistis patted his back and he just walked away with his head down.
On the way back to his room, he accidentally met Rinoa at the hallway. She waved and smiled happily when she saw him but then her expression changed when she sensed something's wrong. She just followed him to his dorm without saying a word.
There she attempts to cheer him up.
"Squall! Look what I've brought you," she said cheerfully.
Squall ignored her and went into his room.
"Squall, I've brought you lunch and candy," she told him and went into his room.
He was lying on his bed with his hands covering his eyes.
"Squall, get up! You MUST try out my food! I've made candy, my nanny just taught me yesterday," she said and pulled him up.
"Eat, eat, eat. Try, try, try," Rinoa urged him to eat and hand him the food.
Squall pushed all of the food onto the floor.
"Get out! Leave me alone!" Squall shouted.
Rinoa was stunned for a while.
"I've come all the way from Galbadia…," she started but didn't finish her lines and went off.
He solemnly went back to his room and glanced from the window. He saw Rinoa running away wiping her eyes.
"Damn," he cursed and tumbled on his bed, raking his hair, regretting for what he had done. Will he spend Christmas without Rinoa?