Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy VIII....
Author's Note: All I can say is thank God for study hall! Because of the growing number of teachers who are sick, I had some free periods in school when I was able to write this. Also, I just started a Livejournal, so check my FF.net profile for more info on that, since I'll be using it to talk about fanfiction, as well as other things. I hope you enjoy this chapter, although it's on the short side...
On the Ice
Chapter 5- Settling In
The next morning, Rinoa woke up to find a man sleeping on the floor. Forcing back a scream, she studied him closer and then realized it was Squall. She sighed in relief, remembering her pleas to Squall to stay the night. As far as she knew, Seifer hadn't shown, but then again, she had slept so peacefully that a knock on the door probably wouldn't have woken her up.
Looking at the clock, she saw that it was 8:00. She decided to get up and get dressed. Squall looked so adorable sleeping like that...she didn't have the heart to wake him up. Smiling, she pulled some clothes out of her suitcase and went into the bathroom to change. She was in an extremely good mood, which surprised her, considering Quistis and Seifer had done pretty well for themselves the previous night.
Running her brush through her hair, she decided she was presentable and exited the bathroom quietly. Squall was still sleeping and Rinoa took the opportunity to really study him. She took in his tousled brown hair and his flawless skin. Flawless...except for a single diagonal scar between his eyes. Rinoa felt drawn to the scar, and she found herself reaching out to touch it.
As soon as Rinoa's fingers lightly brushed his face, Squall's eyes shot open, giving her a confused look. Rinoa blushed. "S-sorry," She stammered, "I didn't mean to wake you."
Squall shook his head and sat up. "What were you doing?"
The question made Rinoa turn even redder. "I was looking at your scar. Where did you get it?"
"I don't know," Squall told her. "I've had it all of my life."
"Oh..." Was all Rinoa said. An uncomfortable silence followed. "Uh...maybe you should get up. We have a lot to do today."
Squall nodded and lifted himself off the floor. "You should pack your things. Then, we'll stop at my hotel to pick up my stuff. Unless you'd rather meet somewhere..."
Rinoa shook her head. "That's fine. I'd rather stay with you, if that's okay."
"Alright. Then let's get ready."
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An hour and a half later, Squall and Rinoa stood outside of the Red Rose Inn, located in central Dollet. After much consideration, they had decided that this would be a good place to stay. They walked in and approached the woman behind the counter.
"Hello! Welcome to the Red Rose Inn," The woman greeted. "How may I help you?"
"We need two rooms for a couple of nights," Squall told her.
The woman typed on her computer and then said, "I'm sorry, but we only have one room available right now. However, it's one of our best...a complimentary suite. Would you like to take that?"
Squall turned to Rinoa, a questioning look on his face. Rinoa nodded and smiled gently. "Okay, we'll take it." He told her.
"Thank you. That'll be 200 gil a night." Squall handed her the money. "Here's your key. I hope you enjoy your stay."
"Thank you." Squall and Rinoa got into the elevator with their bags and took it up to the third floor. "We're in room 122."
Rinoa looked up at the numbers on each door...118, 120, 122. "Here we are," She announced.
Squall put the card key into the door and it opened, revealing a fairly large room. They stood in a living area with two couches and a TV. To their right was a small kitchen area with a table, stove, and mini refrigerator. To their right was a door which led into the bedroom. Upon further inspection, they discovered that the room contained a large bed, as expected. To the left of the bedroom was a good sized bathroom, outfitted with a shower and a bathtub. Rinoa's favorite part, however, was the balcony that ran alongside the whole room. You could go out the balcony through the doors in the bedroom or living area.
"Not bad," Squall said. "I mean, for 200 gil, this is pretty nice."
Rinoa sighed happily. "It sure is. Too bad we can't stay here, though."
Squall gave her a confused look. "Why? I thought you liked it here."
"I do," Rinoa reassured him. "I just meant that we have to leave. Remember? You said we'd head to the arena today."
Recognition dawned on Squall's features. "I almost forgot about that. We;;, do you want to go now? We're going to have to meet my coach...unless you'd rather stick with yours?"
"Were you close to your coach?" Rinoa asked.
Squall nodded. "I've known him for a long time. He's like a father to me."
"I was never that close to my coach. Actually, I've been through a lot of coaches. I never really clicked with any of them, you know? Seifer hired my previous coach, Robert, just a year ago. Let's go with your coach." Rinoa told him
"Okay. Are you ready?"
"Of course! Let's go!"
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"Rinoa, hey! Long time no see!" Selphie greeted her happily.
Rinoa laughed. "You're right about that. Things have been really hectic lately." She smiled. "Everything seems to be great for you and...Irvine is it?"
"Yup! Irvy's my partner! I can't believe we're in first place, though. We've never won a championship before."
"Well, good luck. I'm sure that you can take home the gold." Rinoa assured her.
"Can I ask you a question?" Rinoa nodded. "Why did you really drop out of the competition?"
"You don't know?" Rinoa asked, surprised.
"Well, rumors have been flying around, but I wanted to ask you personally. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."
Rinoa shook her head. "I don't mind. The reason why I quit was because I found out that my partner, Seifer, was cheating on me with Quistis Trepe. It wasn't only that, though. The thing is, Seifer only cares about himself and he's going to do what's best for him. The best thing I could do was call it quits."
Selphie nodded. "I completely understand, and I can relate. Irvine's a ladies man, and I can't even count the number of times he's made me jealous. But if I ever found out that he cheated one me..." She trailed off. "I would be devastated, to say the least. Do you plan on competing any time soon?"
Rinoa shrugged. "Of course I want to compete again, but as to when, I have no idea. I'll have to talk it over with Squall."
"So it's true? You have teamed up with Squall Leonhart?"
"Yes. Hopefully things will be uphill from here. Speaking of which, I have to head onto the ice. I'm going to meet Squall's coach."
"Oh, Cid Kramer! He's such a nice man." Selphie told her. "His wife, Edea, is actually our coach."
"Really? Doesn't it bother them that they're on opposing sides?"
"Nah, not them. They enjoy the challenge, and they're both excellent coaches. Anyway, I wont keep you any longer. Good luck!"
"Thanks! Bye!" Rinoa waved and headed down the hallway to the main rink. She spotted Squall off to the side, talking to a middle-aged man.
"Rinoa, this is my coach, Cid Kramer." Squall told her.
Rinoa shook his hand. "I'm very pleased to meet you. I'm Rinoa Heartilly."
"Ah, yes. I've seen the way you skate and you have amazing potential. Will I have the honor of coaching you as well?"
Rinoa nodded. "Squall and I wish to have the best coach possible, and I hear you're the best."
Cid chuckled. "Don't let my wife hear you say that. Well, shall we get started?"
Squall nodded. "We're going to need an original routine...one that no one else will have. Do you think we can pull this off?"
Cid nodded. "Now, this is what I want you to do..."
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Three hours later, Rinoa and Squall were exhausted. They had been practicing non-stop and the first part of their routine was starting to take shape.
"Nice work, you two," Cid told them. "I'm going to go see if I can find my wife, but you two can keep practicing if you want. However," He looked at his watch, "The other groups will need the ice in fifteen minutes, so watch your time. See you tomorrow." He called over his shoulder as he left.
"You up to fifteen more minutes of practice?" Squall asked Rinoa.
She laughed. "I'm pretty tired, but can we work on that double axle throw again? I can't seem to get it right."
"No problem." They took their positions on the ice and picked up speed. Squall lifted Rinoa and threw her into the air. She spun around twice, but then landed awkwardly.
"Let's try that one more time." They repeated the move, but this time when Squall threw Rinoa, she landed it perfectly. "I did it!" She exclaimed happily as she ran up to Squall and hugged him. "I trusted you not to drop me, and it worked."
"You trust me?" Squall asked.
Rinoa smiled. "Yes."
"Good." And then his lips were on hers and the world seemed to stop.
~*~