Disclaimer: SquareSoft owns all recognizable characters (not by the time
I'm through with them, though). I'm just a poor writer with too much time
and hentai imagination on my hands.
Author's Notes: Arigatou Gozaimasu for the reviews. * bows deeply * I'm very grateful for the encouragement.
Finally, I've figured out how to post my stories properly. Sugoi, dessho? Sorry for the long wait. I had a bout of bronchitis that stole my voice for a week. I'm better now, so the story should be moving along fairly quickly.
On to the story!
Chapter 2: Will he or won't he?
Squall, still musing on the strange kid he bumped into, finally reached the cafeteria. Looking around, he noticed almost everyone milling around. He walked up to the nearest person, a young man that appeared to be his own age. As soon as he touched the guys' shoulder, he noticed the fear that jumped into the guy's eyes as the boy recognized the ice-cold gray eyes and scar. Swallowing his irritation at the boys' timidity, he tried to soften his normally cold voice.
"What's going on?"
"Ah…it seems…there is some kind of party that's gonna take place soon…"
As soon as the boy said the word party, Squall lost interest. Remembering his manners, Squall thanked the boy and wandered over to the buffet.
Ladling some rice, fish, vegetables and gravy into his plate, accompanied by a tall glass of lemon-laced iced tea, Squall quickly looked for a place with the least amount of people. Selecting a table in the corner of the cafeteria, he settled down to eat. No sooner than he was lifting his fork to his mouth, he heard a familiar voice yell his name.
"Squall!"
Looking up, Squall groaned quietly. Rinoa. There went his peaceful dinner. No way was he going to leave his food and hustle over just for the Princess' pleasure, though.
Rinoa, after waiting a couple of minutes and noticing Squall had no intention of coming over to where she was standing with her friends and flunkies, pouted a little. It was expected, though. But she wished Squall would make a fuss over like all her old boyfriend did. Sighing a little, Rinoa bounced and sashayed over to his table. Alone. Her friends knew better than to follow her. For one thing, they were all very scared of "Leonhartless". Second, they knew the repercussions if they dared try to share Squall's attention of Rinoa. The Princess definitely did not like sharing the limelight and Hyne save anyone that did. Her retribution was swift and painful.
Rinoa pouted again when Squall did not get up at her approach and pull out a chair for her. Pulling out the chair herself, she dropped into it, making a note in her mind and wondering if he knew any manners. It didn't occur to her that Squall did not make any of the appropriate moves he usually did because he was annoyed. If she knew him like she thought she did, she would have known he didn't like being called attention to and really did not like being bothered when he was eating. Or sleeping. Or studying. Or training. Squall didn't like being bothered, period. Rinoa was blithely oblivious to anything that didn't directly affect her wellbeing. Hyne save him from self-centered and obnoxious women.
"Hi, Squall! I've been looking for you! Where have you been?"
Squall lifted a well-shaped eyebrow at her pseudo cheerful approach.
"Rinoa."
Swallowing a sigh of irritation-he really was not happy at having his repast interrupted
Rinoa's yell had drawn all eyes to where he sat. He could just imagine what everyone was saying. Not that he cared in the least. But having girls giggle as he walked in the hall was not his idea of fun. Squall was totally oblivious to his celebrity status.
Placing his fork on his plate, he leaned back into his chair and stared at her, his silvery gray eyes expressionless. He nodded at her.
"In my room. I got a letter from home. It was quite long, so I had to take some time to finish it."
He did not specify where "home" was.
"Ooh, a letter! Anything important?"
As if he would tell her. "No, not really. Just my dad telling me how things're going back home."
"Oh."
Rinoa promptly lost interest. If it wasn't anything that referred to her directly, or had any allusions to juicy gossip, then she didn't want to know. Squall had counted on that reaction, though, which was why he had been as vague as possible.
Rinoa bounced in her seat. "So, are you going to the dance? It looks like it's going to be great!" She looked at him expectantly, eyes shining. Squall lifted a well-shaped eyebrow. He knew Rinoa was expecting him to ask her to the party, but he didn't feel like it. While he enjoyed dancing, (it was one of the skills he had to learn as a royal) he hated the taste of alcohol and really hated the stink of cigarette smoke in his hair and clothes. He hated to be a kill-joy, but he wasn't buying the cute girl act.
"No, I'm not going to the party. I have other plans that night."
"What! But why? It's totally going to be the best party of the school year! Everyone's going to be there. Even the kids from other schools are coming! Squall, you can be such a knot-head!"
Rinoa flounced down in her chair, and pouted. Bummer.
She had no illusions of forcing Squall to go. Once he made up his mind about something, it took an act of Hyne for him to change his mind.
Ever since she had declared Squall her boyfriend six months ago, she had gotten to know him a bit better. But not by much. Not that anyone could totally know Squall Leonhart, the enigma of the University of Balamb and resident iceberg. That he even condescended to date her, the Princess of Galbadia, was a miracle itself. Rinoa wasn't a total fool or airhead. She knew Squall probably didn't even like her, but went along with her pretensions because he was a gentleman-but Rinoa was never going to give him up to anyone else, woman or man.
The first time she had seen him, she had been totally blown away. She had been dating Seifer Almasy at the time. It was kind of the same reason she had gone after Seifer. Both guys were just so different from all the other guys she had known and dated back home. They made Galbadian guys seem so…bland. Even though Seifer was from Galbadia, he had inherited his Centran mother's looks. Seifer was tall, green-eyed, blond, arrogant, full of himself and confident. He had made her feel protected, and he had treated her well, even though he had bullied and bothered everyone else in sight. Rinoa had no illusions about him. He probably had dreams of being Prince Consort at some point. If Squall hadn't appeared, he might have succeeded. In any case, he felt as the head of the Disciplinary Committee, he had leeway over everything. Rinoa didn't mind it all-after all, her daddy was just the same way.
But Squall was just so totally different, so totally left-field that seeing him for the first time had made her light headed. Unlike Seifer, Squall was dark-haired and had the most amazing, uncanny silver-grey eyes that felt they could see right into your soul, was totally expressionless and so cold, that when they focused on you, it gave you the shivers. He was also extremely mouth-wateringly handsome. Frankly, seeing him that first time had made her think of hot, mind-blowing sex. He also wore leather all the time, which may have looked corny on anyone else, but looked terrific on him.
Strangely enough, he was unattached. Discreet inquiries by her excellent spy and gossip network revealed that his cold demeanor wasn't just an act. The guy had very few friends, and while he was a woman's' (and man's for that matter) wet dream, people were too scared to approach him. Rinoa made up her mind there and then that she had to have him. And she was going to thaw him out. She promptly dropped Seifer (much to his chagrin and anger) like a hot potato and forced Selphie Tilmitt to introduce her. Her network had also found out that while he did not have a lot of friends, Squall hung out from time to time with Selphie Tilmitt, Irvine Kinneas and Quistis Trepe. Rinoa wrinkled her pert nose at the memory. She was glad Squall had seemed oblivious to Selphie's charms. She was glad she didn't have to snatch Squall away from someone. That had never stopped her before, but she had a sinking feeling that if Squall had been dating someone, he would never have looked her way. Moreover, Selphie was very cute, energetic and personable. Everyone seemed to like her, which was why Rinoa couldn't stand her. Anyone or anything that grabbed attention she couldn't have Rinoa hated. It was a good thing that Selphie had taken up with the Kinneas. He was a hunk, too, but wasn't as charismatic or difficult to read like Squall was.
Rinoa sighed. She really needed Squall to go with her to the dance. It was unthinkable that she, the Queen of UB and most popular girl in the school was going to be partnerless for the most fad party in years. It was even impossible to imagine. She hadn't gone dateless since she was eight years old. She decided to try to persuade him. She went on the offensive.
Leaning her chin into her hand, she stopped pouting and said
"You know Squall, we haven't gone out together in ages…..Come on, the party'll be fun!"
By this time, when he realized Rinoa had gone strangely silent, he used the opportunity to try to finish his dinner. As soon as she started talking again, he sighed to himself silently. Rinoa could be stubborn and relentless. Putting down his fork, he stared at her again.
"Rinoa, I already told you I have plans for that night. I don't really like the kind of parties people throw around here."
Rinoa pounced on that. "It's not the kind of party you're thinking."
Squall frowned at that. "What do you mean by that? Are there any other kinds of parties thrown in this campus? I doubt it."
Rinoa made a note to persuade the Garden Committee to switch the format of the party. "It's going to be a formal ball. Black-tie, formal wear, that kind of thing….Besides, everyone'll be so surprised to hear that you'll be coming that it's sure to draw more people…" What she didn't say was, the more the people, the more attention she'll get as Squall Leonhart's girlfriend.
Squall frowned suspiciously at her tone. "I don't think my attendance is mandatory, Rinoa. If you're that eager to go, then go. I won't stop you." With that, Squall looked down at his unfinished dinner. It seemed he was destined not to eat at this moment. "Rinoa, I have to go. I'll see you later." Kissing her on the cheek, he hoped he had looked like the devoted boyfriend. Dumping the remains of his half finished dinner in the nearest trash receptacle, Squall decided to go into town to his favorite seafood restaurant. At least, there, if he played his cards right, Rinoa wouldn't be able to come after him immediately. Squall quickly exited the cafeteria, once again cursing himself for allowing the pushy female to finagle herself into his life.
As Squall quickly took his leave, Rinoa narrowed her eyes at his departure. His attendance wasn't mandatory, was it? She decided it was time for the big guns and for Selphie to suffer a visit from her again. Standing up from the table, she gestured to her entourage that it was time for them to leave. Making way for Rinoa to pass, they followed her quietly, seeing she was in a bad mood. The Princess being pissed was no walk in the park. Heads were going to roll, no doubt about it.
Squall leaned back and sighed with contentment. In a dark corner booth in his favorite restaurant, he allowed himself to relax, just a tiny bit. Getting away from campus from time to time was a good idea. He knew about Rinoa's network. Most of the time, he was busy with schoolwork, missions and training, so he didn't need to use his skills to sneak around. His life was an open book to a certain extent. But sometimes, he needed to get away from the petty jealousies, rivalries, attention-seeking and romantic hijinks that were the staple of the lives of the students of UB between classes and missions. The fact that he was now dating Seifer Almasy's ex made things even worse. He really couldn't wait for graduation-it was coming up in half a year. He was very much looking forward to going back to Esthar.
As the Imperial Crown Prince of Esthar brooded silently to himself, a commotion near the entrance of the restaurant claimed his attention. The owner of the restaurant was dashing about, yelling and waving and was acting highly agitated. With his augmented abilities, he could make out what the man was mumbling, even though he was farther to the end of the room.
"Oh, Hyne! Why didn't anyone tell me he was coming?! This place is a mess! It's impossible; he cannot want to eat at an establishment like this! Freiya! What kind of fish do we have available? What, just that? It cannot be! It's not fit for the royal palate!!!"
A deep, smooth tenor voice laughed at the man's anxiety. "Calm down, Mr. Terrani. I'm here just like any other customer. Give me what you have. And besides," the voice whispered, "I'm here incognito. I don't want anyone from the house to know I'm here. They'll make too much of a fuss."
The owner blanched. "The Lord Chamberlaine'll have my head if I did not serve you properly."
The familiar voice said levelly. "Don't worry about it, Terrani. I'll be in and out of your hair before you know it. But promise me you won't send a message to the House."
"But…Your Majesty…."
"Terrani…" Even without saying anything else, the voice conveyed authority. "I thought I told you I was incognito?"
"I'm apologize, your….My Lord."
The voice sighed. "Not much better, but I'm too hungry to worry about it now. Just please, let me order already."
Squall was intrigued. A royal, frequenting this kind of place? The restaurant was not a bad place, but he didn't think it was a place that the kind of kids he knew at the college frequented. The crowd at UB frequented places that catered to high-end customers. The kind of place that was a 'see and be seen' establishment. Squall craned his neck to see who it was, but unfortunately, the person had ducked up the stairs that he assumed led to the exclusive private booths. The voice sounded familiar, though. He tried to rack his brain on who it was. It was rare for him to forget a voice, face or name. Details were part of his training as a royal and a mercenary. The voice was really pleasant to hear…Squall squirmed a bit. Frankly, it was turning him on. He decided to dismiss it from his mind. What kind of weirdo got turned on by another guy's voice? The voice was definitely male, and made him think of deep mysteries. Squall decided the stress of work was getting to him. He really needed to get back home soon, and the sooner he put Balamb and Rinoa behind him, the better.
Next: Rinoa goes after Selphie, we find out whose voice Squall liked; political hot water in Esthar, evil brews in Galbadia, and a blast from the past sets things finally in motion. (maybe)
Author's Notes: Arigatou Gozaimasu for the reviews. * bows deeply * I'm very grateful for the encouragement.
Finally, I've figured out how to post my stories properly. Sugoi, dessho? Sorry for the long wait. I had a bout of bronchitis that stole my voice for a week. I'm better now, so the story should be moving along fairly quickly.
On to the story!
Chapter 2: Will he or won't he?
Squall, still musing on the strange kid he bumped into, finally reached the cafeteria. Looking around, he noticed almost everyone milling around. He walked up to the nearest person, a young man that appeared to be his own age. As soon as he touched the guys' shoulder, he noticed the fear that jumped into the guy's eyes as the boy recognized the ice-cold gray eyes and scar. Swallowing his irritation at the boys' timidity, he tried to soften his normally cold voice.
"What's going on?"
"Ah…it seems…there is some kind of party that's gonna take place soon…"
As soon as the boy said the word party, Squall lost interest. Remembering his manners, Squall thanked the boy and wandered over to the buffet.
Ladling some rice, fish, vegetables and gravy into his plate, accompanied by a tall glass of lemon-laced iced tea, Squall quickly looked for a place with the least amount of people. Selecting a table in the corner of the cafeteria, he settled down to eat. No sooner than he was lifting his fork to his mouth, he heard a familiar voice yell his name.
"Squall!"
Looking up, Squall groaned quietly. Rinoa. There went his peaceful dinner. No way was he going to leave his food and hustle over just for the Princess' pleasure, though.
Rinoa, after waiting a couple of minutes and noticing Squall had no intention of coming over to where she was standing with her friends and flunkies, pouted a little. It was expected, though. But she wished Squall would make a fuss over like all her old boyfriend did. Sighing a little, Rinoa bounced and sashayed over to his table. Alone. Her friends knew better than to follow her. For one thing, they were all very scared of "Leonhartless". Second, they knew the repercussions if they dared try to share Squall's attention of Rinoa. The Princess definitely did not like sharing the limelight and Hyne save anyone that did. Her retribution was swift and painful.
Rinoa pouted again when Squall did not get up at her approach and pull out a chair for her. Pulling out the chair herself, she dropped into it, making a note in her mind and wondering if he knew any manners. It didn't occur to her that Squall did not make any of the appropriate moves he usually did because he was annoyed. If she knew him like she thought she did, she would have known he didn't like being called attention to and really did not like being bothered when he was eating. Or sleeping. Or studying. Or training. Squall didn't like being bothered, period. Rinoa was blithely oblivious to anything that didn't directly affect her wellbeing. Hyne save him from self-centered and obnoxious women.
"Hi, Squall! I've been looking for you! Where have you been?"
Squall lifted a well-shaped eyebrow at her pseudo cheerful approach.
"Rinoa."
Swallowing a sigh of irritation-he really was not happy at having his repast interrupted
Rinoa's yell had drawn all eyes to where he sat. He could just imagine what everyone was saying. Not that he cared in the least. But having girls giggle as he walked in the hall was not his idea of fun. Squall was totally oblivious to his celebrity status.
Placing his fork on his plate, he leaned back into his chair and stared at her, his silvery gray eyes expressionless. He nodded at her.
"In my room. I got a letter from home. It was quite long, so I had to take some time to finish it."
He did not specify where "home" was.
"Ooh, a letter! Anything important?"
As if he would tell her. "No, not really. Just my dad telling me how things're going back home."
"Oh."
Rinoa promptly lost interest. If it wasn't anything that referred to her directly, or had any allusions to juicy gossip, then she didn't want to know. Squall had counted on that reaction, though, which was why he had been as vague as possible.
Rinoa bounced in her seat. "So, are you going to the dance? It looks like it's going to be great!" She looked at him expectantly, eyes shining. Squall lifted a well-shaped eyebrow. He knew Rinoa was expecting him to ask her to the party, but he didn't feel like it. While he enjoyed dancing, (it was one of the skills he had to learn as a royal) he hated the taste of alcohol and really hated the stink of cigarette smoke in his hair and clothes. He hated to be a kill-joy, but he wasn't buying the cute girl act.
"No, I'm not going to the party. I have other plans that night."
"What! But why? It's totally going to be the best party of the school year! Everyone's going to be there. Even the kids from other schools are coming! Squall, you can be such a knot-head!"
Rinoa flounced down in her chair, and pouted. Bummer.
She had no illusions of forcing Squall to go. Once he made up his mind about something, it took an act of Hyne for him to change his mind.
Ever since she had declared Squall her boyfriend six months ago, she had gotten to know him a bit better. But not by much. Not that anyone could totally know Squall Leonhart, the enigma of the University of Balamb and resident iceberg. That he even condescended to date her, the Princess of Galbadia, was a miracle itself. Rinoa wasn't a total fool or airhead. She knew Squall probably didn't even like her, but went along with her pretensions because he was a gentleman-but Rinoa was never going to give him up to anyone else, woman or man.
The first time she had seen him, she had been totally blown away. She had been dating Seifer Almasy at the time. It was kind of the same reason she had gone after Seifer. Both guys were just so different from all the other guys she had known and dated back home. They made Galbadian guys seem so…bland. Even though Seifer was from Galbadia, he had inherited his Centran mother's looks. Seifer was tall, green-eyed, blond, arrogant, full of himself and confident. He had made her feel protected, and he had treated her well, even though he had bullied and bothered everyone else in sight. Rinoa had no illusions about him. He probably had dreams of being Prince Consort at some point. If Squall hadn't appeared, he might have succeeded. In any case, he felt as the head of the Disciplinary Committee, he had leeway over everything. Rinoa didn't mind it all-after all, her daddy was just the same way.
But Squall was just so totally different, so totally left-field that seeing him for the first time had made her light headed. Unlike Seifer, Squall was dark-haired and had the most amazing, uncanny silver-grey eyes that felt they could see right into your soul, was totally expressionless and so cold, that when they focused on you, it gave you the shivers. He was also extremely mouth-wateringly handsome. Frankly, seeing him that first time had made her think of hot, mind-blowing sex. He also wore leather all the time, which may have looked corny on anyone else, but looked terrific on him.
Strangely enough, he was unattached. Discreet inquiries by her excellent spy and gossip network revealed that his cold demeanor wasn't just an act. The guy had very few friends, and while he was a woman's' (and man's for that matter) wet dream, people were too scared to approach him. Rinoa made up her mind there and then that she had to have him. And she was going to thaw him out. She promptly dropped Seifer (much to his chagrin and anger) like a hot potato and forced Selphie Tilmitt to introduce her. Her network had also found out that while he did not have a lot of friends, Squall hung out from time to time with Selphie Tilmitt, Irvine Kinneas and Quistis Trepe. Rinoa wrinkled her pert nose at the memory. She was glad Squall had seemed oblivious to Selphie's charms. She was glad she didn't have to snatch Squall away from someone. That had never stopped her before, but she had a sinking feeling that if Squall had been dating someone, he would never have looked her way. Moreover, Selphie was very cute, energetic and personable. Everyone seemed to like her, which was why Rinoa couldn't stand her. Anyone or anything that grabbed attention she couldn't have Rinoa hated. It was a good thing that Selphie had taken up with the Kinneas. He was a hunk, too, but wasn't as charismatic or difficult to read like Squall was.
Rinoa sighed. She really needed Squall to go with her to the dance. It was unthinkable that she, the Queen of UB and most popular girl in the school was going to be partnerless for the most fad party in years. It was even impossible to imagine. She hadn't gone dateless since she was eight years old. She decided to try to persuade him. She went on the offensive.
Leaning her chin into her hand, she stopped pouting and said
"You know Squall, we haven't gone out together in ages…..Come on, the party'll be fun!"
By this time, when he realized Rinoa had gone strangely silent, he used the opportunity to try to finish his dinner. As soon as she started talking again, he sighed to himself silently. Rinoa could be stubborn and relentless. Putting down his fork, he stared at her again.
"Rinoa, I already told you I have plans for that night. I don't really like the kind of parties people throw around here."
Rinoa pounced on that. "It's not the kind of party you're thinking."
Squall frowned at that. "What do you mean by that? Are there any other kinds of parties thrown in this campus? I doubt it."
Rinoa made a note to persuade the Garden Committee to switch the format of the party. "It's going to be a formal ball. Black-tie, formal wear, that kind of thing….Besides, everyone'll be so surprised to hear that you'll be coming that it's sure to draw more people…" What she didn't say was, the more the people, the more attention she'll get as Squall Leonhart's girlfriend.
Squall frowned suspiciously at her tone. "I don't think my attendance is mandatory, Rinoa. If you're that eager to go, then go. I won't stop you." With that, Squall looked down at his unfinished dinner. It seemed he was destined not to eat at this moment. "Rinoa, I have to go. I'll see you later." Kissing her on the cheek, he hoped he had looked like the devoted boyfriend. Dumping the remains of his half finished dinner in the nearest trash receptacle, Squall decided to go into town to his favorite seafood restaurant. At least, there, if he played his cards right, Rinoa wouldn't be able to come after him immediately. Squall quickly exited the cafeteria, once again cursing himself for allowing the pushy female to finagle herself into his life.
As Squall quickly took his leave, Rinoa narrowed her eyes at his departure. His attendance wasn't mandatory, was it? She decided it was time for the big guns and for Selphie to suffer a visit from her again. Standing up from the table, she gestured to her entourage that it was time for them to leave. Making way for Rinoa to pass, they followed her quietly, seeing she was in a bad mood. The Princess being pissed was no walk in the park. Heads were going to roll, no doubt about it.
Squall leaned back and sighed with contentment. In a dark corner booth in his favorite restaurant, he allowed himself to relax, just a tiny bit. Getting away from campus from time to time was a good idea. He knew about Rinoa's network. Most of the time, he was busy with schoolwork, missions and training, so he didn't need to use his skills to sneak around. His life was an open book to a certain extent. But sometimes, he needed to get away from the petty jealousies, rivalries, attention-seeking and romantic hijinks that were the staple of the lives of the students of UB between classes and missions. The fact that he was now dating Seifer Almasy's ex made things even worse. He really couldn't wait for graduation-it was coming up in half a year. He was very much looking forward to going back to Esthar.
As the Imperial Crown Prince of Esthar brooded silently to himself, a commotion near the entrance of the restaurant claimed his attention. The owner of the restaurant was dashing about, yelling and waving and was acting highly agitated. With his augmented abilities, he could make out what the man was mumbling, even though he was farther to the end of the room.
"Oh, Hyne! Why didn't anyone tell me he was coming?! This place is a mess! It's impossible; he cannot want to eat at an establishment like this! Freiya! What kind of fish do we have available? What, just that? It cannot be! It's not fit for the royal palate!!!"
A deep, smooth tenor voice laughed at the man's anxiety. "Calm down, Mr. Terrani. I'm here just like any other customer. Give me what you have. And besides," the voice whispered, "I'm here incognito. I don't want anyone from the house to know I'm here. They'll make too much of a fuss."
The owner blanched. "The Lord Chamberlaine'll have my head if I did not serve you properly."
The familiar voice said levelly. "Don't worry about it, Terrani. I'll be in and out of your hair before you know it. But promise me you won't send a message to the House."
"But…Your Majesty…."
"Terrani…" Even without saying anything else, the voice conveyed authority. "I thought I told you I was incognito?"
"I'm apologize, your….My Lord."
The voice sighed. "Not much better, but I'm too hungry to worry about it now. Just please, let me order already."
Squall was intrigued. A royal, frequenting this kind of place? The restaurant was not a bad place, but he didn't think it was a place that the kind of kids he knew at the college frequented. The crowd at UB frequented places that catered to high-end customers. The kind of place that was a 'see and be seen' establishment. Squall craned his neck to see who it was, but unfortunately, the person had ducked up the stairs that he assumed led to the exclusive private booths. The voice sounded familiar, though. He tried to rack his brain on who it was. It was rare for him to forget a voice, face or name. Details were part of his training as a royal and a mercenary. The voice was really pleasant to hear…Squall squirmed a bit. Frankly, it was turning him on. He decided to dismiss it from his mind. What kind of weirdo got turned on by another guy's voice? The voice was definitely male, and made him think of deep mysteries. Squall decided the stress of work was getting to him. He really needed to get back home soon, and the sooner he put Balamb and Rinoa behind him, the better.
Next: Rinoa goes after Selphie, we find out whose voice Squall liked; political hot water in Esthar, evil brews in Galbadia, and a blast from the past sets things finally in motion. (maybe)