He reached into his pocket, and pulled out his key card. Swiping it in the door lock, he entered, to find Rinoa already packing for the both of them. This isn't going to be easy, he thought. He knew how insanely stubborn Rinoa could be at times, but that was just one of the reasons he fell in love with her. That didn't make his task any easier, though.
"So," she asked, "when are we leaving?" Squall walked over, and closed the suitcase.
"What's up?" Rinoa asked again. Squall took a deep breath- Best get it over and done with, he thought.
"You're not coming," he said. Rinoa's expression changed from one of eager anticipation to one of angry confusion.
"What?" she asked, with more than a hint of anger in her voice. Squall sighed- this was going to be harder than he thought.
"Cid and I have spoken," Squall said, "and we decided that it would be safer for you if you remained here." Rinoa's expression was now a lot less confused- but was a lot angrier.
"I can't believe this!" She shouted. "How could you decide this without even discussing it with me?" Squall hung his head- he knew how much Rinoa hated having decisions made for her- her father had done it her whole life, and she had wound up resenting him. Please, Squall thought, don't hate me for this.
"It's a dangerous mission," Squall began, "and-" but before he could continue, Rinoa cut him off again.
"If it's such a dangerous mission, then you need your best fighters with you. Like it or not, Squall, I am one of the best fighters here," Rinoa interrupted. She was getting really hot at Squall now, and Squall was only about to make things worse.
"He threatened your life directly," Squall began. "Don't you think you'd be better off staying here?"
"Dammit!" Rinoa continued, "I won't have my actions dictated to me! Surely you know that about me by now!"
Squall sighed- Rinoa's stubbornness knew no boundaries.
"Rinoa," he began, "part of being a SeeD is learning to take orders." Rinoa looked at her feet for a moment, before saying the one thing Squall thought he'd never hear her say.
"Then maybe I don't wanna be a SeeD any more." Rinoa said it, with a certain air of finality in her voice.
"Rinoa," Squall countered, "you don't mean that." Rinoa bristled.
"First you're telling me what to do," she shouted, "and now you're telling me what to think? What next, Squall? Do you want to put a collar around my neck and chain me up so I can't move?"
"You're getting this all out of proportion," Squall said.
"No," Rinoa countered. "I'm seeing things exactly as they are. Tomorrow morning, I'm going to hand in my resignation to Cid. I don't know what I'll do after that, maybe I'll go back to Timber, or something."
"Rinoa…" Squall began, but he couldn't finish his sentence.
"I think you should leave now, Squall." Rinoa said. Squall tried to respond, but Rinoa wasn't to be swayed.
"Dammit!" She shouted, throwing his suitcase and his gunblade case at him. "Leave!" Squall nodded, compliantly. Rinoa had made up her mind, and there was nothing he could do about it. He picked up his stuff, and stood outside, in the doorway.
"I-I'm going to go now, Rinoa." He said, unsure of himself for possibly the first time ever.
"Good," she replied, sitting on the bed, not looking at him. Squall decided to try his luck just one more time.
"I hope you'll find it in you somewhere not to slam the do-" but before he could finish his sentence, Rinoa got up off the bed and slammed the door in his face. Sighing, Squall admitted defeat. She'd rejected him, and this rejection hurt bad. Worse than his mother and father leaving him, worse than Ellone leaving him at the orphanage. At least he knew now that they weren't his fault. This was different. If only, Squall thought. If only I'd worded it differently. If only I hadn't been so short with her. If only… Lost in his thoughts, he dropped his bags outside the door, and slumped into a sitting position, eyes closed, head leant back against the door.
Rinoa stared at the door, on the other side of which stood the man she'd fallen deeply in love with. Except she'd thrown him out of their room in a fit of rage. Well it was his fault, she thought to herself. She sat back down on the edge of the bed, trying to make sense of everything that had just happened. He shouldn't try to live my life for me! She was adamant- Squall should have let her go on the mission. Dangerous it may be, but she should have been allowed to make that decision for herself. However, as she thought that thought, a tear suddenly welled up in her eyes, and fell onto the floor. Closely followed by another, and another, until she had broken down entirely. Suddenly, her thoughts were no longer as self-righteous as they had been. What have I done? She thought to herself. I've just yelled at the one man I love more than life itself. She curled up into a foetal position on the bed, weeping heavily. She forced herself to calm down. Calm yourself, woman, she thought. Maybe he's right- Seifer is only trying to use you to get to him. Best you stay here. Rinoa allowed herself a little smile, before thinking to herself: And tomorrow morning, you can always make it up to Squall. However, that thought only caused her to break down again. No I can't, she thought, He's going away on a mission tomorrow, and he may not come back alive. She cried herself to sleep that night.
"So," she asked, "when are we leaving?" Squall walked over, and closed the suitcase.
"What's up?" Rinoa asked again. Squall took a deep breath- Best get it over and done with, he thought.
"You're not coming," he said. Rinoa's expression changed from one of eager anticipation to one of angry confusion.
"What?" she asked, with more than a hint of anger in her voice. Squall sighed- this was going to be harder than he thought.
"Cid and I have spoken," Squall said, "and we decided that it would be safer for you if you remained here." Rinoa's expression was now a lot less confused- but was a lot angrier.
"I can't believe this!" She shouted. "How could you decide this without even discussing it with me?" Squall hung his head- he knew how much Rinoa hated having decisions made for her- her father had done it her whole life, and she had wound up resenting him. Please, Squall thought, don't hate me for this.
"It's a dangerous mission," Squall began, "and-" but before he could continue, Rinoa cut him off again.
"If it's such a dangerous mission, then you need your best fighters with you. Like it or not, Squall, I am one of the best fighters here," Rinoa interrupted. She was getting really hot at Squall now, and Squall was only about to make things worse.
"He threatened your life directly," Squall began. "Don't you think you'd be better off staying here?"
"Dammit!" Rinoa continued, "I won't have my actions dictated to me! Surely you know that about me by now!"
Squall sighed- Rinoa's stubbornness knew no boundaries.
"Rinoa," he began, "part of being a SeeD is learning to take orders." Rinoa looked at her feet for a moment, before saying the one thing Squall thought he'd never hear her say.
"Then maybe I don't wanna be a SeeD any more." Rinoa said it, with a certain air of finality in her voice.
"Rinoa," Squall countered, "you don't mean that." Rinoa bristled.
"First you're telling me what to do," she shouted, "and now you're telling me what to think? What next, Squall? Do you want to put a collar around my neck and chain me up so I can't move?"
"You're getting this all out of proportion," Squall said.
"No," Rinoa countered. "I'm seeing things exactly as they are. Tomorrow morning, I'm going to hand in my resignation to Cid. I don't know what I'll do after that, maybe I'll go back to Timber, or something."
"Rinoa…" Squall began, but he couldn't finish his sentence.
"I think you should leave now, Squall." Rinoa said. Squall tried to respond, but Rinoa wasn't to be swayed.
"Dammit!" She shouted, throwing his suitcase and his gunblade case at him. "Leave!" Squall nodded, compliantly. Rinoa had made up her mind, and there was nothing he could do about it. He picked up his stuff, and stood outside, in the doorway.
"I-I'm going to go now, Rinoa." He said, unsure of himself for possibly the first time ever.
"Good," she replied, sitting on the bed, not looking at him. Squall decided to try his luck just one more time.
"I hope you'll find it in you somewhere not to slam the do-" but before he could finish his sentence, Rinoa got up off the bed and slammed the door in his face. Sighing, Squall admitted defeat. She'd rejected him, and this rejection hurt bad. Worse than his mother and father leaving him, worse than Ellone leaving him at the orphanage. At least he knew now that they weren't his fault. This was different. If only, Squall thought. If only I'd worded it differently. If only I hadn't been so short with her. If only… Lost in his thoughts, he dropped his bags outside the door, and slumped into a sitting position, eyes closed, head leant back against the door.
Rinoa stared at the door, on the other side of which stood the man she'd fallen deeply in love with. Except she'd thrown him out of their room in a fit of rage. Well it was his fault, she thought to herself. She sat back down on the edge of the bed, trying to make sense of everything that had just happened. He shouldn't try to live my life for me! She was adamant- Squall should have let her go on the mission. Dangerous it may be, but she should have been allowed to make that decision for herself. However, as she thought that thought, a tear suddenly welled up in her eyes, and fell onto the floor. Closely followed by another, and another, until she had broken down entirely. Suddenly, her thoughts were no longer as self-righteous as they had been. What have I done? She thought to herself. I've just yelled at the one man I love more than life itself. She curled up into a foetal position on the bed, weeping heavily. She forced herself to calm down. Calm yourself, woman, she thought. Maybe he's right- Seifer is only trying to use you to get to him. Best you stay here. Rinoa allowed herself a little smile, before thinking to herself: And tomorrow morning, you can always make it up to Squall. However, that thought only caused her to break down again. No I can't, she thought, He's going away on a mission tomorrow, and he may not come back alive. She cried herself to sleep that night.