(Author's Note: This chapter is dedicated to my friends Sophie who couldn't give a damn as to what fanfics I'm writing but still I thought it would be funny to dedicate something to her since she is sad...so B, this ones for you. And to Purple Rose, a great author who inspires me.)
*Just too remind people, this is my fist fic so I'm pretty much making it up as I go along. This is totally fictional and I realize that many parts don't match with that of the game, so if you feel the need to remind me, I know and I thank you for pointing it out. Once I'm finished this one I'll write an actual good fic with a summary and drafts and all that crap before I post it, but this is a tester so bear with me. Thank you.
~*Chapter 5*~
Always Be Prepared
"The very essence of romance is uncertainty"
-Oscar Wilde
Selphie sighed as she attempted, yet again, to staple the royal blue, silk streamer in place, but to no avail since she was decorating in the shadows of the already darkened Quad and couldn't see a damn thing. Once again she missed her target with the staple gun and watched as the long strip of fabric fell to the ground for the fifth time, making the usually cheerful brunette curse in frustration.
"HEY!" she yelled at two of her supposed helpers who were chatting away carelessly on the floor below. They jumped slightly at the sheer volume of her voice. "What the hell does a girl have to do to get some light around here huh?" As if the walls heard her plea, the gigantic overhead chandelier suddenly sprang to life, engulfing the room with a beautiful golden glow. "That's better" she said to herself before jumping off the ladder onto the floor below to retrieve the fallen streamer, not caring whoever it was who turned on the lights.
"I believe I deserve at least a `thank you,'" said an emerging figure from the shadows where the switch was located. Selphie recognized the voiced as the last person she wanted to talk to, and she shrugged indifferently not wanting to give him the pleasure of her notice before continuing up the ladder with the newly retrieved streamer clutched tightly in her fist.
"Come on Selphie!" begged Irvine, leaning on the legs of the ladder as she climbed. "You can't avoid me forever."
"Watch me." With the newly acquired light on her side, Selphie simply choose to ignore him and continue the strenuous task of stapling. Irvine, however, didn't give up that easily.
"Look I know that you think I'm a womanizer and a jerk but..."
"You left out `flirt', `cheater', `scumbag', `player'..." she added more force in her stapling with every word.
"You're missing the point here Seffie." Irvine said, a bit annoyed with her honesty.
"So what is the point Irvine?" She finished putting up the streamers in that area and jumped off the ladder to start on the other side of the room.
"The point is..." he had to jog to keep up with her hasty pace "that I know for a fact that you don't have a date for the ball tomorrow night. And I also know that I happen to be available for that particular occasion."
Selphie stopped in her tracks, causing Irvine to walk right into her, not that she noticed. *Is he asking me out?* she thought happily, hoping that maybe...just maybe THIS time, he wouldn't ditch her the moment some scantily clad blonde started showing signs of interest. Maybe...just maybe, he'd changed from the last time they had tried to go out...okay the last THREE times they had tried going out. Maybe...
*Who am I kidding* she shook her head sadly. *This is Irvine we're talking about. He probably took out his little black book and randomly picked some idiot bimbo to be his date. I guess he thinks I should be flattered that I ended up being where his finger landed...ladies and gentleman may I present bimbo of the month.*
*Well its not going to be me...it's never going to be me again.* Selphie bent down to pick up another streamer from the pile she had cut earlier and marched off the north end of the Quad, with the sparkly dark blue fabric trailing behind her majestically. Irvine could tell from her very walk that she was pissed yet tempted all the same. This brought a smile to his lips, knowing that no matter how hard she tried to discourage him, she in fact wanted him to press on. And so he did, rushing up to her from behind and scooping her up in his arms, getting them both tangled in the sea of silky streamers.
"IRVINE!" yelled Selphie as she struggled to break out of his grasp. "PUT ME DOWN NOW OR I SWEAR I'LL..."
"Say you'll come to the ball with me." Selphie stopped struggling in order to push away the fabric that had gathered between their faces so that she could glower.
"Like hell am I going anywhere with you! Now put me down!"
Irvine shook his head, playfully giggling but being careful not to push any buttons cause boy could that girl slap, as he knew from personal experience. "Just tell me you'll be my date the ball. Or I'll..."
"Or you'll what?"
This, Selphie didn't get to hear the answer to, for Irvine didn't hesitate to cover his lips with hers in a passionate embrace. At first she was angry, thinking he was taking advantage of her. Then she was saddened because she knew that this would mean nothing to him after a few hours. And then she just stopped thinking all together and surrendered to the superficial fantasy that was Irvine Kinneas. It bugged her that one guy could so easily dissolve her self-control, but she didn't care. Her arms rose around his neck and before she knew it, they were on the floor. Clinging to each other desperately. Still wrapped in the blue fabric.
He moved down her neck, slowly trailing kisses over her collar bone as she stared at the skylight of the half decorated Quad, enjoying the starry night with the best looking guy in Garden.
"Mm...Selphie..." Irvine whispered to her neck.
"Irvine..." she replied, her voice thick with passion.
"Selphie"
"Irvine"
"Selphie"
"Zell...." Irvine broke away from her quickly.
"ZELL!! What do you mean Zell?!"
"Zell..." she repeated, gesturing to the left with her eyes. Following her pointed finger, Irvine turned to face the entrance of the Quad and sure enough, leaning against one of the columns for support was the blonde fighter...laughing his head off. It wasn't long before he was joined by Quistis, who was shielding her eyes from the sight of her two friends in the midst of a make out session.
"Are you two done yet?" she asked, refusing to look. "Cause we've got orders from Cid to help you out with the decorating and I definitely don't want to see...anything."
Irvine and Selphie laughed as they got up and began straightening their clothes. Neither embarrassed by what they had been caught doing.
"Funny," Selphie began, picking up the tangled streamer while still laughing "that's the second time that's happen to me today."
Irvine cocked an eyebrow questioningly. "And you call me a player?...two guys in one day?"
Selphie giggled more as she shook her head, her brown hair bouncing. "Not me silly...I walked in on Squall and Rinoa in the conference room."
This news seemed to thrill Zell and Irvine, for they both started chuckling feverishly. The thought of Robot, Colder-than-ice Commander Squall being caught with his pants down was quite entertaining to his two colleagues. Quistis didn't seem amused at all.
"It's not funny" the assistant headmistress insisted, her anger obvious in her features. "If he gets caught who knows what Cid will do! Squall's being rather careless if you ask me."
"Give the guy a break Quisty." Irvine bent down to help Selphie fold the fabric. "If you ask me this whole `not allowed dating' rule is pretty stupid...I mean, I guy does have his needs. Ow!" A candlestick had flown out of apparently no where and hit him on the head...coincidentally, Selphie was holding an empty candle holder.
"He's allowed dating," Quistis clarified, retrieving the candle and giving it back to a fuming Selphie "he just not allowed dating Rinoa."
Zell calculated this in his head, looking more and more confused the more he thought about it. "Is it just me, or does that not make any sense?"
Irvine nodded, he too appearing as though he was faced with a complicated calculus problem. "I don't get it either...why not Rinoa? She's hot enough for..." he stopped talking as he saw Selphie raise her hand, armed with the staple gun this time.
"We should never question Garden's orders. If he was told not to see Rinoa, he shouldn't be seeing Rinoa...it's as simple as that." Quistis snapped her fingers to emphasize her point.
"But Quistis," Zell protested, leaving the column and stepping closer to where his friends were huddled "you shouldn't just follow orders when they're as stupid as this. Wasn't it you who taught us that?"
"I know it sounds pointless, but I'm sure Cid has a perfectly good reason too..."
"How would you feel," Selphie interrupted "if you were told, without explanation, that you had to stay away from the person you loved? What if you were forced to choose between the only home you've ever known and your soul mate? Does that seem fair?"
Quistis hesitated before slowly shaking her head. *No...it's not fair that we can't be with the people we love* she thought to herself sadly. *It's not fair that Squall insists on loving Rinoa while risking his job, and refuses to love me even knowing how simple it would make things...it hurts...to know that he loves her THAT much, and despises me so.* Quistis couldn't stop to the tears from forming this time, she was in too deep with her thoughts and there was no turning back.
"Excuse me," she said while turning away from her friends "I've got to see the headmaster about something."
"But didn't you just say that the headmaster sent you here to decorate?" Selphie asked, praying that you wouldn't loose yet another helper with the ball in less than 24 hours.
"I just remember about some reports I had to send him. I wont be long." And with that, she rushed off to the bathroom as fast as she could. By the time she got there, her face was already streaked with angry tears and her nose had swollen to a deep shade of red.
"Looking good" she joked with herself silently, as she ran the hot water and splashed it on her face to clear her senses. *I shouldn't worry. Even though I don't know why, Cid made it perfectly clear that he didn't want Rinoa and Squall together. He seems to be way overprotective of Rinoa for that matter. Cid doesn't even let her outside of Garden to train, she's forced to use only the training center...I wonder what's with all the security.* The more Quistis thought about it, the more it bothered her, and the more it bothered her, the farther she became from her ultimate goal...Squall.
*I don't care what Rinoa's secret is* she tried to convince herself while drying her face with a towel and checking in the mirror to make sure there was no sign that she had been crying. *As long as in the end I get Squall, it doesn't matter. Rinoa can go to hell. Tomorrow night he's my date. And tomorrow night I'll make him see what everyone else does...that he and I are meant to be together.*
With a satisfied smiled at her reflection, Quistis returned to the Quad to see that Selphie's helpers had returned and the whole place was bustling in preparation of the festivities. Selphie stood in the center of it all, ordering people around and criticizing the way they hung the flowers or yelling that the streamers were crooked and the table should be on the other side of the room. Quistis could tell she was having the time of her life, even while fending off Irvine who constantly smacked her ass every time he walked by, which was frequently. Selphie looked ready to either jump him or beat him to a bloody pulp whenever she caught his eye. This made the blonde instructor laugh for the first time in days. It felt good to laugh.
Selphie, noticing that Quistis arrived, quickly gestured for her to come over.
"Can you believe him!" she bellowed, pointing at a smirking Irvine who was at the moment helping Zell move furniture. "He is such a prick!"
"Aww you like it Seffie, admit it!" she smiled as she watched Irvine walk into a post because he was to busy staring at Selphie.
"I don't like anything about him!" she paused to review her statement. "Okay maybe he's gorgeous and maybe he's fun to be with and maybe I really want him but that doesn't change the fact that he's a prick!"
"So in summary...you like pricks?"
"Darn tootin I do...that prick anyway. Oh god Quistis I need help!"
"It's okay Selphie calm down...here's what you do," she held the bouncing brunette by the shoulders as she practiced her breathing exercises. "You go to the ball with him. You have a blast. He falls completely head over heals in love with you forgetting that all other women exist and then you live happily ever after k?"
Selphie eyed Quistis strangely before shrugging and letting the odd feeling pass. "Sounds like a plan...not a very realistic plan but a plan all the same."
"Oh it's real all right..." the blonde had that mischievous gleam in her eye that Selphie had got to know all to well over the years. That wicked sparkle that meant she was up to no good. "Tomorrow night, both our dreams will come true."
~*~
Cid fell back in his chair, rubbing his temples in frustration after yet another long evening of reading and signing contracts. But the fact that his fingers felt like they were going to fall off and his head throbbed as though it had been hit by thundaga wasn't what was bothering the headmaster.
He hated to be put into such a position...the one forced by duty to keep a young couple apart just because she was a sorceress. Squall must hate him now, as he had hated all the white SeeD's and Esthar scientists who had tried to take Edea away all those years ago. He had fought for his wife, and her harassers had left Cid with a warning which he chose to ignore for ten years until it was too late. There was no doubt in his mind that Squall may attempt to do the same. But he wouldn't let that happen, he couldn't let that happen...not again.
The headmaster was torn from his thoughts by a gentle knocking on the door. *Oh great* he thought, looking at his watch with a sigh, 1:34 am. Who would dare bother him at this ungodly hour? It was way past curfew and students out of bed wouldn't have been able to use the elevator without being caught by the disciplinary committee.
"Come in." he yelled at the door. "This better be good because I..." he paused as a woman of excessive beauty entered his office, leaving him stunned. She wore a plain black frock and her hair was left un-styled and loose around her shoulders, but she was still elegant. She very walk suggested she was almost floating like an angel.
"Edea..." he whispered as she strode over to his desk. "Wha...what are you doing here?"
Matron wrung her hands nervously, her eyes focused on his phone of all things in the large office. "I came as soon as I heard."
Cid's face became a mask of confusion. "Heard what?"
As if on cue, the telephone rang. It's assaulting tone echoing eerily throughout the room. Edea picked up the receiver and slowly handed it to her husband. "He's looking for her." Was all she said as he accepted the phone and gingerly place in to his ear.
"Headmaster speaking" he said in a voice he hoped sounded calm.
"Headmaster. It's me...Nida" Cid bolted upright in his chair. Nida was on mission as a spy in Galbadia. He wouldn't of called unless...
"He began the search a few hours ago. Balamb is first on the list but luckily it will take them a while to locate Garden. You have 24 hours, 26 at most. I suggest you get her out of there."
Cid sat in shock for a few seconds, never truly believing that this day would ever come. But it had...another sorceress' war had begun.
"Sir?" Nida asked, concerned by his silence.
"I'm here, sorry." He took a deep breath to regain his senses when he felt Edea reach over his desk and carefully take his hand in hers. This gave him strength. "We'll make the arrangements for Rinoa to leave. Thank you Nida."
"Anytime sir."
"And Nida?"
"Yes sir?"
"Get the hell out of there. Galbadia is the last place a SeeD such as yourself wants to be at the moment you understand?"
He could here the young pilot's breath quicken on the other line. "I'll be careful...but sir, if anything happens to me I wan..." (click)...the line went dead.
Cid's heart jumped in his throat as the dial tone rang endlessly in his ear. Edea heard it too and they both knew what it meant...Nida was gone. One of many that will surely perish. Just for one girl...it was all for her...and her power
Edea hugged her husband closely, wishing that she could erase the last 20 years and killed herself when she had the chance, maybe everything would of turned out differently then. Maybe she could have somehow found a way to bring the sorceress' powers with her when she died. Before she knew it, Edea was crying.
"Shh...it's not your fault," he said softly, stroking her long hair. "There was nothing you could have done." She had gotten used to this by now, his being able to practically read her thoughts. At times like this it was a comfort to know that someone understood her completely. "They won't take her. I won't let them take her and Squall won't either. I'd rather she go to the moon than back with her father."
Edea nodded against his shoulder. Poor Rinoa...so young, so free, so innocent to what's going on, thinking her biggest problem is who's her next date for the ball. How will she take it? Knowing that from now on she has to go into hiding? Or go into hiding until she obtains her powers and then be sent off into space. What a pointless life that would be.
Would she be able to handle it?
Or will the sorceress snap and gladly join her father in his crusade to rule the world where she can at least do whatever she wants?
Edea curled up closer to her husband, seeking warmth from the chilling thoughts that were plaguing her mind.
What will Rinoa do?
*Just too remind people, this is my fist fic so I'm pretty much making it up as I go along. This is totally fictional and I realize that many parts don't match with that of the game, so if you feel the need to remind me, I know and I thank you for pointing it out. Once I'm finished this one I'll write an actual good fic with a summary and drafts and all that crap before I post it, but this is a tester so bear with me. Thank you.
~*Chapter 5*~
Always Be Prepared
"The very essence of romance is uncertainty"
-Oscar Wilde
Selphie sighed as she attempted, yet again, to staple the royal blue, silk streamer in place, but to no avail since she was decorating in the shadows of the already darkened Quad and couldn't see a damn thing. Once again she missed her target with the staple gun and watched as the long strip of fabric fell to the ground for the fifth time, making the usually cheerful brunette curse in frustration.
"HEY!" she yelled at two of her supposed helpers who were chatting away carelessly on the floor below. They jumped slightly at the sheer volume of her voice. "What the hell does a girl have to do to get some light around here huh?" As if the walls heard her plea, the gigantic overhead chandelier suddenly sprang to life, engulfing the room with a beautiful golden glow. "That's better" she said to herself before jumping off the ladder onto the floor below to retrieve the fallen streamer, not caring whoever it was who turned on the lights.
"I believe I deserve at least a `thank you,'" said an emerging figure from the shadows where the switch was located. Selphie recognized the voiced as the last person she wanted to talk to, and she shrugged indifferently not wanting to give him the pleasure of her notice before continuing up the ladder with the newly retrieved streamer clutched tightly in her fist.
"Come on Selphie!" begged Irvine, leaning on the legs of the ladder as she climbed. "You can't avoid me forever."
"Watch me." With the newly acquired light on her side, Selphie simply choose to ignore him and continue the strenuous task of stapling. Irvine, however, didn't give up that easily.
"Look I know that you think I'm a womanizer and a jerk but..."
"You left out `flirt', `cheater', `scumbag', `player'..." she added more force in her stapling with every word.
"You're missing the point here Seffie." Irvine said, a bit annoyed with her honesty.
"So what is the point Irvine?" She finished putting up the streamers in that area and jumped off the ladder to start on the other side of the room.
"The point is..." he had to jog to keep up with her hasty pace "that I know for a fact that you don't have a date for the ball tomorrow night. And I also know that I happen to be available for that particular occasion."
Selphie stopped in her tracks, causing Irvine to walk right into her, not that she noticed. *Is he asking me out?* she thought happily, hoping that maybe...just maybe THIS time, he wouldn't ditch her the moment some scantily clad blonde started showing signs of interest. Maybe...just maybe, he'd changed from the last time they had tried to go out...okay the last THREE times they had tried going out. Maybe...
*Who am I kidding* she shook her head sadly. *This is Irvine we're talking about. He probably took out his little black book and randomly picked some idiot bimbo to be his date. I guess he thinks I should be flattered that I ended up being where his finger landed...ladies and gentleman may I present bimbo of the month.*
*Well its not going to be me...it's never going to be me again.* Selphie bent down to pick up another streamer from the pile she had cut earlier and marched off the north end of the Quad, with the sparkly dark blue fabric trailing behind her majestically. Irvine could tell from her very walk that she was pissed yet tempted all the same. This brought a smile to his lips, knowing that no matter how hard she tried to discourage him, she in fact wanted him to press on. And so he did, rushing up to her from behind and scooping her up in his arms, getting them both tangled in the sea of silky streamers.
"IRVINE!" yelled Selphie as she struggled to break out of his grasp. "PUT ME DOWN NOW OR I SWEAR I'LL..."
"Say you'll come to the ball with me." Selphie stopped struggling in order to push away the fabric that had gathered between their faces so that she could glower.
"Like hell am I going anywhere with you! Now put me down!"
Irvine shook his head, playfully giggling but being careful not to push any buttons cause boy could that girl slap, as he knew from personal experience. "Just tell me you'll be my date the ball. Or I'll..."
"Or you'll what?"
This, Selphie didn't get to hear the answer to, for Irvine didn't hesitate to cover his lips with hers in a passionate embrace. At first she was angry, thinking he was taking advantage of her. Then she was saddened because she knew that this would mean nothing to him after a few hours. And then she just stopped thinking all together and surrendered to the superficial fantasy that was Irvine Kinneas. It bugged her that one guy could so easily dissolve her self-control, but she didn't care. Her arms rose around his neck and before she knew it, they were on the floor. Clinging to each other desperately. Still wrapped in the blue fabric.
He moved down her neck, slowly trailing kisses over her collar bone as she stared at the skylight of the half decorated Quad, enjoying the starry night with the best looking guy in Garden.
"Mm...Selphie..." Irvine whispered to her neck.
"Irvine..." she replied, her voice thick with passion.
"Selphie"
"Irvine"
"Selphie"
"Zell...." Irvine broke away from her quickly.
"ZELL!! What do you mean Zell?!"
"Zell..." she repeated, gesturing to the left with her eyes. Following her pointed finger, Irvine turned to face the entrance of the Quad and sure enough, leaning against one of the columns for support was the blonde fighter...laughing his head off. It wasn't long before he was joined by Quistis, who was shielding her eyes from the sight of her two friends in the midst of a make out session.
"Are you two done yet?" she asked, refusing to look. "Cause we've got orders from Cid to help you out with the decorating and I definitely don't want to see...anything."
Irvine and Selphie laughed as they got up and began straightening their clothes. Neither embarrassed by what they had been caught doing.
"Funny," Selphie began, picking up the tangled streamer while still laughing "that's the second time that's happen to me today."
Irvine cocked an eyebrow questioningly. "And you call me a player?...two guys in one day?"
Selphie giggled more as she shook her head, her brown hair bouncing. "Not me silly...I walked in on Squall and Rinoa in the conference room."
This news seemed to thrill Zell and Irvine, for they both started chuckling feverishly. The thought of Robot, Colder-than-ice Commander Squall being caught with his pants down was quite entertaining to his two colleagues. Quistis didn't seem amused at all.
"It's not funny" the assistant headmistress insisted, her anger obvious in her features. "If he gets caught who knows what Cid will do! Squall's being rather careless if you ask me."
"Give the guy a break Quisty." Irvine bent down to help Selphie fold the fabric. "If you ask me this whole `not allowed dating' rule is pretty stupid...I mean, I guy does have his needs. Ow!" A candlestick had flown out of apparently no where and hit him on the head...coincidentally, Selphie was holding an empty candle holder.
"He's allowed dating," Quistis clarified, retrieving the candle and giving it back to a fuming Selphie "he just not allowed dating Rinoa."
Zell calculated this in his head, looking more and more confused the more he thought about it. "Is it just me, or does that not make any sense?"
Irvine nodded, he too appearing as though he was faced with a complicated calculus problem. "I don't get it either...why not Rinoa? She's hot enough for..." he stopped talking as he saw Selphie raise her hand, armed with the staple gun this time.
"We should never question Garden's orders. If he was told not to see Rinoa, he shouldn't be seeing Rinoa...it's as simple as that." Quistis snapped her fingers to emphasize her point.
"But Quistis," Zell protested, leaving the column and stepping closer to where his friends were huddled "you shouldn't just follow orders when they're as stupid as this. Wasn't it you who taught us that?"
"I know it sounds pointless, but I'm sure Cid has a perfectly good reason too..."
"How would you feel," Selphie interrupted "if you were told, without explanation, that you had to stay away from the person you loved? What if you were forced to choose between the only home you've ever known and your soul mate? Does that seem fair?"
Quistis hesitated before slowly shaking her head. *No...it's not fair that we can't be with the people we love* she thought to herself sadly. *It's not fair that Squall insists on loving Rinoa while risking his job, and refuses to love me even knowing how simple it would make things...it hurts...to know that he loves her THAT much, and despises me so.* Quistis couldn't stop to the tears from forming this time, she was in too deep with her thoughts and there was no turning back.
"Excuse me," she said while turning away from her friends "I've got to see the headmaster about something."
"But didn't you just say that the headmaster sent you here to decorate?" Selphie asked, praying that you wouldn't loose yet another helper with the ball in less than 24 hours.
"I just remember about some reports I had to send him. I wont be long." And with that, she rushed off to the bathroom as fast as she could. By the time she got there, her face was already streaked with angry tears and her nose had swollen to a deep shade of red.
"Looking good" she joked with herself silently, as she ran the hot water and splashed it on her face to clear her senses. *I shouldn't worry. Even though I don't know why, Cid made it perfectly clear that he didn't want Rinoa and Squall together. He seems to be way overprotective of Rinoa for that matter. Cid doesn't even let her outside of Garden to train, she's forced to use only the training center...I wonder what's with all the security.* The more Quistis thought about it, the more it bothered her, and the more it bothered her, the farther she became from her ultimate goal...Squall.
*I don't care what Rinoa's secret is* she tried to convince herself while drying her face with a towel and checking in the mirror to make sure there was no sign that she had been crying. *As long as in the end I get Squall, it doesn't matter. Rinoa can go to hell. Tomorrow night he's my date. And tomorrow night I'll make him see what everyone else does...that he and I are meant to be together.*
With a satisfied smiled at her reflection, Quistis returned to the Quad to see that Selphie's helpers had returned and the whole place was bustling in preparation of the festivities. Selphie stood in the center of it all, ordering people around and criticizing the way they hung the flowers or yelling that the streamers were crooked and the table should be on the other side of the room. Quistis could tell she was having the time of her life, even while fending off Irvine who constantly smacked her ass every time he walked by, which was frequently. Selphie looked ready to either jump him or beat him to a bloody pulp whenever she caught his eye. This made the blonde instructor laugh for the first time in days. It felt good to laugh.
Selphie, noticing that Quistis arrived, quickly gestured for her to come over.
"Can you believe him!" she bellowed, pointing at a smirking Irvine who was at the moment helping Zell move furniture. "He is such a prick!"
"Aww you like it Seffie, admit it!" she smiled as she watched Irvine walk into a post because he was to busy staring at Selphie.
"I don't like anything about him!" she paused to review her statement. "Okay maybe he's gorgeous and maybe he's fun to be with and maybe I really want him but that doesn't change the fact that he's a prick!"
"So in summary...you like pricks?"
"Darn tootin I do...that prick anyway. Oh god Quistis I need help!"
"It's okay Selphie calm down...here's what you do," she held the bouncing brunette by the shoulders as she practiced her breathing exercises. "You go to the ball with him. You have a blast. He falls completely head over heals in love with you forgetting that all other women exist and then you live happily ever after k?"
Selphie eyed Quistis strangely before shrugging and letting the odd feeling pass. "Sounds like a plan...not a very realistic plan but a plan all the same."
"Oh it's real all right..." the blonde had that mischievous gleam in her eye that Selphie had got to know all to well over the years. That wicked sparkle that meant she was up to no good. "Tomorrow night, both our dreams will come true."
~*~
Cid fell back in his chair, rubbing his temples in frustration after yet another long evening of reading and signing contracts. But the fact that his fingers felt like they were going to fall off and his head throbbed as though it had been hit by thundaga wasn't what was bothering the headmaster.
He hated to be put into such a position...the one forced by duty to keep a young couple apart just because she was a sorceress. Squall must hate him now, as he had hated all the white SeeD's and Esthar scientists who had tried to take Edea away all those years ago. He had fought for his wife, and her harassers had left Cid with a warning which he chose to ignore for ten years until it was too late. There was no doubt in his mind that Squall may attempt to do the same. But he wouldn't let that happen, he couldn't let that happen...not again.
The headmaster was torn from his thoughts by a gentle knocking on the door. *Oh great* he thought, looking at his watch with a sigh, 1:34 am. Who would dare bother him at this ungodly hour? It was way past curfew and students out of bed wouldn't have been able to use the elevator without being caught by the disciplinary committee.
"Come in." he yelled at the door. "This better be good because I..." he paused as a woman of excessive beauty entered his office, leaving him stunned. She wore a plain black frock and her hair was left un-styled and loose around her shoulders, but she was still elegant. She very walk suggested she was almost floating like an angel.
"Edea..." he whispered as she strode over to his desk. "Wha...what are you doing here?"
Matron wrung her hands nervously, her eyes focused on his phone of all things in the large office. "I came as soon as I heard."
Cid's face became a mask of confusion. "Heard what?"
As if on cue, the telephone rang. It's assaulting tone echoing eerily throughout the room. Edea picked up the receiver and slowly handed it to her husband. "He's looking for her." Was all she said as he accepted the phone and gingerly place in to his ear.
"Headmaster speaking" he said in a voice he hoped sounded calm.
"Headmaster. It's me...Nida" Cid bolted upright in his chair. Nida was on mission as a spy in Galbadia. He wouldn't of called unless...
"He began the search a few hours ago. Balamb is first on the list but luckily it will take them a while to locate Garden. You have 24 hours, 26 at most. I suggest you get her out of there."
Cid sat in shock for a few seconds, never truly believing that this day would ever come. But it had...another sorceress' war had begun.
"Sir?" Nida asked, concerned by his silence.
"I'm here, sorry." He took a deep breath to regain his senses when he felt Edea reach over his desk and carefully take his hand in hers. This gave him strength. "We'll make the arrangements for Rinoa to leave. Thank you Nida."
"Anytime sir."
"And Nida?"
"Yes sir?"
"Get the hell out of there. Galbadia is the last place a SeeD such as yourself wants to be at the moment you understand?"
He could here the young pilot's breath quicken on the other line. "I'll be careful...but sir, if anything happens to me I wan..." (click)...the line went dead.
Cid's heart jumped in his throat as the dial tone rang endlessly in his ear. Edea heard it too and they both knew what it meant...Nida was gone. One of many that will surely perish. Just for one girl...it was all for her...and her power
Edea hugged her husband closely, wishing that she could erase the last 20 years and killed herself when she had the chance, maybe everything would of turned out differently then. Maybe she could have somehow found a way to bring the sorceress' powers with her when she died. Before she knew it, Edea was crying.
"Shh...it's not your fault," he said softly, stroking her long hair. "There was nothing you could have done." She had gotten used to this by now, his being able to practically read her thoughts. At times like this it was a comfort to know that someone understood her completely. "They won't take her. I won't let them take her and Squall won't either. I'd rather she go to the moon than back with her father."
Edea nodded against his shoulder. Poor Rinoa...so young, so free, so innocent to what's going on, thinking her biggest problem is who's her next date for the ball. How will she take it? Knowing that from now on she has to go into hiding? Or go into hiding until she obtains her powers and then be sent off into space. What a pointless life that would be.
Would she be able to handle it?
Or will the sorceress snap and gladly join her father in his crusade to rule the world where she can at least do whatever she wants?
Edea curled up closer to her husband, seeking warmth from the chilling thoughts that were plaguing her mind.
What will Rinoa do?
