At breakfast that morning, they made the announcement. Everyone was excited for them, wanting to know when the wedding was going to be, only to be told it won't be for a few months (to allow Squall's leg time to heal). No one was really disappointed- it gave them all (particularly Selphie, who had appointed herself wedding planner almost immediately) more time to plan the big day.
The next few days at the beach proved to be a perfect holiday for the six of them- forgetting their worries, forgetting their wounds, forgetting Seifer. None of them wanted to go home, but when Nida came in the Ragnarok to pick them up, they knew that duty called. After they'd dropped Zell, Selphie, Irvine and Quistis off at the Garden, however, Squall ordered Nida to head to Esthar.
"Why are we heading to Esthar?" A healthily tanned Rinoa asked. Squall had his business face on, which worried Rinoa slightly.
"There's something I have to do, Angel," he replied.
"What?" She asked, speaking softly. Squall turned and faced Rinoa, smiling.
"Formally introduce my father to my fiancée," he answered. Rinoa smiled- although she'd met Laguna before, it would be the first time she'd met him with him as Squall's father, and her as Squall's romantic interest.
Squall, however, had an ulterior motive- unlike the others, he hadn't been able to push Seifer further than the back of his mind, where he always lingered, like a bad smell. He had recalled, over and over again, Seifer telling him he was going to assassinate Laguna- and Squall had no intention of letting him.
The Ragnarok landed at Esthar air station for what must have been the umpteenth time in the past few days, and after waving goodbye to Nida, Squall and Rinoa were greeted by the familiar faces of Ward and Kiros.
"Squall!" Kiros said, enthusiastically. "It's good to see you again." He reached up to shake Squall's hand, only to see his cast. He then noted his crutches. Ward leaned in towards the group.
"Ward says," Kiros started, "what the hell happened to you? And frankly, I'd like to know too."
"Long story," Squall said. "I'll tell you once we're on the shuttle car." They boarded, and Squall related the story of his torture at the hands of Seifer (a censored version, seeing as Rinoa was also there). He then told Ward and Kiros of his ulterior motive.
"During the torture," Squall started, "Seifer told me he was planning on assassinating Laguna." Kiros cut him off before he could go on.
"It won't happen," Kiros stated. "We won't let him within 100 miles of Laguna."
"See that you don't," Squall said, "he's a very dangerous man." Before too long, the shuttle car arrived at the presidential palace, and the four of them disembarked, entering the palace. Ward and Kiros escorted the newly engaged couple up to Laguna's door, before waiting outside.
"Go on in," Kiros said, opening the door for them. Squall and Rinoa entered. Laguna was standing at the window, his back to the door. He turned round to face his son.
"Squall!" He shouted, waking over and putting his hands on Squall's shoulders. "I see you've been in the wars a little bit," he said, with a grin on his face.
"Hello," Squall started, "...father." Laguna grinned even further- he'd worried that Squall might disown him. Usually, it was fathers that disowned their offspring, but Laguna's luck had never been all that good.
"What brings you back to Esthar?" Laguna asked, barely noticing Rinoa, who stepped up to Squall's side and hooked her arm around his.
"Father," Squall started, before Laguna cut him off with a wave.
"Call me 'Dad'", he said. Squall sighed, and then smiled.
"Dad," Squall said with a slight grin, "I believe you've met Rinoa Heartilly, during the Ultimecia incident?"
"Ah, yes," Laguna said with a cheeky grin on his face. "Is she your bit on the side, son?" Squall's face adopted a cheeky grin of it's own.
"Kind of," he answered. "She's my fiancée." Laguna's jaw dropped.
"Your fi-" he said, not quite believing what he'd heard. Squall and Rinoa exchanged smiles, and nodded. "Wo-ow!" Laguna shouted, hugging both of them. "That's incredible! Well done! When's the wedding going to be?" Rinoa decided she'd kept quiet long enough, and answered for the both of them.
"Not until Squall's better," she answered, before pausing. "We were thinking..." she paused, not knowing how to finish the sentence.
"What?" Laguna asked. Squall finished Rinoa's sentence for her.
"We were thinking of having the wedding at Winhill, if that's alright with you. The same place you and, uh, mum got married." Laguna smiled, fighting back tears.
"That'd be perfect," he answered.
"Will you be coming?" Rinoa asked. Laguna laughed.
"Are you kidding?" He asked, rhetorically. "Wild chocobos couldn't keep me away! Hell, I'll even make the sandwiches if you want!"
"Thanks," Squall asked, "it'd mean a lot to us." Laguna waved, dismissively.
"Least I could do," he said. "I wasn't there for the first years of your life. I wanted to be, but fate kept us apart. I'll be damned if anything keeps me from watching my boy get married." Squall and Rinoa both smiled- it was turning into a fairytale, and they didn't want it to end.
"Well," Squall said, hesitantly, "I have to be back at the Garden pretty soon. You know how things get."
"Sure do," Laguna said. He walked up to the young couple and shook their hands. "It's been nice seeing you. Be sure to call me."
"To tell you when the wedding is?" Squall asked. Laguna shook his head.
"Just to talk," he answered. "It'd be nice to hear from you once in a while." Squall nodded.
"OK," he said. "I'll call. See you soon, Dad." Laguna and his son shared a brief familial hug.
"Goodbye," Rinoa started, "soon-to-be Dad!" Laguna smiled, and winked at Rinoa, who smiled and blushed.
"Goodbye," he said, "soon-to-be daughter!" He waved at the two of them as, arm in arm, they backed out of the office. With a smile on his face, Laguna sat down in his chair. I've got a good feeling about those two, he thought to himself. He swung his legs up on the desk, and watched in horror as he tipped the chair backwards and fell over with an unceremonious thump. Ward and Kiros immediately rushed in to see what was happening, but upon seeing Laguna on the floor, simply creased up laughing.
"Guys!" Laguna shouted from the floor. "This is not funny! Aren't you gonna help me up?"
The next few days at the beach proved to be a perfect holiday for the six of them- forgetting their worries, forgetting their wounds, forgetting Seifer. None of them wanted to go home, but when Nida came in the Ragnarok to pick them up, they knew that duty called. After they'd dropped Zell, Selphie, Irvine and Quistis off at the Garden, however, Squall ordered Nida to head to Esthar.
"Why are we heading to Esthar?" A healthily tanned Rinoa asked. Squall had his business face on, which worried Rinoa slightly.
"There's something I have to do, Angel," he replied.
"What?" She asked, speaking softly. Squall turned and faced Rinoa, smiling.
"Formally introduce my father to my fiancée," he answered. Rinoa smiled- although she'd met Laguna before, it would be the first time she'd met him with him as Squall's father, and her as Squall's romantic interest.
Squall, however, had an ulterior motive- unlike the others, he hadn't been able to push Seifer further than the back of his mind, where he always lingered, like a bad smell. He had recalled, over and over again, Seifer telling him he was going to assassinate Laguna- and Squall had no intention of letting him.
The Ragnarok landed at Esthar air station for what must have been the umpteenth time in the past few days, and after waving goodbye to Nida, Squall and Rinoa were greeted by the familiar faces of Ward and Kiros.
"Squall!" Kiros said, enthusiastically. "It's good to see you again." He reached up to shake Squall's hand, only to see his cast. He then noted his crutches. Ward leaned in towards the group.
"Ward says," Kiros started, "what the hell happened to you? And frankly, I'd like to know too."
"Long story," Squall said. "I'll tell you once we're on the shuttle car." They boarded, and Squall related the story of his torture at the hands of Seifer (a censored version, seeing as Rinoa was also there). He then told Ward and Kiros of his ulterior motive.
"During the torture," Squall started, "Seifer told me he was planning on assassinating Laguna." Kiros cut him off before he could go on.
"It won't happen," Kiros stated. "We won't let him within 100 miles of Laguna."
"See that you don't," Squall said, "he's a very dangerous man." Before too long, the shuttle car arrived at the presidential palace, and the four of them disembarked, entering the palace. Ward and Kiros escorted the newly engaged couple up to Laguna's door, before waiting outside.
"Go on in," Kiros said, opening the door for them. Squall and Rinoa entered. Laguna was standing at the window, his back to the door. He turned round to face his son.
"Squall!" He shouted, waking over and putting his hands on Squall's shoulders. "I see you've been in the wars a little bit," he said, with a grin on his face.
"Hello," Squall started, "...father." Laguna grinned even further- he'd worried that Squall might disown him. Usually, it was fathers that disowned their offspring, but Laguna's luck had never been all that good.
"What brings you back to Esthar?" Laguna asked, barely noticing Rinoa, who stepped up to Squall's side and hooked her arm around his.
"Father," Squall started, before Laguna cut him off with a wave.
"Call me 'Dad'", he said. Squall sighed, and then smiled.
"Dad," Squall said with a slight grin, "I believe you've met Rinoa Heartilly, during the Ultimecia incident?"
"Ah, yes," Laguna said with a cheeky grin on his face. "Is she your bit on the side, son?" Squall's face adopted a cheeky grin of it's own.
"Kind of," he answered. "She's my fiancée." Laguna's jaw dropped.
"Your fi-" he said, not quite believing what he'd heard. Squall and Rinoa exchanged smiles, and nodded. "Wo-ow!" Laguna shouted, hugging both of them. "That's incredible! Well done! When's the wedding going to be?" Rinoa decided she'd kept quiet long enough, and answered for the both of them.
"Not until Squall's better," she answered, before pausing. "We were thinking..." she paused, not knowing how to finish the sentence.
"What?" Laguna asked. Squall finished Rinoa's sentence for her.
"We were thinking of having the wedding at Winhill, if that's alright with you. The same place you and, uh, mum got married." Laguna smiled, fighting back tears.
"That'd be perfect," he answered.
"Will you be coming?" Rinoa asked. Laguna laughed.
"Are you kidding?" He asked, rhetorically. "Wild chocobos couldn't keep me away! Hell, I'll even make the sandwiches if you want!"
"Thanks," Squall asked, "it'd mean a lot to us." Laguna waved, dismissively.
"Least I could do," he said. "I wasn't there for the first years of your life. I wanted to be, but fate kept us apart. I'll be damned if anything keeps me from watching my boy get married." Squall and Rinoa both smiled- it was turning into a fairytale, and they didn't want it to end.
"Well," Squall said, hesitantly, "I have to be back at the Garden pretty soon. You know how things get."
"Sure do," Laguna said. He walked up to the young couple and shook their hands. "It's been nice seeing you. Be sure to call me."
"To tell you when the wedding is?" Squall asked. Laguna shook his head.
"Just to talk," he answered. "It'd be nice to hear from you once in a while." Squall nodded.
"OK," he said. "I'll call. See you soon, Dad." Laguna and his son shared a brief familial hug.
"Goodbye," Rinoa started, "soon-to-be Dad!" Laguna smiled, and winked at Rinoa, who smiled and blushed.
"Goodbye," he said, "soon-to-be daughter!" He waved at the two of them as, arm in arm, they backed out of the office. With a smile on his face, Laguna sat down in his chair. I've got a good feeling about those two, he thought to himself. He swung his legs up on the desk, and watched in horror as he tipped the chair backwards and fell over with an unceremonious thump. Ward and Kiros immediately rushed in to see what was happening, but upon seeing Laguna on the floor, simply creased up laughing.
"Guys!" Laguna shouted from the floor. "This is not funny! Aren't you gonna help me up?"