"Aw, man, I'm gonna hurl."
Squall and Rinoa quickly broke their kiss, startled by the sudden interruption. Squall stared directly down at his feet, shuffling them uncomfortably. Rinoa looked away in disgust as Zell ran to the railings at the edge of the deck and was promptly sick over the side. He turned around slowly, clutching his stomach as if he was in pain.
"Hey, guys. I didn't see you out here." Both Squall and Rinoa breathed a huge sigh of relief when the realised that Zell hadn't witnessed them kissing.
"Are you alright?" asked Rinoa, trying hard to suppress the giggles that longed to appear.
Yeah, sorry about that," he cringed. "I think I ate too much."
"That doesn't surprise me," muttered Squall under his breath.
"So anyway, what were you guys doing out here?" Zell asked.
"Nothing," they both immediately replied in unison, causing Zell to eye them suspiciously.
"Oh, come on. Tell me," he pleaded. "It's so obvious when you lie, Squall."
Squall fixed him with a glare, before replying to Zell's accusation. "I wasn't lying. What would you know about me?"
"Hey, I'm older and wiser. I know a lot more than you think."
"You're older than Squall?" asked Rinoa, not quite believing Zell's statement.
"Sure. He's the baby of the bunch. Ain't that right Squall?" Zell hardly had time to finish his sentence before he found Squall fist connecting with his stomach. "Aww, geez that hurt." He clutched his stomach even tighter, doubling over in pain.
"Hmph. I only tapped you. Now I see why you're nickname's Chicken Wuss." Zell was about to reply, when he saw the anger in Squall's eyes and decided that conceding defeat would be the better option. "Okay, I'm sorry. Will you just tell me what was going on?"
"I told you. Nothing was going on," Squall replied through gritted teeth.
"Hey, were you guys…you know?" asked Zell, a look of realisation dawning his face.
"What?" asked Squall. "Were we what?"
"Were you…you know," replied Zell, winking. Squall's blushes at this comment were saved, as Rinoa rescued him from the awkward situation.
"Is that Balamb?" she asked, pointing to a small sliver of land that was gradually emerging from above the horizon, only visible thanks to the dwindling light of the sunset.
"Yes. Zell, go and get the others. Tell them we're here."
The walk from Balamb was spent predominantly in an uncomfortable silence. Quistis and Rinoa had not said a word to each other since the incident on the boat, and the hostility between could be sensed by all present. Squall was no stranger to silence, and even he felt slightly awkward. Zell, Selphie and Irvine could usually be relied upon to lighten the mood in any situation, but even they kept quiet, aside from the occasional grumble of protest from Zell's stomach.
It was a relief for all when the finally arrived at the gates of Balamb Garden, to be greeted by a guard.
"It's out of hours. Nobody is allowed entry to Garden."
Squall stepped forward, ready to reply.
"It's urgent that I meet with Headmaster Cid immediately."
"Identify yourself."
"Leonhart, Squall. ID number 137385."
"State your purpose."
"There may be a danger to Garden. I'm not at liberty to divulge the information to you, I will only talk directly to the Headmaster."
"Who is accompanying you."
"Instructor Quistis Trepe, SeeDs Zell Dincht, Irvine Kinneas and Selphie Tilmitt, and Rinoa Heartilly, my client." Squall thought it would be easier to refer to Rinoa as his client than to try to explain the truth to the guard without revealing any information that should be kept to himself.
"Go right in," the guard said, satisfied, opening the gate. The group entered, heading straight for the main corridor.
"I'll go and see the Headmaster now. The rest of you should get some sleep. I'd imagine he'd want to talk to the rest of you in the morning." Quistis, Zell, Selphie and Irvine nodded, before heading off down the corridor.
"What about me?" asked Rinoa.
"You should probably come with me and speak to the Headmaster." He led her onto the nearby elevator and pressed the button for the third floor. As he stepped out, he noticed that the secretary was still at her desk. That meant that the Headmaster was still in his office. She looked up from her paperwork and batted her eyelids towards Squall, hitching her skirt up slightly, showing as much leg as she could, prompting a stern glare from Rinoa.
"What can I do for you?" she cooed. Squall sighed. He had been expecting this.
"I need to see the Headmaster right away."
"Anything for you." She smiled sweetly, opening the office door for Squall, but letting it swing back into Rinoa's path.
"Squall? What are you doing back here?" asked the Headmaster as soon as he entered the office. "I hadn't received word from General Caraway that the package had been delivered." He pulled out two chairs, indicating that the pair should sit down. "And who's this?" Squall did not answer the Headmaster's last question, instead, he concentrated on fully explaining the situation.
"The kidnapping itself went as planned, but soon we found ourselves in difficulty. We were trapped in a storm, which caused the cancellation of all trains from Timber. Our particular train was involved in an accident, meaning that we had to travel on foot to Galbadia Garden. During this time, we were attacked by a number of soldiers working for General Caraway. They were specifically directed to attack us and return Miss Heartilly to General Caraway. In addition to this, Miss Heartilly, who is Caraway's daughter, has seen documents detailing his desire to eliminate SeeD."
"Are you suggesting that this whole mission was a set up?"
"Yes, sir. The most logical explanation for this is that Caraway wanted to be rid of SeeD, and painting us as his daughter's kidnappers would give him an excuse to do so."
"But why would he want to be rid of SeeD? We have always completed his missions to the best standards possible. He has been one of our best clients and has never had any complaints about us before."
"May I speak?" asked Rinoa, nervously. The Headmaster nodded, trying to put her at ease. "I didn't read anything in the documents about his motives, but I have often overheard him talking about the need to eliminate all threats to the Galbadian military. Unfortunately, I know him well enough to understand that his desire for power supersedes any feelings of loyalty that he may have."
"Sir. He knows very well about the expansion of SeeD forces in the past few years."
"Yes," the Headmaster agreed. "And he did seem rather interested in the new Garden at Trabia. It is possible that, in a few years time, our forces will surpass that of Galbadia in both numbers and prowess."
"Sir. If I may ask, what happens now? His original plan failed, but there may well be a backup plan to contend with."
"Yes, that is of great concern to me. I will need to consider my actions carefully. We will discuss this fully tomorrow. Show Miss Heartilly to the guest quarters." He held out a keycard for Squall. "I will call for you when required tomorrow. Dismissed." Squall could see that Headmaster Cid was worried about the current situation. He wasn't usually so formal and abrupt when addressing anybody, and his brow was furrowed in a way that Squall had never seen before. Then again, it was to be expected. Squall was aware of the effect that this decision could have. It could mean the difference between the survival of SeeD, and the destruction of it.
"Well, here we are. This is the guest room. You just swipe the keycard through the reader and wait for the light to turn green. That means it unlocked," Squall explained.
"I know how to work one of these," she replied. "We had them at the Forest Owls headquarters."
"Sorry. Most people who stay here don't have a clue." They stared at each other awkwardly for a short time. "Well, I'd better get going. My room is just two doors down," he said, pointing at a nearby dorm. "So, I'll be there if you need anything." Usually, Squall hated the fact that his quarters were in such close proximity to the guest rooms, but this time, he felt it was a blessing.
"Night then," said Rinoa, kissing him gently on the lips.
"Night," he whispered in reply.
Despite the fact that Squall hadn't slept properly in days, he found himself lying awake, thinking. Thinking about how his world had been turned upside down in just a few short days, thinking about what was going to happen now, thinking about her. He still felt as if he was shivering from the kiss they had shared earlier, his first. He used to be ridiculed about the fact that he wasn't particularly interested in girls. Even Zell and Irvine had told him that he shouldn't be waiting around for someone special.
"The first kiss is always terrible," Irvine would say. "So why wait for someone you actually like?" Squall laughed a little to himself.
"Irvine was wrong. So very, very wrong." He smiled, as these thoughts carried him into a deep, dreamless sleep.
Squall awoke to the sound of his alarm clock at the customary time of 6.00am. He sat up, and was about to grab his gunblade from the case by his bed, as he did every morning, when he stopped to think.
"I do this every day. I wake up, already dressed, go to the training centre, come back, have a shower, and be changed ready for 8am when I go to eat breakfast. Is this what I want? The same routine every day. Is this what my life's going to be like? That isn't what I want from life."
It was then that he made his decision. Today was going to be different. Today, he was going to do what he wanted.
However, he was at a loss as to what to do. He found it difficult to break the habit of a lifetime. As he searched around his room for something to do, his thoughts drifted to the conversation he had had with Rinoa when he was driving the van to Dollett. He had told her that her hobby was drawing.
He opened the draws in his bedside table and pulled out a sketch pad and pencil. He began to draw the first thing that came into his mind, the sunset that he had been watching from the boat the previous evening. It was then that he had discovered how unfulfilling his life had been, and he discovered what it was to truly live, and he thought he should capture it.
Once he had finished his drawing, he realised that it was only 6.15. He would have to find something else to do to kill the time.
"What's the least likely thing I could do?" he thought to himself.
Finding the answer, he lay back down on his bed, and went to sleep.
Squall opened his eyes slowly, sure that he had heard a sound from within his room.
"You look so adorable when you're sleeping," Rinoa giggled, as he squinted at her through blurry eyes.
"How did you get in here?" he asked, sleepily.
"Yeah, about that. I think you need a new lock." She grinned sheepishly. "So, come on then."
"What?"
"You have to take me on a tour of this place?"
"Can't you go by yourself?" he muttered, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.
"Don't be silly. Come on." She grabbed him by the hand and dragged him out of bed.
Squall led Rinoa down one of the many corridors that ran through Balamb Garden.
"So, where are we?" she asked curiously.
"This is the training centre."
"Ooh, that's romantic. Is this where you take all your girlfriends on first dates?" she joked.
"Girl…girlfriend?" he asked, shocked.
"Oh, Squall. I'm sorry…I…"
"No, no. It's not that. I was just a little surprised to hear it that's all. Not used to it." She smiled at him, understanding how nervous he must feel. And besides, I prefer the library for a first date." She punched him in the arm, playfully.
"Meanie."
"Come on, let's get something to eat."
"Now that's more like it. A fancy restaurant, candles on the tables…"
"Actually, I was thinking of the cafeteria."
"No hot dogs today," announced the lady behind the counter. "That Dincht boy's been in already," she said, shaking her head.
"Now, why doesn't that surprise me?" asked Rinoa. Squall smiled at her and ordered a pizza for them both. They sat down next to each other, to the surprise of the other SeeDs in the room, who stopped and stared at them. "Why are they looking at me?" she asked.
"Probably because I usually sit on my own in the corner, not talking to anyone."
"It really creeps me out though. I don't like people staring at me."
"Don't worry about it."
"I just feel like they're talking about me."
"Actually, I...er, think they're talking about us."
"Why? What are they saying?"
"Why do you seem so bothered about it? Does it matter that much what other people think?"
"No, I guess not. But I thought you would be." Squall smiled.
"Today, really will be different," he thought.
"What are you smiling about?"
"Nothing. Just the fact that I'm really going to give them something to talk about," he said, leaning across the table and kissing her.
Quistis stood, nervously, outside the Headmaster's office.
"Do I really want to go through with this? I mean, I do believe it's the truth, but maybe I'm just jealous. He wants her, not me. Maybe that's why I'm doing this? No, I'm not that cruel, I'm not the jealous type. She's just manipulating him. I saw them kissing. Squall doesn't do that."
"The Headmaster is ready to see you now," the secretary told her, ushering her into the office.
"Thank you," she replied, confidently striding in.
"Now, you wanted to tell me something Instructor Trepe."
"Yes, sir. I'm afraid I have some rather disturbing news."
A/N I would like to say a big thank you to:
Mariko- hope you like the Squinoa moments.
Renegade Seraph- love your new fic.
Cherry6124- I'm sorry you think Irvine isn't being a gentleman. I did his character in this way because, when you first meet him in the game he chats up Rinoa and Quistis before he notices Selphie. He does try to act more like a gentleman as the game goes on, and I tried to convey this in my story. I don't think I make this a Quistis/Zell fic because of the plot, and I haven't decided about Selphie/Irvine yet. Seen as you like these pairings, I suggest you read New Beginnings by Rinoa Heartilly, (check my favourites). It has all these pairings and is beautifully written.
Angelprinczess29- hope you continue On the Ice soon.
Rinoa Leonhart73- hope there was enough romance in there for you.
Gun Blade- you were my 100th reviewer, so thanks a lot.
Riona- thanks very much, and Squinoa does rule.
Sandra Leonhart- sorry for the wait, I've not had much time to write this week.