Four days later, Squall and Rinoa departed Balamb station at night for the overnight journey to Deling City. Squall was glad for a break- as if planning his wedding wasn't enough, Selphie had insisted on planning hers and Irvine's at the exact same time and including Squall at every step along the way. Irvine had selected Squall to be his best man (even though Squall hasn't returned the favour, instead opting for Zell), and between running the Garden, arranging two separate weddings, rehabilitating his leg and maintaining a relationship with his father, Squall was exhausted. It was true that he rarely needed more than five hours' sleep a night, but every night when he went to bed, he made sure to get his money's worth. This increased need for rest annoyed Rinoa (and her libido) somewhat, so Squall had opted for an overnight train- that way, even with Rinoa's, well, appetite, he would still get at least 6 hours' sleep.
"Squall..." Rinoa's soft, kitten-like voice came from beside him. Oh man, Squall thought, I thought she'd finally fallen asleep… he could feel her hands start to slowly caress his shoulders. It was 3:30, and they would arrive in less than five hours. Squall decided to chicken out, and pretended to be asleep. He faked an unconvincing snore. Rinoa simply smiled, and reached in front of Squall, pinching his nose.
"Hey!" Squall said, involuntarily. "I'm trying to sleep!"
"Just one more," Rinoa said, almost pleading him. While he may have enjoyed, erm, having Rinoa's company, Squall was really tired and wasn't really, well, up to it.
"Angel," he started, wearily, "I'm really, really tired. We've already done it four times tonight."
"I know," Rinoa said, "but just one more, please?" She put an emphasis on the word 'please' that Squall found it impossible to resist her. He sighed, then rolled over, put his arms around her, and started to kiss her...
Ten minutes later, and Rinoa was lightly dozing, a definite smile on her face. Squall, on the other hand, was out like a light, and was dreaming.
Squall stood in the grassy field, once again bereft of all scars.
"Mum? Dad?" He intuitively shouted out. He turned round, only to see Laguna there, bloodied and beaten.
"Dad!" Squall shouted, rushing to where his stricken father was crouching.
"I-I'm sorry, son," Laguna said, obviously dying, "I-I couldn't protect her... forgive me..." Squall looked down, tears filling his eyes, as his father died in his arms.
"DAAAAAADDD!!!" Squall shouted, grief-stricken. "NNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!" Squall woke up in a panic, sitting bolt upright, drenched in sweat. This fact had not gone unnoticed by Rinoa.
"Squall," she said, lying him back down on the bed, "what's up? Was it a nightmare?" Squall wiped the sweat from his face with the bed sheet.
"Obviously," he replied. "I need access to a phone."
"We're almost at Deling City station," Rinoa responded. "What happened in your dream?" Squall shuddered, before answering.
"My father died," he responded, quietly. Rinoa took his head in her hands and looked him in the eye.
"It was all a dream, Squall," she said, sternly, "when you ring Laguna at the station, you'll see that it was nothing to get so worried about." Squall nodded. They arrived at the station about forty minutes later, during which time Squall and Rinoa had got dressed and ready to depart. Squall immediately rushed over to the nearest payphone, and dialled Laguna's private line. The phone rang for five rings, Squall getting more anxious with each passing ring, before eventually, it was answered.
"Hello?" Squall heard the familiar voice of his father say.
"Dad?" Squall asked.
"Squall!" Laguna shouted enthusiastically, over the phone. A little too enthusiastically, it turns out, as Squall held the receiver away from his ear for a little while.
"Oops," Laguna said of his little outburst, "sorry, son."
"That's OK," Squall replied.
"So," Laguna said, "why'd you ring me? You don't normally call at this hour."
"I just wanted to see whether you were alright or not," Squall replied.
"Of course I am," Laguna replied, "why wouldn't I be?" Squall shook his head- of course he was going to be alright, he thought, it was just a silly dream.
"No reason," he said, "I just had a bad dream, that's all." He could hear Laguna laughing on the other end of the phone, and Squall felt his cheeks go slightly red.
"Squall," Laguna guffawed, "you can't ring me every time you have a nightmare! Although, I admit, it is nice to hear from you."
"OK," Squall conceded, "I know. It was just a bit disturbing, that's all. Anyway, I've got things to do, I just wanted to ring and say hi."
"I understand," Laguna said. "Ring me again soon!"
"Will do. Bye."
"Bye, son." Squall hung up the receiver, and walked back over to where his fiancée was waiting for him.
"Well?" Rinoa asked. Squall simply shrugged.
"You were right," he started, "he's fine." Squall acted as if he was convinced, but deep inside, he still felt as if something was wrong...
The meeting with General Caraway went better than either Squall or Rinoa could have expected. It turned out that he followed the news, and had been in contact with Cid for a while regarding the deployment of SeeDs in Galbaldia (something that Squall, as Garden commander, should have been aware of, but Caraway had been insistent about talking to Cid and Cid alone). He was thus aware of Squall's rise to glory, the fact that Rinoa was a lapsed sorceress, and their relationship. This revelation came as a surprise to Rinoa, and they spent over an hour and a half discussing the wedding, General Caraway's invitation, and even his agreeing to walk Rinoa down the aisle. All in all, the meeting went well for Rinoa and her father, proving, at least in Rinoa's mind, that time does indeed heal all wounds. Squall, on the other hand, remained even more silent than usual during the meeting, barely taking anything in, and often having to be prompted by Rinoa whenever General Caraway asked him a question. Fortunately, Squall managed to bluff his way through the meeting well enough (he'd had plenty of practice sessions during interminable Garden meetings with Cid, Xu and Quistis), but when they left, he was still mentally elsewhere. He and Rinoa were walking hand-in-hand down the main street of Deling City, towards the train station, when Squall suddenly became aware of Rinoa talking to him.
"Squall..." Rinoa's soft, kitten-like voice came from beside him. Oh man, Squall thought, I thought she'd finally fallen asleep… he could feel her hands start to slowly caress his shoulders. It was 3:30, and they would arrive in less than five hours. Squall decided to chicken out, and pretended to be asleep. He faked an unconvincing snore. Rinoa simply smiled, and reached in front of Squall, pinching his nose.
"Hey!" Squall said, involuntarily. "I'm trying to sleep!"
"Just one more," Rinoa said, almost pleading him. While he may have enjoyed, erm, having Rinoa's company, Squall was really tired and wasn't really, well, up to it.
"Angel," he started, wearily, "I'm really, really tired. We've already done it four times tonight."
"I know," Rinoa said, "but just one more, please?" She put an emphasis on the word 'please' that Squall found it impossible to resist her. He sighed, then rolled over, put his arms around her, and started to kiss her...
Ten minutes later, and Rinoa was lightly dozing, a definite smile on her face. Squall, on the other hand, was out like a light, and was dreaming.
Squall stood in the grassy field, once again bereft of all scars.
"Mum? Dad?" He intuitively shouted out. He turned round, only to see Laguna there, bloodied and beaten.
"Dad!" Squall shouted, rushing to where his stricken father was crouching.
"I-I'm sorry, son," Laguna said, obviously dying, "I-I couldn't protect her... forgive me..." Squall looked down, tears filling his eyes, as his father died in his arms.
"DAAAAAADDD!!!" Squall shouted, grief-stricken. "NNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!" Squall woke up in a panic, sitting bolt upright, drenched in sweat. This fact had not gone unnoticed by Rinoa.
"Squall," she said, lying him back down on the bed, "what's up? Was it a nightmare?" Squall wiped the sweat from his face with the bed sheet.
"Obviously," he replied. "I need access to a phone."
"We're almost at Deling City station," Rinoa responded. "What happened in your dream?" Squall shuddered, before answering.
"My father died," he responded, quietly. Rinoa took his head in her hands and looked him in the eye.
"It was all a dream, Squall," she said, sternly, "when you ring Laguna at the station, you'll see that it was nothing to get so worried about." Squall nodded. They arrived at the station about forty minutes later, during which time Squall and Rinoa had got dressed and ready to depart. Squall immediately rushed over to the nearest payphone, and dialled Laguna's private line. The phone rang for five rings, Squall getting more anxious with each passing ring, before eventually, it was answered.
"Hello?" Squall heard the familiar voice of his father say.
"Dad?" Squall asked.
"Squall!" Laguna shouted enthusiastically, over the phone. A little too enthusiastically, it turns out, as Squall held the receiver away from his ear for a little while.
"Oops," Laguna said of his little outburst, "sorry, son."
"That's OK," Squall replied.
"So," Laguna said, "why'd you ring me? You don't normally call at this hour."
"I just wanted to see whether you were alright or not," Squall replied.
"Of course I am," Laguna replied, "why wouldn't I be?" Squall shook his head- of course he was going to be alright, he thought, it was just a silly dream.
"No reason," he said, "I just had a bad dream, that's all." He could hear Laguna laughing on the other end of the phone, and Squall felt his cheeks go slightly red.
"Squall," Laguna guffawed, "you can't ring me every time you have a nightmare! Although, I admit, it is nice to hear from you."
"OK," Squall conceded, "I know. It was just a bit disturbing, that's all. Anyway, I've got things to do, I just wanted to ring and say hi."
"I understand," Laguna said. "Ring me again soon!"
"Will do. Bye."
"Bye, son." Squall hung up the receiver, and walked back over to where his fiancée was waiting for him.
"Well?" Rinoa asked. Squall simply shrugged.
"You were right," he started, "he's fine." Squall acted as if he was convinced, but deep inside, he still felt as if something was wrong...
The meeting with General Caraway went better than either Squall or Rinoa could have expected. It turned out that he followed the news, and had been in contact with Cid for a while regarding the deployment of SeeDs in Galbaldia (something that Squall, as Garden commander, should have been aware of, but Caraway had been insistent about talking to Cid and Cid alone). He was thus aware of Squall's rise to glory, the fact that Rinoa was a lapsed sorceress, and their relationship. This revelation came as a surprise to Rinoa, and they spent over an hour and a half discussing the wedding, General Caraway's invitation, and even his agreeing to walk Rinoa down the aisle. All in all, the meeting went well for Rinoa and her father, proving, at least in Rinoa's mind, that time does indeed heal all wounds. Squall, on the other hand, remained even more silent than usual during the meeting, barely taking anything in, and often having to be prompted by Rinoa whenever General Caraway asked him a question. Fortunately, Squall managed to bluff his way through the meeting well enough (he'd had plenty of practice sessions during interminable Garden meetings with Cid, Xu and Quistis), but when they left, he was still mentally elsewhere. He and Rinoa were walking hand-in-hand down the main street of Deling City, towards the train station, when Squall suddenly became aware of Rinoa talking to him.