Chapter Fifteen: Unexpected Homecoming
By PasifikStar
Author's Note: Thanks to Freakker for pointing out my typo in the last chapter. I went back and fixed it. I also fixed the chapter name for chapter 11. I was wondering why I had two chapter tens...anyway, Fr33k S+Yl3 23 - I tried to email you, but I got back the mailer.demon. :( Can you send me your email addy again? I haven't updated because I was in VEGAS!
* All standard disclaimers apply: I do not own Final Fantasy or it's characters.
"Squall!" Tifa shrieked as his body hit the ground hard. "Cloud!" she cried out as she rushed over to the brunette's side and looked up at the blond who was rushing over.
"Zidane, go to the medical tent! Tidus, help me get up him!" Cloud rushed as he knelt by the young man. He took his arm and put hit over his shoulder.
"I'll go get his bed ready!" Tifa shouted as she stood up and rushed to the closed off area behind the screen where Squall usually slept. Tidus went around to Squall's other side and took his left arm. Zidane rushed out of the tent, sprinting towards the medical tent down the path.
"Squall? Squall, c'mon, boy, speak to me!" Cloud said as he and Tidus dragged Squall's near six foot frame towards the bed. Tifa pushed aside some sheets and watched with worry as they laid the young man on to the bed.
"I'm fine..." Squall gasped out breathy.
"Yeah, bull," Tifa snapped. She knelt by his side and began to remove his clothes. "You're feeling so great you fell off your bike, huh?"
"I'm okay..." Squall insisted as he tried to sit up.
"Where the hell do you think you're going?" Cloud said as he held the young man down as Tifa removed his racing uniform. "You're sitting here until Zidane gets back with a doctor."
"I don't need a doctor."
"They should sedate you, too..." Tifa mumbled. She tugged off the uniform and his boots, leaving Squall only in an undershirt and hunter green boxers with little stars on them. Tifa raised an eyebrow. "Interesting choice of undies, Squall..."
"Tifa, go check on his time..." Cloud sighed. She nodded and took his clothes out with her. Cloud pulled the blanket over the brunette's body. "What the hell happened, Squall?"
"Nothing..." Squall grumbled.
"No, not nothing," Cloud snapped. "I'm not stupid, Squall. What the hell happened back there? You're almost an hour behind Sephiroth, who's in the lead now."
"I'm sorry-"
"Don't apologize!" Cloud exclaimed as he pulled up a chair and sat next to Squall. "You have leaves in your hair...your uniform is filled with dirt..." he narrowed his blue eyes. "Did you fall down a hill?"
"Yes." Squall's answer was short and to the point and Cloud let out a groan. He ran his hands through his hair.
"Damn...are you all right?"
"According to you, no."
"Cloud, the doctor's here!" Zidane called from the outside of the tent. The blond looked up.
"I'm going to go check on your bike," Cloud told him. He frowned. "And DON'T try to fight off the doctor, understand?"
"Whatever."
Cloud rushed out of the room and was replaced by a male doctor. Squall laid there, not moving with an annoyed look on his face as the doctor checked him. After a few minutes, Tifa came in. "I got your time, Squally," she told him affectionately. "Ten hours, six minutes, four seconds flat."
Squall closed his eyes and mentally swore. That was his worse time yet. His hands clenched at his side and the doctor asked him not to move. "Great..." he mumbled.
The doctor checked Squall's abdomen and frowned. There were large bruises over his body and when he touched them, Squall winced.
"The good news is that you're not going to die and there are no broken bones that I can make out," the doctor said. Squall let out a breath of relief, but winced as his felt a burning sensation. "But it will still hurt like hell."
"I figured." Squall mumbled.
"I'm going to go get a brace for you to wear under your uniform," the doctor said as he stood up. "I'll return shortly."
"Wait...what brace?" Squall said, his eye brows furrowed in concern. "What do you mean I need a brace?"
"There is still a chance that you could get a fracture," the doctor told him sternly. "Or worse and if you want to continue racing, you should wear the brace."
"Isn't there anything else I can do?" Squall asked. "The brace could effect my-"
"The brace is specially designed for people on the move like yourself," the doctor insisted. "Either you wear the brace, Mr. Leonhart, or you don't continue."
Squall laid there. He felt his head nodding and the doctor headed out to tell the pit team leader the situation. Squall could hear him talking to Tifa and Tifa's concern and then her agreement. Tifa escorted the doctor out and returned a few minutes later with Zidane in tow holding a tray of food.
"Lucky for you, he says you just have to wear a brace. Some men would've come back with a few broken bones or worse. I suggest you get a good night's rest and eat." Tifa said. Zidane put the tray on the folding chair were Cloud had been sitting.
"I will." Squall grumbled. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. It suddenly hurt to do so, but he swallowed. If he told Tifa, she would take him to get checked right then and there.
"Good," the busty brunette replied. "Do you need help eating?"
Squall scowled and narrowed his ice blue eyes at the woman. She held her hands up in her defense. "I'll be FINE." he hissed.
"Okay, okay..." Tifa sighed. She walked out around the corner and Squall eyed his food. He took a deep breath and sat up. Pain shot through his back side where he had hit the tree earlier.
Grumbling, he slowed his movements until he was in a sitting position. He reached over and dragged the chair closer to him so he could eat. Just as he lifted up his fork, Cloud wandered into the room holding one of the bike tires.
"Do you know what this is?" Cloud asked, holding up the tire.
Squall raised an eyebrow. "A tire."
"An Al Bhed tire," Cloud insisted. He held it up and pointed to the insignia on the rubber. "What happened back there?"
"I made a stupid mistake," Squall replied gruffly. "I slid down a hill."
"Then what?"
Squall paused in mid eating and looked at Cloud. "Some people showed up and fixed my bike."
"What was wrong with it?" Cloud continued.
"The tire was screwed up, parts had fallen off...stuff that happens to a bike when it falls down a hill and hits trees and rocks on it's way down." Squall answered in a collected voice. Cloud let out a heavy sigh and squatted down with the tire in front of him.
"And the Al Bhed tire?" Cloud mumbled. "Where it that come from?"
"These people showed up all of a sudden and fixed the bike," Squall explained. "I don't know who they were, they just did it. They spoke another language-"
"Do you know what Al Bhed is?" Cloud asked. Squall stopped as he was chewing his food and narrowed his eyes. Blue eyes met even bluer ones as Cloud looked directly at Squall. "The Galbadian military's special mechanics task force. They can fix an air ship like that." he said with a snap of his fingers.
Squall's eyes narrowed. "Galbadian military?" Squall mumbled. He swallowed his food and stopped completely. "But...why?"
"I don't know," Cloud said. He stood back up and looked back at the tire. "But if they hadn't shown up, you'd be screwed for sure."
Squall stared at the tire, unsure what to think. If Cloud was right and those people were Al Bhed of Galbadia's army, what were they doing helping him? "Cloud! What are you doing?" Tifa's voice shouted from behind the screen. "Will you leave him alone to eat!"
Immediately, Cloud's face lost it's concentrated look and reverted to a happy go lucky one. "Sorry!" he said cheerfully. He glanced back at Squall. "Get some rest or else Tifa will kill me!" he insisted. Squall merely nodded. He couldn't get his eyes off of the tire that Cloud left behind.
Rinoa closed her door and leaned against it. She lifted up her slender wrist and looked at the watch on it. She had just spent three hours talking to her father. That was the most time they've ever sat down together and actually talked. Not yelled. Not screamed at each other, but actually talked.
It hadn't been that forced conversation, like when they usually spoke at dinner. There were no typical outbursts of disagreements. Or strange periods of silence. It was just her and father talking about the one thing they had in common that they loved. Julia Heartilly, her mother.
Truth be told, she hadn't really thought that her father even thought that way. Years of extreme awkwardness passed between the two after her mother passed. This was a shock to say the least. Their parting words that night had filled her with incredible hope. Her father was seated next to her on the couch as they looked through a photo album of her parents right before they were married. Her mother had been meticulous in putting photos into albums, complete with little captions under each picture telling the reader who was who and where they were.
"You..." Her father took a deep breath and prepared himself for her answer. "You were seeing Commander Leonhart at the garden...weren't you?"
Rinoa had paused, unsure of how to answer. Part of her felt it was a trick to get her to confess. Confess to what? He had taken them apart anyway. She let out a heavy breath.
"Yes, father, I was."she had told him proudly.
She glanced over at him and watched as his eyes closed tightly. What he asked her next nearly gave her a heart attack. "And...you kept in touch with him, didn't you?"
She had nodded. "How did you know?"
"Because...I've never seen you happier..."
"I love him. Nothing will change that."
"If he hurts you..." her father took a deep breath and looked her directly in the eye. "If you're ever unhappy with him, I won't turn you away."
Something in his eyes told her that he would probably never truly 'accept' Squall, but he would tolerate him as long as he made her happy. Knowing that, she practically floated to her room. As she fell back against her bed, her phone began to ring. She eyed it and mentally debated if she should reach for it or not.
*It might be something important...* she thought to herself. Crawling across the bed, she picked up the baby blue receiver. "Hello, Rinoa speaking."
"Rinoa! It's Selphie!"
"Hey, Sel-"
"Turn on your t.v. to channel eleven!" Selphie gasped. Her voice sounded urgent and Rinoa scrambled to her remote. She quickly turned on the television and pressed in one and one again. "It's about the race!"
The brunette sat at the edge of her bed and looked directly at the screen. "In a spectacular turn of events, lead racer Squall Leonhart had dropped down to second place at his worst time ever. Official times show that he is almost an hour away from first place contender, Sephiroth."
"No..." Rinoa whispered. An hour wasn't like a minute. An hour meant serious problems. Her heart began to race quickly in her chest as she felt the panic swell up.
"It is unknown what held Leonhart back, however, his chances of winning have seriously decreased."
Rinoa was silent. She sat on her bed, staring at the screen. "Rinoa...?" Selphie's voice asked tentatively on the other line. "Rinoa, can you here me? Are you okay?"
"I'm...I'm fine..." she breathed shallowly. "I'm sure he'll catch up."
"He called," Selphie said. Rinoa's heart jumped to her throat. Selphie sighed heavily, almost as if to express envy. "He said not to worry and I think he mumbled, that he loves you...I'm not sure. He kind of said it really fast."
Rinoa smiled slightly. She could see Squall holding the phone and quickly telling Selphie to tell her that he loved her in one quick raspy grumble. "Thanks, Selphie," Rinoa replied. "That means a lot to me."
"Oh yeah, and have you seen Irvine? I haven't been able to reach him for days!" Selphie exclaimed. In the background behind Selphie, Rinoa heard someone telling her to ask about Seifer also. "And Quistis-"
"No! Don't tell her that I asked!"
Rinoa struggled to keep her snickering to herself. "QUISTIS wants to know if you've seen Seifer." Selphie told her anyway.
"I'll try to contact them for you guys," Rinoa said. "Seifer's probably at his pad here and Irvine's probably at his condo. I'll have them call you, okay?"
"Thanks, Rin!" Selphie said. There was a pause. "And Quistis says thanks, too! Bye!"
"Selphie!" she heard someone shriek. Rinoa laughed and hung up the phone.
*At least I know he's okay...* Rinoa played with her fingers before reaching out and picking up the phone again. She pressed the speed dial for Irvine's condo. It rang about three times before someone answered it.
"Mmm..." Irvine yawned. "Hey, baby, what's up?"
"Irvine, Selphie said she's looking for you."
"Rin?" Irvine asked, confused. He was laying on his stomach, shirtless, and sprawled across his bed. He linked at looked at the digital clock by his bed. "Aww...damn... I over slept."
"Did you have a date with her or something?" Rinoa asked.
"No, but I was going to see her today...thanks for the wake up call, Rin."
"Should I call her-"
"No, it's a surprise," Irvine said. He got off his bed and stretched out a bit. "So... how are you feeling?"
"My father and I had a talk," Rinoa told him solemnly. "A LONG talk."
"Are you all right?" Irvine asked worried. Rinoa chuckled.
"Yeah...thanks for asking," she said. "We're working stuff out. Anyway, I have to go track down Seifer for Quistis. Talk to you later?"
"Sure thing, princess," Irvine said. "Later." He hung up the phone and Rinoa pressed the 'end' button. She then pressed 'talk' and the button that sped dialed Seifer's place.
"You have reached the home of SEIFER, YOUR GOD," a mechanical voice introduced, with Seifer's deep voice in the interval after it. Rinoa rolled her eyes. "Please leave a mes-"
Suddenly, there was a sound of something being fumbled with. "Wait! Hello!?" a breathy voice gasped. "Rin? You okay?"
*Oh yeah...he has caller ID...* Rinoa mused. "Yeah, I'm okay. But Quistis is looking for you."
"Quisty? Why, did she call?" Seifer asked, somewhat confused, yet feeling relatively flattered.
"Selphie called me earlier to rely a message from Squall," Rinoa blushed just saying his name, but continued. "And said that she was looking for Irvine and that Quistis wanted to know if I saw you."
"Is that so...?" Seifer asked in a highly amused and somewhat pleased voice. Rinoa could just see his smirk. "Well, I think I'll give her a call at the hotel...thanks for the message."
"No problem," Rinoa said. She paused. "Hey...you saw Squall the other day, right?"
"Yeah...commander puberty doing okay in the race?" Seifer asked.
"He dropped down to second...I'm kind of worried."
"Maybe I shouldn't have hit him so hard..." Seifer mumbled. Rinoa's eyes went wide and her hand tightened around the phone.
"What do you mean you hit him!? Seifer, did you hit Squall!? WHERE!?" Rinoa growled, almost demonically. Seifer held the phone a few inches from his ear as she yelled at him.
"I hit him for...you know..." Seifer trailed off. He didn't know how to tell her. "What he did..."
Rinoa's anger melted away and she closed her eyes. She had good friends...violent friends, but good friends none the less. She exhaled lightly. "Thanks..."
Seifer smirked on the other line. "Does that mean I can hit him again?" he asked, obviously teasing her.
Rinoa felt her anger bubble a bit, but quickly die down. "NO, you may not!" she retorted. "Ugh! Bye, Seifer!"
"Goodnight!" He hung up the phone and Rinoa suspected that he would immediately go and call Quistis.
Back in his flat, Seifer put the bowl he was eating from in the sink and filled it with water. He figured that Raijin, being the neat freak that he was, would wash it. He walked into the living room where Fujin was laying across the couch on her stomach, reading a thick looking book.
Originally, they were going to stay in the hotel with the others, however they found it too expensive and opted to stay in Seifer's half empty flat for free instead. "Leaving?" Fujin asked, without taking her eye off the book she was reading.
"I'm going to see Quisty," Seifer said as he grabbed his white jacket from the closet where it was hung. "You didn't tell her where I went, did you?"
"Photo shoot," Fujin replied. "With Irvine."
"Cool, thanks," Seifer said. "RAIJIN!" he shouted. "I'm off!"
"Not here," Fujin said. She flipped a page in the book and kept her eyes narrowed. "Went clubbing."
"Clubbing!?" Seifer stopped. He walked back into the living room from the entry way. "With who?"
"Zell."
"Chicken-wuss?" Seifer grumbled. "What kind of fun is that!? Why didn't you tell me, Fujin?"
"Busy reading."
"Thanks a lot..." The blond headed towards the door. *Quisty, your knight is coming!*
"Squall..." her voice whispered in his ear and his heart began to pound in his chest. "Squall..." A smile tugged at his lips. "Wake up, Squall..."
*Rinoa...*
"SQUALL!! I'm not telling you again!" a voice shouted. "GET UP!"
The brunette opened his eyes wide at the sound of Rinoa's sweet voice being replaced by an annoyed one. He shot up in bed and winced as pain cut through his body. It had merely been a day and his bruises were far from healing. He was still wearing the brace.
Zidane was looming by the screen, a frown on his face. "Tifa says get up already, man!" he said. "You're supposed to leave in a hour!"
"And you still have to get dressed and EAT!" Tifa shouted from behind the screen. Grumbling, Squall sat up.
"Squall, don't forget to put your brace on," Cloud called from the garage area. "And have you been loosening it?"
"No!" Squall shouted as he sat up in bed and glared down at the device around his mid section. *Just a little...*
"Well, hurry up and get dressed! Then get over here so I can check!" Tifa added. Squall mentally swore. Every day before his race since he got the brace, Tifa would make sure that it was on correctly before he left, fearing that he would purposely loosen it and therefore hurt himself.
The young racer began to put on his suit. Slowly, he stretched his body just enough to avoid the pain around his mid section. The doctor had told him not to over do it, otherwise he wouldn't make it to the end of the race in once piece. However, the doctor didn't know what was riding on it for Squall.
With his suit half off and clumped around his waist and a white undershirt on, he walked out. His breakfast was waiting for him and he hurriedly ate as the other four members of the team rushed around him.
"Squall," Cloud said as he sat down in front of his protege. "It's just one more day...don't over do yourself."
"I'm still twenty minutes behind Sephiroth," Squall said as he swallowed the last of his eggs. "I need to catch up."
"Don't pull anything stupid," the older blond reminded him. "I'd rather you get to the finish line tonight safe than dead."
"I'll be at that finish line AND win." Squall insisted confidently.
"You don't have to win."
"You don't understand why I have to." Squall stated simply. He wiped his mouth with his napkin and stood up.
"Done?" Tifa asked as she rushed to his side. "Let me check the brace."
Squall stood there with his arms lifted at his sides as she looked over the brace. She made sure that it was on tight enough and nodded. She patted his shoulder, a sign that he could pull up the rest of his suit. As he did, Cloud looked over at Tifa worriedly, as if knowing that Squall would just try to do something stupid. Tifa just shook her head in an attempt to get him to dismiss the thought.
"Squall, you're almost up!" Tidus called from outside. The blue eyed brunette nodded.
"I'll be right there!" he shouted. He zipped up his suit and tugged on his gloves. Zidane handed him his helmet and he and Cloud walked to his bike.
Cloud patted his bike. "Good luck."
The motorcycle sounded and Squall nodded. Tifa gave him a thumbs up and watched as he rolled out of their garage. She closed her eyes and shook her head as he headed for the finish line.
"Worried?" Cloud asked. Tifa nodded and walked over to him. He put his arms around her as she buried her face in his shoulder.
"What if he tries to do something stupid?" Tifa whispered nervously.
"Why do you think he'll do that?" Cloud asked as he looked past her head and stared out at the line where Zidane and Tidus were standing. The flag was dropped and Squall took off.
"Men do really stupid things when they're in love," Tifa said softly. She turned her head and watched Squall leave them in the dust. "You of all people should know that."
"So...are you going tonight?" General Caraway asked as he sat at breakfast with Rinoa. They were sitting out on the patio under a large umbrella eating eggs benedict.
Rinoa breathed in sharply, but slowly nodded. "Yes, I am."
"I shall have Auron drop you and your friends off then," Caraway told her casually. Rinoa looked at him reluctantly and suspiciously. The man noticed his daughter's warily look and let out a light chuckle. "You don't believe me."
"You know it's hard to," Rinoa replied coolly. She took a drink of her tea and looked at him once more. "Why are you allowing me to see him all of a sudden?"
"You always do the opposite of what I say," Caraway replied as he put some creme in his coffee. "I assume that if I tell you to be with him, you'll break your involvement with him."
Rinoa rolled her eyes. "It's not that simple, father."
"Nothing is ever that simple," Caraway answered. He took a drink of his coffee. "I see that the boy is not going to leave you any time soon. I'd rather not have to deal with any more out bursts from you about this whole issue, therefore, it's in my best interest for you to see him."
"Your best interest?" Rinoa asked, in a disdainful voice.
"Yes," her father told her. He looked up at her and gave a sly smile. "You're happy. When you're happy, you're nicer to me. I like it when my little girl is happy and nice to me."
Rinoa narrowed her eyes. "What's up your sleeve, dad?" she asked with a smirk of her own.
"Nothing!" he insisted. "You're just easier to deal with when you're happy. Just like your mother."
"If anything happens to him..." she began.
"Nothing is going to happen to him," Caraway sighed. "Really, Rinoa, can't you take a good deed as a good deed?"
"You tried to have him killed."
"If I was REALLY sure that I wanted him dead, I wouldn't have sent Irvine, would I?" Caraway asked. "While he is the best, he's not the most reliable assassin. He's not a trained killer, you know."
"Are you saying that you KNEW that Irvine wouldn't kill Squall!?" Rinoa gasped. "Is this some sort of cruel joke on all of us!?"
"No, it is not," Caraway said as he put his mug down. "Truth be told, I don't know why I sent Irvine of all people...maybe I didn't really want to have Squall killed."
"But you still hate him."
"And that might never change," Caraway shrugged. "As far as I'm concerned, he'll never be good enough for you. I don't care if he is a commander at Balamb Garden. He could be headmaster for all I care, and I still would not approve."
"That's not going to stop us..." Rinoa trailed off.
"Do you plan to marry the foolish boy?" Caraway asked. Rinoa, who had been finishing off the rest of her tea, began to choke.
She put the cup down and turned to look at her father with large, shocked eyes. "WHAT!?" she gasped.
"I'm assuming you have thought that far ahead," her father replied. "Do you plan to marry him?"
"I'm seventeen-"
"And yet you've disobeyed your father and had an elaborate system to keep your romance afloat, behind my back, for this man. Therefore you must be planning some sort of future with him."
Rinoa felt her entire face turn red as she stared at her father in shock. "But you don't even like him!"
"Nor will I ever. Answer the question."
"You don't like him, but you want me to marry him-"
"No, I want you to break up with him, finish school, and find a better man, preferably not in any way related to Laguna Loire."
Rinoa frowned. "Well, if THAT'S the case, I wouldn't mind marrying Squall. As a matter of fact, when he asks, I will say yes without hesitation."
"What if he never asks?"
"Then I'll ask and he'll say yes." The father and daughter stared at each other intensely for a long time. That was the way Auron found them. He looked from the uniform clad general to the jeans and sweater wearing general's daughter. He lifted his hand to his mouth and let out a cough to make sure they knew he was standing there by the door way.
"Yes, Auron, we know you're there," Caraway said. "Rinny and her friends are going to the Speedway today for the end of the race. Please take the limo with them."
"Yes, general."
"And Rinoa," the General said as he looked at his daughter once more. "I WILL uphold the bargain that Squall and myself agreed upon before the start."
"Then for my sake, he'll win." Rinoa said. She stood up and headed into the mansion.
"WOW!!" Selphie gasped as she and Zell began to push all the buttons they could find on the limo. "Oh, it's opening up the sunroof!"
"Zell! Stick your head out!" Irvine urged.
"Yeah! Do it!" Selphie piped out in agreement. Right above then in the Caraway stretch limo, a tinted piece of black glass opened and Rinoa laughed.
She was sitting next to Auron and Fujin on the left side of the limo, across from Seifer, Quistis, and Zell. Irvine and Selphie were sitting on the back seat. Raijin had gotten food poisoning from Fujin's experimental chicken dish and was back at Seifer's flat.
Zell stood up and grabbed hold of the top of the limo. He smirked and put his hands on either side of the sun roof's edge and stood up on the seat between Irvine and Selphie. Laughing he, stuck his head out and let out a holler.
"I'm surprised Selphie isn't doing it, too." Quistis laughed.
Before she had even finished her sentence, Selphie was already standing on the chair, laughing as she and Zell waved at pedestrians as the limo rolled by. "Whoo!! Feel that wind! Quisty, you have to try this!"
"No, it's all right!" Quistis insisted shyly. Seifer had his arm around her shoulder casually.
"Rin, you want to join us!?" Zell shouted from the top.
"No, I've done it before," Rinoa chuckled. "Hey, do you see the Speedway!?"
"Yeah! It's coming up!" Selphie yelled. "Oh, man! There's traffic!"
"It's just a bottle neck, it'll clear up." Irvine assured them.
"All right, you two, get down!" Quistis sighed. "When the limo stops, I don't want you to flying out of the sun roof."
"Speak for yourself, Quisty..." Seifer mumbled snidely. Quistis elbowed him.
"Squall said he might make it a day early if he gets here before a certain time," Selphie said as she sat down on the seat next to Irvine. Zell hesitantly returned to his own seat and watched as Irvine closed the sun roof. Selphie looked at her watch. "So if he gets there by eight, he's considered to get here and entire racing day early!"
"Has that been done before?" Rinoa asked.
"Just a few times...but they've all been close," Irvine answered. "Like by a minute or two."
"Wow..."
"I hope he wins..." Rinoa mumbled nervously. She began to play with her hands on her lap. "Auron, turn on the television," Rinoa said. "I want to see if there is anything on the news about the race."
The body guard nodded and flipped on a button. A screen rose up and Zell and Selphie let out gasps of surprise as they were heavily impressed. Seifer rolled his eyes. On the screen, a man with bright orange hair appeared in a box in the corner of the screen as a map of the last leg of the race was shown.
"With a few hours to go, the race leaders of Sephiroth and Leonhart are fast approaching the finish line, ya. Sephiroth is in the lead with Leonhart a mere five minutes behind him, ya. However, five minutes is a large gap and if Leonhart wants to win, he must catch up, ya!"
"At least he's catching up," Zell said. "Hey, how big is a five minute difference?"
"Big, Zell," Irvine said with a heavy sigh. "VERY big."
"Will he even make it!?" Selphie gasped, her large green eyes looking anxious.
"He's got to make it," Quistis said with a thoughtful frown. "He's worked so hard on this..."
"They all have Quisty," Seifer added. "Everyone's got something riding on this. Something big."
"What does Squall have riding on it?" Selphie asked. Seifer, Irvine, and Rinoa all went silent. They focused their eyes on the screen. "Guys? Guys!?"
Irvine looked over at Rinoa, as if asking for permission to tell the others. The brown eyed brunette slowly lifted her head and nodded. Irvine let out a heavy sigh. "If Squall wins, Caraway has to let Rinoa be with whoever she wants..."
"And..." Zell took a deep breath before he reluctantly continued. "If he doesn't?"
"He'll stay away from Rinoa." Seifer replied.
"Who made a stupid deal like that!?" Selphie exclaimed loudly. "Hyne! Does he know what he's asking for!?"
"We can't do anything about it now," Seifer snapped. "Just sit down. We'll be at the track in a few moments."
"How much longer?" Zell asked impatiently.
Rinoa looked at her watch. "If he makes it before eight...we have an hour," She pressed a button on the window sill behind her and watched as the television disappeared. "I just want to be there when he arrives."
The roar of the engine echoed in his ears as he straddled the sleek machine. He could feel the dusty dirt path under him as he slowly neared the cloud of dust rushing before him. That was his target; Sephiroth. He had to catch up if he wanted to win.
Looking at his watch, he mentally swore. He had a mere hour left if he wanted to make it in thirteen days rather and fourteen. He looked up and through his tinted visor of his helmet, he could see the lights of Deling City up ahead. They were blocking out stars right above the city. Rinoa was there under those stars, just waiting for him.
He tightened his hold on the motorcycle and raced ahead. They would reach the asphalt road that lead into the city in a matter of minutes, then go around the perimeter of Deling City before heading straight for the Speedway. His heart was racing and he struggled to keep it calm. The last thing he wanted to panic in the last minute and mess up.
Up ahead, he could see the race officials preparing the signs that would lead them into the city. Blinking arrows pointed to the asphalt road that had been cleared of traffic for that monumental event. Officials with lighted batons pointed them in the correct direction and Squall saw Sephiroth and his black motorcycle make the turn on to the asphalt road.
*I need to get on that thing...the sooner I'm on that thing, the sooner I can speed up...* As soon as he thought that, he heard Tifa and the doctor's warnings. He was not to pull anything that could jeopardize his health. He narrowed his eyes and decided to disregard them. He was wearing the brace, after all.
"This way! This way!" someone was shouting. He followed the directions given to him and tugged up his bike. Within a nano-second he was on the asphalt path. He could see is only true competitor up ahead of him, racing further and further ahead.
*I won't loose...I CAN'T loose.*
"Whoo-hoo! VIP!" Zell said as he sat down in the VIP room that they were assigned in. "I've never been in one of these before."
"That's because you're not a very important person, chicken-wuss." Seifer replied casually as he sat on one of the couches. Quistis walked over to the balcony area that over looked the speedway's track.
"Oh my...the place is packed!" she gasped. She removed her glasses and rubbed the lenses in disbelief before putting them back on.
"It's going to be like that until tomorrow." Irvine said as he headed for the bar.
"So they'll be here all night?" Selphie added as she walked towards the balcony area with Rinoa.
"Yep," Irvine said. "Does anyone want anything to drink?"
"Just a beer," Seifer shouted. "Whatever is fine."
Irvine nodded and searched the bar for a bottle of beer. He grabbed the first one he saw and popped the cap before Seifer came over and got it. "This is a pretty big room..." Rinoa said as she looked around quietly. "Usually, several people get assigned a VIP room like this-"
"This is it! This is it!" a voice shouted from outside the door. The group turned their heads towards the double wooden doors that lead to the hallway outside.
"Then open the door!" someone exclaimed tiredly. The doors burst open and in rushed a tall man with long brown hair tied at his nape. He looked around energetically.
Zell nearly coughed up the hotdog he had been eating as they recognized who the man was. "President Loire!" Quistis gasped in shock.
"Sir Laguna!" Selphie added cheerfully. "You must be here to cheer on Squall!" She bounced over to the man who shook her hand energetically.
*I wonder if Selphie is Laguna's long lost daughter...* half the room thought.
"You know Squall?" Laguna asked. "I'm his father!"
"We know, we've read about it in the news during the elections." Seifer snorted as he drank his beer.
"So I guess we're all sharing a room, then?" a female voice asked. Everyone turned to see a young woman with shoulder length brown hair walk in front of a tall skinny black man and a large stoic looking man.
"Ellone!" Quistis said with a smile. "You're here, too?"
"We all came," Ellone said. She looked over at Rinoa, who was slowly approaching them. "My name is Ellone, Squall's mother was my aunt. This is my Uncle Laguna, Kiros, and Ward."
"Oh!" Rinoa gasped. She blushed slightly and extended her hand. "I'm Rinoa Heartilly-"
"Did you know you look just like that singer, Rinoa Caraway?" Laguna said, in a sort of shock as he shook her hand. He studied her wondrously, as if absolutely amazed that she looked like herself. Everyone stared at him in disbelief.
"Um...I am Rinoa Caraway," Rinoa began sheepishly. "I just usually use my mother's maiden name-"
"You know, there was a singer-"
"Julia Heartilly," Rinoa sighed. "She was my mother."
"I knew it! I knew it!" Laguna said enthusiastically. He shook Rinoa's hand wildly before capturing her in a tight hug. "You look just like Julia! Tell me," he said as he let her go and held her hands. "How do you know my son?"
Rinoa opened her mouth to answer, but find she didn't know how exactly to explain it. She looked at the others for help and found them all diverting their eyes. *Jeez, guys...thanks...* she thought to herself. She looked back at Laguna and gave him a warm smile. "Well, sir..." she began. "Your son...um... Squall...he's my...uh..."
"Boyfriend." Selphie coughed.
"Lover." Irvine added with another cough.
"Significant other." Quistis added. Rinoa whirled around to glare at them and Laguna let out a happy yell.
"So you're his girlfriend then?" Laguna asked cheerfully. "Nice to meet you!"
Rinoa turned back to the man and smiled weakly. *He's not nearly as threatening as I thought he would be...if anything, he's the opposite of threatening. Did this man really seal away Adel? It's kind of hard to believe.*
"Hey, Rinoa," Irvine said suddenly. Rinoa turned around and pointed to the pit area below the glass. "Squall's pit crew is there..."
"Maybe Tifa will let me wait for him there," Rinoa said. "I'm going to go down to the pit."
"I'll come with you." Auron insisted. He hadn't moved from his place by the door.
"I'll be okay, Auron!" Rinoa exclaimed tiredly.
"I insist."
"Fine, fine..." she sighed and looked back at Laguna. "Mr. President, Miss Ellone, Mr. Ward, Mr. Kiros, it was a pleasure meeting you. Perhaps we can meet up another time?"
"Of course, Rinoa," Laguna said warmly. "You and Squall MUST have dinner with us one time."
"It would be a pleasure, sir," Rinoa added. She looked at the others. "I'll see you guys later!" Rinoa quickly ran out the door with Auron behind her. Zell turned on the television that nearly took up half of the wall across from him.
Coverage of the race was on and a helicopter was recording the final duel between the two leaders of the race. Wakka, the correspondent, was reporting that Squall was just a minute behind Sephiroth and at that moment, anything was possible.
The city streets were lined with observers who cheered on Squall and Sephiroth as they zoomed past them. They became nothing more than a mere blur to him as he raced by. Two things occupied his mind. One of which was to get ahead of Sephiroth. The other was Rinoa. He was so close, he refused to let her down.
The sound of cheering and encouragement, the roar of the machine he sat on all vanished. He was riding in a pit of silence with his eyes set on the road before him. Up ahead was the Deling City Speedway. It's search lights were flying across the night sky as a glow poured out from it's open crevices. He gripped the handles of his bike and sped up.
He lifted his motorcycle to it's back wheel before he reached a corner. He was practically hugging the side walk as fans screamed with excitement. With every corner they were in, Squall hugged the inside better than Sephiroth and was catching up.
All he could hear was the beating of his heart. Sweat was cold against his skin as his blue eyes focused on the race before him. There was nothing but a long concrete path to the entrance of the speedway. Once there, they would make one lap and the one who crossed the finish line first would win.
"Tifa!" Rinoa shouted. The woman with the long brown hair turned and smiled.
"Hey!" she said. "Come to see your man in action?" she asked with a wink and a smirk. Rinoa blushed and nodded slightly.
"I was wondering...you know..." Rinoa took a deep breath, unsure of how to ask. "If I could...um..."
Tifa merely laughed and nodded. "C'mon in. Let me grab you a chair!" she said with a warm smile. She lead Rinoa and Auron into the pit area. "Whose the big guy?"
"Bodyguard."
"I see..." Tifa said. They entered and she looked over at them. "Tribal! Get your butt off the chair and let the lady have a seat!"
"Get your own seat!" Zidane snapped. Tifa narrowed her eyes and cracked her knuckles, sending Zidane scurrying out of his seat.
"Men are such weaklings..." Tifa chuckled. She took his chair and moved it closer to Rinoa. "Here you go, honey. Have a seat."
"Thank you!" Rinoa smiled as she sat down.
"They're coming! They're coming!" a voice shouted. A tan blond rushed into the room, smiling from ear to ear. "They're - AH! Auron!"
"Tidus." the man in the sunglasses said.
"You know each other?" Rinoa asked.
"Not now," said the short blond man who walked in. His hair was spiked up and all over the place. "They'll be coming through that opening." He pointed to the side and Rinoa watched as two machines flew in.
Her eyes went wide as she shot out from her hair. They were making their way around the massive track as the crowds burst into loud cheers. Rinoa rushed forward and watched as Squall hugged the inside track.
"They're right behind each other!" Zidane shouted. "Man, this is going to be close!"
"Come on...come on..." Rinoa found herself whispering. They were almost side by side, two men intent on just winning.
Rinoa's heart stopped in her chest as in the last straight way, Squall brought his bike up once more and shot forward. The orange on black timer at the top of the stadium blinked the final time and the crowds cheered.
"It's seven fifty three," Tifa said as she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "He won."
Up in the VIP booth, Zell and Selphie were jumping up and down as they hugged and screamed excitedly. Quistis clapped and hugged the person closest to her - Seifer. The blond was surprised, but hugged back as if he had been expecting it. Fujin let out the breath she was holding as Irvine let out a loud holler.
Laguna was jumping up and down, shouting just as loudly as Zell and Selphie as he hugged Ellone, Ward, and Kiros. "He won! He won! My son WON!!"
"Let's get down there and meet him!" Selphie shouted to the group.
"Yeah!!"
The fireworks exploded around them and the official times blinked on the score boards, Rinoa felt her breathing growing shallow. He had won. Tears rimmed her eyes as she found herself being pushed towards the out side of the track where Squall was rolling in. Fans were cheering his name as the black and blue bike slowly came to a stop in front of them.
Cloud and the rest of the team rushed forward to get the bike and help him off. Cloud took the bike as Tifa attempted to help the brunette off the motorcycle. Rinoa was five yards away, her hand clutching her the rings hanging from her necklace. Her heart was racing madly as she took a step forward.
As soon as he pulled into the sides, the first thing his blue eyes settled on was her. His gaze never left hers as the others ran to assist him. Squall mindlessly brushed them away as he got off the bike. He suddenly found that his legs were weak as he stood up. Tidus and Zidane were about to help him when he held his hand up to stop them.
With dirt stained gloved hands, he removed his helmet roughly and tossed it to Zidane. His hair was dark and matted with sweat against his head. He looked tired, but at the same time glowing with life. Rinoa's lower lip trembled as she ran forward.
"SQUALL!"
Her body was quickly enveloped in his embrace as he swept her up. His head pressed against hers as strong arms held her fragile frame protectively. She inhaled his strong scent and relished the feeling of his warm body against her. One gloved hand soothed the back of her head as she choked out joyous sobs against his shoulder.
"I'm back..." he whispered softly.
Rinoa slowly pulled away from him, her eyes rimmed with tears. Something was tugging at her senses. Something was wrong. Squall offered her a slightly smile. Suddenly, pain shot across his handsome face and Rinoa's eyes went wide.
"Squall...?" she asked. His body tensed up and he lowered his head. He began to cough and his body went limp against. "Squall!?" she gasped out. "Squall!? What's wrong!?" she nearly screamed. She fell to her knees with him leaning heavily against her.
"What's going-" Tifa began, but her eyes went wide. Squall lifted his hand from his mouth and her eyes went wide. "CALL AN AMBULANCE!!"
Rinoa's brown eyes went wide as she held the shaking man against her. Squall stared dumbfoundedly at his hand as blood filled spit and bile graced his dark gloves. "Squall!?" Her tearful voice could barely be heard and he looked up at her. Panic and fear were written all over her face. Her mouth opened and seemed to be making out his name, but he heard nothing.
She was getting darker and his own eyes went wide with panic. He couldn't feel her arms around him any more. It was getting darker. Colder. And then...nothing.
