Chapter Two: A Series of Interludes
By PasifikStar
Author's Note: I'm going to stick to my usual format of using other Final Fantasy characters for minor parts. The racers/pit crew who always hang around Squall shall be the tragic heroes from 7, 9, and 10. And to ethereal-tenshi, YES, the motorcycle part IS from a Japanese Drama - "Forbidden Love". I mentioned that I used a scene from the beginning of the drama. I just loved that scene and it was really cute so I stole it. ^_^;; Please don't sue!!! The rest is all me, though. ^_^
* All Standard Disclaimers Apply: I do not own Final Fantasy or it's characters.It was like no one else was around them. As if the world had stopped for a moment in time just so they could relish the moment. Her first ride on a motorcycle ended as he pulled up to the front of the Garden. It hummed unnaturally quiet next to them as she reluctantly untwined her arms from his waist.
He turned his head as she was sliding off the side of the bike, trying to regain her footing with her white heels as he held out his hand to steady her. Long, elegant fingers intertwined with his he checked to make sure she could stand on her own.
When he let go, she felt her heart sink. She raised her head, still wearing the helmet. She could see the soft look on his face as his blue eyes locked on to hers. His gloved hands rose and gently pulled of the black and blue helmet over her head.
She closed her eyes as the hair that had been caught in the helmet fell down around her face. Leather gloved hands brushed back her silken locks of hair. She looked up reluctantly, knowing that her face was burning with a furious blush under his gaze.
Her heart continued to beat against her chest, threatening to come out at any moment if he continued to touch her. He held her heart shaped face in his hand as he studied her face a little longer. Her pink lips parted to speak, but were silenced as his the tip of his finger caressed her lips.
He watched with interest as her eyes closed. Her lips seemed to kiss his finger as he pulled away from her. Their eyes locked once more as he pulled away from her. "Thank you." she whispered softly.
His blue eyes seemed to fill with awe for just a moment as stared back at her. She didn't want him to leave. Not yet.
Suddenly, her cellular phone went off and pain etched her face as Squall tore his eyes away from hers. "Good night." he stated simply as he shoved his helmet on.
"Wait!" Rinoa gasped as she lifted up her phone. It was too late. Squall was already heading back out the gates and Rinoa bit her lower lip. She watched his dark silhouette vanish in the moonlight. She closed her eyes and mentally swore as she lifted up the phone. "What?" she almost growled.
"Whoa, what's YOUR problem?" Seifer's annoyed voice said from the other line.
"Nothing." she mumbled.
"So where are you? We're looking all over for you!" Seifer shouted. She could hear the sound of the music blasting in the background.
"Back at the Garden."
"How the hell did you get there!?"
"I got a ride."
"From who!?"
Rinoa looked back out towards the gates. "I'm going to sleep now. Good night, Seifer."
"Hey! Wait! Who gave you a-" She flipped the phone closed and tilted her head back. The moonlight fell over her body and she smiled slightly.
Her brown eyes opened as she looked around her dark room. She had one of the rooms without a window, as the rooms that had windows were reserved for high ranking SeeDs. She reached of the digital clock by her bed.
It was...five in the morning. *That means I've been asleep for...four hours. What the hell..?* She grumbled and buried her face in her pillows. Whenever she tried to get back to sleep, she would just keep awaking up and stare at her dark ceiling.
Grumbling, she sat up in bed and turned on her light. Maybe she could read herself back to sleep. She grabbed the nearest thing on her desk and pulled it towards her. She looked at the book and blushed. It had been the book she was reading when she had Squall watching her class.
Her brown eyes wandered up to the chair by her desk. Hanging from it's back was a heavy, dark leather coat. Soft grayish-white fluff lined it's collar. Rinoa placed the book back down on the desk and swung her feet over the side of her bed. She stood up and walked over to the chair.
Rinoa placed her hands on the jacket and lifted it up. He had forgotten to ask for it back when he left her standing there at the entrance to the Garden. Then again, maybe he wanted her to keep it so she wouldn't be cold.
She looked at it intently as her fingers ran through the soft material at it's collar. She slowly put it around her and wrapped it tightly around herself. She closed her eyes and blushed.
She could smell his scent all around her, flooding her senses as she fell back on her bed. Her eyes closed tightly as she curled up with the jacket. For a moment, she felt that he was there with her, his warm arms wrapped around her. Before she even realized it, she was asleep.
The lights flickered on the screen and Squall removed his helmet to get a better look at the scores. Suddenly, they flashed his number and from the pit, he could hear his crew yelling and cheering as he stared up in wonder. He had broken his own record.
"Way to go, Squall!"
"I didn't expect anything less from you!"
"Great job, man!"
He smiled slightly as he put his helmet back on and rode the bike back to the pit. There, he was greeted warmly by the crew working with him and he thanked them. "This means you're in, Squall," one of the people told him. "Congratulations, man. You're finally going to get to play in the big leagues."
"The Galbadia Fourteen..." Squall whispered as he looked back at his times. It was hard to believe. He was eighteen years old...three years of riding a motorcycle had finally culminated to this.
"I can't believe it...three years and you've already hit the G-14."
The Galbadia Fourteen was a fourteen day, grueling motorcycle race through a continent. It started out in Deling City and ended in Deling City. There was always a maximum of twenty five teams made up of one racer and his crew. Of course, not everyone made it back to Deling City. Whoever won was set for life. Not that he needed it. After all, the life of a SeeD Commander was pretty good.
Regardless, he wasn't in it for the money. It was a personal issue. He wanted to show the world what he could do. A small smile graced his face as he thought about a certain dark haired girl who would probably be ecstatic to find out his had made the G-14. *Rinoa...*
His mind drifted off to the events of last night. As he held her warm face in his hands he wanted to kiss her badly. Her soft lips were so inviting, aching to be seared by his. Yet he just stood there, staring at her as if she were an untouchable goddess. Then her phone rang.
He recalled the look of disappointment, pain, and frustration as it registered to her that her phone was ringing. He ripped his eyes from hers and quickly sped off. He didn't know if he could resist her alluring brown eyes and soft lips any longer.
"Rinoa?" one of the other drivers said with a smile.
"What?" Squall asked, turning to the side. The other drivers, all about his age, if not older, smirked as he looked at them in confusion.
"You said Rinoa," one of the other drivers smirked as several members of his team looked over at him. "Do you like her?"
Squall gave them a look of confusion. How could they have possibly known Rinoa? Another driver let out a sigh. "Do you like her music?" he clarified, catching Squall's blue eyes in his own.
"Her music?" Squall asked, confused.
"Rinoa Caraway," the first driver sighed. "You know, the singer?"
"She's also a model." the second one added.
Squall shook his head. "I'm not talking about her." He told them. The other drivers sighed tiredly. The entire time they had known Squall, perhaps a good two years, they had never known him to mention a girl's name in their presence. Not even one of the other SeeDs.
"How many girls out there could possibly be named Rinoa?" the later driver asked him. "Are you sure you're not talking about Rinoa Caraway? You know, she just came out with a CD. It's first two singles hit number one on the pop charts-"
Squall was already shaking his head. "I don't listen to that kind of music." he shrugged.
The blond driver with the blue eyes looked at him and squinted. "Do you even listen to music?"
"If it'll shut you up, yes." Squall said. The four racers, all dressed in identical dark blue racing suits and holding matching helmets in their arms, were heading towards the locker room.
"So whose the girl, Squall?" said the short blond with the spiky hair. "Anyone we know?"
"There is no girl." Squall stated firmly.
"Of course not..." said the blond with the layered hair. He winked at the other two blondes, who both smirked. Squall rolled his eyes.
"Maybe we should follow him home and see if we can catch a glimpse of her," said the last driver with a grin. "He's so happy right now, he's bound to go straight to her to tell her the good news."
"Yeah! Good idea, Tidus! I bet she's pretty hot, too." said the blond with the layered hair.
"She has to be for the pretty boy." said the last blond.
Squall held down a growl. "For the last time, Cloud, I am not a pretty boy," he stated as he turned around to glare at the three that were behind him. "And if it'll stop you three from stalking me, she's a cadet at the Garden."
"A cadet?" Tidus asked. He looked at the others. "Zidane, Cloud...you know what that means right?" The other two looked at him as if he were crazy and shook their heads. Tidus sighed. "Squall is the Commander? She's a cadet? It's forbidden. Forbidden LOVE."
Squall glared at Tidus. "I'm going to kill you."
"Okay, let's just go and change and let Squall be on his way before he makes Yuna a widow." Cloud sighed, being the most mature of the group.
"Yuna and I aren't married." Tidus commented as they by passed him and opened the doors to the locker room.
"Oh, that's right!" Zidane said, as if he was suddenly enlightened. "You're just whipped."
"That's it, monkey, you're dead."
Cloud ran his hand down his face. "I have to start hanging out with people my own age..."
Rinoa stood in front of the door to Squall's office. The metal name tag on his door said 'Commander Squall Leonhart' in bold black letters. She checked the clock on the wall. She had been standing there for an hour.
*Okay, just go in already!* her mind shouted. *It'll be more embarrassing if he walks out and finds out standing out here like a moron!*
She had that mental debate for the last few hours. She refused to go inside. Instead, she stood outside his door, gripping his leather jacket in her arms. She had found out from Selphie that Squall would probably be in his office doing paper work. The only time he went out was to ride his motorcycle.
Of course, Rinoa had thanked her and left in such a hurry that she didn't hear Selphie shout that on weekends, Squall was out at the speedway doing time trails. Therefore, the young woman had spent the majority of the day in her room, trying to figure out that best way to approach him and return his jacket.
She did want to see him again, but she didn't want to look like a stammering, nervous dolt. By sunset, she had finally made her mind and marched to his office, silently hoping that he was still there.
Rinoa was glad to see that the lights were on through the cracks under the doorway. She took a deep breath and stepped forward. She lifted her hand to the door.
"Rinoa?"
She whirled around, her face blushing as she saw the young man walk in. He was dressed in loose, dark leather pants and a white shirt underneath a black and blue jacket with a racing insignia all over it. His blue eyes gave her a surprised, yet questioning look.
"I...uh...um..." *Great...I'm stammering again...way to go...* Rinoa took a deep breath and held her arms out straight, holding up his jacket. "Thank you!" she nearly shouted.
Squall stared at her. Rinoa's eyes were downcast as she lifted up his jacket nervously. Her face was red and he noticed that she was fidgeting slightly. He reached out and took it from her hands without a word. Her eyes slowly lifted to his and quickly went back down. "How long have you been standing here?"
Her heart stopped in her chest. Did he know? "Just...just a few minutes..." *About sixty.*
"Thanks," he replied in a low voice. Rinoa bit her bottom lip and nodded. She looked back up and him and he locked his eyes on hers. "I never apologized..." he mumbled. "About almost hitting you with my bike."
"No! No! It's okay!" she stammered. "I was just caught off guard, that's all. Besides, you're the one who fell-"
"You have a scratch on your leg," Squall said as he looked down. She was wearing her black biker shorts underneath her black dress and her boots only reached her ankle. Therefore, the scratch on her leg she had gotten when she fell was bared for all the world to see. Rinoa tried to hide her leg behind her other one as Squall knelt down looked at it. "Did you get it seen by a doctor?"
"It's just a scratch," Rinoa insisted as she blushed furiously. Squall's bare hand touched her leg, slowly examining the wound and mentally comparing it to his own. "It's nothing, really!"
She took a step back and Squall jerked his hand back. *I shouldn't have touched her...* his mind scolded him. "Sorry." he mumbled as he stood back up.
"Stop it," Rinoa told him with furrowed eyebrows. "You don't need to apologize-"
"If I was turning the corner at the right speed, I wouldn't have had to break and skid," he told her seriously. "It was my fault."
"No, please, don't worry about it, Commander-"
"Squall," he told her as he looked into her eyes. "My name is Squall."
"Yes, sir-er...Squall," She blushed once more and her eyes darted away from his. She licked her lips unsurely as Squall studied her. Rinoa felt his gaze and was growing more nervous by the second. "Um...is there something on my face?"
Squall blinked and took his eyes off of her. He shook his head. "Sorry," he said, sounding a bit confused. "Rinoa...let me make it up to you."
"Excuse me?"
"The accident. Let me make it up to you," Squall insisted. Rinoa tilted her head to the side. *Just say yes...don't make it any harder than it is.*
"No," Rinoa shook her head. "Really, it was nothing-"
"So you don't want to go out with me?"
"Well, yes, of course I do-" Rinoa turned bright red as her eyes widened and looked up at him. "I mean...wait...I would like to go...but you know...you don't have to feel obligated to."
She nodded, as if to assert that it was how she really felt. Squall nodded. *Well, there goes that plan...very slick, Leonhart...* His mind was scolding him.
"I'll let you go back to work now," Rinoa said with a cheerful smile. She looked around him, trying to figure out the best way to leave without having to seem too eager to. "I'm sorry for bothering you."
With her eyes downcast, she stepped to the side and headed towards the hall way. Squall stood there, unmoving, but unaware as his arm shot out and grabbed her wrist. Rinoa froze and turned in surprise. Slowly, his face turned to her. "I...it's my dream to take part in the Galbadia-14," he said quietly. "I just go the results in and I qualified..." His softened blue eyes turned to her. "I'd hate to celebrate alone tonight."
She couldn't believe it. She just couldn't believe it. She felt as if here entire body were floating in air as she buried her head against his back. She could feel the wind rushing around her body as she clung on to him for dear life.
Squall took every corner slower than usual. He paid close attention to where he was going and, as hard as it was with Rinoa pasted against his back, concentrated on the road. The last thing he wanted was to get into an accident while she was with him. Especially when she trusted him.
Rinoa could feel his heart beating steadily against her breast as she smiled. She was wearing a spare helmet and his jacket, once again. He had insisted that she wear pants, saying it would be more comfortable.
*You really did it...* Squall thought to himself. *You're really going out with her. You thought about it all last night...hell, you couldn't even concentrate on the time trails because of her and now you're actually taking her out.*
Rinoa closed her eyes, drifting off into a relaxed wonderland where it was just her, Squall, and the long open road. When the motorcycle slowed down and she opened her eyes, she felt disappointment rush over her as she realized that they had arrived in town.
They were now driving down the street, heading for a small, casual place they could eat. He pointed to a two story cafe and she nodded. They parked in the meters on the street, right outside the cafe. Rinoa removed her helmet and he took it off her hands.
Within a few moments, they were seated on the second floor of the cafe, by the front window. Soft music played in the background as they ordered some coffee and some sandwiches. Rinoa looked out the window. The sun was setting towards the west and she smiled.
The light of the setting sun hit her face just as Squall turned to her and he smiled slightly. She orated an almost celestial glow. He didn't even realize that she had turned to him. "Squall?" she asked in a quiet voice. "Are you okay?"
He jerked his head back and nodded. "Are you sure a sandwich is all you want?" he asked as casually as he could. "What about some soup? The ride here probably made you cold."
"No, I'm fine," she assured him. "Your jacket kept me warm." She smiled. *As did your hot, hot body...*
He nodded and looked away. *Don't keep staring at her...it's weird...*
"So...congratulations."
"For what?" he asked, slightly confused. Rinoa raised an eyebrow.
"For qualifying for the Galbadia-14," Rinoa said with a chuckle. "I heard that's the world's most grueling motorcycle race."
"Any one who races knows that if you conquer the G-14, you conquer the world." Squall stated.
Rinoa leaned forward, her elbows on the table and tilting her head to look at him. "So...why?" she asked quietly. "Why do you want to conquer the world?"
Squall paused. He wasn't sure he knew how to answer that. "I don't know," he admitted. He shook his head. "I don't think I'll ever know."
"But the race is crazy," Rinoa stressed. "It's fourteen days on open road. If you fall asleep in certain parts, you could die."
"I know," Squall said. "It's part of the allure of it all. So how do you know about the G-14?"
"I'm from Deling City," Rinoa stated proudly as she sat up straight in her chair. "Whenever the G-14 is held, there's always a big parade and celebrations and parties and stuff. The city is packed."
"Have you ever watched it?"
Rinoa shook her head. "It's not really my thing to watch..." she trailed off. Squall nodded and Rinoa glanced up at him. "I mean...if you were in it, I'd watch!" she told him eagerly. "I'd keep track of you and everything."
The corners of Squall's lips lifted slightly, offering her a smile. Just the hint of it made Rinoa's heart quicken. "Thank you."
Rinoa nodded. "You're lucky though," she said with a soft smile. Her eyes looked outside the window as she sighed. "To be able to do that. You must really love it," She paused and turned back to him. "Do you like being a SeeD?"
"It's a job."
"I take it that's a no..." she giggled. Squall gave her that shy smile once more. "You should smile more," she said thoughtfully. "You look really sweet smiling."
This time it was Squall who gave a faint blush. "What about you? Do you think you'll enjoy your job after you graduate?" he asked, in an attempt to take the attention off of him.
Rinoa nodded and smiled brightly. "Oh yeah!" she said energetically. "I can't wait to graduate. I'm going to get to travel and do what I love."
Squall seemed to cock his head to the side slightly. *She'd love being a mercenary?*
"But I plan to do more things than that," she said. "I want to go into designing clothes or something like that."
Squall nodded. *That's more like it,* "So do you plan on returning to Deling City?"
"Probably," Rinoa shrugged. "But I always wanted to go to Esthar. My father never really let me, but I heard it's a beautiful place. Have you ever been there?"
Squall's eyes darkened slightly, but he nodded. "Just a few times," he replied in a deep, solemn voice. "You're not missing much."
The waitress came by and put their drinks in front of them. Rinoa thanked her and pulled her mug closer to her. She looked up from her drink, suddenly feeling that a dark cloud had suddenly loomed them. Squall seemed to stiffen and his eyes were no longer looking at her.
*Think, Rinoa! Say something!* Rinoa took a sip from her mug and then put it back down. "So, how long have you known Quistis and Selphie and Zell?"
"Quistis, Selphie, and Zell?" Squall asked. He looked back at her as she made a mental note never to mention Esthar to him again. He looked down at his steaming drink and thought for a moment. "We've known each other since we were children..."
"Really?" Rinoa said in a light voice. "Quistis is one of my instructors and she introduced me to Selphie and Zell."
Squall nodded. "How do you like them?"
"They're great!" she replied enthusiastically. "Selphie is SO nice! And Zell is SO funny."
*Funny...well, that's one way to describe, Zell...* Squall thought to himself, amused. "Are you enjoying the Garden?"
Rinoa nodded. "It's different from my old school," she said. "I went to an all girls' private school in Deling City. But I like Balamb. It's very peaceful and calm here. It's different from Deling City, but I like it."
"That's good," he replied. "May I ask you a question?"
"Sure!"
Squall looked away for a moment. He'd been wondering about something for a while and finally decided to ask her. "How long have you known Seifer?"
Rinoa looked slightly surprised that he had asked her that question. The first words to come out of her mouth were, "He's not my boyfriend!"
She looked so desperate to get him to believe her that he smiled once more. "Yes, you've told me that already."
Rinoa blushed furiously and looked down. "Oh...I forgot..."
"It's all right."
"Uh..." Rinoa took a deep breath and thought for a moment. "He's...I guess...well, I've known him for a few years," *Should I tell him?* she thought to herself. She looked back up at him. Squall was paying attention intently and she hesitated telling him. What if he rejected her right then and there for it? After all, he did seem to dislike Seifer immensely. She shook her head. He would've found out sooner or later. "He's also my-"
"Rinoa, what the hell are you doing here?" a deep male voice said from the stair well behind her.
Rinoa's eyes went wide as she recognized exactly who that voice belonged to instantly. She mentally swore as she closed her eyes sighed. She turned her head around just as a pair of burning emerald eyes landed on her. "Seifer..."
Squall sat up straight, suddenly giving off his cold and angry look as the tall blond approached their little table. "I've been looking all over for you," Seifer told the female brunette in an annoyed voice. "Why haven't you answered your phone!?"
"I left it in my room," Rinoa explained casually. "What do you want, Seifer?"
"I need to talk to you," he told her strongly. He turned and glared at Squall, who was shooting him the same angry look. "What the hell are you doing here?"
"He asked me out for coffee," Rinoa said sternly as she stood up and frowned. She snapped her fingers in front of Seifer's face, forcing him to turn his attention back to her. "Okay, what is it? What do you need to talk to me about?"
"Not here."
"Can it wait?" Rinoa asked. "Can't you see I'm trying to have a conversation with Squall?"
Seifer jerked his head back and narrowed his eyes. "Squall?" he asked, almost disgusted. "He's just 'SQUALL' now?"
Rinoa blushed as she narrowed her eyes. "Seifer, I don't have time for this!" she sighed. "What is it!?"
"We're going back to the Garden," Seifer stated as he grabbed Rinoa's arm. "I have to talk to you about something."
"What? Why!?" Rinoa gasped. She pulled back and Seifer turned to look at her.
"Rinoa, stop being stubborn. C'mon," Seifer said. He gave her a stern look. "I need to talk to you."
"Seifer-"
"If she doesn't want to go, then don't force her." Squall said as he stood up off his chair. Rinoa looked over at him, noticing the darkened look in his face.
"Squall-" Rinoa began.
"Stay out of this Commander Puberty!" Seifer snapped. "This is none of your business!"
"She IS my business-" Squall retroted, almost possessively. Rinoa blushed deeply.
"Squall, it's okay," Rinoa said. Seifer let go of her arm and looked over at her, slightly surprised that she was intervening. She smiled at Squall warmly. "I'll deal with Seifer. Can I have a rain check on dinner?"
Squall's icy blue eyes went from Seifer to Rinoa. She felt her heart freeze as she saw his cold eyes. Behind their crystal blue color was a look of hurt, as if he were asking her why she was siding with Seifer. He sat back down and turned his head. "Whatever."
"Good, Rinoa, let's go-" Seifer began. Rinoa nodded and waved her hand at him.
"I'll meet you downstairs," she told him, her eyes still on Squall. When she realized that Seifer wasn't moving, she turned to him with an annoyed glare. "I'll be there in a minute, okay? Just move!"
Seifer let out a snort and cast one last glare at Squall before he turned and headed back down the stairs. "Fine...but I'll be back here if you're not there in a minute!"
Rinoa nodded and made sure he was completely downstairs before turning back to Squall. "Squall, let me explain," she began as she walked over to Squall's side of the table and knelt down in front of him. She placed one hand on her lap and the other on his arm. "Listen, Seifer is a good friend of mine. He's an arrogant, self absorbed, jack ass, but he'd never hurt me."
"Whatever..." Squall mumbled indifferently. Rinoa had a pained look in her eyes as she grabbed his hand and forced him to look at her.
"We'll go out again, okay?" she told him with desperate brown eyes. "I'll pay next time."
He turned his head away from her again and felt her let go of his hand. Rinoa stood up and studied him. "RINOA!" a voice shouted from downstairs. "The clock is ticking!!"
She rolled her eyes and walked over to her chair. She grabbed his jacket, which had been hanging off the back of her chair. From the corner of his eye, he saw her lift the jacket up and put it on. He squinted and couldn't help but comment. "What are you doing?"
"I'm wearing your jacket," she said stubbornly. She reached behind her neck and lifted her hair from underneath the jacket. She tugged it snuggly around herself and smiled as she looked back at him. "Just for a little bit, okay? I'll return it tomorrow. At your office."
"Rinoa! Hurry your fat butt up!" Seifer shouted from downstairs. Rinoa mumbled something about how the patrons in the cafe were probably getting annoyed with him before she turned and headed down the stairs.
"Remember!" she said with a smile as she waved at Squall. "Tomorrow at your office!"
Squall merely watched her gown down the stairs, her dark hair topped head disappearing as she ran down the steps. He heard her yell at Seifer and then looked outside the window. Fujin and Raijin had been waiting outside by Seifer's car as Rinoa followed him outside, seemingly yelling at him as she did so.
He was yelling back, but still opened the door for her to get into the car. She grabbed the door, saying she could get in by herself. Seifer yelled for the other two to get into the car before he headed for the driver's seat.
Rinoa was about to sit down when she looked up and saw Squall looking down at her from the second floor of the cafe. She smiled and waved slightly. He was only able to lift up his hand before she got into the car and Seifer sped away.
Inside the car, Rinoa turned to Seifer, glaring at him. "Don't even think about complaining," Seifer stated before she could even get a word in. "He's off limits to you."
"You're not my boyfriend any more, Seifer!" Rinoa snapped. "You can't tell me who I can't see and who I can!"
"You don't get it," he snapped back. "He's the Commander of the Garden. I don't know what the hell he's thinking, but he's not even supposed to be taking students out on dates."
Rinoa blushed as she sat in the seat. "It wasn't a date! It was a friendly outing!"
"Right," Seifer said. "Call it whatever you want, but don't get involved with him."
"Why not!?" Rinoa demanded.
"You're not a SeeD, Rinoa," Seifer stated simply. Fujin and Raijin sat in the back seat quietly, both sure they shouldn't add to the conversation. "You're not a cadet, you're just a student here. He's an administrator. You two are not supposed to get involved with each other."
"Why?" she insisted once more.
"If the Headmaster finds out, it won't be pretty," Seifer stated. He took a deep breath. "Rinoa, I care about you," he said, using a softer tone. "I just don't want to see you hurt. It's better you stop this now before it goes any further and you're forced apart."
"So what if we're forced apart?" Rinoa retorted proudly. "We'll just get back together, that's all!"
"And what if IT gets out?" Seifer snapped. Rinoa froze. She turned her head to him with narrowed eyes.
"What do you mean?"
"What if Squall finds out about it?" Seifer said. "Then what?"
Rinoa's brown eyes looked down at her pale fingers. They were playing with each other and she closed her eyes tightly. "He won't find out." she insisted, as if trying to convince herself.
Seifer shook his head. "Do you really think he'll be interested in you? When he finds out that you're a sorceress?"
Squall was sitting at his desk. He had been there since six in the morning, doing paper work. He had been there so long, he had completed most of the work that had been scheduled to be done during the week. His eyes drifted to the clock on the wall. It was almost sunset.
*Where is she?* he asked for the billionth time. He had gotten there early just in case she showed up early. He laughed at the thought now. It had been twelve hours and she had yet to show her face.
He felt like a child being promised to be taken to a theme park only to have their hopes crushed by a parent who said they couldn't take them. Why had he believed that she would be there? After all, she had run out with Seifer. However, she had looked so sincere clinging to his arm, begging him to believe her.
He leaned back on his big leather chair, listening to the music that came out of the radio in the shelf to the right of his office. Selphie insisted that he needed something to listen to since he was always cooped up in his office. So on his birthday, she had presented him with a simple, but nice radio.
It was currently playing a pop song. It was a sort of sad ballad sang by a woman. She had a clear voice and he could feel the sadness and frustration in her voice. He tossed the pen he was holding on the table and stood up. He walked around his desk, grabbing his helmet which had been tossed on the seat in front of the desk.
He checked to make sure his keys were in his pant pockets before he walked out the door, leaving the radio on. The clock on the radio blinked 6:14 PM as his door closed on his way to the stairs.
Rinoa stepped out of the elevator, dressed in her usual black and blue clothes. Folded over in her arms was Squall's leather jacket. She had debated for most of the day after she woke up whether or not she should just leave it at the front of his door or not. What Seifer had told her the day before had scared her.
In a world where sorceresses were known for their lustful hunger for magic and power, they were feared and hated. Numerous sorceresses had preceded her, almost all using their gifts to conquer and control an entire populace. As far as she knew, even sorceresses with the potential to gain that much power were locked away. They were a threat to society.
She never asked for her gifts. Or punishment. She didn't want to hurt anyone. She just wanted to sing. To sing like her mother did. And her father had allowed her, providing she kept her magic hidden from the public. She was more than happy to. If the public found out that she was a sorceress, she would be sealed away like those before her.
Her father's position of power was good enough to keep her secret hidden. Very few people knew about it and she intended to keep it that way. As much as she didn't want to admit it, Seifer had a point. If Squall found out that she was a sorceress, would he still be interested in her? She really liked him.
Thoughts like that plagued her mind the entire night prior, disallowing her from falling asleep. As a result, she fell asleep early in the morning and slept in until about noon. She woke up with his jacket still wrapped tightly around her, like a safety blanket. Her eyes were downcast as she walked. She had come to the decision that she should distance herself from him to prevent any complications. The question was - would she be able to?
She walked down the hall way until she reached Squall's office. She raised her hand to knock and stopped.
The radio was on and she listened closely to the familiar lyrics. Her eyes went wide as she blushed, realizing it was one of her songs. She stepped back and slowly put her hand on the door knob. Shaking, she turned it and the door opened.
She pushed the door open, hearing her voice all around her as she looked into the room. Rinoa turned her head from side to side, looking for an occupant, but found it empty. She walked deeper into the room, wondering if she should just leave the jacket on his chair and leave it at that.
She walked around his desk and approached his chair. She glanced out the window. The sun had almost vanished through the horizon and she peeked outside, through the grayish-white blinds. Her eyes went wide as she saw Squall peel out of the parking lot and through the gates of the Garden.
Her eyes went back to the radio, where red letters of it's digital clock flashed 6:16 PM, just as her song died.
He could still hear the lyrics of the song in his head. That voice enchanted him to no end and he wondered who sang it. Even as he sped past the gates of the Garden to the parking lot, he wondered why that song had hit him so hard. It was sad, but also confused and obviously, still in love.
*Hyne, I haven't even known her a few days...* he thought to himself as he parked his bike in his assigned space. He passed the space where he had first met her and remembered her soft features that had been illuminated gloriously by the moonlight. She seemed in awe of him as well as their eyes locked for the first time.
As he parked his bike, he chided himself. If that was the case, why hadn't she come to his office like she said? He was bothered by that and secretly wondered if Seifer had anything to do with it.
Seifer. Rinoa was about to tell him something about the blond gun blader when they were interrupted by the devil himself. *She was her what?* his mind asked. *Friend?*
Seifer had grabbed her arm rather abruptly and he recalled the urge to stand up and take Rinoa away from him. But she held her ground, acting not nearly as helpless as he had imagined. She had a fire in her as she argued with Seifer and he admired that. And Seifer treated her in a different way. He had seen the way he talked to Quistis and while they argued, it was different from the way Seifer talked to Rinoa.
It seemed almost fraternal. Regardless, her closeness to Seifer brothered him. Squall began to walk towards the Garden building and looked up. Was he jealous? Of what? As his eyes went up the building, he saw a light. He frowned as he recognized that the light was on in his office.
Had he left the light on? He paused and thought for a moment. He was sure he hadn't, since the sun was barely setting when he left. *Idiot...you forgot to lock the door!* He mentally swore as he realized his mistake. He ran into the building, heading towards the elevators.
It seemed like a lifetime before they finally reached him and opened. When they did, several cadets came out, all stopping in mid conversation to salute him as they stepped out. He merely nodded and got in after they piled out.
He pressed the button and waited impatiently to get to the correct floor. As soon as the doors opened, he ran through and headed down the hall for his office. He could see the light up ahead and checked his watch. It was almost midnight. Curfew was in an hour.
As he approached, he heard the music from his radio wafting into the halls. He could've sworn that he hadn't put the volume up that high when he was in the room. Squall, still holding his helmet in one hand, reached out with his other hand and grabbed the door knob.
The door was pushed open and he stopped.
In the soft white light of the lamp on his desk, the room was illuminated in a soft glow. The radio was on, playing the same song that had been stuck in his head the entire night.
His blue eyes landed on the figure sitting on his chair. Her head lifted up sharply at the sound of the door opening. Her eyes went wide and she was unsure of what to say.
Squall stared at her. Ever since they met, he couldn't get her out of his mind. She occupied his every thought. Slowly he walked into his office. The door closed behind him and he tossed his helmet on the seat in front of the desk as he passed it.
Rinoa followed him cautiously with her eyes, suddenly extremely nervous. He carried an unfamiliar look in his face and she wasn't sure if he was angry or not. He seemed to stalk towards her and she turned the chair to face him as he rounded the desk and stood in front of her.
"Squall-" she began. She jumped as his hands slammed down on the arm rests on either side of her. She felt her entire body go weak as she leaned back against the chair.
Her heart was racing as she looked up reluctantly. She met his gaze and was unable to read it. Squall looked down at her, noticing how she her breathing had suddenly grown shallow and how her face had suddenly drained of all color. His face softened.
Rinoa gave him a questioning look as he leaned down and lowered his head. Unconsciously, she leaned upwards, closing her eyes. Gently, soft lips were placed against hers, filling her body with warmth as she melted in the chair.
The jacket fell from her arms on to her lap as her arms rose and wrapped around his neck. As his kisses became deeper and stronger, she abandoned all thoughts of forgetting about him. She couldn't do it. She couldn't just stop liking him. She decided that she wouldn't give up so easily. After all, while his jacket kept her nice and warm, his arms around her were a thousand times better.
