Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VIII, it is the rightful product of SQUARESOFT.

Chapter 15: Unpleasant Surprises

"Um… I don't like the sound of that." Rinoa responded, her curiosity overwhelming her.  Did he know about her and Squall?  Did he see them kiss?

"It's nothing bad… Sit down." General Caraway pointed to a nearby armchair.

"Ok…" She reluctantly sat down and shifted nervously at the uncomfortable pause that followed.  What was at the back of his mind?  She could never tell and this worried her even more.

"Well, you're getting older now.  You've just turned eighteen… Which is a very respectable age for a young lady." He began.

Where was he going with this?  The question was tormenting her insides and making her feel a bit queasy. 

He continued slowly, letting down every word with intensive care, "You've grown up to be a very beautiful, intelligent woman and I'm very proud of you."

Compliments?  There had to be a catch; General Caraway didn't openly give compliments whenever he felt like it, "And there are certain duties a father must not neglect.  To make sure you're always safe and in a good home, etcetera…"

"I am in a good home…" The words left her dry mouth, "I mean… For now.  I'm still just a student…"

"Well, yes." He admitted, "However… Studies aren't everything."

Studies are everything?  This was rich coming from a man who had told her, every single day of her life, that school was the most important stage of human development and that it would shape her being for the rest of her existence.  She just didn't understand his reasoning anymore.

"I have thought a lot about what would be best for you, these days.  You've been working very hard and completed your high school years and that's really all the schooling a woman needs."

"What?" She had to restrain from shouting in confusion, "Dad… Wait… What?  Dad… You've… Ok, ok, ok…" She held her head in her hands, "First of all… That's not what you've been telling me for the past fifteen years of my life and second of all… You're coming off very sexist at the moment."

"Rinoa, listen.  Your mother never needed her masters in the law to marry me and become a successful wife." He tried explaining as lightly as possible.

"So?  Point is, when someone talks to her they don't get the impression she's a total moron." She countered.  She didn't know why she was angry but maybe it was that unrelenting feeling gnawing at her insides, telling her that slowly, she was drowning in something, somewhere and no one could save her.

"And when people talk to you, they don't think you're a moron either." Caraway was losing control of the situation, "You are a very, very bright girl and even if you weren't… These days… You can fake it."

"So what are you saying?" She finally blurted out the question, taunting at her conscious mind.

"Well, I'm saying that…"

"Dad…" She interrupted, "Listen, stop beating around the bush… Please."

"Alright… I've been considering marriage plans."

It felt as if he had slit her throat.  She suddenly felt lightheaded and completely collapsed and yet still, he continued, "I thought it would be better for you.  This way, I know you'll end up with someone who won't mistreat you.  He's a respectable young man and I'm sure you'll like him a lot."

"Like him?" She asked spitefully, "Dearest Father… To get married, you need to love him… Not like."

The general rubbed his temples, "Listen, Rinoa, I think it would be best if-"

"No, it wouldn't, ok!" She was freaking out, slipping, falling, and just leaving all sources of comfort behind. 

"Rinoa, you don't even know who I speak of.  Calm down and let me tell you."

"I don't want to know!" She yelled back, "I don't care who it is!  I don't want to get married to any jerk that you suggest I marry!"

Caraway finally out down his pipe on the polished end table and got up to a standing position, "This is a very serious matter, you hear?  I can't waste time like this trying to convince you to marry.  You are to wed Melvin Tribal and that will be final. This is not the time for childish games."

"Tribal?  Melvin Tribal?" She bounded out of her seat and faced her father, "Are you crazy?  There is no way I'm ever going to even touch that guy."

"Never said you had to!" He retorted.

She was still on top of things, "Oh, no happy grand-father role for you, eh?"

Caraway cringed, "We are going to avoid that topic altogether, now won't we?" He didn't want or need a response but she gave him one anyways.

"Oh no we aren't!"  She scoffed, "Because I swear, if he even dares to touch me I'll shoot him in the ass!"

"Oh?" He replied venomously, "The touching issue didn't really seem to be present with Squall Leonheart."

She froze.  So he knew… She felt her pride, her privacy… Everything a normal human has access too, crumbling around her.

"That's because I loved him." She nearly whispered.

It was Caraway's turn to scoff, "And he has a wife now so you best forget about him."

He strode to the door and was about to leave the room when Rinoa called after him, "You know, I don't think you'd be able to handle an arranged marriage, what makes you think I will?"

"You will have to." He replied and exited.

She felt her eyes stinging and she knew tears would soon flow. However, she clenched her jaw, left the room, grabbed her bag and ran up the stairs, locking herself in her room.

***

"Hello, sir." The receptionist batted her eyelashes and got up from her seated position to greet the commander.

"Hey." Squall replied gruffly, meanwhile thinking to himself 'Oh Hyne, what a slut.'

"How may I help you today, sir?" She got unusually close and Squall waved her off offhandedly.

"Just let me see my father." He crossed his arms.

"Anything for you, sir." She was really starting to irritate him.  The receptionist picked up the phone and spoke quickly, "Yes, Mr. President, yes… Your son is here to see you.  I'll send him in right away."

She smiled at Squall, pressed a button and the metallic doors swung open, revealing the ever-so-anxious Laguna sitting at his desk.

"Hey, hey!" Laguna bounced from his seat and went to greet his son, "How's it going?"

The glare in his offspring's eyes answered the question efficiently enough, "Um… Alright… Tea?" He offered.

"No, father, no tea." Squall responded curtly.

"Right… Um… Coffee?"

"Alright, Hyne, I don't want jack from you, ok?" Squall's irritation had reached it's limit, "I want you to call off the stupid wedding plans."

Laguna fiddled with his tie a bit and cleared his throat, "Well, I can't… I mean, over 10,000 people have… Been invited.  Press has been informed…"

"I don't give a flying fuck!" Squall raged, "This is ridiculous, at 20 years old I can't even choose my own fiancée?  What the hell do you think I am?"

"Well, see, Squall… There's more to it then an arranged marriage… See?  It's not only for you that I am doing this… But for the whole world… In a sense." He was stumbling over his words like a little nervous child would.

"Funny, I don't seem to care about the whole world, either!" He hissed, "So break this wedding off now… I'm not getting married."

Laguna sighed, "And who would you have as your fiancée, had you the choice?  Some whore that'll eat our bank account through?"

"Rinoa Heartilly, and I do have the choice!" Squall spat back.

Laguna bowed his head, "I was afraid you were going to say that."

"Well, I guess that's too bad!" Squall exclaimed viciously, "I don't know what the reason is for this bullshit marriage and I don't know why it's such a problem that I love Rinoa but really… I don't care."

"And how do you know she loves you?" Laguna asked, trying to cling to some bit of hope that their relationship was ill fated, "How do you know she actually loves her the way you do?"

"She loves me and I love her.  We both know that; see, because we have a history together… We started something that we need to finish and to do that we can't spend a future apart."

Laguna was silent for a moment and then he looked up to his son, eyes full of sorrow and asked, "Did… She tell you she was engaged to Melvin Tribal?"

Sammy-Chan: Hello everybody!  Well, here's the 15th chapter.  I hope it wasn't too boring because… Well… It kind of sucks if it's boring.  Well, I'm not trying to stall the motion of this fic; I'm just trying to give you the best-detailed information that's going on… And that's really hard (I really screwed up 'Those Who Prevail' in that sense).  Well, anyways… Please review; I'd be very honored if you did!  Also, check out my new fic, 'Summing Up The Stars'… please review that one too ^.^, so yup… Have a nice day everyone!