Negotiations finished early. Zell and Irvine were awaiting the arrival of the Ragnorak. Zell had never seen the kind of charming that Irvine had done to the city's council. It had been impressive.
The ambassador stood with them. She was making sure that everything went well, even to the end. Her name was Wendy and she seemed like an odd combination of Selphie and Quistis. She was determined and professional, yet obviously excited to be handling the negotiations. Zell thought she was nice. Until she said something profoundly disturbing.
"You know, you can stay the extra day as a kind of vacation. Our treat," she added. This was not the disturbing thing.
Irvine laughed. "No, Zell and I have to get back to a kid over in Balamb."
Zell had been in the middle of agreeing with Irvine, when Wendy had just lost her mind with rambunctiousness. "Oh, I knew it! I could tell you two were a couple! And I think it's so wonderful when men decide to adopt! I mean, who better than to take care of all those poor children, than families that can't make babies?"
Zell's jaw dropped. Wow. That was some insane conclusion jumping.
"Yeah," said Irvine before Zell could say anything. He gave Zell a 'shut up' look. A look that Zell felt that he got all too often. He stuck his tongue out at Irvine in response. Oh the maturity. "Well, it looks like Ragnorak is getting to us."
The three looked up and watched the craft's arrival. The two men couldn't wait to fly out of that conversation. Rule of diplomacy number one: Never embarrass your allies by making them feel like an idiot. Irvine waited until they were on the ship to describe to Zell how he felt about Wendy. He did so louder than Zell would have expected.
Rinoa was being punished. She knew what she had done was bad, but it didn't make it any easier. She sat at the edge of Squall's bed and pouted. Sure, she had called out Seifer's name. It had only happened once and only because he had been on her mind in a non-sexual way. She was worried about Seifer. Squall shouldn't have been trying to have sex with her so soon after Seifer's accident anyway. Her whole body had been traumatized by Seifer being in a coma.
The worst part was that she hadn't realized she had done it. Squall had frozen completely and gotten this horrified look on his face and she hadn't even known what was wrong. She had looked around her. Was there a bug on the bed? Did she have something on her face? Then he had gotten off of her like she was leprous.
"What?" she had demanded. She was so furious with him. Then when he had told her, she felt that much more guilty.
"I AM not Seifer."
Her cheeks had reddened beyond crayon color. She felt the heat from them with her hands, which she covered her face with.
No matter how much she insisted it was just her concern and that she didn't normally think about Seifer while they were making love, Squall wouldn't relent. She knew better than to visit Seifer Almasy. Though she pumped Selphie for information about him everyday.
Now he was able to speak again and Rinoa needed to talk to him. She needed to ask him why he had dropped her like a rock. It wasn't that she didn't love Squall, she needed him like air, but Seifer Almasy was not a person you could stop loving. Even after thrusting her to the Sorceress, she still loved him. He was a golden god of power and strength. Squall controlled the night, he rescued her from loneliness and dangers. Seifer would offer her up dangers just to entertain her.
They were two sides of the perfect man.
She needed to talk to Seifer. The time had come to ask him why.
"Zell is reading you Peter Pan?" asked Selphie in utter amazement.
Seifer shrugged. "Yeah. He st...topped for a w..while, but I w...wanted to see the end."
She laughed. "Nifty. It's one of my favorite books. Did you find out how much like Captain Hook you are?"
The only person who bothered to try and get Seifer's goat up was Selphie. He grinned at her. It was nice to not be thinking as much as he had last night. He barely remembered getting back into bed. But when he woke up, he watched her picking up her blankets from the floor. She had stayed by him. He had never known these people could be so loyal. It wasn't like he had spent much time hanging out with them.
They both looked up when a knock came at the door. Selphie's eyes squinted. Who would be visiting? Maybe it was Quistis. "Yes???"
"Um, I came to talk to Seifer." Rinoa. Seifer's heart flipped over and went into death throes. She was here to see him. See him like this. Why hadn't she come before? Why had she come now?
Selphie sprung up. Rinoa had confided her secret about the Squall slip up with Selphie, and she knew that she shouldn't be standing in the hallway. She opened the door and gestured Rinoa inside. She then peeked out the hallway to see who had seen Rinoa come. There wasn't anyone down the hall. Maybe Squall wouldn't even find out that his girlfriend had come.
The shock of seeing Rinoa again, made him almost lapse back to paralysis. He was sitting on a chair in front of a board game that he and Selphie had been playing. He was lucky he hadn't been standing when she showed up, cause he sure as hell wouldn't have been for long.
Seifer was still handsome. He didn't have any horrible marks and he wasn't drooling out of the side of his mouth like Selphie had said he sometimes did. He was the same beautiful Seifer. All those weeks of worrying and here he was, whole and alive.
Before she knew what she was doing, she was wrapping her arms around him. "I...was...so...scared." She was sobbing against him. This man that had rejected her, then tried to kill her, whom she couldn't live without.
Selphie left the room. Her curiosity would just have to wait. And even though she was loyal to Squall, she couldn't decide what she hoped came out of Rinoa's visit.
Seifer was too surprised to cry, but if he had been, he would have wept a tear for every moment that Rinoa hadn't been in his arms.
"Why? Why didn't you want me?"
When had he ever not wanted Rinoa? He couldn't imagine a time that he hadn't wanted her. She was crying and he was holding her. "All...w...ways w...w...want..t...ed y..you."
His voice wasn't working, because the emotions were too much for his frail body. He didn't want to have to explain to her all the reasons. He wanted her back for good. He pushed his head against hers and her lips naturally collided with his. He tried as hard as he could to kiss her. To kiss her like he had before, with passion and fire. Instead, he was afraid that he would start drooling again. He pulled back, sick with himself.
"That's okay," assured Rinoa as she kissed his cheek. "I mean, it's amazing you are still alive."
"W...why?" He stopped. He wanted to ask her why she hadn't come to see him. It was so tough to talk. He was so worn out from everything that had happened today, and still a bit from last night. "Y...you did...didn't c..c...come."
Rinoa laughed. "It's a long story."
"M...mine t..t...oo."
"Okay, I will believe that you had a good reason for dumping me, if you believe that I had a good reason for not visiting you."
Seifer nodded. They were both confused about what Rinoa was doing now. She was sitting on the chair's armrest and leaning into him. It was a strange and wonderfully exciting moment.
"I should get going. Squall doesn't know I'm here. I just want you to know that... I still... care." She was intentionally not saying that she loved him. That was a secret that had been trapped by her heart for too long. She bent down and kissed his lips. "I'm so relieved you are alive."
"It's just the Florence Nightingale effect boys! Nurses get it all the time!" Dr. Kadowaki giggled. It was a relief. Zell was glad he had suggested coming. "I mean, even I get it. A lot! Even when I'm just bandaging an ankle sometimes."
Eeew. That was too much information. Zell and Irvine looked at each other. It was time to get back to their Seifer.
Irvine held Zell back from taking another step down the hall with his hand. "What?" asked Zell annoyed. He looked where Irvine was looking. Rinoa was leaving Seifer's room.
Luckily she was walking down the opposite end of the hall. But what had she been doing there in the first place?
The two nearly ran the rest of the way. Zell didn't even knock, he just came in. Seifer was standing in his walker. "Zell, Irvy, I need you to help me. I need to get strong again, so that I can get her back."