Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy VIII. I only wish the gods were that kind.
Author's Note: For those of you who liked the way the first chapter ended, then don't read this. I meant it to be a short story, but then I just had to continue.
Pacing the Edge
"I just want to know how she is." Squall repeated impatiently. "It's a simple yes or no question. Is she all right?"
"She's fine." Dr. Kadowaki replied just as impatiently. The doctor had returned from her vacation a few days early, when Quistis had phoned her and told her of what happened. For some reason, the doctor felt it imperative to come back here as soon as possible, leaving her family, which was probably what made her grouchy right now as she straightened up the infirmary.
"What happened?"
"Squall, I'm the doctor. Trust me with my patients."
"If you're hiding something from me, then it's something bad. I deserve to know what it is. What happened?"
The doctor, a good few inches shorter than he was, lifted her head to meet his eyes. "I won't allow you to pull rank on me. This isn't something you can just demand a report on."
Squall's face didn't change. "I am not demanding a report, and I am not pulling rank. I am asking as someone who cares about her. Now, please, tell me what happened."
The doctor sighed and looked over her shoulder at one of the patients' resting rooms. "Rinoa is sleeping peacefully now. She's got a case of insomnia over stress, though that's common in you SeeD types, as I've learned. But the main reason Rinoa is in the infirmary is because she had a mental breakdown and then fainted. Fujin and Raijin were guarding her doors when they heard he screaming angrily but when they opened the door, she had collapsed."
"A mental breakdown? We've had more than a few of those in Garden years. That doesn't seem so bad."
"Wrong. A mental breakdown occurs when the person is suffering from immense grief, stress, anger, despair, or any particular feeling and holds it inside for a period of time until it finally has to pour out. In Rinoa's case, it was probably anger and grief, as Quistis has told me. It doesn't seem so bad with the other students, but keep in mind that Rinoa Heartilly is a Sorceress. A very powerful one at that. She's the only Sorceress of our time and she had Sorceress Adel's and Ultimecia's and Edea's powers within her. A Sorceress keeps her control on her powers with her mind. If she has a mental breakdown, it's dangerous. We were lucky that she fainted after this one or else she could have lost complete control and let loose her fury and despair upon Garden. She could have killed us all."
Squall considered her words. "What exactly are you saying? What can we do?"
The doctor shrugged helplessly. "I've a degree in psychology as well, but I think you should probably consult Dr. Odine on this. I'm not quite sure how Sorceresses react to human techniques. But Dr. Odine will have something to say. He's been studying Sorceresses all his life. In the meantime, when a normal student has a mental breakdown, I tell his or her friends to speak with the student. A mental breakdown symbolizes that the student has been keeping feelings bottled up, or is under extreme stress. I think that maybe if you and your team speak with Rinoa, she'll realize that she is accepted and calm down. That's what I tell a normal student's friends, to help them calm him down."
"I am calm," A voice stated flatly. "And I'm not a normal student."
Both Squall and the doctor looked up to see that Rinoa had already awakened, and stood at the doorway, leaning against her with her arms crossed. Her face was solemn and slightly frustrated.
"Are you up already? I would guess that you would be asleep for at least a little less than an hour." The doctor said, walking over and feeling Rinoa's forehead.
The younger woman didn't move, though she spoke. "With three Sorceresses' powers, you can imagine that my body heals faster than normal. For drugs as well as physical wounds." She informed them, and her voice was still flat, as if she was angry. "I don't need counseling. And I'm not a normal student. In fact, I'm not a student. Period."
"You handed in your application a week ago and I've already approved it." Squall reminded her. "You're supposed to start classes in five days. I told you yesterday morning, remember?"
"Well then, I'm sorry you'll have to go through the paperwork again, but I'm withdrawing my application. I can't stay at Garden as a student. Goddess knows what they will do to me." She stood with her legs spread slightly and her right arm clutching her left, a stance she only took when she was anxious or nervous or upset. It was the only sign that she was uncomfortable with this discussion.
Dr. Kadowaki gave Squall a glare and he moved to take Rinoa's hand. "Come on." He said almost gently. Gentleness was not his strong point. "You'll talk to the others and we'll take a walk. You'll feel better afterwards."
"I don't want your sympathy or your pity. I don't want to be one of those people that you point and shake your head at. I already said I don't need counseling." Rinoa replied. "The others will treat me like I'm some sort of psychotic person pacing the edge."
"Then think of it as a get-together. You've wanted the entire team to take a day off and just wander around, right? A vacation?"
Rinoa hesitated and then nodded.
Thank Hyne I've gotten through to her. "Then come on. The others will be glad to see you walking around again."
She allowed herself to be led out of the infirmary like a little girl.
The walk was very uncomfortable.
Sure, Selphie chatted away about the next Garden Festival, Quistis made idle small talk, and even Fujin, who never spoke unless it was absolutely crucial, tried to make conversation. To a passerby's eye, it was nine friends strolling through the Alcauld Plains toward Balamb, talking and laughing. Well, most of them laughing anyway.
But Rinoa knew better. The laughter, natural as it sounded, was forced and the talking was only to fill the awkward silence. She knew what they were all thinking. How strange it must have been, to know what was going on. She could only imagine what Squall had said to them: Rinoa's on the edge of having a mental breakdown and destroying us all so make it seem like we're all having fun and that nothing's wrong or else the whole world will come to an end. What were their reactions like?
They all still underestimated her. She admitted that only a year ago, she was a stupid little ditz who couldn't defend herself properly and hadn't the sophistication to pull things off, but that girl had been missing for a long time now. She wasn't like that anymore, not in the least. Maybe she owed it to her Sorceress powers that she wasn't stupid, but she knew for sure that she wasn't a ditz anymore. And she could defend herself now, thanks to the classes her father had put her through, plus her magic.
In fact, she could probably survive on her own now.
She almost wished she could go back to the way she was before. Though foolish, she had been carefree, her actions inconsequential. She could get angry at the drop of a hat and all that would happen would be that she could stamp her foot and cross her arms. Now…now she herself feared what would happen if she became truly furious.
She must never find out.
Superficial, that's what their relationship was like today. They all sat down in the best restaurant in Balamb with smiles on their faces, but it was all just a farce. That was even worse than if they had ignored her completely.
She held up her hand in the middle of Seifer's retelling of a fight that he and Squall had had when they were children. The older boy stopped immediately and stared at her quizzically.
"Stop. I appreciate what you're all trying to do for me, I really do. But face it. I'm not normal and that's the truth. I accept it. You should too, if you are truly my friends."
Everyone exchanged uneasy glances before Selphie replied, "Of course we're your friends. What a silly question, Rinoa!"
Oh really? Then why did you hesitate before you said so?She passed a hand over her eyes wearily. "I'm tired. Please, let's go back. I want to rest."
She was almost disappointed when they complied immediately.
"I need to get away from here." Rinoa told him as soon as she stepped into the office. She didn't admire the view as she had always done but got straight to the point.
Squall looked up from the masses of papers on his desk. "What?"
"I need to get away from here." She repeated. "Out of Garden… What are you reading?"
Squall hastily hid the papers behind his back. "Nothing. Nothing at all."
She fixed him with a stare that was part commanding, part knowing, and part sympathetic. "Squall, don't lie to me. Above all things, I hate it when people lie to me. Let me see what it is." When he still didn't hand over the papers, she crossed her arms over her chest. "I'm not going to get angry. Stop treating me as if I'm some sort of bomb waiting to explode. I'm not." Her face changed into a pout, her voice pleading. "Now can I see the papers, please?"
As if grateful to have part of the old Rinoa back, and not the Rinoa that seemed to watch everything with a detached sadness, Squall held the papers out and she took them.
"It's not my fault." He said quickly. "And it's not yours either. They'll get used to it."
Rinoa skimmed the papers. "These are all requests—or demands—for me to leave Garden permanently. Some of them are more extreme than that." She put the papers neatly in a pile on his desk and sighed. "I see. What are you going to do about them?"
"Nothing." Squall replied. "I'm going to ignore them. They'll get used to the concept of a Sorceress staying in Garden after a while. Justin and that instructor both dropped in rank because of the show of irresponsibility. I don't think they'll do anything else to you now that I've issued the orders."
Rinoa laughed bitterly. "SeeD…graceful and cooperative as a pack of wolves, dangerous as magic itself, and yet they won't do anything unless they've got orders. You haven't your own choices, do you? The students and faculty have to listen to the commander, and the commander has to do what is best for his people."
Trying to ignore the age that was creeping into the edge of her voice, he said, "Not really. If I was going to do what was best for the students then…" He trailed off and swore, realizing that he had walked right into her trap.
"Then you would send me away." Rinoa finished for him softly. "Because I'm a danger to everyone here, including you. We both understand that." Before he could reply, she placed something on his desk. "I don't want to hurt anyone here, Squall, especially you. I love you too much for that. That's why I'm leaving, part of the reason anyway. I think I'm going to stay with Daddy for a while, then see what I'm going to do."
"Are you coming back?"
"I think so. I'll call from time to time, see what's going on. I'll inform you when I'm going to return. Oh, and tell Seifer to deposit the 500 Gil he still owes me into my account." She leaned across the desk and kissed him lightly then turned and walked out of the room.
Rinoa stood on the platform of the train station at Deling, watching the lights of the night city.
And just in doing that, she realized how much things had changed. A year ago, she would have been gazing in awe at the golden lights and the gateway at the horizon. Now she was merely staring at the lights as though calculating something. What, she didn't know. She wished she could go back to the way things were before she became a Sorceress.
She knocked on the door of the Caraway mansion, her home. "Daddy?" She called.
The door opened and a sleepy-looking General Caraway stood there. "It's two in the morning. Who—Rinoa! Come in, child, it's cold outside. Why are you here?"
Stepping into the familiar hallway, she dropped her two heavy suitcases. She embraced her father, then unwound a scarf from around her neck and hung her coat up. "Um…I know this sounds weird, Daddy, but could I stay with you for a while?"
"Of course, sweetheart. This is your home; you're welcome here any time. But why?" he narrowed his eyes. "Did you and Squall get into another fight? I'll kill the lit—"
"No, Daddy, we didn't get into a fight." Rinoa assured him quickly and then sighed. "Look, I'm gonna put my bags upstairs in my room, okay? Then I'll make some tea and I'll tell you what's going on."
Picking up her two suitcases, she lugged them up the stairs and into her old bedroom, the one she had since she was a child. There were very little changes since she was five. The four-poster canopy bed still had pale blue satin drapes and was covered with several worn stuffed animals. The carpeting was blue and memories were scattered all over the place, a crystal comb here, a picture frame there.
She heard the door open behind her and one of the maids stepped in. "Miss Rinoa?"
"Hello, Lisa. I'm sorry to wake you. I'm just going to unpack and then join my father downstairs. You can return to bed if you wish."
"No, no. Let me unpack for you. You hurry and join your father. You don't know how much he misses you when you leave, Lady Rinoa." Lisa took the suitcases from her with a slight grunt. "I've got these."
Thanking her, Rinoa left the room and went downstairs, only to find that her father was already in the study room and the tea was already made ready by another maid. Though retired, her father had been a very important person in the army, and his salary was rather incredible, well enough to sustain him for the rest of his life, as well as his daughter's. As his only child, this was all to be hers when she inherited it.
She took a seat next to her father, picking up her cup of jasmine tea. "I'm sorry to barge in at this hour."
"Rinoa, what happened? Didn't you just leave for Garden a few weeks ago? Why are you back so soon?"
"There was…a problem back at Garden."
Caraway abandoned his tea. "Did you get hurt?"
"Sort of." She took a deep breath. "Daddy, you know I'm a Sorceress, right?"
"Yes. We had this talk a while ago, when you first returned. I thought we already cleared it up that I don't care. You're still my daughter."
"Not all of the others were as forgiving as you are." Rinoa chose her words carefully. "SeeD was created to destroy Sorceresses. It's very awkward when their Commander is dating one. Some of the students there think that I have Squall under a spell. Others think that I'm going to destroy the place. On any case, they don't feel safe with me there, so some of them attacked me. I'm all right now, but I didn't think it would be wise to stay at Garden. I would have been more vulnerable there, as well as volatile. I didn't want to hurt any of them, so I decided to come back here. That is, if I can stay."
"Rinoa," Her father said sternly. "You know that this place is your home. You can stay here as long as you want."
"You're aware of the fact that I may lose control of my powers here?"
"It's a chance I'm willing to take in exchange of having my daughter back."
"Then, I'm glad to be home, Daddy." She hugged him. "And I'm sorry again for coming in so late. We're both tired. I'm going to go to sleep now, okay?"
"Good night, sweetheart. We'll talk more of this in the morning."
"Hi." She said quietly into the phone. "Are you busy?"
"Hold on. I have to hang up on the other line." Squall replied, and there was a short pause before he returned. "Rinoa."
"You sound surprised to hear from me."
"Sort of. When you left, it seemed rather final. As if you were cutting off all ties with us."
"Are you disappointed that I'm not?"
"No." Squall answered quickly and firmly. "Of course not." He paused. "Are you at your father's house?"
"Yeah. It gets a bit boring here. There's not much work to be done with all the servants, and a girl can only shop for so many hours before she gets tired. How's Garden going?"
"Busy. There's been a swarm of new clients lately. Half the SeeD cadets have graduated, and I've sent most of them on a mission in the Deep Sea Research Center."
"Be careful." Rinoa said quietly. "The danger's still active there."
"What?"
"Nothing. Just tell them to be cautious."
He didn't want to know how she was obtaining this information. Didn't want to know whether it was a guess or whether she was seeing into the future. "All right, I'll tell them that."
She must have heard—or sensed—the uneasiness in his voice. That was rare. Few things could startle Squall Leonhart, but right now, his girlfriend was one of them. "Anyway, how are the others?"
"Doing well. Selphie's upset because you said that you were going to lend her the costume needed for a play that she was directing?"
"I didn't forget. The costume is in the single dormitory that you assigned me, hanging on the right side of the closet. I think it needs to be ironed." Rinoa smiled, knew that he would be able to tell on the other end. Their relationship was that close. Then why was she halfway across the world, instead of with him? "Tell her I'm sorry that she has to find a new Aranna in her play, but I don't think the night would have ended well had I been participating in a SeeD play."
Squall pretended not to hear the bitterness in her voice, the resigned tone. "Quistis is spending her free time learning some medical stuff from Dr. Kadowaki. Fujin and Raijin I sent on a mission to Esthar because they were getting restless. Seifer's been in a bad mood since you've left. Says that he failed his 'duty'. What is that supposed to mean? Does it have something to do with why he acts like he's your older brother?"
"Long story short, he's a knight. What else?"
"He claims that he put the money in your account, though I would check if I were you. He's been getting into a bit of a betting problem lately. Zell and that library girl went on a date to a restaurant in Balamb, but Ma Dincht showed up and accidentally embarrassed them all."
"What happened?"
"Long story short," he mimicked her. "She brought up some humiliating childhood memories. What else was there? Irvine was injured while he was wandering through the Training Center."
"A T-rexaur?"
"No. He tried to hit on a girl who was very devoted to her boyfriend. She knocked him out with one good punch to the face."
Rinoa laughed genuinely, whole-heartedly, and Squall said, "It's good to hear you laugh, Rin. You never laugh anymore."
"Hmm, sounds like a certain someone I know before I changed him."
"I wonder who that could be?"
She laughed again, and there was a click on the other line. "Hold on, Rin. I've got another call coming in."
A few seconds later he was back. "Yeah, I have to take this call. It's a new client. Will you call later?"
"I'll try. Goodbye."
"'Bye."
Rinoa replaced the phone in its cradle very gently, before turning and walking out onto the streets of Deling.
Why is life put this way? She thought. Everything is in black or white to most people. Look at that. Either good or bad, light or dark. There are some people who walk through the park as if nothing can ever be wrong, and then some people who go around doing evil.
"Mommy?" A little girl raced up to her and tugged on her hand. Confused, Rinoa stared down at the child.
"Are you lost?" she asked.
The little girl had night-black hair in a high ponytail and tears down her cheeks as she nodded. "I can't find my mommy."
"Shh, don't cry, sweetheart," After accepting Edea's powers, Rinoa had also been given a small part of Edea herself, so that now she was given to Edea's instincts and love for children. She enfolded the child in her arms and stroked her hair. "What's your name?"
"Tina."
"Would you like me to help you find your mommy, Tina?"
"My mommy looks like you." Tina said. "But she's older."
"All right. Well, we'll find her, okay?" Closing her eyes briefly, Rinoa stretched out with her mind. Searching for a woman old enough to be a mother, with dark hair, anxious over a lost child, and connected to this child. Her powers weren't strong enough to find exactly where the mother was, or even what she really looked like, but she knew that she was being pulled toward the shopping plaza.
Taking Tina's tiny hand in her own, she wove the both of them through the dense mass of people towards the plaza, where she lifted the little girl onto her shoulder.
"Do you see your mommy?"
"No…Yes! There she is, put me down, put me down!"
Rinoa lowered the child and ran behind her to a woman wearing a red dress with dark hair spilling over her shoulders. She watched as mother and daughter embraced, and for a brief moment, felt a hurtful pang in her chest as she thought about her own mother, so far from her now.
"Thank you." The mother told her gratefully, breathless. "Thank you so much."
"You're welcome. And Tina, next time, don't just go wandering around with people that you don't know. I'm a good guy, but there might be bad guys next time that won't be so nice to you and help you find your mother. Okay? Keep a sharp mind, child." She smiled at the daughter, nodded at the mother, and vanished into the crowd.
It felt good to help out. She had never been able to help anyone like this before, and it filled her with a sense of warmth. Or maybe it was just Edea's powers subsiding.
She stayed out on the city for a while, needing the fresh air.
An hour later, she saw a boy, perhaps a year or two younger than herself, sitting on a trash can in the alleyway. But he wasn't in trouble. Rather, he was making trouble.
Horrified, she watched as he waited patiently until a man wearing a leather jacket came along, and with swift fingers, relieved him of his wallet, stuffing it into the pocket of his too-large pants before sidling down the sidewalk. The streets were deserted by now; it was dinnertime and everyone had gone home. She stood directly in the boy's path until he had to stop and look at her.
"I saw what you did." She told him. "Give that back to him."
His upper lip lifted in contempt. "Go mind your own business, bitch. Get out of my way before I hurt you."
"Give that back now, or I call the police." Rinoa told him calmly. When had she become so involved in justice? Maybe when she joined the Timber Owls. "Do you really want a record because you were too cheap to pay for a couple of Milky Ways? I myself like Milky Ways." She said as if this was a normal conversation. "But I wouldn't steal for them. I'm warning you one last time, kid, put those back or pay for them, or I call the police."
"Fuck off, tramp." He pushed her aside.
In the instant that she started moving to the side by the force of his push, she was already moving, shifting her body so that she leaned her weight on her right foot and then pushed off, ending up behind him, where she downed him with a quick kick to the knees and a jab to the collarbone. She hated being called a tramp even worse than being shoved.
Kneeling beside him, Rinoa asked again, sweetly, "Now will you return it?"
But instead of getting up and doing as she said, as would be logical, he took another swipe at her, this time with a pocketknife that he must have stashed somewhere on him.
She yelped as she stumbled back from it. "Can't say I didn't give you a fair warning."
He ignored her, intent on eliminating a witness and a nuisance to him. Obviously he didn't like it that an innocent-looking girl had kicked his ass. He moved again, with a wildness that proved him as a street fighter.
She caught him in the jaw with the palm of her hand and when he recovered and continued, she lost her patience.
"Ultima!"
When the green light faded away, the body was gone. Rinoa stumbled backwards in shock and fear. Oh Goddess, did I do that?
And yet underneath her fear, there was a voice that cried justice. What you did was right. He was only a thief after all, and he would have killed you.
The warmth was gone from her now, replaced by a white-hot flame that wasn't unpleasant. Even as she ran from the terrible scene, she felt satisfaction, and her lips curved into a smile.
"Daddy?" Rinoa called as she walked into her father's study. "Can I talk to you?"
"Of course." General Caraway closed a folder on his desk and folded his hands, giving his daughter his complete attention. "What is it?"
"Why do SeeDs only do what they are ordered to? Isn't that kind of life rather meaningless?"
"Ah. Still thinking about Squall?"
"Yes."
"Well…SeeDs are the type of person that follow orders. Everyone's different. Some people hate giving orders and are more of the follower type. I guess that's it. But if they really don't like it, they can always leave. You don't have to be worried for them. Squall's a smart boy. He knows what to do."
"Okay." Rinoa swung her legs and stared at the folder, marked UNSOLVED. "What is that?"
"This? Oh. It's a couple of cases that the government sent me because no one else could figure it out. Your old man used to be quite impressive in his time."
"I'm sure you still are, Daddy. Can I help? What is it?"
"There's been a couple of disappearances lately. A boy named Terence Elis and another boy name Jake Dremc. Do you know anything about these?"
Rinoa fought to keep her face expressionless. She herself had eliminated those two. Terence was the one that had tried to kill her because she would have reported him, and Jake was a boy who wouldn't take no for an answer. She had been forced to kill him to save her own innocence and it gave her a sweet thrill to know that for once, she was in charge and that she had the power to root out right and wrong.
"No. What happened to them?"
"We don't know. That's why they're missing." Caraway sighed. "Their bodies haven't been found either."
Of course not. Ultima is a very final spell for mortals that aren't junctioned. Besides, they deserved it. Neither of them were anything good and they won't be missed."Sorry I couldn't help you, Daddy." Rinoa said, and left the room.
"Squall?"
"Rinoa. Is something wrong?"
"Sort of." She reached down to stroke Angelo's furry head. Her dog had joined her a day after she arrived here. "What would you do if you knew someone had done something wrong but they did it for a good reason?"
There was a pause on the other line, and she could imagine Squall frowning. "What happened? Who are you talking about?"
"Answer my question first."
"Well, I guess it would depend on the reason."
"What if it was self-defense? Or if the person deserved it?"
"Then I guess it would be justified in a way. But not completely. Who are you talking about, Rinoa? What's going on?"
"Nothing." She assured him easily. "Just a few things I've been thinking about." She paused. "Can I return to Garden?"
That question took him by surprise. "Of course. You are always welcome here."
"By you. Not Garden."
"I am Garden."
Rinoa sighed. "Meet me at the Balamb train station tomorrow at three? I'll see you then." She hung up without waiting for his response, and slipped out of the house.
She had taken to walking the streets at night. She knew it was dangerous, or at least for a human. But it was merely an exercise for her, a patrol, more like. And if—when—someone leapt out of the shadows to mug her—or worse—should would kill him.
Simple as that.
An Ultima spell or Sorceress-enhanced strength. To her it was ridding the world of scum, like taking out the garbage. It was the most natural thing in the world, though a voice in her always wailed to stop.
And yet there was a part that had a thrill of satisfaction every time she killed. Maybe it was Ultimecia's soul; she recognized the future Sorceress's mind signature. She dismissed it entirely.
"I said, come here, bitch." He said for the third time, stepping forward again.
She stood her ground. "Why? You're going to rape me then kill me." It wasn't a question. "You've done this before, twice." Neither was that.
"Yeah, and? Who are you? A cop?"
Rinoa considered his question. "You could say I'm justice, or vengeance."
"Huh?"
"Flare!"
Lava-colored energy spilled from her fingers, too swift for the boy to even scream.
She waited until the smell of sulfur and salt faded before she walked home, smiling.
"Hey, boy," She scratched behind Angelo's ears as he nudged her leg, looking for pets.
"Rinoa?" Her father called. "Come into the study."
Frowning, she did so. Her father stood looking out the window. "You're still up, Daddy?"
"I was going to ask you the same thing. It's almost two in the morning, sweetheart. What were you doing out? The servants say this isn't the first time."
Damn that Lisa! She told Dad! "I couldn't sleep." Rinoa answered easily, truthfully. She couldn't sleep, knowing that those bastards were lurking around corners, ready to attack the first person they saw. The very thought filled her with loathing. "So I decided to take a walk."
"Deling City isn't safe anymore. Walk through our own gardens. I don't want my little girl getting herself killed."
"Daddy, you forget. I'm a Sorceress."
Caraway sighed. "I know that, sweetheart. But still, with all the disappearances lately…"
"It's not like they would be missed." She muttered.
"What?"
"Well, I mean, you told me, right? None of them would make it into Boy Scouts." She shrugged. "I've no pity for them."
Her father looked at her long and hard before turning away. "You're right, I suppose. Still, I've been assigned these cases, so I have to find out what's going on."
Rinoa shrugged again.
"I would tell you not to go out walking again, but I know how stubborn you can get. You are my daughter, after all. But at least take some guards with you, or walk through our own gardens. I am sure you are powerful, but I am your father, and everyone knows how protective parents get of their children."
"I'll try that, Daddy. Anyway, the walking cleared my head. I think I'll go to sleep now."
"Are you going to go for a walk tomorrow as well?"
"No. I'm returning to Garden tomorrow."
"I thought you said you didn't want to go there."
"I did say that. But…I guess I'm willing to give it another try. Or maybe I just miss the others." She hugged her father. "Good night, Daddy."
She ran upstairs to find Lisa rekindling the fire. Without a word she shoved the maid against a wall and snarled, "Why did you tell my father what I was doing?" She pushed Lisa further, her hand around her throat. "It's none of your business nor his!"
The smaller woman squeaked, her eyes huge. "I…I-I was only…I thought I was helping you! It's not safe out there!"
Rinoa released her grip, stepping back in horror. She stared at her own hand, the one that was choking the servant girl, as if it was foreign to her, a betraying limb. She looked back at Lisa. "Oh Hyne, I'm sorry, Lisa. I don't know what I was thinking. I'm so sorry. I…did I hurt you? I didn't mean to hurt you. I'm sorry. I really am." She stepped further backwards until she nearly tripped over a chair. "Are you all right?"
Lisa rubbed at her throat with the back of one small hand, nodding feverishly. "I'm…fine. I'm sorry, Lady Rinoa. I didn't know you would be so upset. I thought I was protecting you."
"You thought so. But I don't need protection. I'm quite a capable fighter, thank you. I didn't mean to hurt you. I'm sorry. But please don't tell my father about any further activities. I can take care of myself." Rinoa waved a hand at Lisa. "Can you leave me alone? I don't feel so good."
The maid nodded, scooting toward the door. She paused, one hand on the doorway. "Don't worry, Lady Rinoa. I won't tell your father about this either."
Rinoa felt instant relief wash over her. "Thank you, Lisa. Again, I'm sorry."
I have to get out of here…The train was delayed an hour because of an accident on the tracks, and Rinoa was worried that Squall would not have waited that long.
"You think he'll be there, Angelo?" She asked. The dog barked an affirmative.
With her loyal friend at her side and a suitcase in each hand, she waited as the train pulled into the station, screeching to a halt.
She scanned the station immediately as soon as she stepped off, switching her suitcases to one hand and gripping Angelo's collar with the other as she looked around.
She smiled, walking over and sitting on the bench. Settling the luggage next to Angelo, she leaned over the young man sitting next to her, and yelled, "Hey!"
Squall came awake immediately, reflexes taking over, and clenching one hand into a fist. She squeaked, throwing her hands up to protect herself, ready to catch his fist. But the need didn't arise, as he pulled his fist back in time.
"God, Rinoa, what was the point of that?"
"It was funny." She told him. "Are you glad to see me?"
"…Yeah. I was beginning to think you weren't going to show up."
"The train was delayed because of some accident. You waited all this time?"
"Of course." He graced her with a rare smile. "You thought I would just leave you here?"
"Maybe. How are the others doing?"
"Well enough I suppose. Aside from Seifer, who's being disciplined for staring a fight, and Irvine, who was wounded during a battle."
Rinoa looked around idly as he spoke, their roles reversed for once. She had been in Balamb before, many times, but only now did she realize the little flaws. The graffiti on the hotel's front walls, faded but still visible, and the smashed glass windows of a favorite boutique. She frowned, staring at her hands.
Looks like I'll have to do a patrol here, as well."Rinoa!" A pixie seemed to flutter down the corridors at a great speed to latch around her waist. A pixie with emerald green eyes and flipped hair. "You came back!"
Rinoa detached herself from Selphie's grip, watching as the others also came up and greeted her. "Yeah. I just needed a while alone, that's all. I didn't think it was safe here. So I went to stay with my father for a few days. How was the play?"
Selphie shrugged. "It went well, I guess. Amie—you know, that girl at the library—she played the part of Aranna. She's actually a really good actress. You wouldn't be able to tell, she's usually really shy when she works at the library."
Quistis appeared from the elevator, looking up from the piece of paper she held in her hands when she sensed someone ahead of her. "Oh. Hello, Rinoa. You're back for good this time?" Before the other girl could reply, the blonde woman continued, "I should hope so. I know you're upset with what happened with that boy Justin, but we're trying to make sure that it doesn't happen again. Besides, Squall's positively horrendous when you're not around." She smiled. "By the way, Squall, here's the list you requested, of the students that should be suspended."
Rinoa glanced at the list as it passed by her. It filled almost the entire page.
Why are there so many students in need of suspension? Isn't Garden normally very cooperative and disciplined?Squall noticed her troubled frown. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing." She replied easily. "I'm just a bit tired from the trip, that's all. What room am I assigned this time?"
"Well, we've gotten a group of new students, so even some of the SeeDs had to share rooms. I've arranged it so that you're sharing a room with Fujin. I didn't think it would be wise if you were roomed with any of the other SeeD girls."
Rinoa nodded, picking up her suitcases. Yeah, I know. "Okay. I'm tired. I'm going to my room now, all right? I'll see you guys later. Angelo, come on." She walked off.
"Hey, guys? Does Rinoa seem different to you?" Irvine asked.
"What do you mean? She's just tired, that's all. Anybody who's been riding the train for a straight six hours would be tired."
Irvine shook his head, touching the tips of his fingers to his black cowboy hat. "Uh-uh. Trust me, something's wrong with the gal. I can tell when things are wrong with women."
"Because you keep such an eye out for them, isn't that right?" Selphie demanded a bit waspishly. "You're always looking at other girls."
"Aw, you know I've only got eyes for you, Sefie."
"Yeah right." She replied sarcastically, but she was smiling.
And nobody paid heed to the warning.