(¯`'·.¸(¯`'·. .author's note. .·'´¯)¸.·'´¯)
I'm back. Fear me. My Reffie is going along well, but I won't post any of it until I finish up with this fic. I won't have progress slowed on this.
I think Quistis would worry a lot about her reputation and implications of this situation. And Laguna isn't exactly a ladies man. Since both are perfectly capable of putting two and two together, I think I'll have some fun with their wandering thoughts.
(¯`'·.¸(¯`'·. quistis .·'´¯)¸.·'´¯)
I slammed my hand upon the snooze button. I opened my eyes slightly, and the red numbers glared at me: 10:30. Time to go . . . already?
I forced myself up faster than my back would normally allow. Two hours of sleep was hardly enough to function with, but I was afraid it would have to do. Running my fingers through my hair exasperatedly, I got up and dug through my closet for something to wear.
Well, it was more of a buisiness venture. Not really, whispered a nasty little voice, but I hissed back that I preferred to think it was. Either way, that meant SeeD uniform.
I put it on, and twisted up my hair up in my usual fashion. I looked at the result in the mirror. Perhaps a tad of make - up to cover the dark circles? There. Done.
I kept looking at the reflection. The gold filrgree blended in perfectly with the varius medals and rewards I'd recieved over the past few months. For being a hero of Time Compression and such. I fingered one gently. Was that it? Was that all I would ever do? One big thing, and now my purpose is fulfilled? Whats left?
Death?
No . . . I'd tried that once. I didn't want to die. I'd been saved once, but I hadn't wanted to die. I was a coward . . . I thought back. When I'd been laying there bleeding, all I could think about was . . . when you die, there's supposed to be a light . . . where's the light? . . .
And then Laguna had cast Curaga on me. Not the light I was looking for, but the light was really the thing that brought me back, not the healing or effects of the spell. I shook my head. No use brooding on it.
I headed out the dormitories, and to the Garden entrance. The Ragnorak was there, of course. The Norse version of the world's end. I had thought it poetic when we were trying to stop just that.
I stepped inside, slightly nervous. It wasn't that I didn't know how to fly it, but the night lent an eerie glow to the control room, and I was sure that I heard noises the ship didn't usually make. I dismissed those thoughts as childish, and hoped no one would thnk to check the Ragnorak this late. It came and went often on missions, so no one would really think its departure out of place. . . but I am sure taking the ship without permission was very much illegal.
I eased the ship up, and pressed the auto pilot to Matrons House. Cid had long since moved there with Edea, and Ellone often stayed there.
Ellone was there tonight, I knew. I had called ahead to make sure, and although she knew of our arrival tonight, I had thought it best to tell her not to tell Cid or Matron.
I wondered why it was necessary for me to go with Laguna. He could do it perfectly well by himself.
No, he'd get scared and blow the whole thing over. I knew that, but it didn't make me feel any better about the entire issue. I should be warm in bed, not meddling in a global superpower's affairs.
The Ragnorak's slight AI had a horrible ego, and made a very show-off landing. I punched a few extra buttons and grabbed my Save the Queen for insurance--and assurance--before stepping outside. The Apocalypse was already there. I was surprised, I admit to you. Laguna hadn't struck me as the punctual type.
He was waiting for me, looking horribly nervous. I didn't blame him, really. Think of the circumstances he was dealing with.
"Hey," He muttered. "You're on time."
"Of course I am," I stated with alacrity. It's a gift, what can I say?
"Sure . . ." Laguna shifted.
I looked up. It was night. I really hoped his density halted his brain from heading in the direction mine was going. Because my mind was getting desparate.
Yes. The theoretical wheels and cogs were turning, along with them a conclusion came forth: Guess what? It's night, and I, a relatively attractive young woman, was meeting with a decent looking older man, under the cover of night. You might say that it was awkward. I did, that's very much for sure.
Eek. My back straightened even more, and I shifted my face into a reasonably stiff-and most importantly, emotionless-mask. Oh, Hyne, I knew Laguna couldn't possible think of this like that.
Could he?
I beat back that thought with as much due brutality as possible. My heart might not work, but it seemed that the rest of the woman in me was working fine.
Joy.
I really don't like to hash things such as this, you know. But a small portion of me shouted implications and innuendos louder than I wanted it to. This left me few options: hope Laguna didn't think of the insinuations, and that if he recognized this, all of my actions must betray nothing but business.
Business. Everything is merely a business arrangement. Concentrate on that.
"Ellone is inside. Let's go." I turned and headed towards the orphanage. I don't know when it got awkward. Really, I don't. But it had, so I did my level best to act normal.
Laguna knocked. I heard some scuffling from inside, and Ellone answered, her head peering around the door. Despite her older age, she retained a youthfulness in her tone and manner that I had to envy.
I shook that feeling off. This was Ellone, I had no right to be jealous of Sis. I smiled at her; it had been awhile since we had last seen each other. "Sis."
Laguna wasn't as restrained. He gave a her a fierce hug, and practically lifted her off the ground. "Hey, Elle! It's been a long time, huh? How's everything been? You OK?" Ellone looked as though she was struggling for breath a bit, so he let go and held her by the shoulders, stepping back so he could get a better look.
"You'll wake up Cid and Edea, quiet down!" I hissed under my breath. Laguna ignored me.
He winked at her. "Have you grown?" She grinned, and shook her head. "Uncle Laguna!"
I sighed. We would get nowhere if we kept exchanging pleasantries. Luckily, Ellone broke up the happy reunion bit. "Um . . . Quisty said that you guys wanted to talk to me about something?"
Laguna whistled for a second before scratching his head nervously. "Er, yeah . . . You know how Squall is . . . uh . . ."
It had occurred to me that Laguna would have to tell Ellone that he was Squall's father, but the possibility that she might already know had not. "Sis, do you already know about . . ." I let the question hang.
She smiled lightly. "Yes, Uncle Laguna is Squall's father. I think I knew before he did."
Laguna muttered something, and I realized that what Ellone had said wasn't true.
He had known, he'd told me.
He'd merely chosen to deny it.
I remained silent on the matter. So did Laguna. Ellone continued. "How did you find out?"
I opened my mouth to speak, and glanced at Laguna. He was scratching his head again, and his leg was twitching. Nervous?
I cleared my throat. What to say? 'Oh, Sis, well, it happened right after I tried to commit suicide . . .' No. My mouth was still open, and I was still searching for words.
"Better not ask," Laguna cut in. "Trust me on this, OK?" I sent a slightly grateful glance in his direction before snapping to attention. We were here for a reason. Can't get too distracted.
"Either way, the point of the matter is that I am here for emotional support," I said strictly. Well, in a sense perhaps.
Crossing his arms, Laguna gave me an incredulous glance, and snorted. "No, you're here to make sure I don't chicken out the last minute. Emotional support isn't your strong suit, sorry."
Oh, he was smarter than he looked. Or acted, for that matter. I suppose Laguna Loire proves that there's no accounting for intuition. You see, most of the things he said were true. Very true, in most respects. Not all, but most.
"Perhaps, but it would normally be rude for me to phrase it as such," I replied in as dignified fashion as possible. Remember Quistis, he is merely a client, nothing else.
Laguna grinned. "Hah! Not surprised." He turned to Ellone. "Anyway . . . I came to ask a favor. . . a really small one. Tiny. Microscopic, even." He pinched his fingers together to emphasize his point.
Ellone nodded. "What?"
Well, I should have known that at this point was where Laguna would have the most trouble. I stifled the urge to rub my temples and groan as he unsuccessfully tried to tell why he was here. I had already told Ellone why we were there, but Laguna had to ask for himself.
"Er. . . well you see . . .Ellone, I kinda . . . And Squall . . . and you . . ." Laguna mumbled under his breath, leaning forward and scratching his head. It was really quite pitiful.
"Do you want me to say it?" I queried slowly, folding my hands in front of me. Egging him on.
He paused. Laguna looked at me, then shook his head. "Nah, Let me try again. . ." He took a deep breath, and braced himself.
Oh I mean that quite literally, he braced himself. Legs slightly parted, left leg forward, head slightly bowed. His hair fell over his eye, and his fists were lightly clenched. Was it really that hard?
"Ellone," He muttered lowly, but clearly, "could you send Squall a dream that shows I'm his father?"
There. It was done. Now all I had to do was make sure he didn't try to take it back. I nodded slowly at Ellone. She looked shocked. I didn't fault her for that; if she had known Squall's parentage, she probably knew Laguna's reluctance to do anything about it.
"Oh . . . Of course!" Ellone smiled happily. "It's about time you decided to do something about this. Laguna muttered something glumly.
Although I had been the target of Ellone's magic more than once, I had never seen her execute it. I watched curiously as she rearranged the pillows on the futon.
Ellone sat delicately on the couch. Lying down, she yawned. Giving us a hazy grin, she said quietly, ". . .I'll be up in an hour . . . it'll be done . . ."
She yawned, and stilled.
I looked at Laguna. He looked over at me.
I sat on the nearest chair. Laguna sat, head bowed, on a side table.
Laguna shifted. I looked at him. He was sitting so still, and I could practically see his muscles, he was so tense
He was undeniably in pain. Not physical, perhaps, but severe pain. Somewhere in me, a chord struck. You can't imagine the pain seen in those taut lines. No one should have to suffer such pain alone.
Should they?
A voice retaliated brutally to this thought. But what about bearing your burdens alone? What happened to taking up the idea that you are your own pillar? Shouldn't the same apply to him?
I, in very distinct mental tones, told that little voice to shut up.
(¯`'·.¸(¯`'·. laguna .·'´¯)¸.·'´¯)
OK, what the hell?! Where the frig had that come from?! I sat in the same slouching way I used to and ran my fingers through my hair. Hyne, today was NOT my day. Taking a deep breath, I concetrated on the window. It was night.
The moon was huge. A breeze tangled with the fields outside, and the marble columns outside stood like pale monoliths. The cool hazy light spread a blue glow over everything, and I sucked in my breath slightly.
The last time it had been a night like this . . .
Raine. How could I be thinking about those kinds of things, about another woman, when there was still Raine?
I leaned back. No . . I can't think of her right now . . . it was sapping my strength enough as it was to not run into the next room and wake Ellone up. If I thought of Raine . . . I might end up doing just that.
"Are you sure about this?"
I jerked up. Quistis was eying me uneasily. I looked up, and fought narrowed my eyes at her. What?
"Wha. . .What?" I let out a low, humorless laugh. I don't really know why I laughed, it wasn't funny. At all. I was pissed at everything, especially her.
I fought the urge to punch the woman right in the face. "What do you think? No! I'm not! I-" I stopped myself there.
No point in taking things out on her. She's trying to help.
"I don't know if Squall wants a father," I muttered, finishing lamely. Quistis shifted, and stood. I stayed where I was, slumped over in my seat, elbows holding my weight on my knees.
Quistis was . . . I looked up at her desperately. "Do you?" I blurted out. She was standing hesitantly, giving me a questioning look. I tried again. "Would you accept a family? If you ever had the chance?"
She narrowed her eyes, not in suspicion, but in self doubt and concentration. "I . . ." She looked down at the floor. " . . .don't know."
I watched her inspect the floorboards. I looked down again. ". . ."
We were like that for awhile, covered in the blue-tinted silence of night. W were facing each other, staring at the floor, she straight and standing, I slumped and sitting. Man, we must've looked dumb. Complete opposites, kinda. But not really.
"I wouldn't mind knowing . . ." I heard her clothes rustle as she straightened. I peered up through my hair at her. She was looking out the window, through the somewhat dingy glass. I waited for her to continue. The new silence was killing me.
She took a breath and removed her glasses. Fingering the frames gently, she continued. "I wouldn't mind knowing who my parents were. I . . . would like to have known them . . . remembered them . . . I was told my parents had died because of the war, though. . .then again, so was Squall."
Squall thought his parents were dead. Well, I wouldn't mind that status right about now. Man . . .
I don't even know if I could stop this now. I don't know how far she's gotten in her dream, whether it's too late to stop this now. Dammit, I don't know if I want this or not. I don't know a damn thing right now.
I jerked my head forward. Man, I was NOT about to cry in front of a girl. That was a big no-no in the book of unwritten rules. I was shaking slightly from the effort of holding back, and I scrunched my eyes shut.
I'm not sure how she got there, but she was kneeling in front of me, trying to peer up at my face. I opened my eyes, and looked at her. She was . . . genuinely worried? Quistis Trepe, the almighty Ice Queen, was worried. Man, I must look seriously pitiful.
"I regret forcing you into this, but . . ." Quistis hesitated. Forcing me into it? Nah, not really.
"It had to be done," I interrupted. "I would have done it eventually. Better now, and get it over with," I surprised myself on how bitter my voice sounded. I was being a real bastard, wasn't I?
She hesitated, as if what she were about to do went against everything. Slowly, almost tentatively, Quistis reached out with her hand and placed in on my shoulder.
"I'm sure it'll turn out fine," she smiled hesitantly. Unsurely.
Her tone of uncertainty didn't do much, but the fact that she had said it helped. A lot.
She went back to her seat. We remained in silence until Ellone woke up. We said our farewells. And we each then headed to our respective homes.
Squall now knew.
Now Squall knew.
Squall knew now.
(¯`'·.¸(¯`'·. .author's note. .·'´¯)¸.·'´¯)
From reading the first Author's Note, you might say I was in a good mood when I started writing this a few days ago. Let me tell you something: This chapter was a bitch. I gave up on it twenty times before I decided that to hell with it, I'll post the best draft I got. Hence the lack of quality and major OOCness.
You don't understand, people. This was by far the toughest chapter to write. I had to make sure both of them worried like hell over . . . er . . . things. Sexual tension. Mmm. It's never too early in a fic to have sexual tension.
Warning: Next chapter I'm going to actually respond to reviews. Which means my favorite reviewers will know WHO THEY ARE. . . . I know where you live . . .
Once more, a disclaimer. Final Fantasy isn't mine. And even if this disclaimer weren't here, I'd remind them of the Fair Use Rule of the United States Copyright Act of 1976. Can't touch this. Ooooooh.
I'm back. Fear me. My Reffie is going along well, but I won't post any of it until I finish up with this fic. I won't have progress slowed on this.
I think Quistis would worry a lot about her reputation and implications of this situation. And Laguna isn't exactly a ladies man. Since both are perfectly capable of putting two and two together, I think I'll have some fun with their wandering thoughts.
(¯`'·.¸(¯`'·. quistis .·'´¯)¸.·'´¯)
I slammed my hand upon the snooze button. I opened my eyes slightly, and the red numbers glared at me: 10:30. Time to go . . . already?
I forced myself up faster than my back would normally allow. Two hours of sleep was hardly enough to function with, but I was afraid it would have to do. Running my fingers through my hair exasperatedly, I got up and dug through my closet for something to wear.
Well, it was more of a buisiness venture. Not really, whispered a nasty little voice, but I hissed back that I preferred to think it was. Either way, that meant SeeD uniform.
I put it on, and twisted up my hair up in my usual fashion. I looked at the result in the mirror. Perhaps a tad of make - up to cover the dark circles? There. Done.
I kept looking at the reflection. The gold filrgree blended in perfectly with the varius medals and rewards I'd recieved over the past few months. For being a hero of Time Compression and such. I fingered one gently. Was that it? Was that all I would ever do? One big thing, and now my purpose is fulfilled? Whats left?
Death?
No . . . I'd tried that once. I didn't want to die. I'd been saved once, but I hadn't wanted to die. I was a coward . . . I thought back. When I'd been laying there bleeding, all I could think about was . . . when you die, there's supposed to be a light . . . where's the light? . . .
And then Laguna had cast Curaga on me. Not the light I was looking for, but the light was really the thing that brought me back, not the healing or effects of the spell. I shook my head. No use brooding on it.
I headed out the dormitories, and to the Garden entrance. The Ragnorak was there, of course. The Norse version of the world's end. I had thought it poetic when we were trying to stop just that.
I stepped inside, slightly nervous. It wasn't that I didn't know how to fly it, but the night lent an eerie glow to the control room, and I was sure that I heard noises the ship didn't usually make. I dismissed those thoughts as childish, and hoped no one would thnk to check the Ragnorak this late. It came and went often on missions, so no one would really think its departure out of place. . . but I am sure taking the ship without permission was very much illegal.
I eased the ship up, and pressed the auto pilot to Matrons House. Cid had long since moved there with Edea, and Ellone often stayed there.
Ellone was there tonight, I knew. I had called ahead to make sure, and although she knew of our arrival tonight, I had thought it best to tell her not to tell Cid or Matron.
I wondered why it was necessary for me to go with Laguna. He could do it perfectly well by himself.
No, he'd get scared and blow the whole thing over. I knew that, but it didn't make me feel any better about the entire issue. I should be warm in bed, not meddling in a global superpower's affairs.
The Ragnorak's slight AI had a horrible ego, and made a very show-off landing. I punched a few extra buttons and grabbed my Save the Queen for insurance--and assurance--before stepping outside. The Apocalypse was already there. I was surprised, I admit to you. Laguna hadn't struck me as the punctual type.
He was waiting for me, looking horribly nervous. I didn't blame him, really. Think of the circumstances he was dealing with.
"Hey," He muttered. "You're on time."
"Of course I am," I stated with alacrity. It's a gift, what can I say?
"Sure . . ." Laguna shifted.
I looked up. It was night. I really hoped his density halted his brain from heading in the direction mine was going. Because my mind was getting desparate.
Yes. The theoretical wheels and cogs were turning, along with them a conclusion came forth: Guess what? It's night, and I, a relatively attractive young woman, was meeting with a decent looking older man, under the cover of night. You might say that it was awkward. I did, that's very much for sure.
Eek. My back straightened even more, and I shifted my face into a reasonably stiff-and most importantly, emotionless-mask. Oh, Hyne, I knew Laguna couldn't possible think of this like that.
Could he?
I beat back that thought with as much due brutality as possible. My heart might not work, but it seemed that the rest of the woman in me was working fine.
Joy.
I really don't like to hash things such as this, you know. But a small portion of me shouted implications and innuendos louder than I wanted it to. This left me few options: hope Laguna didn't think of the insinuations, and that if he recognized this, all of my actions must betray nothing but business.
Business. Everything is merely a business arrangement. Concentrate on that.
"Ellone is inside. Let's go." I turned and headed towards the orphanage. I don't know when it got awkward. Really, I don't. But it had, so I did my level best to act normal.
Laguna knocked. I heard some scuffling from inside, and Ellone answered, her head peering around the door. Despite her older age, she retained a youthfulness in her tone and manner that I had to envy.
I shook that feeling off. This was Ellone, I had no right to be jealous of Sis. I smiled at her; it had been awhile since we had last seen each other. "Sis."
Laguna wasn't as restrained. He gave a her a fierce hug, and practically lifted her off the ground. "Hey, Elle! It's been a long time, huh? How's everything been? You OK?" Ellone looked as though she was struggling for breath a bit, so he let go and held her by the shoulders, stepping back so he could get a better look.
"You'll wake up Cid and Edea, quiet down!" I hissed under my breath. Laguna ignored me.
He winked at her. "Have you grown?" She grinned, and shook her head. "Uncle Laguna!"
I sighed. We would get nowhere if we kept exchanging pleasantries. Luckily, Ellone broke up the happy reunion bit. "Um . . . Quisty said that you guys wanted to talk to me about something?"
Laguna whistled for a second before scratching his head nervously. "Er, yeah . . . You know how Squall is . . . uh . . ."
It had occurred to me that Laguna would have to tell Ellone that he was Squall's father, but the possibility that she might already know had not. "Sis, do you already know about . . ." I let the question hang.
She smiled lightly. "Yes, Uncle Laguna is Squall's father. I think I knew before he did."
Laguna muttered something, and I realized that what Ellone had said wasn't true.
He had known, he'd told me.
He'd merely chosen to deny it.
I remained silent on the matter. So did Laguna. Ellone continued. "How did you find out?"
I opened my mouth to speak, and glanced at Laguna. He was scratching his head again, and his leg was twitching. Nervous?
I cleared my throat. What to say? 'Oh, Sis, well, it happened right after I tried to commit suicide . . .' No. My mouth was still open, and I was still searching for words.
"Better not ask," Laguna cut in. "Trust me on this, OK?" I sent a slightly grateful glance in his direction before snapping to attention. We were here for a reason. Can't get too distracted.
"Either way, the point of the matter is that I am here for emotional support," I said strictly. Well, in a sense perhaps.
Crossing his arms, Laguna gave me an incredulous glance, and snorted. "No, you're here to make sure I don't chicken out the last minute. Emotional support isn't your strong suit, sorry."
Oh, he was smarter than he looked. Or acted, for that matter. I suppose Laguna Loire proves that there's no accounting for intuition. You see, most of the things he said were true. Very true, in most respects. Not all, but most.
"Perhaps, but it would normally be rude for me to phrase it as such," I replied in as dignified fashion as possible. Remember Quistis, he is merely a client, nothing else.
Laguna grinned. "Hah! Not surprised." He turned to Ellone. "Anyway . . . I came to ask a favor. . . a really small one. Tiny. Microscopic, even." He pinched his fingers together to emphasize his point.
Ellone nodded. "What?"
Well, I should have known that at this point was where Laguna would have the most trouble. I stifled the urge to rub my temples and groan as he unsuccessfully tried to tell why he was here. I had already told Ellone why we were there, but Laguna had to ask for himself.
"Er. . . well you see . . .Ellone, I kinda . . . And Squall . . . and you . . ." Laguna mumbled under his breath, leaning forward and scratching his head. It was really quite pitiful.
"Do you want me to say it?" I queried slowly, folding my hands in front of me. Egging him on.
He paused. Laguna looked at me, then shook his head. "Nah, Let me try again. . ." He took a deep breath, and braced himself.
Oh I mean that quite literally, he braced himself. Legs slightly parted, left leg forward, head slightly bowed. His hair fell over his eye, and his fists were lightly clenched. Was it really that hard?
"Ellone," He muttered lowly, but clearly, "could you send Squall a dream that shows I'm his father?"
There. It was done. Now all I had to do was make sure he didn't try to take it back. I nodded slowly at Ellone. She looked shocked. I didn't fault her for that; if she had known Squall's parentage, she probably knew Laguna's reluctance to do anything about it.
"Oh . . . Of course!" Ellone smiled happily. "It's about time you decided to do something about this. Laguna muttered something glumly.
Although I had been the target of Ellone's magic more than once, I had never seen her execute it. I watched curiously as she rearranged the pillows on the futon.
Ellone sat delicately on the couch. Lying down, she yawned. Giving us a hazy grin, she said quietly, ". . .I'll be up in an hour . . . it'll be done . . ."
She yawned, and stilled.
I looked at Laguna. He looked over at me.
I sat on the nearest chair. Laguna sat, head bowed, on a side table.
Laguna shifted. I looked at him. He was sitting so still, and I could practically see his muscles, he was so tense
He was undeniably in pain. Not physical, perhaps, but severe pain. Somewhere in me, a chord struck. You can't imagine the pain seen in those taut lines. No one should have to suffer such pain alone.
Should they?
A voice retaliated brutally to this thought. But what about bearing your burdens alone? What happened to taking up the idea that you are your own pillar? Shouldn't the same apply to him?
I, in very distinct mental tones, told that little voice to shut up.
(¯`'·.¸(¯`'·. laguna .·'´¯)¸.·'´¯)
OK, what the hell?! Where the frig had that come from?! I sat in the same slouching way I used to and ran my fingers through my hair. Hyne, today was NOT my day. Taking a deep breath, I concetrated on the window. It was night.
The moon was huge. A breeze tangled with the fields outside, and the marble columns outside stood like pale monoliths. The cool hazy light spread a blue glow over everything, and I sucked in my breath slightly.
The last time it had been a night like this . . .
Raine. How could I be thinking about those kinds of things, about another woman, when there was still Raine?
I leaned back. No . . I can't think of her right now . . . it was sapping my strength enough as it was to not run into the next room and wake Ellone up. If I thought of Raine . . . I might end up doing just that.
"Are you sure about this?"
I jerked up. Quistis was eying me uneasily. I looked up, and fought narrowed my eyes at her. What?
"Wha. . .What?" I let out a low, humorless laugh. I don't really know why I laughed, it wasn't funny. At all. I was pissed at everything, especially her.
I fought the urge to punch the woman right in the face. "What do you think? No! I'm not! I-" I stopped myself there.
No point in taking things out on her. She's trying to help.
"I don't know if Squall wants a father," I muttered, finishing lamely. Quistis shifted, and stood. I stayed where I was, slumped over in my seat, elbows holding my weight on my knees.
Quistis was . . . I looked up at her desperately. "Do you?" I blurted out. She was standing hesitantly, giving me a questioning look. I tried again. "Would you accept a family? If you ever had the chance?"
She narrowed her eyes, not in suspicion, but in self doubt and concentration. "I . . ." She looked down at the floor. " . . .don't know."
I watched her inspect the floorboards. I looked down again. ". . ."
We were like that for awhile, covered in the blue-tinted silence of night. W were facing each other, staring at the floor, she straight and standing, I slumped and sitting. Man, we must've looked dumb. Complete opposites, kinda. But not really.
"I wouldn't mind knowing . . ." I heard her clothes rustle as she straightened. I peered up through my hair at her. She was looking out the window, through the somewhat dingy glass. I waited for her to continue. The new silence was killing me.
She took a breath and removed her glasses. Fingering the frames gently, she continued. "I wouldn't mind knowing who my parents were. I . . . would like to have known them . . . remembered them . . . I was told my parents had died because of the war, though. . .then again, so was Squall."
Squall thought his parents were dead. Well, I wouldn't mind that status right about now. Man . . .
I don't even know if I could stop this now. I don't know how far she's gotten in her dream, whether it's too late to stop this now. Dammit, I don't know if I want this or not. I don't know a damn thing right now.
I jerked my head forward. Man, I was NOT about to cry in front of a girl. That was a big no-no in the book of unwritten rules. I was shaking slightly from the effort of holding back, and I scrunched my eyes shut.
I'm not sure how she got there, but she was kneeling in front of me, trying to peer up at my face. I opened my eyes, and looked at her. She was . . . genuinely worried? Quistis Trepe, the almighty Ice Queen, was worried. Man, I must look seriously pitiful.
"I regret forcing you into this, but . . ." Quistis hesitated. Forcing me into it? Nah, not really.
"It had to be done," I interrupted. "I would have done it eventually. Better now, and get it over with," I surprised myself on how bitter my voice sounded. I was being a real bastard, wasn't I?
She hesitated, as if what she were about to do went against everything. Slowly, almost tentatively, Quistis reached out with her hand and placed in on my shoulder.
"I'm sure it'll turn out fine," she smiled hesitantly. Unsurely.
Her tone of uncertainty didn't do much, but the fact that she had said it helped. A lot.
She went back to her seat. We remained in silence until Ellone woke up. We said our farewells. And we each then headed to our respective homes.
Squall now knew.
Now Squall knew.
Squall knew now.
(¯`'·.¸(¯`'·. .author's note. .·'´¯)¸.·'´¯)
From reading the first Author's Note, you might say I was in a good mood when I started writing this a few days ago. Let me tell you something: This chapter was a bitch. I gave up on it twenty times before I decided that to hell with it, I'll post the best draft I got. Hence the lack of quality and major OOCness.
You don't understand, people. This was by far the toughest chapter to write. I had to make sure both of them worried like hell over . . . er . . . things. Sexual tension. Mmm. It's never too early in a fic to have sexual tension.
Warning: Next chapter I'm going to actually respond to reviews. Which means my favorite reviewers will know WHO THEY ARE. . . . I know where you live . . .
Once more, a disclaimer. Final Fantasy isn't mine. And even if this disclaimer weren't here, I'd remind them of the Fair Use Rule of the United States Copyright Act of 1976. Can't touch this. Ooooooh.