Disclaimer: Nope, I'm not the lucky owner of Final Fantasy VIII or even one of its fantastic characters. Square owns them.
Author's note: Hi! It's me White crescent. This is supposed to be sequel of my other fanfic 'The Adult in the shell of a child' which is about the reason Rinoa ran away from her father. This one covers what happened after that to how the Timber Owls are founded. I don't really know if this is a good fanfic ( and like I said before, I haven't played for quite a while…), so it's up to you guys to review it! Anyway, this is created thanks to one reviewer…Aki….
The Angel and the Owls
Rinoa stretched her arms as she watched the things go by through the train window. She had just run away from her father, and couldn't think of anywhere to go. She got her blue backpack and pulled out a map from it.
"Hmmm…..where should I start?…."
She thought for a while and pointed at a place called Balamb. Balamb seemed like a nice place….but if she went there how would her father know that she was trying hard to show him that she can be independent? She had never even heard of her father talking about Balamb.
'Like I'm going to phone him and say, 'Dad, I'm here in Balamb! Why don't you visit and see how independent I am!'' she said to herself as she got herself a marker and drew a cross on the words Balamb.
'If I did that he'll certainly come and drag me back to that mansion. Then I'll probably would hear a lecture and be banned from using the Internet for one week. That'll make one very boring week! '
She looked again at the map, running her fingers on the map. She stopped and pointed at Fisherman's Horizon. The word 'Fish' came into her mind.
"Eew!!! Fish, fishermen…I don't want to live with fish as food everyday!!!"
She drew a cross on top of the words "Fisherman's Horizon". "Now let's see…"
The word "Dollet City" caught her eyes.
"Now, here's what I'm looking for!" she said out loud. She had heard of his father talking about Dollet several times. Caraway had said that there were competitions for card games there. 'Maybe if I become a 'Card genius' then he'll notice me….'
She fished in her bag and found what she was looking for; her seven cards.
'Hmm…dad is good at cards….he comes there to fight in the tournament before….maybe when I really become good then he'll come and fight me…' she grinned, and let the cards cover her mouth.
'Then I'll win over him…'
"Mwahahahaha…I'll show him!!! Then maybe I could even win my card from him!!!" She laughed loudly.
"Hey, kid. Give the other people some peace! It's five in the morning, stop disturbing the other passengers!!" The conductor said as he peeped inside the little room she paid for.
'Kid huh? Do I really look so 'kiddy'?'
"Hehe…sorry…I…just couldn't wait to see my gramps and granny again. I'm soooo excited! Sorry." Rinoa lied, and the old conductor believed it. He smiled.
"That's okay, just don't shout and talk so loud, okay?" Apparently he didn't hear clearly what she just screamed about, otherwise he wouldn't have believed so easily.
Rinoa nodded and smiled sweetly…. When the old conductor finally exited, and the electronic door made a 'whoosh' sound, she quickly stuck her tongue out to door.
"So'kay, I'm off to Dollet to become a 'card genius'….It'll take a long time before I become one but, I am mature so no matter what, I'll succeed!!!" she whispered to herself.
Rinoa wasn't exactly good with cards; in fact she was really, really, absolutely bad at it, but she believed that she was going to succeed no matter what…..even if she would get embarrassed badly.
She stood up and folded the map, then got her backpack and stuffed her stuff in. She then placed the backpack on her back. The train would arrive Timber soon, and then there she would ride a bus and go to Dollet. She smiled at her pure intelligence, she knew she was going to succeed and show her father that he was wrong. She laughed inwardly.
***
She breathed in deeply as she stepped out of the train. Finally, she was there, and she had actually escaped the old conductor's offers to deliver her to her 'grandparents'.
"Ah…..Free as a bird….no…a…oh well."
She walked towards the shop near the train depot planning to inquire where the bus station was.
An old woman in the shop greeted her with a wide smile.
"Good morning, child." She greeted her. 'Child, the more formal way of saying kid….' Rinoa sighed; here was another one who treats her as a child.
"Good morning, granma." Rinoa greeted, sounding as the super-polite 'child'.
"Eh? Granma? Are you one of my granddaughters?" Rinoa sighed even more.
"No, granma, I was just trying to be polite."
"Oh…..Then why are you here, child?"
'Child, child, child……'she sighed to herself.
"I just wanted to ask where the bus station is."
"Oh, well I'm sorry, the bus stations are closed today."
"Oh, then I'll visit it tomorrow—" 'Just tell me where it is, please…' she continued in her mind.
"The bus station won't be opened tomorrow too, dearie."
'DEARIE?!'
"How about the day after, granma…"
"It won't be open the day after tomorrow too, dearie. It won't be open again until next month."
'Ouch…..next month…..you mean I'm stuck here?….No there has got to be a way!!!'
"Why…Why wouldn't it be open until next month?"
"Because those Galbaldian soldiers shut it down, dearie. They heard that rebels were profiting from that so they shut it down."
"What?! They're so meany!" Rinoa almost yelled.
"Why? Where are you going, dearie?"
"I'm going to Dollet, granma…..to…uh…visit my grandparents."
"I see, Dollet you say ? Oh, I know, dearie. Why don't you take a train to Balamb, then catch a hydrofoil to Dollet?"
"Thank you. That's a good idea, granma. When does the train to Balamb leave?"
"The train, dearie? It just left after the train from Deling arrived. Trains to Balamb leave only two times a day here in Timber, dearie."
"What?…..when'll the next one arrive?"
"Tonight, at nine-thirty. Before there were a lot of trains to Balamb, but the Galbaldian soldiers ordered them to be lessened, dearie."
'Galbaldian soldiers are such meanies…..like my dad!..'
"Thanks anyway, granma." She then left the woman's shop.
'Wait…my dad is a Galbaldian soldier….and he's also a General…then he's super duper meany!!'
She walked near a closed shop beside the train depot and observed Timber from there. Timber was beautiful…for her, especially at that time which was about five-thirty in the morning because not much people were out and some of the shops were not open yet. She watched a couple of people jogging together; a man and a woman, and then sighed.
"That is so….sweet.."
She wondered when she would have a boyfriend. 'Maybe after ten years or something if I had stayed with dad…..Or maybe even….never!!!'
She then decided to explore the city for a while. She thought a little adventure would do good. Besides she didn't want any more locals calling her anymore different versions of kid. So she walked hummed the song her mother used to sing for her. The song made her feel a bit sad, but it also gave her strength to go on.
"If only mother were still alive….." she muttered after she stopped for a while. '—then I wouldn't have had to run away!'
***
Rinoa stood in awe of the huge building in front of her. The building was the 'Timber Maniacs' HQ; she had found some of those magazines before in her mother's drawer.
'I wonder why she keeps them so neatly…and there were only less than ten of them….hmmm…'
She remembered how she found a pile of Timber Maniacs magazines once in her mother, Julia's drawer. A beautiful yellow ribbon was tied to them tightly.
'Wait…I think mom liked one series there…..what was that…..' she thought for a while.
'I think it was the 'Different Places' column….it was written by..who?….oh…La…'
She cupped her chin, she was eight then when she found the magazines so she didn't really remember the writer's name.
"Oh, well…. those are just an articles….it was nice..maybe mom liked that, that's why she bought Timber Maniacs with those articles and then stopped buying when that writer didn't write for Timber Maniacs anymore! Yeah, that's right!'
She just stood there and admired the building so much that she didn't notice a boy walking silently towards her. She only noticed him when she felt her backpack move and heard a sound that resembled someone opening a zipper. She turned around and was alarmed to see him; a boy dressed in blue and black, running away at a very fast speed that she knew she wouldn't be able to catch him at all.
"Why….Oh no!!!!" Rinoa quickly checked her bag and almost screamed to death when she found her purse gone.
"EEEEP!!! I knew I shouldn't have put it on the top, I should've put it in the bottom, below the clothes!!!" She quickly closed the zipper and looked around frantically. She noticed two Galbaldian soldiers chatting together near a house and decided to run and report the thief to them. She then ran, ran as fast as she could and then stopped suddenly halfway.
'Stupid, stupid! They're Galbaldian Soldiers…G-A-L-B-A-L-D-I-A-N, your dad is the Galbaldian General…… G-A-L-B-A-L-D-I-A-N G-E-N-E-R-A-L, don't even think about it!' Rinoa's mind nagged.
She quickly ran to a different direction, hoping that the Galbaldian soldiers hadn't noticed her running towards them. She eventually returned near the Train Station. It was about six o'clock by then, and she noticed that the other shop was open; it was a pet shop.
She walked slowly towards it and glanced through its window. Inside the pet shop some really cute and fluffy puppies being sold. She sighed, if she only had her purse then she would be able to buy herself a puppy, and go to Balamb. Now she was probably gil-less, and is stuck in a small city. Her mind started thinking of going back to her father, but she forced the idea out of her mind. 'Then why did I even go all this way if I still would go back? I'm not that weak, I need to persevere!' she'd said to herself. She tried to find ways to cheer herself up and give herself some hope.
'Wait a minute….' She suddenly remembered something, and put her hand into the right pocket of her jeans. There she felt a few crumpled pieces of paper and several coins. She became excited, perhaps she wouldn't really have to be stuck in Timber. She pulled her money out and was rather disappointed but nevertheless content. Her only money was about forty- six gil, not much at all. She sighed again, it wasn't even enough for her to stay in a hotel, or even buy a whole day's decent meal. She put her hand on her stomach, she was also getting hungrier by the minute. She sighed once again and started walking once again away from the train station.
Not knowing what to do next, she decided to go sightseeing, like she had intended to do earlier. She sighed and walked in a straight direction, she didn't turn left, as she didn't want to go back to the place where her money was stolen. More people filled the streets, and the sound of footsteps and people chatting all around her made her feel comfortable. She didn't hear much of those things in her father's mansion. The footsteps would make eerie echoes, and the voices would almost always sound like whispers in her home. She smiled, she was feeling a bit happier. Timber was peaceful, and full of life even though it wasn't as industrialized as Deling. The people of Timber's simple life made Rinoa envy them. She watched a few children play happily as their parents tagged along and felt her heart sink a bit. 'If only my family were still complete…'
She looked to her left as she walked and saw an odd looking shop near the Timber Hotel. She went closer, and when she was close enough, she saw some strange looking items displayed in the shop window. She decided to come in and a tall middle-aged man greeted her with a warm smile.
"Good Morning, what can I do for you?" he asked with a cheerful voice. Rinoa smiled.
"What's this shop, sir?" she asked politely. She had been thought by her mother to always be polite. The man looked at her for a second, then answered back.
"This is a 'Junk shop'. Never been to one, eh?" Rinoa was quite surprised that he didn't call her kid, or any word related to that yet.
She nodded. "A Junk shop…..then….you're selling….", she paused, she didn't want to hurt the man's feelings, but knew that it would be cruel not to be honest. "…rubbish?"
The man laughed at her question.
"Close, the things sold here are -actually- made of rubbish—seemingly useless stuff. It's like I recycle them, make them into better and much more useful things."
Rinoa was amazed. "You make things from rubbish?! That's cool!"
"Want me to show you an example?" Rinoa quickly nodded.
"Wait here." The man then walked into the door behind him. Rinoa observed the shop as she waited. Lots and lots of strange and surprisingly attractive things were displayed neatly on shelves. Some even hung on the walls elegantly. Rinoa finally turned around at the sound of the door opening. The man was back with something wrapped in an old gray cloth. He laid it down on his counter and smiled proudly.
"What is it, sir?" she inquired. She looked at the item for a while then looked at the man. He smiled at her and unveiled the item. It was some sort of 'toy' made with blue and silver metal. Actually it looked like a pinwheel toy that was attached to some sort of blue metal box that had a metal string coming out of it from a hole, it also had some sort of leather straps attached to the metal box.
"It's a weapon I made out of my son's toy, and some spare items I found lying in my work shop. I call it 'The Pinwheel'. Is it beautiful?"
Rinoa looked at it for a while and realized that it was. "Yup, it's beautiful!!!"
"You like it?"
"Yup, but why is it a weapon?"
The man looked up and thought for a while. "To help the resistance groups here in Timber."
"Resistance groups? Galbaldia rules this place right?"
"Right."
"So, you mean you all don't like Galbaldia ruling this place?"
"Yes. Why, do you?"
Rinoa folded her hands. "No, they're meanies. They shut down the bus stations and lessened the trains to Balamb!!! I don't really like them now, maybe before I did."
The man smiled at her. "Hey, since you like this, why don't you have it?"
Rinoa's eyes widened for a while, and then she lowered her head, placed her hands at her back, and blushed.
"I…..I don't……really have…..much…money…." She stammered. She then heard a few sounds; the man was wrapping the pinwheel. He then took the pinwheel and pushed it closer while holding it to Rinoa.
"No, I mean you can have it. You're such a nice girl; not many girls are like you nowadays. I want you to have it."
"Huh?" Rinoa got the pinwheel and held it with both her hands.
The man got a chair beside him, sat on it, and leaned on his counter.
"People nowadays don't appreciate things anymore. I was quite excited when you said that this place is 'cool'. You see, not many kids think junk shops are 'cool'."
"So…you're giving this to me….free of charge?"
"Yes….Anyway, what's your name. I haven't seen you around here."
Rinoa smiled. "My name is Rinoa—" 'no, not Caraway,' "—Heartilly."
" That's a nice name, you're not from around here, right?"
"Na-uh." She shook her head.
"Well, I'll be. My names George—" the phone rang. "Uh…."
"Thank you, Mr. George. Maybe I'll see you later, you seem busy."
"Right, see you later Rinoa."
"Thanks again, Mr. George!" she called back as she exited the shop.
"Me? Special? That's…….something I never really believed…" She mumbled as she walked back to the direction of the Train Station, the pinwheel still in her hands. "This place…..Timber….I like it here…..the people are so…..friendly…they make me feel…..happy."
***
She was back in front of the Timber Maniac's HQ. She sighed, this was where her money got stolen. She decided to forget it for a while, it was a good day, she was finally in a good mood, and she didn't want to ruin all of those.
She walked past the house beside the Timber Maniacs HQ, the two Galbaldian soldiers chatting with each other were gone so she didn't have to sneak. She walked further until she reached a bridge of some sort. She looked around. An empty bench was to her left, a flight of stairs was to her northern left, and a tunnel of some sort was to her north. Several people were chatting together near the tunnel, and she decided to sit down on the bench and rest. She had almost dozed off to sleep when two people came running from the tunnel.
"Hey Zone, wait up!!" she heard. She quickly turned to see what was happening and was surprised to see a boy, about the same age as her, dressed in a deep blue jacket and black pants run towards the stairs. Another boy, who was no doubt older for a few years and looked quite exhausted, followed him from behind.
"Zone….Wait up!!!" the slower and older boy repeated.
Rinoa quickly stood up. The boy was familiar, very, very familiar.
'Where have I seen that….' She then remembered the thief. 'Ahhh!!! That's the thief who stole my purse!!'
She quickly ran down the stairs and looked rather afraid to see no boys in where the stairs had led her. She looked around; there was a small stand to her left, and a pub right in front of her. She looked up and saw a big sign; the pub was called 'Aphora's Pub'. A pub was certainly no place for a girl like her, but she decided that if she wanted her money back she would have to go there.
She decided to see what her pinwheel could do in case the boy didn't want to give her her money back. She took off the cloth that wrapped the pinwheel and decided that the leather straps were to tie it down to her hands. She carefully placed it on her right hand and fastened the straps. Once fastened, her hand felt rather uncomfortable. The leather straps were making the flesh beneath it sweat faster, and since it had to be tight, the flesh beneath it would certainly be red by the time she pulled it off. The good thing was that the pinwheel was not that heavy, it was actually surprisingly light. She turned to her right where there was no one, and aimed. She then took hold of its metal string and pulled it as long as she could. She closed her eyes tightly and released the string. The pinwheel went flying, and she became afraid that it might return and cut her or something else. She slowly opened her eyes when she felt the Pinwheel return safely to her hand.
She instantly became confident, and entered the pub.
***
"Let go of my dad!!!!" the boy in blue and black yelled.
"Zone's right! We paid you back whatever you said his dad owed you!" the older boy argued.
Rinoa came in right in the middle of an argument. A Galbaldian Officer was carrying a tall middle-aged man by his shirt. The boy in blue and black, Zone and the older, taller boy stood a few feet from the Galbaldian officer.
"Hah! Do you know that what you paid me was what he owed me two hours ago?!" The officer laughed after that.
"That…..that isn't fair! My dad doesn't even owe you anything in the first place!" Zone argued.
"Well, well……so what? I said he owed me money , then he owes me money!" the officer yelled.
'Meanie, meanie, meanie!!!' Rinoa's mind screamed. She realized that the only reason Zone stole money was to pay for his father's 'debt'.
The officer raised his gun and pointed it right in front of Zone's father's face.
"Well, if you're not going to get me my money…." He moved the finger on the trigger a bit as if showing that it was itching, "……then its bye, bye, daddy."
"That's impossible! How can we get another ten thousand gil!" the older boy yelled.
"Can't, eh?" the officer's finger 'itched' a bit more.
'Ooooh, I hate meanies!!'
Rinoa raised her hand and aimed it directly at the unsuspecting officer's hand. She was thankful that they hadn't noticed her. She then took hold of the string and pulled it quietly. When it was pulled enough, she released it and it hit the officer's hand. It sent the gun flying away. The officer turned to look at where the pinwheel had come from, and saw her. The pinwheel returned quietly and swiftly to her.
"Why you…..!" the officer gritted his teeth, let go of Zone's father and ran towards Rinoa with his right arm raised and ready to punch. Rinoa quickly ran to her right, and saw the older boy tackle the finally unarmed officer.
"Give it another shot, miss!" the older boy yelled, and Rinoa quickly stopped running. He was pinning down the officer.
"Aim it to the head, but lighten your pull."
"Uh…. okay..!" Rinoa pulled on the string softly after she aimed it onto the officer's forehead. She closed her eye as she released it. When it returned, she opened her eyes and ran towards the officer.
"Is…. did I kill him?…" Rinoa asked suddenly to the older boy. The boy smiled.
"Nope, you just knocked him unconscious."
Rinoa looked at the officer's forehead; a thin and short red wound that was like a line was on it.
"Zone, call the Forest Foxes, we'll need their help here."
Rinoa watched as Zone helped his father sit on one of the empty pub's chairs, and exit the place.
The older boy stood up and smiled at her.
"Thanks, miss—" He said. "—hey, wait you're…" the older boy bent down and got something out of the officer's pocket, and stood up. He then handed Rinoa that something which was her purse.
"My purse!…." She muttered as she accepted it.
"We…I'm sorry, we had no choice…."
"Nah-uh," , she shook her head, "you two did that to save his father."
"You mean Zone?"
"Uh-huh."
"You're a strange girl….what's your name?" the older boy asked.
"Um…Rinoa Heartilly…"
"I'm Lance Keff. I'm a resistance sympathizer. Nice meeting you." He extended his hand to her. She accepted it and they shook hands.
***
A few minutes later, a middle-aged woman together with several men entered the pub and took the officer for what they called 'the proving'. When they left, about five people arrived in the pub. One of them was Zone, and another boy.
"Zone, aren't you going to thank the young lady over here for helping out?" Lance asked.
Zone looked at Rinoa and then smiled.
"Thank you….uh…." he had no idea who Rinoa was.
"Rinoa Heartilly." Rinoa said.
"Riight!! Thanks, Rinoa." Zone said.
There came a moment of silence.
"Um….so…everyone here is part of a resistance group?" she asked suddenly.
They all looked at her.
"Nope, We aren't. We're just what they call, 'sympathizers'—we just watch what other groups do and try to help." Lance explained.
"I thought you all were, the way you acted seemed like you were part of a 'group'" Rinoa said referring to Lance. He blushed.
"I did?…."
"Yup….so why don't you all start a group and fight those bad Galbaldian meanies, instead of sitting back and watching the others do the job?"
"Well….."
Rinoa finally decided to take off the pinwheel from her hand and put it in her bag. A thought suddenly came to her mind.
"I know, why don't you all really start a resistance group…..and….and..wait what are the aims of all the other resistance groups?"
"Free Timber from the clutches of Galbaldia." Zone stated.
"Right….and make Timber an Independent country? I think that's exciting…..I'll help you all if you do start one! I'll be part of your group and help you with your strategies and those sort of stuff!" Rinoa then cupped her chin.
'If I do that, then when Timber becomes an independent country….I can finally prove that I'm more mature than my….no I shouldn't call him 'dad' anymore…I won't call him dad until Timber is an independent country…..I can finally prove that I'm more mature than what that Caraway thinks!'
"Well, that is a good idea.." Lance muttered.
"The girl's got a point." One of the men said.
"Right." Zone then scratched his head, "but why would you be one of our strategist?"
"Because….because….I was the one who hatched up this plan! Yup, besides, I know a thing or two about these things." 'Considering that I'm supposedly the Galbaldian General's only daughter.' She finished in her mind.
"Okay…..What are we going to be called then?…." Lance asked to no one in particular.
"Right…." Zone cupped his chin. "How's about the 'Timber fishes'?"
Rinoa felt disgusted of being referred as the 'Timber Fishes'.
"No, that is so…eww.." Rinoa commented.
"How about the 'Timber Sharks'?" One of them asked.
"Are there any sharks here?.." Rinoa asked. They shook their heads.
'Watching from afar until the time comes…..Watching its prey at day time….waiting for the right time to strike….the owl….' Rinoa thought.
"I know, how about 'The Timber Owls'?" she asked.
"That's good….but why the Timber Owls?" Lance looked at the fourteen-year old girl.
"Because you all have been just watching the enemy from afar, learning slowly and watching how others deal with them. You all were waiting for the right time….the night…like the owls do when they spot their prey." Rinoa explained.
"Wow…that's a good reason….you're more mature than you look, Rinoa." Lance commented. She blushed.
"Then we'll be called the Timber Owls, right?" Lance asked.
They all agreed.
"—and Rinoa will be our princess, right?" Lance asked again.
They all agreed too, and Rinoa was surprised.
"Ah….! Why, what?!" Rinoa looked confused.
"Hey, you'll be our assistant strategist, Lance will be our main strategist. But you'll always be our princess, because you were the one who gave us our name..and—" Zone explained.
"And what?" Rinoa asked.
"And because you will always be our inspiration to go on!!! You encouraged us! And you saved my dad! Right?" Zone explained.
They all agreed, and Rinoa became the princess of the Timber Owls.
The End.
Author's note: Yeah! You made it! Whew! I'm sorry if I bored you or anything, and I'll be glad if you actually enjoyed it or liked it. Oh, and yeah…I made Lance up okay, I just thought that before they might actually have a better strategist than Rinoa was and then he left for some kind of work. Please READ&REVIEW, okay?