The sun was just starting to rise and it was a little cold. Rinoa
pulled Squall's jacket around herself as she walked down the street. She
waved to the guards on the street and went to the train station. She didn't
know why she went there, but she knew she'd done it for a certain reason.
The man with the gray jacket was standing in a corner. She walked up to
him. "I didn't get your name," she said.
"Why should I tell you?" he asked.
"Because. If I'm going to talk to you, I'll need to know your name."
"You can't say anything to Squall about me. I don't need that idiot coming after me." Yet.
"Okay, I promise."
"I'm Seifer. Now," he took her arm as he said, "Let's take a walk."
***
Squall didn't want to go out and find Rinoa. He wanted to wait for her to come crying about someone hurting her, then he'd tell her that was why she shouldn't be out alone. But, if he did that, and she got killed, he'd be blamed for it and he'd go back to Garden a failure. That thought brought up another one. How long was he supposed to protect her? How long did they need him? He certainly didn't want to stick around forever. A month was probably all he could take. He'd have to bring it up with Caraway when he got back.
He got out of bed and looked around the floor. His jacket was missing. Who the hell would want to take his jacket? Out in the hallway, Rinoa's dog Angelo was scratching and crying at the door from the inside of her room. Squall opened the door and followed Angelo downstairs. He scratched at the front door. "You want to find Rinoa?" Squall asked. Angelo replied with little whimpers. "Come on, you can help me." As soon as he opened the door, Angelo took off. Squall ran after him. They ran across the bridge to the arch-like structure over the road. Rinoa was walking toward them, alone and unharmed.
"Hi, Squall," She said with a wave. "Did ya miss me?"
He took his jacket from her and answered, "You could have gotten killed, you know that? The it would have been my fault!"
"I didn't mean to-"
"I'm trying to do my job and you're not making it any easier! If you want to get killed, then do it on your own fucking time, not mine! Don't go out here again unless you tell me first! You know what? I shouldn't have to tell you that! But if you didn't act like a fucking two year old, we wouldn't have this problem! Hell, you could probably protect yourself if you'd quit being so childish!"
She hesitated a while and whispered, "Is that what you think? That I act like a child? You don't even know me!"
"I don't have to! Spending a few days with you is long enough! Let's go home already." The three of them walked back in silence except for Angelo's occasional yawn. When they were inside, Rinoa hid in her room. They both skipped lunch, but Squall decided to go talk to her when she didn't come down for dinner. He knocked on her door and got no answer. The piano in the ballroom started playing. "Is that your mother's song?" he asked as he came in. She stopped playing and nodded. He sat on the bench by her and sighed, "I'm just trying to do my job."
She said, "I know..."
"Don't do that."
"What?"
"Quit trying to guilt trip me."
"Why? Is it working?"
"No," he said in a snotty tone. It should have offended her, but she just laughed. "Shut up."
"Oh! You're smiling!"
"No I'm not."
"You were."
"No I wasn't," he said.
"Just a little, but it was there," she told him. "Why is it so bad if you smile?"
"Why is it such a big deal to you if I do?"
"Because you usually don't ... can I ask you something?"
He sighed, "What?"
"Who was the guy in the gray jacket? How do you know him?" He wouldn't answer me.
Squall sighed again, "Okay. I'm not friends with him. I hate him. We both hate each other. He used to be at Balamb Garden, but ... I don't know. He was just gone one day. I don't care what happened or why he left."
"I want to see Balamb Garden. Squall, would you take me there, please? Please? I won't tell my dad and I promise I won't run off. Please?"
"... Fine. I wanted to go back there anyway. We'll go tomorrow."
"Yay! Thank you, I promise I won't bug you." They looked at each other for a minute. Squall's heart pounded against his rib cage, the beat ringing in his ears. Rinoa felt the urge to lean over and kiss him. Instead, she walked to her room.
***
In the morning, Squall was lying in bed, staring at the ceiling when he heard Rinoa start crying. He got up and went in her room. When he asked her what was wrong, she was unable to answer. He pushed the cloth aside and sat down next to her. She hugged him, crying into his shirt. It took a few minutes for her to stop. "Are you okay?" Squall asked when she was calm. She nodded. "Why don't you get ready to go. We've got to be on the train to Timber in fifteen minutes."
They got to the train on time and from Timber, they took the train to the town of Balamb. Once there, they walked down the road to Garden. "Can we rent a car next time?" Rinoa whined. Squall just kept walking. He led her in the entrance where a girl dressed in a yellow dress and brown boots was standing at a panel. "This place looks huge."
"Hey Squall," the girl called to him. "What are you doing here?"
"I'm showing her around," he said pointing to Rinoa. "Selphie, this is Rinoa. Rinoa, Selphie."
"Hi Rinoa, nice to meet you. Come on, I can introduce you to the others." They followed her to the Training Center (that's what Rinoa read on the sign) to a few people standing around there. The girl had a pink shirt with a collar, but no sleeves, she had a black skirt and black boots that must have come up to her thighs. The guy had fighting gloves on, a red with short black sleeves, a black shirt, and red shoes. They were both blonde. Selphie said, "This is Quistis." The blonde girl waved. "And Zell. You guys, this is Rinoa." The both said hi to her.
Selphie took Rinoa and talked to her as they explored the place. Rinoa said, "Does Squall have a girlfriend by any chance?"
Selphie laughed, "Squall? No."
"Why is that funny?"
"Oh, I'm sorry, its just ... Squall's a bit of a loner, you know? He's very hard to get to. Trust me, it's hard enough being friends with him, although he never mentions us ... I have no idea why he acts the way he does. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you mad."
"It's okay, I understand. I just ... never mind."
Night rolled around fast and Rinoa asked Squall where she was supposed to sleep. He told her she could take the bed and he would sleep on the floor. "You shouldn't have to sleep on the floor," Rinoa protested. "I mean it's your room and-"
"Just sleep on the damn bed," Squall said. "I wouldn't let you if it bothered me."
"Squall-"
"I said it's fine, can we please go to sleep?"
"But-"
"Look," he interrupted again. "I'm really tired and I don't feel like fighting about this so if you would just-"
"Squall, I want to sleep with you!" He looked at her for a minute. She said, "That's not what I meant. Come on, there's enough room. It won't kill you." Squall hesitated a moment before climbing in bed next to her. He got comfortable by turning his back to her. She sighed, "Don't do that. Quit acting like you're punished. Look at me." She turned him on his back. "It's not that bad is it?"
"... Yes. Where's your dog?"
"He followed Selphie so he's probably sleeping in her room. ... Squall? How come you don't like to be around people?"
"Who told you that?" he asked.
She said, "No one. No one has to tell me. It's easy to notice. You're always pushing people away from you. You seem to like being by yourself ... away from everyone. Especially me..." Squall didn't know what to say about that. He wanted to something to cheer her up. She sounded so sad. He felt her shift against him and when he looked at her, he saw the angel wings sewn into the back of her blue duster. He pushed away his urge to put his arm around her and went to sleep.
Seifer knew Squall had taken Rinoa off, but he had no idea where they went. It didn't really matter. They'd be back. Things were going well anyway. Slowly, he was gaining Rinoa's trust, but he knew she (mostly) came to see him out of curiosity. Whatever kept her meeting him was good enough.
"Why should I tell you?" he asked.
"Because. If I'm going to talk to you, I'll need to know your name."
"You can't say anything to Squall about me. I don't need that idiot coming after me." Yet.
"Okay, I promise."
"I'm Seifer. Now," he took her arm as he said, "Let's take a walk."
***
Squall didn't want to go out and find Rinoa. He wanted to wait for her to come crying about someone hurting her, then he'd tell her that was why she shouldn't be out alone. But, if he did that, and she got killed, he'd be blamed for it and he'd go back to Garden a failure. That thought brought up another one. How long was he supposed to protect her? How long did they need him? He certainly didn't want to stick around forever. A month was probably all he could take. He'd have to bring it up with Caraway when he got back.
He got out of bed and looked around the floor. His jacket was missing. Who the hell would want to take his jacket? Out in the hallway, Rinoa's dog Angelo was scratching and crying at the door from the inside of her room. Squall opened the door and followed Angelo downstairs. He scratched at the front door. "You want to find Rinoa?" Squall asked. Angelo replied with little whimpers. "Come on, you can help me." As soon as he opened the door, Angelo took off. Squall ran after him. They ran across the bridge to the arch-like structure over the road. Rinoa was walking toward them, alone and unharmed.
"Hi, Squall," She said with a wave. "Did ya miss me?"
He took his jacket from her and answered, "You could have gotten killed, you know that? The it would have been my fault!"
"I didn't mean to-"
"I'm trying to do my job and you're not making it any easier! If you want to get killed, then do it on your own fucking time, not mine! Don't go out here again unless you tell me first! You know what? I shouldn't have to tell you that! But if you didn't act like a fucking two year old, we wouldn't have this problem! Hell, you could probably protect yourself if you'd quit being so childish!"
She hesitated a while and whispered, "Is that what you think? That I act like a child? You don't even know me!"
"I don't have to! Spending a few days with you is long enough! Let's go home already." The three of them walked back in silence except for Angelo's occasional yawn. When they were inside, Rinoa hid in her room. They both skipped lunch, but Squall decided to go talk to her when she didn't come down for dinner. He knocked on her door and got no answer. The piano in the ballroom started playing. "Is that your mother's song?" he asked as he came in. She stopped playing and nodded. He sat on the bench by her and sighed, "I'm just trying to do my job."
She said, "I know..."
"Don't do that."
"What?"
"Quit trying to guilt trip me."
"Why? Is it working?"
"No," he said in a snotty tone. It should have offended her, but she just laughed. "Shut up."
"Oh! You're smiling!"
"No I'm not."
"You were."
"No I wasn't," he said.
"Just a little, but it was there," she told him. "Why is it so bad if you smile?"
"Why is it such a big deal to you if I do?"
"Because you usually don't ... can I ask you something?"
He sighed, "What?"
"Who was the guy in the gray jacket? How do you know him?" He wouldn't answer me.
Squall sighed again, "Okay. I'm not friends with him. I hate him. We both hate each other. He used to be at Balamb Garden, but ... I don't know. He was just gone one day. I don't care what happened or why he left."
"I want to see Balamb Garden. Squall, would you take me there, please? Please? I won't tell my dad and I promise I won't run off. Please?"
"... Fine. I wanted to go back there anyway. We'll go tomorrow."
"Yay! Thank you, I promise I won't bug you." They looked at each other for a minute. Squall's heart pounded against his rib cage, the beat ringing in his ears. Rinoa felt the urge to lean over and kiss him. Instead, she walked to her room.
***
In the morning, Squall was lying in bed, staring at the ceiling when he heard Rinoa start crying. He got up and went in her room. When he asked her what was wrong, she was unable to answer. He pushed the cloth aside and sat down next to her. She hugged him, crying into his shirt. It took a few minutes for her to stop. "Are you okay?" Squall asked when she was calm. She nodded. "Why don't you get ready to go. We've got to be on the train to Timber in fifteen minutes."
They got to the train on time and from Timber, they took the train to the town of Balamb. Once there, they walked down the road to Garden. "Can we rent a car next time?" Rinoa whined. Squall just kept walking. He led her in the entrance where a girl dressed in a yellow dress and brown boots was standing at a panel. "This place looks huge."
"Hey Squall," the girl called to him. "What are you doing here?"
"I'm showing her around," he said pointing to Rinoa. "Selphie, this is Rinoa. Rinoa, Selphie."
"Hi Rinoa, nice to meet you. Come on, I can introduce you to the others." They followed her to the Training Center (that's what Rinoa read on the sign) to a few people standing around there. The girl had a pink shirt with a collar, but no sleeves, she had a black skirt and black boots that must have come up to her thighs. The guy had fighting gloves on, a red with short black sleeves, a black shirt, and red shoes. They were both blonde. Selphie said, "This is Quistis." The blonde girl waved. "And Zell. You guys, this is Rinoa." The both said hi to her.
Selphie took Rinoa and talked to her as they explored the place. Rinoa said, "Does Squall have a girlfriend by any chance?"
Selphie laughed, "Squall? No."
"Why is that funny?"
"Oh, I'm sorry, its just ... Squall's a bit of a loner, you know? He's very hard to get to. Trust me, it's hard enough being friends with him, although he never mentions us ... I have no idea why he acts the way he does. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you mad."
"It's okay, I understand. I just ... never mind."
Night rolled around fast and Rinoa asked Squall where she was supposed to sleep. He told her she could take the bed and he would sleep on the floor. "You shouldn't have to sleep on the floor," Rinoa protested. "I mean it's your room and-"
"Just sleep on the damn bed," Squall said. "I wouldn't let you if it bothered me."
"Squall-"
"I said it's fine, can we please go to sleep?"
"But-"
"Look," he interrupted again. "I'm really tired and I don't feel like fighting about this so if you would just-"
"Squall, I want to sleep with you!" He looked at her for a minute. She said, "That's not what I meant. Come on, there's enough room. It won't kill you." Squall hesitated a moment before climbing in bed next to her. He got comfortable by turning his back to her. She sighed, "Don't do that. Quit acting like you're punished. Look at me." She turned him on his back. "It's not that bad is it?"
"... Yes. Where's your dog?"
"He followed Selphie so he's probably sleeping in her room. ... Squall? How come you don't like to be around people?"
"Who told you that?" he asked.
She said, "No one. No one has to tell me. It's easy to notice. You're always pushing people away from you. You seem to like being by yourself ... away from everyone. Especially me..." Squall didn't know what to say about that. He wanted to something to cheer her up. She sounded so sad. He felt her shift against him and when he looked at her, he saw the angel wings sewn into the back of her blue duster. He pushed away his urge to put his arm around her and went to sleep.
Seifer knew Squall had taken Rinoa off, but he had no idea where they went. It didn't really matter. They'd be back. Things were going well anyway. Slowly, he was gaining Rinoa's trust, but he knew she (mostly) came to see him out of curiosity. Whatever kept her meeting him was good enough.