Chapter 12
Irvine limped to find Zell. He had to tell him about his 'date' with the mysterious, beautiful Rinoa. Beautiful was an understatement. It didn't do justice to her perfect figure, her crimson lips, her cheeks the color of rose blush, the raven black hair with natural sunlight-gold colored streaks. Irvine had to admit he had been eyeing Rinoa for a while. The way she seemed to walk so gracefully, so gently, as no footsteps could be heard. She appeared to be an angel. Now he just had to find out whether her kisses were as good as her looks. He smirked as he found Zell in the cafeteria, wolfing down his third hot dog, his afternoon 'snack.' Irvine took a seat besides his friend. Zell gave him a nod, still unable to talk.
"Damn Zell, you eat any more of those you are going to BE a hot dog. You are what you eat you know," commented Irvine. Zell replied with a dirty look. Then Irvine leaned over next to Zell's ear. "Want to know a secret? Rinoa's coming with me to the dance."
Zell's reaction was priceless. He choked on his hot dog with eyes wide open. After Irvine giving him a few whacks on his back, Zell managed to get the bits of hot dog out of his windpipe. "ARE YOU CRAZY?!" Zell's shouting caused everyone in the cafeteria to stare at the pair. Irvine motioned for Zell to calm down, knowing the reason for his outburst.
"Don't worry man, I asked her if she and Squall had anything going on." Zell just looked at Irvine. The cowboy continued, with a smug look on his face. "She said they were friends, and agreed to come with me to the dance."
Zell finally blinked. His eyes were burning, but he didn't notice from the shock. Rinoa was Squall's girl. There was no question in his mind about it. What was Irvine thinking?! "She may have said that they were just friends, but we both know that Squall has a thing for her. And two things. One, Squall is THE BEST fighter among the cadets in case you've forgotten. If he finds out you're putting the moves on HIS girl he's going to give you a nice smack or two with that gunblade of his. Second, are you absolutely crazy? You're taking her to the Valentine's dance? It's a definite couple's only event!"
Irvine shook a little from remembering Zell's very good common sense. Squall was the best weapon and magic handler, but…what he didn't know wouldn't hurt him. "Well…I forgot about the theme of the dance. I was too excited that she said 'yes.'" He winked at Zell. "And, my good friend, what Squall won't know won't kill him. Besides, if he wanted to take her, he would have asked her already…"
Zell just shook his head. "We are friends Irvine, so I will be there at your funeral man."
Irvine gave him a dirty look. "Thanks for the support."
As he got up and was limping away he heard Zell say, "Hey Irvine! What's wrong with your leg man?"
***In Squall's dorm***
Squall stepped out of the shower, with only a towel wrapped around his waist. He looked at himself in the mirror, as if trying to understand himself better. He sighed, and managed to look over at the calendar on his desk. It was the fourteenth of February. (HYNE! It's Valentine's Day and I completely forgot.) Squall cursed himself in his mind. He also remembered that it was the day of the Valentine's dance. With all the attention he got from girls, it didn't help him any to plan what to do for Rinoa today. Rinoa must have also forgotten about Valentine's…or maybe she didn't want to embarrass him. Then again she also said that she had something very special planned for tonight. (So she did know but was trying to save me from embarrassment. I'm so stupid. I should have planned something for her.) Squall thought while he dressed. He decided to buy her a red rose, and ask her to come with him to the dance. They could have dinner before or something, and then Rinoa could show him or tell him what her surprise was. He smiled out of the corner of his mouth. (Perfect.)
***In Rinoa's room***
"Angelo!" Rinoa lay on her bed and the puppy jumped into her arms, licking her face, causing her to laugh. She sighed. "I don't know what to do." As she lay there for a few minutes, she came up with a plan. "I know Angelo!" The puppy barked softly and happily, congratulating her mistress. "I'll go to the dance with Irvine for a short while and then go out with Squall." She sat up happily, causing Angelo to fall on her bed. The puppy jumped off the bed, stumbling off a bed first from the bounciness and thick covers. Rinoa headed to her closet to pick out something for the dance, but then she couldn't remember what the theme of the dance was. She thought about the time of year…(Wait a minute…it's February…Oh HYNE, this cannot be happening. I am going to a VALENTINE dance with IRVINE of all people.) The first thought that filled her mind was that she did NOT want to go to a romantic dance with such a reputably flirtatious character. Who knew what he might say to everyone else if they saw her with him. The second thought that came to her was that what if Squall found out. (Hyne! He might get the wrong idea. If I just explain the situation to him…) She frowned, and knew that it would hurt it no matter how she tried to explain it. (Well, I'm only there for a couple of hours…he probably won't know.) Rinoa decided if Squall found out, she would just tell him it wasn't a big deal, which is why she didn't mention it to him. Against her better judgment, Rinoa wasn't going to tell Squall. After all, he didn't talk to anyone around Garden that much. She went back to picking out a dress. If she was going to be unnoticed in the dance, then she should pick a subtle color. She decided on a long silk black dress. It was simple yet elegant, and black would hopefully hide her a little. The dress flared out slightly after her waistline. It hugged her upper body, revealing her feminine curves. The straps at the top of the dress formed a small circle above her chest as they crossed and were tied behind her neck, exposing her back. Rinoa put the dress on top of her bed and looked at her watch. It read six o'clock. She had two hours before Irvine came. That's when she heard the rapping on her door…
Rinoa opened the door to see Squall, who looked a little nervous. It had taken all of Squall's courage to do what he was about to do. First he gave her a beautiful long stem red rose, at which she gasped from surprise and happiness. He bent down not on one knee, but two, taking Rinoa's hand in his and looked into her eyes. "I bend down on two knees to show you how much I adore, cherish, and respect you. I would be honored if you would be my date for tonight's Valentine dance. Will you, Rinoa, go with me to the Valentine dance?"