A/N: I'd just like to mention that the setting in this chapter was greatly inspired be a poster of a painting I have called "Cygnes Reflechis En Elephants" by Salvador Dali (I think). Also, I'd like to thank everyone who has taken the time to read and review my story. Thanks!!!
Chapter 4
Rinoa opened her eyes slowly, still feeling that sharp pain pulsing in her head. He vision was blurry, as if she'd been out for a while. As it began to clear up, she realized she was surrounded by desert land, and moving.
She let out a sleepy yawn, unknowing of her new captors, and tried to move. But her wrists were bound tightly behind her back.
"I see our little princess is up," said a strange female voice from Rinoa's side. "I was beginning to think you had fallen into eternal sleep."
"Who are you?" Rinoa muttered sleepily as she looked at the strange blue woman at her side. "What have you done with Squall?"
"Don't worry about him. He's being taken care of, in the proper manner."
"What did you do with him?!" Rinoa demanded.
The woman or creature, whichever is more fitting, cast an annoyed glance at Rinoa. "I said he was being taken care of. Just as any traitor should be taken care of. Why do you care so much anyway?"
Rinoa frowned. "What do you mean, traitor?"
"All shall be explained when we reach the palace."
"The palace?"
She didn't reply, but only looked forward. There, in the distance, was a small mountain. A large village was built on the side of it, and on the blunt top, was a huge, and extravagently built palace.
"Where are we?" Rinoa asked worriedly.
The woman grinned. "Soon, you shall recognize it."
Rinoa looked around her, and realized she was in a steel cage with wheels on the bottom and poles that stuck out on the sides so it could be pushed forward by people on the outside. The woman next to her, was on the outside of the cage, but was not pushing it. It looked more as if she was supervising the transportation of the new prisoner.
Rinoa hung her head and let out a shaky sigh. She could already tell it was gonna be one of those days....
(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)
A tall, broad shouldered man stood at the bottom of the barely worn path up the through the canyon. With his large hands, he gripped a mud incrusted chain and jerked it forward.
On the other end of the chain, a man with messy brown hair and stormy blue eyes fell weakly to his knees, ripping holes in the knees of his black pants.
"What do you want with me?" he choked out.
"Be silent, traitor!" the bigger man roared. "The Emperor isn't pleased with you, ya know?"
"Yeah, you mentioned that already," he shot back.
"Neither is Seifer. And you know what happens when he gets mad, ya know?"
Squall rolled his eyes. "Yeah, people die. Whatever. Just tell me why it's necessary to drag me by a chain around my neck up to the mountain?"
" 'Cause Seifer said so, ya know!?"
"Do you ever quite saying 'ya know' ?"
"Just shut up and walk faster, ya know!" the big man ordered and jerked on the chain again.
"Alright. Fine. Just tell me what you did with Rinoa."
"She's getting the princess's treament, ya know," he replied. "And anyways, it was that kind of thinking that got you in trouble in the first place."
"What kind of thinking?"
"Thinking about her, ya know?"
"I'm not thinking about her, nor have I ever," Squall replied irritatedly. "I'm just wondering what happened to MY prisoner. Is that what Seifer thinks? That I decided I had feelings for her, so I ran off with her? If that's the case, his head's more full of shit than I thought. And I still expect full recognization of my services."
"You'll be lucky if Seifer doesn't kill you, much less promote you. You did a shity job, ya know."
"It wasn't my fault. Most princesses are to spoiled and prissy to try escaping. They expect someone to come rescue them. But no, not her. That girl will kick, scream, and bite."
"Well, It's Seifer and the Emperor decision. And it doesn't look good for you."
(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)
Finally, they arrived at the palace. The blue lady helped Rinoa out of the cage and walked her in through the palace doors. There, in the front room, sat Emperor Chu Yun on his throne. He was a short, pale old man with a completely bald head, as if it had been shaved off. He wore a heavy, multi-layered cape of the finest silk on his shoulers and gripped a golden staff in his hand.
"So, the great Princess Rinoa has finally been delivered to me, as requested."
The blue woman bowed. "All thanks to me. I also managed to capture that lowlife traitor Leonhart. Raijin's bringing him in."
The Emperor nodded. "Yes, yes. Good work. Your services are quite comendable, Shiva the Shapeshifter. You shall be paid in full."
"Thank you, sir. It was a pleasure serving you. Summon me when you wish to discuss payment."
With that, Shiva the Shapeshifter dissapeared into a puff of icy cold air. This left Rinoa alone with the man who had murdered her mother.
"So, Rinoa, how is your father these days?"
She didn't answer, but backed away slightly.
"I see. You don't feel comfortable with me. I wonder why. I know someone you are more familiar with, however. Son!" he yelled to the side of his throne. "Son, I require your presence!"
A familiar blonde haired man stepped into the light and flashed his trade mark smirk at Rinoa.
"How are things going, my dear princess?" he said in mock politness.
"Seifer! What are you doing here!?" she demanded.
"Didn't you here the man?" Seifer asked, gesturing toward the Emperor. "I'm his son. Back when he had hair, it was blonde like mine. I got my eyes from my mother, however."
"What's going on? What do you want with me?!" Rinoa demanded.
"Calm down, love," Seifer said. "Just a little power and revenge."
The doors were suddenly flung open, and Raijin walked in, dragging Squall behind him.
"Here he is, sir," Raijin said. "Just like you asked."
Seifer nodded. "Yes, thank you Raijin. I'll get to him in a moment." He then turned back to Rinoa. "You see, love, I sent Leonhart out to capture you. He was one of our top officers, so I assumed he would be back with you in no time. I don't know what went through his head, but he never brought you back, and the other officers we sent with him reported both of you missing."
"You mean.... Squall was working for you all along?"
Seifer nodded and grinned. "Yep. We just told him to say he was a mercenary in case you somehow managed to get back to your father."
Rinoa turned to look at Squall. "Is that true?"
He didn't speak, but the way he hung his head was answer enough.
Rinoa turned around and said, in a rigid tone, "What do you want with me, Seifer?"
"Well, many things. Your father didn't know I was Chu Yun's son. He just knew that I was wealthy, and a good fighter. I intended to marry you, then kill off your father so my father and I would control his land. But as I was telling my father of my plan, he told me something about you that I didn't know. Something that you may not even know about yourself. You're very powerful, Rinoa. We could use this power against your father. We could conquer the world! Think about it, Rinoa. I'd be emperor of the world, and you, my empress. What do you say?"
"Gee, I don't know. What would be the logical answer to that question?" she said sarcastically.
Seifer grinned. "So that's a yes?"
Rinoa smiled sweetly. "My answer is: FUCK OFF!!!!!!"
Seifer's smile immediately turned to a scowl. "Wrong answer. But I'm afraid, you don't have a choice in the matter. Until then, since your so set on being resistant, you can wait in the dungeon, along with the traitor, since you seem to like him so much."
Seifer snapped his fingers, and three gaurds walked into the room. Two to restain Squall, and one for Rinoa. They dragged the two down into the dungeon, which consisted of a wide, circular space that had been hollowed out of the ground. The walls, as well as the floor, were made of tightly packed, redish brown dirt and stone.
They were brought there by a set of stone stairs and locked inside by a thick steel door, leaving them completely alone.
Rinoa turned to look at Squall, pain and anger burning together into an explosive fire that gave her eyes a dangerous gleam.
"Rinoa-" he began softly, but was cut off when she smacked his as hard as she could across the face.
"I deserve that, I suppose," he muttered, putting a gloved hand to the bright red mark on his cheek.
"Damn straight you do! This is all your fault! We're both gonna die becuase of you and your stupid shit!!! How could you lie to me like that!? You had me thinking...." her voice suddenly trailed off and she turned away from him.
"Had you thinking what?" he asked in a challenging tone.
"Nothing!" she shot back and sat down against the wall. "I don't want to talk to you right now! Or ever again! Go sit down on the other side of the room."
He gave a mock bow. "Yes, my Princess. I'll be happy to do your bidding!" he yelled sarcastically. "Here's a reality check: your not a princess here! You can't tell anyone what to do and expect them to obey. So get over yourself!"
He glared at him and stood up. "You think your just so damn tough, don't you? Here's a reality check for you: you're not! Nor will you ever be! And you know something else? Just last night I was thinking that maybe you actually were human. That maybe you had feelings. But you don't, do you? All you'll ever care about is yourself."
"That's all I've ever had," he replied darkly.
"Well, that's your own damn fault! You can't expect to ever have anybody else if you keep pushing people away!"
"I haven't pushed anyone away! I haven't had the chance to. Nobody gives a rat's ass about me!"
She looked at him with tear filled eyes. "You don't realize it, do you?"
"Realize what?"
She shook her head. "You are so dense. Do you really think I would've bothered to bring it to your attention so many times that you were an asshole, or tried to get you to talked to me if I didn't care about you?"
He frowned. "I.... I don't guess I ever thought of it that way."
"No. You didn't think at all, did you?"
"I'm sorry."
She put a hand to his cheek and said. "Don't be sorry. Just tell me the truth, once and for all."
"The truth about what?"
She took a couple steps back from him and looked him dead in the eye. "Is it me, or them?"
He didn't have to ask what she meant. She wanted to know if he was siding with her or his emperor. She wanted to know who he would pledge his loyalty to.
He looked down at the ground for a moment, trying to figure out how to say it. His mind was already made up.
Finally he gave her the most sincere smile he'd ever given anyone before, then said, "You, Princess Rinoa. If you'll have me."
She smiled back and said. "Of course I will. But on one condition."
"What?"
"Don't call me princess," she replied with a laugh.
He nodded. "Alright. So what if I act like a jerk sometimes?"
"I'll slap you and yell at you," she replied. "Then I'll say I'm sorry and do this," she leaned up and brushed her lips across his. "Sound good to you?"
He nodded. "Definately. Now, shouldn't we be trying to get out of here?"
"Yeah," she answered. "But how?"
"If they hadn't taken away my Gunblade, I'd sugest we try digging out."
She shook her head, smiling, then walked over to the wall.
"Is something wrong?" he asked.
"No. There's just something strange...." her voice trailed off as she pushed with all her might on the wall, causing it to sink in and slide to the side.
She took a few steps inside with Squall following close behind her, and discovered a wide tunnel carved into the stone.
"Should we?" Rinoa asked.
"Better than staying here," Squall replied.
The two walked down the tunnel, side by side, until they came to a dead end. Rinoa pushed hard on against the stone again, and it broke away, tumbling to ground on the other side. Rinoa and Squall stumbled over the remains of the wall and found themselves outside. They were standing on the banks of an inlet from the nearby ocean. There were Chocobos and Chicobos playing in the water, and a young boy standing near them with a long wooden cane in his hands.
When the boy saw Squall and Rinoa, he grined. "Hi! D'ya come to buy a Chocobo?"
Squall shook his head. "No. We don't need a Chocobo. We just need to know where we are."
The boy scratched his head. "I'm not sure. You should ask my mom and dad. They're back at the house right now. I can take you to them, as soon as I'm done watering the Chocobos."
"I guess so," Squall said reluctantly.
"What's your name?" Rinoa asked the boy.
"Akira," he answered. "But everyone calls me Chocoboy, since my family is in the Chocobo ranching business, and I'm so good at taking care of them."
Rinoa smiled. "Alright then. Can you led us to your family?"
He nodded. "Yes, yes. The Chocobos are done drinking now. Follow me."
After doing a bit of climbing and walking, they arrived at a small white house that sat at the foot of a strangely shaped, narrow mountain peak. It had a odd bluish gray color to it, and a road that wound up nearly to the top, much like the mountain of the mountain people. At the top of the road was a small village where a few houses rested.
As soon as they arrived at the small white house, a woman dressed completely in black with long black hair came out of the door.
"Nice to see that you're home, son," she said to Akira. "Have you brought some visitors?"
"Yes, mama," he replied. "They say they need to know where they are."
The woman looked up at the two and smiled. It was then that Rinoa realized she'd seen this woman before. One more occasions than one.
"I would be happy to help you," she said. "I'm Edea. You are?"
"Rinoa," Rinoa replied quickly. "And this is Squall."
"Pleased to meet you," she said politely. "You look awfully tired. Have you any place to go?"
Squall shrugged. "If there's a town nearby then we can stay in the hotel, there."
"There is a town down by the ocean," told them. "But it's at least a day's journey from here. And it's nearly night now. You couldn't possibly make it. Which is just as well. We have a couple extra rooms here that you may use, if you wish."
Squall looked to Rinoa. She nodded, and he said. "Alright, that sounds good. Thank you, ma'm."
She laughed. "Oh, you're quite welcome. My husband and I love having visitors. So does Chocoboy. Now come in, please."
She showed them into her small, but cozy little house. Inside, there was a fire in a fire place, a few peices of furniture, including a rather large, padded chair where an old man slept. The walls were an inviting cream color, and the shadows cast on them from the fire gave the room an even warmer aura.
Edea walked over to the old man sleeping in the chair and gently shook him awake.
"What, what?!" he muttered grumpily upon waking up. "I wasn't sleeping, I swear! Just resting my eyes."
Akira giggled and Edea shook her head. "Cid. How many times have I told you not to lie or swear in front of our son. And to our room to take a nap instead of falling asleep in the chair like you do everynight? We have company, you know" she said, gesturing toward Squall and Rinoa.
The man grinned sheepishly at the two teenagers and stood from his chair. "Sorry dear," he said to his wife then turned back to Rinoa and Squall. "Forgive me for not introducing myself right away. I'm Cid Kramer. I own the Chocobo ranch out behind the house. Me and my wife both, of course."
"Nice to meet you," Rinoa said as politely as she could manage. The familiarness she felt toward Edea was still bothering her.
"Well, we'll eat and then I'll show you to your rooms. Or you could share if you prefer," Edea told them.
Squall got a hopeful gleam in his eye, but Rinoa just laughed and shook her head. "No, we'll be taking seperate rooms if that's not too much of a problem."
"Of course not, dear," Edea replied. "Now, dinner's ready. Let's eat."
(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)
After eating a large diner of fish, rice, and tea, Edea showed Squall and Rinoa to their seperate rooms, as promised.
Squall's room was small, dark, and mostly empty, save the bed and a side table. Rinoa's room was much larger with light blue walls, a large bed, a mirror and a vanity, and dozens of stuffed animals, including a stuffed Ochu, Ruby Dragon, and Moomba. There was a door on one side of the room, which she was told led to the back yard.
"This use to be my daughter Saiu's room before she moved out," Edea said with a tone of sadness.
"She grew up and moved out?" Rinoa asked despite herself.
Edea shook her head. "I'm afraid not. She ran away when she was just a young teenager. That was several years ago. She's old enough to be your mother, now."
"I'm sorry to hear that," Rinoa replied softly.
"Yes, well.... I just hope she's alright, where ever she is. Anyway, this will be your room for the evening. Enjoy."
"Thank you," she replied and entered the darkened room.
After a few hours of trying to sleep, Rinoa gave up and decided to go outside and get some fresh air. The room was comfortable, but a bit stuffy.
She slowly opened the door to the back yard, glad that it didn't creak, and walked outside, shutting the door lightly behind her. She walked around for a little while, looking through the fence at the sleeping Chocobos. She was starteled when she heard a voice call out from the darkness in front of her.
"Rinoa? Is that you?"
She walked ahead a bit further and found Edea sitting on an old wooden bench. There were tears staining her cheeks and her eyes were slightly puffy.
"Sorry to disturb you," Rinoa apologized.
"No, that's alright. I think it'll help me to have someone to talk to, anyway, if you don't mind."
Rinoa shook her head. "I don't mind."
Edea sighed. "You know, you look awfully familiar to me. There's just something about you that reminds me of....." her voice trailed off painfully.
"Of Saiu?"
Edea nodded, then laughed. "You know it's funny. She never liked her name. She always called herself Julia. She said she thought it was a beautiful name."
"Why did she run away, if you don't mind my asking?" Rinoa asked, ignoring the fact that Julia had been her mother's name.
"Saiu, or Julia, wasn't like other kids. She wasn't like other people. She always spoke of this power. She could do things that is impossible for mortal people to do. It was always hard on her, I know. But there wasn't much I could do. Saiu was my first child. I was very young when I had her. I didn't know half of the things that I know now. I didn't know how to help her deal with the pain. She was only a teenager when her powers started to show through..."
"Do you know what happened to her? After she ran away?"
"No. I haven't heard from her. But I fear the worst. I think she's dead."
"I'm sorry," Rinoa replied. "What did she look like?"
"She had straight, brown hair, and beautiful brown eyes. She always loved to sing, too."
"My mother," Rinoa began nervously, "looked liked that. And her name was Julia."
"What happened to your mother? Does she live?"
Rinoa shook her head. "She died a several years ago. When I was very young."
Edea stood and motioned for Rinoa to follow her back into the house. They entered the small living room and Edea bent down in front of the fire place. She pulled on a loose brick until it came out completely. She reached inside and produced a small, black, rectangular box.
She handed it to Rinoa and replaced the brick.
"Open it," she said.
Rinoa opened the box to reveal a silver chain with a silver ring hanging from it.
"That was Julia's favorite peice of jewelry," Edea told her. "Try it on."
"Oh, I couldn't," Rinoa replied.
"Please?" Edea asked.
"Alright. Since you put it that way..." she answered and hooked the necklace around her neck. She then slipped her ring finger into the silver ring to see that it fit her finger perfectly.
"It fits," Edea said with a smile.
Rinoa looked back at Edea. "You know.... you do look a lot like my mother did," she admitted after coming to the realization.
Edea's eyes filled with tears and she said, "Perhaps, then, your mother is my daughter. And you are my grandaughter."
Rinoa gave her a small, sad smile. "Do you really think so?"
Edea shrugged. "Maybe."
Rinoa reached to take the necklace off, but Edea stopped her. "Keep it."
"Why?"
"To remeber your mother by," Edea replied gently.
"What about your daughter? Don't you want to remember her?"
"Of course. Always. But something deep within tells me that they're one and the same. Not only that, but I also want you to remember me. And promise me that you'll visit me sometimes, relative or not."
Rinoa nodded. "Of course I will."
"Good," Edea said with a smile. "No go off to bed. I don't want to keep you awake any longer."
As Rinoa lay in her bed, drifting off to sleep and thinking of the recent events that had occured, something hit her. If Edea's daughter was Rinoa's mother, then what if she had the same powers....?
(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=))=)(=)(=)(=)(=)
A/N: Well, there's another chapter down. Sorry if it wasn't Squinoa-ish enough, or too angsty toward the end. Due to numerous requests, I won't say it sucks. I'd also like to thank everyone for waiting so long for me to update. I couldn't think of any good ideas. This is actually the third chapter four that I wrote. Anyway, please R&R!!!! Thank you!
Chapter 4
Rinoa opened her eyes slowly, still feeling that sharp pain pulsing in her head. He vision was blurry, as if she'd been out for a while. As it began to clear up, she realized she was surrounded by desert land, and moving.
She let out a sleepy yawn, unknowing of her new captors, and tried to move. But her wrists were bound tightly behind her back.
"I see our little princess is up," said a strange female voice from Rinoa's side. "I was beginning to think you had fallen into eternal sleep."
"Who are you?" Rinoa muttered sleepily as she looked at the strange blue woman at her side. "What have you done with Squall?"
"Don't worry about him. He's being taken care of, in the proper manner."
"What did you do with him?!" Rinoa demanded.
The woman or creature, whichever is more fitting, cast an annoyed glance at Rinoa. "I said he was being taken care of. Just as any traitor should be taken care of. Why do you care so much anyway?"
Rinoa frowned. "What do you mean, traitor?"
"All shall be explained when we reach the palace."
"The palace?"
She didn't reply, but only looked forward. There, in the distance, was a small mountain. A large village was built on the side of it, and on the blunt top, was a huge, and extravagently built palace.
"Where are we?" Rinoa asked worriedly.
The woman grinned. "Soon, you shall recognize it."
Rinoa looked around her, and realized she was in a steel cage with wheels on the bottom and poles that stuck out on the sides so it could be pushed forward by people on the outside. The woman next to her, was on the outside of the cage, but was not pushing it. It looked more as if she was supervising the transportation of the new prisoner.
Rinoa hung her head and let out a shaky sigh. She could already tell it was gonna be one of those days....
(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)
A tall, broad shouldered man stood at the bottom of the barely worn path up the through the canyon. With his large hands, he gripped a mud incrusted chain and jerked it forward.
On the other end of the chain, a man with messy brown hair and stormy blue eyes fell weakly to his knees, ripping holes in the knees of his black pants.
"What do you want with me?" he choked out.
"Be silent, traitor!" the bigger man roared. "The Emperor isn't pleased with you, ya know?"
"Yeah, you mentioned that already," he shot back.
"Neither is Seifer. And you know what happens when he gets mad, ya know?"
Squall rolled his eyes. "Yeah, people die. Whatever. Just tell me why it's necessary to drag me by a chain around my neck up to the mountain?"
" 'Cause Seifer said so, ya know!?"
"Do you ever quite saying 'ya know' ?"
"Just shut up and walk faster, ya know!" the big man ordered and jerked on the chain again.
"Alright. Fine. Just tell me what you did with Rinoa."
"She's getting the princess's treament, ya know," he replied. "And anyways, it was that kind of thinking that got you in trouble in the first place."
"What kind of thinking?"
"Thinking about her, ya know?"
"I'm not thinking about her, nor have I ever," Squall replied irritatedly. "I'm just wondering what happened to MY prisoner. Is that what Seifer thinks? That I decided I had feelings for her, so I ran off with her? If that's the case, his head's more full of shit than I thought. And I still expect full recognization of my services."
"You'll be lucky if Seifer doesn't kill you, much less promote you. You did a shity job, ya know."
"It wasn't my fault. Most princesses are to spoiled and prissy to try escaping. They expect someone to come rescue them. But no, not her. That girl will kick, scream, and bite."
"Well, It's Seifer and the Emperor decision. And it doesn't look good for you."
(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)
Finally, they arrived at the palace. The blue lady helped Rinoa out of the cage and walked her in through the palace doors. There, in the front room, sat Emperor Chu Yun on his throne. He was a short, pale old man with a completely bald head, as if it had been shaved off. He wore a heavy, multi-layered cape of the finest silk on his shoulers and gripped a golden staff in his hand.
"So, the great Princess Rinoa has finally been delivered to me, as requested."
The blue woman bowed. "All thanks to me. I also managed to capture that lowlife traitor Leonhart. Raijin's bringing him in."
The Emperor nodded. "Yes, yes. Good work. Your services are quite comendable, Shiva the Shapeshifter. You shall be paid in full."
"Thank you, sir. It was a pleasure serving you. Summon me when you wish to discuss payment."
With that, Shiva the Shapeshifter dissapeared into a puff of icy cold air. This left Rinoa alone with the man who had murdered her mother.
"So, Rinoa, how is your father these days?"
She didn't answer, but backed away slightly.
"I see. You don't feel comfortable with me. I wonder why. I know someone you are more familiar with, however. Son!" he yelled to the side of his throne. "Son, I require your presence!"
A familiar blonde haired man stepped into the light and flashed his trade mark smirk at Rinoa.
"How are things going, my dear princess?" he said in mock politness.
"Seifer! What are you doing here!?" she demanded.
"Didn't you here the man?" Seifer asked, gesturing toward the Emperor. "I'm his son. Back when he had hair, it was blonde like mine. I got my eyes from my mother, however."
"What's going on? What do you want with me?!" Rinoa demanded.
"Calm down, love," Seifer said. "Just a little power and revenge."
The doors were suddenly flung open, and Raijin walked in, dragging Squall behind him.
"Here he is, sir," Raijin said. "Just like you asked."
Seifer nodded. "Yes, thank you Raijin. I'll get to him in a moment." He then turned back to Rinoa. "You see, love, I sent Leonhart out to capture you. He was one of our top officers, so I assumed he would be back with you in no time. I don't know what went through his head, but he never brought you back, and the other officers we sent with him reported both of you missing."
"You mean.... Squall was working for you all along?"
Seifer nodded and grinned. "Yep. We just told him to say he was a mercenary in case you somehow managed to get back to your father."
Rinoa turned to look at Squall. "Is that true?"
He didn't speak, but the way he hung his head was answer enough.
Rinoa turned around and said, in a rigid tone, "What do you want with me, Seifer?"
"Well, many things. Your father didn't know I was Chu Yun's son. He just knew that I was wealthy, and a good fighter. I intended to marry you, then kill off your father so my father and I would control his land. But as I was telling my father of my plan, he told me something about you that I didn't know. Something that you may not even know about yourself. You're very powerful, Rinoa. We could use this power against your father. We could conquer the world! Think about it, Rinoa. I'd be emperor of the world, and you, my empress. What do you say?"
"Gee, I don't know. What would be the logical answer to that question?" she said sarcastically.
Seifer grinned. "So that's a yes?"
Rinoa smiled sweetly. "My answer is: FUCK OFF!!!!!!"
Seifer's smile immediately turned to a scowl. "Wrong answer. But I'm afraid, you don't have a choice in the matter. Until then, since your so set on being resistant, you can wait in the dungeon, along with the traitor, since you seem to like him so much."
Seifer snapped his fingers, and three gaurds walked into the room. Two to restain Squall, and one for Rinoa. They dragged the two down into the dungeon, which consisted of a wide, circular space that had been hollowed out of the ground. The walls, as well as the floor, were made of tightly packed, redish brown dirt and stone.
They were brought there by a set of stone stairs and locked inside by a thick steel door, leaving them completely alone.
Rinoa turned to look at Squall, pain and anger burning together into an explosive fire that gave her eyes a dangerous gleam.
"Rinoa-" he began softly, but was cut off when she smacked his as hard as she could across the face.
"I deserve that, I suppose," he muttered, putting a gloved hand to the bright red mark on his cheek.
"Damn straight you do! This is all your fault! We're both gonna die becuase of you and your stupid shit!!! How could you lie to me like that!? You had me thinking...." her voice suddenly trailed off and she turned away from him.
"Had you thinking what?" he asked in a challenging tone.
"Nothing!" she shot back and sat down against the wall. "I don't want to talk to you right now! Or ever again! Go sit down on the other side of the room."
He gave a mock bow. "Yes, my Princess. I'll be happy to do your bidding!" he yelled sarcastically. "Here's a reality check: your not a princess here! You can't tell anyone what to do and expect them to obey. So get over yourself!"
He glared at him and stood up. "You think your just so damn tough, don't you? Here's a reality check for you: you're not! Nor will you ever be! And you know something else? Just last night I was thinking that maybe you actually were human. That maybe you had feelings. But you don't, do you? All you'll ever care about is yourself."
"That's all I've ever had," he replied darkly.
"Well, that's your own damn fault! You can't expect to ever have anybody else if you keep pushing people away!"
"I haven't pushed anyone away! I haven't had the chance to. Nobody gives a rat's ass about me!"
She looked at him with tear filled eyes. "You don't realize it, do you?"
"Realize what?"
She shook her head. "You are so dense. Do you really think I would've bothered to bring it to your attention so many times that you were an asshole, or tried to get you to talked to me if I didn't care about you?"
He frowned. "I.... I don't guess I ever thought of it that way."
"No. You didn't think at all, did you?"
"I'm sorry."
She put a hand to his cheek and said. "Don't be sorry. Just tell me the truth, once and for all."
"The truth about what?"
She took a couple steps back from him and looked him dead in the eye. "Is it me, or them?"
He didn't have to ask what she meant. She wanted to know if he was siding with her or his emperor. She wanted to know who he would pledge his loyalty to.
He looked down at the ground for a moment, trying to figure out how to say it. His mind was already made up.
Finally he gave her the most sincere smile he'd ever given anyone before, then said, "You, Princess Rinoa. If you'll have me."
She smiled back and said. "Of course I will. But on one condition."
"What?"
"Don't call me princess," she replied with a laugh.
He nodded. "Alright. So what if I act like a jerk sometimes?"
"I'll slap you and yell at you," she replied. "Then I'll say I'm sorry and do this," she leaned up and brushed her lips across his. "Sound good to you?"
He nodded. "Definately. Now, shouldn't we be trying to get out of here?"
"Yeah," she answered. "But how?"
"If they hadn't taken away my Gunblade, I'd sugest we try digging out."
She shook her head, smiling, then walked over to the wall.
"Is something wrong?" he asked.
"No. There's just something strange...." her voice trailed off as she pushed with all her might on the wall, causing it to sink in and slide to the side.
She took a few steps inside with Squall following close behind her, and discovered a wide tunnel carved into the stone.
"Should we?" Rinoa asked.
"Better than staying here," Squall replied.
The two walked down the tunnel, side by side, until they came to a dead end. Rinoa pushed hard on against the stone again, and it broke away, tumbling to ground on the other side. Rinoa and Squall stumbled over the remains of the wall and found themselves outside. They were standing on the banks of an inlet from the nearby ocean. There were Chocobos and Chicobos playing in the water, and a young boy standing near them with a long wooden cane in his hands.
When the boy saw Squall and Rinoa, he grined. "Hi! D'ya come to buy a Chocobo?"
Squall shook his head. "No. We don't need a Chocobo. We just need to know where we are."
The boy scratched his head. "I'm not sure. You should ask my mom and dad. They're back at the house right now. I can take you to them, as soon as I'm done watering the Chocobos."
"I guess so," Squall said reluctantly.
"What's your name?" Rinoa asked the boy.
"Akira," he answered. "But everyone calls me Chocoboy, since my family is in the Chocobo ranching business, and I'm so good at taking care of them."
Rinoa smiled. "Alright then. Can you led us to your family?"
He nodded. "Yes, yes. The Chocobos are done drinking now. Follow me."
After doing a bit of climbing and walking, they arrived at a small white house that sat at the foot of a strangely shaped, narrow mountain peak. It had a odd bluish gray color to it, and a road that wound up nearly to the top, much like the mountain of the mountain people. At the top of the road was a small village where a few houses rested.
As soon as they arrived at the small white house, a woman dressed completely in black with long black hair came out of the door.
"Nice to see that you're home, son," she said to Akira. "Have you brought some visitors?"
"Yes, mama," he replied. "They say they need to know where they are."
The woman looked up at the two and smiled. It was then that Rinoa realized she'd seen this woman before. One more occasions than one.
"I would be happy to help you," she said. "I'm Edea. You are?"
"Rinoa," Rinoa replied quickly. "And this is Squall."
"Pleased to meet you," she said politely. "You look awfully tired. Have you any place to go?"
Squall shrugged. "If there's a town nearby then we can stay in the hotel, there."
"There is a town down by the ocean," told them. "But it's at least a day's journey from here. And it's nearly night now. You couldn't possibly make it. Which is just as well. We have a couple extra rooms here that you may use, if you wish."
Squall looked to Rinoa. She nodded, and he said. "Alright, that sounds good. Thank you, ma'm."
She laughed. "Oh, you're quite welcome. My husband and I love having visitors. So does Chocoboy. Now come in, please."
She showed them into her small, but cozy little house. Inside, there was a fire in a fire place, a few peices of furniture, including a rather large, padded chair where an old man slept. The walls were an inviting cream color, and the shadows cast on them from the fire gave the room an even warmer aura.
Edea walked over to the old man sleeping in the chair and gently shook him awake.
"What, what?!" he muttered grumpily upon waking up. "I wasn't sleeping, I swear! Just resting my eyes."
Akira giggled and Edea shook her head. "Cid. How many times have I told you not to lie or swear in front of our son. And to our room to take a nap instead of falling asleep in the chair like you do everynight? We have company, you know" she said, gesturing toward Squall and Rinoa.
The man grinned sheepishly at the two teenagers and stood from his chair. "Sorry dear," he said to his wife then turned back to Rinoa and Squall. "Forgive me for not introducing myself right away. I'm Cid Kramer. I own the Chocobo ranch out behind the house. Me and my wife both, of course."
"Nice to meet you," Rinoa said as politely as she could manage. The familiarness she felt toward Edea was still bothering her.
"Well, we'll eat and then I'll show you to your rooms. Or you could share if you prefer," Edea told them.
Squall got a hopeful gleam in his eye, but Rinoa just laughed and shook her head. "No, we'll be taking seperate rooms if that's not too much of a problem."
"Of course not, dear," Edea replied. "Now, dinner's ready. Let's eat."
(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)
After eating a large diner of fish, rice, and tea, Edea showed Squall and Rinoa to their seperate rooms, as promised.
Squall's room was small, dark, and mostly empty, save the bed and a side table. Rinoa's room was much larger with light blue walls, a large bed, a mirror and a vanity, and dozens of stuffed animals, including a stuffed Ochu, Ruby Dragon, and Moomba. There was a door on one side of the room, which she was told led to the back yard.
"This use to be my daughter Saiu's room before she moved out," Edea said with a tone of sadness.
"She grew up and moved out?" Rinoa asked despite herself.
Edea shook her head. "I'm afraid not. She ran away when she was just a young teenager. That was several years ago. She's old enough to be your mother, now."
"I'm sorry to hear that," Rinoa replied softly.
"Yes, well.... I just hope she's alright, where ever she is. Anyway, this will be your room for the evening. Enjoy."
"Thank you," she replied and entered the darkened room.
After a few hours of trying to sleep, Rinoa gave up and decided to go outside and get some fresh air. The room was comfortable, but a bit stuffy.
She slowly opened the door to the back yard, glad that it didn't creak, and walked outside, shutting the door lightly behind her. She walked around for a little while, looking through the fence at the sleeping Chocobos. She was starteled when she heard a voice call out from the darkness in front of her.
"Rinoa? Is that you?"
She walked ahead a bit further and found Edea sitting on an old wooden bench. There were tears staining her cheeks and her eyes were slightly puffy.
"Sorry to disturb you," Rinoa apologized.
"No, that's alright. I think it'll help me to have someone to talk to, anyway, if you don't mind."
Rinoa shook her head. "I don't mind."
Edea sighed. "You know, you look awfully familiar to me. There's just something about you that reminds me of....." her voice trailed off painfully.
"Of Saiu?"
Edea nodded, then laughed. "You know it's funny. She never liked her name. She always called herself Julia. She said she thought it was a beautiful name."
"Why did she run away, if you don't mind my asking?" Rinoa asked, ignoring the fact that Julia had been her mother's name.
"Saiu, or Julia, wasn't like other kids. She wasn't like other people. She always spoke of this power. She could do things that is impossible for mortal people to do. It was always hard on her, I know. But there wasn't much I could do. Saiu was my first child. I was very young when I had her. I didn't know half of the things that I know now. I didn't know how to help her deal with the pain. She was only a teenager when her powers started to show through..."
"Do you know what happened to her? After she ran away?"
"No. I haven't heard from her. But I fear the worst. I think she's dead."
"I'm sorry," Rinoa replied. "What did she look like?"
"She had straight, brown hair, and beautiful brown eyes. She always loved to sing, too."
"My mother," Rinoa began nervously, "looked liked that. And her name was Julia."
"What happened to your mother? Does she live?"
Rinoa shook her head. "She died a several years ago. When I was very young."
Edea stood and motioned for Rinoa to follow her back into the house. They entered the small living room and Edea bent down in front of the fire place. She pulled on a loose brick until it came out completely. She reached inside and produced a small, black, rectangular box.
She handed it to Rinoa and replaced the brick.
"Open it," she said.
Rinoa opened the box to reveal a silver chain with a silver ring hanging from it.
"That was Julia's favorite peice of jewelry," Edea told her. "Try it on."
"Oh, I couldn't," Rinoa replied.
"Please?" Edea asked.
"Alright. Since you put it that way..." she answered and hooked the necklace around her neck. She then slipped her ring finger into the silver ring to see that it fit her finger perfectly.
"It fits," Edea said with a smile.
Rinoa looked back at Edea. "You know.... you do look a lot like my mother did," she admitted after coming to the realization.
Edea's eyes filled with tears and she said, "Perhaps, then, your mother is my daughter. And you are my grandaughter."
Rinoa gave her a small, sad smile. "Do you really think so?"
Edea shrugged. "Maybe."
Rinoa reached to take the necklace off, but Edea stopped her. "Keep it."
"Why?"
"To remeber your mother by," Edea replied gently.
"What about your daughter? Don't you want to remember her?"
"Of course. Always. But something deep within tells me that they're one and the same. Not only that, but I also want you to remember me. And promise me that you'll visit me sometimes, relative or not."
Rinoa nodded. "Of course I will."
"Good," Edea said with a smile. "No go off to bed. I don't want to keep you awake any longer."
As Rinoa lay in her bed, drifting off to sleep and thinking of the recent events that had occured, something hit her. If Edea's daughter was Rinoa's mother, then what if she had the same powers....?
(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=))=)(=)(=)(=)(=)
A/N: Well, there's another chapter down. Sorry if it wasn't Squinoa-ish enough, or too angsty toward the end. Due to numerous requests, I won't say it sucks. I'd also like to thank everyone for waiting so long for me to update. I couldn't think of any good ideas. This is actually the third chapter four that I wrote. Anyway, please R&R!!!! Thank you!