Disclaimer: Once again,
I'll remind y'all that I do not own FF8, or any of the characters. I don't know
the Squaresoft guy, or his company, and the only thing I own is this storyline.
I **sigh** I don't even own
Squall!
Authors Note: This is just
the continuation of my first chapter—don't blame me if it's a little dry. It'll
get a lot better later. Oh yes, and I have not actually finished playing FF8,
so I'm making things up as I go. I guess that's good in a way because then I
don't spoil things for ppl who haven't finished it like me, but it's bad
because I might get a little lost. It still takes place after the game is
finished, when they beat Ultimecia, but that's about all I know about the
storyline. The rest, I made up. ^_^;;
Hehe.. So, please review!
Constructive criticism is ok, just don't get carried away!
~*Lixia
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The Best Mistake Chapter 2
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That
night, Rinoa's mind was on other things. Well, maybe not. Squall was on her
mind. Why didn't he say anything?
She could feel a lump in
her throat, as she felt like crying. She lay, her face in her arms trying to
stop tears from coming.
Knock! Knock! Knock!
"Ms. Heartilly?"
Rinoa looked up, wiped her
face from spare tears and headed to the door. To her surprise, Headmaster Cid
was at the door when she opened it.
"Oh…um…Sir," Rinoa stammered,
ashamed at how she presented herself. Her hair was a mess, and her mascara was running
a bit. Quickly she tried to look as if she was happy.
"I hope you are doing all
right, Ms. Heartilly. A letter came for you." He handed her the letter, smiled and left.
Rinoa closed the door
behind her, all her attention focused on the envelope.
Once she sat on her bed
she tore the envelope away from the letter, much like a hyena ripping its feed
apart. She read the letter twice before realizing what she had to do.
*
The evening was settling
when Rinoa got into one of the rental vehicles. She had to catch a train to
Timber, her former home, if she wanted to find what she always craved; the
answer of her mother's whereabouts.
There were rumors that
Rinoa's mother was dead, but she needed to find out herself. A flicker of hope
that her other was still alive was the energy Rinoa needed to keep going.
*
Meanwhile, Squall was,
just as Zell had said, beginning to feel regret. Maybe he should have
said something to Rinoa. Maybe he should have at least showed her through his
expression that he didn't want this to happen. It was too late now.
He was already on his way
to Balamb Docks.
Selphie watched as Zell
carefully steered the car. "You're being way too cautious, Zell-Zell." She
said, keeping herself from laughing.
Then she turned her head
from the front to check the people in the backseat; Squall, Irvine and Quistis.
"So Commander Leonhart,
what do we do once we're in Daragof? I wasn't exactly listening…" Selphie said
sheepishly.
Squall snapped out of his
thoughts. "Oh, well, we're supposed to be picking up some kind of metal."
Quistis nodded, continuing
from Squall's start. "This metal is supposed to be a rare metal, used to create
weapons such as Squall's gunblade. Anyway, it's too rare to be kept in such a
simple village such as Daragof where anyone could easily steal it."
From the front seat, Zell
rubbed his chin with his free hand, showing his interest to the metal. "Hey,
y'think they could make me a pair of new gloves? I'm sure that metal would work
great for a pair of new fighting gloves."
"I'm not sure. Actually, I
think you'll have to ask Headmaster Cid about that. He just wants us to get the
metal. He didn't say we had special privileges to use the metal." Quistis explained.
Within moments, Zell
stopped the car, and everyone climbed out. They had finally reached the Balamb
Dock where they would board the submarine to take them to the small village of
Daragof, located next to Deling City.
"Well, this is it. We're
going to be going to our first mission in a long while. Ever since we beat that
ol' bitch Ultimecia, huh Squall?" Zell commented, nudging Squall in the arm.
Squall nodded solemnly. He
almost felt the need to head back to Garden and do something about Rinoa. He
realized it would end up bugging him for the rest of his mission. But
Headmaster Cid appointed him the leader, and he had to act not as
Squall: Rinoa's Lover, but as Squall: Commander Leonhart.
And so, the group boarded
the submarine, and soon they were on their way to Daragof.
*
It
was morning by the time Rinoa arrived at Timber. She was eager to find out how her old group, the Timber Owls were
doing, but she had come here for one thing even more important: her
mother.
Rinoa looked around her
old home, realizing it had been a while since she last visited here. A really
long time. There were so many new faces, and so many more little children. Everything seemed so much more peaceful.
Everyone was so much happier.
Hooking her hair behind
her ears, Rinoa made her way to the old hangout of the Timber Owls. She didn't
know what had become of Watts and Zone.
She politely knocked on
the train caboose where the two usually hung out at, waiting patiently for an
answer.
Watts opened the door. With eyes widened, he tried to suppress an urge to
laugh.
"Princess! You're…you're
back! Wow! I…ZONE! Come here! ITS…RINOA!" He shouted to his partner. Soon
enough, Zone came up and shook Rinoa's hand ecstatically.
"Rinoa! It's been such a
long while! How is our princess?"
Rinoa smiled. It had
been a very long time indeed. "Oh, there's no need to call me Princess anymore.
I'm just plain ol' Rinoa. And I've been doing ok…" she said, although she wasn't
so sure. There was the whole deal with Squall…
"How about you guys? How
have things been here?"
Watts grinned. "It's been
peachy. And I'm glad too. There hasn't been anymore rebellions, and whatnot. We've
been relaxing."
Zone nodded. "So why don't
you come in. It really hasn't been the same here without you. Where do you live
now?"
Rinoa shrugged, "Well…y'know,
I've been around. I live in Balamb Garden presently. I'm trying to become a
SeeD member."
"SeeD? Why would you want
to join SeeD? You are better off as a leader, not soldier." Watts explained.
Rinoa shook her head.
"No, you …don't
understand. Anyway, that's not why I'm here."
Watts and Zone looked at
Rinoa, urging her to tell more.
"Well, last night I
received a letter that told me the whereabouts of….of my mother," Rinoa
started.
"Mother?"
"Mother?"
Watts and Zone asked at
the same time. Rinoa nodded.
"But…you don't even know
WHO your mother was! How do you know this isn't just some sort of trick to get
you in danger?" Zone asked.
"I…don't know. But I have
nothing to lose."
"Oh yes you do. Your life,
that's what. We cannot afford to have our former princess fall into danger by
some joker's hands. We'll help you find this 'mother' of yours, and if all goes
well, then you won't be in danger. We'll protect you. Right Watts?"
Watts nodded. "Yes, I
agree with Zone. So let's see this letter."
*
Squall shook his head in
disgust. They were out of the submarine, but Zell –the smart guy—lost the map
to get to Daragof.
"I'm sorry guys…I'm sure I
left it in my pocket." Zell said, searching through all his pockets.
Selphie groaned. "Zell,
you're impossible! I can't believe you lost our map! And they appointed you a
SeeD!"
Quistis sighed, "Well
there's no point on crying over spilt milk. Let's consult the vehicle for a
map. I'm sure they've built one in." she climbed back into the car and closed
the door behind her, Irvine following.
"This is, like, so
annoying. Good job Zell." Irvine muttered, before disappearing into the car.
"I'm sorry guys…" Zell
sighed, exasperated. He had practically turned his pockets inside out. He took
off his shoes, and even searched those, while Selphie giggled.
Squall used this time to
think about his problem back home. Once he returned, would Rinoa even want to see
his face again? Would she reject him if he tried to apologize? Was it already
too late for them?
He sat on the nearest
boulder, close enough to the vehicle in case the others needed his help. It was
going to be impossible to find any answers if he couldn't talk to Rinoa.
Sighing, he looked up at
the blue sky, wondering what his only love was thinking about right now.