Rinoa was lying awake in bed when her telephone suddenly rang. Choosing to ignore it, she rolled over. Ever since her fight with Squall, he'd been the only thing she could think of. The answer phone kicked in, and she heard hers and Squall's less-than-serious message start up. Rinoa's eyes started to well up again- just the sound of his voice made her upset.
"Hi!" The two lovers' voices sounded in unison. Then it was Squall alone speaking. "This is Squall-"
Then it was Rinoa's voice alone. "-And Rinoa's-"
Eventually, the voices were in unison again. "-Answering machine, we're not in right now but if you want to leave a message, we'll get back to you as soon as possible." Then came the familiar beep that went before every message. However, the voice that followed was the same as one of the voices that preceded the beep.
"Rinoa," Squall's voice started over the answering machine. He rang me! Rinoa thought. He's forgiven me! She rushed to get out of bed, but in the tossing and turning that she'd done throughout the night, her foot had become caught in the bedclothes, and she hit the ground with a soft and unceremonious thud. Still, Squall's voice continued.
"I just wanted to say that I'm sorry for what happened last night. I'm leaving in about ten minutes, and I didn't want to go without saying that, well,"
Hold on, Squall; I'm almost there, Rinoa thought to herself as she tried to free her foot from her sheets. Squall continued, oblivious to Rinoa's struggle.
"I love you, Rinoa, with all my heart, and I didn't want the last words I said to you to be angry ones. I truly, deeply adore you from the bottom of my heart, and I will return to you so I can tell you in person, again, and again, as many times as you want. I hope that when you get this message you'll be in a mood to listen to what I have to say. Goodbye, Angel." Rinoa freed herself and picked up the receiver, only to hear a dialling tone. Once again, the tears started to flow from Rinoa, who believed she could have heard the last words her lover would ever say to her. She replayed the message, again and again, but not finding it any easier to listen to.
Squall didn't remember much of the trip from Balamb Garden to the Ragnarok- his mind was elsewhere. In fact, he was much like Squall of old, answering any queries with a "whatever" or his personal favourite, nothing at all. However, he was in command, and when they arrived at their destination after a bumpy ride (due to all the escaped monsters that had yet to be recaptured), he immediately took command, even if he was still somewhat less than talkative.
"OK, everyone, get aboard," he half-heartedly said. "Nida, once you get up to the bridge, take us to FH." Nida nodded as the all embarked. Irvine, however, had more t say.
"Man," he said to Squall, "I think we need a little chat." Irvine, being the only other member of the "gang" in on the Rinoa situation, felt obliged to help out in any way possible. Knowing Squall as he did, however, he was sure it wasn't going to be easy.
"I'm not in the mood," Squall said quietly, avoiding Irvine's gaze and confirming his suspicions.
"We're gonna talk," Irvine said, verbally putting his foot down.
"Which one of us is in charge here?" Squall immediately shot back. Irvine, however, had been expecting this.
"I'm not sure," he retorted, "'cause you sure as hell aren't acting like a leader right now." Squall hung his head even further- I walked into that one, he thought to himself.
"Observation lounge," he said to Irvine. Once they were seated and the Ragnarok was safely airborne, Irvine began.
"It's all well and good thinking about her," he said, trying not to sound too preachy, "but right now, man, you've got other things to worry about." Squall nodded.
"I can't help it," Squall replied, "sometimes I just don't feel like talking much."
"Well let me tell ya something," Irvine continued, "I'm not the only one who's noticed. They haven't said anything, but Sefie and Quis were definitely looking confused by your mood."
"They've seen me like this before," Squall retorted, "It'll be no big deal."
"I wouldn't count on it," the cowboy continued, swinging his legs up on the chair in front of his, "they can be pretty perceptive. Rinoa will still be there when you get back. It's no use getting worried about it."
Squall nodded, and was about to reply, when Selphie entered the room. Immediately she went over to Irvine and kicked his legs off the chair.
"Hey!" She started, jokily, "Someone'll have to sit there, you know!" Irvine simply grinned at her.
"What?" He asked, cheekily. Selphie simply laughed and went over to where Squall sat.
"Squall?" She asked. Squall took a deep breath, and then acted on what Irvine had said. Damn, Squall thought, I'm taking a lot of his help lately.
"Yeah, Selphie," Squall started, back to his less sulky self. "What can I do for you?"
"We're nearly at FH," she said, as business-like as she could manage, "do you want us to junction now?"
"Yeah," Squall nodded. They'd brought along a selection of GF's and high-level magic for the inevitable fight against Seifer, but had opted not to junction them until the very last minute, still wanting to cling on to as many memories of the past as they can. "Let's go up to the bridge," he said. Irvine got up as well, and they made their way to the bridge. When they arrived, they sorted out who junctioned what. Squall selected Eden and Ifrit and opted for attacking magic, while Selphie chose Alexander, Shiva and healing magic. Quistis junctioned Diablos, Siren and was elected item bearer, while Irvine simply junctioned Bahamut and Doomtrain, and was given all the spare magic, the consensus being he could fill in if anyone was taken down. Once they'd all settled on their junction, Squall ordered Nida to land in FH, and they all disembarked, looking for Fujin and Raijin, the somewhat peculiar former cronies of the man they were really after. They did not have to look far for them.
"IDIOT!" The familiar voice of Fujin resounded across the bay, where she was standing at the end of a pier over a prostrate Raijin, and, unsurprisingly, was kicking him at the same time.
"Oh come on," Raijin's equally familiar voiced whined as he tried to retrieve something from the water, "it was over 8 feet long, ya know?" Suddenly, Raijin's arms were no longer in the water, as Fujin had hauled him up onto his feet.
"What now?" He demanded, drying his arms.
"COMPANY," Fujin said, simply. Raijin turned his head to look at whatever it was had grabbed Fujin's attention, and immediately saw it- a group of people he recognised very well. They've got some nerve, he thought to himself.
"Hi!" The two lovers' voices sounded in unison. Then it was Squall alone speaking. "This is Squall-"
Then it was Rinoa's voice alone. "-And Rinoa's-"
Eventually, the voices were in unison again. "-Answering machine, we're not in right now but if you want to leave a message, we'll get back to you as soon as possible." Then came the familiar beep that went before every message. However, the voice that followed was the same as one of the voices that preceded the beep.
"Rinoa," Squall's voice started over the answering machine. He rang me! Rinoa thought. He's forgiven me! She rushed to get out of bed, but in the tossing and turning that she'd done throughout the night, her foot had become caught in the bedclothes, and she hit the ground with a soft and unceremonious thud. Still, Squall's voice continued.
"I just wanted to say that I'm sorry for what happened last night. I'm leaving in about ten minutes, and I didn't want to go without saying that, well,"
Hold on, Squall; I'm almost there, Rinoa thought to herself as she tried to free her foot from her sheets. Squall continued, oblivious to Rinoa's struggle.
"I love you, Rinoa, with all my heart, and I didn't want the last words I said to you to be angry ones. I truly, deeply adore you from the bottom of my heart, and I will return to you so I can tell you in person, again, and again, as many times as you want. I hope that when you get this message you'll be in a mood to listen to what I have to say. Goodbye, Angel." Rinoa freed herself and picked up the receiver, only to hear a dialling tone. Once again, the tears started to flow from Rinoa, who believed she could have heard the last words her lover would ever say to her. She replayed the message, again and again, but not finding it any easier to listen to.
Squall didn't remember much of the trip from Balamb Garden to the Ragnarok- his mind was elsewhere. In fact, he was much like Squall of old, answering any queries with a "whatever" or his personal favourite, nothing at all. However, he was in command, and when they arrived at their destination after a bumpy ride (due to all the escaped monsters that had yet to be recaptured), he immediately took command, even if he was still somewhat less than talkative.
"OK, everyone, get aboard," he half-heartedly said. "Nida, once you get up to the bridge, take us to FH." Nida nodded as the all embarked. Irvine, however, had more t say.
"Man," he said to Squall, "I think we need a little chat." Irvine, being the only other member of the "gang" in on the Rinoa situation, felt obliged to help out in any way possible. Knowing Squall as he did, however, he was sure it wasn't going to be easy.
"I'm not in the mood," Squall said quietly, avoiding Irvine's gaze and confirming his suspicions.
"We're gonna talk," Irvine said, verbally putting his foot down.
"Which one of us is in charge here?" Squall immediately shot back. Irvine, however, had been expecting this.
"I'm not sure," he retorted, "'cause you sure as hell aren't acting like a leader right now." Squall hung his head even further- I walked into that one, he thought to himself.
"Observation lounge," he said to Irvine. Once they were seated and the Ragnarok was safely airborne, Irvine began.
"It's all well and good thinking about her," he said, trying not to sound too preachy, "but right now, man, you've got other things to worry about." Squall nodded.
"I can't help it," Squall replied, "sometimes I just don't feel like talking much."
"Well let me tell ya something," Irvine continued, "I'm not the only one who's noticed. They haven't said anything, but Sefie and Quis were definitely looking confused by your mood."
"They've seen me like this before," Squall retorted, "It'll be no big deal."
"I wouldn't count on it," the cowboy continued, swinging his legs up on the chair in front of his, "they can be pretty perceptive. Rinoa will still be there when you get back. It's no use getting worried about it."
Squall nodded, and was about to reply, when Selphie entered the room. Immediately she went over to Irvine and kicked his legs off the chair.
"Hey!" She started, jokily, "Someone'll have to sit there, you know!" Irvine simply grinned at her.
"What?" He asked, cheekily. Selphie simply laughed and went over to where Squall sat.
"Squall?" She asked. Squall took a deep breath, and then acted on what Irvine had said. Damn, Squall thought, I'm taking a lot of his help lately.
"Yeah, Selphie," Squall started, back to his less sulky self. "What can I do for you?"
"We're nearly at FH," she said, as business-like as she could manage, "do you want us to junction now?"
"Yeah," Squall nodded. They'd brought along a selection of GF's and high-level magic for the inevitable fight against Seifer, but had opted not to junction them until the very last minute, still wanting to cling on to as many memories of the past as they can. "Let's go up to the bridge," he said. Irvine got up as well, and they made their way to the bridge. When they arrived, they sorted out who junctioned what. Squall selected Eden and Ifrit and opted for attacking magic, while Selphie chose Alexander, Shiva and healing magic. Quistis junctioned Diablos, Siren and was elected item bearer, while Irvine simply junctioned Bahamut and Doomtrain, and was given all the spare magic, the consensus being he could fill in if anyone was taken down. Once they'd all settled on their junction, Squall ordered Nida to land in FH, and they all disembarked, looking for Fujin and Raijin, the somewhat peculiar former cronies of the man they were really after. They did not have to look far for them.
"IDIOT!" The familiar voice of Fujin resounded across the bay, where she was standing at the end of a pier over a prostrate Raijin, and, unsurprisingly, was kicking him at the same time.
"Oh come on," Raijin's equally familiar voiced whined as he tried to retrieve something from the water, "it was over 8 feet long, ya know?" Suddenly, Raijin's arms were no longer in the water, as Fujin had hauled him up onto his feet.
"What now?" He demanded, drying his arms.
"COMPANY," Fujin said, simply. Raijin turned his head to look at whatever it was had grabbed Fujin's attention, and immediately saw it- a group of people he recognised very well. They've got some nerve, he thought to himself.