Disclaimer: I do not own Squaresoft, Final Fantasy VIII, or its characters.
You are the One for Me
Chapter Five
Atty. Clement's voice rang clearly in the courtroom. Rinoa noticed that everyone's attention in the room was on her attorney. What he was saying was very important but Rinoa thought that even if this man were talking about nonsense, many people would still listen. Atty. Clement had quite a commanding presence.
In the few months she had known the lawyer, she found out many things. When Atty. Peter Clement talked to her, he talked to her not as a lawyer but as a friend. She felt at ease with him.
Though they had a very good relationship as lawyer and client, Rinoa still couldn't ask him why he was still a bachelor at the age of thirty-five. Many women liked him and it was time for him to settle down.
She only thought of one reason. Maybe the good lawyer had his heart broken and he would never want to love again.
Thinking about herself, she realized she had also got hurt badly because of the love she had for Seifer. And with her agreeing to marry Squall after this case, Rinoa knew she would never find another man she could love. She did not want to love again, ever. She believed that she would never be able to wish for a man's love.
Atty. Clement continued to explain.
"Based on the analysis conducted by the medical experts, Miss Yumi Leska died because of she was struck on the head by this figurine," he said as he held up a figurine of a woman holding a basket made of solid metal.
He walked over to the judge. "May I point out to the honorable judge two things that would make it impossible for the defendant to commit the crime. First, Miss Leska's height is 5'7" while Miss Caraway's height is 5'3" only. If Miss Caraway had hit the victim, it is evident that she could only strike her at the base of her neck and not at the top of her head. Of course, the prosecutor could argue that Miss Leska could have been leaning down when Miss Caraway struck her with this figurine. Now comes the second point, the victim was only hit once, but her skull broke," he said, his eyes on the judge.
The lawyer looked at everyone in the room and his eyes rested on the prosecutor.
"Miss Rinoa Heartilly Caraway is a small woman. She does not have enough strength to strike a person with a very heavy figurine and break that person's skull."
With that, the lawyer went back to his seat. He grabbed Rinoa's hand firmly under the table and he smiled at her. Rinoa felt her hopes rise. Her chance to freedom increased!
The court had recess upon the prosecutor's wishes.
"We should have lunch. We can now relax and breathe but the lawyers on the other side can't. They're fucked!" Peter chuckled.
They were already leaving the courthouse when they ran into a man. Rinoa looked up at him as the man smiled at her lawyer.
"How's the case?"
"We could win it!" Peter told him. He glanced at Rinoa. "By the way, I would like you to meet my partner in business, Atty. Michael Garnet."
"How are you?" Rinoa said as she shook the hand of the tall man.
"You don't have anything to worry about as long as Pete's handling your case. You'll definitely win. Except if I would be the prosecuting attorney."
"Now, that is a challenge!" Peter laughed.
Michael joined in.
"Before we start to argue, how about if I treat the two of you to lunch?" the gigantic lawyer said.
They went to a quaint restaurant right across the street. Rinoa witnessed the camaraderie between the two lawyers. It seemed as if they knew each other inside out. She thought that if one of them were a woman, they would most likely be the most ideal couple.
"So, do you have a boyfriend?" Michael asked her as they were eating. "Don't tell me you have none. You're very beautiful, I'm sure you have swarms of admirers."
Rinoa smiled at him. "If there were swarms, I'm sure they had lost interest because of what had happened to me."
"Then, they are not worth your attention. If a man could not accept you for what you are or what had happened to you, you better find another one," Michael told her.
"I don't want to take another risk," she said.
Michael shook his head as he put his fork down. "Rinoa, once the man meant for you arrives, you can't refuse! Look at what had happened to my wife Jennifer. She had no plans of marrying but when she saw me, she grabbed me and wouldn't let go!"
Rinoa noticed that Peter's forehead wrinkled.
"In fact, she'd die if she did not see me for a single day!" he added, chuckling.
Peter hit Michael's shoulder and Michael laughed even harder.
"Please bear with Peter. Jennifer is his younger sister and he's very protective of her."
"Don't believe him. The truth is he's the one who would die if he did not see his wife"
Rinoa smiled at them. She looked at Peter and noted that he was a handsome man. Rinoa thought that his sister would also be beautiful.
~*~ ~*~ ~*~
Not guilty. The verdict the jury gave was clear. And no one complained about it. Peter prepared a very good defense. He also showed everyone that the prosecutor failed to investigate Rinoa's case carefully.
Rinoa was free. The police started a new investigation to find the person who was responsible for the crime.
With Rinoa free, one thing was certain. Her marriage to Squall would carry through.
"What in Hyne's name happened to you? Did you bang your head? Are you really marrying that woman? Are you really in love with her just like the media said?" Zell asked, his forehead wrinkled, as he watched Squall button up his white long sleeved polo shirt.
"I'm not in love with her," Squall said as he looked at himself in the mirror.
"Then, why? I can't see any reason for you to through with this marriage! You're intelligent, Squall. That is one of the reasons why my father appointed you Vice-President of our company, despite the calls that your father made. But this..."
Squall finished buttoning up his shirt. He faced his best friend who would also stand as witness to the civil wedding that would be held later.
"I'm marrying Rinoa because my father despises her kind. I'll give her the surname that I know my father loves more than me. This will be a big slap to his face. I'll get my revenge with this marriage."
"And you? You'd have no freedom!" Zell argued.
"Rinoa won't hinder me. She doesn't love me and she'll give me freedom to love someone else."
Zell shook his head. "I just hope you won't regret this..."
"I'm prepared. How about you? Are you coming with me or you're just gonna mope around in this office?" Squall asked him.
"Of course, I'll go with you! Maybe you'll change your mind about this. Of all the women you can use to retaliate against your father, why Rinoa? You told me that she is a hellcat!"
Squall put an arm around Zell's shoulder. "You are forgetting Seifer."
"What does this have to do with Seifer?"
"Rinoa was in love with him. But now she's angry with him. With her, I can hit two birds with one stone."
When they arrived, Rinoa was already there with her parents.
She was wearing a simple white dress that reached to her knees. The straps were tied at the back of her neck and showed off her shoulders, sculpted from working. She had no make-up at all and she put down her hair.
When the ceremony was finished, no 'kiss-the-bride' happened. Instead, Squall approached Rinoa's parents.
"From this day on, the three of you will live with me. I'm often at the office. It'd be better if Rinoa would have you as companions at the house."
The elderly couple nodded. They were delighted with Squall's decision because they had been living with a relative in Esthar.
~*~ ~*~ ~*~
Squall brought them to small and simple house. It had three rooms. The old woman who was Squall's maid used one and the other was for Rinoa's parents.
Squall brought Rinoa to the third room. Squall's clothes and personal things were there. It was clear that Rinoa would sleep in there.
Rinoa clutched her bag tightly. She got nervous. Squall wanted her to give him a child and that would only happen if she would let him sleep with her.
She secretly glanced at the man who was standing in the room with her. He was currently checking e-mails on his laptop.
She had to admit that Squall was handsome. Wavy chestnut brown hair. Intense cold blue eyes. She had nothing to complain about his looks. But she did not feel excited when she was with him. The feelings she experienced when she was with Seifer were not there.
What would she do if Squall kissed her? What if she did not like it? If she felt disgusted? Could she push him away? They were already married. Squall had a right to her body.
"Are you wondering why I brought you here instead of my father's house?"
Rinoa nodded.
"Long story, Rinoa. And that would not affect our situation so don't even waste your time thinking about it."
Rinoa opened her bag. She wanted to do something. She was already full. Squall brought them to a restaurant after the wedding. Rinoa did not want to go ahead with the honeymoon. She now realized that she could never let a man she did not love take her body.
Squall came closer to her. He stood beside her and wrapped his arms around her waist.
"You can do that tomorrow," he breathed into her ear.
Rinoa breathed deeply. Her mind was freaking out thinking of an alibi so that the honeymoon would not happen.
"Squall, I have my period today."
She could see Squall's forehead wrinkle in her mind.
"How long does your period last?" he asked coldly.
"A week," she answered even though her period only lasted for three days.
Squall stepped away from her. He had his back facing her and he started to undress. Again, Rinoa got nervous that Squall would still go on with what he wanted to do. She felt relieved when she saw him change into a fresh pair of boxers.
As he changed into his black boxers, Rinoa couldn't help but admire his body. His skin was smooth. He had no dark body hair on his legs. Every corner of his body rippled with muscles as he changed his clothes.
"Aren't you going to sleep?" he asked as he got into the bed.
"Ah, y-yes!" she stuttered. She grabbed a pair of pajamas and a big black t-shirt. She had her back to him and she carefully undressed.
Squall was already lying down when she faced him. She took hold of herself. She reminded herself that they were already married and nothing was wrong if she would sleep beside him.
She lay down on the other side of the bed. She closed her eyes and forced herself to sleep. She failed. She remained awake for the rest of the night. Every time Squall moved her body jerked. When morning came and Squall woke up, Rinoa slept soundly.
~*~ ~*~ ~*~
There were only three days left on her 'period'. Rinoa could not think of anything else to tell Squall to escape the possibility of 'honeymoon'. She knew her husband would get mad if she refused him again. That was part of the deal.
She looked at her mother who was busily fishing for a shirt for her father. Julia didn't know anything about their 'arrangement'. Even her father thought that she and Squall had an understanding.
Earlier, Squall had given her money and told her to go shopping.
You'll start going to college soon. Buy clothes, shoes, everything.
She asked her mother to come with her. She also wanted her father to come but he refused. He said he still had many repairs to do around the house. Vincent did not want to live at Squall's house without doing anything.
Her mind was on the nearing 'last-day-of-her-period' when she bumped into someone inside the department store.
When she looked up, she saw the familiar face of the man she had loved every since she was fourteen.
"Seifer!" she blurted.
"Do you know this girl, Seif?" a woman said as she clung to him.
Seifer looked at her and recognized her. "No," he said as he shook his head. "I have never seen her in my life!" He dragged the woman away, to another place.
Rinoa thought that once she got hurt, she'd never get hurt again. But when Seifer shook her off, her heart broke into a thousand pieces again. Seifer showed her that she really meant nothing to him.
She forced her tears not to fall. She won't cry. Her crying days over Seifer was over.
If Seifer did not want her, she would not force herself on him. The body she had been taking care for him, she would give to someone else: his rival.
Rinoa made her decision. I'll give myself to Squall tonight!
A/N: Hi! I hope you all enjoyed this new chappy. To my dear friend remote mine, thank you so so much for beta-reading this chapter. I really appreciate it!
Etherealist: Hehe! I know I'm going crazy with this one. I promise this will start getting serious soon!
remote mine: Yes, obsession taken too far! She really didn't kill Yumi. Anyways, again, I really love all the help you have given me with beta-reading my fics. I won't have anything done without all you.
Please R&R! Comments, suggestions and criticisms are greatly encouraged. Thanks!
~bembem~