Chapter One
"Mommy!" the tiny voice rang out along the deserted beach. Rinoa was sunbathing there with Squall in their bathing suits while a smaller figure stood beside her. The voice made it to Rinoa's ears, but the fact the squeal was directed to her didn't register in her mind. "Mommy!" the voice cried out again. A tiny head blocked out the sun in front of Rinoa. Once again she didn't move.
Go away. Rinoa thought.
"Rin," Squall muttered next to her, "He's calling you." Rinoa brushed some hair and sweat from her face and pulled off her sunglasses. The sudden brightness of the sun blinded her, but the small figure hovering over her decreased the immense glare. Rinoa sat up and looked at the boy standing in front of her. The black hair that mimicked her own and the sea blue eyes of his father. He was a beautiful boy of seven, but at that moment his eyes were wet with tears.
"What's wrong honey?" Rinoa smiled at her son.
"I...stepped...on...a...shell" he explained between sobs. Rinoa noticed that he was favoring one foot.
"Let me see it." Rinoa picked up his foot while her son leaned on her shoulder. The cut was deep and a stream of blood ran from it to his heel and slowly began to drip onto the sand.
"It's pretty deep into his flesh." Rinoa told Squall.
"What do you want to do?" Squall asked without moving from his position in his beach chair.
"We've been here long enough, let's head back to the Garden." Rinoa suggested.
"Okay." Squall sighed. After a minute, he summoned up the energy to sit up in the chair.
"I want you to carry him."
"Are you joking?" Squall pulled off his sunglasses and looked over at his wife and son.
"No," Rinoa said simply, "I don't want him to get any dirt or sand in the cut." Squall knew it was no use to argue. Rinoa was very headstrong and protective, especially over her child. It had never been easy to change Rinoa's mind. Take his son's name for example...
"Come here, Cid." Squall went over and picked up his son. He placed the boy on his shoulders, slowly calming him down from his wound.
"Cid was the one who brought us together." Rinoa had insisted, "The least we can do is name our child after him." Squall hadn't really minded naming their son after Cid, so he hadn't made a major issue out of it.
"Here." Rinoa handed Squall both beach chairs and then led the way for him to follow, carrying absolutely nothing.
"Rin," Squall muttered holding out both arms.
"Fine, you weakling." Rinoa walked to Squall and took one beach chair. "What happened to the big strong man I married?" Rinoa playfully teased.
"I'm still here." Squall smiled flexing the bicep muscle of his free arm. Cid gave a little giggle and flexed his same arm copying his father.
Rinoa thought back to her marriage to Squall. They had gotten married about a year after their ordeal with Ultimecia and time compression. Rinoa had constantly tried to erase that experience from her mind, but to no avail. It seemed like it had happened a million years ago, but how long had it been? Eight years? Was that all?
"My two big strong men." Rinoa smiled and gave each one a kiss. However, her kiss with Squall lasted slightly longer. "Let's go."
After making it off the beach, the family slowly walked across the plains towards the Garden. Balamb Garden was so enormous, it could be seen from the beach, but that didn't mean that they didn't have a long way to go.
Cid amused himself with little things, but slowly reached down and felt the long inlet on Squall's face.
"Daddy? Where did you get this scar?" Squall thought back to that day when Seifer had stopped him on his way to the Fire Cavern.
"Nowhere son." was all Squall had to say. Cid accepted that as the final answer and asked no more about it. They continued to walk on in silence, except for the occasional question Cid would ask. A simple "yes" or "no" answered most of them. Soon, the silence was broken by another sound.
"Mommy. Daddy. What's that?" Cid pointed off to the side. Both Squall and Rinoa immediately glanced in the direction of Cid's pointed finger.
"A T-Rexaur!!" Squall cried.
"I thought they stayed in the forest!" Rinoa looked to Squall. The T- Rexaur caught sight of the three people in the middle of the plains, lowered its head slightly, and with a chilling roar rushed towards them.
"What do we do?" Rinoa cried. Cid, sensing the fear from his parents, began to whimper slightly.
"We don't have our weapons! And without a GF, we don't have any magic to use!" Squall looked around for any ideas.
"Can we outrun it?" Rinoa asked.
"No." Squall's mind slipped back to all his training sessions fighting against T-Rexaurs. They were as fast as they were strong.
"Wait, I have an idea!" Rinoa smiled. "Stand back." Rinoa's head drooped forward as her long black hair covered her face. The T-Rexaur was in a complete charge, having set its sights completely on Rinoa.
"Rinoa..." Squall's voice trailed off as he slowly backed away holding his son on his shoulders.
"Mommy?" Cid seemed to get closer and closer to complete weeping. The giant creature rushing towards his mother scared him, so much that he tried to hide behind his father's head. The T-Rexaur came closer and closer as Rinoa remained motionless.
"Rinoa." Squall called, slightly louder. Rinoa refused to move, her head still limp and lifeless hanging forward as the T-Rexaur drew ever closer. Squall's voice echoed far across the open plain.
"RINOA!"
"Mommy!" the tiny voice rang out along the deserted beach. Rinoa was sunbathing there with Squall in their bathing suits while a smaller figure stood beside her. The voice made it to Rinoa's ears, but the fact the squeal was directed to her didn't register in her mind. "Mommy!" the voice cried out again. A tiny head blocked out the sun in front of Rinoa. Once again she didn't move.
Go away. Rinoa thought.
"Rin," Squall muttered next to her, "He's calling you." Rinoa brushed some hair and sweat from her face and pulled off her sunglasses. The sudden brightness of the sun blinded her, but the small figure hovering over her decreased the immense glare. Rinoa sat up and looked at the boy standing in front of her. The black hair that mimicked her own and the sea blue eyes of his father. He was a beautiful boy of seven, but at that moment his eyes were wet with tears.
"What's wrong honey?" Rinoa smiled at her son.
"I...stepped...on...a...shell" he explained between sobs. Rinoa noticed that he was favoring one foot.
"Let me see it." Rinoa picked up his foot while her son leaned on her shoulder. The cut was deep and a stream of blood ran from it to his heel and slowly began to drip onto the sand.
"It's pretty deep into his flesh." Rinoa told Squall.
"What do you want to do?" Squall asked without moving from his position in his beach chair.
"We've been here long enough, let's head back to the Garden." Rinoa suggested.
"Okay." Squall sighed. After a minute, he summoned up the energy to sit up in the chair.
"I want you to carry him."
"Are you joking?" Squall pulled off his sunglasses and looked over at his wife and son.
"No," Rinoa said simply, "I don't want him to get any dirt or sand in the cut." Squall knew it was no use to argue. Rinoa was very headstrong and protective, especially over her child. It had never been easy to change Rinoa's mind. Take his son's name for example...
"Come here, Cid." Squall went over and picked up his son. He placed the boy on his shoulders, slowly calming him down from his wound.
"Cid was the one who brought us together." Rinoa had insisted, "The least we can do is name our child after him." Squall hadn't really minded naming their son after Cid, so he hadn't made a major issue out of it.
"Here." Rinoa handed Squall both beach chairs and then led the way for him to follow, carrying absolutely nothing.
"Rin," Squall muttered holding out both arms.
"Fine, you weakling." Rinoa walked to Squall and took one beach chair. "What happened to the big strong man I married?" Rinoa playfully teased.
"I'm still here." Squall smiled flexing the bicep muscle of his free arm. Cid gave a little giggle and flexed his same arm copying his father.
Rinoa thought back to her marriage to Squall. They had gotten married about a year after their ordeal with Ultimecia and time compression. Rinoa had constantly tried to erase that experience from her mind, but to no avail. It seemed like it had happened a million years ago, but how long had it been? Eight years? Was that all?
"My two big strong men." Rinoa smiled and gave each one a kiss. However, her kiss with Squall lasted slightly longer. "Let's go."
After making it off the beach, the family slowly walked across the plains towards the Garden. Balamb Garden was so enormous, it could be seen from the beach, but that didn't mean that they didn't have a long way to go.
Cid amused himself with little things, but slowly reached down and felt the long inlet on Squall's face.
"Daddy? Where did you get this scar?" Squall thought back to that day when Seifer had stopped him on his way to the Fire Cavern.
"Nowhere son." was all Squall had to say. Cid accepted that as the final answer and asked no more about it. They continued to walk on in silence, except for the occasional question Cid would ask. A simple "yes" or "no" answered most of them. Soon, the silence was broken by another sound.
"Mommy. Daddy. What's that?" Cid pointed off to the side. Both Squall and Rinoa immediately glanced in the direction of Cid's pointed finger.
"A T-Rexaur!!" Squall cried.
"I thought they stayed in the forest!" Rinoa looked to Squall. The T- Rexaur caught sight of the three people in the middle of the plains, lowered its head slightly, and with a chilling roar rushed towards them.
"What do we do?" Rinoa cried. Cid, sensing the fear from his parents, began to whimper slightly.
"We don't have our weapons! And without a GF, we don't have any magic to use!" Squall looked around for any ideas.
"Can we outrun it?" Rinoa asked.
"No." Squall's mind slipped back to all his training sessions fighting against T-Rexaurs. They were as fast as they were strong.
"Wait, I have an idea!" Rinoa smiled. "Stand back." Rinoa's head drooped forward as her long black hair covered her face. The T-Rexaur was in a complete charge, having set its sights completely on Rinoa.
"Rinoa..." Squall's voice trailed off as he slowly backed away holding his son on his shoulders.
"Mommy?" Cid seemed to get closer and closer to complete weeping. The giant creature rushing towards his mother scared him, so much that he tried to hide behind his father's head. The T-Rexaur came closer and closer as Rinoa remained motionless.
"Rinoa." Squall called, slightly louder. Rinoa refused to move, her head still limp and lifeless hanging forward as the T-Rexaur drew ever closer. Squall's voice echoed far across the open plain.
"RINOA!"