A Note on this AU:
Seifer and Quistis—Seifer is not your cocky, arrogant bastard in this story. In this fanfic of mine, Squall and Seifer never met before, so you probably have to imagine them without the scars or some kind of heated rivalry. Seifer and Quistis are a couple in this fic and are really sweet to each other. Not really a "love grows" Seiftis for Quistis and Seifer fans.
Selphie and Irvine—Well, Selphie and Irvine are really just Selphie and Irvine. Nothing much to fuss about.
Rinoa—Well, Rinoa is your typical genius violinist with a really gorgeous face. In The Curse of the Stradivarius however, she doesn't have Seifer as her boyfriend during the past. Rather, she has never found love before, so I guess the relationship with Squall is going to be a first for her.
Squall—Never grew up with the orphanage gang. Has a legit family plus Ellone is his blood sister. I'm not going to reveal anymore from this point on about Squall.
Edea and the Orphanage—As you can see, Edea isn't your Matron in this fic. She is Cid the Carnegie Hall manager's wife. Meaning, no orphanage scenes here or any of them suddenly reminiscing a past with each other.
Laguna—A genius doctor. Quite the contrary to his character in the game don't you think?
Setting—This takes place mostly in Italy and...oh I'm saying too much! Just watch out for the next few chapters okay?
Overall—This is an AU. It's supposed to be different from the original setting of FF8. So please don't be surprised if some of the things in this fic are a tad bit too different from the game.
To the many people who have reviewed my story, thank you very much for your support. I hope you do find the time to continue reading this story and tell me if it needs a tad bit of improvement at all. Well, happy reading and enjoy this chapter!
Chapter Titles:
1. Concerto del Morte—the concert of death.
2. Il Sonata di Sogno—the sonnet of dreams
Our Eyes Met
An Italian autumn evening was certainly a highlight any romantic couple shouldn't miss. With its trees of lava, gold, and tan littering leaves all over the green hills and plains, and with the breathtaking view of the setting sun casting its lights of yellow mingled with orange on the ground, there would be no better time chosen for a trip to Italy than this pre- winter season. The slightly chilly, partly lukewarm temperature only added to that atmosphere which sent hearts and kisses floating in the air.
"Irvy, look at what I found!" Selphie was holding up a maple leaf reddened by age. "Isn't it lovely?"
Irvine found a similar leaf on the grass and picked it up, waving it back and forth as he approached the perky brunette in front of him. "Hey look! I found another one that looks exactly like that!"
Selphie's eyes gleamed and she whispered, "Do you know what this means?"
Irvine smirked and asked, "Try me. I'm fresh out of ideas."
Selphie giggled and touched the tip of her leaf with Irvine's. "Soulmates!"
Irvine smiled and threw a bunch of leaves he had been hiding earlier behind his back at her face, but missed. Selphie stuck out her tongue at him and began running around the Loire estate's gorgeous lawn, with Irvine trailing behind her chucking crumpled leaves of a myriad of colors at her. About a hundred meters away, Quistis and Seifer were sharing a moment of silence on a bench hidden in one of the vast garden's secluded areas, watching Selphie and Irvine playing around like four year olds in Sir Laguna's yard.
"They're so childish!" Quistis laughed as she shook her head. "Seeing them like this makes you wonder if Irvine really is the master pianist we saw performing the other night."
Seifer pouted like a puppy and asked her, "Aw...don't you miss these childhood moment Quis? I sure do." He inched closer to her in an attempt to kiss her cheek but she immediately put a hand in front of Seifer's face.
"Seifer, I don't kiss children like that. It's disgusting," she told him as she tried stifling the smile forming on the corner of her lips.
"Really, then what if I coax you to get into bed with me? Will that change your mind?" he asked her seductively.
She turned to face him. "Horny men aren't my type either so you keep that hand out of my pants!" She slapped the palm of his that was creeping up the left leg of her shorts and he immediately removed it from her legs to avoid her whip-like slaps.
"Then what do you want prima donna?" Seifer inquired as he wrapped his arms gently around her waist.
"Romance," came the blunt reply from Quistis.
"Well if it's romance you want then it's romance you'll ge..." Seifer was about to say something that he thought would make her swoon, but Quistis silenced him with a finger.
"Shhh! Seifer can you hear that?" she said as tried listening for the sound of Rinoa playing the violin. "It's beautiful..." She closed her eyes and began humming along with the tune of the piece.
Seifer rolled his eyes to the direction from where the sound was coming from and tried identifying the music Rinoa was playing. It was beautiful—slow yet incredibly romantic, relaxing yet not boring. She was playing one of the great Fritz Kreisler's well known Adagios, Liebeslied. Translated into English, the German word would mean Love and Sorrow, and undoubtedly, the beauty of the piece focused entirely on the music of love and love lost. "Say, didn't she play that in the concert?" Seifer asked a hypnotized Quistis.
She opened her eyes and sighed happily. "She did, but this is so much more beautiful. Since you don't know much about music..." Seifer scoffed at her and Quistis just giggled at his response. "Classical music that is, you ought to know that violins are so much more beautiful when played in open air."
Seifer smirked and said, "Whatever." Quistis' jaw dropped as if she had just been mocked (and she was). "You! I'm trying to tell you something and you! Oh forget it Seifer!" She turned away from the tall man and retorted, "Don't talk to me! In fact, for the next half hour, just shut up and listen to some beautiful music! They say that classical music makes you smart so hopefully that will add some brain to your thick skull Seifer Almasy!"
Seifer turned the other way also and replied, "Fine! Fine! Have it your way oh classical loving brainiac Quisty! Fine! Get all that brainwave thingy into your head! Hah!" Quistis ignored him however so he sighed, crossed his arms, and finally decided to sit though another few minutes of culture. Rinoa had just finished the Liebeslied and was now playing the familiar violin solo that John Williams had composed for the movie Schindler's List. It was a solemn piece, and Seifer couldn't help but reminisce several moments from the movie as images of the poor Jews being slaughtered came flashing into his mind. He then remembered his German lineage and began feeling slightly depressed—depressed that it was his Aryan race that had nearly driven the Jews of Europe to near extermination.
'So this is the true power of music. I never thought...I never thought that it would be this powerful. Feeling all that guilt...that sorrow..." Seifer thought as he closed his eyes, trying to get in touch with the emotions pouring out of the archaic Stradivarius.
"Seifer...it's gorgeous isn't it?" she finally said after Rinoa had played the final note. When she turned to look at her boyfriend, she noticed that he was deep in thought. "Seifer?"
Seifer was lost in his own little world of imagination when he was sent back into the world of reality upon the final swing of the bow. "Hmmm...?"
Quistis smiled at him and placed her hand over his cheek. "See, I told you that it was beautiful. Did you like it?"
Seifer removed his feet from the bench and set them on the ground. "What do you think?"
"I think you were enjoying that wonderful piece back there. I saw you closing your eyes and swaying like this." She imitated Seifer's position earlier and began copying his moves.
Seifer snickered at her, "You know, for someone as sexy and smart as you are, it surprises me that you still need to take up mime and acting lessons."
Quistis playfully slapped his arm and returned, "And you need to take some culture immersion boy."
"Don't call me boy."
"Then stop insulting my intelligence."
"As if you had some."
"Try me."
"Alright. So who was the first man on the moon?"
"Neil Armstrong. WAIT!!! Why am I even doing this? You know, I still am wondering why you became my boyrfriend!"
"And I am still wondering how a smart girl like you would even fall for the excellent combination of brains and brawn that is moi!"
"You?!? You are just all brawn mister! Not a single ounce of brain is working in that thick skull of yours."
"Hey! I thought girls like brawn!"
"Well, I'm not like most girls."
"And that's probably why I love you Miss Intellectual yet oh so Sexy." Seifer brought her closer to him by her waist.
"And that's probably why I'm feeling hot all over right now," Quistis panted as they locked their lips in a deep, passionate kiss.
On the other side of the garden, Selphie and Irvine had their backs on the ground, both of them enjoying the clouds and pointing out queer shapes when a black Ferrari suddenly passed them by on the main road to the manor.
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Ellone was sitting on the front foyer sofa sipping a cup of tea. She had been there all afternoon enjoying the beautiful music coming from the guest room when she suddenly heard the screeching of tires. Ecstatically standing up and placing the tea on the coffee table, she went down the stairs and flung the doors open to welcome her brother.
"Squall!!!! You're home!" she greeted him while flinging her arms around his shoulders.
"Missed me Sis?" he asked her with a smile as he hung the coat on the rack.
Ellone laughed and helped him remove the thick vest he was wearing. "Of course I did silly! Everyone misses you when you're not around!"
"Yeah right! You and what army?" he sarcastically questioned her.
She returned to the sofa and signaled him to come over and sit down with her. "Me and the Violin Reproduction army," she coolly said as she placed a cube of sugar in her tea. Squall laughed hard at her joke. Ellone had called Zell and Laguna the Violin Reproduction Army, as they were usually conducting some experiments in their laboratory trying to mimic Antonio Stradivari's violins.
'This is one nutty family,' Squall remarked to himself as he picked out one of the chocolate mints on the table and popped one into his mouth.
"So how was work today? And why did you come home so early?" she queried him after squeezing a few drops of lemon juice into her beverage.
"Whoa! One at a time! Well, first of all, we've just finished the set for tomorrow's production of Puccini's Turandot. If you want to come and see the opera, I'll take you there tomorrow. And to answer your second question, well, I finished early today," he blurted out while chewing the meltingly refreshing chocolate.
"Really? You'll take your older Sis to some opera? Now now Squall, I'm older than you but I'm not that old," she said while trying to fake some wrinkles on her face.
"Hey! Are you calling me old? I listen to these rehearsals almost everyday and I look young and hot as ever!"
Ellone replaced the shawl she usually wore and told Squall, "Well, you are always serious and all but I think a lot of the women who work at La Scala like you. You know Sandra?"
Squall raised an eyebrow and asked, "The fifty-five year old vocal coach? She likes me?"
Ellone nodded her head. "Yeah that one! And no she doesn't like like you Squall! She tells me that a lot of the sopranos and mezzos who audition for the roles in La Scala usually fidget and sing notes too high, low, or just plain wrong when you're watching them."
Squall sighed and rested his back on the couch while stretching his arms. "Told you that I was hot! So tell me Ellone, where did you get this new CD? It's really great! Maybe I should invite the artist to come and perform in Milan one of these days."
Ellone laughed and gulped down her last drop of tea. "That live CD? Well, I think I got it this morning from Zell when he picked up some people from the airport." None of them noticed that the music had already stopped.
"Dad has some visitors? And they gave you a CD?" he skeptically asked her.
"Well...sort of like that. But Squall..."
"Um, excuse me Ellone but do you know where I can get some water?" came the demure question from above the stairs.
Squall and Ellone looked up and Squall could feel his stomach roll over on itself. She was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen—pale, perfect skin, rich ruby lips, and dark hair that fell over her shoulders like cascading waterfalls. Her body was a beauty as well—the curves ever so well defined, and her legs were wonderful to look at. Wearing only a white T- shirt and a pair of denim shorts, Squall couldn't help but stammer, "R- right o-over there in the k-k-kitchen!!!" He pointed to a door on the ground floor and fixed his collar with his other free hand.
Rinoa stood there mesmerized by the man she had seen earlier in the painting. He was even better looking in real life—his face chiseled delicately like an elf, his body which seemed so firm and toned. His unruly brown hair was sticking out in all places, but that only added to his charm. And those eyes—Rinoa felt her throat going dry just by gazing at those blue-grey orbs. "Thank you," she barely whispered as she made her way to the kitchen. Her palms were sweating and she felt like her heart was trying to ram its way out of her ribcage. She quickly opened the door and immediately closed it behind her.
When Rinoa was out of earshot, Squall was fidgeting nervously on the sofa. He didn't notice that his hand was clutching the armrest of the furniture. "Squall," Ellone said as she put her hand on his thigh.
"Hmmm?" he uneasily replied.
"That is dad's expensive leather sofa. You might want to try removing your hand from the leather before you rip it completely off."
"Oh..." Squall removed his hand from the furniture and fixed his tie. He said rather squeakily, "Well...I'm going to take a shower." He stood up and began walking the stairs to his room. "Um, come with me to La Scala tomorrow okay?"
Ellone brushed off the stray bang from her forehead and answered, "Sure Squall. So I guess I'd better wake up early tomorrow." She filled her tea cup with hot water and sipped on the liquid. When she heard Squall enter his room, she slyly grinned and murmured, "This is going to be interesting..."
================
As the sun set and the stars of the celestial heavens began appearing one by one in the night sky, the smell of roasting meat, stewed tomatoes, baking wheat, and simmering herb mixtures perfumed the air with its nostalgic aromas.
"Mmm...do you smell that Irvy?" Selphie asked her boyfriend as she sniffed for the scent of delicious Italian food.
Irvine was playing the piano all this time when he paused to take a whiff of the fragrances of the household cook's creations. "Yup! That sure smells good! I wonder if that is pasta? Or what about that meat? Mmmm...smells like venison or something."
Quistis and Seifer soon joined them and Quistis paused for a moment to stop and smell the food. "Wow! Wonder what's cooking tonight." She dragged Seifer to the sofa and told Irvine, "Irvine, please continue. That was beautiful."
Irvine smiled, nodded, and continued playing the piece he had been playing before Selphie told him to sniff the air. None of them noticed that an old lady had entered the room. When Irvine tapped his fingers on the last key, everyone began clapping, including the old lady.
"Bravo Signore! That was so beautiful!" the old woman applauded him.
They all turned to where she was standing and she continued in her apparently strong Italian accent, "Well, Sir Laguna is asking all of you to join him at the dinner table. Dinner will be ready in fifteen minutes but I already put the antipasto on the table. This way please." She led all of them into a gorgeous dining room with a chandelier in the middle. Across the table, Laguna, Ellone, and Zell were already waiting for them, welcoming them with warm smiles.
"Why, so glad all of you could make it to dinner," Laguna said as he unfolded the cloth that covered the freshly baked bread. "Please, help yourself to some of this bread. Sophia baked it earlier." Grabbing a knife, he sliced the loaf and the steam immediately rose from where he cut the brown oval.
Selphie rubbed her hands together and said, "Boy, that loaf sure does look good." She took a slice of bread from the basket and dipped it in a mixture of olive oil, grated parmigiano (parmesan), olive chunks, tomatoes, and basil. "And this dip! Tastes like food from heaven!" she exclaimed after her first bite.
Everyone soon had their share of bread and praised it like it was the best loaf they've ever had on earth. Laguna added, "Well, it should be. Sophia made it."
"Grazie millie signore, but you haven't tasted everything yet if you think my bread is good," chuckled Sophia as she entered the kitchen while rolling in a cart of appetizers.
"What is that?" Quistis asked hungrily when she saw a variety of Italian antipasto being set on the table.
"That, signorina, is my carpaccio de bue con limone e arugula, or as you say in English, raw beef slices in olive oil with lemon and arugula salad," she happily informed her as she lay the plate in the center.
"Wow!" Seifer exclaimed as he saw the wonderful dishes set on the table. "I'm definitely looking for an Italian mama in this town!"
Everyone laughed, including Sophia, but Quistis elbowed him in the ribs.
"Ow! What did you do that for?" he annoyingly asked her.
"Nothing. I just thought that was what most American mamas do when their boyfriends think of other people," she dryly told him.
"But then again, I think you are the best for me," he wooed her.
"If I am the best for you," she seductively told him as she displayed the fullness of her lips, "then listen to me. Shut up and eat." Quistis looked back to her food and lifted her fork. "I'm not in the mood to laugh at your jokes."
Seifer crossed his arms like a little boy and pouted. "Well that wasn't a joke."
Everyone at the table laughed again when Laguna said, "Sophia, can you please get Miss Heartilly and Squall before the food gets cold?"
"Si Signore!" she answered as she left the dining room.
------------------------
Squall was in his room, putting on a pair of shorts and a T-shirt when he heard Sophia calling Rinoa's name outside his room.
"Signorina, it's eating time and Sir Laguna requests that you come join him for dinner," she informed her.
'Boy, Italian women sure have loud voices," Squall mentally joked as he put on his shorts. 'You can hear them inside, outside, and just about anywhere in the house.' He collapsed on his bed and lay there staring blankly at the ceiling.
"Squall..." he heard Sophia say when she opened the door a bit. "May I come in Signore?"
Without averting his gaze from the ceiling, Squall said, "Sure Sophia. Come in."
Sophia walked to his bed and sat down on the edge of the mattress. "Your father is asking you to join him. Will you come down?"
"Sure..." he lazily replied. "In a while Sophia."
Sophia laughed and Squall just raised an eyebrow at her. "You seem so different today. I've never seen you this happy in months."
Squall tilted his head on one side and queried, "What do you mean?"
Sophia chuckled with her lips closed and continued, "Ah, when I was young, I could remember my first son. He was handsome, but not as handsome as you are. A lot of girls would come and flock over to him and start saying that they love him. But when he saw someone he liked, he began acting a bit strange like you are right now."
"What makes you say that?" he inquired the old maid.
Sophia replied, "Squall, I've been your nanny since you were this small." She held her hand over to her waist to emphasize her point. "I know how you look when you see a beautiful girl in school. Of course I know you're in love."
Squall blushed and said, "But, I'm not!"
"Of course, you're not," Sophia laughed. "Your lips may not say it, but your heart does," she told him while poking his chest. "You like that violin girl, don't you?"
'How did she know???' Squall wondered.
"I didn't say that I like her."
"But you didn't say that you don't," Sophia rebutted him. "You know, you should stop relaxing like that and come down. The violin lady is downstairs right now, and the only empty space beside her seat is yours. If you don't come down, well, as you Americans say in your movies, 'It's your loss.'"
Sophia stood up and headed for the door. "Squall, I just put the antipastos on the table so you can still catch up with dinner. I made your favorite lasagna so don't break my heart by not eating tonight." She shut the door and Squall could hear her laugh like a hyena as she went back to the kitchen.
"Well, no use staying here," he mumbled to himself as he got up. He pulled a pair of flip -flops from his closet and opened the door to the hall. Fishing his key out of his pocket, he locked the room and turned around to see the girl he had seen earlier.
"Hi," he shyly said as he put the keys in his pocket. 'Man! Can't I think of anything more interesting than hi?"
She shyly waved back and replied, "Hi!" 'Gosh, he's really cute. Was that hi interesting enough for him?'
Squall put his keys back into his pocket and wiped the sweat off his hands. "Uh, so you're heading to the living, I mean dining room right?" 'Did I say that right? I shouldn't have said living! I should not have said that! It was so wrong!'
"Uh, yeah. I am, I think." Rinoa's fingers were fidgeting so she had to put them behind her back. 'I think? What did I mean by 'I think?' Of course I know I'm going to the dining room. Gosh, I must have sounded really stupid to him.'
"So, um, do you know the way?" he sheepishly queried her as he put his hands in his pocket to keep them from shaking obviously. 'Was that a smooth move? Wait! Why did I even ask that? Of course she doesn't know the way!'
"I, I guess so. But I'm a bit new here so will you please lead the way?" she sheepishly asked him.
'YES! She asked me to lead the way!'
"Sure! I'll show you the way," he said as he beckoned her to follow him.
"So, what's your name?" Squall asked Rinoa as they descended down the stairs.
"Rinoa. Rinoa Heartilly," came the blunt answer from her.
"Nice name," he plainly said. 'Nice name? Oh Squall you sure are a poet. Nice name is so old.'
She blushed pink, red, and maroon and had to wipe her hands on her shirt to keep the sweat from building up. "Thanks. So what's yours?"
"Squall. Squall Leonhart," he answered her.
"Oh. I like it," she told him with a radiant smile. 'Did I sound like I was hitting on him? NO!!! That was sooo stupid of me!'
"Well, um, thanks," replied Squall as he tried to keep his cheeks from heating up. Eventually, he led her to the front foyer and entered the mansion's music room.
"Wow! This place is perfect!" Rinoa clapped her hands and looked around the room. "The acoustics are great for just about anything."
Squall smiled and bounded for the door that led to the dining room. "Glad you liked it."
Rinoa followed Squall to the door and asked, "Um, would it be alright if I used this room...you know...for practicing the violin?"
Squall nodded and answered, "Sure, you're the guest here so feel free to use any room you want in the house. Except for my room, that is." 'I am frantically hoping that she didn't take that seriously.'
Rinoa laughed and said, "Okay." 'He's even cuter when he jokes around.'
Soon, they finally got to the dining room only to be welcomed by everyone staring at them. "Squall, please, sit down and have some of this wonderful food," Laguna offered him as he pointed to a chair.
Ellone got up and held Rinoa's arm. "Rinoa, you really should sit here." She led Rinoa to the seat beside Squall's.
"What are you doing Ellone?" Squall asked his sister when he noticed the sly grin on her face.
"Nothing. Nothing at all," she winked at him. "Those are the only two seats remaining so we decided to reserve them for you both. So what took you guys so long?"
Rinoa put a mound of salad on her plate and said, "Well, Squall and I met up in the hallway and he led me to the dining room."
Ellone placed both arms on the table and rested her chin on her intertwined hands. "That's all you guys did? Sophia came here about ten minutes ago after we asked her to fetch you guys. Fifteen minutes sure is a long time to get here, don't you think?"
Squall irritably chewed on his carpaccio. "Ellone, what are you trying to get at?"
Ellone innocently fluttered her eyes and said, "Nothing dear brother. Just my sisterly instincts I guess." She spooned a few dribbles of dressing over her leaves and passed the sauce bowl to Squall and Rinoa. "Dressing?"
Rinoa took the bowl into her hands and thanked Ellone. A few minutes later, Sophia yet again came in with a trolley of main courses this time. In it was a combination of Italian favorites—Veal Milanese, Neapolitan Lasagna, Fritto Misto, and Acqua Pazza, an Italian version of the famous French bouillabaisse. In another compartment was a fragrant roast chicken with herbs set atop a wooden carving board. The portly woman began gathering the empty antipasto platters from the table and placed it under the cart, after which she placed the dishes save the chicken all over the table. After that had been done, she grabbed a carving knife and sliced thin pieces of poultry, placing them on a platter alongside a sauce bowl filled with her special dip. When her work was done, she returned to the kitchen.
Laguna stared at all of them, wondering to as why they weren't grabbing food from the table, and raised his arms in the air. "Well, what are you waiting for? Let's eat!" He grabbed a bottle of red wine from the cabinet and opened it, pouring in an ample amount of wine for everyone.
"Thank you Sir Laguna!" came the remark from Selphie when the ruby liquid filled her goblet.
"Don't mention it."
They settled down to eat, and after an hour of endless dining, chatting, laughing, and an occasional Heimlich maneuver for an overeating Zell, Sophia brought in her dessert—a Tiramisu which seemed to taste as good as it looked.
"Enjoy your dinner everyone?" she asked them as she replaced their dinner plates with tiny dessert ones.
Squall lifted his glass to Sophia and said, "Oh yes Sophia. Grazie for the wonderful food!" Everyone lifted their glasses and repeated the phrase.
"Oh Squall!" she giggled. "You do know how to make an old woman happy." She cleared the table of the messy, empty serving plates and finally brought out a fruit platter. "A little something for those who don't want to look like me," she told them as she patted her belly.
Everyone laughed and Seifer remarked with a grin, "But I want the Tiramisu!" All of them laughed even louder and after a while, Sophia finally left the dining room.
When the large dish of coffee-soaked sponge, mascarpone cream, and chocolate had taken its first trip around the table, only a fourth of it remained.
"This is so good," Irvine commented as he pierced a piece of the cake with his fork.
"Possibly the best tiramisu I've ever tasted," Seifer said as he gulped down a huge piece of tiramisu down his throat.
All of them dined and devoured the tiramisu, and much to their surprise, the fruits were wonderful too.
"These fruits are so sweet!" Quistis exclaimed after one bite of the juicy, red strawberries laid down on the vast platter.
Laguna popped a cherry into his mouth and said, "Italy is a great country for agriculture. Almost everything here is fabulous."
At that, they all began grabbing a piece of this or that fruit and nothing was left in the wooden plate after it was passed from around Laguna to well...Laguna.
"You guys sure eat a lot!" he exclaimed when he saw an empty fruit board and a totally clean tiramisu serving plate.
Seifer patted his stomach and said, "Well, you know about the servings in America. Almost everything is huge."
The group sat down there for a few minutes, trying to wait for the food to digest before retiring to bed. Ellone was taking a sip of wine when she suddenly turned to Squall. "Squall, I don't think I'll be available for La Scala tomorrow."
"Why sis? Is something wrong?" He tilted his head slightly in a questioning look.
"No, not at all. It's just that we have these guests here and I don't have the heart to leave them alone. Why don't you take someone else instead?" she suggested. "Someone like...oh, I don't know, Rinoa?"
"Rinoa? But what about the others?" he questioned his sister. Ellone winked at the others and they got the message.
Squall looked around the table, beginning from Seifer and Quistis.
"Well, Quisty and I want to see Cremona for a while so I guess we'll pass."
Squall turned to Selphie and Irvine.
"Selph wants to see Cremona too. She likes quiet towns," Irvine noted.
'Man! Isn't anyone interested here? Well, at least that leaves me with...'
"So, I guess it's just you and me. You wanna come see La Scala?" he offered Rinoa.
Rinoa sipped her water, smiled, and nodded curtly. "Okay." 'Is that a date?'
"Aw! Squall has a date!" Zell blurted out as he punched the air.
Squall turned to Zell and gave him a really menacing look. "Shut up Zell."
Zell just laughed and gulped down a half glass of wine. He stood up and said, "Whatever Squall! See ya tomorrow!"
Laguna grinned and informed Rinoa, "So you're going with Squall to Milan right? Well you'd better get up early tomorrow. Squall usually leaves at around six thirty in the morning."
"Don't worry about me Sir Laguna. I usually wake up at around six. I do have one question though sir," she said to the dignified professor.
"Shoot."
"How's my violin?"
"Well, I'm not done with it yet so I guess you'll be having a lot of free time," he said. Clapping his hands, he signaled to everybody, "Okay everyone! Let's go up to our rooms. Don't worry Rinoa, I'll have it done within a week." Laguna got up and stretched his arms and left the dining room.
Quistis, Seifer, Irvine, Selphie, and Rinoa soon followed. When the siblings were finally alone, Squall got up and tapped Ellone's shoulders. She turned and found him whispering into her ear, "When you're up to something, don't make it so obvious!"
After leaving the room, Ellone finally had the heart to giggle uncontrollably, her laughs muffled by her palm. "Sure Squall, I won't make it obvious. But at least you've got a date!" she whispered to herself.
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This is my longest chapter so far so I'll really whine if you don't read this! (Just kidding) But do please write a review. A rounded review would really help, as would tips and corrections so that I can make this story much more enjoyable for the lot of you. Well, I guess this is it. I'm really sleepy now so I'll give you the title of my next chapter: Buongiorno Milano!
Seifer and Quistis—Seifer is not your cocky, arrogant bastard in this story. In this fanfic of mine, Squall and Seifer never met before, so you probably have to imagine them without the scars or some kind of heated rivalry. Seifer and Quistis are a couple in this fic and are really sweet to each other. Not really a "love grows" Seiftis for Quistis and Seifer fans.
Selphie and Irvine—Well, Selphie and Irvine are really just Selphie and Irvine. Nothing much to fuss about.
Rinoa—Well, Rinoa is your typical genius violinist with a really gorgeous face. In The Curse of the Stradivarius however, she doesn't have Seifer as her boyfriend during the past. Rather, she has never found love before, so I guess the relationship with Squall is going to be a first for her.
Squall—Never grew up with the orphanage gang. Has a legit family plus Ellone is his blood sister. I'm not going to reveal anymore from this point on about Squall.
Edea and the Orphanage—As you can see, Edea isn't your Matron in this fic. She is Cid the Carnegie Hall manager's wife. Meaning, no orphanage scenes here or any of them suddenly reminiscing a past with each other.
Laguna—A genius doctor. Quite the contrary to his character in the game don't you think?
Setting—This takes place mostly in Italy and...oh I'm saying too much! Just watch out for the next few chapters okay?
Overall—This is an AU. It's supposed to be different from the original setting of FF8. So please don't be surprised if some of the things in this fic are a tad bit too different from the game.
To the many people who have reviewed my story, thank you very much for your support. I hope you do find the time to continue reading this story and tell me if it needs a tad bit of improvement at all. Well, happy reading and enjoy this chapter!
Chapter Titles:
1. Concerto del Morte—the concert of death.
2. Il Sonata di Sogno—the sonnet of dreams
Our Eyes Met
An Italian autumn evening was certainly a highlight any romantic couple shouldn't miss. With its trees of lava, gold, and tan littering leaves all over the green hills and plains, and with the breathtaking view of the setting sun casting its lights of yellow mingled with orange on the ground, there would be no better time chosen for a trip to Italy than this pre- winter season. The slightly chilly, partly lukewarm temperature only added to that atmosphere which sent hearts and kisses floating in the air.
"Irvy, look at what I found!" Selphie was holding up a maple leaf reddened by age. "Isn't it lovely?"
Irvine found a similar leaf on the grass and picked it up, waving it back and forth as he approached the perky brunette in front of him. "Hey look! I found another one that looks exactly like that!"
Selphie's eyes gleamed and she whispered, "Do you know what this means?"
Irvine smirked and asked, "Try me. I'm fresh out of ideas."
Selphie giggled and touched the tip of her leaf with Irvine's. "Soulmates!"
Irvine smiled and threw a bunch of leaves he had been hiding earlier behind his back at her face, but missed. Selphie stuck out her tongue at him and began running around the Loire estate's gorgeous lawn, with Irvine trailing behind her chucking crumpled leaves of a myriad of colors at her. About a hundred meters away, Quistis and Seifer were sharing a moment of silence on a bench hidden in one of the vast garden's secluded areas, watching Selphie and Irvine playing around like four year olds in Sir Laguna's yard.
"They're so childish!" Quistis laughed as she shook her head. "Seeing them like this makes you wonder if Irvine really is the master pianist we saw performing the other night."
Seifer pouted like a puppy and asked her, "Aw...don't you miss these childhood moment Quis? I sure do." He inched closer to her in an attempt to kiss her cheek but she immediately put a hand in front of Seifer's face.
"Seifer, I don't kiss children like that. It's disgusting," she told him as she tried stifling the smile forming on the corner of her lips.
"Really, then what if I coax you to get into bed with me? Will that change your mind?" he asked her seductively.
She turned to face him. "Horny men aren't my type either so you keep that hand out of my pants!" She slapped the palm of his that was creeping up the left leg of her shorts and he immediately removed it from her legs to avoid her whip-like slaps.
"Then what do you want prima donna?" Seifer inquired as he wrapped his arms gently around her waist.
"Romance," came the blunt reply from Quistis.
"Well if it's romance you want then it's romance you'll ge..." Seifer was about to say something that he thought would make her swoon, but Quistis silenced him with a finger.
"Shhh! Seifer can you hear that?" she said as tried listening for the sound of Rinoa playing the violin. "It's beautiful..." She closed her eyes and began humming along with the tune of the piece.
Seifer rolled his eyes to the direction from where the sound was coming from and tried identifying the music Rinoa was playing. It was beautiful—slow yet incredibly romantic, relaxing yet not boring. She was playing one of the great Fritz Kreisler's well known Adagios, Liebeslied. Translated into English, the German word would mean Love and Sorrow, and undoubtedly, the beauty of the piece focused entirely on the music of love and love lost. "Say, didn't she play that in the concert?" Seifer asked a hypnotized Quistis.
She opened her eyes and sighed happily. "She did, but this is so much more beautiful. Since you don't know much about music..." Seifer scoffed at her and Quistis just giggled at his response. "Classical music that is, you ought to know that violins are so much more beautiful when played in open air."
Seifer smirked and said, "Whatever." Quistis' jaw dropped as if she had just been mocked (and she was). "You! I'm trying to tell you something and you! Oh forget it Seifer!" She turned away from the tall man and retorted, "Don't talk to me! In fact, for the next half hour, just shut up and listen to some beautiful music! They say that classical music makes you smart so hopefully that will add some brain to your thick skull Seifer Almasy!"
Seifer turned the other way also and replied, "Fine! Fine! Have it your way oh classical loving brainiac Quisty! Fine! Get all that brainwave thingy into your head! Hah!" Quistis ignored him however so he sighed, crossed his arms, and finally decided to sit though another few minutes of culture. Rinoa had just finished the Liebeslied and was now playing the familiar violin solo that John Williams had composed for the movie Schindler's List. It was a solemn piece, and Seifer couldn't help but reminisce several moments from the movie as images of the poor Jews being slaughtered came flashing into his mind. He then remembered his German lineage and began feeling slightly depressed—depressed that it was his Aryan race that had nearly driven the Jews of Europe to near extermination.
'So this is the true power of music. I never thought...I never thought that it would be this powerful. Feeling all that guilt...that sorrow..." Seifer thought as he closed his eyes, trying to get in touch with the emotions pouring out of the archaic Stradivarius.
"Seifer...it's gorgeous isn't it?" she finally said after Rinoa had played the final note. When she turned to look at her boyfriend, she noticed that he was deep in thought. "Seifer?"
Seifer was lost in his own little world of imagination when he was sent back into the world of reality upon the final swing of the bow. "Hmmm...?"
Quistis smiled at him and placed her hand over his cheek. "See, I told you that it was beautiful. Did you like it?"
Seifer removed his feet from the bench and set them on the ground. "What do you think?"
"I think you were enjoying that wonderful piece back there. I saw you closing your eyes and swaying like this." She imitated Seifer's position earlier and began copying his moves.
Seifer snickered at her, "You know, for someone as sexy and smart as you are, it surprises me that you still need to take up mime and acting lessons."
Quistis playfully slapped his arm and returned, "And you need to take some culture immersion boy."
"Don't call me boy."
"Then stop insulting my intelligence."
"As if you had some."
"Try me."
"Alright. So who was the first man on the moon?"
"Neil Armstrong. WAIT!!! Why am I even doing this? You know, I still am wondering why you became my boyrfriend!"
"And I am still wondering how a smart girl like you would even fall for the excellent combination of brains and brawn that is moi!"
"You?!? You are just all brawn mister! Not a single ounce of brain is working in that thick skull of yours."
"Hey! I thought girls like brawn!"
"Well, I'm not like most girls."
"And that's probably why I love you Miss Intellectual yet oh so Sexy." Seifer brought her closer to him by her waist.
"And that's probably why I'm feeling hot all over right now," Quistis panted as they locked their lips in a deep, passionate kiss.
On the other side of the garden, Selphie and Irvine had their backs on the ground, both of them enjoying the clouds and pointing out queer shapes when a black Ferrari suddenly passed them by on the main road to the manor.
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Ellone was sitting on the front foyer sofa sipping a cup of tea. She had been there all afternoon enjoying the beautiful music coming from the guest room when she suddenly heard the screeching of tires. Ecstatically standing up and placing the tea on the coffee table, she went down the stairs and flung the doors open to welcome her brother.
"Squall!!!! You're home!" she greeted him while flinging her arms around his shoulders.
"Missed me Sis?" he asked her with a smile as he hung the coat on the rack.
Ellone laughed and helped him remove the thick vest he was wearing. "Of course I did silly! Everyone misses you when you're not around!"
"Yeah right! You and what army?" he sarcastically questioned her.
She returned to the sofa and signaled him to come over and sit down with her. "Me and the Violin Reproduction army," she coolly said as she placed a cube of sugar in her tea. Squall laughed hard at her joke. Ellone had called Zell and Laguna the Violin Reproduction Army, as they were usually conducting some experiments in their laboratory trying to mimic Antonio Stradivari's violins.
'This is one nutty family,' Squall remarked to himself as he picked out one of the chocolate mints on the table and popped one into his mouth.
"So how was work today? And why did you come home so early?" she queried him after squeezing a few drops of lemon juice into her beverage.
"Whoa! One at a time! Well, first of all, we've just finished the set for tomorrow's production of Puccini's Turandot. If you want to come and see the opera, I'll take you there tomorrow. And to answer your second question, well, I finished early today," he blurted out while chewing the meltingly refreshing chocolate.
"Really? You'll take your older Sis to some opera? Now now Squall, I'm older than you but I'm not that old," she said while trying to fake some wrinkles on her face.
"Hey! Are you calling me old? I listen to these rehearsals almost everyday and I look young and hot as ever!"
Ellone replaced the shawl she usually wore and told Squall, "Well, you are always serious and all but I think a lot of the women who work at La Scala like you. You know Sandra?"
Squall raised an eyebrow and asked, "The fifty-five year old vocal coach? She likes me?"
Ellone nodded her head. "Yeah that one! And no she doesn't like like you Squall! She tells me that a lot of the sopranos and mezzos who audition for the roles in La Scala usually fidget and sing notes too high, low, or just plain wrong when you're watching them."
Squall sighed and rested his back on the couch while stretching his arms. "Told you that I was hot! So tell me Ellone, where did you get this new CD? It's really great! Maybe I should invite the artist to come and perform in Milan one of these days."
Ellone laughed and gulped down her last drop of tea. "That live CD? Well, I think I got it this morning from Zell when he picked up some people from the airport." None of them noticed that the music had already stopped.
"Dad has some visitors? And they gave you a CD?" he skeptically asked her.
"Well...sort of like that. But Squall..."
"Um, excuse me Ellone but do you know where I can get some water?" came the demure question from above the stairs.
Squall and Ellone looked up and Squall could feel his stomach roll over on itself. She was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen—pale, perfect skin, rich ruby lips, and dark hair that fell over her shoulders like cascading waterfalls. Her body was a beauty as well—the curves ever so well defined, and her legs were wonderful to look at. Wearing only a white T- shirt and a pair of denim shorts, Squall couldn't help but stammer, "R- right o-over there in the k-k-kitchen!!!" He pointed to a door on the ground floor and fixed his collar with his other free hand.
Rinoa stood there mesmerized by the man she had seen earlier in the painting. He was even better looking in real life—his face chiseled delicately like an elf, his body which seemed so firm and toned. His unruly brown hair was sticking out in all places, but that only added to his charm. And those eyes—Rinoa felt her throat going dry just by gazing at those blue-grey orbs. "Thank you," she barely whispered as she made her way to the kitchen. Her palms were sweating and she felt like her heart was trying to ram its way out of her ribcage. She quickly opened the door and immediately closed it behind her.
When Rinoa was out of earshot, Squall was fidgeting nervously on the sofa. He didn't notice that his hand was clutching the armrest of the furniture. "Squall," Ellone said as she put her hand on his thigh.
"Hmmm?" he uneasily replied.
"That is dad's expensive leather sofa. You might want to try removing your hand from the leather before you rip it completely off."
"Oh..." Squall removed his hand from the furniture and fixed his tie. He said rather squeakily, "Well...I'm going to take a shower." He stood up and began walking the stairs to his room. "Um, come with me to La Scala tomorrow okay?"
Ellone brushed off the stray bang from her forehead and answered, "Sure Squall. So I guess I'd better wake up early tomorrow." She filled her tea cup with hot water and sipped on the liquid. When she heard Squall enter his room, she slyly grinned and murmured, "This is going to be interesting..."
================
As the sun set and the stars of the celestial heavens began appearing one by one in the night sky, the smell of roasting meat, stewed tomatoes, baking wheat, and simmering herb mixtures perfumed the air with its nostalgic aromas.
"Mmm...do you smell that Irvy?" Selphie asked her boyfriend as she sniffed for the scent of delicious Italian food.
Irvine was playing the piano all this time when he paused to take a whiff of the fragrances of the household cook's creations. "Yup! That sure smells good! I wonder if that is pasta? Or what about that meat? Mmmm...smells like venison or something."
Quistis and Seifer soon joined them and Quistis paused for a moment to stop and smell the food. "Wow! Wonder what's cooking tonight." She dragged Seifer to the sofa and told Irvine, "Irvine, please continue. That was beautiful."
Irvine smiled, nodded, and continued playing the piece he had been playing before Selphie told him to sniff the air. None of them noticed that an old lady had entered the room. When Irvine tapped his fingers on the last key, everyone began clapping, including the old lady.
"Bravo Signore! That was so beautiful!" the old woman applauded him.
They all turned to where she was standing and she continued in her apparently strong Italian accent, "Well, Sir Laguna is asking all of you to join him at the dinner table. Dinner will be ready in fifteen minutes but I already put the antipasto on the table. This way please." She led all of them into a gorgeous dining room with a chandelier in the middle. Across the table, Laguna, Ellone, and Zell were already waiting for them, welcoming them with warm smiles.
"Why, so glad all of you could make it to dinner," Laguna said as he unfolded the cloth that covered the freshly baked bread. "Please, help yourself to some of this bread. Sophia baked it earlier." Grabbing a knife, he sliced the loaf and the steam immediately rose from where he cut the brown oval.
Selphie rubbed her hands together and said, "Boy, that loaf sure does look good." She took a slice of bread from the basket and dipped it in a mixture of olive oil, grated parmigiano (parmesan), olive chunks, tomatoes, and basil. "And this dip! Tastes like food from heaven!" she exclaimed after her first bite.
Everyone soon had their share of bread and praised it like it was the best loaf they've ever had on earth. Laguna added, "Well, it should be. Sophia made it."
"Grazie millie signore, but you haven't tasted everything yet if you think my bread is good," chuckled Sophia as she entered the kitchen while rolling in a cart of appetizers.
"What is that?" Quistis asked hungrily when she saw a variety of Italian antipasto being set on the table.
"That, signorina, is my carpaccio de bue con limone e arugula, or as you say in English, raw beef slices in olive oil with lemon and arugula salad," she happily informed her as she lay the plate in the center.
"Wow!" Seifer exclaimed as he saw the wonderful dishes set on the table. "I'm definitely looking for an Italian mama in this town!"
Everyone laughed, including Sophia, but Quistis elbowed him in the ribs.
"Ow! What did you do that for?" he annoyingly asked her.
"Nothing. I just thought that was what most American mamas do when their boyfriends think of other people," she dryly told him.
"But then again, I think you are the best for me," he wooed her.
"If I am the best for you," she seductively told him as she displayed the fullness of her lips, "then listen to me. Shut up and eat." Quistis looked back to her food and lifted her fork. "I'm not in the mood to laugh at your jokes."
Seifer crossed his arms like a little boy and pouted. "Well that wasn't a joke."
Everyone at the table laughed again when Laguna said, "Sophia, can you please get Miss Heartilly and Squall before the food gets cold?"
"Si Signore!" she answered as she left the dining room.
------------------------
Squall was in his room, putting on a pair of shorts and a T-shirt when he heard Sophia calling Rinoa's name outside his room.
"Signorina, it's eating time and Sir Laguna requests that you come join him for dinner," she informed her.
'Boy, Italian women sure have loud voices," Squall mentally joked as he put on his shorts. 'You can hear them inside, outside, and just about anywhere in the house.' He collapsed on his bed and lay there staring blankly at the ceiling.
"Squall..." he heard Sophia say when she opened the door a bit. "May I come in Signore?"
Without averting his gaze from the ceiling, Squall said, "Sure Sophia. Come in."
Sophia walked to his bed and sat down on the edge of the mattress. "Your father is asking you to join him. Will you come down?"
"Sure..." he lazily replied. "In a while Sophia."
Sophia laughed and Squall just raised an eyebrow at her. "You seem so different today. I've never seen you this happy in months."
Squall tilted his head on one side and queried, "What do you mean?"
Sophia chuckled with her lips closed and continued, "Ah, when I was young, I could remember my first son. He was handsome, but not as handsome as you are. A lot of girls would come and flock over to him and start saying that they love him. But when he saw someone he liked, he began acting a bit strange like you are right now."
"What makes you say that?" he inquired the old maid.
Sophia replied, "Squall, I've been your nanny since you were this small." She held her hand over to her waist to emphasize her point. "I know how you look when you see a beautiful girl in school. Of course I know you're in love."
Squall blushed and said, "But, I'm not!"
"Of course, you're not," Sophia laughed. "Your lips may not say it, but your heart does," she told him while poking his chest. "You like that violin girl, don't you?"
'How did she know???' Squall wondered.
"I didn't say that I like her."
"But you didn't say that you don't," Sophia rebutted him. "You know, you should stop relaxing like that and come down. The violin lady is downstairs right now, and the only empty space beside her seat is yours. If you don't come down, well, as you Americans say in your movies, 'It's your loss.'"
Sophia stood up and headed for the door. "Squall, I just put the antipastos on the table so you can still catch up with dinner. I made your favorite lasagna so don't break my heart by not eating tonight." She shut the door and Squall could hear her laugh like a hyena as she went back to the kitchen.
"Well, no use staying here," he mumbled to himself as he got up. He pulled a pair of flip -flops from his closet and opened the door to the hall. Fishing his key out of his pocket, he locked the room and turned around to see the girl he had seen earlier.
"Hi," he shyly said as he put the keys in his pocket. 'Man! Can't I think of anything more interesting than hi?"
She shyly waved back and replied, "Hi!" 'Gosh, he's really cute. Was that hi interesting enough for him?'
Squall put his keys back into his pocket and wiped the sweat off his hands. "Uh, so you're heading to the living, I mean dining room right?" 'Did I say that right? I shouldn't have said living! I should not have said that! It was so wrong!'
"Uh, yeah. I am, I think." Rinoa's fingers were fidgeting so she had to put them behind her back. 'I think? What did I mean by 'I think?' Of course I know I'm going to the dining room. Gosh, I must have sounded really stupid to him.'
"So, um, do you know the way?" he sheepishly queried her as he put his hands in his pocket to keep them from shaking obviously. 'Was that a smooth move? Wait! Why did I even ask that? Of course she doesn't know the way!'
"I, I guess so. But I'm a bit new here so will you please lead the way?" she sheepishly asked him.
'YES! She asked me to lead the way!'
"Sure! I'll show you the way," he said as he beckoned her to follow him.
"So, what's your name?" Squall asked Rinoa as they descended down the stairs.
"Rinoa. Rinoa Heartilly," came the blunt answer from her.
"Nice name," he plainly said. 'Nice name? Oh Squall you sure are a poet. Nice name is so old.'
She blushed pink, red, and maroon and had to wipe her hands on her shirt to keep the sweat from building up. "Thanks. So what's yours?"
"Squall. Squall Leonhart," he answered her.
"Oh. I like it," she told him with a radiant smile. 'Did I sound like I was hitting on him? NO!!! That was sooo stupid of me!'
"Well, um, thanks," replied Squall as he tried to keep his cheeks from heating up. Eventually, he led her to the front foyer and entered the mansion's music room.
"Wow! This place is perfect!" Rinoa clapped her hands and looked around the room. "The acoustics are great for just about anything."
Squall smiled and bounded for the door that led to the dining room. "Glad you liked it."
Rinoa followed Squall to the door and asked, "Um, would it be alright if I used this room...you know...for practicing the violin?"
Squall nodded and answered, "Sure, you're the guest here so feel free to use any room you want in the house. Except for my room, that is." 'I am frantically hoping that she didn't take that seriously.'
Rinoa laughed and said, "Okay." 'He's even cuter when he jokes around.'
Soon, they finally got to the dining room only to be welcomed by everyone staring at them. "Squall, please, sit down and have some of this wonderful food," Laguna offered him as he pointed to a chair.
Ellone got up and held Rinoa's arm. "Rinoa, you really should sit here." She led Rinoa to the seat beside Squall's.
"What are you doing Ellone?" Squall asked his sister when he noticed the sly grin on her face.
"Nothing. Nothing at all," she winked at him. "Those are the only two seats remaining so we decided to reserve them for you both. So what took you guys so long?"
Rinoa put a mound of salad on her plate and said, "Well, Squall and I met up in the hallway and he led me to the dining room."
Ellone placed both arms on the table and rested her chin on her intertwined hands. "That's all you guys did? Sophia came here about ten minutes ago after we asked her to fetch you guys. Fifteen minutes sure is a long time to get here, don't you think?"
Squall irritably chewed on his carpaccio. "Ellone, what are you trying to get at?"
Ellone innocently fluttered her eyes and said, "Nothing dear brother. Just my sisterly instincts I guess." She spooned a few dribbles of dressing over her leaves and passed the sauce bowl to Squall and Rinoa. "Dressing?"
Rinoa took the bowl into her hands and thanked Ellone. A few minutes later, Sophia yet again came in with a trolley of main courses this time. In it was a combination of Italian favorites—Veal Milanese, Neapolitan Lasagna, Fritto Misto, and Acqua Pazza, an Italian version of the famous French bouillabaisse. In another compartment was a fragrant roast chicken with herbs set atop a wooden carving board. The portly woman began gathering the empty antipasto platters from the table and placed it under the cart, after which she placed the dishes save the chicken all over the table. After that had been done, she grabbed a carving knife and sliced thin pieces of poultry, placing them on a platter alongside a sauce bowl filled with her special dip. When her work was done, she returned to the kitchen.
Laguna stared at all of them, wondering to as why they weren't grabbing food from the table, and raised his arms in the air. "Well, what are you waiting for? Let's eat!" He grabbed a bottle of red wine from the cabinet and opened it, pouring in an ample amount of wine for everyone.
"Thank you Sir Laguna!" came the remark from Selphie when the ruby liquid filled her goblet.
"Don't mention it."
They settled down to eat, and after an hour of endless dining, chatting, laughing, and an occasional Heimlich maneuver for an overeating Zell, Sophia brought in her dessert—a Tiramisu which seemed to taste as good as it looked.
"Enjoy your dinner everyone?" she asked them as she replaced their dinner plates with tiny dessert ones.
Squall lifted his glass to Sophia and said, "Oh yes Sophia. Grazie for the wonderful food!" Everyone lifted their glasses and repeated the phrase.
"Oh Squall!" she giggled. "You do know how to make an old woman happy." She cleared the table of the messy, empty serving plates and finally brought out a fruit platter. "A little something for those who don't want to look like me," she told them as she patted her belly.
Everyone laughed and Seifer remarked with a grin, "But I want the Tiramisu!" All of them laughed even louder and after a while, Sophia finally left the dining room.
When the large dish of coffee-soaked sponge, mascarpone cream, and chocolate had taken its first trip around the table, only a fourth of it remained.
"This is so good," Irvine commented as he pierced a piece of the cake with his fork.
"Possibly the best tiramisu I've ever tasted," Seifer said as he gulped down a huge piece of tiramisu down his throat.
All of them dined and devoured the tiramisu, and much to their surprise, the fruits were wonderful too.
"These fruits are so sweet!" Quistis exclaimed after one bite of the juicy, red strawberries laid down on the vast platter.
Laguna popped a cherry into his mouth and said, "Italy is a great country for agriculture. Almost everything here is fabulous."
At that, they all began grabbing a piece of this or that fruit and nothing was left in the wooden plate after it was passed from around Laguna to well...Laguna.
"You guys sure eat a lot!" he exclaimed when he saw an empty fruit board and a totally clean tiramisu serving plate.
Seifer patted his stomach and said, "Well, you know about the servings in America. Almost everything is huge."
The group sat down there for a few minutes, trying to wait for the food to digest before retiring to bed. Ellone was taking a sip of wine when she suddenly turned to Squall. "Squall, I don't think I'll be available for La Scala tomorrow."
"Why sis? Is something wrong?" He tilted his head slightly in a questioning look.
"No, not at all. It's just that we have these guests here and I don't have the heart to leave them alone. Why don't you take someone else instead?" she suggested. "Someone like...oh, I don't know, Rinoa?"
"Rinoa? But what about the others?" he questioned his sister. Ellone winked at the others and they got the message.
Squall looked around the table, beginning from Seifer and Quistis.
"Well, Quisty and I want to see Cremona for a while so I guess we'll pass."
Squall turned to Selphie and Irvine.
"Selph wants to see Cremona too. She likes quiet towns," Irvine noted.
'Man! Isn't anyone interested here? Well, at least that leaves me with...'
"So, I guess it's just you and me. You wanna come see La Scala?" he offered Rinoa.
Rinoa sipped her water, smiled, and nodded curtly. "Okay." 'Is that a date?'
"Aw! Squall has a date!" Zell blurted out as he punched the air.
Squall turned to Zell and gave him a really menacing look. "Shut up Zell."
Zell just laughed and gulped down a half glass of wine. He stood up and said, "Whatever Squall! See ya tomorrow!"
Laguna grinned and informed Rinoa, "So you're going with Squall to Milan right? Well you'd better get up early tomorrow. Squall usually leaves at around six thirty in the morning."
"Don't worry about me Sir Laguna. I usually wake up at around six. I do have one question though sir," she said to the dignified professor.
"Shoot."
"How's my violin?"
"Well, I'm not done with it yet so I guess you'll be having a lot of free time," he said. Clapping his hands, he signaled to everybody, "Okay everyone! Let's go up to our rooms. Don't worry Rinoa, I'll have it done within a week." Laguna got up and stretched his arms and left the dining room.
Quistis, Seifer, Irvine, Selphie, and Rinoa soon followed. When the siblings were finally alone, Squall got up and tapped Ellone's shoulders. She turned and found him whispering into her ear, "When you're up to something, don't make it so obvious!"
After leaving the room, Ellone finally had the heart to giggle uncontrollably, her laughs muffled by her palm. "Sure Squall, I won't make it obvious. But at least you've got a date!" she whispered to herself.
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This is my longest chapter so far so I'll really whine if you don't read this! (Just kidding) But do please write a review. A rounded review would really help, as would tips and corrections so that I can make this story much more enjoyable for the lot of you. Well, I guess this is it. I'm really sleepy now so I'll give you the title of my next chapter: Buongiorno Milano!