"Squall," she started, that same caring tone on her voice that always managed to calm Squall down, no matter how angry he was.
"How much did you see?" He asked, slightly more calm than before but still close to exploding.
"Everything from after you swore at Seifer," she replied. Squall hung his head. It wasn't so much the fact that he'd had that outburst, more the fact that Rinoa had had to witness it. "Was he responsible for the bombings?" She enquired. Squall nodded his head. Rinoa frowned- it was not news she'd wanted to hear.
"What are we going to do now?" She asked. It was not what Squall had wanted to hear. As Garden commander, it was ultimately his decision who would be sent on missions, but this was different- it wasn't like he was sending some veteran SeeDs on a simple peacekeeping mission. This was against someone who was as dangerous as any villain they'd encountered, and who knew them almost as well as they knew themselves. And someone who could turn Garden students against each other.
"I'm going to talk to Cid," Squall responded, after a few uneasy seconds had passed. As he prepared to leave, he took Rinoa's hand, and gazed at her, reassuringly.
"Don't pay any attention to what Seifer said," Squall said, trying to reassure Rinoa, "I'm not going to let him or his cronies within 100 miles of you."
Rinoa looked deep into his eyes, before responding.
"I know," she replied. They kissed each other briefly, before Squall backed out of the room, and walked off down the corridor.
Squall's subsequent meeting with Cid was brief- they, along with Edea, agreed to call a meeting of all SeeDs later in the day, in the new auditorium. That left Squall with a task he'd been dreading all day. He walked down the stairs, then turned right and headed into the infirmary. He entered, finding Dr. Kadowaki seated at her desk, as usual.
"Can he see visitors?" Squall asked. Dr. Kadowaki, knowing exactly whom Squall meant, nodded, and led him into the side treatment room. The same room I woke up in after that fight, Squall mused, fingering the scar that he'd picked up from that fight, almost like it was a medal. Squall entered the room, and was immediately shocked at the state of his friend.
Zell was lying on the bed, awake, but his eyes clearly weren't focusing. His normally eccentric hairstyle was being flattened by bandages covering his head, which also meant his tattoos were all but invisible. Just then, however, Squall noticed the remains of two hot dogs on a plate besides Zell's bed, which made him smile. Good old Zell, he thought. Dr. Kadowaki leant over and gingerly whispered in Zell's ear.
"Zell? Squall's here to see you."
"Ow!" Zell shouted. "Geez, doc, there's no need to deafen me!"
Dr. Kadowaki stood back up and walked over to Squall.
"Isn't there anything that could be done, like curative magic?" Squall asked. Dr. Kadowaki shook her head.
"We've used all the magic we could. Any more wouldn't have any real effect," she said.
Squall nodded. Magic was always a good stopgap measure, but when it came to major injuries, it was no match for bed rest. Dr. Kadowaki started to leave.
"Try not to over-excite him, OK?" Dr. Kadowaki asked, on her way out the door. Squall nodded, and the Doctor left the two friends alone. There was a brief pause before Squall broke the silence.
"I can't leave you alone for two seconds without you getting into trouble, can I?" Squall joked.
"Bite me," Zell replied. Squall allowed himself a brief grin. He'd wanted to lighten the mood before giving him the bad news. Knowing Zell as well as he did, he was sure he'd take it badly.
"Zell," he began, "I have some news I'm sure you're not going to want to hear."
Zell gulped. He'd been waiting for this, and his leg started twitching nervously.
"Is it about the bastard who put me here?" Zell asked, his voice noticeably higher.
Squall nodded.
"Yeah. We've found out who it was."
"Who was it?" Zell enquired. He didn't want Squall to delay it any longer.
"Seifer," Squall answered. He took a few paces backwards as Zell slowly stood up. If he himself had taken the news badly, he was sure that Zell, whom Seifer had made a point of tormenting all throughout his Garden career, would absolutely flip. Zell walked over to where his dinner plate was, and picked it up, studying it for a few brief moments, before smashing it against the wall.
"SON OF A BITCH!" he yelled, before turning his attention on the wall with his fists. Squall walked up behind him and grabbed Zell's shoulders, restraining him.
"Zell!" Squall shouted, as softly as he could to avoid damaging Zell's hearing, "Calm down! Punching holes in the wall isn't going to do anyone any good!"
"Maybe not," Zell replied, still struggling to break free of Squall's restraint, "but it'll make me feel better!"
Just then, Dr. Kadowaki returned with a hypodermic. Jabbing it into Zell's arm, she turned to Squall.
"I thought I told you not to over-excite him!" she exclaimed.
"I couldn't help it," Squall replied, "He needed to know the truth. He'd have only been madder if I'd kept it from him." Squall felt his friend's struggle gradually diminish, and he set him back down on the bed.
"I think you should perhaps leave now," Dr. Kadowaki advised. "Let him get his rest before you talk to him again." Squall nodded at this- Dr. Kadowaki was never wrong when it came to the well being of the students.
"Let me know when he's up to seeing visitors again, will you?" He asked Dr. Kadowaki. Satisfied at her nod, Squall walked out of the infirmary, glad he'd put that uneasy task behind him.
"How much did you see?" He asked, slightly more calm than before but still close to exploding.
"Everything from after you swore at Seifer," she replied. Squall hung his head. It wasn't so much the fact that he'd had that outburst, more the fact that Rinoa had had to witness it. "Was he responsible for the bombings?" She enquired. Squall nodded his head. Rinoa frowned- it was not news she'd wanted to hear.
"What are we going to do now?" She asked. It was not what Squall had wanted to hear. As Garden commander, it was ultimately his decision who would be sent on missions, but this was different- it wasn't like he was sending some veteran SeeDs on a simple peacekeeping mission. This was against someone who was as dangerous as any villain they'd encountered, and who knew them almost as well as they knew themselves. And someone who could turn Garden students against each other.
"I'm going to talk to Cid," Squall responded, after a few uneasy seconds had passed. As he prepared to leave, he took Rinoa's hand, and gazed at her, reassuringly.
"Don't pay any attention to what Seifer said," Squall said, trying to reassure Rinoa, "I'm not going to let him or his cronies within 100 miles of you."
Rinoa looked deep into his eyes, before responding.
"I know," she replied. They kissed each other briefly, before Squall backed out of the room, and walked off down the corridor.
Squall's subsequent meeting with Cid was brief- they, along with Edea, agreed to call a meeting of all SeeDs later in the day, in the new auditorium. That left Squall with a task he'd been dreading all day. He walked down the stairs, then turned right and headed into the infirmary. He entered, finding Dr. Kadowaki seated at her desk, as usual.
"Can he see visitors?" Squall asked. Dr. Kadowaki, knowing exactly whom Squall meant, nodded, and led him into the side treatment room. The same room I woke up in after that fight, Squall mused, fingering the scar that he'd picked up from that fight, almost like it was a medal. Squall entered the room, and was immediately shocked at the state of his friend.
Zell was lying on the bed, awake, but his eyes clearly weren't focusing. His normally eccentric hairstyle was being flattened by bandages covering his head, which also meant his tattoos were all but invisible. Just then, however, Squall noticed the remains of two hot dogs on a plate besides Zell's bed, which made him smile. Good old Zell, he thought. Dr. Kadowaki leant over and gingerly whispered in Zell's ear.
"Zell? Squall's here to see you."
"Ow!" Zell shouted. "Geez, doc, there's no need to deafen me!"
Dr. Kadowaki stood back up and walked over to Squall.
"Isn't there anything that could be done, like curative magic?" Squall asked. Dr. Kadowaki shook her head.
"We've used all the magic we could. Any more wouldn't have any real effect," she said.
Squall nodded. Magic was always a good stopgap measure, but when it came to major injuries, it was no match for bed rest. Dr. Kadowaki started to leave.
"Try not to over-excite him, OK?" Dr. Kadowaki asked, on her way out the door. Squall nodded, and the Doctor left the two friends alone. There was a brief pause before Squall broke the silence.
"I can't leave you alone for two seconds without you getting into trouble, can I?" Squall joked.
"Bite me," Zell replied. Squall allowed himself a brief grin. He'd wanted to lighten the mood before giving him the bad news. Knowing Zell as well as he did, he was sure he'd take it badly.
"Zell," he began, "I have some news I'm sure you're not going to want to hear."
Zell gulped. He'd been waiting for this, and his leg started twitching nervously.
"Is it about the bastard who put me here?" Zell asked, his voice noticeably higher.
Squall nodded.
"Yeah. We've found out who it was."
"Who was it?" Zell enquired. He didn't want Squall to delay it any longer.
"Seifer," Squall answered. He took a few paces backwards as Zell slowly stood up. If he himself had taken the news badly, he was sure that Zell, whom Seifer had made a point of tormenting all throughout his Garden career, would absolutely flip. Zell walked over to where his dinner plate was, and picked it up, studying it for a few brief moments, before smashing it against the wall.
"SON OF A BITCH!" he yelled, before turning his attention on the wall with his fists. Squall walked up behind him and grabbed Zell's shoulders, restraining him.
"Zell!" Squall shouted, as softly as he could to avoid damaging Zell's hearing, "Calm down! Punching holes in the wall isn't going to do anyone any good!"
"Maybe not," Zell replied, still struggling to break free of Squall's restraint, "but it'll make me feel better!"
Just then, Dr. Kadowaki returned with a hypodermic. Jabbing it into Zell's arm, she turned to Squall.
"I thought I told you not to over-excite him!" she exclaimed.
"I couldn't help it," Squall replied, "He needed to know the truth. He'd have only been madder if I'd kept it from him." Squall felt his friend's struggle gradually diminish, and he set him back down on the bed.
"I think you should perhaps leave now," Dr. Kadowaki advised. "Let him get his rest before you talk to him again." Squall nodded at this- Dr. Kadowaki was never wrong when it came to the well being of the students.
"Let me know when he's up to seeing visitors again, will you?" He asked Dr. Kadowaki. Satisfied at her nod, Squall walked out of the infirmary, glad he'd put that uneasy task behind him.