Squall woke up the following morning, and looked at the clock on Irvine's table-
"06:29", it read. Squall had overslept- he'd wanted to be up at 6 AM to say goodbye to Rinoa. Quickly dressing, but quietly so as not to wake his impromptu housemate, he rushed out of the room and down the hallway to his and Rinoa's quarters. Upon arrival, however, he was amazed to find the door slightly ajar- Rinoa was notorious for her love of lie-ins, and was rarely up before 7 AM. Peering in, Squall was greeted by a disturbing sight- on his bed lay a pool of blood, and in the middle of it lay Angelo, Rinoa's faithful canine companion, her throat cut. Swallowing a sensation of nausea, Squall called out for his girlfriend.
"Rinoa!" he shouted. "Where are you?" He searched in the bathroom and the kitchen, but there was no sign of her. Upon his return to the bedroom, he noticed something he hadn't before- a message, scrawled from Angelo's lifeblood.
"Her next," it simply read. Squall immediately knew what it meant.
"Seifer," he said, unsheathing the gunblade he carried on his back. Somehow, Seifer had penetrated Garden's security and taken Rinoa hostage, and Squall had to fight to get her back. Wandering through the hallways in a semi-conscious state, he turned a corner, only to see Seifer holding his gunblade to Rinoa's throat. Rinoa was struggling, but Seifer was far too strong for her.
"Are you ready to suffer?" Seifer asked, with an evil smile on his face. However, Rinoa kicked behind her, catching Seifer where it hurt. As he was doubled over, Rinoa ran into Squall's arms, and they fell into a deep embrace.
"I love you so much," Squall whispered in Rinoa's ear.
"I love you too," she whispered back. Just then, however, Squall felt a sharp stabbing sensation in his chest, and he stumbled backwards. When he looked up, almost as if it were in slow-motion, he saw Rinoa falling to her knees, with Seifer standing behind her, his gunblade thrust through her back and out through her chest. Squall was in shock, unable to speak, unable to move. Seifer removed the gunblade, and laughing, vanished into thin air. Squall ran forward and caught Rinoa as she fell to the ground.
"Rinoa," he wailed, unable to control the tears that were tumbling out of his eyes, "please, this can't be happening!" He felt Rinoa's body go limp as she breathed her last, and Squall was unable to contain himself any longer. He emitted a primal scream, straight from his heart.
"RINOA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" He yelled. "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
Squall felt himself shake, almost as if someone had grabbed him and forcibly rocked him from side to side. Suddenly, Squall felt himself fade, as if he were falling asleep.
No, Squall thought, not falling asleep, waking up…
Squall opened his eyes, and saw Irvine's concerned face, shaking him, trying to get an answer.
"Squall?" Irvine asked, concerned for his friend. "You alright, buddy?" Squall looked around- he was still in bed, or at least, on Irvine's couch. He sat up on his elbows.
"Yeah," Squall said, putting his friend's mind at rest. "I'm fine. What time is it?"
"6:15," Irvine responded. "We have to be at the parking lot in 45 minutes."
"I thought I told you to wake me at 6?" Squall enquired, still a bit fuzzyheaded from what had happened.
"I tried," Irvine answered from the bathroom, where he was preparing to take a shower, "but you were out cold." Squall sat up on the couch. 45 minutes… that was enough time to go and make up with Rinoa, and still make it to the parking lot. However, Irvine's telephone went off just as Squall was completing that thought.
"Get that for me, will you?" Irvine shouted from the shower.
"Sure," Squall shouted back. He picked up the receiver. "Hello?" He answered.
"Squall?" Came the familiar voice of Selphie from the other end of the line. "What are you doing there? Where's Irvy?"
"Uh, Selphie," Squall replied, trying to choose his words correctly. "It's a long story. Rinoa kicked me out, and-"
"Rinoa did WHAT!?" Selphie exclaimed from the other end of the line.
"I'll explain when we're all aboard the Ragnarok," Squall replied. "Why are you ringing up at this time in the morning, anyway?"
"Well," Selphie started, "I arrived at Cid's office nice and early, to see if he needed anything doing, and while I was there, he asked me-"
"Can I have the short version please, Selphie?" Squall asked. He was in a rush, and didn't need Selphie talking his ear off.
"Cid wants us all to depart at 6:30," Selphie's somewhat subdued voice came over the phone.
"Duly noted," Squall said. "Anything else?"
"Nope!" She perkily answered.
"OK then," Squall replied, "see you aboard the Ragnarok."
"OK!" Selphie exclaimed. "Bye-bye!" Then the line went dead. Irvine emerged from the shower, and started blow-drying his hair.
"Who was that?" He asked, over the roar of the drier.
"Selphie," Squall answered. "Cid's brought our departure time forward to 6:30."
"6:30?" Irvine answered, slightly panicking, "how am I meant to get my hair dry in that time?"
"Maybe if you had less of it it might help," Squall quickly retorted.
"Ha ha, very funny," Irvine sarcastically replied. Squall didn't really pay much attention- his plans to call in on Rinoa were pretty much scuppered. He'd have to leave a message on their answer phone. If he left it now, she'd get it when she woke up, which wouldn't be for at least another hour.
"06:29", it read. Squall had overslept- he'd wanted to be up at 6 AM to say goodbye to Rinoa. Quickly dressing, but quietly so as not to wake his impromptu housemate, he rushed out of the room and down the hallway to his and Rinoa's quarters. Upon arrival, however, he was amazed to find the door slightly ajar- Rinoa was notorious for her love of lie-ins, and was rarely up before 7 AM. Peering in, Squall was greeted by a disturbing sight- on his bed lay a pool of blood, and in the middle of it lay Angelo, Rinoa's faithful canine companion, her throat cut. Swallowing a sensation of nausea, Squall called out for his girlfriend.
"Rinoa!" he shouted. "Where are you?" He searched in the bathroom and the kitchen, but there was no sign of her. Upon his return to the bedroom, he noticed something he hadn't before- a message, scrawled from Angelo's lifeblood.
"Her next," it simply read. Squall immediately knew what it meant.
"Seifer," he said, unsheathing the gunblade he carried on his back. Somehow, Seifer had penetrated Garden's security and taken Rinoa hostage, and Squall had to fight to get her back. Wandering through the hallways in a semi-conscious state, he turned a corner, only to see Seifer holding his gunblade to Rinoa's throat. Rinoa was struggling, but Seifer was far too strong for her.
"Are you ready to suffer?" Seifer asked, with an evil smile on his face. However, Rinoa kicked behind her, catching Seifer where it hurt. As he was doubled over, Rinoa ran into Squall's arms, and they fell into a deep embrace.
"I love you so much," Squall whispered in Rinoa's ear.
"I love you too," she whispered back. Just then, however, Squall felt a sharp stabbing sensation in his chest, and he stumbled backwards. When he looked up, almost as if it were in slow-motion, he saw Rinoa falling to her knees, with Seifer standing behind her, his gunblade thrust through her back and out through her chest. Squall was in shock, unable to speak, unable to move. Seifer removed the gunblade, and laughing, vanished into thin air. Squall ran forward and caught Rinoa as she fell to the ground.
"Rinoa," he wailed, unable to control the tears that were tumbling out of his eyes, "please, this can't be happening!" He felt Rinoa's body go limp as she breathed her last, and Squall was unable to contain himself any longer. He emitted a primal scream, straight from his heart.
"RINOA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" He yelled. "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
Squall felt himself shake, almost as if someone had grabbed him and forcibly rocked him from side to side. Suddenly, Squall felt himself fade, as if he were falling asleep.
No, Squall thought, not falling asleep, waking up…
Squall opened his eyes, and saw Irvine's concerned face, shaking him, trying to get an answer.
"Squall?" Irvine asked, concerned for his friend. "You alright, buddy?" Squall looked around- he was still in bed, or at least, on Irvine's couch. He sat up on his elbows.
"Yeah," Squall said, putting his friend's mind at rest. "I'm fine. What time is it?"
"6:15," Irvine responded. "We have to be at the parking lot in 45 minutes."
"I thought I told you to wake me at 6?" Squall enquired, still a bit fuzzyheaded from what had happened.
"I tried," Irvine answered from the bathroom, where he was preparing to take a shower, "but you were out cold." Squall sat up on the couch. 45 minutes… that was enough time to go and make up with Rinoa, and still make it to the parking lot. However, Irvine's telephone went off just as Squall was completing that thought.
"Get that for me, will you?" Irvine shouted from the shower.
"Sure," Squall shouted back. He picked up the receiver. "Hello?" He answered.
"Squall?" Came the familiar voice of Selphie from the other end of the line. "What are you doing there? Where's Irvy?"
"Uh, Selphie," Squall replied, trying to choose his words correctly. "It's a long story. Rinoa kicked me out, and-"
"Rinoa did WHAT!?" Selphie exclaimed from the other end of the line.
"I'll explain when we're all aboard the Ragnarok," Squall replied. "Why are you ringing up at this time in the morning, anyway?"
"Well," Selphie started, "I arrived at Cid's office nice and early, to see if he needed anything doing, and while I was there, he asked me-"
"Can I have the short version please, Selphie?" Squall asked. He was in a rush, and didn't need Selphie talking his ear off.
"Cid wants us all to depart at 6:30," Selphie's somewhat subdued voice came over the phone.
"Duly noted," Squall said. "Anything else?"
"Nope!" She perkily answered.
"OK then," Squall replied, "see you aboard the Ragnarok."
"OK!" Selphie exclaimed. "Bye-bye!" Then the line went dead. Irvine emerged from the shower, and started blow-drying his hair.
"Who was that?" He asked, over the roar of the drier.
"Selphie," Squall answered. "Cid's brought our departure time forward to 6:30."
"6:30?" Irvine answered, slightly panicking, "how am I meant to get my hair dry in that time?"
"Maybe if you had less of it it might help," Squall quickly retorted.
"Ha ha, very funny," Irvine sarcastically replied. Squall didn't really pay much attention- his plans to call in on Rinoa were pretty much scuppered. He'd have to leave a message on their answer phone. If he left it now, she'd get it when she woke up, which wouldn't be for at least another hour.