~Chapter Four~
Taya was at the library waiting to look at the mission board before the people who ran the library arrived. She had gotten up early and stood outside the library for almost an hour. She couldn't wait to leave Balamb Garden she just wanted to be rid of Squall. Finally the library people came. Taya bolted to the mission board and proceeded to look franticly at the missions for a quarter of an hour. Mission after mission, none seemed to be the kind of mission she needed. At long last she found one. It was perfect for what she needed. It was also extremely boring sounding. Being a bodyguard to some old, rich, blind guy was not her idea of a mission but it offered her an easy year. The mission lasted a year, which would give her time to have her baby and get used to being by herself before she went to Galbadia to train to be a teacher. After her mission came her two to three years of training to become an instructor. Eventually after all that she would be an instructor, she would be back on her feet, and she would be without the need for Squall. Her plan was perfect except for the fact that the mission she volunteered for was a mission that only people below SeeD level 8 could sign up for. She signed up anyway if she figured since Squall was the one who assigned the missions he would give it to her simply to get her away from the Garden. She exited the library and went back to her room. Kim was waiting outside her door. Taya sighed she didn't want to tell Kim about her decision. Kim would only disagree with and try to make her see what was so wrong about giving up her child. Sure enough as Taya approached the door to her room Kim asked what her decision was. "I decided not to tell Squall," was Taya response. "So you really are going to give it up?" "Yes" Taya opened her door, stepped inside her room, and did not invite Kim in. Kim took the hint and left rather annoyed at Taya. How could she give up her baby without even telling Squall she was having one. Kim went into her own room and took her mind off of Taya and the baby.
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In an other part of the Garden Squall was sitting at a huge desk with a look of frustration on his face. He had so much work to do. Garden work, wedding work, so much of it that it drove him crazy. He thought of the time when he had had so much work that he didn't sleep for a few days. He remembered how Taya had finally taken him out of his office and made him relax. He was so grateful for that day but now he was swamped with work but there was no Taya to help him take his mind off of things. Instead there was Rinoa who periodically stuck her head in the office and presented him with more work to do for the wedding. The wedding also seemed to get more expensive with every visit Rinoa made to see him. He sighed he wanted to get away from it all. But rather than be irresponsible he started working on assigning some missions to people. One of the first few missions was one Taya had requested. He looked it over carefully. It was something that he wouldn't have thought that Taya would want to do. She was more into actually using her skills. This mission required practically no skills at all. It also was below what her skill level should allow. Instead of denying her want of the mission he gave it to her. He wanted to do something nice for her after all the pain he had caused her. He knew that he had really caused her great pain but she wouldn't ever show it. That was one of the reasons they had fit together so well. Neither of them wanted to show a weakness but together they had learned to. Now separate they could go back to being their old selves once again, in some sense anyway. They couldn't ever really go back fully. They had come so far together there was no way to get back to where they had begun. Squall assigned her the mission and then left her file alone not even bothering to take a second glance at the one he loved.
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Taya got up off her bed for the first time in hours to look at the sheet of paper that had been thrust under her door. It was her assignment she had gotten it. Right away she started to pack she was leaving on a train that very night. Rather then face Kim again in person she wrote her a note that she would leave in Kim's mail slot. After packing and writing the note Taya was all set to leave and never look back. She said no goodbyes to anyone she just left dragging her worn suitcase behind her. There were no tears in her eyes as she left the place, the life, and the man she loved. Still if anyone had looked closely at her they would have seen how sad her face was and how glassy from the holding back of tears her eyes were. Taya walked down the front steps of the Garden and stepped onto the dark pavement. These were her first steps away from Squall, Rinoa, and they're soon to be happy family.
Kim went to check on Taya soon after lunch only to find Taya's door unlocked and all her stuff gone. 'Where did she go?' Kim thought. After a quick search of the Garden Kim knew that Taya wasn't anywhere to be found. 'How could she leave without saying goodbye?' Kim was left alone with her thoughts. As she walked past the mail slots she noticed something with Taya's handwriting poking out of her mail slot. She went over to it and opened it. It read:
Dear Kim,
I'm sorry that I didn't say goodbye. I just couldn't bear to face you. I didn't want to hear that I was making a mistake by not telling Squall. This is my mistake to make so I hope you can understand why I'm going on this mission. It's a dull one you'd probably laugh at it but it's all I can do for now. I'll see you sometime in the future.
Peace,
Taya
PS. After I have the baby I'm gonna train to become an instructor at Galbadia Garden. Fun right? Oh well we must do what we must do.
It ended and left Kim mad and upset. She just skipped out like this. It wasn't a proper goodbye. There was no feeling in that. She had taken the easy way out and didn't want to admit it. Kim sighed and walked back to her room what day it had been.
Squall too knew how Kim felt. Although he didn't really expect a goodbye from Taya he still wanted one. She would be gone for a year on her mission and he had read in her file that she was going to train to become an instructor. He wouldn't see her again for a long time. That was probably her plan though. She didn't want to see him and he didn't blame her. Squall let his head fall into his hands he couldn't take all this anymore. The marriage, the break up, all the work, it was all too much. He put his head on the desk and tried to forget about his troubles.
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~One Week Later~
Rinoa looked beautiful as she stepped out onto the aisle. Murmurs rose from the crowd some good some bad. Some commented on how beautiful the bride looked other how big her stomach looked. No matter what they were saying Rinoa didn't hear them she was to wrapped up in the idea of her getting married. She had thought of this day when she was little and more recently dreamt it would be to Squall. Unfortunately unpleasant circumstances had almost prevented this dream from coming true. Now it was happening and nothing could stop it now. It was all so right according to her. Squall on the other hand didn't look happy at all as he stood by the altar. Although he looked at Rinoa during the ceremony he barely acknowledged her presence. He said the words he was supposed to, he performed all the movements as well but there was no real feeling behind them at all. It was as if everything he was doing was a play and all he had to do was finish acting and step away from it all. But no once all of it was finished he couldn't step away. He'd be stuck forever where he was. A part of him screamed out for him to break free now and run to Taya but the responsible part told him that he was going to have to remain where he was.
And remain he did, through the last four months of Rinoa's pregnancy he almost always remained at her side. Even after he got sick of her saying the same things over and over again, after she got so agitated that she snapped at everyone, and after she took up most of the bed at night. He knew he had to remain by her he felt bad about what he had done to her. Breaking up with her not knowing she was pregnant. He could have never saw his child if Rinoa was bitter about him breaking up with her. But instead she had come and told him and what had he done shut her down. He had yelled at her. Now he was making up for it, he never left her side only if it was mandatory. He made sure all her needs were taken care of. The one thing that he couldn't make himself do was love her as much as he had loved Taya. Sure he was slowly coming around to love Rinoa again but it wasn't the same as it had used to be. He couldn't love her fully without missing Taya. Taya had been right when she had said Rinoa couldn't love him like she did, and since she couldn't love him like Taya did he couldn't love her like he loved Taya. Rinoa did love him but it still wasn't the same. She didn't understand every part of him like Taya did. She understood everything that was going on with him and no matter how hard Rinoa tried she just couldn't do it. Squall acknowledged this but he couldn't help himself not to compare Rinoa with Taya. At times he saw all Rinoa's faults and all Taya's strengths. He had to forget Taya and focus on Rinoa who was coming so close to her due date. And he had to admit that the love he was starting to feel for Rinoa was not passionate love or even husband wife love it was more respect love. He respected Rinoa for not taking his baby away and he respected her strength to tell him about the baby and to talk to him after he had been cruel to her. These were his thoughts as Rinoa approached her due date.
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By the time Rinoa was nearing the end of her pregnancy Taya had gotten into a routine of her mission. It was as she expected the easiest mission one could ask for. It required her to do almost nothing except pretty much baby-sit an old man until his daughter got back from a year long vacation. The old man was almost blind so he never noticed her growing stomach especially because it had only grown a little so far. She did worry of him finally noticing if she did end up getting really fat. She didn't have to worry about him finding out after she had had the baby. The baby would be gone and she would have about three months to stop grieving about the loss of her child. She had already signed up for the instructor-training course at Galbadia Garden. She had made all the plans way ahead of time just to make sure she wouldn't have to go back to Balamb Garden. She didn't want to see anyone there and so she made sure she didn't. She hadn't given the address of her mission to Kim so she wasn't in danger of Kim finding her. Squall could find her but she doubted he would so there was no one to worry about. A horrible thing about her mission was that she had so much time to do nothing. She was bored most of the time and that boredom made her think about things she didn't want to think about. Squall was the main thought she tried not to have but she couldn't stop herself. She thought about how he was married now, she thought about how Rinoa would be giving birth soon, and she thought about how that child would know Squall. Then always after having those sad thoughts she would mentally scold herself because she had brought what was happening upon herself. She could have done many different things and yet this was what she had chosen. She had made her bed and now she had to lay in it.
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A short but clearly painful yell rang through the air at the hospital. Rinoa was finally giving birth. Selphie, Irvine, Quistis, and Zell all stood in the waiting room hoping to hear news soon. Squall was in the delivery room with Rinoa holding her hand as her grip got tighter and tighter. Almost two hours later a new cry filled the room. The baby was born and he was beautiful. The entire old group entered the room. It was like old times with all the fun and love but with a new person to share it with.
"What are you two gonna name the baby?" Selphie asked.
"Conner." Rinoa responded.
"He's so precious. Look at his little hands." Quistis cooed at the baby.
"He's cute that's what he is. I think I want one." Selphie said looking at Irvine.
"Oh no, don't you get any ideas." Irvine shook his head as Zell laughed at him in the background.
Squall had remained silent through all this he was just looking at his son. The others laughed and joked around but Squall didn't take his eyes off his son. Rinoa eventually nudged him and laughed. He smiled up at her she had given him a great gift. He didn't know then of what would follow in the next few months or in the next few years he only knew what was happening at the moment. He couldn't see the path in front of him, which was layered with bumps and sharp turns. Rinoa also didn't see what might lie in front of her she was cherishing the moment. The moment that she had always wanted. The one moment where everything is perfect the people you love surround you and you are completely happy. The others also only saw goodness at the time nothing could have ruined their moods not even when the baby started to cry.
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~About Five Months Later~
Taya had right away after she felt her water break taken a few nights off from her mission. There was no problem with her doing so which meant the old man never noticed a thing. Taya drove her self to the hospital calmly even after her contractions got pretty bad. She performed all the routine procedures that the hospital requires without complaining at all. Soon but almost not soon enough Taya was laying down delivering her baby. Her labor had been so short she hadn't gotten time to really realize that this was when she had to part with her child. So instead of giving it right up before she got attached to it she had a nurse bring her the baby. He was so gorgeous to her and to anyone else that looked at him. She noticed right away that he had Squall blue eyes. She pulled her baby close and cried because she knew he was going to bear a very striking resemblance to Squall. That's when she decided to name him before giving him up. It was almost ironic the name she choose for him. Which was Sukooru, which in another language meant Squall. She also gave him a middle and last name each with it's own ironic meaning. She laughed at the names for a while until she broke down into sobs. A nurse came to get the baby after a little while and left Taya to sleep. The next morning the nurse told her that there were three orphanages her son could be sent to and if she had a particular one in mind. As soon as Taya read the names of the orphanages she knew which one to pick. An orphanage that had been run down for sometime but was now back on it's feet it was run by none other than ex-Sorceress Edea. This caused Taya to laugh just like she had laughed at her son's name. She was going to send her baby to the same orphanage Squall had been at. In her depressed mind this all was a joke to her she couldn't take any of it seriously. At least this way it helped her cope she didn't feel as much pain. Taya left the hospital around the time her son did. Both of them were going to make journey now and neither of them knew where it would take them. Taya hoped her son's journey would be a happy one while she hoped her own journey would help her forget about Squall.
And so begins the story of the Squall's two sons.