Chapter 25
'Show me around?'
Squall Leonhart rested his back on the uncomfortable blanket covering the bed in his dorm. He lay flat, eyes wide open, staring at the ceiling.
"How long has it been since we started moving?" he asked himself. He turned over to the side, trying to get to sleep.
Garden had been floating in the ocean, moving forward for a couple of days now. Squall had been pretty busy helping to clean things up after all the confusion that had taken place.
" There's not much more to do now. We've taken care of all the monsters in the Garden." Squall tried to think of something important to do… Everyone else seemed to going about their normal activities, or at least as much as they could…
Oh yeah… I still have to report to the headmaster. There's a lot of things I want to ask about, too."
It had taken days, maybe more than a week, for Squall to get himself, Zell and Rinoa back to Garden from the time they'd left. And after all that'd happened, especially during the first couple of days, Squall had a lot of questions…
But Squall thought more and more about what he would have to report… It seemed incredibly odd. Weird dreams, trying and failing to assassinate a Sorceress, becoming imprisoned in a jail for political activists, …Explaining why Rinoa, Garden's client, had to come with them.
" He's probably still busy trying to reestablish order in the Garden." Squall excused, not wanting to approach Cid with everything all at once.
Squall rolled over in his bed. He closed his eyes and tried to sleep. He even curled up a bit, trying to get comfortable. It was no use.
He sat up on his mattress and swung his legs down to the floor. He huffed impatiently, and stood up, gazing out of his bedroom window. He cast his blue eyes onto the huge ocean before him.
"…We're in the middle of nowhere" Squall thought. "Man, I'm bored…" He folded his arms.
"I hate having nothing to do. It gets me thinking too much."
Squall thought this, knowing full well what was about to happen to him. He tried to fight the impending wave of thoughts and memories, but they came regardless. Questions, reflections, remembrance… all came in. Squall closed his eyes as a deep, pensive look of thought came over his face. He almost felt dizzy at the swarm of thoughts entering his mind. He sat back down on his bed.
"I hope Selphie and the others are all right" he started. "Was it wrong for me to let them go? I wonder how Quistis and Irvine felt about it."
The questions didn't stop there.
"That sorceress… who is she? Why fire missiles at the Garden? Is Siefer ever coming back? …"
Squall finally began to feel tired. He yawned as he pulled his legs up onto his bed and laid down.
"…I'll get even with him next time" he thought.
Squall closed his eyes, and allowed his mind to drift into sleep.
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Squall blinked, slowly waking up. He thought he saw someone looking over him, but closed his eyes fast again, oblivious to whoever it was…
"How long was I asleep for…?" he thought.
He blinked some more, letting the light in little by little. All at once, he saw a pretty, brightly smiling face gazing down at him from a sideways angle. The face was close, inches away, and its eyes darted back and forth with delight as they saw Squall begin to wake up.
Slightly confused by the position of her face, Squall shook his head and lifted himself up. She was still there. Her face had only appeared sideways because of him being on his back, staring up.
He sat upright on the bed and kicked his legs around to the side. He looked down at the floor, at the person's feet… at her feet, trying to wake up.
"…Rinoa…"
The young girl laughed slightly.
"Hey" she greeted him softly.
Squall was still trying to wake up, and was a little annoyed. How had she gotten into his room? Didn't he lock it? …How did she know where it was at?
"Zell…" Squall thought, immediately placing the blame on the excitable young man
Rinoa continued.
"You looked so adorable, sleeping like a baby" she teased a little.
Squall huffed in annoyance. He didn't want to be called 'adorable'.
"Come on, get up. Let's go." Rinoa urged, not giving up.
Finally, he realized that she wasn't going to leave unless he responded. Besides that, he was beginning to feel less irritable as he became more alert… Maybe he didn't really want her to leave… He was pretty bored after all, and she was… well… interesting.
"Go where?" he said, feigning vexation.
"Give me a tour of the Garden" Rinoa said cheerfully
Squall's mind went blank for a moment as he tried to comprehend her request.
"…Is this another one of your orders?" he said, finally.
Rinoa lowered her head slightly as he said this. She became nervous, and a little embarrassed as she bent her knee back, rolling her right foot around on the toe of her boot.
"No" she said shyly. "I just want you to show me around. You know, to get acquainted with the place. Please?"
Squall tried to think of a reason that he couldn't. Something… anything. He knew what would happen if any of his fellow students were to see them walking around together…What people would think…
"Especially those three girls…" Squall thought with annoyance. He knew how quickly rumors could spread in Garden… He would never want to be seen walking around with some girl, lest anyone draw the wrong conclusion.
"Well… I did show Selphie around…" Squall thought. "But only to the directory…"
He looked up at Rinoa and gave a heavy sigh as she gazed at him pleadingly. Her genuine smile and bright eyes seemed to force Squall to feel more and more inclined to help her. He found that he didn't have it in him to say no.
"…Fine" he said reluctantly.
Rinoa's expression immediately changed to one of delight. She clasped her hands together happily and smiled at Squall appreciatively.
"Thanks!" she cried. And with that, Squall lead her out of his room.
"Oh well…" thought Squall, trying to act as if it was a bit of a burden to show her around. "At least no one saw her come into my room…"
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Out in the main hallway, Rinoa followed Squall happily. She had a lot of questions about Garden.
"This place is huge. Do you think it's bigger than Galbadia Garden?" she asked with real interest.
Rinoa hadn't gotten a chance to look around Garden on her own yet. The past couple of days had been so hectic, that Cid had asked her to stay in the room he'd set up for her until they at least cleared out the monsters from the hallways. She'd gotten a pretty good idea of the layout while fighting alongside Squall and Zell during the faction-battling… But she really wanted Squall to show her around.
"Who knows?" Squall replied apathetically.
Rinoa ignored his indifference and continued following him.
They started around the main circle and ended up in front of the cafeteria when Rinoa began asking more questions.
"What's over here?" she said
"The cafeteria" Squall replied plainly.
Rinoa turned around and pointed to the opposite side of the hallway.
"What about over there?"
"The parking lot"
Rinoa huffed in slight annoyance.
"Squall…" she whined. "I really appreciate you showing me around. But can you try and make it a little more fun? You know, like a normal tour?"
She said this with utter innocence and curiosity in her voice. Squall tried to be irritated with her, but he couldn't, much to his displeasure.
"What does she want from me?" he thought with frustration.
He decided to show her into the cafeteria. Now that the individual sections of Garden had pulled inside because of the transformation, it was a short walk.
As they entered, Rinoa immediately noticed a very long line in front of the counter.
"This is the cafeteria." Squall began, trying to be thorough. The line behind him started moving as he spelled out everything he knew about the cafeteria.
"Obviously, this is where we tale our meals, but keep in mind, there's always competition for the good stuff."
He smirked, just slightly.
"Especially the hot dogs" he explained. "Some of the hot dogs are so popular, you'll be lucky just to see someone eat it. That's why you see this long line, everyday. If you get there too late…"
Suddenly, the cafeteria lady's voice boomed out.
"We've sold out for today! Sorry!"
Squall and Rinoa turned to look at her in surprise. They caught sight of Zell in front of the counter, disappointed. He frowned severely and shook his fists in anger.
"…That's what happens" Squall said.
"I see…" Rinoa replied. Her mouthed moved funny as she said it though, and finally she couldn't hold it in any longer. She burst out in a laugh.
Squall was confused.
"…..? …What's so funny?"
Rinoa caught her breath. She blushed a little.
"You're so serious when you're explaining" she said. "It just seems… kinda odd…"
Squall frowned and blushed in embarrassment
"You're the one who asked me to show you around" he said, looking away from her.
Rinoa immediately felt bad.
"Oh, I'm sorry… You don't have to get mad like that…" she said, trying to console him. She began to feel terrible.
"Whatever…" Squall thought. He just shrugged and shook his head, trying to act as if he didn't care.
Rinoa looked at him curiously for a moment, but decided to let the discussion rest.
"Ok, next" she said.
Suddenly, they heard Zell scream out from his place behind them.
"Dammit! Not again…!"
Squall glanced over at him and Zell caught his eye. He lowered his voice and tried to be friendly.
"…Hey, if it isn't Squall. How long were you here?" he asked, a little surprised.
"…We saw the whole thing" Rinoa said.
Zell took a step back in surprise. He hadn't seen Rinoa standing there.
"Huh!? Rinoa's here, too!? Oh man, I'm not always like that, Ok?" he said, trying to explain himself. He always felt bad after acting too impulsive or excitable in front of girls…
But Rinoa didn't seem to mind in the least.
"So you couldn't buy any…?" she started.
"A-Ah…" Zell began, still a little nervous. "It's Ok to miss one meal a day. I… I've gained some weight lately, too."
He looked around for a moment, and noticed that Squall and her had come in together, and no one else was with them. It didn't take long for him to make an assumption...
"W-Well, see ya!" he said, running off. He didn't want to intrude on their 'time' anymore.
Squall looked at him oddly.
"What was that about…?"
Squall rolled his eyes and signaled for Rinoa to follow him.
"Whatever… I'll show you the quad, I guess…" he huffed, making his way towards the exit.
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*------------------------------PLACE MARKER BONUS!---------------------*
(Sick of reading right now? Take a break, and find your spot right here when you come back to the story!)
Well, I haven't had one of these in a while… What I have for this chapter's PMB is more word-for-word conversations which have little bearing on the progression of the story, but without which the chapter would be 'incomplete'. So here we go…
This first one takes place in the cafeteria. If you approach the student's eating at the table on the left, you can read this in the game.
Student 1: "…What was all that commotion a while back…?"
Student 2: "Yeah, I know. Somethin' about headmaster faction, Garden Master faction…
It was pretty weird. They were huntin' down the headmaster for who knows what…"
Student 3: "What are you talkin' about? You were the one runnin' around screamin', 'I
support the Garden Master!' "
S2: "How 'bout you! You sided with the Garden master 'cause you saw that we
were gaining in numbers!"
S1: "Enough about that. It's over, right!? (sigh) …I wonder where we're going…?"
S2: "Yeah, where are we headed…?"
S3: "Never expected this to happen…"
(The other conversation is with the Trepie and his friend. It never changes and they are always there, -_-… so I don't think it needs to be put in.)
This next part takes place in the quad. Apparently, this area gives a nice view of the ocean, and some student's have congregated here. I put these here so Squall doesn't need to approach everyone when I write it in…
Male student playing guitar: "I'm worried about mom and pop back in Balamb. But I knew
a time like this would come eventually… A time for me to embark on a never-ending journey…"
Female students;
Blond: "You know what…? I'm never gonna forget about my Garden
friends."
Dark-skinned: "Yeah, let's be sure to keep in touch even after we graduate!"
Brunette: "And let me know right away when you get yourself a
BOYFRIEND! That goes for everyone. Promise!?"
Bld: "No problem! I promise! I promise!!!"
Bld thought: "Oh no… I can't let her know I have a boyfriend."
DS thought: "You guys are sooo great. I'll definitely keep my promise."
Brn thought: "I'm sure I'll have one before she does."
Male student on ladder: "Man… Just gazing at the ocean kinda makes you forget
about all that studyin' we've endured…"
Students sitting on ropes on the edge;
Female Student: "The boundless ocean… I wonder… What's to become of
us…?"
Male Student: "Don't think we'll be graduating for a while…"
FS thought: "I don't mind… Just enjoy the moment."
FS: "Wish we could go far, far away…"
MS: "I wonder if our dreams await us beyond the horizon…?"
FS thought: "My dream… just as uncertain as our situation?"
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Well, that's that. I included those to give a better feel for what I write next…
^_^
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As Squall an Rinoa entered the quad, they heard the sound of the ocean, crashing up against the walls of Garden. The quad was an open-air antechamber, as it had been before the transformation. Now it gave a breath-taking view of the deep sea, as Garden floated gently along.
Squall saw that several student's had congregated there, taking in the view, or just enjoying themselves. One student sat on the stage, playing his guitar. The gentle tune seemed to fit in nicely with the scenery of the ocean.
The room seemed to be pervaded by a comfortable, yet uncertain air. Student's sat around talking, laughing, and enjoying each other's company. But all seemed overcome by a sinking feeling of doubt and uncertainty when they cast their eyes on the ocean.
"It's nice here." Rinoa said plainly, beginning to share the pensive demeanor of all in the room.
She and Squall took in the sight of the waves and short glimpses of land, countries, far off in the distance. Although seemingly untroubled, Squall became a little nervous at being around so many of his fellow students with Rinoa right next to him.
"Well, uh… let's keep going" Squall said finally. Rinoa seemed not to hear him for a moment, but then lifted her head in surprise.
"What?… oh, alright" she complied.
Rinoa followed Squall out of the quad. She tried to pretend not to notice that he was blushing once again, and she took one last gaze out onto the sea…
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Out in the main hall, Squall showed Rinoa to Dr. Kadowaki's office.
"This is the infirmary, " Squall explained. "Dr. Kadowaki is Garden's medic."
They entered the infirmary door, but Squall immediately noticed that Dr. Kadowaki wasn't sitting at her desk like usual… she wasn't even in.
"That's odd… She's usually here" Squall thought.
Dr. Kadowaki came in suddenly. She was surprised to find the two teenagers standing right at her door.
"Hi there, Squall" she greeted him kindly. Her eyes moved down to Rinoa, and she stepped back, with a curious look in her eyes.
"Oh my…" she exclaimed. " It's not everyday, I see you walk around with a girl! Is she your girlfriend?"
The suddenness, and seriousness of her question caught Squall completely off guard. It took him a while to answer, and the question caused him to examine his mind a little bit too closely for it to be comfortable.
"Yes" he replied quickly, startled by his response. He had, for a split second, thought it might be funny to say 'yes' as sort of a joke… But he didn't actually plan on saying it.
"Oh my God! Squall! What the hell are you doing! What the hell made you say that!?" Squall thought, chastising himself. All the while, he looked at Rinoa, his gaze never wavering. What was she thinking?
Rinoa gawked at him. His reply to the question was… Shocking, to say the least.
"Are you serious!?" she cried. "Squall!?"
There was a long pause. Neither of them spoke.
"Damn, damn, damn,…" Squall thought. He assumed the worst. "Now she's probably thinks that I'm a pervert or obsessed with her or… something… Oh my God… How am I gonna get myself out of this…?"
"I'm gonna take it seriously" Rinoa said stubbornly. She tried to be playful about it, but she was incredibly curious… Was he really being serious?
Squall once again found himself replying with the first thought that came to his mind. God, he was nervous!
"I'm serious" he said. He squinted his eyes, and wished that just for one second that he could turn his mouth off. What was he doing? …He surely didn't mean what he was saying… did he?
Rinoa's eyes went wide at this. She wasn't sure if she was happy or confused… Was he for real?
"Woo" she exclaimed. "I'm speechless."
Squall thought fervently, barely even listening to Rinoa anymore. As nice and pretty as Rinoa was… His girlfriend? Absolutely not. How could he have feelings for this silly teenage girl? He finally calmed down just enough to get himself out of this situation.
"I'm seriously joking" Squall said. It took every fiber of his being to say this without stuttering, and not blush. He let his tense muscles relax after uttering those words.
"…Nice save" he thought.
To his surprise, Rinoa sounded disappointed. She looked down at the ground…
Oh…well, I guess that's a pretty good one for you" she said.
Dr. Kadowaki laughed at their conversation.
"Ha ha ha… You guys are cute."
She then remembered something important.
"Oh, do you guys know where headmaster Cid is? That guy works too hard. Tell him to come see me when you see him."
Squall nodded at her, and quickly tired to leave the infirmary.
"Hey, Squall!" Rinoa called after him. " Wait for me!"
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Squall continued to show Rinoa around. For some reason, he lead her inside the parking lot.
"Just a parking lot. Nothing special" He said, not sure why he had even bothered to go inside. They wouldn't even have a use for the parking lot anymore… Really, he was still nervous from Dr. Kadowaki's question in the infirmary.
"… That's it?" Rinoa replied.
"Yeah" Squall said, shrugging.
Rinoa slapped her forehead.
"Never mind. Let's go."
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Squall decided to show her into the training center next… He thought it might help him forget about what Dr. Kadowaki had asked him..
"This is the training center or, as we call it, the monster's lair. The monsters are left to run loose so the students can get a feel for actual combat."
He looked to Rinoa.
"Wanna try?"
Rinoa laughed slightly at this.
"You know, I can imagine you doing this on a first date. You're so romantic…"
Squall folded his arms and looked away.
"Whatever…" he thought. He'd been embarrassed enough for one day… All he was trying to do was give her the tour, like she wanted…
"Fine… let's go to the Library, then" Squall said. And they left the training center.
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They walked into the library quickly. Squall thought that Rinoa would probably get bored in here as well…
But Rinoa gasped as they entered. She looked about excitedly.
"Wow! This is so cool!" she exclaimed. "Mind if I look around?"
Squall nodded. He didn't mind.
"Wow… guess I was wrong…"
"Thanks!" Rinoa replied.
Squall watched her for a moment as she ran off to look around the bookshelves for a bit. They'd been in there during the faction battling, but apparently Rinoa hadn't noticed anything in all the excitement. It was cute, how excited she'd gotten over Garden's impressive book collection.
Squall decided to take a look around himself. The computers in the classroom were much more reliable, and easier sources to use, but they didn't have everything that the library did. He made his way into the back of the library, to the study area.
Squall was taken aback however, as he saw something… Someone that he didn't immediately recognize, but seemed vaguely familiar. Squall approached the person slowly. It was a girl in blue, with a green shawl wrapped around her arms…
The girl turned around as she heard someone approach her. She smiled warmly as she saw who it was.
"Hi" she said.
Squall finally begin piecing it together.
"…I saw you in the infirmary" he observed.
"You saved me from the monster" the girl replied, appreciatively.
"Who are you?" Squall asked abruptly.
The girls smile turned into a saddened frown at this.
"Try to remember" she said.
"Remember?" Squall replied.
"It'd be heartbreaking for me to know I was forgotten" The girl said sadly.
Squall was confused.
"…Remember? …So I know this girl?"
She turned away from him, sadness in her voice.
"It'd be nice to talk about old times again" she said. It sounded almost as if she was speaking to herself.
Squall rubbed the back of his neck. He had so many questions… but the girl had turned away, and didn't seem to want to speak with him anymore. He wasn't sure, but he thought he heard her sobbing as he walked off.
Squall came back out to see Rinoa waiting for him.
"Find anything?" he asked.
Rinoa nodded excitedly, and held up a book… A romance novel.
Squall rolled his eyes at this.
" 'kay… let's go" he said.
Squall and Rinoa made their way out of the library. Squall seemed especially quiet.
"What's on your mind…?" Rinoa asked.
Squall almost told her about the strange girl he'd been seeing around… But he remembered how much he disliked confiding in anyone.
A small girl's voice emitted from down the quiet hall.
"I'm going to become a SeeD someday"
Rinoa and Squall continued on their way, Squall looking down at the ground in deep thought.
"I still feel so lost… What has been going on lately?"
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End Chap. 25
Cute, eh?
Well, I'm done for now… *yawn* going to take a nap.
Oh! Here's something extra… some more of those conversations thingies that I was too lazy to write in…
What Squall could've said in the infirmary.
Squall: "No, I'm just showing her around."
Rinoa: "Squall… Gosh, can't you just say 'yes' for fun?"
Squall: "Alright then, 'yes'."
Rinoa: "Oh… Say it like you mean it."
Three girls outside parking lot:
Blond: "That was terrible"
Brunette: "I know"
Blnd: "You were so loud, cryin' like a baby."
Brun: "I did not!"
Blnd: "Yeah right. WAH WAH WAH!!! BOO HOO HOO!!! Does that ring a bell?"
Brun: "I…didn't cry… wah wah… didn't mean to…"
Blnd: "I'm kidding! Gosh! Stop crying! I'll buy you an ice cream!"
Brun: "…You promise…?"
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