Thief's Treasure
Chapter Three: Under the Boardwalk
By PasifiKStaR
*All Standard Disclaimers Apply - I do not own Final Fantasy or it's characters.
Squall's body was slammed up against his door as Seifer grabbed the collar of his jacket and kept him pinned there. Irvine and Zell were struggling to hold back the tall blond, but Seifer's fury seemed too strong as he shoved Squall against the wall. To make this worse, Squall didn't seem to be fighting back, just standing there and taking it.
"What did I tell you, puberty boy!?" Seifer hissed madly as Irvine and Zell grabbed his arms and pulled him back. "Didn't I tell you to stay the hell away from Rinoa!?"
"Seifer! What the hell's wrong with you!?" Irvine yelled as he held the man back. Seifer still struggled to hit Squall, who stood, leaning heavily against the wall as he rubbed the area around his neck that Seifer had grabbed earlier.
"It's not like she's your girlfriend or anything!" Zell shouted. He paused. "Is she!?"
"That's not the point!" Seifer shouted. "Just don't touch her, all right!"
"Seifer, stop it!" a voice snapped behind him. He whirled around and saw Quistis standing there. She shook her head, it had taken a few moments for her to realize what exactly Seifer was referring to before she ran after him. "That's enough."
"He's fucking paying you, man!" Irvine shouted. "Why are you trying to beat him up!?"
"Let him go, guys," Quistis told them calmly. "Seifer...come here." Irvine and Zell reluctantly let Seifer's arms go as he pulled away and walked towards Quistis. She moved in front of him, keep him from the other three young men.
"I'm going back on deck." Seifer hissed, disgusted as he turned around and walked back upstairs.
"What's his problem!?" Zell asked.
"Squall, I will tell you this once more," Quistis said as her blue eyes drilled into Squall's. "Stay away from Rinoa."
"You act as if I'm trying to glue myself on to her." Squall hissed bitterly as he fixed his fluffy collar.
"I've SEEN the way she looks at you," Quistis told him nervously. "Rinoa is a sweet, innocent girl and has no idea that she's drawing you in. Like a moth to a flame. If you get too close to her, you're going to be killed."
"What are you talking about!?" Irvine gasped.
Quistis' eyes darted over to theirs. She took a deep breath and just shook her head. "Rinoa doesn't remember this...but she was mugged...a few years ago. So when ever she is touched a certain way, she...looses control..."
"What do you mean?" Zell whispered.
"Obviously Squall can take care of himself if Rinoa starts hitting him or something," Irvine stated. "There shouldn't be a problem."
"I agree, Rinoa is harmless." Zell affirmed.
"Do you know what a sorceress is, Zell?" Quistis asked. Zell nodded.
"Yeah, but most sorceresses have dormant powers, right?" Zell asked. He looked at his friends. "We learned that at Balamb Garden."
"That's all well and good, Zell," Quistis stated. "But unfortunately, when the carrier looses control of their body, they also loose control of their powers. And their powers show."
"Rinoa's a...?" Irvine began. Quistis nodded.
"Will she be all right?" Zell asked quietly, the realization dawning on him.
Quistis shrugged. "I don't know," she whispered. "Just don't tell her about this. If she's going to remember, she has to remember on her own. I'm not going to force her. I don't know if she'll be ready or not."
Irvine and Zell nodded. Squall took a step forward. "What happens when her powers are released?"
Quistis was turning around and stopped. She placed her hand on the side of the wall and squinted as she looked at the deck below her feet. "A strong release of energy...that can kill people close enough to her." Quistis brought her hand back down and headed up the stairs to the deck.
Irvine frowned and looked at Squall. "Squall...you okay with this?"
"Why wouldn't I be?" Squall said as he tugged his door open. "It's not like I'm going to marry HER," He stepped inside and sent a glare towards Irvine and Zell. "Let's not forget why we're here. To get a dowry for Kadowaki's daughter." The door slammed.
The ship was parked in a small run down pier, far away from the larger, more extravagant ships. That's just the way they liked it. Seifer and Raijin had left as soon as they got on the docks to find some manual skilled jobs for extra cash. Quistis and Fujin went for supplies and Selphie was on watch at the deck.
Irvine and Zell rushed out to land and happily paraded around without the threat of sea sickness washing over them. Squall was still downstairs, in his room, drawing out a map of clues from what he had gathered. Quistis had supplied him with the research that had been left behind by the last party that hired them to take them to the islands. Although, technically they only arrived at the Island Closest to Hell as the party disappeared mysteriously.
From what Squall gathered, they had believed the treasure to be hidden deep within the heart of the islands. But something didn't just add up. Why would someone HIDE the treasure if it was LOST and supposedly washed up on the islands? With that train of thought, he came up with a conclusion. He believed that they were underwater.
Following the wave currents with his eyes as he traced it out on the map, he circled and area that might have been where the treasure had landed when it reached the island. Someone knocked on his door. As usual, he ignored it. The knocking continued.
"Squall," It was HER voice. "I know you're in there."
He ran his hand down his face and tiredly tossed the map had been studying on to the bed. He sat up and went to open the door. *Hyne...what does she want?*
Rinoa was standing there quietly, dressed in her usual day clothes as he opened the door. She smiled brightly. "How's your leg?" she asked with a warm smile.
"It's fine." He replied quickly, just as he had last night.
"We're going to be resting here for a few days," Rinoa said. She tilted her head to the side. "You want to go look around? The docks and stuff?"
"No."
"Oh..." She fidgeted nervously from foot to foot, trying to find something else to say. "Umm..."
Squall sighed and ran his hand through his thick, unruly brown hair. "I'll meet you up on deck in a few minutes."
"Really!?" she asked, her brown eyes wide and excited. He nodded and closed the door as soon as she turned around and raced up the narrow lower level corridor.
Squall leaned his forehead against the door and mentally swore. Seifer and Quistis would kill him if they knew about this. But it wasn't his fault. It was Rinoa's. She's the one who asked. After all, what if she was attacked again? No need to level the entire dock, right? He would be there for any damage control.
He groaned. *Sure...try and justify it any way you damn well please,* he thought to himself as he opened the closet and reached for his leather jacket. *The truth is you just want to be around her.*
He headed up to the main deck where Selphie was throwing a disc for Angelo to catch. "Hey, Squall!" she said cheerfully. "You guys want to take Angelo with you!?"
"Angelo, you want to come?" Rinoa asked as she knelt down and rubbed the dog's neck and kissed Angelo on the head. The dog whined and shook his head. "I guess you're shy then..."
Angelo barked and Rinoa giggled. "I'll watch him!" Selphie said. "He'll keep me company, huh, boy?"
Angelo barked once more and Squall shook his head. The only other person he knew who talked to animals like that was his father. Without thinking he spoke. "My father has a cat," he stated suddenly. The two girls looked up at him, surprised he had shared something like that. *Why the hell did I say that?*
Rinoa smiled. "Ooh! What kind!?"
"I don't know," he shrugged. "A brown one with blue eyes."
"Hey, like you!" Selphie piped up. Squall mentally swore once more. Yet another person had pointed out that Laguna's cat had his features. "What's his name?"
He swore once more. "Squally-poo..."
Rinoa and Selphie looked at each other and started laughing. "That's so cute!" Rinoa said. She looked at Angelo. "We should go visit and meet Squally-poo, huh, Angelo?"
The dog snorted and growled bitterly. Selphie and Rinoa immediately went to sooth him, telling him that he'd always be the favorite pet. Squall began to wonder if Selphie wasn't all there either.
"Okay, well you guys should get going!" Selphie said. "Seifer might be working all through tonight, so we're having a get your own dinner night."
"Sounds good to me," Rinoa nodded. "C'mon, Squall!" She looped her arm in his and dragged him down the plank. "See you later, Selphie!!"
"Bye!!" Selphie waved and leaned over the railing. She smiled as she watched them go. Angelo went up on his hind legs and put his forepaws on the railing. "I don't care what Seifer and Quisty say. Squall might help Rin get over her sickness."
Once more, the dog barked in agreement.
"Why did you pick here of all places to dock?" Squall asked as he looked around. Further up the dock, it wasn't anything like the shady area where they had docked the ship. It was filled with people and booths and small stores. With little amusement park rides, it was more of a tourist attraction than a place sailors went to port.
"Because of THAT!" Rinoa pointed to the roller coaster in the distance and Squall's eyes went large. "There aren't a lot of ports like this so we try to frequent it regularly," Rinoa explained. "You never know when they'll close the boardwalk down, so we try to make the most out of it."
Squall looked back behind them. That area had been designed for a fish market. He was sure he had seen Seifer and Raijin carrying around blocks of ice through the area as vendors yelled out for people to come and buy fresh fish. Before that, was the seedy section of the docks where they had docked the ship. That was the area of whore houses, bars, and gambling halls.
He felt a tug on his arm and he turned. "What?"
"Let's ride it!" she told him energetically as she pulled him towards the wooden coaster. "You're not scared are you?"
"No!" he said confidently. He grabbed her hand. "Let's go!" Rinoa blushed and nodded as they weaved through the crowds.
They passed by a hot dog stand were a familiar blond was purchasing one with 'everything' on it. Just as they handed him the hot dog, he turned around and saw two brunettes rushing past him. "Squall? Rinoa?"
They mingled into the crowd and disappeared from his sight. He shrugged. Irvine was sitting on a bench drinking soda. "Did you see them!?"
"Yeah!" Zell said as he approached his friend. "Where do you think they're going?"
Irvine grinned and pointed towards the roller coaster. "Want to go?" Zell grinned.
"Hell yeah!"
Rinoa and Squall slipped through the gates and stood in line for the coaster. Rinoa looked exited and Squall smiled slightly. Her hand still held his. "Quistis never goes on these things," Rinoa sighed. "Selphie does, but she always wants to ride at the end and I like the middle."
"What about the others?" Squall asked.
Rinoa sighed and rolled her eyes. "Seifer screams too loud! And he swears when there's a drop. It's not good for the kids riding it," Rinoa explained. "Fujin rides it, but she is kind of stoic with things like this and Raijin can't stop talking."
Squall grinned. He could see all of that happening. "Every time I ride on these with Zell, he ends up getting sick...usually because he ate just before we got on the ride."
"What about Irvine?"
"He rarely goes on rides," Squall explained. "Too busy flirting."
Rinoa giggled. "That's so Irvine," Rinoa looked at Squall. "You know, Selphie kind of likes him," He raised an eyebrow in question and she continued. "Well, at least his butt."
"What about you?"
"Me?" Rinoa asked. She thought for a second. "I'm more a face person...smiles mostly, but I love eyes," she said. She smiled at him. "Blue's my favorite color."
"Brown is fast becoming mine," he told her quietly. Rinoa blushed as they were urged to take a step forward by the person in charge. They would be seated next. He liked it when she blushed. Her eyes would divert themselves and her face with turn red. "So you want to sit on the inside or outside?"
"Either one." she murmured. They got into one of the middle rows.
"Do you see them!?" Zell asked as he looked over the people's heads. "Oh, shoot! They're already on the ride!"
"Leave it to me," Irvine said. He leaned forward to the women in front of him. "Ladies, do you mind letting me go first? I promise I'll make it up to you," He winked and the girls giggled, letting him and Zell pass to be next up. Irvine tapped the shoulder of the young woman in front of him. "Hey, there..." he grinned. Zell rolled his eyes.
At any rate, they managed to sneak to the back of the coaster and get buckled in. The roller coaster started to move and Zell looked around. "Hey...we're at the end..."
"Yeah, it was the last one."
"I don't want to be at the end."
"Deal with it! We're on this thing so we can spy on Rinoa and Squall," Irvine said. *Selphie will want to know the details...* He looked over the people's head as Rinoa told Squall to hang on. He smiled and nodded. "Did you see that!? He SMILED!"
"See what?"
"Weren't you paying attention?" Irvine snapped.
"There's a corn dog stand over there," Zell said as he pointed below. The coaster was climbing it's first peak. "I was thinking that I haven't had one in a while, so I should go get one."
Irvine stared at him. "Just watch them!" Irvine sighed. Zell shrugged and looked up ahead.
His eyes went wide as he saw the steep drop. "Oh crap."
"AHHH!!!!!"
"Raise your arms!" Rinoa shouted as hers flew in the air. Squall looked over at her and watched as she screamed. Her hair flew all around her face as her arms swung in the air.
Squall reluctantly raised his arms for the second drop and allowed his eyes to widen and loose himself in the ride as they plummeted. Before long, he was into the ride, yelling and screaming with the best of them as he sat there a belt around his waist holding him down. At the end of the ride, they stumbled out, arms draped around each other as they laughed.
"That was pretty good!" Squall said as Rinoa leaned against him for support.
"We should ride it again later!" Rinoa agreed. "Now what?"
They looked at each other. Squall grinned. "How do you feel about spinning rides?"
"I'm there!" Rinoa nodded. Squall took her hand and lead her out of the coaster's area.
Zell stumbled outside and looked around frantically. Irvine sighed. *This always happens...* he thought to himself. Zell pointed to a bathroom and ran off. *He always gets sick...* The cowboy shook his head and turned just in time to see Rinoa and Squall fly out of the gates and towards another ride. "Damn, he's fast..."
"Hey, cowboy!" a voice called behind him. Irvine turned around and smirked. Two girls who he had cut in front of earlier were standing there waiting for him. He sighed happily.
*Oh the sacrifices I make...* he grinned as he approached them and put one arm around each shoulder. "Shall we ladies?"
Zell came out of the bathroom just as he saw Irvine leave with a woman in either arm. He sighed. *I guess tailing the happy couple is up to me...* He turned around and saw the corn dog stand. *Oh, screw it.*
Squall brought the bar down over their laps as Rinoa gripped the handle in front of her. She smiled with anticipation as the ride began to start. "I have an idea!" she exclaimed. "Let's ride ALL the rides!"
Squall chuckled. "Are you sure you're up for it?"
"Don't tell me you can't handle it," Rinoa said, raising an eyebrow in question. "You graduated as a SeeD, didn't you?"
"Well riding carnival rides wasn't part of my training," he told her. Rinoa giggled and he glanced down at her. *Hyne, Rinoa...*
"Whoo-hoo! Here we go!" she shouted. She smiled brightly as the machine began to turn. It sped up, turning faster and faster until they were pasted to the back of the cart they were riding in.
Afterwards, they stumbled out, Rinoa was a little dizzy, but that passed quickly. She then dragged him to the haunted house. As they sat there in a little cart, Squall put his arm around Rinoa's shoulders. It seemed that all haunted houses were blasted with air conditioning. She didn't seem to dislike the fact that he was holding her.
*Shit...if Quistis and Seifer saw this...* he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. *Like a moth to a flame...*
Once they got off the haunted house, Rinoa asked if he was hungry. He shook his head, but she won out and they headed towards a stand to buy some food. Rinoa stood aside and saved them a table was Squall ordered them food.
"Rinoa!" a voice shouted. The brunette turned around and smiled as she waved at two approaching women.
"Fujin! Quisty! What are you doing here?" Rinoa asked. They were both holding bags. It seemed that they had just headed from the shopping district.
"We went to get supplies," Quistis said with a smile. "What are you doing here?"
"I was getting bored on the ship so I came over here," Rinoa answered. "Selphie didn't feel like leaving so I brought Squall with me."
"Squall's here, too?" Quistis asked. She cast a worried look over at Fujin.
"He's buying food," Rinoa told them. "We're going to ride all the rides!"
Fujin smiled. "Sounds fun."
Quistis finally caught sight of the brunette walking towards them holding a tray of food. He merely acknowledged her with a nod. "Rinoa made me come," he said as he passed her. "Here's lunch."
"Great!" Rinoa smiled. He placed the tray in front of her and she began to attack the fries. "You guys want some?" Fujin shook her head.
"No thank you," Quistis said. She smiled weakly as Squall sat across from Rinoa and reached for a burger. "Well... we have to get going. Have fun."
Rinoa nodded and waved as Quistis and Fujin turned around. Squall wondered if Rinoa caught the glare that Quistis shot him. He was blatantly ignoring her orders and rather than steer clear of the sorceress, he was growing more attached. "Whoa, look that!" Rinoa pointed to a young woman lugging around a huge white bear. " I wonder where they got that?"
"Probably one of those games," he mumbled. *Oh crap...does she want one?* He looked up at her as she bit into a sandwich, her eyes still looking over at the huge bear. "You want one?"
"Huh?" Rinoa turned around and looked at Squall. She smiled. "Kind of..." she shrugged. "But those games are rigged. The chance of winning one is one in a million."
Squall nodded in agreement and ate his hamburger. "You can waste a lot of money on them." Silence went between them as they ate. She reached for her soda and took a drink as Squall finished off the rest of his hamburger. He threw their trash away and then they headed towards another ride.
"That's where they got the bear!" Rinoa piped as she stopped. Squall turned around and looked over. It was one of those games where he had to put a wooden ring around the neck of a glass bottle.
"Hyne, no one ever wins that those things..." Squall sighed.
"Yeah...I guess you're right..." Rinoa shrugged. "One in a million, right?" Squall watched as she walked past him, looking disappointed.
*Dammit...* He walked over to the carnie. "Five rings," Squall told him. Rinoa turned around, surprised as Squall took five wooden rings into his hand. "You watching?" he asked, looking over his shoulder.
Rinoa giggled and nodded as she stood behind him. "Good luck!"
"Yeah, sure..." He tossed the first one and it bounced off. He held the second on. "Okay...next one..."
The same thing happened and Rinoa laughed. "You suck!"
"I'd like to see you try." he snorted.
"Watch me!" she said. She took two rings from his hand and tossed them. They fell between the bottles and Squall smirked.
"Oh yeah...you're so skilled."
"Shut up..." she frowned.
"Last one," Squall said he lifted up the last ring. "Guess we're not going to make it." He turned around and tossed it over his shoulder. Rinoa sighed and nodded.
"WINNER!"
"What?" Rinoa and Squall both whirled around and sure enough, their ring had made it's way to the glass bottle. Rinoa let out a shout of glee as she jumped up. "Yay!! We won!!"
"Which bear do you want, miss?" the carnie with the red, spiked up hair asked. "The brown one or the white one, ya?"
"Umm..." Rinoa looked over the two human sized bears. The brown one had a red ribbon and the white one had a blue ribbon. She wanted the brown one, but she also wanted the blue ribbon. *Hard choice...*
"How much for a brown one with a blue ribbon?" Squall asked. Rinoa turned to him sharply.
*Is he reading my mind?*
"I'm sorry, ya," the carnie chuckled sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his neck. "We can't do that-"
"Fifty gil," Squall stated as he placed the money on the counter. "Switch ribbons."
"Squall, that's okay," Rinoa assured him. "I'll just take the brown one."
"With the blue ribbon," Squall added. He glared dangerously at the man who nervously grabbed the large brown bear and switched the ribbon around it's neck with a blue one. "Thanks."
He took the bear and handed it to Rinoa, who blushed furiously as she hugged the massive stuffed animal. "Thank you!" Rinoa said. She snuggled her head against it and smiled.
"Might as well get the one you want, right?" Squall shrugged. Rinoa nodded and studied the stuffed animal.
"I'll name him..." Rinoa thought for a moment. "Oh! I know! I'll name him Squally-poo!"
Squall began to choke in mid breath and looked at her. "WHY!?" he gasped. Rinoa merely smiled and hugged the bear tighter.
"It's a cute name!" she exclaimed. "Squally-poo..."
Squall ran his hand down his face. *I really regret winning it now...*
"Uh-oh..." Rinoa stopped in her tracks. "How are we going to ride the rides now? We can't just LEAVE or bring Squally-poo."
"Squally-poo?" a voice said behind them. They turned around and Rinoa peeked out from behind the massive bear she was carrying. Irvine scratched his head. "You're talking about Laguna's cat?"
"Hey, Irvine!" Rinoa grinned. "Squally-poo is the name of my bear. Squall won him for me."
Irvine looked over at Squall. *He won her a stuffed animal...oh, this is serious...* "Oh, really..." Squall sent him a glare.
"Hey, Irvine are you going to ride any rides?" Rinoa said. Irvine shook his head. "Great!" She pushed Squally-poo into his arms. "Take Squally-poo back to the ship, okay? We're going to ride rides! Bye!"
She grabbed Squall's hand and dragged him away before Irvine had a chance to protest. Irvine's mouth dropped as he was left standing there with a large brown bear in his hands. "Yo, Irvine!" Zell approached him and took a step back. "Where'd you get the bear?"
"It belongs to Rinoa," Irvine said. He smiled. "They said to tell you to bring it up to the ship for them."
Zell raised an eyebrow. "Nice try, man, but you're on your own."
"Damn."
"This has been a fun day," Rinoa said as she sat on the beach in front of the boardwalk. Squall sat next to her. "Thanks for coming with me."
"It was fun," he agreed with a shrug of his shoulders. She was leaning back against her arms as the sun set in the distance. "We should head back soon."
"We still have to get dinner."
"We'll grab a hot dog or something on the way back." he shrugged. Rinoa nodded.
"Hey, Squall," Rinoa said as they sat there. "Why are you here? I mean...you know...on this treasure hunt?"
He shrugged. "Just because."
"There has to be a reason," Rinoa said. She looked over at him, the sun dancing across her pale face. "I mean...you're a Leonheart...that's a pretty powerful family."
He shrugged once more. "Maybe I'm just greedy."
"I don't think you are," Rinoa said. She looked back at the sunset. "You don't SEEM greedy anyway."
*I can't tell her the official reason why I'm here...* Squall's mind told him. *Hyne, she'll back away from you completely! But shouldn't you be backing away from her...? You have a marriage ready and waiting for you!* He looked over as Rinoa as the sea breeze went through her dark hair.
"Let me guess," Rinoa began. She looked thoughtful as she sat there. "You just wanted to escape your family for a while?"
Squall smirked. "Good guess."
"I'm right?" she asked, surprised.
"Yes," Squall answered. He looked over at her. "It's confining there." Rinoa smiled sadly and nodded in agreement.
"The rules...the formality," she whispered quietly as she looked back the sunset. "The pain..." Her eyes narrowed slightly and for a few moments, he was sure he had lost her to her thoughts.
"I saw the picture on your desk," Squall said as he turned his head away. "The one with you, Quistis, and Selphie..."
"Oh..." Rinoa trailed off. "Yeah..."
"I also saw a small family portrait," Squall said. He looked over at her. Her face seemed to drain in all color. "So now you tell me. What are YOU doing HERE?"
Irvine dumped the huge bear into Rinoa's room and glared at it. He had gotten so many stares as he walked down the docks carrying that horrendous thing. It had gotten especially weird when he passed the shady part of the docks. Other men were snickering as he pointed at him. Selphie had run down to greet him and squealed at the sight of the bear.
"I can't believe they won one of these things!" Selphie exclaimed. "The chances of them actually getting one is so small!"
"Yeah, well, they got one," Irvine grumbled. "AND made me bring it back so they could ride some more rides."
"Irvy..." Selphie said, making a pouting face as she stood at the door way of the room. "Will you get me a bear, too...?"
"Selphie..." he sighed pitifully. "The chances of getting one are so small...who knows how much Squall spent getting this for Rinoa."
Selphie thought and nodded. She smiled. "Okay! Then I'll get one tomorrow!" Irvine grinned.
"How about we both try?"
"Sounds good to me!" Selphie said.
"Have Rinoa and Squall returned yet?" a voice asked behind them. They turned around and saw Quistis walking towards them.
"Nope! Why?" Selphie asked.
"Because Seifer will be fuming if he finds out that Squall's running around with Rinoa," Quistis sighed. "You know how protective he gets."
"Oh boy..." Selphie mumbled. She looked at Irvine. "Where did you last see them?"
"It was a while ago-"
"We have to find them before Seifer does!" Selphie explained. "Quisty, cover the ship!"
"All right. Hurry up!" Quistis said.
Selphie let out a whistle. "Angelo! C'mon boy!" The furry dog rushed over and wagged his tail. "We have to go find your mommy!"
"Same reason as you," Rinoa answered as she looked away. "To get away from my family."
Squall narrowed his eyes in suspicion. "By why on a ship?"
"The ship can take me wherever I want," Rinoa sighed. "I'm not bound stay in once place. I have a home on that ship and I can take it anywhere with me."
"Do you ever plan on returning?" Squall asked. Rinoa shook her head.
"I don't know," she whispered. "Sometimes, though, I don't want to ever return. Quistis is happy on the ship. Selphie loves traveling. This is a sort of freedom we never had back home."
"You're from a powerful family, aren't you?" Squall asked. "Your father wore the suit of a general."
Rinoa nodded. "I'd rather not talk about it, Squall," she said. "My father...we left on bad terms."
"Does your family want you to return?" he whispered.
"Yeah..." Rinoa mumbled. "It's not often a sorceress is born into a family..." She looked over at him, knowing he already knew. "I'm sure they told you by now."
"That doesn't matter," Squall asserted. "Don't they want you to return...just for being you?"
Rinoa let out a bitter laugh and shook her head. "Hyne, I wish!" she exclaimed bitterly. "I'm a pawn, Squall. That's all I'll ever be to them. Nothing more than a tool to use to gain an advantage."
"I think that every child born into a family like ours is a pawn," Squall agreed. He turned back and looked at the board walk. It was now completely lit up as darkness consumed the area. He could make out many people walking around it at night. "I envy the masses..."
Rinoa nodded and smiled slightly. "Love is a commodity only afforded by the poor," she sighed. "If I could be anyone, I'd be like Fujin or Seifer or Raijin. They don't have to worry about the pressures of social hierarchy or keeping a facade or arranged marriages. They're free spirits..."
"You're a free spirit," Squall commented. "You go where you want to go."
"I also have to avoid certain places," Rinoa added. "It's not as fun as it seems."
"Nothing ever is."
Rinoa grinned. "The roller coaster was," He smirked. As he turned to look at her once more, he heard barking. Rinoa sat up straight. "Angelo?" she asked, looking around. In the distance, she saw a dog running towards and turned to sit on her knees. "Angelo! Here boy!"
The dog bounded towards her and licked her face as he approached. He nudged Squall's shoulder before he licked Squall's face. The brunette tried to turn his head away, but Angelo still got him. Rinoa giggled. "What is he doing off the ship?" Squall grumbled Angelo stood beside him. He stood up to escape the dog.
Rinoa stood up and heard someone yelling. "Oh...they must've come to find us," she said as she saw Selphie running over the sand with Irvine behind her. "Hi!"
"You better get back on the boat before Seifer finds out that you're with Squall!" Selphie gasped out quickly.
Rinoa frowned. "What do you mean?" she asked, annoyed. "What difference does it make that I'm with Squall?"
"You KNOW how he is, Rin," Selphie began. "He's worried about you."
Rinoa narrowed her eyes. "No!" she said stubbornly. "I'm not going to go yet."
"But, Rin-" Selphie began, Rinoa shook her head.
"We still have to get dinner."
"We can get it on the way back," Squall said. "Let's go."
"Wait! Why do we have to listen to Seifer!?" Rinoa shouted.
"Because I'm just worried about you!" a voice growled. Rinoa froze. Slowly she turned around and saw Seifer standing there.
"Rinoa," Quistis said behind Seifer. She looked extremely concerned. "Your powers..."
"I know, I know..." Rinoa let out a deep breath. "It's not MY fault I was born with them..." she whispered. "It's like I'm being punished."
"We're not trying to punish you, honey," Quistis assured her softly. "We just want what's best for you."
Selphie bit her lip and shook her head as Quistis said that. Immediately, the tall blond female regretted what she said. Rinoa glared at her. "You are NOT my father!" she shouted. "You are supposed to be my FRIEND!"
"Rinoa!" Quistis called as the girl turned and ran. Seifer ran after her and she turned around. A screaming match began.
The group stood there as Seifer and Rinoa screamed at each other. "It's none of your business anyway!" Rinoa screamed.
"If we all die, I'll make it my business!"
"You're treating me like I'm sort of animal that has to be caged!" Rinoa shouted back. She was in tears. "I hate you, Seifer!"
Whirling around, she ran up the rest of the way and towards the boardwalk. Angelo ran after her, as Selphie and Quistis darted after him. Seifer let out a deep breath. *Hyne, she's so stubborn...*
Squall looked at Irvine. "I'm going to go for a walk."
"Squall..." Irvine trialed off and sighed as the young man walked down to the edge of the water. He turned around and saw Seifer heading back up to the board walk.
It was getting late and Squall looked around the vacant boardwalk. Only a few people were left behind, mostly those closing up their booths. As he walked, he wondered about Rinoa. Is that why they had told him not to get close to her? Because she was a sorceress and therefore dangerous? It didn't make sense.
It seemed that everyone else was able to get close. He even noticed how close she got to Zell and Irvine, yet he didn't hear Seifer or Quistis giving them any warnings. Then Quistis' words came to haunt him. He was drawn to her, like she said. A simple look on her face could make him happy or sad.
He shoved his hands in his pocket. He shouldn't even be getting close to her in the first place. He felt something in his pocket and lifted up a small strip of paper. His eyes squinted as he recognized the five snap shots of him and Rinoa in a photo booth. She had wanted to 'remember the day'.
He smiled thoughtfully. She had pulled him into a booth and paid. The first picture had him frowning and her smiling. The second picture also had him frowning, but this time, she was frowning, too. She had been trying to imitate him. The third picture was him caught in mid sentence as she laughed. The forth one had been memorable as she sat on his lap and kissed his cheek. He carried a surprised look on his face.
He had to remember to give Rinoa that one since she announced that she wanted that particular picture. The last one was a good picture of them both. They were smiling at the camera and he hand his arms around her as she pressed her head against his. He would keep that one for himself.
"I saw you today walking with the sorceress." a voice said behind him. Squall immediately shoved the picture in his pocket and whirled around.
"Who the hell-"
"I advise you to keep your distance from her," the voice said. Squall turned around. He was sure that voice didn't belong to Seifer. It was deep and refined. "Her last tryst ended up dead."
"Who are you!?" Squall growled. He caught something move from the corner of his eye. Someone was in the shadows of an alley to his right. He quickly ran after it. "How do you know who she is!?"
He caught a glimpse of red and black disappear into the alley as he reached it. His eyes narrowed. He didn't care what Rinoa was. Rinoa was Rinoa and that's all that mattered to him.
Rinoa snuggled into Squally-poo as she brought her blanket up to her chest and buried her head in her knees. She sniffled. *How could they treat me like this? It was like I have to be watched at all times! What did they think I'm going to do? Explode?*
She rubbed her eyes and looked at the clock. It was midnight. The others had returned and were probably in bed by now. Every now and then, she would see a light pass by her door. Probably someone doing their rounds. Angelo slept at the foot of her bed. In the darkness, she looked up.
There was a gentle tapping on window by her desk. Narrowing her eyes, she slid off the bed and headed over. She pulled the curtains aside and gasped. "Squall!?"
"Shh..." he whispered. He was hanging from a rope that was probably tied to the upper level's railing. "Can I come in?"
Rinoa nodded and stepped aside, reaching out to help him as he shimmied through the window and on to her desk. "What are you doing?"
"Are you all right?" he whispered quietly. Rinoa nodded slowly.
"I'm okay..."
He narrowed his eyes and gently cupped her face in his hand. "No you're not..." he told her intently.
Rinoa sniffled and wiped her eyes. "I know they love me," she stammered. "But they keep me caged up all the time and make me feel like I'm some animal at the zoo!"
Slowly, she leaned forward, putting her body against Squall's. *Hug her!* his mind screamed. Hesitantly, his arms encircled her. One his arms were secure around her, he tightened his hold and relished the feel of her body in his arms.
"I can't be dormant forever," she whispered. "I don't want to hurt people."
"I know..."
Rinoa pressed her forehead against his chin and slowly trailed her nose up to touch his. Her lips parted slowly as her down cast eyes briefly looked up to meet his. Her eyes closed as her lips went around his lower lip and gently tugged in. Squall closed his eyes and lowered his head, pressing his lips against her full pink ones.
Her hands went up and placed themselves against his shoulder as her palms roamed over his shoulder and down his back. Squall's right hand went to the small of her back, keeping her against him as his left hand gently stroked her upper right arm.
Something warm slipped into her mouth and coaxed hers to play with it. She leaned upwards, trying to be closer to him as his stray hairs tickled her cheeks. She took a step back and gasped as she fell backwards on to her bed, bringing Squall with her.
Unperturbed, his lips remained on hers before trailing down the side of her face and down her neck. She smiled as the feeling of warmth washed over her. His hands ran up the length of her arms and moved her hands up over her head. He kissed her shoulder. Suddenly her body grew stiff. Her chocolate eyes suddenly flashed open.
"Let me go!"
"Just enjoy it!"
"Please stop! You're hurting me!"
The pressure was on her wrists. She could feel her legs being pulled open as her breathing grew shallow. She struggled to keep them closed, although in reality there was no need. At the sign of tension, Squall immediately pulled away. "Rinoa?" he asked gently.
She laid on the bed, her eyes wide open as tears poured from them. She was shaking and looking around wildly. Her eyes finally settled on the concerned young man standing over her. His rich blue eyes looked down at her softly. "I..." she gasped out. "I'm...so...sor... sorry..." she stammered out in broken sobs.
"Rinoa, what's wrong?" Squall asked, now very worried. He reached towards her and she pulled back. She quickly scrambled to her knees on the bed and crawled backwards. She pushed herself up against her new stuffed animal and wrapped her arms around herself.
"I'm...I'm sick..." she stammered.
"Do you need medicine?" Squall asked dumbly as he tried to study her. "Do you need anything at all, Rinoa? Just tell me-"
"No!" she gasped. She shook her head wildly. "I'm not sick sick..." she tried to explain behind her tears. Her knees were now pulled up to her chest. Rinoa raised her hand and tapped her index finger on her head. "I'm sick in here..."
"Rinoa..."
"Please go, Squall..." she whispered quietly. She turned her head away sharply. "I'm sorry..."
Squall slid off the bed and looked at her concerned. "I'm sorry if I hurt you..." he whispered. He quickly climbed out the window and grabbed the rope. Rinoa closed her eyes and put her face between her knees.
It had almost happened again.