Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy VIII…

Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews! Jeez, you guys really wanna see Seifer and Quistis killed, don't ya? Well, I guess we'll have to see what happens, because even I don't know the fate of Seifer and Quistis at this time. I do have a few surprises in store for you, though ^_^

On the Ice

Chapter 13- Hope

I hope that talking to the doctor can ease Rinoa's mind. She doesn't deserve any of this. Squall sighed and leaned back against the wall. Rinoa was in her room talking to Dr. Kadowaki, who had kindly asked him to leave so that she could speak with Rinoa in private. The worry that Squall felt was eating him away. He tried to put on a brave, encouraging facade when he was around Rinoa, but in all honesty, he was terrified. What would happen if Rinoa could never skate again? Where did their future lie? Squall tried not to think of what could happen. Rinoa is a fighter...she won't give up this battle.

"Squall Leonhart?" A voice barked.

Startled, Squall looked up and met the gaze of a very angry General Caraway. "Can I help you?"

"Yes, you can help me. You can help me by letting me beat you into a bloody pulp! You can help me by spending the rest of your life in jail!"

Squall looked at him coldly. "If you're here to see Rinoa, you'll have to wait. She's currently discussing treatment with her doctor. As for me, I think you've got the wrong guy."

Caraway glared at him. "No, Mr. Leonhart, I do not have the wrong guy. You may be able to fool my daughter, but I know the truth about you. It is because of you that my daughter is in that room. It is because of you that my daughter's life is ruined!"

Squall laughed bitterly. "Funny, since when do you care about Rinoa? You ignore her for years and now you want to waltz in here and play the part of the caring father? To tell you the truth Caraway, I don't really give a damn as to what you think about me. I am not going to leave your daughter."

"How dare you speak to me in that way!" Caraway grabbed the collar of Squall's shirt roughly. "You are the bastard that attacked my daughter. I'll be damned if I let you get near her again!"

Squall shoved him off just as roughly. "I did not attack your daughter."

"I beg to differ. Who has a motive to hurt my daughter? Who has the knowledge to know where she is all the time?"

Squall was really starting to lose his patience with the older man. Thankfully, Dr. Kadowaki chose that moment to exit Rinoa's room.

"Squall, may I have a word with you?" The doctor asked.

He nodded, thankful to get away from the General and his false accusations.

"Excuse me, but if you have anything to say about Rinoa, you can certainly say it in front of me," Caraway told Dr. Kadowaki.

She raised an eyebrow. "And just who would you be?"

"I am General Robert Caraway, Rinoa's father, and I demand to know what is going on with my daughter."

"I'm sorry, Sir, but at this time, the only person permitted to hear this information is Squall. Rinoa has specifically asked me to make sure no one else is allowed access to this information."

"That is absurd! I am her father!" Caraway fumed with anger.

"I'm sorry, Sir, but I need to respect the wishes of Ms. Heartilly." She turned to Squall. "Please, follow me." Dr. Kadowaki led Squall into a small office, leaving behind General Caraway and his anger. "Have a seat."

"With all due respect, Doctor, I'd rather stand."

She nodded. "Very well. I have just finished going over all the details of surgery with Rinoa. She has decided that she is fully ready to try the surgery, and after that, physical therapy. The surgery is scheduled for Tuesday of next week. In the meantime, I see no use in her staying here."

"You mean that she can go home?" Squall asked hopefully.

"Yes. However, walking will be extremely difficult and she's going to have to stay in a wheelchair. She needs to put as little pressure on her foot as she can before the surgery. Rinoa will need a good deal of help and it will most likely be frustrating for her. Things that she never gave a thought to before, such as taking a shower, are now going to be impossible without help. She is going to need someone by her side constantly in the next week."

Squall nodded. "I understand. After the surgery, she will be able to walk, won't she?"

"A successful surgery will allow her to walk again, yes. The chances of the surgery being successful are very high, about ninety-five percent. After the surgery, she will need to go through extensive physical therapy to regain the strength in her leg."

"She will be able to skate again, Doctor. Rinoa is not going to give up so easily."

Dr. Kadowaki smiled. "No, I don't think so, either. I'll be running a few more tests on her today. She should be ready to leave here by tomorrow morning."

"Thank you, Doctor. I'm going to have to leave in a few minutes to take care of something. You'll watch over Rinoa in the meantime, won't you?"

"You mean that I'll look out in case an angry father shows up again?"

Squall grinned sheepishly. "Actually, yeah, that's what I was hoping."

She chuckled. "Of course. You run along now. I don't want to keep you."

Squall exited the office and headed straight to Rinoa's room. Once there, he found that she was sleeping again. Smiling, he kissed her cheek. "Wait until you see the surprise I have for you..."

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"What's the deal?" Selphie asked Irvine anxiously. They, along with the rest of the skaters, had been waiting to see if they were still going to be competing.

"It's official, the competition has been postponed," Irvine announced. "Once word of Rinoa's condition is assessed, the new date for the competition will be set. However, they can't wait around forever. The new competition will be held no later than two weeks from now."

The voices of the other skaters in the room talked amongst themselves. Some were disappointed; they had come to skate and now were informed that they couldn't. Others, such as Irvine and Selphie, were happy about the delay. This would allow them to go visit Rinoa. They were a bit shaken up by the events that had transpired, so if they had had to skate, you could bet that they wouldn't be in it one hundred percent.

Selphie hugged Irvine tightly. "I can't believe that this happened. Why would anyone want to hurt Rinoa?"

Irvine shook his head. "I bet that Quistis and Seifer could find a reason."

Selphie looked up at him. "You think they're responsible for Rinoa's accident?"

"That's just it. It wasn't an accident. I would be willing to bet my career that they were behind it. Everything fits..."

Selphie nodded. "It does make sense. They've always held a grudge against Squall and Rinoa. I'm worried about her, though. I heard that she was in very critical condition."

"None of this is going to be solved here. Why don't we go visit Rinoa? We can get her account of the accident. Besides, I'm worried about her, too, as well as Squall. They guy's probably driving himself crazy with worry."

"I can just imagine! Okay Irvy, let's go. And let's pray to God that everything works out for them. They've already been through so much."

Irvine nodded sadly. "I know, Selphie. I know..."

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Pain...pulsing through her body, taking over her mind. The pain blinded her, numbed her senses, controlled her. There was nowhere to run, no place to escape to. The only thought on her mind was this horrific pain.

"Please," she whimpered, "Please stop. Stop hurting me! Just please...go away!"

No release. No comfort. The pain sliced through her body like a knife. She would do anything, anything, to stop this feeling.

"God, please, just stop! I can't take this!" A sudden image entered her head slowly, through the haze. "Squall..." she murmured. "Squall, help me!"

She heard a cackling in the distance. "Squall can't help you, Rinoa. No one can. It's almost a pity..."

Rinoa sat up straight, breathing heavily. She was once again in the world of the living. That dream...it was so real. It had only been a dream...or had it? Was her subconscious trying to get her to relive the horrible accident? The voice in the dream had sounded so familiar. However, just like before, she couldn't place who the voice belonged to. Looking around, she saw that she was alone. Where's Squall?

Just then, the door to her room opened and Squall walked in, followed by Irvine and Selphie. "Hey...did you just wake up?" Squall asked.

Rinoa nodded. "I had a dream...it was horrible. That voice was there again. I still can't place where I've heard it before!"

Irvine and Selphie looked at each other, confused. "Uh...voice?" Irvine asked.

Rinoa filled them in on the voice she had been hearing in her dreams. "I think it might be the person who did this to me."

"We'll find that out soon enough," Irvine assured her. "How are you doing? Squall told us about what the doctor said."

Rinoa hung her head. "I guess you know that I may never skate again, then."

Selphie shook her head. "We know that there's a chance that people in this situation may never skate again, but not you, Rinoa. You're not one to give up hope."

Rinoa smiled half-heartedly . "Thanks for the confidence, Selphie. I sure hope that you're right about this."

"Aren't I always right?" She grinned. "Anyway, Irvine and I are gonna get going. We'll come visit when you and Squall get settled."

Rinoa looked puzzled. "What do you mean?"

Squall shot Selphie a look. "Um, I just meant when you're feeling better. So take care of yourself, okay? Bye!"

"Yeah, take care of yourself, Rinoa," Irvine ordered. "We will skate against each other in the future." With a wink, he followed Selphie out the door.

Rinoa turned to Squall. "So, what were you up to today?"

Squall froze. "Who said I was up to something?"

"Well, you weren't here when I woke up and I can tell that you're hiding something from me. What is it?"

"Your father showed up here today."

"What did he want?"

"He basically told me to get out of your life because your accident was all my fault. He even went so far as to accuse me of attacking you."

Rinoa gasped. "He said that to you? Oh Squall, I'm so sorry!"

Squall shook his head. "Don't be. I really didn't take him too seriously."

Rinoa giggled. "So...what else are you hiding from me?"

Squall held up his hands in defeat. "You know me too well. I have some great news for you."

"Which is...?"

Squall's eyes twinkled in amusement. "How would you like to be out of here and on your way home tomorrow?"

"Really?!" Rinoa squealed. "I can go home?"

Squall nodded. "You can go home."

The smile on Rinoa's face faded just as suddenly as it had come. "Home...where is that exactly? All of my things are still at my father's house. I've been living in hotels for quite a while."

"Well, this should help you," Squall said as he handed her an envelope.

"What's this?" She asked confused.

"Why don't you open it?"

Rinoa obliged and opened the envelope. Inside, she found what appeared to be a house key. Puzzled, she looked to Squall for an explanation.

Squall grinned. "Dr. Kadowaki said you're going to need to take it easy. She also said that you're going to need someone to be around you all the time. So...I sold my apartment..."

"Why would you do that? Squall, you're not making any sense."

"...and bought us a condo in Deling City."

Rinoa stared at him in shock. "Are you serious?"

Squall nodded. "I mean, you don't have to move in with me if you don't want to. I guess I shouldn't have taken it for granted that you would actually want to live with me. I mean, I had to pull some strings to actually get the condo, and I just really wanted to surprise you and-"

"Squall?" She cut him off. "Shut up," she said as she kissed him.

They parted and Squall looked at her in surprise. "So you do want to live with me?"

Rinoa grinned. "Yes Squall...I want to live with you very much," and she kissed him again, just to prove how true those words really were.

~*~