Disclaimer: I don't own anything............
Surprises
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(Squall is gone, Rinoa is feeling lonely, and I am feeling lonely. It'd be stupid to
deny that we need each other. Maybe I just need her more than she needs me.....)
Zack couldn't help but feel happy. His business is saved so far and, the best part
of all, he gets to share it with someone. He didn't know if the person returns the same
feelings but he knows she'll give in sooner or later. Zack woke up early because he was
too excited to go back to sleep. He couldn't wait to see Rinoa again. He picked up the
money that he has to pay Rinoa, according to the contract, he ate breakfast and went
straight to work. But instead of going to the station, he took a stroll to the car rental place
to rent a car so he could drive to Balamb Garden. He wasn't at all planning on going to
work. His job today was to surprise Rinoa, spend the day with her, and just have some
fun (n_n). He had lots of stuff planned out for the day. He couldn't wait. He would drag
her with him or to him whether she liked it or not. It was a good way to loose the tension
that she felt. It was his perfect plan to make her fall for him.
He rented the best one that he could find, even if he wasn't able to afford it. He
told the rental person that he'll pay it back later. He wanted to impress her. Let her know
that he was willing to do anything. He wanted to surprise her at the garden. His excuse
for being there was to give Rinoa her payment for the mission that she finished. Then
they would have a day all to themselves. He would introduce her to his mother, and
maybe she can also show him around the garden. Tell him what it's like being a SeeD.
He got inside the rented car and drove to Balamb garden. He knew how to get
there because Erik told him the directions the day before. When he got there, he was
amazed at what he saw. He never knew that the garden would be so big. Another thing
that surprised him was that it floated. He had heard that the garden itself can move
around but he never actually seen it. It was floating above the spot where it used to be. He
parked his car in the parking lot for visitors. What he didn't know was that outside the
parking lot was the garden itself. He was already inside.
He walked around a little. He didn't know where to go. He then went inside a
place bustling with people. It smelled of food. So he figured that it was the cafeteria.
Breakfast was over and lunch was just about to start and already the lines were packed. It
was already 11:00 am. He peeked around hoping that she may be there. He got to the
furthest corner of the cafeteria when he finally saw her. She was sitting across a guy with
a tattoo on his face.
(That guy looks familiar........He'd better not be there with for the
same reason I am.......) He walked towards her.
"Hey Rinoa........." He felt a little insecure. He didn't think that
someone would be with her at this time.
She faintly hears her name and looks around to see where it came from.
"Rinoa! Over here!" he was now in front of Zell.
"Hey Rinoa, you know who this is?" Zell recognized him somehow.
Rinoa was thrown back. She didn't think that he'd come here. She was surprised.
"Zack! What are you doing here?" She sounded both surprised and happy.
"I just thought that I'd come by and drop off your payment........,"
"You didn't have to do that. I was even considering on letting you go off for free.
You do need to get you shop back in progress, and I thought that you'll need all the
money that you can get."
Zell was just sitting there, listening to their conversation. He was a little frustrated
about how they've forgotten that he was there too.
(She is so thoughtful, I see now why Squall loves her so. She is the right kind of
girl for a pathetic person such as him........).
Zell could see the expression on his face. He knew that he had feelings for Rinoa.
"Did you say something?"
"No! no, I didn't say anything. I was just thinking about how nice you are but I'm
afraid I cannot let you do that. I am indebted to you." He was sweating like crazy. He
couldn't afford Rinoa finding out about the he feels for Squall, she'll hate him.
Rinoa looked like she was getting bored of this conversation, and Zack noticed
this too, so he decided to let her in on his plan. "Rinoa.......? Do you have
any plans for today?"
(Who is this guy? I've seen him somewhere before. Why is he just sitting there
listening? Isn't he going to introduce himself? Maybe he's shy.......)
"No. Why?"
Zell was still a spectator. He wondered why Rinoa couldn't figure it out. Why
couldn't she see what Zack is trying to do? Maybe she didn't want to see. Maybe, she is
letting him in, in her vulnerable state, it was easy to penetrate her shield.
"W-Well, I have the day off. And when I got here, I was just so interested, so
maybe you could give me a tour around? A-and in return, I'll introduce you to my
mother. I want to show her the woman who has saved my life."
At first, Zell just wanted to stay quiet to find out how long they'll ignore him. So
far, it's lasting pretty long. They must really like each other to forget a person sitting right
in front of them.
(How long is this guy planning on staying here? Can't he see that I'm talking to
her. And doesn't he get that we are not interested in talking to him? Who does he think he
is?)
She was blushing, something about him charmed her, she just couldn't resist,
"You know what? I was just about to go to my room and bore myself to death. So, why
not squeeze you into my schedule, I'm sure my room can wait."
(I can't wait to see it.........) "So it's a date then," He grabbed
Rinoa's hands and led her to the parking lot. "First, we'll go to my house. I want to show
you the cool car I've gotten just for this occasion."
(Finally we get to leave. It's kinda uncomfortable talking to Rinoa with that guy
staring at us. What a weirdo.......)
When they left, Zell finally spoke, "Jeez!! Where did they learn to ignore people
like that. Who could possibly ignore a person as charismatic as myself?
Hmmm....., this Zack guy could be trouble. I wonder if I should tell Squall?" He
was now all by himself. He continued to eat his and Rinoa's unfinished hotdogs, he
thought that it was the least he could do for her.
They got into the car, although Rinoa didn't seem impressed though, and Zack
drove to Balamb. There they walked around for a bit. Zack couldn't wait to introduce
Rinoa to her.
"Thought we'd meet mom first."
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: They arrive at the conference room. There, the four sat on a big table that could
seat over fifteen people. Laguna and Kiros sat across form each other but Quistis stayed
by Squall's side. Squall paid close attention to how close he was sitting from him father.
She could feel the uneasiness in him. No one talked for a while. They just sat there
drinking the coffee that was provided for them. The father and son just sat there staring at
each other. Squall's face was bitter but determined, however, Laguna's face seemed
happy, delighted. Quistis decided to break the uncomfortable silence.
"So, what's the situation? How bad is it? Who is doing this to Esthar?"
"They are all good questions and I'm glad you asked them." It was Kiros who
replied to her. "Let me explain-"
"No let me." Laguna stopped his silence, "It happened a week ago."
"A week ago? Why didn't you contact us sooner?" Squall was feeling a bit
impatient.
"Well, if you'd let me finish, you can ask all the questions you want. So first of
all, to answer my son's question, we didn't contact you sooner because at first we didn't
see it as a threat. And we wanted to handle all of our affairs. May I continue now?"
"..........." He just simply looked away. (Squall seems
uncomfortable being called a son. Maybe it was unusual for him.) Quistis looked at
Squall, studying him.
"Okay then. Last week abductions occurred, there was about two of them. Of
course I let Ward take care of that since he is my military advisor and also the head of the
military department. He went to investigate. He's been acting a little weird lately but I
trusted him." Laguna was tapping the pen in his hands to the table. Squall seemed uneasy
because of this.
(I wonder what's Squall thinking?) Quistis was again looking at Squall. She
wasn't even paying attention to Laguna at all.
Laguna continued, "Well, we've waited for him for four days. He didn't come
back. So I decided to deploy some of my spies to inspect. They came back to me with the
most disturbing information," he paused for a while, "The reason Ward didn't return was
because he was a part of the terrorism."
"What! How can he be? Isn't he your friend?" Squall finally spoke.
Kiros answered this, "Well, as Laguna said, he had been acting different lately.
He's been suggesting more military power. Saying that it is the best way to prevent
another sorceress ascension. We disagreed to him but he kept insisting. Then after that,
he's been meeting with shady people."
"Well, so now you've got the background information to the situation. Got any
questions so far?"
"You keep mentioning terrorists. Do they call themselves anything?" Quistis'
attention was finally taken away from Squall and into the meeting.
"They call themselves the BLACK HAND. We haven't gotten much information
about them or their members. All we know is that Ward is definitely a part of it, thought
we don't know how long he's been one."
"How bad is it?" Squall's voice was stern.
"We've also found out that most of our military has transferred and joined this
BLACK HAND. It was a part of your briefing, so you already know about this, but, yeah,
that's how bad this is. We have no military power. We figured that Ward talked them into
joining since they trust him."
"Is there anything we should know"
Laguna spoke once again, "No. I'm afraid that's all we know."
"We'll just have to find out the rest for ourselves then. Come on Quistis, we
should have just enough time to check out the whole city before night falls. We have alto
of work to do."
(I'll stay by your side no matter what. I'll take care of you with my life.) "Lets
go."
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Surprises
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
(Squall is gone, Rinoa is feeling lonely, and I am feeling lonely. It'd be stupid to
deny that we need each other. Maybe I just need her more than she needs me.....)
Zack couldn't help but feel happy. His business is saved so far and, the best part
of all, he gets to share it with someone. He didn't know if the person returns the same
feelings but he knows she'll give in sooner or later. Zack woke up early because he was
too excited to go back to sleep. He couldn't wait to see Rinoa again. He picked up the
money that he has to pay Rinoa, according to the contract, he ate breakfast and went
straight to work. But instead of going to the station, he took a stroll to the car rental place
to rent a car so he could drive to Balamb Garden. He wasn't at all planning on going to
work. His job today was to surprise Rinoa, spend the day with her, and just have some
fun (n_n). He had lots of stuff planned out for the day. He couldn't wait. He would drag
her with him or to him whether she liked it or not. It was a good way to loose the tension
that she felt. It was his perfect plan to make her fall for him.
He rented the best one that he could find, even if he wasn't able to afford it. He
told the rental person that he'll pay it back later. He wanted to impress her. Let her know
that he was willing to do anything. He wanted to surprise her at the garden. His excuse
for being there was to give Rinoa her payment for the mission that she finished. Then
they would have a day all to themselves. He would introduce her to his mother, and
maybe she can also show him around the garden. Tell him what it's like being a SeeD.
He got inside the rented car and drove to Balamb garden. He knew how to get
there because Erik told him the directions the day before. When he got there, he was
amazed at what he saw. He never knew that the garden would be so big. Another thing
that surprised him was that it floated. He had heard that the garden itself can move
around but he never actually seen it. It was floating above the spot where it used to be. He
parked his car in the parking lot for visitors. What he didn't know was that outside the
parking lot was the garden itself. He was already inside.
He walked around a little. He didn't know where to go. He then went inside a
place bustling with people. It smelled of food. So he figured that it was the cafeteria.
Breakfast was over and lunch was just about to start and already the lines were packed. It
was already 11:00 am. He peeked around hoping that she may be there. He got to the
furthest corner of the cafeteria when he finally saw her. She was sitting across a guy with
a tattoo on his face.
(That guy looks familiar........He'd better not be there with for the
same reason I am.......) He walked towards her.
"Hey Rinoa........." He felt a little insecure. He didn't think that
someone would be with her at this time.
She faintly hears her name and looks around to see where it came from.
"Rinoa! Over here!" he was now in front of Zell.
"Hey Rinoa, you know who this is?" Zell recognized him somehow.
Rinoa was thrown back. She didn't think that he'd come here. She was surprised.
"Zack! What are you doing here?" She sounded both surprised and happy.
"I just thought that I'd come by and drop off your payment........,"
"You didn't have to do that. I was even considering on letting you go off for free.
You do need to get you shop back in progress, and I thought that you'll need all the
money that you can get."
Zell was just sitting there, listening to their conversation. He was a little frustrated
about how they've forgotten that he was there too.
(She is so thoughtful, I see now why Squall loves her so. She is the right kind of
girl for a pathetic person such as him........).
Zell could see the expression on his face. He knew that he had feelings for Rinoa.
"Did you say something?"
"No! no, I didn't say anything. I was just thinking about how nice you are but I'm
afraid I cannot let you do that. I am indebted to you." He was sweating like crazy. He
couldn't afford Rinoa finding out about the he feels for Squall, she'll hate him.
Rinoa looked like she was getting bored of this conversation, and Zack noticed
this too, so he decided to let her in on his plan. "Rinoa.......? Do you have
any plans for today?"
(Who is this guy? I've seen him somewhere before. Why is he just sitting there
listening? Isn't he going to introduce himself? Maybe he's shy.......)
"No. Why?"
Zell was still a spectator. He wondered why Rinoa couldn't figure it out. Why
couldn't she see what Zack is trying to do? Maybe she didn't want to see. Maybe, she is
letting him in, in her vulnerable state, it was easy to penetrate her shield.
"W-Well, I have the day off. And when I got here, I was just so interested, so
maybe you could give me a tour around? A-and in return, I'll introduce you to my
mother. I want to show her the woman who has saved my life."
At first, Zell just wanted to stay quiet to find out how long they'll ignore him. So
far, it's lasting pretty long. They must really like each other to forget a person sitting right
in front of them.
(How long is this guy planning on staying here? Can't he see that I'm talking to
her. And doesn't he get that we are not interested in talking to him? Who does he think he
is?)
She was blushing, something about him charmed her, she just couldn't resist,
"You know what? I was just about to go to my room and bore myself to death. So, why
not squeeze you into my schedule, I'm sure my room can wait."
(I can't wait to see it.........) "So it's a date then," He grabbed
Rinoa's hands and led her to the parking lot. "First, we'll go to my house. I want to show
you the cool car I've gotten just for this occasion."
(Finally we get to leave. It's kinda uncomfortable talking to Rinoa with that guy
staring at us. What a weirdo.......)
When they left, Zell finally spoke, "Jeez!! Where did they learn to ignore people
like that. Who could possibly ignore a person as charismatic as myself?
Hmmm....., this Zack guy could be trouble. I wonder if I should tell Squall?" He
was now all by himself. He continued to eat his and Rinoa's unfinished hotdogs, he
thought that it was the least he could do for her.
They got into the car, although Rinoa didn't seem impressed though, and Zack
drove to Balamb. There they walked around for a bit. Zack couldn't wait to introduce
Rinoa to her.
"Thought we'd meet mom first."
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: They arrive at the conference room. There, the four sat on a big table that could
seat over fifteen people. Laguna and Kiros sat across form each other but Quistis stayed
by Squall's side. Squall paid close attention to how close he was sitting from him father.
She could feel the uneasiness in him. No one talked for a while. They just sat there
drinking the coffee that was provided for them. The father and son just sat there staring at
each other. Squall's face was bitter but determined, however, Laguna's face seemed
happy, delighted. Quistis decided to break the uncomfortable silence.
"So, what's the situation? How bad is it? Who is doing this to Esthar?"
"They are all good questions and I'm glad you asked them." It was Kiros who
replied to her. "Let me explain-"
"No let me." Laguna stopped his silence, "It happened a week ago."
"A week ago? Why didn't you contact us sooner?" Squall was feeling a bit
impatient.
"Well, if you'd let me finish, you can ask all the questions you want. So first of
all, to answer my son's question, we didn't contact you sooner because at first we didn't
see it as a threat. And we wanted to handle all of our affairs. May I continue now?"
"..........." He just simply looked away. (Squall seems
uncomfortable being called a son. Maybe it was unusual for him.) Quistis looked at
Squall, studying him.
"Okay then. Last week abductions occurred, there was about two of them. Of
course I let Ward take care of that since he is my military advisor and also the head of the
military department. He went to investigate. He's been acting a little weird lately but I
trusted him." Laguna was tapping the pen in his hands to the table. Squall seemed uneasy
because of this.
(I wonder what's Squall thinking?) Quistis was again looking at Squall. She
wasn't even paying attention to Laguna at all.
Laguna continued, "Well, we've waited for him for four days. He didn't come
back. So I decided to deploy some of my spies to inspect. They came back to me with the
most disturbing information," he paused for a while, "The reason Ward didn't return was
because he was a part of the terrorism."
"What! How can he be? Isn't he your friend?" Squall finally spoke.
Kiros answered this, "Well, as Laguna said, he had been acting different lately.
He's been suggesting more military power. Saying that it is the best way to prevent
another sorceress ascension. We disagreed to him but he kept insisting. Then after that,
he's been meeting with shady people."
"Well, so now you've got the background information to the situation. Got any
questions so far?"
"You keep mentioning terrorists. Do they call themselves anything?" Quistis'
attention was finally taken away from Squall and into the meeting.
"They call themselves the BLACK HAND. We haven't gotten much information
about them or their members. All we know is that Ward is definitely a part of it, thought
we don't know how long he's been one."
"How bad is it?" Squall's voice was stern.
"We've also found out that most of our military has transferred and joined this
BLACK HAND. It was a part of your briefing, so you already know about this, but, yeah,
that's how bad this is. We have no military power. We figured that Ward talked them into
joining since they trust him."
"Is there anything we should know"
Laguna spoke once again, "No. I'm afraid that's all we know."
"We'll just have to find out the rest for ourselves then. Come on Quistis, we
should have just enough time to check out the whole city before night falls. We have alto
of work to do."
(I'll stay by your side no matter what. I'll take care of you with my life.) "Lets
go."
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