"Balamb Garden? SeeD? What are you talking about?" Dagger asked with a
quizzical look on her face.
Rinoa pinched Squall's now ungloved hand. He yelped. "Squall?! Why did you do that?!"
"Don't you think the others will be worried about us? We need to get back soon. We can't stay much longer. And what if the mirror gets broken or something and we get stuck here? What will happen to Balamb? The others will think we abandoned them." He replied rubbing his hand.
She sighed. "Your right... But we have only just got here..."
"We'll come back again another day..." He said to her. Squall looked to the others at the table. "We aren't even from this planet i don't think... We were investigating a castle when we came upon a mirror. Apparently it is, believe it or not, a magic mirror. It sent us to... well... wherever this is..."
Rinoa just nodded. Zidane and Dagger thought about what they had just said for a moment. Finally Zidane spoke, "So you lied to us about being mages?"
Rinoa nodded. "We are really sorry. We just wanted to see what things were like in this world before blabbing about our own."
"Its alright... We aren't mad at all... Why did you decide so suddenly to tell us now?", Dagger asked.
Squall replied, "Our friends might be getting worried about us... We'll have to leave pretty soon. Who knows if the mirror is going to close or something and get us stuck here. Its not like we don't favor this place, its just that, our own world needs us."
Beatrix, Steiner, Quina, and Vivi were all too confused at this point so they excused themselves from the table and left the others in peace. Zidane and Dagger smiled. "We totally understand... We have gone through some tough times here, saving our world from destruction. We would hate to suddenly be zapped somewhere else and leave our world unprotected.", this was the first time Squall heard Zidane talking seriously.
"Lets just enjoy this meal together as friends... Then we'll give you your clothes back and you can be on your way." Dagger smiled. "You'll love Quina's cooking."
They gave eachother a nod and starting eating their meal. It was silent accept the occasional clanking noise of silverware against bowls and plates. On occasion they would take a brief moment to look up at eachother and get lost in thought.
Squall looked to Dagger and Zidane and thought, "They are extremely nice people... They don't even bother questioning further about where we have come from. They know all they need to know and wish no more of us. Such peaceful and loving people... I wonder if everyone in this world is like this... It is so different from my world-- but then again, so very similar..." He started eating his salad.
Rinoa cut a piece of meat and started chewing. This was the most exquisite meal she had ever had. The chef they called Quina must be the best chef in all the worlds. She watched Dagger for a moment. She was so delicate and beautiful. "I really don't want to leave so soon... Its like eating their food and running... I wonder if we are being rude... Hmm... I a pretty sure we aren't being rude at all. Even if we were, Dagger wouldn't really send out any irritated signs. Zidane would be the one to snap at us... But Squall said that we could come back maybe... I wonder if we will. I wonder if the mirror will stop working after we get back home."
"Rinoa... She isn't afraid to share her feelings with others and speak her mind. She would also make a good queen... She most be some kind of authority at her own home. She is so fun. It was like we were playing dress up a few hours ago... That was so fun! And Squall... I am not sure what to make of him. It seems that he is the serious type. But still, he is kind. I hope that they'll come back.", Dagger thought. She saw a smile cross Rinoa's face as they noticed eachother looking toward one another.
Zidane shoved a piece of meat in he mouth and started chewing softly. "Hmm... They are leaving awfully soon. I would think that they'd stay longer, maybe even over night. But they have a world to protect and friends that are probably looking for them this very moment. How would Dagger and I feel if we were in the same situation? We would do exactly as Rinoa and Squall are. Dagger would insist on making peace and then we would leave. I wonder if they'll come back..."
They all looked up at eachother as they finished. Dagger placed her hands on her lap. "I guess you'll have to get going now, won't you?"
Squall nodded. Rinoa tried to act proper and also placed her hands on her lap. She noticed that she and Squall were still wearing the clothes they had got from them. "We should return your clothes and jewelry to you before we leave."
Zidane looked to Dagger and then spoke, "You keep them. Next time you come to visit you'll be dressed properly. Besides, even if you find that you can't come back, at least you have something to remember us by."
Squall stood and helped Rinoa up. "Thankyou for everything you have done for us during our visit here. We really wish to visit with you longer, but, you know..."
"We understand. Let us see you off though. Say our last goodbyes and all." Dagger said getting up on her own and gesturing for Zidane to do the same. "We'll lead you to the room we found you in. There must be some sort of portal there."
After Squall got a backpack and put their old clothes in it he and Rinoa were led to the same room they were found in. (Rinoa wanted to keep her dress on to show Selphie and Quistis and Squall was just to lazy to change. His clothes weren't that bad anyway.) Squall immediatly approached the area where they had come from and put his hand on the cool wall. It didn't go through this time. He looked hesitantly back at the others. "Something is wrong... It won't let me through."
"Maybe we have to go through it together." Rinoa suggested. She took Squalls hand and they ran to the wall. They didn't go through it... They ran into it...
"This is terrible..." Dagger commented as she helped Rinoa and Squall to their feet.
Zidane put his hands on his hips. His tail twisted around his arm. "Well... This is a magic mirror. Maybe Dagger could use some of her white magic on it to make it work."
"I'll use my sorceress magic too.", Rinoa and Dagger nodded to oneanother and sent a barrage of different spells toward the wall where the mirror supposedly was.
The image of the mirror started to flicker. Zidane cheered, "Come on ladies! More power!"
"Give it all you got!", Squall added.
The mirror became a solid image now. It glowed an eerie gold color. Dagger and Rinoa sighed. "Good job Dagger."
"I couldn't have done it without your help." she smiled. "The mirror is beautiful." The queen approached the mirror and ran a finger around the border.
Zidane stood at her side doing the same. Squall and Rinoa stood at the other side of the mirror. Squall warned, "Be careful. You don't want to get sucked in." Rinoa took his hand playfully.
Squall smiled. He touched the glass. It rippled as if it were water. Rinoa did the same with a giggle. "This is neato..."
Suddenly, the water like glass shattered. Everyone was knocked unconscience...
They awoke in a dark alley. Squall and Rinoa thought this was part of Ultimecia's Castle. But then, they looked around seeing Dagger and Zidane stumbling to their feet. Rinoa could of swore she saw some sort of globe of light drift off but didn't comment. "We aren't home...", she said instead.
"The mirror has to be around here somewhere..." Squall started frantically searching the dark alley walls. "There isn't a portal!"
"Oh no... Not one of us no where we are and we'll be stuck here forever...", Rinoa bit down on her lower lip and looked up at the bright shining moon.
Zidane kicked a garbage can. "What is going to happen to our world? Alexandria... Tantalus... Lindblum... Everything!"
Dagger decided to be the voice of reason, "Don't worry... The mirror might just be recharging after transporting so many of us... Or maybe it is somewhere else in this city... We shouldn't lose our heads over our predicament just yet."
"I guess this means we'll be doing some exploring.", Zidane said trying to hide the happiness in his voice. He hadn't gone on an adventure in years. "We should change our clothes... Or atleast Dagger and Rinoa should. I think they might attract attention wearing such elegant and beautiful dresses."
Squall sighed. "But the backpack only had Rinoa and my clothes... Wait a minute... Oh no! The backpack is gone! It must not have traveled through the mirror with us!"
"But... We can't walk around like this... We'll attract way too much attention for our own good.", Rinoa bit down on her lower lip.
"Maybe we can...", Dagger said reasurringly. "Maybe this is a plave much like ours and we'll fit in perfectly here. Zidane and Squall should go out and see what the people are dressed like and how they act. Maybe I could quickly alter our dresses after knowing what the others are dressed like."
Zidane put his arm around her waist. "Your such a smart, pretty, girl!" He looked to Squall. "I guess we knights should be going now." He looked to Dagger with a charming smile. He couldn't release himself from her thoughtful gaze and he could only put another arm around her. He hugged her and she returned the unexpected embrace.
Squall threw a small stone at Zidane's back. "Come on!"
Rinoa put her hands on her hips. "That is a bit rude of you! They are having an intimate and loving moment. Don't ruin it!"
Squall tilted his head slightly watching as Zidane and Dagger didn't move. They didn't seem to notice anything going on around them. "I don't think I actually interrupted anything."
Dagger finally pulled away from Zidane. "Go on now, Zidane. You being my elite knight have a very important mission to complete immediatly." She grinned.
Zidane bowed with a chuckle. "Yes my Queen Garnet Til Alexandros the Seventeenth." He walked over to Squall and grabbed his arm leading him out of the alley. Squall didn't need to be dragged out. It seemed that Zidane was trying to get himself out of there before he started clinging to Dagger again.
They both stopped in the middle of a not so busy street. "These look like the slums of Treno...", Zidane commented not realizing that Squall had no idea what he was talking about.
"Well these are definitly some kind of slums... I really don't think Dagger and Rinoa will blend in well here..." He glanced around. "Look, a bar... 7th Heaven... Lets check that out."
They entered the bar. It wasn't very busy. A raven haired women tended the bar. Squall recognized her from the mirror. Yes, it was definitly the women he had seen in the magic mirror earlier. He nudged Zidane. "You know... Before Rinoa and I were teleported to your world we saw your and Dagger's imaged in the mirror instead of ours... Then we saw another couple... That girl at the bar is the one from the mirror..."
"What should we do? If we confront her she'll probably have no idea what is happenning just like Dagger and I have no clue. I don't think it would be wise to meet with her just yet. Instead we should ask her or someone else where to find women's clothes. We have a couple of misdressed girls standing in an alley of the slums. Who knows what could happen to them while we are here dilly dallying." Zidane replied.
Squall didn't want to say to him 'your absolutly right' even though the monkey like thief was absolutely right. Acting just like himself he pushed passed Zidane and took a seat at the bar. The clothes he was wearing weren't too different from the garb worn by the strangers surrounding him so he felt pretty sure of himself. He tapped on the bar top to get the girl's attention. "hey..."
She turned placing a drink on the table infront of another man. She approached Squall with a bright and cheery smile on her face. "Hi newcomer. What'll ya have?"
"I just need some information." He paused. "Where do you go to find some cheap women's clothing?"
She giggled. He rolled his eyes. She turned. "Hey Cloud! This guy needs some help!" Squall noticed for the first time, a man sitting at the end of the bar with a giant sword on his back. It was the man from the mirror. They were meeting eachother way too soon. He hoped that nothing would happen and he would just get his information.
The man called Cloud walked over to Squall and sat on the stool beside him facing the girl. "Whats up Tifa? This guy need some weapons or something?"
"He needs to know where to get women's clothing." Tifa grinned slyly.
Cloud suddenly saw a flashback. That day when he dressed up like a girl... He cringed. Cloud turned to Squall. He gesticulated toward Zidane as he spoke, "So you and your mischevious looking friend want some women's clothing...?..." He bit down on his lip to keep himself from laughing.
Squall had no idea what Cloud was getting at. Zidane, who was listening in, jumped into the conversation furiously. "HEY! We aren't crossdressers man! We have girl friends that are stranded in an alley without any clothes!" He pounded his fist into the bartop. His fist went right through making a large hole. He certaintly wasn't as happy and care- free as he had been earlier. It was obvious to anyone that he was worried about Dagger.
Tifa saw the worry in his eyes and knew he wasn't lying. She nodded to Cloud as a signal that they really needed help. "I'm sorry guys... Just to let you know, I'm not a crossdresser either... I just had to kind of... Disguise myself to save a friend... But, anyways, like I said, I am really sorry. There aren't any clothes shops around here... Atleast not in this part of the city..."
"I'll give you some of my extra clothes. Just wait right here. I'll hurry." Tifa ran out of sight.
Zidane looked down at the hole in the bar. "Um... I am really sorry about my little mark in the bar... I was just a bit frustrated. Thankyou for the sudden kindness..."
Cloud shrugged. "Tifa and I are always willing to help. But, may I ask, why your lady friends have no clothes?"
Zidane and Squall looked at eachother. What could they say that would make sense? What could they say that wouldn't reveal what had happened? They didn't know what to say that wouldn't seem suspicous or criminal. They were saved by Tifa who shoved what looked like a grocery back at them. "The clothes are in here. I didn't include everything... That would be kinda weird."
Zidane grabbed the bag and bolted out the door of the bar. Squall sighed. "Thankyou for your kindness... We'll be meeting again soon... I'm sure of it." He saluted and ran out just as Zidane had before him.
Zidane handed Rinoa the bag. "Your new clothes are in here."
Squall added, "You can change while we keep watch. Don't worry about us peeking either. We aren't the kind of guys. Atleast I'm not that kind of guy..."
Zidane and Squall stood at opposite sides of the alley. Dagger and Rinoa hid behind different trash cans as they hastily changed into their new clothes. When they reappeared in front of the garbages they examined eachother. Dagger wore a short black skirt and a white sleeveless belly shirt. Rinoa wore a dark blue skort. It was also short, high above her knees. She also wore a light blue tanktop that was a little tight on her. They both wore matching black sneakers. They both chorused, "Looking good! ^_^ "
Zidane turned around hearing their bubbly voices. He circled them three times then gave them a thumbs up. "You two will fit in just fine!"
Rinoa glanced over at Squall as Dagger and Zidane took eachothers' hands and started talking about different things that she couldn't understand. Rinoa knew that Squall was thinking that he still shouldn't turn around yet. It was his duty to stand guard and he wasn't easily pulled away from many duties. She sighed and tiptoed up to him. She wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tightly. "Hey Squall... You can turn around now."
"If I turn around now, you'll still be behind me.", he replied, not humor to be found in his tone.
She frowned. She knew that if he was being that terribly serious, there was something serious that he was thinking about. "Whats the matter.", she loosened his grip around her waist but didn't totally let go.
"I saw the other two people from the mirror... They were at the bar that Zidane and I went to to get your outfits... I have a feeling we'll be meeting them again. I know we are going to meet them again.", he said solemnly.
"So what is so bad about that? Are they bad people?", Rinoa asked.
Squall shook his head. "No... They are great people. They gave us the clothes you are wearing. Yeah, they are really kind- very friendly." He looked up at the sky. "I sense something. I think something is going to happen soon... That something I am feeling is a bad something. We can't all meet. We have to avoid those people and find the mirror. I don't know what would happen if all of us met eachother."
Rinoa let go of him and walked in front of him so she could get a good look at him. "Well... I guess we just avoid them. Easy. Your so great at making plans... We'll get through this. We'll all be at our own homes in no time. Nothing bad is going to happen since your the leader.", she said encouragingly. She was very pleased when Squall looked down at her with a smile.
She hugged him tightly. He ran his hand through her hair. She felt a tingling feeling all over her body. She was even happier knowing that there were still sparks between them. They were truly meant to be together. She listened to the sound of his heart steadily beating with her eyes closed as he stared down at the peaceful look on her face. They let go of eachother at the same time and met up with Dagger and Zidane. Squall said in an encouraging tone, "Lets go find that portal!"
Rinoa pinched Squall's now ungloved hand. He yelped. "Squall?! Why did you do that?!"
"Don't you think the others will be worried about us? We need to get back soon. We can't stay much longer. And what if the mirror gets broken or something and we get stuck here? What will happen to Balamb? The others will think we abandoned them." He replied rubbing his hand.
She sighed. "Your right... But we have only just got here..."
"We'll come back again another day..." He said to her. Squall looked to the others at the table. "We aren't even from this planet i don't think... We were investigating a castle when we came upon a mirror. Apparently it is, believe it or not, a magic mirror. It sent us to... well... wherever this is..."
Rinoa just nodded. Zidane and Dagger thought about what they had just said for a moment. Finally Zidane spoke, "So you lied to us about being mages?"
Rinoa nodded. "We are really sorry. We just wanted to see what things were like in this world before blabbing about our own."
"Its alright... We aren't mad at all... Why did you decide so suddenly to tell us now?", Dagger asked.
Squall replied, "Our friends might be getting worried about us... We'll have to leave pretty soon. Who knows if the mirror is going to close or something and get us stuck here. Its not like we don't favor this place, its just that, our own world needs us."
Beatrix, Steiner, Quina, and Vivi were all too confused at this point so they excused themselves from the table and left the others in peace. Zidane and Dagger smiled. "We totally understand... We have gone through some tough times here, saving our world from destruction. We would hate to suddenly be zapped somewhere else and leave our world unprotected.", this was the first time Squall heard Zidane talking seriously.
"Lets just enjoy this meal together as friends... Then we'll give you your clothes back and you can be on your way." Dagger smiled. "You'll love Quina's cooking."
They gave eachother a nod and starting eating their meal. It was silent accept the occasional clanking noise of silverware against bowls and plates. On occasion they would take a brief moment to look up at eachother and get lost in thought.
Squall looked to Dagger and Zidane and thought, "They are extremely nice people... They don't even bother questioning further about where we have come from. They know all they need to know and wish no more of us. Such peaceful and loving people... I wonder if everyone in this world is like this... It is so different from my world-- but then again, so very similar..." He started eating his salad.
Rinoa cut a piece of meat and started chewing. This was the most exquisite meal she had ever had. The chef they called Quina must be the best chef in all the worlds. She watched Dagger for a moment. She was so delicate and beautiful. "I really don't want to leave so soon... Its like eating their food and running... I wonder if we are being rude... Hmm... I a pretty sure we aren't being rude at all. Even if we were, Dagger wouldn't really send out any irritated signs. Zidane would be the one to snap at us... But Squall said that we could come back maybe... I wonder if we will. I wonder if the mirror will stop working after we get back home."
"Rinoa... She isn't afraid to share her feelings with others and speak her mind. She would also make a good queen... She most be some kind of authority at her own home. She is so fun. It was like we were playing dress up a few hours ago... That was so fun! And Squall... I am not sure what to make of him. It seems that he is the serious type. But still, he is kind. I hope that they'll come back.", Dagger thought. She saw a smile cross Rinoa's face as they noticed eachother looking toward one another.
Zidane shoved a piece of meat in he mouth and started chewing softly. "Hmm... They are leaving awfully soon. I would think that they'd stay longer, maybe even over night. But they have a world to protect and friends that are probably looking for them this very moment. How would Dagger and I feel if we were in the same situation? We would do exactly as Rinoa and Squall are. Dagger would insist on making peace and then we would leave. I wonder if they'll come back..."
They all looked up at eachother as they finished. Dagger placed her hands on her lap. "I guess you'll have to get going now, won't you?"
Squall nodded. Rinoa tried to act proper and also placed her hands on her lap. She noticed that she and Squall were still wearing the clothes they had got from them. "We should return your clothes and jewelry to you before we leave."
Zidane looked to Dagger and then spoke, "You keep them. Next time you come to visit you'll be dressed properly. Besides, even if you find that you can't come back, at least you have something to remember us by."
Squall stood and helped Rinoa up. "Thankyou for everything you have done for us during our visit here. We really wish to visit with you longer, but, you know..."
"We understand. Let us see you off though. Say our last goodbyes and all." Dagger said getting up on her own and gesturing for Zidane to do the same. "We'll lead you to the room we found you in. There must be some sort of portal there."
After Squall got a backpack and put their old clothes in it he and Rinoa were led to the same room they were found in. (Rinoa wanted to keep her dress on to show Selphie and Quistis and Squall was just to lazy to change. His clothes weren't that bad anyway.) Squall immediatly approached the area where they had come from and put his hand on the cool wall. It didn't go through this time. He looked hesitantly back at the others. "Something is wrong... It won't let me through."
"Maybe we have to go through it together." Rinoa suggested. She took Squalls hand and they ran to the wall. They didn't go through it... They ran into it...
"This is terrible..." Dagger commented as she helped Rinoa and Squall to their feet.
Zidane put his hands on his hips. His tail twisted around his arm. "Well... This is a magic mirror. Maybe Dagger could use some of her white magic on it to make it work."
"I'll use my sorceress magic too.", Rinoa and Dagger nodded to oneanother and sent a barrage of different spells toward the wall where the mirror supposedly was.
The image of the mirror started to flicker. Zidane cheered, "Come on ladies! More power!"
"Give it all you got!", Squall added.
The mirror became a solid image now. It glowed an eerie gold color. Dagger and Rinoa sighed. "Good job Dagger."
"I couldn't have done it without your help." she smiled. "The mirror is beautiful." The queen approached the mirror and ran a finger around the border.
Zidane stood at her side doing the same. Squall and Rinoa stood at the other side of the mirror. Squall warned, "Be careful. You don't want to get sucked in." Rinoa took his hand playfully.
Squall smiled. He touched the glass. It rippled as if it were water. Rinoa did the same with a giggle. "This is neato..."
Suddenly, the water like glass shattered. Everyone was knocked unconscience...
They awoke in a dark alley. Squall and Rinoa thought this was part of Ultimecia's Castle. But then, they looked around seeing Dagger and Zidane stumbling to their feet. Rinoa could of swore she saw some sort of globe of light drift off but didn't comment. "We aren't home...", she said instead.
"The mirror has to be around here somewhere..." Squall started frantically searching the dark alley walls. "There isn't a portal!"
"Oh no... Not one of us no where we are and we'll be stuck here forever...", Rinoa bit down on her lower lip and looked up at the bright shining moon.
Zidane kicked a garbage can. "What is going to happen to our world? Alexandria... Tantalus... Lindblum... Everything!"
Dagger decided to be the voice of reason, "Don't worry... The mirror might just be recharging after transporting so many of us... Or maybe it is somewhere else in this city... We shouldn't lose our heads over our predicament just yet."
"I guess this means we'll be doing some exploring.", Zidane said trying to hide the happiness in his voice. He hadn't gone on an adventure in years. "We should change our clothes... Or atleast Dagger and Rinoa should. I think they might attract attention wearing such elegant and beautiful dresses."
Squall sighed. "But the backpack only had Rinoa and my clothes... Wait a minute... Oh no! The backpack is gone! It must not have traveled through the mirror with us!"
"But... We can't walk around like this... We'll attract way too much attention for our own good.", Rinoa bit down on her lower lip.
"Maybe we can...", Dagger said reasurringly. "Maybe this is a plave much like ours and we'll fit in perfectly here. Zidane and Squall should go out and see what the people are dressed like and how they act. Maybe I could quickly alter our dresses after knowing what the others are dressed like."
Zidane put his arm around her waist. "Your such a smart, pretty, girl!" He looked to Squall. "I guess we knights should be going now." He looked to Dagger with a charming smile. He couldn't release himself from her thoughtful gaze and he could only put another arm around her. He hugged her and she returned the unexpected embrace.
Squall threw a small stone at Zidane's back. "Come on!"
Rinoa put her hands on her hips. "That is a bit rude of you! They are having an intimate and loving moment. Don't ruin it!"
Squall tilted his head slightly watching as Zidane and Dagger didn't move. They didn't seem to notice anything going on around them. "I don't think I actually interrupted anything."
Dagger finally pulled away from Zidane. "Go on now, Zidane. You being my elite knight have a very important mission to complete immediatly." She grinned.
Zidane bowed with a chuckle. "Yes my Queen Garnet Til Alexandros the Seventeenth." He walked over to Squall and grabbed his arm leading him out of the alley. Squall didn't need to be dragged out. It seemed that Zidane was trying to get himself out of there before he started clinging to Dagger again.
They both stopped in the middle of a not so busy street. "These look like the slums of Treno...", Zidane commented not realizing that Squall had no idea what he was talking about.
"Well these are definitly some kind of slums... I really don't think Dagger and Rinoa will blend in well here..." He glanced around. "Look, a bar... 7th Heaven... Lets check that out."
They entered the bar. It wasn't very busy. A raven haired women tended the bar. Squall recognized her from the mirror. Yes, it was definitly the women he had seen in the magic mirror earlier. He nudged Zidane. "You know... Before Rinoa and I were teleported to your world we saw your and Dagger's imaged in the mirror instead of ours... Then we saw another couple... That girl at the bar is the one from the mirror..."
"What should we do? If we confront her she'll probably have no idea what is happenning just like Dagger and I have no clue. I don't think it would be wise to meet with her just yet. Instead we should ask her or someone else where to find women's clothes. We have a couple of misdressed girls standing in an alley of the slums. Who knows what could happen to them while we are here dilly dallying." Zidane replied.
Squall didn't want to say to him 'your absolutly right' even though the monkey like thief was absolutely right. Acting just like himself he pushed passed Zidane and took a seat at the bar. The clothes he was wearing weren't too different from the garb worn by the strangers surrounding him so he felt pretty sure of himself. He tapped on the bar top to get the girl's attention. "hey..."
She turned placing a drink on the table infront of another man. She approached Squall with a bright and cheery smile on her face. "Hi newcomer. What'll ya have?"
"I just need some information." He paused. "Where do you go to find some cheap women's clothing?"
She giggled. He rolled his eyes. She turned. "Hey Cloud! This guy needs some help!" Squall noticed for the first time, a man sitting at the end of the bar with a giant sword on his back. It was the man from the mirror. They were meeting eachother way too soon. He hoped that nothing would happen and he would just get his information.
The man called Cloud walked over to Squall and sat on the stool beside him facing the girl. "Whats up Tifa? This guy need some weapons or something?"
"He needs to know where to get women's clothing." Tifa grinned slyly.
Cloud suddenly saw a flashback. That day when he dressed up like a girl... He cringed. Cloud turned to Squall. He gesticulated toward Zidane as he spoke, "So you and your mischevious looking friend want some women's clothing...?..." He bit down on his lip to keep himself from laughing.
Squall had no idea what Cloud was getting at. Zidane, who was listening in, jumped into the conversation furiously. "HEY! We aren't crossdressers man! We have girl friends that are stranded in an alley without any clothes!" He pounded his fist into the bartop. His fist went right through making a large hole. He certaintly wasn't as happy and care- free as he had been earlier. It was obvious to anyone that he was worried about Dagger.
Tifa saw the worry in his eyes and knew he wasn't lying. She nodded to Cloud as a signal that they really needed help. "I'm sorry guys... Just to let you know, I'm not a crossdresser either... I just had to kind of... Disguise myself to save a friend... But, anyways, like I said, I am really sorry. There aren't any clothes shops around here... Atleast not in this part of the city..."
"I'll give you some of my extra clothes. Just wait right here. I'll hurry." Tifa ran out of sight.
Zidane looked down at the hole in the bar. "Um... I am really sorry about my little mark in the bar... I was just a bit frustrated. Thankyou for the sudden kindness..."
Cloud shrugged. "Tifa and I are always willing to help. But, may I ask, why your lady friends have no clothes?"
Zidane and Squall looked at eachother. What could they say that would make sense? What could they say that wouldn't reveal what had happened? They didn't know what to say that wouldn't seem suspicous or criminal. They were saved by Tifa who shoved what looked like a grocery back at them. "The clothes are in here. I didn't include everything... That would be kinda weird."
Zidane grabbed the bag and bolted out the door of the bar. Squall sighed. "Thankyou for your kindness... We'll be meeting again soon... I'm sure of it." He saluted and ran out just as Zidane had before him.
Zidane handed Rinoa the bag. "Your new clothes are in here."
Squall added, "You can change while we keep watch. Don't worry about us peeking either. We aren't the kind of guys. Atleast I'm not that kind of guy..."
Zidane and Squall stood at opposite sides of the alley. Dagger and Rinoa hid behind different trash cans as they hastily changed into their new clothes. When they reappeared in front of the garbages they examined eachother. Dagger wore a short black skirt and a white sleeveless belly shirt. Rinoa wore a dark blue skort. It was also short, high above her knees. She also wore a light blue tanktop that was a little tight on her. They both wore matching black sneakers. They both chorused, "Looking good! ^_^ "
Zidane turned around hearing their bubbly voices. He circled them three times then gave them a thumbs up. "You two will fit in just fine!"
Rinoa glanced over at Squall as Dagger and Zidane took eachothers' hands and started talking about different things that she couldn't understand. Rinoa knew that Squall was thinking that he still shouldn't turn around yet. It was his duty to stand guard and he wasn't easily pulled away from many duties. She sighed and tiptoed up to him. She wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tightly. "Hey Squall... You can turn around now."
"If I turn around now, you'll still be behind me.", he replied, not humor to be found in his tone.
She frowned. She knew that if he was being that terribly serious, there was something serious that he was thinking about. "Whats the matter.", she loosened his grip around her waist but didn't totally let go.
"I saw the other two people from the mirror... They were at the bar that Zidane and I went to to get your outfits... I have a feeling we'll be meeting them again. I know we are going to meet them again.", he said solemnly.
"So what is so bad about that? Are they bad people?", Rinoa asked.
Squall shook his head. "No... They are great people. They gave us the clothes you are wearing. Yeah, they are really kind- very friendly." He looked up at the sky. "I sense something. I think something is going to happen soon... That something I am feeling is a bad something. We can't all meet. We have to avoid those people and find the mirror. I don't know what would happen if all of us met eachother."
Rinoa let go of him and walked in front of him so she could get a good look at him. "Well... I guess we just avoid them. Easy. Your so great at making plans... We'll get through this. We'll all be at our own homes in no time. Nothing bad is going to happen since your the leader.", she said encouragingly. She was very pleased when Squall looked down at her with a smile.
She hugged him tightly. He ran his hand through her hair. She felt a tingling feeling all over her body. She was even happier knowing that there were still sparks between them. They were truly meant to be together. She listened to the sound of his heart steadily beating with her eyes closed as he stared down at the peaceful look on her face. They let go of eachother at the same time and met up with Dagger and Zidane. Squall said in an encouraging tone, "Lets go find that portal!"