Chapter Nine: Taking Action
By PasifikStar
Author's Note: Wow! So many have read the story! I'm so happy!! ^_^ Thank you x infinity!! I really appreciate all the encouraging and kind words. It really makes me write and I hope you guys enjoy what put up. I hope everything is still making sense after this and that it's not getting too predictable. Of course, it probably will...
* All standard disclaimers apply: I do not own Final Fantasy or it's characters.
According to what Squall had been trained to do since he first entered the Garden, he would, as a mercenary, be hired to fight in conscripted armies, be sent to eliminate threats, be sent in case of natural disasters, but also bring down any sorceresses that might arise during his time as a SeeD.
While they were of human bodies, they were still extremely powerful and able to defend themselves well. It had taken thousands of people to eliminate a sorceress a generation before them. They were put into chambers in Esthar where they could be watched and sealed away with the best security in the world. They were dangerous. Evil.
And she was one of them. He could hear her raspy voice on the line. Rinoa's breathing was growing unsteady and he could sense the nervousness piling up. On the other side, Rinoa was starting to shake as fear gripped her body. Had she been wrong? Had she over estimated him?
"Squall?" she pleaded quietly. "Squall, please say something..." she begged, on the verge of tears.
Squall sat on the side of the road, unsure of how to react. He took a deep breath. "Is this...a joke?" he asked.
Rinoa closed her eyes let out a breathy sob. "No!" she cried out loudly, earning the attention of Auron, who was still at the start of the jetty. He looked over to make sure she was okay, but didn't move from his spot. "Why would I lie about something like that!?"
*Shit, she's serious...* Squall's mind said. He could hear her crying on the other side. "Rinoa...calm down-"
"I didn't ASK to be!" she stammered out was warm tears slid down her pale cheeks. "It just happened! I don't want to hurt anyone! I could NEVER hurt anyone, please believe me!"
Squall closed his eyes and leaned back against the railing. His heart was beating somewhat quickly as he sat there, wondering how he should answer. He continued to hear her crying on the phone. "I believe you."
His voice was nothing but a whisper, but Rinoa heard it. Her head perked up slightly and she sniffled. "What...?"
"You wouldn't hurt anyone," Squall continued. "Not if you could help it."
"Squall..."
"This is a lot to swallow," Squall said nervously. "I need time to swallow it."
Rinoa closed her eyes and nodded. "I understand-"
"Rinoa," Squall said. "Understand that this changes nothing. You were a sorceress when I met you and I loved you then. You're a sorceress now and I still do."
Rinoa let out a whimper and nodded her head. "Thank you, Squall-"
"Don't thank me," Squall told her warmly. "There is nothing to thank me for. I don't care about you being a sorceress, Rinoa."
"I thought you'd hate me," she admitted, her breathing still shallow. "I'm... I'm a monster."
"You're not a monster," Squall said softly. "You're just...Rinoa."
"I'm sorry I hid it from you," she replied. "But I didn't know what else to do. If I told the world-"
"They would seal you away..." Squall concluded. He closed his eyes and ran his hand through his still damp hair. "I know. Who else knows?"
Rinoa was quiet from some time. "My father...Irvine knows. He was there when they found out. Seifer...Seifer, Raijin, and Fujin all know."
"Why all three of them?" Squall asked.
"I never told you..." Rinoa mumbled softly. "Please don't be mad...but Seifer's my e-"
"Rinoa!" a voice shouted from the start of the jetty. She turned her head and saw her new body guard waving one hand at her to come. "Time's up!"
"I have to go," she said. "My body guard is calling me. We have to go home."
Squall nodded, completely forgetting that she couldn't see. "Rinoa, what was Seifer-"
"I love you, Squall!" she said as she stood up. "No matter what..."
"Rinoa? Rinoa!?" The line went dead and Squall stared at his phone. *A sorceress... a secret...Seifer...*
Rinoa climbed up the jetty to the walk way where Auron was waiting for her. He extended his hand and helped her get back on the cement path. "Are you all right, Rinoa?" he asked in his usual stern, but caring voice. "Your eyes-"
"I'm fine, Auron," Rinoa said as she sniffled slightly. She wiped her eyes with one hand as she handed him back his phone. "Thank you. I'll pay for the charges."
"It's all right-"
"I insist," Rinoa added. She looked up at the night sky. "Auron...can I ask you a question?"
"Of course."
"If you loved someone and they turned out to be something that the rest of the world hated...what would you do?" Rinoa asked softly.
Auron continued to walk. Rinoa looked over at him, wondering if he even heard her. Regardless, they continued to walk until they reached the car. He opened the back seat door for her and she got in. As she buckled her seat belt, Auron took his place in the driver's seat of the black luxury sedan.
"I would protect her from the world that hated her." Auron said as he turned on the engine. Rinoa looked up and tilted her head to the side.
"Why...?"
Auron chuckled and answered her in the simplest way possible. "Because," he began as the car backed out and got on to the road. "I love her."
He arrived back at the Garden past his curfew. Knowing this, he walked his bike into the parking lot and then went through the back of the Garden. He opened the door way to a little known emergency stair well and suddenly a white light was shined into his face. Groaning, he lifted his hand and shielded his face.
"And Commander Puberty returns." a deep, mocking voice said.
"Seifer, not now," a chiding female voice said. The light was lifted off his face and Squall blinked to regain his vision. Quistis was walking towards him, a frown on her face. "Where were you? Do you know how late you are? What if Cid was looking for you?"
"Sorry," Squall grumbled. He walked past her without a second thought and headed towards the stairs where Seifer was sitting. The blond merely lifted his leg and sealed off the way up the stairs. Squall frowned. "Move it."
"Make me." Seifer challenged.
Squall's eyes narrowed. His voice lowered so Quistis couldn't hear. "How did you know about Rinoa's secret?" he hissed.
Seifer's smirk was wiped off his face and he looked at Squall with a paling face. "How did you-"
"She told me."
Seifer glanced nervously back at Quistis, who was standing at the foot of the stair well, frowning up at them. "I'll speak to you later." Seifer removed his leg from Squall's path and allowed the brunette to walk up the rest of the way.
"Seifer, what was that all about?" Quistis said as she climbed the stairs and reached the other blond.
Seifer let out a heavy sigh and looked up at her with a smirk. "You wouldn't understand. It's a guy thing."
"That's all well and good, but if it's a guy thing, how exactly are YOU understanding it?" she asked coolly.
Seifer frowned and grabbed her hand. He pulled her down and she gasped as she lost her footing and fell forward. Quistis landed right across Seifer's lap as his arms secured her around him. "Oh, get off it, Quisty...you know I'm as much man as you'll ever need."
*Oh, Hyne...here we go with the corny lines...* Quistis thought to herself. She rolled her eyes. "Seifer, I would appreciate if you let me get up."
"Hmm..." Seifer mumbled, pretending to think. His arms tightened around her. "No, I like it better this way. Shall we continue what we were doing before puberty boy showed up?"
Quistis felt her entire face burn red as he smirked down at her. "You are an impossible man." she spat out.
The next thing Squall heard before he reached the floor of his dorm room was Quistis slapping Seifer and him howling out in pain. He rolled his eyes and opened the door and stepped out into the brightly lit hallways of the Garden. Casually, he walked through the hallway, as if nothing had happened.
When he reached his dorm room, he got in and locked it behind him. He tossed his helmet and keys on the bean bag by his desk before shrugging himself out of his trademark leather jacket. He placed it on the back of his chair before he fell back against his bed. He closed his eyes as he put his arms behind his head.
"I'm a sorceress."
His eyes opened wide, as if he had just heard her voice for real. He swallowed hard. *Do you love her?* he asked himself. *Yes. What about her being a sorceress? I don't care. She's still the same person.*
Squall frowned. He knew that he loved her and that he accepted her as she was. He couldn't hate her for being a sorceress. How could he? He KNEW her. She had a kind heart, a warm smile, and charisma that attracted people to her. He couldn't see her as evil in the slightest way, despite what he had been taught.
*And I still miss her...* he thought sadly. *I want to see her. I don't understand it... why all the precautions to keep us apart? She's going to graduate soon anyway. Doesn't her father realize that we can be together after that?*
Questions ran through his head, each one wondering why it had turned out like this. Slowly, the curiosity got the best of him and he decided to ask the one man who would know. He checked the clock by his bed. It was two in the morning. Regardless, Squall got up. His door slid open and the hall lights were dimmed.
Seifer's room was down the hall, all the way across the Garden. Part of him believed that Cid planned it that way so they wouldn't kill each other. He marched to the dorm room door that was at the far end of the hall and raised his hand to knock.
Inside the room, Seifer was on his bed. He heard the heavy knocking on the door and mentally swore. At first he tried to ignore it, but the knocking persisted. He swore out loud and kicked off his blankets. He threw his feet of the side of the bed and headed towards the door.
"WHAT?" he growled as the doors slid open. "What the hell!?" His green, sleep filled eyes went wide as they saw Squall standing there, an annoyed look on his face.
"I need to talk to you." Squall hissed.
Seifer jerked his head back and narrowed his eyes. "Dammit, it's two in the morning! Can't it wait?"
"If it could, I wouldn't be here." Squall hissed once more. Seifer grumbled and stepped back from his door.
"Fine, come in..." Seifer looked out into the hall way, making sure that no one had seen Squall enter his room, before stepping back and closing the door. It could only be about one thing. He took a deep breath and looked at Squall as the other young man stood in the center of his room. "What do you want to know?" he grumbled as he turned on the lights in his room and blinked to get used to the sudden brightness.
"First of all, is it true," Squall stated. He narrowed his eyes. "Is Rinoa really a sorceress?"
Seifer stared at him in disbelief, as if he the gall to wake him up that early in the morning just to ask him a simple question. "What the hell do you think?" he snorted as he walked past Squall and sat on his bed. He looked up at the dark haired man. "What did she tell you?"
"She said that she was a sorceress," Squall continued. "Is it true?"
"Why the hell would she joke around about that?" Seifer said with narrowed green eyes, studying the man before him with scrutiny. "What would you do if she was?"
"I don't know!" Squall snapped. "But I find it hard to believe that she's a sorceress! They're evil and dangerous. Look at Rinoa, she's NOTHING like that!" He took a deep breath and tried to calm himself. "She wouldn't hurt anyone." he asserted.
Seifer nodded slightly. "So now that you know that, I guess I should tell you," he said casually. "Yes, Rinoa is a sorceress."
"Impossible." Squall found himself saying immediately. Seifer rolled his eyes.
"Believe it or not, puberty boy but you fell in love with this generation's sorceress," Seifer replied coolly. "Not that I can blame you. I did the same thing."
Squall let the blonde's words sink in before narrowing his eyes and turning his icy gaze upon Seifer without remorse. "WHAT."
"She didn't tell you?" Seifer asked, letting out a chuckle as he did so. He leaned forward and smirked. "I'm Rinoa's first and last boyfriend."
Squall immediately began to go back to the time in the cafe with Rinoa. Right before Seifer appeared, she was going to tell him what he was to her. Then, just a few hours earlier, Rinoa had almost told him what Seifer was to her once more, but she had to leave. "You're her ex-boyfriend..." Squall said, looking both surprised and disgusted at the idea.
Seifer let out a holler of laughter as he fell back on his head and nodded. "Damn straight!" he laughed. He smirked as he watch Squall fidget. "Gave Rinoa her first kiss, too."
If looks could kill, Seifer would've been dead already. "I don't care..." Squall hissed through gritted teeth.
"Don't be jealous," Seifer assured him casually. "Rin was more infatuated than anything else. You know how she is...caught up in the moment. The timing was good, too. We were both models and-"
"I don't CARE about you and Rinoa," Squall said. "Tell me, how do you know she's a sorceress?"
Seifer's foolishly arrogant smile left his face and a serious frown happened. "I wasn't there when they find out," he told him. "I believe the cowboy was. He's know Rin since they were kids. But it happened when she was a child. She was playing with a dog in the park with her mother and when her mother turned her head briefly, Rinoa wandered away with her dog."
"I thought Rinoa's mother died when she was a child." Squall recalled reading somewhere.
Seifer nodded. "This was a year or so before Julia Heartilly died, I think," he mumbled. "Anyway, Julia and Irvine, whose older and was Rinoa's playmate, split up to look for her. When Irvine found her, she was screaming. Her dog was being attacked by two larger dogs and couldn't fend for itself. Before Irvine could get to the dog, Rinoa lost control and let out this burst of energy."
"Burst of energy..." Squall mumbled. "What happened?"
Seifer ran his hand through his messy hair. "According to the cowboy, wings came out of Rinoa's back and a wave of magic energy went through the area. Since Rinoa was so close to the dogs, all three of them were killed by the blast - inadvertently of course. Irvine was knocked out, Rinoa was unconscious, and Julia found them laying there along with the charred bodies of the dogs."
Squall silently leaned against the wall and Seifer looked up at him cautiously. He waited for Squall to say something. The brunette looked down at the floor with narrowed eyes. "Are they sure it was her?" he gasped out.
Seifer groaned. "Listen, either you believe it or not, but Rinoa's a sorceress!"
"How did you take it when Rinoa told you?" Squall asked angrily. "Are you forgetting that I'm a SeeD? I'm trained to apprehend and seal away sorceresses!"
"Don't you think I know that!?" Seifer growled, standing up as well. "But how uncomfortable do you think it was for Rinoa to be HERE? In a Garden FILLED with people trained to take her down if she showed any sign of being a sorceress? She won't show it, hell, she even stands in front of thousands of people who come to see her concert, but she doesn't want to be locked away for ever like a criminal. Who does? She looks and acts so damn normal, no one would believe she's a sorceress! So Caraway let's sing and model and go to school in a Garden. She can't be detected just by the way she acts!"
"Are you trying to tell me that when she told you, you didn't have the sudden urge to turn her in?" Squall asked. "You know by doing so, you would've been made into a SeeD, no questions asked."
"Dammit, puberty boy, why do you have to make it sound like we're betraying something by knowing she's a sorceress!" Seifer spat out, frustrated. "Rin's just a normal girl. She's the same before as she was now. What difference does it make if she has super human powers?"
"What if one day something happens?" Squall asked bitterly. "Like she's possessed or something and we are forced to hunt her down like a criminal?"
"Is that what you're afraid out?" Seifer asked, his eyes narrowed.
Squall was breathing deeply and ran his hand through his hair. "I could NEVER hurt her," Squall admitted. "If the entire world was after her, I would be by her side protecting her."
Seifer stared at him in dismay. "And if she killed many people and was on the verge of destroying the world?"
"Then I guess I'd have to stop her," Squall said. "Because the Rinoa I love wouldn't want herself to be doing that."
Seifer paused, allowing the answer to sink in. "Do you love Rinoa?" he finally asked.
Squall glared at him and paused. "Would I be here talking to YOU if I didn't?"
Seifer snorted and let out a chuckle. He leaned his head back and took a deep breath. "Now you know," Seifer said. "You know she's a sorceress. You know I'm her ex-boyfriend. And you know you love her," Seifer looked him straight in the eye. "Anything else?"
"Her father," Squall said. "I don't understand why he won't let me see Rinoa...Why is he going through such measures to stop us from communicating?"
"How dumb are you..." Seifer mumbled. He sat back down. "Rinoa is a sorceress. Where do all the sealed sorceresses go? Esthar. Who is runs the country? Laguna Loire. And WHO's DADDY is Laguna Loire?"
Squall narrowed his eyes. "You're not serious," he mumbled. He took a step forward. "You can't be serious! He's going through all this just because MY father is Laguna Loire! I don't even acknowledge him AS my father!"
"Well, he sure as hell acknowledges you, sonny boy." Seifer mocked.
"Hyne, this can't be happening..."
"That's not all," Seifer mumbled. "Caraway believes that Rinoa has an unhealthy fixation on you. That the more she is with you, the more attached she becomes."
"But I love her as well-"
Seifer held out his hand to stop Squall. "Hold on," he said. "He's afraid that if Rinoa gets too attached and you break up with her, she'll crack. That she'll loose control of herself and reveal herself as a sorceress to the world. I know that her father seems crazy and demented...and in some retrospect, he probably is. But he's just looking out for his only child."
Squall's mind drifted back to Irvine, who had commented that the lengths that Caraway was going to keep Rinoa away from him weren't as extreme as Squall had thought. "But I would never hurt her." Squall said.
"Things happen," Seifer shrugged. "People change...he doesn't want to see Rinoa, his only family, locked away in an chamber in Esthar. If you check on Rin, you'll see that she's never been to Esthar. Her father won't let her go. He thinks that she might be discovered there because of all the technology."
"Why do you keep all of this?" Squall asked. He narrowed his eyes. "I find it hard to believe that the man she dumped-"
"She did not 'dump me'," Seifer corrected him quickly. "We had a 'mutual break-up'."
Squall rolled his eyes. "Whatever."
"Anyway, let's just say that I did a few...unpleasant things while drunk. In exchange for holding Rinoa's secret, he keeps my record private. Same with Kinneas, too. But he does it mainly because Rin's his friend," Seifer shrugged. "And I care about her, too."
Jealousy flared up deep within Squall and he mentally calmed himself down. *They're just friends...* he told himself.
"Listen, if that's all the questions you have, can you get out so I can get some sleep?" Seifer grumbled.
Squall nodded. He headed for the door and paused. "Thanks..." he mumbled under his breath. Seifer smirked and Squall left.
"Good morning!" Cid said cheerfully as he walked past the lobby of his office.
"Uh, sir-" his secretary began, but Cid shook his head and put his hand on the door knob of his office.
"No, no! No coffee for me today!" Cid said cheerfully. "I'm starting my diet today!"
Before the secretary could get another word in, Cid threw open his door and stepped in. He hung his coat on one of the hooks on the door and closed it. He turned around and froze.
"Good morning, sir," a deep voice said from Cid's oak desk. Cid's eyes went wide as he saw Squall sitting against the edge of his desk, his face holding an eerily placid look on it. "I need to speak to you."
"Squall...what are you doing here?" Cid asked. He held his hand to this throat as he suddenly felt nervous under the youth's gaze.
"I came to discuss Galbadia-14 with you." Squall said. Cid sighed and cautiously walked around Squall and the desk to his chair. Cid sat down on his leather chair and looked up at him.
"Squall, I'm sorry, but I can't let you go-"
"The G-14 is in two days," Squall said coolly. "I can still make it there."
Cid shook his head. "I'm sorry, Squall, but the punishment had already been instilled. After this weekend, you can go out and race all you want-"
"The G-14 is once every year," Squall said in a deep and dangerous voice. Cid swallowed hard. "I'm afraid I can't miss it."
"Squall, you know that General Caraway has specifically requested that you are punished for breaking Garden rules. You are aware of the damage he can do to us if-"
"If I get him to change his mind and the punishment is lifted," Squall began. "You can't fire me if I go."
"Of course not, but that's impossi-"
"I'm leaving for Deling City," Squall said without a bat of his eye. He slowly stepped back from Cid's desk. "Expect a phone call tomorrow."
"What!?" Cid gasped as he shot out from his chair. "Squall, you can't just leave!" Cid gasped. "You're still on probation-"
"If I get Caraway to change his mind, I'll be off," Squall said. "And anything I would've done during the 'probation' period will not be counted against me. Garden rules."
"Squall, don't do this!" Cid pleaded as he walked around his desk. Squall was already at the door, his back turned to Cid. "You're the best SeeD here! Caraway will deny you for sure and then I can't do anything to stop him when he requests your dismissal!"
"You won't have to." Squall spat out. He grabbed the handle of Cid's office and pulled.
"This is a mistake!" Cid said as he ran out after the young man. "Squall, you're throwing your whole future away!"
Squall paused before he headed out into the hall way. "I'd rather take this risk and regret it than not take it at all."
The doors to the lobby slid closed and Cid leaned against the door frame of his office. He took a deep breath and ran his hand through his hair before taking off his glasses and rubbing the bridge of his nose. "I'd rather you not." he whispered.
"Oh my Hyne..." Quistis said as she and the others entered Squall's dorm room. He was hunched over his bed, packing things into a standard issue navy SeeD duffel bag. "You're really going..."
"Squall, do you know what you're doing?" Zell said. "What if her father won't forgive you!? What if he bans you from racing and gets you fired?"
"I don't care," Squall said as he zipped up the bag. He threw it's strap over his shoulder and went to his desk. He grabbed his wallet and shoved it in his back pocket before checking to see if his phone was there as well. "Selphie, did you get it?" he asked roughly.
The little brown haired girl slipped between the two blondes and lifted up a piece of paper. "I just called Irvine," she said. "He'll pick you up from the train station when you get there. Here's his phone number and Rinoa's address so you can find her place after he drops you off at the hotel."
Squall took the paper she was offering and looked over it before folding it neatly and putting it into his jacket pocket. "Thanks." he mumbled. He headed towards the door and Quistis and Zell stepped out of his way.
As soon as Squall reached the hallway, he found Seifer, Fujin, and Raijin all standing there. "The car's downstairs," Seifer said. "Let's go."
"Seifer, you're going, too!?" Quistis gasped.
"Just giving him a ride to the train station, Quisty," Seifer said as he turned and headed down the hall to the elevators. "I'm sure he didn't want to leave his precious bike there."
They followed them to the elevators and then down the main hall to the front of the Garden. There, Seifer's car was parked in the no parking area, waiting for them. Without a thought he got into the car and popped the trunk for Squall. The brown haired man put his things in and got into the passenger's seat.
"Good luck!" Selphie said as she jumped up and down and cheered.
"Be careful, Squall." Quistis prayed silently.
"See you on t.v.!" Zell added enthusiastically. The corners of Squall's lips rose slightly, feeling his hopes rise as his friends sent him off.
Alone in the car with Seifer, Squall crossed his arms over his chest and looked out the window. "You know what you're doing?" Seifer asked simply.
"Yeah."
"Good." The rest of the car drive to the train station was in silence. Before mid-afternoon, they had reached the train station, having left right after school was over. Squall had to make some phone calls and get his hotel reservations straight. When they pulled up to the station, Squall opened his door and got out. Seifer made no move to get out and help him.
He merely opened the trunk from the inside of the car. Squall reached it and grabbed his things. He slammed the trunk closed and walked towards the entrance. He paused and turned back to the car. "Thanks." he mumbled.
Seifer, who had his window rolled down merely nodded. "Hey, puberty boy," he called out. He continued to look straight ahead. "One more thing," Squall stopped where he was and waited. "Good luck. For Rinoa's sake."
Before Squall could even get his words to register in his head, Seifer slammed his foot on the gas and sped away. The smell of burning rubber was left in his place. Squall looked back up at the train station and headed towards the ticket counter. His eyes laid on the price of a ticket and he mentally swore.
*Damn...I don't have nearly enough if I want to make it there by tonight...* he thought to himself. He stepped out of the line and looked through his wallet. *I need money...*
Suddenly, his phone rang. Swearing, he put his wallet away and pulled out his phone. He grumbled a greeting. "Squall, there you are! We've been trying to reach you!"
He let out a heavy sigh. "Hey, Sis..." he breathed. "Listen, now isn't a good time."
"Just wait a second," Ellone said. "We're on a train to Deling City as we speak! Uncle Laguna found out that you were going to be racing in the Galbadia Fountain and-"
"Galbadia-14," Squall sighed. *Great...HE'S going to be there...*
"Yes, and so we're all going over to Galbadia to watch your race!" Ellone said. "Anyway, are you there yet?"
"No, I've actually hit a little snag..." Squall said. Suddenly an idea popped into his head. "Hey, Sis...I'm a little short on cash right now. Do you think you can..."
"Oh, I'm sorry, Squall..." Ellone replied, disappointed. "I'm afraid I don't have a lot of money...wait a second. Yes, it's Squall..." The dark haired young man narrowed his eyes, realizing that his sister was talking to someone else. "Oh...all right here-"
Before she could finish her sentence, the phone was snatched away. "Squall!? Is that you? It's me - your dad!"
For a brief moment, Squall contemplated jumping into the rail way just as a train arrived. He paused and shook his head. "Hello, Laguna..."
"Don't sound so glum!" the cheerful voice said. "So...how are you doing?"
"Now is not a good time," Squall sighed. "I'm kind of busy right now-"
"Ellone said that you're in need of money, is that true?" Laguna asked. "I can forward you the money. As much as you need. Just tell me!"
Squall narrowed his eyes. The last thing he wanted to do was borrow money from his father. That would mean that he's indebted to him and that was the last thing Squall wanted. "I don't need money from you-"
"Squall, I don't expect to be paid back," Laguna told him seriously. "Just tell me where I can forward the money and it'll be there in five minutes."
Squall looked at his watch and then at the train schedule. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. *Rinoa...I need to get there for Rinoa. If I don't do this, we'll never be able to see each other again...* After mentally validating himself, Squall gave a slight nod. "I'm at the Balamb train station," he explained. "I need five hundred gil."
"What...?" Rinoa frowned as she headed down the steps of the mansion. Auron was standing by the back seat door of his car, waiting for Rinoa to get in. She held the house phone to her ear and paused before she got into the car. "What do you mean you can't come to the shoot! You're always there for my photo shoots!"
"Rin, I'm sorry," Irvine said reluctantly. "I'm caught up in something right now and I can't get out of it."
Rinoa sighed heavily and nodded. "Fine...but you owe me." she said.
Irvine laughed. "Sure thing. I'll talk to you later."
"Bye."
"Bye." Rinoa put the phone in the hands of a maid that had followed her down to the car.
"Is everything all right, Rinoa?" Auron asked as she got into the car.
"Yeah...Irvine can't make it," Rinoa said. Auron closed the door to the car and looked at his watch. He went around to the driver's seat and got into the car. Within moments, the black machine started up. "That's weird though...he never misses my photo shoots."
"Not once?" Auron asked, somewhat in disbelief that the young man who flirted with any woman that walked by was capable of such diligence.
"Well...one time, he got into a car accident with Seifer," Rinoa mumbled thoughtfully. "That wasn't pretty."
"Whose car were they driving?" her body guard asked.
Rinoa stared at him blankly. "What do you mean whose car? They were each driving their own and ran into each other."
"..." Auron nodded to himself. *That sounds more like it...* "I see..."
"Anyway, this photo shoot is supposed to only take a few hours. If we're done before my curfew...do you think we can...?" Rinoa trailed off, an eager look in her eyes. Auron chuckled to himself and nodded.
"Just make sure to keep it short," Auron said. "My last phone bill wasn't exactly small."
"Thanks, Auron!"
Irvine hung up his phone and put it into one of his pockets. He looked over to his right casually. "I don't really enjoy lying to her like that." he sighed.
"It has to be done," Squall said as he held his duffel bag on his lap. "There's the hotel. Turn here."
"Right," Irvine said. "Hey...are you sure you don't want me to just drop you off at the mansion?"
"You don't need to be connected to this, Irvine," Squall said. "If Rinoa's father finds out that you had something to do with this, he might rip her away from you as well."
"Point taken," Irvine nodded. He pulled up the hotel and Squall got out. "If you need anything, Selphie gave you my phone number, right!?" he shouted out his window as Squall was heading into the hotel.
Squall nodded and Irvine drove away. He waited a few moments before heading into the hotel. Once there, Squall headed straight for the front desk. "Hello, sir," a smiling woman said. "Can I help you?"
"Squall Leonhart. I have a reservation." he said.
The woman at the counter went to her computer and nodded. "All right, sir. You are in room 523, a non-smoking single," She handed him her keys and smiled. "Thank you for choosing Deling Hotel."
Squall took the keys and nodded. He rushed to his room and tossed his things on the floor. He looked down at the clock by he bed. Irvine had told him that Rinoa was out of the house, at a photo shoot, meaning he wouldn't be distracted by her presence when he went to speak to her father.
Still nervous, he stripped himself of clothing and took a quick shower. The hot steam rose and fogged the mirrors and the sides of the glass shower stall, but Squall didn't care. He let the scolding water hit his skin and relax him for the time being. Much too soon, he would face the man that stood between him and the woman he loved.
General Caraway sat in his den, meticulously going over reports under a lone desk lamp. He flipped through some files, ignoring the door bell's sound that rang through the entire mansion. *One of the maids will get it...* he thought to himself as he closed one folder and opened up another one.
Downstairs, a maid dressed in an all black dress walked down the hall. She frowned at the impatience of their visitor. She had heard them ringing the door bell the first time. Her pale hand shot out and unlocked the doors quickly before pulling it open. "Can I help you?" she asked in a sultry voice.
The young man looked up and stood up straight, a habit he had gotten from growing up in a military academy. "Yes, mam, I would like to speak to General Caraway." he stated.
The woman looked up over and raised an eyebrow. "Do you have an appointment?"
"No, mam, this is an abrupt visit, but I need to speak to him at once." Squall told her.
"Your name?" she asked coolly.
"Commander Squall Leonhart of Balamb Garden." Squall recited. She nodded.
"Please come in," she said. She stepped aside and Squall entered the high ceiling foyer. "Please wait here. I shall go see if the General will speak to you."
"Tell him it regards his daughter." Squall told her. The maid nodded and headed up the stairs that was sprawled out in front of them. Squall looked around the entrance of the mansion, taking it all in. There was a beautiful crystal chandelier above him. The floor was of white marble. And on the walls in the hall ways, numerous framed pictures.
He slowly walked over to his left, noticing a large, oil painting of a beautiful woman and a child. The woman was wearing a dark red dress and on her lap was a little girl wearing a frilly pink dress with short dark brown hair underneath a white hat. The woman looked a little bit like Rinoa and he wondered...
"That is my late wife, Julia," a deep voice said behind him. Squall stiffened as he heard the voice and slowly turned around. Dressed in a comfortable robe and cotton pants, the General walked down the stair way. He reached the bottom step and turned to Squall. "The little girl is Rinoa when she was three."
Squall turned back to look at the picture. It seemed to obvious now. The little girl's smile was undoubtedly Rinoa's. He turned back to the General. "Good evening, sir. Sorry to barge in like this."
"What have you come to talk about, Commander?" Caraway asked as calmly as he could. He now stood a few steps from Squall.
Squall straightened his posture and faced the General. "I believe you already know." he said coolly.
He studied Caraway's face for any sign of emotion, but the older man stayed stoic. "Do you realize the risk you run by just being here?" Caraway asked. "I could have you fired in an instant."
Squall held his ground. "I understand that clearly, sir," Squall said. "But then, I think you should listen to what I have to say first."
"And why would I do that?" Caraway asked, a slightly arrogant smirk tugging at the corners of his lips.
"Because I don't think you want to see your daughter frozen in a chamber in Esthar," Squall stated. "For being a sorceress."
"He's not there...?" Rinoa asked quietly, unable to hide the disappointment in her voice. "Oh.."
"Sorry, Rinoa," Selphie said as she looked over the blue panel in front of her. "I haven't seen him all day."
Rinoa frowned and nodded as she sat back in the car. "All right...thanks, Selphie. Um... if you see him, do you think you can tell him I called?" she asked earnest.
"Will do!" Selphie said cheerfully. She moved a piece. "Sorry about not being able to help."
"It's all right!" Rinoa assured her warmly. "You've done so much already. Thank you!"
"No problem! Bye!"
"Bye!" Rinoa hung up and Selphie moved her final piece.
"Hehehe..." she smirked and Zell's eyes went wide from where he was sitting across from her.
"No way! You sunk my battle ship!"
"That's fifteen times in a row, Zell..." Quistis sighed. "Can I play now?"
"No! Not until I win!" Zell insisted. Selphie giggled.
"Sorry, Quistis, but it looks like you'll never get to play."
Back in Deling City, Rinoa leaned back against the seat of the car and looked out the window numbly. "He wasn't available?" Auron asked. Rinoa nodded slightly.
She let out a heavy sigh. "Thanks anyway, Auron. I appreciate it." She leaned forward and handed him his phone.
"No problem."
*Where can he be...?* her mind whimpered, her heart sinking. *Hyne...please don't let him be avoiding me...*
General Caraway slammed his hands on the table and sat straight up, his eyes burning with fury as he glared at the young man seated before him in his den. "Do you have any idea how ridiculous you sound!?" he roared. "Do you really believe that I'll give in to your whims!"
"I don't believe you have a choice in the matter." Squall answered back.
"You wouldn't DARE!"
"You don't know how much I love motorcycle racing," he said coolly. "This might be my one chance at the Galbadia-14."
"So in exchange for you keeping my daughter's secret, I excuse you from your punishment at the Garden and let you ride in it?" Caraway spat out, disgusted.
"Yes, that's it."
"I thought you loved my daughter."
"You made the assumption that I did," Squall said. "I never told you that I love your daughter."
By this time, Caraway was seething. "You do realize that if the world finds out that she's a sorceress, she might as well be hanged."
"I am a SeeD," Squall said. "I would be doing the hanging."
Caraway narrowed his eyes and glared at Squall's calm ones. "I refuse." he said.
"Fine," Squall answered. He reached into his back pocket and pulled out his cellular phone. Caraway watched with anxiety as Squall slowly dialed in some numbers. When he stopped, he glanced up at Caraway and brought the phone to his ear. "Kiros...yes, it's Squall. Is Laguna there?"
Caraway's eyes flew wide open in horror. "That can't be..." he mumbled. "Laguna Loire...? President of Esthar?"
"The one who sealed away the sorceress Adel," Squall told him casually. Caraway's blood froze as he heard Laguna's voice shout excitedly into Squall's ear. It took everything in Squall's power to keep the phone at his ear as his father eagerly asked if he got the money and how is train ride was. "Yes...actually, I have a request."
"Really!? What is it? Anything! You name it, son!" Laguna shouted.
Caraway's heart stopped. "Enough!" he gasped out, leaning across the desk, his face pale and damp with sweat. Squall looked up at him questioningly. "All right! Just don't tell him!"
"Actually...never mind," Squall said. "Good-bye." Without any hesitation he hung up on Laguna while the man was in mid sentence. Squall looked at General Caraway, who fell back on his seat.
"I can't believe you're threatening me." he mumbled quietly.
"It's not so much a threat as it is a proposition," Squall replied. Caraway grumbled. "Now call Balamb Garden." Squall ordered in a deep voice. The General nodded and reluctantly lifted up the phone on his desk.
"I don't have the phone number on me," he mumbled. Squall reached over and turned the phone around. He casually pressed in the number directly to Cid's private line. Caraway waited and the phone rang twice before someone answered. "Hello...Headmaster Kramer? Good evening. This is General Caraway in Deling City. Yes, I am doing fine. And you? Excellent. I am calling in regards to a young Commander Leonhart," He paused and looked over at the young man. "I would like to retract his request for a punishment."
The words sounded in Squall's ears and he felt as if a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders. Outwardly, he didn't show any emotion as Caraway concluded the phone with Cid. After a few minutes, he put the phone down. "I take it everything has been cleared up?"
Caraway nodded. "You're free to ride in the Galbadia-14...just don't let anyone know about Rinoa's secret."
"Of course," Squall said. "And I'll do you one up. I just wanted to ride in the race. If I loose, you'll never hear from or see me again. I'll leave Rinoa alone."
Caraway stared at him. "And if you win?"
"Then Rinoa gets to go back to Balamb Garden, if she so chooses, and is able to be with anyone she wants," Squall told him with a challenging look. "Think of the odds. My winning is one out of twenty. Losing is nineteen out of twenty."
"If you loose, you'll leave Rinoa alone? And never speak of her secret again?"
"And I won't hang it over your head if I want something," Squall said. *Although, if Rinoa doesn't want to leave ME alone...that's a whole other story.* he mentally added.
Caraway looked at Squall and nodded. "Fine," he said. He extended his hand. "It's a deal."
