Author's notes: Oh yay! I'm finally back from my vacation. Lol, I know that its only been like a week, but there's really no place like home ^_^ The damn internet there cost 5 dollars to be online for every thirty minutes, but I thought it was a complete waste because that crappy thing looked like it only took 30 minutes to connect. Such a rip-off, lol. I had a great time though! That's why I didn't have anytime to write fanfiction. Oh well then I guess. I'm continuing now and happy that I have electricity lol. Hopefully there won't be another blackout here in the northeast! =)
And I also want to thank xSummonerYunax for that really kind review!!! Thank you so so much! It means the world to me, and plus I don't think that I've ever had such a long review ^____^ So thanx again! :-) But don't worry all you other sweet sweet people, I still love you! :P lol, no really, I do ^ ^
Disclaimer: Don't own anything. Final Fantasy VIII belongs to Squaresoft.
The Promise in a Kiss
~Chapter 5~
Fountain of Dreams
"Only in the agony of parting do we look into the depths of love."
--George Eliot.
-*****-
Chilly morning breezes swept into the chalky-colored infirmary room, tossing strands of Rinoa's silky hair from side to side. It had been approximately twenty minutes since she had unexpectedly gone unconscious. Irvine and Selphie fleeted towards here to get immediate medical attention for their friend, and the doctor said that Rinoa would be fine. They waited patiently in the waiting room for further information. When the doctor came out of Rinoa's room, they both jumped up, eager to found out her current status.
"Her health records show absolutely nothing serious, but I will take some blood tests just to make sure everything is functioning normally in her body. After that, she should wake up," Dr. Armstrong told two very anxious looking teenagers in front of him.
Selphie's usual bright eyes filled with happiness were replaced with a duller color and a worried glint. Her petite fingers fidgeted with her brown hair worryingly while Irvine paced around the room with his fedora off. They were both completely perplexed from the pervious moments at the cafeteria. The reason why Rinoa had to suddenly burst into tears out of nowhere like that was really enigmatic to them, especially her abrupt fainting. She seemed absolutely fine when we were eating. I'll have to talk to her when she comes back to Earth. Poor girl. Selphie shook her head sadly before Irvine broke the brief silence between the three.
"Do you have any idea of what could have been wrong with her, Doc? She would have told either me or Selphie if something this bad been on her mind."
"I have a good idea that it was something personal she was keeping locked up inside for quite sometime. It must have been really stressful for her, that's why she fainted. I'd say some guidance and talk with her friends is the best cure, but you should give her at least an hour to rest and calm her nerves," he told them.
Selphie and Irvine slightly relaxed at his reply. Now, at least one tiny piece of this puzzle was solved for the two. All they needed was the full explanation straight from Rinoa.
Irvine put his fedora back on and took Selphie's pale hand in his before speaking and exiting the office.
"We'll be in my dorm room, Doctor. Please call us when she's feeling much better. Oh, and the number's 114. Adios!" he said before opening the door. Selphie waved and sauntered out of the room. They were welcomed with the sight of many people chatting about the pervious incident. Irvine and his girlfriend were still too worried about the person everyone in the area who saw them running with before were asking about, so they quietly replied, "we don't know." It was a simple statement, yet the utmost truth.
-*****-
Rinoa's ivory eyelids slowly fluttered open, but then inevitably closed in reflex to the bright light. Once her chocolate-brown orbs adjusted to the aurora, she blinked a few times to correct her blurry vision. When her eyesight was completely focused, she looked about her surroundings.
Where am I? She asked herself. The cubic room looked very familiar. It was fully white—the bed, the ceiling lamp, the chair…everything except her.
And what's that smell? She sniffed the scent in the room and it too was familiar. The aroma was of something you smell in a hospital…
Oh, so I'm in the infirmary. How sweet. I must have passed out or something. She sighed and looked at the clock. Even it was white.
"11:37," Rinoa told herself quietly. Must have been out for what…about 45 minutes? She tried sitting up, but a sudden jolt of pain shot through her backbone once she did. Rinoa moaned in distress and lay back down. She groaned irritably at the heat in the room and threw back the sheets. So goddamn hot! People should learn to open more windows around here. Stupid infirmaries… Rinoa sighed again then felt something cold on her neck. She looked down and gasped.
The rings, the stranger, the letter…
Once again, that chain of thoughts returned and raced through her mind. Rinoa shut her eyes tightly and tried to temporarily push them out, but failed miserably. This was extremely sphinx-like for her. Everything about it, even that anonymous, yet handsome, stranger. The fact that made her so sad was that she might never see him again.
Never.
He can be anywhere… I'm only fifteen, and he looks to be about my age, too. She forcefully turned her head to look out of the small window. Things change over the years… Involuntary, Rinoa let a single tear roll down her cheek. Hyne…why do I keep feeling this? It's like he handed me a part of himself, and took a piece of me in return. Now that empty part of me feels so lonesome. Can that be the reason? …Love? She sighed deeply and shook her head while watching the scenery outdoors. That's impossible. It can't be love. I hardly even know that guy! Plus, I'm not a keen believer of love at first sight. That's just a fairy tale for me. I wonder— the metal automatic doors interrupted her thoughts. They slid open and out came a middle-aged man. The doctor stepped in and grinned when he saw her awake.
"Good morning Rinoa. I just finished with your blood tests and everything seems to be normal in your body. If something extremely personal is going on, you should talk with your friends about the matter. Keeping things like this inside of you is not very healthy on your nerves," he told her sternly.
Rinoa nodded slowly before asking, "Thanks for the advice, but can I go now? This bed is not very comfortable." Dr. Armstrong chuckled and gestured towards the exit. "Before you go, I'll call your friends, Selphie and Irvine to help you out. Try talking with them sometime today. It should help, a lot."
She smiled up at him before replying.
"I'll try."
-*****-
So young, yet extremely powerful, he soared through the training center like a predator attacking its prey. The enraged teenager vigorously fought the provoked creature roaring madly in front of him. He charged towards the mighty dinosaur and swung his sacred weapon at full strength and speed. The tremendous reptile growled in pain as the compelling blade cut deeply through it's skin. The vital fluid gushed out of the wound and formed a pool of crimson blood on the ground. The vanquisher watched in satisfaction as the dying T-Rex hit the bottom, defeated. When it disappeared, he checked his Level status, and found out that he had gained two levels up to thirty-five in the previous battle. The pleased male grinned egotistically and cleaned the weapon he possessed. It was truly an extraordinary sight. The person that had been watching him fighting the whole time came out of his hiding place in the nearby bushes and praised the victor. The brunette turned around hastily when he felt a foreign presence behind him.
It was Zell. Hyne help me…
"Yo man that was awesome! You were awesome! I mean, people our age only dream of killing things like these. Good job!"
Squall annoyingly cocked his head to the side before talking. "Whatever. And Zell, anyone can kill a T-Rex. You just have to know which magic and physical skills to choose from during battle," he told him nonchalantly.
"Yeah…right." Zell's baby blue eyes suddenly widened in awe when he noticed Squall's weapon. "Woah! That looks so damn cool!" He commented. "But…what is it?" the blonde-haired boy asked while scratching the back of his head.
Squall rolled his eyes at Zell's stupidity. What an idiot.
"It's a gunblade, you dumbass. A revolver." And someday I'm planning on getting the best, most rare one, the Lionheart. Yep.
Zell's mouth formed an o-shape while he continued gaping at the deadly blade in astonishment. It was exceedingly deadly, yet admirable. Really admirable, especially to Zell, who Squall was getting drastically infuriated with.
"Listen, if you don't wanna get seriously injured right now, I suggest you take your filthy, disgusting, so-called hands off of my gunblade and leave me the fuck alone. Understand?"
Zell got caught off-guard and immediately focused on Squall's last vocalization. Am I hearing things correctly, or did he just… He detached his hands from the metal weapon before replying.
"Squall, did you just curse?!" Zell blinked. "Wow…I never thought that the great, smart-ass Squall Leonhart was capable of doing something like that." He laughed but then unhesitatingly stopped when he saw the person in front of him grow even more agitated.
"Zell, I'm not going to keep repeating this. Now tell me: do you understand?" Squall asked him, trying to maintain his calm.
The shorter teenager bit his lip before unstably answering, "Yes I—I under—understand."
Squall put his Revolver back in its case. "Good. Now get the hell out of my sight," he told him unemotionally.
Zell frowned in confusion. What's his problem?
"But we're roommates! I'm gonna see you—" the taller boy cut him off madly.
"Now!!!" Squall snapped. Zell yelped like a puppy and sprinted out of the Training Center. When Squall heard the main doors shut, he closed his azure-tinted eyes and rubbed his temples.
Hyne, what am I going to do about him?
-*****-
The ample courtyard around Trabia Garden was wildly blooming with oceans and oceans of violets. It was the season for them—spring. The weather was finally warming up after winter ended in March, and it was such beautiful scenery, indeed. Selphie watched this peaceful landscape in silence while Irvine napped on his bed. She tried enjoying the view, but unfortunately, her mind always drifted back to Rinoa. The look on her tearful face before she fainted was completely priceless. Like she just found out that someone so important to her had died. The emerald eye-colored female sighed sadly as she watched the events rewind in her head. However, the phone on Irvine's desk abruptly interrupted her deep thinking. Before she had a chance to walk over there and pick it up, Irvine jumped out of bed and grabbed the telephone like a fool. For once, Selphie giggled at his actions. He's so cute!
"Hello?" Irvine asked the caller groggily. His shorthaired girlfriend came to his side and tried over-hearing the person on the other line's voice. Apparently, no such luck occurred for the brunette. She groaned in exasperation because of it. Irvine grinned at her seductively, and she stuck her tongue out at him, also mouthing the words, "bite me." Before Irvine had a chance to retort, the caller put him off hold and continued speaking.
"Oh, ok then. We'll be right over," he said to the other person then hung up. Selphie gave him a questioned look.
"Who was that?" she asked curiously.
Irvine put on a depressed frown. "It was the doctor, and, well…" he trailed off on the last word.
Selphie grew impatient. "And? What did he say? Tell me! Is it about Rin?" Her eyes darkened at the thought of his reply. Oh no! This doesn't look too good…
Irvine, who was desperately trying to hold back a thunder of laughter, couldn't believe his girlfriend was actually buying this little joke. And when he saw the terror look in her eyes, he couldn't help but burst out laughing. Selphie immediately threw him a disgusted look and slapped his arm, furiously.
"Irvine Kinneas! Something bad is happening to Rinoa right now and your having fun with it. I can't believe you! Ugh!" she threw her hands in the air and was about to open the door when an even more amused-looking Irvine grabbed her by the hand. She spun around and fought against his tight grip.
I can't believe she still thinks I wasn't kidding! Ha!!! He burst into another roar of laughter and practically had tears forming in his eyes.
"Let me go Irvine!!!" Selphie screamed in annoyance when she couldn't escape.
My Hyne…She's kiddin' me, right?!
"Selphie, no Selphie stop! Selphie! C'mon stop already! Hyne damnit calm down! Please!!!" Irvine managed to tell her in between laughs as he fought against her struggling.
"Girl I was only kidding! Kidding!!! Can't you understand that?" Selphie stopped in her tracks and looked into his eyes, completely perturbed.
"What are you talk—talking about?" she asked him, breathlessly.
"It was a joke! The doctor wanted us to come and get Rinoa. I just wanted to see how you would react if I would say that something bad happened," he confessed.
Selphie relaxed and shook her head laughingly. Irvine bent down beside her. Then when he thought that she was just feeling stupid, the brunette turned towards her boyfriend and slapped him across the face.
"Don't you ever do that again, Mr. Kinneas!" she scolded.
Irvine grabbed his burning left cheek in pain and nodded. "Yes ma'am!"
Selphie smirked complacently and finally got the chance to open the door.
"Well, its time for our interrogation with Miss Heartilly, Irvy," she told him sarcastically.
Irvine chuckled and headed towards the door. He put his arm around Selphie's shoulder while still coping with the piercing agony on the left side of his face as they together exited the dormitory.
-*****-
Rinoa waited anxiously for her friends to arrive. She looked at the time and it was about 1:00 P.M.
What's taking them so long? It's been approximately 15 minutes and they're still not here. She twirled her hair impatiently. A few minutes later Selphie and Irvine came bouncing into the office. Rinoa heard them greet the doctor and sighed when she realized it was them.
Finally!
In the background she also heard Dr. Armstrong telling the couple where her room was. Rinoa swallowed hard before her two friends came into the room.
Selphie peaked her head out and beamed when she saw Rinoa lying on the bed. She squeaked and ran over.
"Oh my Hyne Rinny, you're okay!" Selphie reached out to give her a hug. When Irvine came in he winked and smiled happily.
"Hey sunshine! You still look hot, like always." Rinoa's cheeks flushed at his comment. Selphie stuck her middle finger out at him and decided to not start here and now. Damn men! She angrily thought.
The dark hair-colored girl grinned. "Um…I'm glad to see you guys, but what in Hyne's name took you so long?!"
Irvine suddenly turned away from Selphie's deadly look before she spoke.
"Well, Mr.-I-need-more-women-to-suck-my-di—" Tilmitt began.
"Never mind I asked you that, Selphie. I think I could take a hint," Rinoa said, cutting her off.
Selphie smiled innocently at her after slamming onto Irvine's foot with her own. "Okay! So you probably want to go somewhere else then, right?"
Rinoa nodded her head in agreement while trying hard not to laugh at Irvine's silent cries of pain. "But I need you guys to help me stand up since my back really hurts when I do," she asked them.
"No problemo, but then you'll have to tell us about earlier," an impaired Irvine told her while still clutching onto his injured foot. Selphie abided before they helped her out of the bed. Rinoa smiled thankfully.
"What would I do without you two?"
-*****-
The stars and moon lighted the night sky with glimmer. It was the only source of light in Squall Leonhart's dorm room. The young man tossed and turned in his bed as the seconds passed on his clock. He tried drifting into slumber, but that, unfortunately, wasn't working. Squall was awfully sleepy, but something, or someone was stopping him from doing so. He groaned in exhaustion and closed his eyes firmly. Just when the brunette thought he would finally get some sleep, his blue-gray eyes shot open and everything became blurry. His head started to burn internally and felt like a range of shooting daggers. Squall grabbed his scalp in convulsion and tried to concentrate.
Ugh…what's happening?!
Suddenly everything became blank. Squall opened his eyes and found that his vision was fully focused now. But when he noticed the environment around him, he grew terror-stricken. His entire dormitory was gone. Everything was. Balamb Garden, the town nearby, the trees, the wild animals…
Absolutely everything.
Instead of his bed, Squall lay on the solid ground of some deserted island. The sky was gray and stormy. Slowly, small raindrops fell onto the lifeless land. He was utterly terrified.
"Where the hell am I?" Squall asked himself shakily. It was definite that he would get no answer, but just hearing his own voice made the trembling man feel better.
Hyne…what is this place? He looked around the dry area, hoping to find something, anything in this case.
The adolescent walked and walked and walked throughout the never-ending island until his legs became too frazzled to continue. He didn't know how many hours had passed since he abruptly got here. It could possibly be one, five, or even ten hours. Squall collapsed onto the freezing terrain beneath him. He fought against his will to stay conscious and prayed to witness a miracle. But then the fallen teenager's attention became centered on one tiny feather. The white form of fluff slowly fell from the cloudy skies and into his direction. Squall's eyes were taut to that one little thing. He unclenched his right fist and let the non-living item gracefully fall onto his palm. Once it did, he involuntary closed his hand and an ocean of thoughts raced through his mind. The first envision Squall saw was a replay of that night at Trabia Garden. It was the one with Rinoa. The other was the Garden Festival. It too, was with Rinoa, except this time they didn't meet. He re-saw this part in his mind a couple of times, and they were all up close to her. Squall saw something in her eyes when she sung, and it scarred his heart deeply.
Her eyes…something about those chocolate eyes…
Next he saw all kinds of images prior to his present. They were all of the mistakes he made in his life, like when he was writing that letter with Zell. Squall still thought it was very cruel. But life is always cruel. Right? Even though he knew that he should have never done any of those terrible sins, only one image in particular lingered clearly in his mind.
That angelic girl, Rinoa. Squall thought. She was so…different. Different in a wonderful way, that is. I guess you can say that everything about her was…perfect. That incredible voice, her beauty—everything. What more can a guy ask for? He sighed sadly. I wish I wasn't drunk when we first met. Maybe then I would come to my Goddamned senses a little faster. Now we may never see each other again. And…those eyes. There's something so special hidden beneath them. My Hyne…when she sung that song…her eyes. It's like they were glowing. Glowing for someone. Someone like…me?
Suddenly Squall's desert-like surroundings changed into something the total opposite.
Am I in a flower field now? He inhaled the aroma of flowers around him and was immediately lost in the smell. It was so placid, so wonderful. Squall thought that he could have died right there out of peacefulness. No Zell, no annoying people, no evil world…nothing. He smiled at the thought. But then his grin faded when his mind traveled back to Rinoa.
Hyne…why can't I stop thinking about her? I've lived around girls mostly all of my life, but I guess something about her just clicked.
Thinking of Rinoa, a sudden illusion of her formed right behind him. She giggled softly and tapped him on the shoulder. Squall jumped in surprise and his heart nearly froze when he saw her, standing right there. He cleared his mind of everything else and tried to interpret this stunning display.
Sweet Hyne…
"Well, aren't you gonna say something, handsome boy?"
Holy shit…she even sounds the same! What the hell is this, a dream or something? Squall just stood there, petrified, while gaping at the sight before him.
"Didn't your mother teach you anything about manners? You should at least say hi."
I don't know anything about my mother…or father. Squall frowned sadly at that, his trail of thoughts varying into something entirely different during that one moment. When Rinoa noticed this sudden change of look on his face, she decided to switch the subject.
"You must be wondering where we are, correct?" Squall nodded, and tried keeping his eyes locked on hers. He didn't want them to encircle Rinoa's exquisite body. This was a natural thing for all men to do. She was just completely beautiful for him. And he never noticed this fully, until now.
"Well, this may sound a little…stupid, but we're in a place called the 'dream-world.' It's a completely different realm where people like us are being connected, spiritually. I would love to explain all this crap now, but unfortunately, we only got a few minutes together, and there is something very important I need to tell you. So you better listen up, Mr. Leonhart."
How does she…oh never mind. This is all just too confusing. I don't understand. Not really. And all I really want to focus on right now is her, especially since she said that we only have a few minutes together. I hope this won't be the last time we ever meet… Squall gave her his full attention and prepared to hear something that would stay sealed in his mind and soul forever.
"Squall…I don't know how to say this. But when you wake up into the mortal world, you will remember what happened during your visit here, but just note that right now I am not the real Rinoa Heartilly, only an optical illusion of her. This means that I did not get connected to here like you did. That's one of the ways this 'dream-world' connection works like. I hope you learn to understand."
Don't know about that. You're just so beautiful…
"Now listen to me, very carefully." He looked deep into her brown eyes, but now they were empty. Not the full-of-life kind he saw at the festival.
She continued.
"No seriously, if you do not focus completely into what I have to say, we may never ever see each other again. Got that?" Again, he nodded.
I don't want you to go…
"Squall…I'll be here…"
Why?
"I'll be 'waiting'…here…"
For what?
"I'll be waiting…for you…so…if you come here…you'll find me. I promise."
Oh my Hyne…this sounded so close to how Zell and me wrote that closing sentence in the letter!!! Squall's eyes widened in shock at the sudden realization.
What could this mean?
Before he had a chance to finish thinking, the 'delusional Rinoa' put her two index fingers on his temple area before whispering a few inaudible words.
And with a snap of her free hand, Squall's soul went back to the so-called, 'mortal world.'
This was only the beginning…
-*****-
Author's notes: Lol, I am keeping my fingers crossed that you guys are actually understanding this. I just wanted to add a bit of a plot twist to the story. Yes I know, its probably confusing as hell, but I hope you people will bare with me here. I remember making an outline for this fic, but its lost now. So this means I have to improvise with this story. Yep, I don't plan anything out. That's why I'm having troubles with the overall summery! *Sob* Plus, to make it worse, I'm more open to… *scary music plays* WRITER'S BLOCK!!! *Screams in terror* so please, please, pretty please tell me if you like the way this fanfic is coming out to be. And be honest, if its boring, too confusing, horrible, lol, just tell me in a review or something. No flames plz! Constructive criticism is welcome if ya got any ^_^ Also, if you want me to add the Squall/Rinoa interactions already, that's a big no-no since I want to keep expanding the plot and not rush into things. Lol, suspense rules. Holla! :D