A/N: *cries* How can I even continue typing this??? I don't want 'Guna to
be dead anymore!! *sobs*
~ Chapter five: Good byes ~
'Where in hell would Quistis be??' Rinoa thought to herself bitterly. Usually, Quistis was in the library at this time.. but not today!! Why not today?? Rinoa ran on the tile that made her grateful that the soles of her shoes are rubber. She skidded around corners and ran as fast as she could until she heard the voice of Zell and Quistis! Rinoa sprinted into the Quad where she heard the voices and stopped right before running into Quistis.
"Zell... *huff* Quistis... *gasp for air*..." Rinoa said and looked up at them.
"Rinoa...? What is it?" Quistis asked.
"Don't say anything! Let me explain... Laguna was assassinated yesterday after noon... and..." Rinoa said, but she ran out of breath.
"Slow down, try to calm down..." Quistis said as she and Zell stared at her.
"Irvine killed Laguna!" Rinoa said with a sad voice. The two blondes' eyes went wide and they both gasped. "There are pictures... and...." Quistis' hands went up to her mouth to cover it while Zell just let his jaw hand down like a flytrap.
"Oh no... no! This couldn't be...!" Quistis said in an involuntarily soft voice
"No way, man! No WAY could Irvine do somethin' like that!" Zell said.
"How are we going to tell Selphie that Irvine..." Quistis said and her voice trailed off.
"I convinced Squall to let me warn Irvine ahead of time... to defend himself! To get out of here... Oh, Hyne... Squall wants to kill him!" Rinoa said.
"But Irvine wouldn't do something like that! Not ever!" Everyone looked behind Rinoa, to the entrance of the Quad to see a panicked Selphie. "He wouldn't!" She yelled as she walked towards her friends.
"Selphie..." Rinoa said softly as she reached into her pocket. She picked up Selphie's left hand and opened it. "They found this... at the crime scene..." Rinoa said softly as she put the small, white, rabbit's foot in Selphie's shaking palm. Her eyes went wide with so much fear and sorrow that her eye's alone where enough to make a creeper* stop laughing. Selphie clutched the rabbit's foot in her hand tightly and she held it over her heart.
"No! This.. this ... this isn't... it couldn't be...!" Selphie cried and Rinoa and Quistis looked away. What could they say? Zell walked towards Selphie as her eyes swelled up into glassy orbs and he put his arms around her. Selphie let out painful and agonizing sobs into Zell's chest as he quietly rubbed the back of her head and whispered 'shhh... it's gonna be ok...'.
"Hey, guy, gals and my girl!" Irvine said as he entered the Quad in his happy-go-lucky attitude, but as soon as he saw Selphie crying in Zell's arms, his face dropped. "Oh no, Selphie! What's wrong?!" he asked. Quistis and Rinoa stepped back and looked away from Irvine and to the ground while Zell held Selphie tighter and shielded her away from her deceiver.
"How could you even ask her that, man?!" Zell asked. Selphie pushed herself out of Zell's arms and looked at Irvine with her red eyes and her tear stained cheeks. He tried to put his arms around her, but the small girl pushed him away.
"Selphie...?" Irvine asked. "What's wrong?" In a second, there was the sound of flesh hitting flesh with a 'clap' kind of sound to it. Then, a sting of pain. Irvine's hand went to his cheek and he touched it... it stung worse than it ever had! As if he had gotten stung by 2 wasps at the same time... Selphie held her right hand in her left, careful to keep the rabbit's foot from falling. Irvine, whose head had been forced to the right side due to the force of the slap, slowly looked back at Selphie.
"You..." she said in a soft voice, "how could... how could.. how could you do this?! To Laguna... to Squall... to our friends?! To me...?" Selphie asked.
"But what...?" Irvine began to ask, then Selphie held out her left hand to reveal the rabbit's foot. All of the blood ran out of Irvine's face... he became so pale that it would put a ghost to shame.
"Missing something?" Selphie asked as she threw the white foot at Irvine's face, but he caught it and looked down at it for a second, then back up at Selphie.
"Selphie, I can explain! I know what it looks like..." He said as he reached for Selphie's hand, but she recoiled with disgust.
"Don't. Touch. Me." She said and looked away from him. "I don't know who you are anymore, Irvine... I can't even look at you!" Irvine looked to the ground, not able to look at his girl that could burn through the lies in his eyes just by looking at hers. There was a silence before Selphie could bring herself to speak to Irvine again. "Leave." She said and Irvine looked up from the ground. "Squall... he..." She swallowed hard. "he... wants you dead. So... so just..." Selphie looked up and straight into Irvine's eyes. "So just leave! Get out of here!"
"Sefie..." He said gently. He leaned towards her and whispered words only she could hear. "I love you... don't you forget it. I don't care about what you think of me now... there are worse things to come. Take care of your self, Selphie Tilmitt." Irvine said and backed away from his girl and looked at the glaring eyes of his 'friends', he stopped to look at Zell. "Take care of my girl."
"She's not your girl any more." Zell said as he took a step forward to hold Selphie before she began to break down in tears once more. Irvine's face dropped even more so... (if that's possible) and he solemnly nodded. He turned away from his friends and ran to his dorm room and gathered his things rather quickly in his leather back pack. He paused when he looked at the small, black box that held his anniversary present to Selphie... Irvine put his leather bag over his shoulder and made his way out of his dorm and down the hall... he spotted Selphie's dorm...
Irvine strode over to it slowly, then took off his hat and placed it at her door. He put the little black box underneath it... with one last glance, at his hat, he turned and walked away... away from the dorms... away from the Garden... away from his friends... away from his love... and towards his only family... and towards his new place in the world... Out of it.
~
Eight days after Laguna's death, his funeral was held. It was horrible... it was so sad and melancholy that there wasn't even a smile of hope on anyone's face. Squall and Rinoa sat through the entire service without a word... and afterwards, countless people came up to Squall just to say how sorry they felt for him and that they know it must be tough.
'How do they know how I feel?!' Squall asked himself. He knew he had to get out of here... away from everyone! The grieving son just stood up and left the service. Laguna was being buried at the cemetery at the Palace... near the garden that he had dedicated to Squall's mother, Raine, so Squall found himself at the back of the Garden and just sat on the closest, stone bench that he could find. He kept his mind blank as he stared at the dirt floor and let his dark hair fall over his face. He must have been there for 15 minutes before his solitude and silence was interrupted.
"Squall?" Kiros' said as he slowly walked towards the son of the president.
"..." Squall made no reply, but Kiros sat down next to him anyway. The tall man put a hand on Squall's shoulder.
"I'm really sorry..." Kiros said.
"..."
"You know... I nearly had to get the Esthar solders on Rinoa... she was guarding this garden so well... she's a real good girl..." Kiros said.
"..."
"Listen... Squall... I know you don't want to talk about... anything right now... but... there is something in Laguna's will I must tell you about..." Kiros said and took his hand off of Squall's shoulder.
"...what?" Squall asked as he looked at Kiros for the first time with a sideways glance.
"He... uh... He appointed you the new leader of Esthar..." Kiros said. As if Squall had just woken up from a dream, his eyes widened and he sat up straight to look Kiros in the eye. "Squall... Galbadia is going to attack; we need a strong leader!"
"...then you do it." Squall said as he stood up and began to walk away.
"Your father," Kiros said, and Squall stopped, "thought.. no.. he knew that you would be the man to lead Esthar. The man strong enough to do what is right and take control of this country."
"He was wrong."
~
A/N: *cries* I hate Zell! He's such a jerk! You know.. I don't think you would have guessed it.. but I'm a die-hard Selvine fan! I hate Zelphies! I'm sorry.. but I just don't like that pairing! And.. you never would have guessed it.. but I'm also a die-hard Zell/Library girl fan! Zell's such a jerk!
~ Chapter five: Good byes ~
'Where in hell would Quistis be??' Rinoa thought to herself bitterly. Usually, Quistis was in the library at this time.. but not today!! Why not today?? Rinoa ran on the tile that made her grateful that the soles of her shoes are rubber. She skidded around corners and ran as fast as she could until she heard the voice of Zell and Quistis! Rinoa sprinted into the Quad where she heard the voices and stopped right before running into Quistis.
"Zell... *huff* Quistis... *gasp for air*..." Rinoa said and looked up at them.
"Rinoa...? What is it?" Quistis asked.
"Don't say anything! Let me explain... Laguna was assassinated yesterday after noon... and..." Rinoa said, but she ran out of breath.
"Slow down, try to calm down..." Quistis said as she and Zell stared at her.
"Irvine killed Laguna!" Rinoa said with a sad voice. The two blondes' eyes went wide and they both gasped. "There are pictures... and...." Quistis' hands went up to her mouth to cover it while Zell just let his jaw hand down like a flytrap.
"Oh no... no! This couldn't be...!" Quistis said in an involuntarily soft voice
"No way, man! No WAY could Irvine do somethin' like that!" Zell said.
"How are we going to tell Selphie that Irvine..." Quistis said and her voice trailed off.
"I convinced Squall to let me warn Irvine ahead of time... to defend himself! To get out of here... Oh, Hyne... Squall wants to kill him!" Rinoa said.
"But Irvine wouldn't do something like that! Not ever!" Everyone looked behind Rinoa, to the entrance of the Quad to see a panicked Selphie. "He wouldn't!" She yelled as she walked towards her friends.
"Selphie..." Rinoa said softly as she reached into her pocket. She picked up Selphie's left hand and opened it. "They found this... at the crime scene..." Rinoa said softly as she put the small, white, rabbit's foot in Selphie's shaking palm. Her eyes went wide with so much fear and sorrow that her eye's alone where enough to make a creeper* stop laughing. Selphie clutched the rabbit's foot in her hand tightly and she held it over her heart.
"No! This.. this ... this isn't... it couldn't be...!" Selphie cried and Rinoa and Quistis looked away. What could they say? Zell walked towards Selphie as her eyes swelled up into glassy orbs and he put his arms around her. Selphie let out painful and agonizing sobs into Zell's chest as he quietly rubbed the back of her head and whispered 'shhh... it's gonna be ok...'.
"Hey, guy, gals and my girl!" Irvine said as he entered the Quad in his happy-go-lucky attitude, but as soon as he saw Selphie crying in Zell's arms, his face dropped. "Oh no, Selphie! What's wrong?!" he asked. Quistis and Rinoa stepped back and looked away from Irvine and to the ground while Zell held Selphie tighter and shielded her away from her deceiver.
"How could you even ask her that, man?!" Zell asked. Selphie pushed herself out of Zell's arms and looked at Irvine with her red eyes and her tear stained cheeks. He tried to put his arms around her, but the small girl pushed him away.
"Selphie...?" Irvine asked. "What's wrong?" In a second, there was the sound of flesh hitting flesh with a 'clap' kind of sound to it. Then, a sting of pain. Irvine's hand went to his cheek and he touched it... it stung worse than it ever had! As if he had gotten stung by 2 wasps at the same time... Selphie held her right hand in her left, careful to keep the rabbit's foot from falling. Irvine, whose head had been forced to the right side due to the force of the slap, slowly looked back at Selphie.
"You..." she said in a soft voice, "how could... how could.. how could you do this?! To Laguna... to Squall... to our friends?! To me...?" Selphie asked.
"But what...?" Irvine began to ask, then Selphie held out her left hand to reveal the rabbit's foot. All of the blood ran out of Irvine's face... he became so pale that it would put a ghost to shame.
"Missing something?" Selphie asked as she threw the white foot at Irvine's face, but he caught it and looked down at it for a second, then back up at Selphie.
"Selphie, I can explain! I know what it looks like..." He said as he reached for Selphie's hand, but she recoiled with disgust.
"Don't. Touch. Me." She said and looked away from him. "I don't know who you are anymore, Irvine... I can't even look at you!" Irvine looked to the ground, not able to look at his girl that could burn through the lies in his eyes just by looking at hers. There was a silence before Selphie could bring herself to speak to Irvine again. "Leave." She said and Irvine looked up from the ground. "Squall... he..." She swallowed hard. "he... wants you dead. So... so just..." Selphie looked up and straight into Irvine's eyes. "So just leave! Get out of here!"
"Sefie..." He said gently. He leaned towards her and whispered words only she could hear. "I love you... don't you forget it. I don't care about what you think of me now... there are worse things to come. Take care of your self, Selphie Tilmitt." Irvine said and backed away from his girl and looked at the glaring eyes of his 'friends', he stopped to look at Zell. "Take care of my girl."
"She's not your girl any more." Zell said as he took a step forward to hold Selphie before she began to break down in tears once more. Irvine's face dropped even more so... (if that's possible) and he solemnly nodded. He turned away from his friends and ran to his dorm room and gathered his things rather quickly in his leather back pack. He paused when he looked at the small, black box that held his anniversary present to Selphie... Irvine put his leather bag over his shoulder and made his way out of his dorm and down the hall... he spotted Selphie's dorm...
Irvine strode over to it slowly, then took off his hat and placed it at her door. He put the little black box underneath it... with one last glance, at his hat, he turned and walked away... away from the dorms... away from the Garden... away from his friends... away from his love... and towards his only family... and towards his new place in the world... Out of it.
~
Eight days after Laguna's death, his funeral was held. It was horrible... it was so sad and melancholy that there wasn't even a smile of hope on anyone's face. Squall and Rinoa sat through the entire service without a word... and afterwards, countless people came up to Squall just to say how sorry they felt for him and that they know it must be tough.
'How do they know how I feel?!' Squall asked himself. He knew he had to get out of here... away from everyone! The grieving son just stood up and left the service. Laguna was being buried at the cemetery at the Palace... near the garden that he had dedicated to Squall's mother, Raine, so Squall found himself at the back of the Garden and just sat on the closest, stone bench that he could find. He kept his mind blank as he stared at the dirt floor and let his dark hair fall over his face. He must have been there for 15 minutes before his solitude and silence was interrupted.
"Squall?" Kiros' said as he slowly walked towards the son of the president.
"..." Squall made no reply, but Kiros sat down next to him anyway. The tall man put a hand on Squall's shoulder.
"I'm really sorry..." Kiros said.
"..."
"You know... I nearly had to get the Esthar solders on Rinoa... she was guarding this garden so well... she's a real good girl..." Kiros said.
"..."
"Listen... Squall... I know you don't want to talk about... anything right now... but... there is something in Laguna's will I must tell you about..." Kiros said and took his hand off of Squall's shoulder.
"...what?" Squall asked as he looked at Kiros for the first time with a sideways glance.
"He... uh... He appointed you the new leader of Esthar..." Kiros said. As if Squall had just woken up from a dream, his eyes widened and he sat up straight to look Kiros in the eye. "Squall... Galbadia is going to attack; we need a strong leader!"
"...then you do it." Squall said as he stood up and began to walk away.
"Your father," Kiros said, and Squall stopped, "thought.. no.. he knew that you would be the man to lead Esthar. The man strong enough to do what is right and take control of this country."
"He was wrong."
~
A/N: *cries* I hate Zell! He's such a jerk! You know.. I don't think you would have guessed it.. but I'm a die-hard Selvine fan! I hate Zelphies! I'm sorry.. but I just don't like that pairing! And.. you never would have guessed it.. but I'm also a die-hard Zell/Library girl fan! Zell's such a jerk!
