Chapter 14
"Yes, sir. I'm afraid I have some rather disturbing news."
She paused, unsure of whether to continue, knowing that if she spoke her mind now, she would be unable to take it back. She drew in a deep breath, gathering her courage.
"Well?" the headmaster prompted.
"I believe that we may have been deceived by Rinoa Heartilly."
She hung her head, aware now of the consequences that her actions could lead to.
"What?" Headmaster Cid was taken aback by her last statement. "But, what about the troops Caraway sent to retrieve her. I admit that I was very sceptical at first, but after much thought on the subject I cannot think of another explanation for it. He must have betrayed us."
Quistis did not reply to this. She sat, unnervingly still, wishing that the headmaster would let the issue drop and allow them both to forget all about it. Her mind was awash with doubt.
"Am I really sure about this?" she thought to herself. "What if I'm mistaken? The consequences could be grave for all concerned. Then again, what if I'm right and I don't tell anyone? I could be putting Garden in danger." She could find no answers.
"What is it you're not telling me?" demanded Cid.
"Sir?" Quistis asked, politely, pretending not to understand the question.
"Quistis," he said, calmly, dropping the formalities that he had previously adopted. He felt more comfortable talking to people when he didn't address them by rank. "How long have I known you for?"
Quistis recognised that this was a rhetorical question, but she also knew where it was leading.
"I've known you longer than anybody else, since you were just a child. You always have your reasons for bringing things to my attention. That is why you are one of my most trusted instructor's here. I can always rely on you to tell the truth and make good, clear judgements based only upon the facts."
Those words echoed in her mind.
Only upon the facts.
"Facts?" she thought. "What facts do I have? I have no proof to back up my accusation. Why did I even come here?"
"Tell me what you're hiding Quistis."
She knew she had no choice. She was a model SeeD who had never disobeyed an order in her entire career, but at that moment, that almost changed. She doubted her own self-conviction so much that she wanted nothing more than to flee from the office immediately, too afraid of what she was about to say.
"What if he doesn't believe me? He knows all that goes on in Garden. I'm sure that he's known about my feelings for Squall for a long time. What if he thinks I'm only doing this to hurt Squall, as some childish form of revenge?"
"Instructor Trepe, I am ordering you to tell me."
"I…I never saw the soldiers that Squall and Rinoa mentioned. I didn't see any sign of them." She finally gave him, almost relieved that the words had finally come out of her mouth.
"Surely one of the others did?" asked Cid, exasperated.
She shook her head, meekly. She had discussed this earlier with Zell, Selphie and Irvine. Although they themselves had no doubt as to Rinoa's integrity, they thought it a little strange that they did not come into contact with any Galbadian soldiers.
"So, we have nothing but Squall's word to take on the subject?"
"And Rinoa's," Quistis offered, trying to repair the damage that was already done.
"She is an outsider. You know as well as I do that I cannot trust the word of an outsider, especially one that we were ordered to kidnap."
"Yes, sir."
"However, Squall has been nothing but an exemplary member of SeeD throughout his service. I have no reason to doubt his word."
Quistis remained silent, refusing to make eye contact with her superior. The headmaster noticed her strange behaviour and was immediately suspicious of it.
"Unless there's something you're not telling me?"
She knew that he would not drop the issue until she had given him a satisfactory answer.
"He…he…" She was unsure of how to word her statement. "He appears to be infatuated with her."
"What?" Cid appeared shocked. This was the last thing he had expected, after all this was Squall Leonhart they were talking about, the notorious lone wolf. He was famed throughout Garden for receiving unrivalled attention from the female cadets, and even more renowned for turning every single one of them down. The thought that he had developed feelings for someone who should have been no more to him than a mission, was nothing less than mind blowing. "You have evidence of this?"
"I saw them kissing on the boat back to Balamb. Prior to that, they had spent a great deal of time alone. At first, I thought that he just wanted to make sure that she was delivered to Caraway safely, but now…"
She let her sentence trail off for effect. Headmaster Cid knew exactly what her implications meant.
"That will be all, Quistis. Thank you."
She stood up to leave, leaving the headmaster to deal with the problem. As soon as she stepped out of the door, she held her head in her hands and broke down into tears.
"What have I done?"
"No, no, that's no it. At the point of impact, you want your arm to be completely outstretched." He grabbed Rinoa's arm, and guided it in the correct motion. "See? It doesn't hurt so much that way."
"Let me try on my own."
Rinoa stood, feet planted firmly apart, her body turned sideways. She brought her fist back slowly, until it was almost level with her face, before bringing it forward, swiftly, slamming her fist into the punch bag. This time, she remembered to end with her arm straight, feeling satisfied when the sharp, shooting pain that had previously coursed through her, never came.
"That's it. Told you it wasn't too difficult."
"Thanks, Squall," she said, removing her gloved from her sore, reddened hands, and hugging him. She felt proud of her achievement. Not that is was much compared to the fighting prowess of the SeeDs at Garden, but it was something. And besides, being given a choice between this and taking on the training centre, she felt sure that she had made the correct decision. She had overheard students in the canteen talking about one of their friends who had encountered a T-Rexaur whilst training. From what she could gather, they were going to be alright, but only after extensive surgery. She was sure that she would have been safe with Squall, but these stories alone were enough to put her off the place.
"Hey, are you alright?" he asked, concern showing in his eyes as he noticed how red her hands were.
"I'm fine," she replied, rubbing them gently.
"I guess I forgot to warn you that it can hurt like hell at first, huh?"
"Don't worry about it. It's fine, really."
"Maybe I should take you to the infirmary, just to make sure."
Her mind drifted back to the T-Rexaur story.
"No, I'm sure they have much more important things to do than to see to someone who has a sore hand."
"Fine, but at least let me get you a bandage."
Rinoa knew that he wouldn't let this one go, so she agreed to the bandage.
"At least it's a refreshing change that he cares for me," she thought, remembering back to when they had first met. It seemed so long ago, so much had happened since then. As he walked into the bathroom to get her a bandage, Rinoa took advantage of the fact that he was out of the room, and began to rifle through his things out of curiosity. She was shocked to find that he had so few possessions, and even more shocked to find that he didn't have any of the junk that teenagers usually had lurking about their room. All she could find on his desk were mission reports and various files on clients. When she realised there was nothing of interest she moved on to his bedside table which sat next to the case she supposed held his beloved gunblade. She opened the draws and was shocked at what she found. She pulled out the pad of paper to have a closer look and began to admire it.
"Hey, what are you looking at?" he demanded as he re-entered the room.
"When you told me you like to draw, I had no idea that you were that talented," she said, still staring at the picture.
"I'm not," he replied, snatching the pad from her grasp.
"Was that the sunset we could see from the boat?"
"You could tell?"
"I'll never forget that sunset," she said, smiling.
"Well, I guess you should keep the drawing then. It's only right that you should have it."
"Really? You mean that?"
"Sure."
"I don't know what to say. Nobody's ever given me a present like that before. It's…" She paused, searching for the right word. "Perfect."
He seemed embarrassed at her praise, so instead, he focused on bandaging her hand.
"Hey, you're pretty good at this. What are you, a nurse too?"
"Basic medical training for use in the field," he replied.
"And I thought they only taught you how to fight."
"They teach us lots of things."
"And would kissing be one of those?" she inquired, flirtatiously.
"Erm…no," he replied, uncertain of what he should do, having no clue about how to flirt. He silently cursed the fact that they were never taught how to deal with these situations in their classes. Right now, he would have found that expertise much more useful than an extensive knowledge of physics.
She giggled slightly, aware that he was uncertain of what to do, so she took the initiative, leaning forward until their lips were almost touching, at which point they were interrupted by a persistent knocking at the door. Reluctantly, Squall answered, finding a group of four lower ranked SeeDs standing outside.
"Sir, the Headmaster demands that you see him immediately."
"Why didn't he just call me over the PA?"
"It is a matter of utmost importance, and he did not want to alert the rest of Garden."
"Fine. Rinoa, I won't be long," he called back at her.
"Excuse me, Miss Heartilly," ventured a second SeeD. "You must come with us."
Squall knew immediately that something was wrong.
"Are they going to hand Rinoa over to Caraway anyway to prevent an attack on Garden?" That was just one of the thoughts racing through his mind.
"If you'll follow me please."
Squall and Rinoa had no choice but to go their separate ways and follow the soldiers. As they parted, they both looked back on each other, sensing that something would be different about the next time they met.
"Sir, what did you want to see me for?" Squall asked, saluting.
"It has been brought to my attention that you have…feelings…for Miss Heartilly."
"Yes, sir, what of them?" he replied. He thought it foolish to try and conceal their relationship from the headmaster, after all, he had been almost like a father to Squall over the many years that they had known each other. And soon, it was going to be common knowledge anyway, after the scene in the cafeteria. He began to regret his previous actions, not knowing what he must have been thinking of at the time. He, of all people should have known that public shows of emotion usually end badly. He wondered if he was to be reprimanded for his previous behaviour.
"I fear that they may have clouded your judgement on certain vital matters. These matters are of the utmost importance, not just to yourself, but to everybody in Garden."
"Sir?"
"I understand that there were no other witnesses to the attack by the Galbadians."
"No, sir. Only Rinoa and I were present at the time."
"I see. Well, somebody has cast doubt onto these facts and I can understand their reasoning."
"But, Sir," Squall protested. "I have told only the truth. I didn't make any of it up."
"Do you have any proof?"
Squall sighed, knowing that he could not win.
"Only my word, Sir."
Cid paused, considering his words very carefully.
"I'm sorry, Squall. But I have no choice but to suspend you from all of your duties as a SeeD indefinitely. This will be effective immediately." Cid's eyes betrayed a great deal of sadness at the decision that he had been forced to make. "Dismissed."