Chapter Three: The Wedding Binder
By PasifikStar
Author's Note: I'm...so...sleepy... Bare with me, I'm a quite tired. Sorry if nothing makes sense. Thanks for all the support so far, everyone. I really appreciate it!
* All Standard Disclaimers Apply: I do not own Final Fantasy or it's characters.
"It's only for a few months, Kiros," Laguna said on his cell phone as he sat in the quad reviewing Rinoa's 'Wedding Binder'. "Relax."
"Relax!?" Kiros yelled through the phone. Laguna winced and held it a few inches from his head. "Laguna, are you INSANE!?"
"No-"
"You're the PRESIDENT of ESTHAR!" Kiros shouted. "You can't just run off for several months!"
"But Kiros, Squall is finally letting me into his life!" Laguna explained. "This could be my chance to win my son back!"
"Laguna, Squall does NOT hate you. You do not NEED to win him back because there is nothing to win him back from!" Kiros snapped. "You have a country to run!"
"But-"
"Now, I KNOW you want to help Squall and Rinoa with their wedding. And I'm happy that they're letting you help out. But you can't spend several months away from Esthar! You have responsibilities here that need to be addressed!" Kiros continued.
Sadly, Laguna looked down at his feet. "I KNOW I have a country to run," Laguna said. "But I put aside my son once for that country. Now the country has to realize that I have to, no...want to help my son."
Kiros let out a heavy breath. Back in Esthar he rubbed his head tiredly. "I know the sacrifices you made to help these people, Laguna..." Kiros continued. "Perhaps you could get Ellone to cover-"
"Great idea, Kiros!" Laguna said, his face brightening up. "Ellone can take over running Esthar while I'm here helping Squall and Rinoa! You're brilliant!"
"Wait, that's not what I meant-"
"I'll call her later tonight to finalize it!" Laguna laughed joyfully. "Great idea, Kiros! I'll put you in the VIP list for the wedding! I'll talk to you later! Bye!" He pressed the call end button.
Kiros held the phone up to his ear as the beeping sounds, meaning that the phone call had ended, echoed in his ear. He narrowed his eyes and ran his hand down his face. "It's going to be a long couple of months..."
Meanwhile, Laguna slipped his phone back into his breast pocket of his shirt and smiled. *Hehehe... now that that's taken care...* he turned back to the binder. "Color samples..." Rinoa wanted baby blue and silver. According to the schedule she had planned, Fujin was currently in town picking up samples for the napkins, decorations, and table set up.
That's when he heard her. "Quisty, where are you!?" Selphie piped. Laguna looked up and saw the petite brunette walking through the hall with Irvine carrying a large, heavy box behind her. "They're IN!"
There was a pause and it seemed that Selphie was listening to what Quistis had to say. "Tell her to hurry! These books are heavy and I want to read mine already!" Irvine said as they headed towards the library.
"Irvy says hurry!" Selphie said. "Of course, we'll save you a book! Everyone's put in their order and we'll take those all out before starting to sell them."
Laguna tilted his head to the side, curiosity getting the best of him. He looked around and noticed that no one else was in the quad. Classes were over for the week, therefore the Garden was practically vacant. He thought for a moment as he watched Selphie and Irvine disappear into the Garden's interior.
Then it hit him. Rinoa's books were supposed to come out today. There had been signs in the library promoting the sale of the eighth installment of her Gothic Crystal series. His eyes went wide. *They're carrying in Heart of Glass!* his mind screamed. Without another thought, he shot out from the picnic table under the tree where he had been sitting.
"Is that it?" Shizuka said as she checked off the last of the pre-ordered books. Selphie nodded. "How many do we have left?"
"Just two hundred copies," Selphie said. "Maybe we should've ordered more?"
"We can always order more," Shizuka replied. She put her clip board down and helped Selphie dragged the box of books close to the counter. Selphie looked at Shizuka and Shizuka nodded. They turned to Irvine, who was holding the library doors closed. "All right! Let them in!"
Irvine nodded and took a deep breath. He held on to the handles and pulled them open quickly, stepping aside as he did so. A stampede of people rushed in, all wanting to buy Rinoa's book.
Immediately, Selphie and Zell's girlfriend began to accept the cash. Quistis entered and sighed. The sight of long lines waiting for Rinoa's book to come out had been something she had grown accustomed to after the production of My Knight. It seemed that the play sky rocketed Rinoa's writing and got the whole Garden grossly addicted.
"Quistis!" Selphie shouted from the counter. "Can you help with the line!?"
"All right!" Quistis replied. She quickly headed behind the counter and raised her hand. "I can help the next customer! Please form another line here!"
A herd of people rushed over to her line and she began to ring them up. Laguna walked into the library and his eyes went wide. *Wow...this is more than I expected...* He took one step and someone let out a groan. He looked down. "Irvine!?"
"Little help?" the cowboy asked as he laid face down on the ground, his back having been trampled over. Laguna reached down and helped him up. "Ugh...where's my hat...?" He looked around saw it laying against the wall, unharmed. He let out a relieved sigh and went to pick it up.
"Is this all for Rinoa's books?" Laguna asked. Irvine nodded.
"Yeah," Irvine nodded. "I just started pre-ordering them to avoid the crowds."
"How many are left?" Laguna asked.
"About two hundred copies..." Irvine mumbled. "So half of these people won't get it. But don't tell them or-"
Laguna's eyes went wide. "No!" he screamed as he ran into the crowds. "There's only enough for half of us!?" he shouted.
Immediately, the crowd of people let out a horrified yell and began to push their way to the front, demanding to buy a book. Irvine sighed and ran his hand down his face. "Or else you'll cause a riot..."
Squall sat at his desk, his face hidden by a mountain of completed files. He finally unlocked his drawer and took out a hard cover book. He smiled to himself, pleased that he had been able to hold some self restraint and finish his work before getting carried away with the book. Now, he could read Rinoa's new book without the guilt of not having finished his work.
He opened it up and read the dedication.
'To my beloved Leon.
I love you more than words can say.
Forever Yours, Noa'
He chuckled and felt his cheeks grow slightly warmer. He moved over that page and began with chapter one. *'Cold wind blew over the city, making the towering sky scrapers sway ever so slightly in the night. Cold, crystal blue eyes remained locked on to warm, rich brown ones as locks of brown hair fell over them. Noa felt the tears rim her eyes as she stared up at Leon. "I did what you asked...so answer my question," she took a deep breath as she tried to steady her shaking voice. "Why the hell are you watching over me?"'*
RING! Squall's eyes went wide as the phone rang once more. He glared daggers at the black machine on his desk and listened to it ring twice more. Finally, he snapped the book closed and reached over. His hand gripped the phone tightly. "HELLO." his voice demanded.
"Squall! We have a problem in the library!" Selphie's voice was frantic as she looked over her shoulder. Irvine, Quistis, Shizuka, and now even Zell were all trying to calm the demanding crowd down. "We don't have enough books and everyone's going insane trying to get one! We're close to a riot down here!"
"What?" Squall asked, his eyes narrowed. "Hyne...I'll send down some SeeDs-"
"That won't work, Squall!" Selphie piped nervously. "Some of the SeeDs are here as well!"
The young captain looked down at the book and frowned. He'd have to read it later. "I'll be right there." Grumbling he hung up the phone. He stood up and grabbed his gunblade from where it was resting against the wall.
He opened his door and marched out. Back in the library, Selphie stood up on the counter. "Attention everyone!" she shouted. "Please try to remain calm and line up in an orderly fashion! We are sad to say that not everyone will get a book-"
"BOO!!" people began to shout and Selphie let out a yelp as someone threw a book at her head. Her eyes went wide as she ducked and lost her balance.
"Whoa!" Her arms flailed at her sides as she fell backwards, into Irvine's awaiting arms. "Thanks!" she beamed him a grateful smile as he held her up.
"No problem," Irvine said as he put her down. "Nice effort, Selphie, but I don't think that'll calm them down."
"Did you call Squall?" Zell called as he gave someone a book and took that person's money.
"Yes! He's probably coming down right now!" Selphie said. Just as she said that, the doors flew open with a loud bang and everyone turned. Squall stood there and raised his gun blade in the air. Loaded with blanks, he shot off three rounds, sending everyone screaming and rushing to hide.
"Talk about an entrance..." Irvine mumbled. The others nodded numbly.
"All right!" Squall shouted, full of authority and anger. "You will form three lines to buy the remaining books. Once it is sold out, another shipment will come in...?" He looked over at people behind the counter.
"Oh!" Shizuka piped, figuring it was her cue. "A week!"
"A week!" Squall continued. "If you do not get a copy today, you will get one in a week! And you will remain in an orderly fashion. If you are a cadet and disturb the sales once more, you will be put on Garden lock down for a week. If you are a SeeD, two weeks probation. Understand?"
"Yes, Captain Leonhart..." a series of mumbles began. Squall narrowed his eyes and watched as everyone slowly got back in line. Some people left, realizing that they wouldn't get the book that day. Squall didn't notice Laguna sneak out with them.
Squall stood at the door way, watching everyone carefully as the books were sold. In fifteen minutes, the last of the books were sold and dozens of people left empty handed. "Thanks, Squall!" Selphie said as she stumbled out from behind the counter, holding her pre-ordered copy of the book.
"Who started this?" Squall demanded.
"Uh..." Irvine looked around, but found that the older man who had run screaming into a crowd was no longer there. "You really want to know?"
"I had just finished a mountain of paper work and thought I was done for the day when I get a call saying we were on the verge of a riot in the library," Squall snapped. "WHO started this!?"
"You father."
Laguna walked out into the hall way and headed back to the quad. *I knew I should've had one pre-ordered...* he scolded himself. *I bet the library copy is probably checked out, too...*
Quietly, he walked down the stairs, a forlorn look on his face. He headed back to his picnic table and lifted his head. His heart stopped. The binder with all of Rinoa's plans was missing. He scrambled over to the table and began to look around the area as his mind screamed that it wasn't really happening.
He checked under the table, the bench, in and around the surrounding shrubs, but could not find the binder. He fell back on the bench, looking more distressed then ever. If Rinoa found out...
"Hi, dad!"
Laguna suddenly felt cold all over as the all too familiar voice reached his ears. Slowly he turned his head around and saw a pretty smiling face walking towards him. Rinoa waved and he slowly lifted his hand and waved back. "H...h...hi..."
As she reached him, she began to frown and gave him a worried look. "You don't look so good, dad..." she mumbled. "Are you sure you're all right?"
"Yeah! Yeah! I'm just...just reading up on your wedding planning!" Laguna said, giving her a brilliant smile.
Rinoa smiled, pleased. "That's great! Where is my binder?" she asked casually. She looked past him, over at the table to see if it was there.
Laguna felt like brick just hit his head. *Oh yeah...VERY smart, Loire...* he heard himself think. "Uh..." he stammered. "Back in my room!" he piped. "I just came out for a walk."
"Oh, I know what you're saying," Rinoa agreed. "It is stressful, isn't it?" she said. "Well, I know you're a big fan of my books and stuff, dad, so I brought you a present!"
"A pre...present?" Laguna stammered. He suddenly felt as if there were an arrow pointing at him that said 'World's Worst Father-In-Law'.
"It just came in today," she told him brightly. She brought her hands out from behind her back and revealed a copy of her newest book. Laguna's eyes lit up with joy and she laughed. "I hope you enjoy it!"
"Enjoy it?" Laguna gasped. "I already am and I haven't even started yet!" he said sheepishly. He took the book from her hands and opened it up. He read the dedication and gave a little laugh. "For Squall?"
"Of course," Rinoa smiled with a slight blush on her face. "Well, I'll let you get some rest. Oh, and later tonight I wanted to go over the binder again. So can you bring it up to my room when you're done with it?"
"Sure!" Laguna said, smiling broadly the entire time. Rinoa nodded and waved as she turned around and left.
As soon as she was out of sight, Laguna's smile dropped and he let out a loud groan. He had NO idea where the binder was and if Rinoa found out, he'd surely be on Squall's bad side. He took a deep breath and looked at the book. He had no time to read it now, he had to find the binder. Shoving the paper back into his back pocket with difficulty, he began his quest to find the binder.
"No, really, you do." a male voice insisted.
"Now, I think you're just saying it to get something in return..." a female voice replied. She had gone to meet her boyfriend at the front of the Garden after he went to pick up something in town.
Seifer shook his head and frowned. "Why do you always think that when I compliment you, it's always to get you in bed? When will you realize I don't NEED to compliment you to do that."
Quistis scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Because you're only nice when you get something out of it. Just come out and say it, Seifer. You think I'm 'as radiant as the sun' because you want...?" she trailed off, waiting for him to fill in the blank.
Seifer still had an annoyed smile on his face as they reached the front doors and pulled one open for her. Quistis walked through and he followed behind her. "Because it's true and I want you to know it."
"Uh-huh."
"Fine, you want to know what I get out of it?" He asked, his voice annoyed. Quistis crossed her arms and nodded. "I like to see you smile." he told her seriously. Quistis raised an eyebrow.
"No. Really."
"Ugh!" Seifer threw his arms in the air and continued to walk ahead of her. "Never mind!"
Quistis laughed and looked around. The hall way was empty. Grinning to herself, she began to run. Seifer could hear the footsteps behind him and turned around just in time to catch Quistis as she threw her arms around his neck. He smirked and kissed her swiftly on the lips before letting her down back on her feet.
"So what do you want to do this weekend?" Quistis asked slyly as Seifer took her hand in his. It was something they did when they were outside the Garden, however since the halls were vacant, it wouldn't hurt to show some sort of public display of affection. After all, everyone knew that they were an item.
"I don't know, what do you want to do?" Seifer asked casually. "I didn't know if you have any plans with Rinoa and the others about their wedding."
"Well, I do have to meet with her about the play..." Quistis said. She frowned and looked at him. "Come to think of it, so do you."
Seifer stopped and thought for a moment. "Oh yeah..." He smirked. "Well, that scene in act one kind of annoyed me. I mean...a few hundred gil for a night?" he scoffed. "I'm worth WAY more than that."
Quistis let out a heavy sigh. "For the hundredth time Seifer, you are NOT the male gigolo in the story."
"I swear, when she wrote it she had me in mind!" Seifer insisted. Quistis rolled her eyes. "Tall and handsome, self assured-"
"Oh yeah 'self assured'," Quistis snickered. "That's another way to say it."
"Are you saying I'm arrogant?"
"No, honey, of course not," Quistis replied. Seifer nodded. "I'm saying you are the cockiest bastard at the Garden."
"I love you, too..." Seifer mumbled rolling his eyes. Quistis laughed lightly and squeezed his hand.
"Oh! Quistis, Seifer!" a voice called behind them as they passed the quad. They turned and saw Laguna running towards them.
"Hello, sir-" Quistis began, but the middle aged man cut them off.
"Have you seen a blue binder anywhere?" Laguna gasped out nervously.
Seifer shrugged, but Quistis narrowed her eyes. "Do you mean RINOA's blue binder?" Laguna swallowed nervously. "Her WEDDING binder!?" Quistis gasped, her eyes widening. Laguna nodded weakly.
"Wedding binder?" Seifer asked. "What the hell are you talking about?" he asked, looking from his girlfriend to the father of his 'rival'.
Quistis shook her head and looked at Seifer. "Rinoa had her entire wedding planned in ONE binder. And President Loire just lost it."
"I didn't loose it!" Laguna stammered nervously. He looked down at his feet. "I left it outside and now it's gone."
"Oh yeah, that makes it SO much better!" Seifer snapped. Quistis smacked his arm.
"Seifer, now is not the time!"
"You're always saying that!" Seifer gasped, throwing his arms in the air. "When WILL it be time, Quistis?" he asked incredulously. Quistis rolled her eyes.
"We have to help him find that binder!" Quistis retorted. "Otherwise, Rinoa's stress will rise and she may end up in the infirmary again."
Seifer grumbled something under his breath but nodded. "Where'd you see it last?" he snapped.
"I left it on a picnic table in the quad," Laguna explained. "But when I came back from the library it was gone."
"That means ANYONE could've taken it!" Seifer exclaimed. "You've done it now, old man-"
"Seifer!" Quistis growled. "Let's just go find it!"
"Thank you!" Laguna said happily in relief.
"You look around the halls around the quad, Seifer and I will look through the quad itself. Ask around, but make sure that Rinoa doesn't find out!" Quistis told him. Laguna nodded and rushed off.
Seifer looked at Quistis. "Are we really going to help him...?" he asked, obviously displeased at Quistis' decision. Quistis nodded.
"You will if you ever want to 'practice in private' again." she said as she walked past him and headed for the quad.
Seifer kicked the floor. "Dammit...I can always use the practice, too..."
"Rin? What are you doing here?" Squall asked as his door slid open. He was laying on his back, his leather jacket hanging on the back of his chair. His boots were off as he laid there against his pillow, a book raised over his head. Finding out his father had started a near riot suddenly seemed to drain him of all energy and so he returned to his room to try and read.
Rinoa giggled and quickly walked to his head. "Move over!" she said cheerfully. Squall smiled slightly as he moved aside, just enough to give her a place to lay. She laid down next to him and cuddled against him. "I just missed you today."
"Oh really?" Squall asked as he kissed the top of her had. She laid her head against his shoulder as his arm went around her slim shoulders. "What have you been doing all day?"
"Writing book nine," she said with a grin. Squall raised an eyebrow and looked back at the book he was reading. "How do you like it so far?"
"I've only gotten up to chapter two," Squall sighed heavily. "Your book caused a near riot in the library."
"Oh no..." Rinoa frowned. "There weren't enough, were there?"
Squall shrugged. "I got mine." he said.
"So what do you think of it so far?" she asked cheerfully as his hand unconsciously stroked her hair.
"Great," he told her casually. "Leon's being cold."
"Of course, he's Leon," Rinoa giggled. "So...did you get to the part where he tells her why he's watching over her?"
Squall nodded slightly. "You made her leave him."
"Just finish the book," Rinoa said as she closed her eyes. "I'm going to take a nap."
Before he could reply, Rinoa had knocked out against his shoulder. He returned to the book eagerly.
*Noa whirled around and narrowed her eyes. She lifted her gun to a shadow against the brick walls.
"I distinctly remember telling you to stop following me." she said, her voice cold and bitter.
Low clicks sounded on the cement as a figure seemed to melt from the darkness. "And I distinctly remember telling you that I cannot." His voice vibrated through her body and she felt her knees begin to shake. She hated the effect the mere sound of his voice caused her.
"I'm a big girl, Leon," Noa whispered in a low voice. "I can take care of myself."
Her heart began to race as blue eyes, as clear as water, locked on to her brown ones. "Everyone needs someone to take care of me some time."
Her eyes narrowed as her finger pressed against the trigger. She knew full well that even if she fired, nothing would harm the psychic vampire. Not even a clip full of lead. "So whose going to take care of you?" she asked sweetly.
"I was hoping you would do me that honor."*
Squall turned the page as he imagined the two vampires locked in each other's gaze. Rinoa had quite an imagination. A very vivid one. He continued to read, not knowing that an hour was soon going to pass.
"Mmm...Squall...?" Rinoa whimpered quietly from where she was resting. He turned his head slightly and brushed some of her bangs from her face.
"Yeah?" he asked softly.
"I want to go away for a while..." she whispered tiredly. She lifted her head up to look at him.
Squall frowned. "Go away? Where?" Suddenly his heart stopped in his chest. *Oh Hyne...she wants to break it off...*
"Come with me to Deling City..." Rinoa said softly as she tugged on his white shirt. "Just for a week...please?"
Squall let out the breath he didn't even know he was holding in. "Ahh...well..." he looked away. "I have to clear it with Cid-"
"I'll ask Cid," Rinoa said. "He'll say yes. So you'll go?"
"As long as he lets me," Squall assured her. He paused slightly. "Why do you want to go?"
"There's something there that I need to get."
"AH!!" Selphie looked up as she watched a trash can fall over into the hall way. A pair of legs was hanging out. Her eyes went wide as she ran over.
"Hey! Hey, are you all right!?" she gasped loudly as she stopped the trash can from rolling down the hall.
A voice let out a tired grumble as a middle aged man in khaki pants crawled out. Selphie's eyes went wide as she realized it was Laguna who was covered with pieces of paper, gum, and a banana peel on his head. "Thanks for...ugh...stopping it..." Laguna said, still somewhat dazed.
"Sir Laguna, what are you doing!?" Selphie gasped as she helped the man stand up.
"I...I lost Rinoa's wedding binder." Laguna explained. Selphie's eyes went wide.
"You're joking!" she gasped. Laguna looked away, ashamed and Selphie let out a gasp as she covered her mouth. "Well, what happened!?"
"I left to go to the library and when I went back to the picnic table, it was gone!" Laguna explained.
"Oh no...!" Selphie gasped. "Rinoa's going to freak out! Once I lost a copy of the 'Gunslinger' budget and, I swear, she was glowing with anger! LITERALLY!"
Laguna cowered in fear as his face drained of all color. *If that's what she'd do with a COPY what'll happen if I told her that her entire binder was GONE!? Oh, Hyne! She'll HATE me!!!*
"We have to find it!" Selphie announced.
"Seifer and Quistis are also helping!" Laguna said. "I thought that someone might have found it and tossed it into a trash can, so I started to go through them all." he explained.
"Okay!" Selphie said. "I'll get Irvy, Zell, and Shizuka to help. You keep looking through trash!"
"Right!" Laguna agreed.
"And sir!" Selphie said as she ran off. "You might want to take the banana peel off your head!"
"Oh, Hyne...yes..." Squall let out a heavy sigh of pleasure, unable to contain himself as Rinoa's hands traveled up his length.
She giggled as her fingers rubbed against tense muscles. "Do you like it?" she asked, her voice somewhat raspy. Squall almost shivered as he nodded his head.
"I always do..." he murmured, pleased. She bent over and pressed her lips against his flesh, tasting the salty flavor against his skin. Squall closed his eyes.
"Your back is always so tense after work..." Rinoa said. "You need this little trip just as much as I do."
"But there is so much work..." Squall trailed off, not really paying attention to the conversation. Rinoa was sitting on her knees, next to him as he laid on his stomach, his head resting on a pillow. His shirt was removed and in a pile next to him as Rinoa rubbed his back.
"Should we stay at a hotel?" she asked him as her hands pressed against him. "Or should we stay at my father's?"
Squall winced. Most likely, he'd make Rinoa stay with him at the mansion while he would be sent off at some run down motel. Why? Because he was positive that General Caraway hated him and wanted him away from his precious little girl. "A hotel." he answered.
"Okay," Rinoa said. "I'll call ahead to tell him we're coming though. He might want to have dinner with us."
*You mean dinner with YOU,* Squall thought. "Your father hates me."
"No, he doesn't!" Rinoa insisted. "YOU are his future son in law. He HAS to love you."
"I'm not his son in law yet," Squall replied. "I don't think he'll ever even accept me."
"Squall, don't be so negative," Rinoa assured him as her hands moved up to his shoulders. "My father, if he doesn't like you now, will like you later. Or at least tolerate you."
"Rinoa, he doesn't even call me by my name," Squall said, his eyes closed. "He calls me 'you'."
Rinoa let out a tired sigh. "I admit, he is a bit over protective. But he's not going to stop the wedding or anything."
Squall's eyes opened. Suddenly he had the image of them at the altar. When the priest would ask the question "Is there anyone here who does not believe that Rinoa and Squall should be together, please speak now or forever hold your piece." her father would stand up proudly.
"I disapprove of my daughter marrying that man."
Squall groaned. "What?" Rinoa asked. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing..." Squall mumbled.
She let out a heavy sigh. "Sure..." she told him. Her hands left his back and she took a seat next to him on the bed. She gently stroked his head. "You're not still mad that he threatened you, are you?"
*Not mad, just worried...* he thought to himself. "He has the entire Galbadian army at his disposal. One word and I'm a dead man."
"He's not going to kill you," Rinoa sighed. "Honestly, you worry too much-" Suddenly, Rinoa's cell phone went off. She reached into her pocket and pulled it out. She glanced at the screen before opening the flip phone. "Hi, Fujin!"
"Samples arrived." Squall could hear the other woman say.
"Great! Are you here already?"
"In loft."
"Cool! I'll be right there! Thanks, Fujin!" Rinoa hung up the phone and leaned over to kiss Squall on the cheek. "I have to go. Fujin got the samples for the reception."
Squall nodded. "I'll see you later." She slipped out of his room and Squall rolled over on his back. He looked up at the ceiling and a thought suddenly occurred to him. If he and Rinoa were to go to Deling City...he wouldn't have to deal with HIS father.
Rinoa happily walked down the hall towards the library. She spotted Laguna walking around a corner quickly. "Dad!" she yelled as she raised her hand to wave.
Laguna looked up, his eyes wide as he let out a yelp and waved weakly. Before Rinoa could say any more, he ran down the hall and turned the corner. Rinoa raised an eyebrow, but shrugged it off. She continued to walk down the hall, passing one of the corridors. Laguna peeked out from his hiding place - crouched behind a trash can. He watched as she passed him and let out a breath of relief.
"Laguna!" a voice shouted.
"AH!" Laguna jumped and whirled around, suddenly wishing he had his machine gun. He even had his arms up in that position.
That was when he saw Quistis and Seifer running over to him. "We found a clue!" Quistis exclaimed. As they reached him, Laguna put his arms down. "There were some dog foot prints around the area. They seem fresh and we think that Angelo might have been there."
"So you think that Angelo might have taken the binder?" Laguna asked, slightly confused.
"Maybe." Quistis shrugged.
"Then we have to find that dog!"
Squall heard scratching at his door and grumbled. It was just one distraction after another, although Rinoa's was quite welcomed. He put his book down and rolled off his bed. He headed to the door and it slid open.
A dog was sitting there, a heavy binder laying at her feet. She seemed to have dragged it there. Squall knelt down and took the binder as the dog entered her 'daddy's' room. "Angelo?" Squall mumbled. He lifted up the binder and opened the pages. "This is Rin's wedding binder..."
"What do you MEAN you LOST Angelo!?" Seifer growled as he glared at Raijin.
"I don't know, ya know!" Raijin gasped. "Rinoa asked me to walk her around for a while so she could write, ya know. And the next thing I knew, Angelo was off her leash and running away, ya know!"
"Oh Hyne..." Quistis sighed. "This Garden his HUGE! There's no telling WHERE she could be!"
To their side, they heard thumping. Quistis' eyes went wide as Selphie let out a yelp. "Sir Laguna!" she gasped.
The middle aged man was facing a wall and letting his head bang into it in soft, even intervals. Irvine raised an eyebrow. *Oh man...no wonder Squall keeps saying it has to be a mistake...*
"Sir," Quistis began. "There's still hope!"
"We'll NEVER find Angelo..." Laguna mumbled weakly. "She's gone...without her, there's no binder. Without the binder, Rinoa will hate me. When Rinoa hates me, Squall will hate me even more."
"No one is going to hate anyone!" Selphie assured him. "We'll just go up to Nida and look over the security videos!"
"Good idea!" Quistis said. "I'm sure we can find out where she was through the security videos!"
She quickly turned to Irvine and Seifer, who were standing there dumbly. She glared at them. "RIGHT!" they chorused quickly.
"Hey, I'm sure we'll find Angelo in no time!" Irvine said with a broad smile. "No worries, right!"
Laguna nodded. He looked at his watch. Dinner was fast approaching and afterwards, he would have to return the binder to Rinoa. He swallowed nervously. *No worries...right...*
Squall walked down the hall way, the blue binder under one arm as he headed to the library. As he was about to cross another hall, a group ran past him, barely mumbling an apology as they dashed to the elevator. Squall shot them an annoyed glare.
"Stop running!" he snapped.
"Can't talk, Squall!" Selphie said as she tore down the hall to his right. They didn't even give him a second look as they were too busy running. They completely missed the binder at his side. "Busy!"
He frowned and shook his head. "Whatever..."
Turning, he continued his way to the library and stepped through the doors. Shizuka wasn't working and he assumed that she was out with Zell somewhere. Regardless, he walked up the stairs to the loft on the second floor where Rinoa was seated with Fujin, going over several bags of samples.
"Squall! Good, you came just in time!" Rinoa said as she lifted up two light blue napkins. They looked example the same to him. "Which one?"
He froze in his spot. *They look the same...* "Uh...the right one."
"That's what I thought!" Rinoa said. She turned back to Fujin. "Okay, Caribbean blue for the napkins."
*There's a Caribbean BLUE?* Squall asked himself. He shook his head and lifted the blue binder from under his arm. "Oh, Angelo brought this to my room. I think it's yours."
"Hm?" Rinoa looked back at him and her eyes landed on the binder. "Oh! It's my wedding binder! Thanks, Squall!"
He shrugged. "I think she dragged it up the stairs or something," he said. "There are bite marks on the covers." Rinoa lifted the binder and looked over the top of the binder. Sure enough, there were bite marks from her dog's mouth.
"She must've gotten it from dad," Rinoa said brightly, shrugging off the damage. At least the notes inside were safe. She put it on her lap. "Great, I can add the notes!" She turned to Fujin. "Can you hand me my copy?"
Fujin nodded and lifted up a white binder that was just as thick. Squall squinted his eyes slightly. "You have a copy?"
"Fujin and I both have one," Rinoa said. "As well as dad. I need it for notes. Fujin needs it for the samples."
"Affirmative," Fujin agreed. She lifted up two colors of identical looking crepe paper. "Squall. Pick."
He looked at the women as if they were insane. They were both blue! *Better just go with it...* he decided. "The one on the left."
"Hmm...really? Why?" Rinoa asked questioningly.
*Oh, Hyne...* Squall took a deep breath. "The color is...lighter and...um..." He paused for a moment. "Looks like the sky...?"
Rinoa raised an eyebrow and Fujin and her exchanged glances. "I see..." Rinoa mumbled. She smiled slightly and turned to her fiancee. "Okay, Squall. Thanks! I'll see you at dinner!"
He let out a quick breath of relief as he quickly turned and rushed down stairs before they could ask him to pick out a table cloth colors. Fujin put the crepe paper on the table and shook her head. "You're right."
"What did I tell you?" Rinoa said as she opened the blue binder and put in two sheets of paper. "He'd be of no help. He didn't even realize that they're the same color."
"There! She went to Squall's room!" Selphie said as she pointed to the black and white footage on the one of the many screens in the cramped security room.
"Squall might have it!" Laguna said. "Let's go!"
"We can't go with you," Quistis said, referring to her and Selphie. "We said we'd meet Rinoa and Fujin at the loft soon to discuss the bridesmaids dresses."
Laguna's face fell. "But...Irvine! Seifer!" he said, turning to them.
Irvine raised his hands to ward Laguna off. "Sorry, I have a meeting for the stage crew in a few minutes."
"And I..." Seifer trailed off. He didn't really HAVE a reason. "I've set a schedule to practice my lines today. Sorry."
Laguna sighed and looked down. "It's all right! I can do this!" He asserted. He quickly walked past them and out the door.
"Lines? What lines?" Quistis snapped as she turned to Seifer. "You never schedule practicing your lines unless it's with me!"
"I just didn't want to go, all right!" Seifer snapped. "The last thing I need is to be stuck in a room with Captain Puberty and Captain Puberty's father!"
Outside in the halls, Laguna impatiently tapped his foot as the elevator rose to his level. As soon as the doors opened, he rushed in. He pressed the button for the floor where Squall's dorm was in and then the 'door close' button.
He looked at his watch and smiled. He had plenty of time! The doors slid open and he swiftly walked to Squall's dorm room. When he reached it he knocked on the door. There was no answer. Laguna frowned and knocked again. Still no answer. *No...this is NOT happening...*
Squall ignored the knocking on his door as he put shampoo in his hair. His eyes were closed as the roar of the shower sounded around him. He scrubbed the hardly scented shampoo into his hair before rinsing it off and stepping out of the shower.
Tonight, dinner was with Rinoa. Alone. He smiled to himself as he dried himself off with a thick black terry cloth towel. He tied it around his waist and took out his razor to shave off any stubble that might have formed since that morning. Rinoa said she didn't like him scruffy, although he secretly suspected she thought it was somewhat sexy.
After some after shave and tugging on some boxers, he wandered his room. Then he heard it. It was a patterned thumping...against his door. He narrowed his eyes and looked over at Angelo, who was asleep in the spare doggy bed in the corner of the room. Since Angelo wasn't growling or anything, he assumed it wasn't something dangerous.
He grabbed his pants and a shirt and quickly put them on before going to his door and opening it. "AH!" Squall quickly stepped aside as a man stumbled in.
Laguna quickly regained his balance and looked over at his son. "Oh, thank Hyne!" he gasped as he nearly hugged Squall, who backed up immediately. "Squall, have you see Rinoa's-"
"What are you doing?" Squall snapped. "Why were you knocking at my DOOR?" he growled. He frowned even more. "And earlier at the library-" Before he could continue, Laguna cut him off.
"I think that Angelo might have dragged in something and I think that it might be Rinoa's wedding binder and I really need it so I can give it back to her! Do you know where it is!?" Squall's eyes were wide, slightly amazed, but also slightly worried at his father was able to say so many words in one breath.
"Wait...what?" Squall asked. "Rinoa's wedding binder? You mean that blue thick thing with the papers?"
"YES!" Laguna shouted, nearly jumping at him. Squall backed up into the corner and nodded.
"Yes, I just returned it to her a while ago," Squall explained. "Why?"
Laguna felt all the relief rush back to him. With it in Rinoa's hands, he was safe. He let out a heavy breath and nodded with a smile. "No reason..." he said cheerfully. "Well...better get going!" He said weakly. He inched towards the door. "Bye, son!"
A second later, Laguna had vanished and Squall was left standing at his door way alone. Down the hall, Laguna was rushing towards the elevators once more.
"Okay, it's time for dinner, isn't it?" Rinoa said as she closed her binder. She looked at her watch and the other girls nodded.
"Are you having dinner with Squall?" Selphie asked with a grin as Rinoa blushed slightly.
"I guess I won't be joining you guys for dinner!" Rinoa giggled. She stood up and the others joined her. "What about you guys?"
"Same old dinner in the cafeteria," Quistis sighed tiredly. "Then practice for the play."
"I can't wait to see how far you've progressed in a few days!" Rinoa beamed. Quistis nodded. As they reached the bottom of the stairs, the library doors flew open. "Dad!"
Laguna's eyes immediately locked on to the brunette and to the blue binder under her arm. "The binder!"
"Hm?" Rinoa asked. She smiled. "Oh, Squall gave it to me. I put the notes in," she said as she walked over to him and handed it over. "Oh yeah...I forgot to tell you when we started. If you loose it or something, I have a copy."
Laguna's mouth dropped. "You have a...copy...?"
"Yes, the original," Rinoa laughed as the girls walked past them. "Well, I'm going to have dinner with Squall!" She smiled. She paused and frowned slightly. "Are you all right, dad? You look... not well..."
Laguna merely nodded his head as he stared blankly at the binder in front of him. "I'm fine..."
"Great!" Rinoa said. "I knew you wouldn't let us down!"
She left and Laguna fell down one of the chairs by the desks. He looked down at the binder and narrowed his eyes. "You hate me, don't you?"
