Author's WARNING:: This chapter is only going to be half its length (the size of the original chapters). I'm getting tired of writing so much... it feels rushed. So I'm gonna take my time. Thank you.
By the By... After lots of bitching from people, there will be no yaoi... I wanted to add implied yaoi jokes, but that's not gonna happen anymore, lol. Oh well, Squall and Rinoa should be getting together soon... if all is according to plan. Isn't that right, Mr. Snoobles? MWHAHA!
Chapter SIX
*
Rinoa woke the next morning to the sound of soft sprinkling on her window sill. She adjusted her eyes to the dark and looked to her clock. It read 3:00 am. She sighed in disgust but sat up anyways. She rubbed her eyes, trying to get them to focus. Once they were she stood, her bear feet soft against the carpet. She walked to the window and opened the blinds. It was raining, just as she had expected. She groaned. She hated rain and she hated the early morning.
She threw herself down onto her bed with a rare scowl. She sighed and looked around her room for something to do. Her eyes rested on her computer. She smiled as a thought came to her. She stood once more and turned her computer on. She clicked on Word Processor and began to type.
"Dear Diary..." She began in a light whisper....
"Rinoa..." Squall sighed romantically. He felt silly thinking this way, like a hopeless romantic who's just fallen for someone. He was lying down on his bed in his night clothes as he dangled a red rose above his nose, smelling it occasionally. The rain continued outside and he found it relaxing as it began to pound harder and harder against the rooftop.
'I wonder what Zell would say if I told him... or Irvine... or anyone.' He wondered as he turned over on his side, towards the wall. 'They'd think I'm stupid. Probably because I am. She would never go out with me... even though we technically already did... but that didn't count. I got to kiss her, that should be good enough. Nida said we looked like a real couple when we did it, to. What does Nida know? But... I want more from her. I want to hold her hand. Be with her. Hold her when she's scared. Protect her when she's picked on. Anything... say the word and I'll do it Rinoa. I'd do anything... just be with me.' He thought desperately. Snapping from his thoughts as he thunder crash he sat up.
"What am I thinking?" Squall whispered harshly to himself as he smacked the rose off his bed and onto the floor. "God... I feel so stupid." He said. He hated himself for feeling like this. Feeling so desperate. He wanted to hurt himself... to bring him back to reality. He clenched his bed sheets tightly and squeezed his eyes shut. "I hate myself." He whispered. He wheezed as tears began to fall. "Don't be so melodramatic you piece of shit." He whispered harshly to himself. He grabbed a pair of scissors and clenched it in his hand.
'Don't over react...' He whispered silently to himself, trying to ease himself.
He opened the scissors and cut the top of his hand, creating a short gash across it.
"Oh fuck... that was stupid, that was stupid, that was stupid, that was stupid, that was stupid, that was stupid." He mumbled as he held his bleeding hand. "You're such a shit." He cried to himself as he ran out of his room and to the bathroom. He let go of his bleeding hand and turned the cold water on. As he lifted his hand away from the faucet he saw all the blood. "So stupid." He mumbled, shaking his head as he placed his hand under the water, letting the blood poor. His hand was trembling, he was scared. "Crazy in love." He mumbled...
Chapter SIX: The Hybrid Rainbows Pt.2 // And The Importance of Communication Is...
"Good morning Squall." Selphie squealed with delight as she sat down next to him on the bus.
"Where's Rinoa?" He asked, not paying much attention.
"Hello to you to." Selphie mocked.
"Sorry." He apologized.
"It's okay. We know you're madly in love with her." She said with a smile.
"What!?" He blurted out. "Who said that!?" He yelled, becoming panicked.
"It was a joke." Selphie said coolly. "Chill." She demanded. Squall sighed in annoyance.
"Whatever." He said shaking his head. Selphie looked around the bus, everyone was staring at them. She giggled and shooed them away with a flick of her hand.
"Man, you're a problem tripper." Selphie told him with a low whisper.
"What does that mean?" He asked, totally perplexed.
"You start problems in the worst situations." She told him as she turned away from him and to her bag as she began to shuffle through it.
"I didn't start a problem." Squall reminded her as he waved the back of his hand on her face.
"Everyone was- What happened!?" Selphie squealed, interrupting herself as she grabbed his hand and looked at the mark.
"I just cut myself." He told her. He wasn't lying, but it felt like he was. He wanted to tell her that he was so crazy for Rinoa he had cut himself. But then he would sound insane.
"How?" She asked, curiously as she examined it thoroughly like a nurse would do.
"With scissors." Squall tried explain hurriedly.
"Ouch... Looks like it hurt. Did it?" Selphie asked, concerned as she looked him in the eyes. He only stared back. He found himself lost in her eyes... he wanted to reach out and hold her. She reminded him so much of Rinoa. He wanted Selphie to be Rinoa at that very moment. The way she touched him... the way she looked at him. The care in her touch. The purity in her eyes.
"What?" Selphie asked, a bit offended.
"Oh sorry. Nothing." Squall apologized with a blush. Selphie just continued to stare at him, concerned and confused.
"Greetings Selphie." A robotic feminine voice said above them. The two looked up and found Quistis staring down at them.
"Oh hello Quisty!" Selphie greeted with a big smile.
"Hi." Squall greeted.
"Good day, Squall." She said.
"Quistis has been acting really creepy lately. What the hell is her problem?" Selphie whispered to Squall as Quistis took a seat across from them. Squall found a pang of guilt stab through him. He knew Rinoa and him had caused that bizarre behavior.
"Me no know." Squall answered stupidly, shrugging. Selphie gave him an estranged look. Squall just smiled. She rolled her eyes and looked away. 'What's so traumatizing about us kissing? Well, it is kind of strange... we've only known each other, what... two weeks? Oh well. Her problem.' Squall concluded. He turned to Quistis, curious to see what she was doing in her robot-stasis. She was looking right at him. He cringed and became shifty eyed. He felt uncomfortable as she continued to stare at him. It's like she was staring right through him. She really WAS a robot. Freaky.
"Your wife's here." Selphie whispered to Squall. He gave a confused look then found that she was looking at Rinoa who was walking down the bus's aisle.
"She's not my wife. Go have sex with Zell." Squall whispered back, fiercely.
"I'd love to. Zell's not ready." Selphie shot back with an evil smirk. Squall turned to her in shock and she laughed evilly, quietly.
"I hate you." Squall whispered to her and turned to the approaching Rinoa. "Hey Rinoa!" Squall greeted with a wave of his hand.
"Stuff it, ass!" Rinoa commanded darkly as she took a seat behind them.
"OOHHH!!! You were told!" Selphie cried, muffling her voice with a hand over her mouth. "Dis!" She cried again with a laugh. Squall just stared at Selphie, blanked faced then kicked her book bag out into the aisle, sending it down to the front of the bus. "Bitch." Selphie cursed as she walked to the front to get it, while receiving scolding from the driver.
Squall laughed and as he was about to turn around to Rinoa but Quistis caught his eye again. She was still staring.
"What!?" He cried. "Is there something on my face?" He asked, rubbing his face frantically. She kept staring. "Everyone's out to get me." Squall mumbled as he turned around to the seat behind him. Rinoa sat there, a sour look on her face as she held her stomach. "Hey Rin." He greeted cheerfully, hoping a negative comment wasn't going to smack him in the face.
"What?" She asked, sounding frustrated.
"Umm... How are you?" He asked, not sure what to say.
"Crappy. Piss off." She commanded as she looked away.
"pms..." Squall mumbled as he was going to turn back around but before he could, her hands latched onto his face, her nails digging into his cheeks and forehead.
"What did you just say?" Rinoa asked demonically. Squall just laughed nervously, afraid to answer... until he felt her nails dig deeper into his flesh.
"Nothing!" He cried, lying.
"Thought so." She said rudely as she tossed him back into his seat. Squall was scared, very scared. Selphie arrived just in time to see him get thrown into the seat. He was wedged deeply into the crack of the seat with a shocked look on his face.
"What did you say this time?" Selphie asked in a whisper as she sat down next to his uncomfortable body.
"I just said hi." He confessed, totally amazed she would do that.
"Pms." Selphie told him in the quietest of whispers.
"Thought so." He whispered back. The bus came to a stop and Selphie looked out the window. They had arrived at school.
"School!" She cried with joy. She stood and grabbed Squall's hands and tried to pull him out from his imprisonment.
"Out of the way." Rinoa's voice came from behind Selphie. Selphie felt a tough shove from the small of her back and she fell into the seat with a little bump.
"Yeah... it's pms." Selphie agreed with herself to Squall. They both laughed as Squall was finally released...
"We've called this meeting to order for two reasons." Zell began from the head of the 'Hybrid Rainbows Fortress'. "Reason one: What the hell is this play about? And Reason Two: Who's performing?" Zell began looking to them.
"I vote for me and Rinoa to be actresses as we have no real value otherwise." Selphie noted as she stood from her desk.
"Rinoa?" Zell asked, looking to her.
"Why the - fucking bitch goddamn cock screw monkeys shit - would I mind!?" Rinoa screamed from her seat. Everyone stared on in horror, their mouths gaping.
"I have the perfect costume design for Rinoa!" Nida cried with joy as he held up a picture. It was of Rinoa in a very smutty, evil looking costume mangling Selphie, Zell, Nida and Squall as she cackled.
"DIE!!" Rinoa screamed, jumping from her desk and tackling him, tipping his desk over in the process.
"Rinoa!!" Zell screamed, frustrated. She immediately stopped chewing on Nida's neck and looked to Zell. "That's quite enough from you. Take a seat." He demanded. She let go of Nida's flesh, got off him and sat back in her desk. "To continue with our structured talk... Who's the male role?" Zell asked, looking to everyone. No one moved or answered. No one wanted to be the role. "Squall! Thanks for raising your hand!" Zell lied.
"But I didn't-" Squall was about to protest until an eraser smacked him in the face.
"Yes you did!" Zell and Selphie cried in unison.
"No I didn't!!" Squall screamed. He really, really didn't want to be the lead role.
*
"So Master Fujin, how do you plan to go about this crafty plot?" Xu asked as she, Seifer and Yuki all stood at the far end of the classroom while Fujin was at the window, looking out.
"I'm not to sure where to begin..." Fujin told them, her arms crossed over her chest. "And I'm actually not sure if I'm going to do this plan at all." She admitted. The three at the back of the class fell over anime style. "Don't do that!" Fujin demanded sternly. "I hate it when anime characters do that..." She mumbled.
"I told you." Yuki reminded, looking to Xu.
"I didn't know. Seems like the kind of thing she would like." Xu admitted.
"We had practiced all week for that!" Seifer cried hopelessly.
"Stop your blubbering!" Fujin demanded as she kicked him in the shin. As Seifer howled in pain she could of sworn she heard something crash in the room over. "Shut up!" She screamed. Everyone stopped what they were doing and froze. Seifer bit his tongue from screaming in pain. Fujin placed her ear against the wall that connected room 105 and 106. She heard Squall's deep voice, then Rinoa's light voice and then Zell's. Fujin smirked evilly. She knew what they were doing.
"Hmmm..." Fujin mumbled with an evil smirk as she rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "MWHAHA!!" She laughed all the more evilly as a new and better plan found its way to her....
*
"Rinoa..." Squall began as the two walked out of the school for the bus home.
"What?" She asked, annoyed. Squall scrapped what he was originally going to say and decided on something more important to say. He stopped and she did as well. He turned to her, his arms crossed.
"What is your problem today?" He asked, sounding offended. He had wanted to get that off his chest for such a long time.
"None of your business." She told him coldly as she began to walk away but he got in her way.
"Yes it is!" He insisted. Rinoa looked at him curiously and was secretly moved by his perseverance.
"It really isn't." She insisted as she attempted to move past him, but he only blocked her path.
"Yes it is." He repeated sternly.
"Fine! Do you really want to know!?" She yelled back in his face.
"Yeah! I do! If you haven't figured that out already!" Squall yelled back in her face, surprising her a bit.
"It's about..." She suddenly became quiet and shy. "It's about... this guy." She confessed with a deep blush. She rubbed her arm self-consciously. Squall was taken a back by the news... she liked another guy? He had sort of figured though. She was the most beautiful person here... she must have had lots of followers, attractive followers. She could easily like anyone of them. He decided to stay persistent to the original conversation.
"So it's not 'That time of the month'?" He asked as he felt himself lighten his defenses.
"Well, if you must know... it is." She confessed in a whisper. "But... it usually doesn't effect me THAT badly... this time is a little worse though" she said with a laugh. Squall smiled in relief. He didn't want his friend acting like that EVERY month of their life but it still disturbed him to think about her and her period. She stepped closer to him and Squall gave her a confused look. She wrapped her arms around his neck and nestled her forehead into the crook of his neck. The contact made him blush furiously and he found his hands trembling with confusion and delight.
Rinoa herself was a bit surprised she did that herself. She wanted it to just be a friendly hug... but she imagined it didn't look quite like that.
"Get a room!" A voice called from somewhere. They laughed uneasily as she released him.
"Sorry. I just wanted to thank you for uhh... actually caring about me." She confessed as her blush increased.
"Anytime." Squall said, equally embarrassed.
"I still might be a little pissy... but this definitely calmed me down." Rinoa told him. Squall smiled, knowing he had done something right.
"Well. I want to have the old cheerful Rinoa back." Squall told her.
"You got her." She said with a laugh. For some strange reason, Squall felt like they were a couple with those words. Squall had Rinoa... it sounded so childish, but cute. "That reminds me! Something's up with Quistis." Rinoa told him. Squall rolled his eyes. "You've noticed?" She asked.
"Yeah. She's been really creepy lately." He said.
"You know why... don't you?" She asked looking at him with a smile.
"We both know." He reminded.
"Lets go find her. We started her creepiness, we can end it." Rinoa said dramatically and heroically. "We're off to vanquish the evil in Quistis!" Rinoa said as the two marched back into school to find their target.
"Where do you think she'd be?" Squall asked, looking about the main hall. Students were taking their time chatting with friends and getting stuff from their lockers, it was after school so there was no rush.
"I have no idea." Rinoa confessed sadly. "Well... I don't know where the new Quistis would hang out but I do know where the old would." Rinoa said with a smirk.
"Where?" Squall asked, curious.
"Follow." She commanded coolly as she walked for the stairs....
*
Nida opened the heavy door to the roof of Garden and stepped out onto it. The sun was light and not nearly as heavy as the last times he had been out. He sighed with relief as he walked for his usual spot but was surprised to found it taken up by Quistis. She sat with her back against the wall, her legs stretched out and her hands placed politely in her lap. Her face was straight with no emotion as her eyes showed no focus at all.
"I'm sorry... I didn't know this spot was already taken." Nida apologized. He was about to turn away to look for another spot until her voice caught him.
"Why are you looking for another spot?" She asked, her voice now devoid of the robotic style it once had.
"Because you've taken the spot I had wanted, so now I'm looking for another one." Nida answered. He found this conversation fruitless.
"Couldn't you have just taken a seat next to me?" She questioned, still not giving him eye contact.
"I thought you wanted privacy." He noted, coming closer to Quistis feeling he was being invited to sit next to her.
"You don't know until you ask." Quistis reminded him. "Sit. I'm foreign to this place, you're not." She said, moving over a little bit to make room for him. Nida just stood there, clutching his drawing book to him, staring at Quistis. She looked up to him. Her eyes were big, blue and seemingly empty. "Sit." She repeated.
"You don't want me to sit, do you?" He asked. "You just want to be polite."
"Just sit." She commanded, feeling frustrated.
"I can hear it in the way you talk, the way you express your face. You don't want me to sit." Nida pointed out.
"Would you just sit down!? Why make things more complicated then they already are?" Quistis exclaimed annoyed as she turned her whole body to him. He smiled and sat down, his back facing her. "You're a strange one." She said with a laugh. That was her first laugh in awhile and Nida took quick notice of it.
"You've been acting strangely for awhile." Nida said, referring to the laugh.
"I know." She said, making it obvious.
"Why?" He asked bluntly.
"You know about what Squall and Rinoa did, right?" Quistis asked, just making sure.
"Yeah. I told you about it, so you'd think I'd know."
"Sorry." Quistis apologized fruitlessly. "Anyways... I've been kind of upset even before that started. That news just kind of sent me over the edge." Quistis mumbled as she fiddled with the tip of her skirt.
"Oh?" Nida questioned, curious. Quistis moved herself so that her back was touching Nida's back and their heads were supporting each other gently.
"Yeah." She said lamely and quietly.
"What happened?" He asked.
"Well, this going to feel awkward, but I'll tell you anyways." She said with a laugh. "I saw Zell and Selphie kissing after school behind the school. I had gone to get my supplies for Gym, when I saw them. I didn't tell them I did though, I thought it would cause to much trouble." She confessed.
"That's why you've been quiet?" Nida asked, flabbergasted if that was the reason.
"No. It's not that." Quistis said as she elbowed him playfully in the arm. "It's the fact that, four days after that incident I learn that they had been dating for quite some time now!" She cried in annoyance. "Everyone knew. Even Squall. I was pushed out of the circle, not one to know or one who needs to know." She said sadly. "Then now with this whole Rinoa and Squall as an item business... I don't even feel like my friends are paying attention to me anymore." She said softly and depressingly.
"Come to think of it... I don't even think Squall and Rinoa are an item." Nida pointed out.
"What!?" Quistis exclaimed, shocked as she turned to him.
"Yeah. If they were together it would seem most logical to tell their friends, which they have not." Nida pointed out. "And even if you were in the 'outer circle', which you are not, you'd still hear about it just like you heard about Zell and Selphie." He figured.
"True." She admitted.
"I'm sure Zell and Selphie had their reasons. Ask them about it. Being mad doesn't solve anything. Confront a problem to its face and not to its back with your head turned." He said wisely. "I also suggest that you apologize to Squall and Rinoa." He advised. "They've been wondering." He noted. He stood just as the two heard the door open.
"Wait! But what am I supposed to say to them?" Quistis whispered, hoping the approaching people weren't Squall and Rinoa.
"'The more elaborate our means of communication, the less we communicate.'" He noted observantly with a wink as he walked away. She stared at the place he used to stand for a moment, then brought her eyes to her knees, thinking of an apology.
"Oh hello SQUALL and RINOA!!" Nida screamed from out of sight, letting Quistis know they were here. In a few moments Squall and Rinoa were above Quistis, much to her reluctance. She wanted to apologize, but she didn't know what to say.
"Hi Quis-" Rinoa was about to greet her but Quistis cut her off as she stood.
"I'm sorry for acting like a freak to you guys it's just that I've been feeling left out for a long time now what with Zell and Selphie and then You and Squall even though you're not really an item it's just really weird that you two kissed each other!" Quistis exclaimed in one long breath. She was nervous, that was totally obvious. She had never had to apologize so awkwardly, ever... especially to her friends. It had always been the three of them. Rinoa, Selphie and Quistis. They were so close-knit and now it was so much... more.
"You've been feeling left out!?" Rinoa exclaimed, shocked. "Why?" She asked, placing a hand on Quistis's shoulder as Squall looked on, not knowing what to do.
"You guys used to tell me everything... now I have to figure things out through nonsensical gossip." Quistis complained.
"I'm sorry. I didn't know." Rinoa apologized. "But uhh... on that note. That kiss, no one was supposed to know." Rinoa said with a giggle as she blushed tenderly along with Squall who's eyes drifted away uncomfortably.
"Oh, I'm sorry." Quistis said stupidly with a little giggle.
"You didn't know... that dirty spying Nida blabbed though. I must destroy him." Rinoa declared as she bounded off, retracing Nida's steps.
"She's on a rampage today." Squall said with a laugh as he watched her go.
"Be good to her or I'll have to hurt you." Quistis threatened with a little giggle.
"Huh!?" Squall exclaimed, pretending he didn't hear that. Quistis only smiled and stepped closer to him. "What?" He asked again. She brought up a hand and pinched his cheek.
"You're SOOO CUTE!!" Quistis cried as if he was a little puppy. She released her pinch and ran after Rinoa. Squall lightly touched the hit area and winced in pain.
"Ow" He mumbled....
*
In The Next Chapter:::: The Fortress of Doom's plans are finally under way and it's time for some Rinoa hurting.... But will the plan work at all? It certainly doesn't seem like it is as problems arise and fickle Fujin keeps reworking the plan! Will the plan ever be put into motion?
Things aren't going so well for 'The Hybrid Rainbows' either. With the deadline of the Summer Festival looming, stress is at an all time high! They haven't even worked out a plot, script, actors or anything yet! How do they expect to do a play!?
And what of Squall and Rinoa!? Things aren't great there either. Will Squall ever collect the courage to ask Rinoa out or tell her how he feels? And what about Rinoa? Are her flirtatious ways working, or not? Will she have to try another strategy? One of them has to bend eventually, right!?
The Next Chapter: What Love Can Teach
A/n: I updated! Go me! VISIT MY LIVE JOURNAL!! DO IT NOW!! Go to my bio page and click on my web site! It's funny and you can see all the inspiration I get for my stories there! You'll see alot of stuff in there, used in here!! So take a look! It's interesting!! I'M SERIOUS!!