Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own Final Fantasy VIII … doesn't anyone think it would be better off in my hands though? *Tumbleweed of silence rolls by*
Chapter Twenty-One
The seconds that trickled through seemed like hours of silence on the part of their children. Alessandro's eyes had gone slightly larger and Riana had budged away from her mother's body. 'Should have shut my goddamn mouth …' Rinoa thought bitterly, 'Or at least reduce the impact of the freaking bomb.'
"Your mother quit when we had you, Alex … and I continued working for them. The one who's after us is the agency. The man that broke into our house tonight was working for them, we used to be friends with that guy."
Alex was the first to react. His tiny hands were balled into fists and they slammed against the mattress of the double bed, "You guys are sick!" He spat horribly, "My own parents are a bunch of creeps!"
Rinoa felt tears stinging her eyes. Truth … unkind truth in a seven-year-old's tiny, angry voice was harsher than a Trabian blizzard. Squall's impatience of the unjust judgment placed by his son was piqued, "Listen kid, there's going to be many mistakes made in your lifetime and no one is going to rub your nose-"
"Be quiet!" Alex screamed cupping his hands over his ears, "You guys killed people! You weren't any better than the monster!"
"Take another tone with me, Alex!" Squall roared, "We never hurt you, we did everything so you could live off a nice, comfortable living without any goddamn-"
"You stunk at it!" He yelled back, "I hate you!" His words were mostly directed towards his father, "You just left all the time! You were never around! That's what you were doing, killing people! I hate you!"
"Alex …" Rinoa began but was interrupted by her son's raging tyranny.
"I hate you too! You're all just a bunch of creeps! You've been lying to us since we were born!" Alex cried out, his eyes shinning with fresh tears.
"Do you think it was fun for us?" Rinoa asked suddenly, "You can think and tell everyone that your parents were the worst people to have ever lived. Frankly, I have nothing against expression of opinions. I've said I've hated my father for my entire life … but do I really?"
Alex breathed deeply, tears now falling from his face. Riana was crying too and through her sobs you could make out certain words, "I … want to go home … I want to go home … I want to go home."
On the other side of the wall, Caraway held his lit pipe thoughtfully. Anyone could have assumed that he was simply pondering but if light shone his way you could see the tear streaks of regret that stained his weary cheeks.
***
Swirling black mist surrounded her and she could swear she heard laughter somewhere off in the unknown distance. Cruel laughter … someone was laughing at her. Her feet felt cold … wet. She was standing in ankle-deep water, but not colorless water. Black, thick water that glued her on the spot.
She heard the rushing of water and a cold gust of wind chilled her. When she looked back a huge wave was curling in towards her … it crashed against the shores and all she felt was water pouring down on her, the weight unbearable to her weakened bones. She felt like she was being crushed.
Her broken body faded into darkness … where the only lights were shone from two green, piecing eyes. 'For the heart that loved him … you disappoint me, Rinoa …' The voice belonged to two people, however she heard it as one, warped sound.
'For the heart that loved him …' A sudden piercing pain sliced into her abdomen. She awoke, sweating and gasping, realizing she had turned over onto her delicate stomach. She was half sitting now, clutching her bandages, weathering the sharp pains.
Squall eased her back down softly, "Shh …" He whispered, "Calm down …" His soothing murmurs got her heartbeat down a notch and she clung onto his t-shit as if it were her only lifeline.
"I feel drenched …" Her voice was barely a hoarse whisper, "And … I feel really hot …"
He gave her an awkward stare and took her hands in his own, "Rin … you're cold as ice."
The room was dark, the children asleep in the confining closet like room. She pushed off some of the covers off the bed, "I'm going crazy …" He grabbed some of the covers before they fell off the edge of the bed and pulled them back onto her.
"You're freezing cold …" He whispered in a concerned voice, checking his watch by pressing the 'Glow' button he declared, "It's four in the morning …" He slipped his hands under her and held her like that for a moment.
Finding comfort in his touch she didn't push him away. He bent down over her and kissed her softly on the lips. She brushed away some of his falling locks of brown hair and left the tips of her fingers feel his strong jaw and slightly unshaven face.
They drew apart and were silent for a moment, almost as if listening for noises of wakened people. There was none, only the dripping of a pipe, somewhere in the basement, and the occasional creaks of the house above them.
Squall bent down once more, brushing his lips against hers and then plunging into an eager kiss. They broke apart only for short gasps of breath before resuming their activity. Rinoa's hands worked their way down to Squall's waist where she grabbed his t-shirt and pulled it over his head, causing them to momentarily separate.
When their lips touched again, however, their kisses were more fervent. Rinoa felt his bare back, touching the cuts and causing him to wince as she touched his bruises. She felt his hands and his cold wristwatch come in direct contact with her lower back.
"Damn it, Squall …" She whispered painfully as he accidentally applied pressure to her wounds.
"Sorry …" He mumbled apologetically before beginning to trail kisses on her neck. He rolled over into dominant position causing her to wince again slightly. They carried on, with the both of them obeying a set rule … 'Silence.'.
***
Their lovemaking plagued her with insomnia. Rinoa edged closer to her husband, wondering what time it was now. Five thirty? 'Somewhere around there.' She concluded. His breathing was predictable, feeding her the fact that she could now elbow him and he wouldn't even wake.
She undertook this opportunity to cradle her head under his chin. The clothing that had been discarded roughly an hour ago had been put back on. She touched the bicep of the arm that was draped over her waist. She slowly dragged her fingertips along the length of his arm, stopping at his knuckles. "Wake up …" She whispered, knowing very well it was all in vain.
His rhythmic breathing continued on endlessly. She sighed but comforted herself in the warmth his body gave her. Her eyelids were heavy and she'd just wish they'd clamp shut but something kept snapping her back awake each time she seemed to drift off.
She tried concentrating on something lame; the dripping of a pipe, the snoring of her father in the other room, or Squall's periodic breathing. 'One sheep … two sheep … three sheep … this isn't working.' She sighed, "Squall, wake up or I'll kill you." It was not a whisper anymore and yet it yielded the same results.
"You suck." She cuddled closer and rested her hands on his chest, "You hear me? I hate you." She grimaced, 'Why the hell can't I drop like a rock? Ah … I'm so tired …' She whined softly, 'I want to start bawling so everyone would wake up and I wouldn't be the only irritated one anymore.' She seriously pondered this for a moment and then grimaced once more, 'Actually, I'd rather be alone.'
Her eyelids weighed heavy and she closed her eyes, 'Step one, completed.' She thought sarcastically and snuggled closer to the warmer body. 'Just … think of the harsh physical activities that good ol' pops is going to make you go through today.' Miserable, she fell into a light sleep; unaware of the crude awakening she was to suffer at seven thirty in the morning.
"James, please." Julia begged once again, "First of all, they may both be naked, second of all … it's utterly mean!"
"I don't care!" The General scowled at the thought of the 'First of all'. He entered the second room with a pitcher filled with icy water. To his great relief, they weren't naked. However, something struck him harder.
His daughter was nestled in her husbands arms, 'They're so young.' He thought as if he had never noticed before, ' … and charming …' He was repulsed at himself for having these thoughts. He shook himself off vigorously and proceeded with what he came in the room to do.
With a swing of his arm, the vast body of free water escaped the pitcher and splashed onto the sleeping couple that awoke with quite a start. Both their eyes shot open and Rinoa gasped while Squall hissed, "Holy sh-"
"Welcome to boot camp." Caraway growled and set the empty jug on the floor beside the bed.
"Oh, I bet you felt really smart saying that!" Rinoa screeched at the top of her lungs. The icy contents was dripping down the front of her shirt, she crossed her arms over her chest as a reflex.
"SON OF A BITCH!" Squall yelled out, "I going to fucking kill you!" His muscles felt frozen to the core.
The two children, awakened by the loud screaming, rushed into the room in wonder of what was happening. They found their parents utterly drenched. Their eyes went back and forth from their smug looking grandfather to their frustrated parents and added two and two together.
"You're so stupid!" Rinoa spat out, removing some of the wet strands of hair from her cheeks, but not taking away her arms from across her chest, "You could have gotten a crowing rooster, a frigging alarm clock and FUCKING BUGLE FOR ALL I COULD HAVE GIVEN A FLYING SHIT!"
"WHERE THE HELL DID YOU GET THIS WATER FROM? TRABIAN ICE?" Squall saw his wife shiver out of the corner of his eye, "You stupid prick!"
"Training begins now. And we won't be taking it slow, step-by-step." Caraway snapped gruffly, he then turned on his heel and left the soaking 'adults' to deal with their obvious misfortune.
The morning went on with the usual inconveniences that residing in a basement brought. After brushing her teeth with cold, unclean-looking tap water from a cobwebbed decorated sink, Rinoa wished to take her shower. A request that was denied by her annoyed father causing an eruption of angry words, "I feel disgusting! How can you keep me from cleaning myself! This is stupid!"
After she lost that debate, she was further forced to change into training wear. "Want me to help you with that?" Zell had asked, wiggling his eyebrows. His reply had been a long, death glare from Squall.
Finally, when the four agents had emerged with their training wear (some looking grimmer than others) the training had hence begun. Zell had installed technical equipment in a large clearing of the basement. Julia, Caraway, Squall and Rinoa had been informed that this was 'the peak of technology' to measure fighting force, speed and technique. Battles would be monitored by radars set up at every corner of the room.
"Where do you get this crap?" Rinoa asked coolly looking around.
"I get around." Zell winked at her and Squall's ferocious glare turned itself upon the poor technician once more.
Alessandro and Riana had come to watch. They sat in uncomfortable chairs behind the main computer. The room was dank, the only light coming from dim lights on the ceiling.
"Let's get this shit going already!" Squall snapped gruffly as Zell took his sweet time sitting at the main computer and opening up all the programs.
"Don't get a freaking woody about it." Zell retorted calmly.
"What's a woody?" Alessandro whispered to Zell.
"An erection." Zell murmured back.
"What's that?" The young boy asked again.
"Something any guy can get by looking at your mom." Zell smirked. To the technician's dismay, Rinoa had heard
the conversation.
"What?" Alex still didn't get it, however he received no reply to his question because his mother had kicked up Zell's chair, causing it to have spun over and sent him crashing to the floor.
"You sick, demented pervert!" She hurled insults at him, "If you ever talk to my kids again I swear I'll shoot off your-"
"Rinoa, please!" Caraway roared, "What the hell did he do now?" The aging General rubbed his temples in obvious annoyance.
"He just-" Rinoa stopped in mid-sentence. Did she really want to tell her father what she had just heard? 'God no …' She thought. So instead of answering her father's question, she kicked the fallen Zell in the ribs causing another anguished cry.
"Why do you always hurt me?" Zell whined softly and Rinoa ignored him.
"Is it the pity that made you hire him?" Rinoa hissed at her father as she walked by him.
"No, he just reminded me so much of you." Caraway snapped back.
"That's it, old man!" She screamed out. And the first battle ensued.
Sabam: Did anyone else get the feeling that I had no clue what I was writing? Yeah, well anyways. The Squall/Rinoa scene was quite … uhm … anyways. I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Please, please, please review!