Contrary to Diligence
Meanwhile, Esthar had managed to hold them off long enough, and it was becoming impossible to continue fighting due to lack of ammunition.
"Captain, we have to get out of here!"
"I know! I know! Have the men load up on the vehicles immediately. I'm ordering our retreat, so move it!"
"Yes, captain." The soldier said and took a deep breath, "Retreat!-"
"They're running away! Hold your fire!" The Galbadian Captain called out to his men. "They're pulling back, stop shooting!" He shouted and knocked the gun from a soldier who had still been firing. "That's enough!"
"…Sorry, sir." The soldier lowered his gun and sighed.
"We'll keep watch here just to be sure they won't try anything else against us. Understood?"
"Yes, sir."
The Esthar soldiers ran into their vehicles and pulled away from the gate of Deling City. The captain groaned and slammed his machine gun into the floor of the moving vehicle. "I should've had us retreat from the beginning…"
As they traveled away, were planning to leave Timber. Zell pointed out the Rent-a-car shop and ran over to it excitedly. "Hey guys, let's get something fast."
"I agree."
"Hmm. It doesn't matter what car we take, I know a shortcut that will cut our travel time in half!" Selphie, Zell, and Quistis all looked at Irvine together with interest.
"Oh really?" Zell said while tapping his foot.
"Yep. I grew up over here, and unlike you three, I know this land like the back of my hand." He smiled confidently, "So, what do you all say?"
"Sounds reliable." Selphie squealed.
"No." Zell said while waving his hands at Selphie.
Quistis, "Just get us there."
"Not you either, Quistis."
"Aww, what's the matter? They out voted you?" Irvine laughed and walked toward the Rent-a-Car shop.
"Quistis, you've sold out on me!"
"I have not! I'm just trying to get us to Deling City as quickly as possible!"
"Riding that!" Zell said as he pointed to the old dirty orange car in the shop's parking lot. Both Selphie and Quistis' mouths dropped. Irvine came back with the keys and smirking at them all like a million bucks.
"Ready to go?"
"…Irvine, what car did you get?" Quistis closed her eyes while asking.
"The owner said there's not really a choice, he told me that it's the only car still in the lot. It's not hard to miss."
"You can say that again." Zell said before being elbowed in his side by Selphie. "Ow!"
"Why? Is something the matter?"
"Did you see the car?" Zell yelled while pointing at the vehicle again. Irvine looked back and the dusty old coot in the parking lot.
"Wow! That's a classic car!" He said and happily walked toward it. "Come on! This ride will be great!"
The three of them stared blankly at Irvine in disbelief. Selphie was the first to break the silence, "Well…it's orange." She said and joined him at the car. Zell sighed and shrugged his shoulders, "I hope we don't crash."
"I better be sure that we have backup even though we are the backup." Quistis said as she walked toward the raggedy car.
"Hey guys, cheer up!" Selphie and Irvine said together.
"Oh brother…" Zell sighed again.
Caraway walked toward her as she lay on the bed. When he neared her, he stopped dead in his tracks. "…Rinoa, are you crying?"
She looked up at him and rolled her eyes. Rinoa had turned over on her bed and hid her face. "Why would you care?"
"Because you're my daughter, and you mean the world to me."
"That's a lie! You wanted me dead!"
"What are you talking about?"
"Why else would you not speak out against those missiles? At that point in time, you knew I was in Timber, yet you allowed those missiles to be fired."
"No, you've got it all wrong."
"Oh?" She said and sat up quickly from her. Tears streaming down her face, "Well then tell me what happened! Tell me the truth!"
He looked at the floor and straightened his tie. "…I suppose I can't blame you for being so rude. I deserve it all, I really do." He cleared his throat and began to speak, "Rinoa, I know I don't deserve to stand here before you now, so just hear me out to the very end." He took a breath. "I never launched those missiles to Timber; in fact, I hadn't known about them until they were being sent off. I only hired that search party because I was worried about you, darling."
"Don't call me that!"
"You're my daughter, I'll call you whatever I want! I would never try to have you killed Rinoa! Why would you even draw that conclusion? It's absurd!"
"You found out that I was a member of the Resistance Factions, it gives you all reason to-"
"Why are you even accusing me of doing something like that? You are my flesh and blood…I could never forgive myself if you were killed."
"Don't give me that! What about all the other daughters you've had killed, huh! Do you know how many people suffered because of you and your president? I ran away from here to get away from you! …You were supporting Deling and killing just about anyone that stood in your way."
"I was following orders-"
"You were murdering thousands of innocent people!"
He closed his eyes and walked toward her dresser to lean against for support. "…I think about it everyday, Rinoa. …Just because I barricade myself from the outside world does not mean that I don't give a damn about those people out there!" Rinoa sat up quickly and glared at him. She folded her arms and raised an eyebrow. "Don't look at me like that." He said while opening his eyes, he knew his daughter too well, he knew she would throw a fit.
"When you left, my world crashed." He started. "I admit, my heart was very cold years ago, and yes I have killed many people. But back then, I didn't care about the consequences of my decisions and actions, I didn't care at all. I only wanted to gain respect from all those under me, I wanted respect from the president. …People suffered with every choice I ever made within the Galbadian Military, and it never occurred to me how deadly my actions were…until I had a daughter out in the middle of it all." He stood straight from the dresser and approached the bed once more, and took a knee.
"Ever since the first day you ran away, I had kept track of the number young females in all the places nearby, but every time the body of a young girl was found, my heart ached terribly. I was depressed and had cared less about Deling's plans. I became more obsessed with finding you and learning your whereabouts. That's why I sent that platoon out to find you Rinoa. It was never about finding the weakness of those Faction Members; it was never about taking down all those who opposed the president. I hated Galbadia; I hated everything about them, and myself. The only thing I knew was you…only you."
Rinoa turned her eyes away from him as he continued to speak, "…After I learned that you had been hiding away in Timber, I paid close attention to the missions and soldiers who were being sent there. I became involved in all the actions taking place and read over the missions carefully."
He sighed, "…Deling heard that you were inside Timber and decided to take advantage of the situation. He had Almasy, who was already taking orders from me, take on a double role and when Almasy found you, he also learned about the Factions and their newest plans. I was so worried about you that I hadn't even realized the president was double crossing me. I signed every document that was passed to me from the president, which included Timber. I was so focused on protecting you that a particular document slipped underneath my nose."
Caraway moved his face to her eyes and she turned her head the opposite way. "It was the same document that explained about the use of those missiles. Deling said he notified me before he gave the order, and he did, but it was never brought to my full attention. The document was hidden beneath a few other papers that were of a different story. Because I didn't shift through the papers, and hadn't complained to him about the missiles, he took it as a go ahead and had the missiles sent off."
He rose from the floor and sat beside her, "Rinoa, I had no idea those missiles would be fired. The proof lies on that document…and I'm sure if you ask any of those soldiers from Esthar, who had found Deling in his chambers, they will tell you that my signature was not found anywhere on that document of Deling. And the document itself was found on his desk drenched in his very own blood."
Rinoa lowered her eyes to the floor. She stared at it for a few more seconds before lifting her head to meet his eyes.
"…Is this your way of apologizing? You think I'll forgive you, just like that!"
"…I know you're upset, and I had already expected the cold shoulder. I'm not surprised with your feelings. I've been wanting to talk to you for some time now, to tell you the truth."
Rinoa cleared her throat and allowed all the information to sink in properly, but Caraway began to speak again.
"I heard that you weren't feeling well, and I decided to drop by. Just to check up on you."
"…Well, I'm fine now." She said without looking at him. "…Didn't you call me here to discuss something important?"
"…I'm sorry."
"You're so selfish! I can't believe you!" She pushed him away as he tried to embrace her. "You knew I'd come back if you mentioned Timber!"
He sighed and turned forward, "…I'm not doing this in to gain your forgiveness Rinoa, I know you'll never forgive me anyway. Over the years, I've realized all the pain I've caused. I just want to…give back what I took."
"What you took cannot be given back-"
"Yes, I do realize that. It's the most I can do for them. I'm going to rebuild Timber back to how it was before the war, before Galbadia ever came into the picture. I want you to be in charge of the reconstruction of Timber, Rinoa. Because you know the people so well, I know you can do this job. I heard you were quite the leader when you were with those factions."
She looked at him and smiled."…Reconstruction of Timber? Are you honestly trying to rebuild?"
"Very. Because Deling is dead, I am entitled to Presidency. I want to start fresh with Galbadia. …You aren't the only person who tires of war."
"…I…" Rinoa, come on. …Yes, I fought and won against Galbadia during the war, but bringing death to others isn't my victory. Killing hasn't helped anyone! …Taking this job will enable me to do something for my friends! This is what I've always wanted to do. I know I can do it! She whispered, "Yes, I can do it."
"Do you want the job?"
"I'll take it." She said while looking at her father's face.
He took a deep breath and smiled, "Rinoa, I knew you wouldn't refuse."
"Don't get me wrong, old man, if I see one thing that's odd or out of line, I'll have nothing to do with."
"You won't have anything to worry about. You have my word on this."
"Good, but I'll need more than your word. I want you to write a written document stating your intensions with your signature on the bottom. Am I understood?"
"Very well. I guess you still don't trust me."
"…Not really, no. How am I supposed to know that I you aren't just like Deling? Every time I think back to my childhood and memories of you, I only remember seeing Deling." She sighed, "A few years of new light doesn't beat a lifetime of mischief. Some people never change their ways, and you…how do I know if you're any different from Deling?"
"These things take time, but I assure you, I am not Deling. He was a greedy man who knew no respect for others." Caraway looked at Rinoa with sad eyes, "I'm just upset with myself for waiting so long to make an action against his ways. I had to lose you in order to get my cruel awakening."
She looked at him and leaned her head on his shoulder. He smiled and put his arm around her. Though she would never speak it, Rinoa had forgiven her father's past mistakes.
"Hey you! Get back in line! Hey! Why are you running away! Hold it!" The sounds of an angry Galbadian Captain calling out to a fellow soldier could be heard through Rinoa's bedroom door. The General and daughter sat up quickly.
"What is going on?" Caraway question as he rose from the bed and walked to the door.
Rinoa sat still for a moment when she realized, Could that have been Squall? He came back?
Yes, he ran from the door when Caraway dismissed him, but his curiosity drove him to listen in on their conversation. So there he was, standing outside of the door, listening in on the General and his daughter.
…He's going to rebuild Timber? That will be great, but…Rinoa. I'll probably…never see her again.
"Hey you! Get back in line!"
Just great…I don't want the General to come out here… He thought as he looked at the Captain walking toward him. In an instant he took off running.
"Hey! Why are you running away? Hold it!"
Squall cut the corner and made his way to the stairwell. The captain was stopped by the General, who had opened the door and saw him running down the hall, and questioned what had been going on.
"He's still running, sir. I'll catch him and bring him to you."
"Go." The General said and allowed the Captain to run after Squall.
Squall ran upstairs and found the room he had left the two soldiers inside. He slid the cardkey through the slide and the door unlocked. Just as soon as he stepped through the closing door, he heard footsteps running down the hallway. He's called for backup already? Well, it really doesn't make a difference if I continue to wear this uniform or not. I can't take it anymore; these clothes are uncomfortable anyway.
He quickly changed back to his clothes and grabbed his gunblade from the floor. With a quick twirl of his gunblade, he sheathed it back onto his side and dug into his pocket. He grabbed his Griever ring and pulled it to his face with a grin. Rinoa… Squall kissed the ring and slid it back onto his finger.
Caraway walked passed a few soldiers down the hall and glared at them, "Have you found the intruder yet?"
"No, sir. We're still looking for him." They said while saluting him.
"Find him, quickly!"
"Yes, Sir!" They both said and ran down the hall. Rinoa finally out of room and had been walking behind her father.
Squall… She looked into her hand and saw her silver necklace, and the ring attached. "What are you going to do to him?" She asked Caraway.
"It's an intruder, he must be stopped immediately. Who knows what he'll do. Go back into your room and lock the door."
"…No."
"Rinoa, get in your room, now!"
"Stop treating me like a child, I'm not weak anymore!" She said and ran the opposite way of the General.
"Rinoa!" He called out to her, but she continued to run. "…She's…absolutely right." He said and turned away to walk to his office.