Note: I still don't own Final Fantasy VIII, but I figured it out… if I eat nothing but Ramen Noodles for the next 220 years, I will have enough money saved up to buy it! *gets out fork*
I Forgot Your Name
By Kupo
Chapter Thirteen: Locked Doors
Disarm you with a smile
And cut you like you want me to
Cut that little child
Inside of me and such a part of you
Ooh, the years burn
~smashing pumpkins
--Balamb Garden, 3F Corridor.
Zell leaned against the smooth wall and rubbed the back of his neck. Around him there was a small congregation of underclassmen, talking and giggling amongst themselves. Today was Thursday, the first day that his martial-arts study group was scheduled to meet. He was excited to instruct the course and wanted to get the preliminaries out of the way, and for that, he had booked one of the official Garden briefing rooms. However, when he had arrived there 20 minutes earlier, he had found it still occupied by six SeeD still awaiting mission orders. Since he couldn't simply kick them out when they were waiting for their mission, he had ushered his student back into and down the hall to wait until the SeeDs were done.
"Um, Instructor?"
Zell paid no heed to the student questioning him; he was still not used to being called an official title.
"Excuse me, but Instructor?"
"Nah, Quistis is down on the second floor in her classroom," Zell answered absently.
"But… but sir, I think that the SeeDs are finally getting their orders, sir," the cadet finished up lamely, gesturing down the hall towards the briefing room door.
Zell watched in surprise as a female figure dressed scantily in black reached for the door handle.
When did that become standard Garden uniform?
He began to move quickly down the hallway, wanting to make sure that the woman that the clearance to be on the third level of the military facility. The woman, hearing the nearing footsteps, looked up for a fleeting moment as she entered the room.
Zell stopped in his tracks.
"Rinoa…?" he said aloud, more to himself than to her. All he received in response was a cold stare that chilled him to his core and a door closed firmly in his face.
"Tch. Huh… what is going on in there?" He wondered aloud, running a hand through his hair. Although Rinoa had seemed to be returning to normal since Squall brought her back from the Centra continent, the events that had transpired before that were still not far from his mind.
Best to stay close… just in case. Not that anything bad will happen… but… just in case.
He looked back down the hall and noticed that all of his students were watching him curiously. Not knowing what else to do, he waved at them, and then as an afterthought held up his open hand. Five more minutes.
I hope that's all it is… for more than just one reason.
Feeling every bit the bad friend and the spy, he casually leaned close to the door to see if he could catch anything that Rinoa was saying in the room, but it was strangely quiet.
Hell, what's going on in there? Nap time?
Zell's thoughts drifted uneasily until they were interrupted by a succession of muffled thuds. Deciding that enough was enough; he threw caution to the wind and grabbed the doorknob. It stayed firm in his hand and wouldn't turn. He tightened his grip and tried again, but to no avail.
What's with these doors? Well... I suppose it is a military facility, makes sense for everything to be locked down all the time. But lockdowns are no match for Zell "The Machine" Dincht, baby!
Mentally psyching himself up, he took the doorknob in both hands turned it was all his strength. The metal inside the door latch groaned as it yielded under his strength, and then with a soft popping sound, his half of the doorknob released and was in his hands. Glancing down the hallway towards the cadets once more, he chuckled nervously.
"Uh, just showing how your martial arts training can come in handy any day. One more moment, please-"
Using his fingers, he reached into the small cavity in the door where his half of the handle had been and easily pushed the tumbler lock out of place. With a deep breath, he opened the door and was instantly blinded by a brilliant light.
--Esthar, Presidential Office.
Ward watched Kiros as he explained the security measures which were being taken to ensure the safety of all public figures present during the celebration to be held the next morning. He knew that security was indeed an important issue to most Estharian citizens; since the end of the war with Ultimecia their technological nation had been thrust into the limelight and was turning into quite the tourist attraction as well as a haven for those unhappy with their old cities and towns. Ward eyed the officials. Next to Laguna, these were the men that ruled their country.
Mr. Rush, Mr. Knightley, and Mr. Bloom… you've made some enemies, haven't you?
These men were what remained of the old ruling aristocracy of Esthar… before Laguna arrived and instigated so many drastic reforms. While this old triumvirate had accepted Laguna's presidency without complaint, they still held great power with the older, more conservative Estharian families and great influence over public policy and opinion. While they might not be the most popular, the masses still identified them as some of their "founding fathers", and as such they needed to be protected.
"…Every security measure," Kiros continued. "We expect SeeD to arrive at 1600, or within the next four hours, at which point they will be escorted to their quarters within the palace. At 0630 the next morning, they will be dispatched to your rooms in the palace and will serve as your escort until 0100 the next morning. We don't anticipate any problems."
The three men looked to each other and seemed to come to a consensus. Mr. Rush stood up, nodded, and held out his hand to Kiros.
"That should be sufficient, Mr. Kiros," he stated. After shaking Kiros's hand, he took Ward's. Following his lead, the other two men stood and shook hands with the two friends. The three exited the room and left Ward and Kiros alone.
I hate those guys… I wouldn't be surprised if someone did try to off 'em during the celebration tomorrow…
"Yeah, me too," Kiros added with a conspiratorial wink at Ward, reading his face. "But if they did get knocked off, we'd be in serious Behemoth dung. The older families would be outraged and fearful, people would call for vengeance… and worse than all of that… we'd be stuck ruling the country until Laguna recovers…!"
I just want this whole celebration to be over already, it's not really a celebration unless Laguna's there…
Kiros smiled sadly and put a hand on Ward's shoulder.
"I hear ya, man… I hear ya."
--Balamb Garden, 3F Corridor.
"No!!!!" shouted Zell, holding his hands in front of his eyes to shield them from the brilliant light. Slowly, the intensity dimmed and Zell found himself staring at Rinoa, her hand on the window shade cord.
"Zell… is everything alright?" she said worriedly, although a small smile played on the corners of her lips. "I thought it was a little too dim in here and I was opening the curtains to let some light in. I hope that is acceptable," she added.
Zell shrugged sheepishly and put both hands on his hips.
"Uh, yeah… sorry Rinoa. I guess I'm just a little excited to get my class underway. But I thought I heard strange noises in here, and I got a little worried for you, man." He looked around the room, everything seemed to be in place, and the SeeDs appointed to the Esthar mission sat calmly upright in their seats.
Rinoa nodded.
"Yes. I believe we are done here," she said, and gestured for the SeeDs to rise and leave the room. As one, they rose and exited the room single file.
They sure are quiet… and what's with their faces? Did they freeze? They're all… blank and stuff...?
Rinoa followed Zell's stare and shrugged nonchalantly.
"They are simply concentrating on their mission, I am sure," she said decisively. Before giving Zell a chance to respond, she continued. "Now, I am sure that you would like to get your teaching underway, so I will get out of your way." With the same small, strange smile teasing the edges of her mouth, she nodded to him and left the room.
Zell stood where he was, lost in his thoughts for a moment. He was sure that he was missing something, but, come to think of it, he was always pretty sure that he was missing something. Glancing in the direction Rinoa had walked, he noticed his class gathered around the doorway waiting to come in.
"Oh jeeze, sorry you guys! Come on in. The first thing that we are going to learn is how to take apart a door should you need to get into a room. As you saw by my excellent demonstration, it's actually very easy…"
--The House in Balamb, Dining Room.
The group of friends gathered around the table. Squall was apprehensive, as it was Irvine's night to cook dinner, and while it was never awful, it was certainly always very… interesting. However, that night Irvine could have cooked an old tire and he probably wouldn't have noticed. All his attention was focused on Rinoa.
I know that it's crazy. But I can't help it… she's magnetic. All day long… there's been something about her that pulls me in, and then the rest of the world doesn't matter anymore.
While everyone else ate, he found himself tracing the lines of her neck with his eyes, the curve of her chin, the way she held her fork. Everything seemed so different, like he was seeing her for the first time. It was unnerving, but at the same time exhilarating.
What is it that I'm feeling? Maybe even the great Squall Leonhart becomes a romantic every now and then… but… why haven't I felt this before? Why just now?
"Squall, you're not eating."
Pulled from his reverie, he looked over to Selphie. She was watching him with a playful smile.
"I mean really, there's going to be plenty of time after dinner to stare at Rinoa. Irvy tried really hard to cook something good for once, and—HEY!"
Selphie broke off as Irvine socked her lightly in the arm.
"What do you mean, for once?" He said defensively. "I cook good things all the time; I don't know where you've been for all of my meals!"
"I've been getting take-out!!" Selphie hooted gleefully. Zell snorted and choked back laughter, and Quistis put a hand to her mouth in an unsuccessful attempt to hide her own laughter. Feigning hurt, Irvine held a hand to his chest.
"I'm outnumbered here! It's not fair!" he cried out, and pulled his napkin from his lap and threw it at Quistis. In a bout of playfulness, Quistis threw it back. Within no time, there were napkins flying everywhere.
It's only a matter of time before its more than just napkins flying around…
Glancing over at Rinoa, he was surprised to see her watching
him closely. Inclining her head slightly to the right, she stood up with a
small smile to the group and left the table. Following her signal, he rose as
well and followed her out of the room. The rest of their friends barely noticed
as Squall's prediction had just come true and the first spoonful of potato had
just flown from Selphie's spoon and splattered on Quistis' forehead.
He entered the living room and scanned the room. The sun had gone down hours
before and there were no lights on in the room. Rinoa wasn't there.
Intuitively, Squall headed for the stairs and made his way upstairs. He knocked
at her door but there was no answer.
"Rinoa…?" he called softly as he opened her door. He was surprised to find her room empty. A frown creased his features as he shut her door and crossed the hall to his own room. He opened the door and felt for the light switch.
"Don't turn it on."
Squall paused, somewhat startled. Suddenly, he felt two arms encircle his waist from behind. The light spilling into his room was cut off as the door closed behind him. He turned, and before he had time to think, Rinoa's lips had already found his.
~early the next morning~
Squall awoke from sleep with a frown. Something was wrong. He looked down, Rinoa was fast asleep, her head on his chest. Instinctively, he tightened his arm around her and tried to relax.
Something's really wrong.
He couldn't seem to shake off his feeling of foreboding. Suddenly there was an urgent knock at his door. He closed his eyes for a moment, telling himself that it was a coincidence. Before he could stand up, the door opened and Zell strode in. He turned on the lights and noticed that Squall was not alone.
"Oh jeeze Squall, um, sorry…" he stuttered, turning around to face the wall.
Squall sighed, and gently moved Rinoa's head from his chest to the pillow. After a quick check to make sure he was clothed from the waist down, he rose from the bed and ran a hand through his hair.
"It's alright Zell. What was so urgent that it couldn't wait until the sun's up?"
Zell turned, and Squall was able to see his face for the first time. It was extremely pale and his eyes were full of anxiety.
"Squall, something's happened at Esthar. This morning, the officials Garden had been assigned to protect were found dead."
"Oh Hyne. Do they know who did it? How could they get past our SeeDs?" Squall's mind was going a million miles a minute, creating and discarding scenarios, already planning statements to the press and to loved ones.
Zell appeared to grow even more anxious, and he held Squall's eyes for a moment, appearing to try and dredge up the courage to continue speaking. Finally, with a deep breath, he continued.
"There are security cameras in every corner of the palace, including the rooms where the officials were staying."
"Good. Since we already have six SeeDs there, tell them to begin on the identification process. We need to solve this as quickly as possible," Squall interrupted.
"Squall… the security cameras… did pick up the assassins…"
Squall began to grow frustrated, and Zell knew it was better to just continue.
"Squall. The SeeDs that we dispatched to Esthar. They killed the Estharian officials. The cameras confirm it beyond any shadow of a doubt."
Squall was so stunned that he sat back down on his bed. Zell watched in uncomfortable silence as Squall put a hand to his forehead, hair falling over his eyes and hiding his expression. He remained quiet.
"Squall, Esthar is calling for retaliation against Garden. They're amassing a force as we speak."
On the bed, a smile too small for the men to notice formed on Rinoa's mouth.
Whew. I must say, I'm kinda proud of myself for updating like three times in two weeks. *gives herself a trophy* There's not really much else to do right now, where I go to college is absolutely freezing (right now the wind chill is -37) and I'm trying to stay in and stay warm in my dorm =) Anyway, I hope that this chapter was ok for everyone, it actually took me a while to write it out and have it make any kind of sense. It's like… I know where I want it to end up, now it's just a matter for making it get there, somehow. Anyway, enough about me. Let's talk about my reviews, who I love oh love oh love tons =)
squeakychris- I thought it was time for some action, too! I'm glad that you liked it, and I hope my update was soon enough for ya =)
Noacat- Hehe, silly 'ol dumb 'ol Squall. He still hasn't caught on yet. And thanks for your nice words about the love scene in the last chapter; you can't imagine how nervous I was about that one! I'll put some normal Rinoa in the next chapter, too. I hope that you enjoyed this chapter =P
remote mine- Amazing? *sniffle* That is really really really nice of you to say. Jeeze, soon I'm gonna have a big ego if I'm not careful! Thanks for such a nice review!
karla3- The monkeys passed out?!?! *gets out electric paddles* Wake up, monkeys! Don't you leave me now, dammit! Fight! Fiiiiiight! Hehehe. Woo! I made you forget about the real Rinoa for a minute, awesome! That's what I was hoping would happen for a little while! After I post this one, I'm heading over to review chapter twelve of your story, which I already read but just haven't had time to type up a review about. I hope you like this one! Much love from me to you AND the monkeys!
Cusp of a Butterfly- I hate the evil Rinoa too! Which makes it really hard for me to write this fic sometimes, because I just wanna either ignore her or kill her off right now =P Let me know what you think of this chapter!
zornoid13- Thanks! I hope you like the update, send me a review after you read =)
Evan'sRinoa- Heh, I don't really wanna flush Rinoa either! She's my favorite female in the game too =D. Someone will notice something's up soon, no worries. But I'm not telling who, mwahaha! Enjoy this chapter!
DemonRyu- Thanks for so many nice compliments! And thanks as well for saying I did a good job in the last chapter, by now I'm sure you can tell I was stressed out about it! I think you're very perceptive about Rinoa's characteristics, and I really like your feedback! I made you like a S x R story! This makes my day! =)
So thank you to reviewers and to readers! Everyone review! *throws confetti everywhere* Please review me and let me know what you think. Te amo~ Kupo
