Dedicated To You
Disclaimer: I am not the wealthy genius who created FF8, or any of the characters. So, I'll just have to settle for creating the idea for the fanfic. I can do that, right??
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Selphie popped up behind her. " Hey, Rinny!" she said, excited. " Isn't the celebration going great?" She paused, noticing that Rinoa seemed a little lost in thought. " Rinoa?" she asked quietly.
Rinoa sighed. " Yeah, the party's great, Selphie." she replied. 'I was kinda hoping that the Commander would come out and talk to me...' she thought. 'I don't know why...that doesn't even sound like him.'
Selphie started waving her hand in front of Rinoa's face. " Hello?" she said, sighing. 'She's lost.' " Rinny, why did you leave the party?" she asked, hoping to hear her speak.
Rinoa shrugged. " I just needed to get some fresh air," she replied, " It's nothing."
Selphie crossed her arms. " It's nothing, huh?" she repeated, " I think you're hiding something from me, Rinoa Heartilly."
" I asked the Commander to dance," she blurted out, " And I started staing in his eyes again, and he started to stare at me, and...I don't know how to say it..."
Selphie grinned. " I sense another match made in heaven!" she cried.
' Oh, hyne...' Rinoa thought, 'Please, don't...' She cringed, but Selphie walked past Squall, and over to Zell.
" Hey, Zell!" she said, almost in a flirty way, " I think that girl over there's checking you out..."
Zell turned around to look, then shrugged. Rinoa noticed his face was a bit flushed. ' Maybe he's just playing it off.' she thought, grinning.
" Not interested." he said, shoving a hot dog in his mouth. Selphie shook her head.
" He'll never quit with the hot dogs..." she muttered, and she turned to go back to Rinoa. But, Rinoa wasn't there.
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Rinoa started to run down the hallway, when a voice said quietly, " You probably shouldn't be running."
She froze. " Why?" she asked, wondering if the voice belonged to whom she thought it did.
" You might knock someone over again." he replied, and then Rinoa knew. She turned around to see Squall.
" Commander-" she started, a bit embarrassed, but something told her to shut up.
He paused for a minute. " Call me...Squall..." he said quietly, almost in a whisper. Part of him hoped she wouldn't hear.
She did. " Really?" she asked softly, almost not believing.
" Only on an informal basis." he added. ' I hope that didn't sound like an invitation.' he thought.
" Okay...Squall..." she said, the rest of the sentence erased from her mind. ' I have no idea what I was going to say to him!' she thought, her face slightly flushed.
They both were silent. " Where...were you going?" Squall asked, and as soon as he said it, he realized he sounded more concerned than he ever had.
' Is he...worried about me?' she thought, puzzled. " Probably the Secret Area." she replied. " Why do you ask?"
' No one would be there...' he thought. ' Why am I thinking about being alone with her?!' He shrugged. " Just wanted to make sure you wouldn't knock anyone over on your way." he replied. " I don't know."
Rinoa giggled. " I'll watch where I'm going this time," she said. " I just wanted to get away from the crowd." She paused. " Would you care to join me?" she asked, somewhat hopeful.
' Does she have to ask?' he thought, almost saying yes. " Actually, I have to keep an eye on the party..." he started.
She sighed sadly. " That's okay..." she replied quietly. " I understand." She started to walk off. ' I should've known better...' she thought to herself. ' He's the Commander, he's a busy man...'
" Rinoa?" he said quietly, and Rinoa froze.
' He...called me...Rinoa...' she thought, shocked. " Yes?" she asked, hoping he had changed his mind.
" Make sure you're back at the dormitory by curfew." he replied. ' I lost my chance!' he thought. 'Chance for what, Squall?'
Rinoa sighed. " Yes, sir." she said, and started to run to the Training Area. ' Damn!' she thought, ' He needs to make up his mind!'
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Selphie was running around, looking for Rinoa. " Where is she?" she muttered to herself, upset. " Rinny!!" she shouted. She looked around, and suddenly noticed Squall returning from the hallway. She made her way to him. " Squall!" she said, trying to make herself heard over the orchestra, " Have you seen Rinoa?"
He nodded. " She went to the Secret Area." he replied.
' Wait a sec...' she thought, 'How would he know?!' She started to grin. " Did she tell you that?" she asked wickedly.
' Oh, great, what's she thinking?' he thought. " I saw her running in that direction," he replied. He shrugged. ' It may not be the whole truth, but why does she have to know everything I do?' he thought, slightly irritated by his own thoughts. He didn't feel right, maybe he was working too hard.
Selphie seemed dissappointed. " Oh," she replied, " Squall?" she added. " Get some sleep, you don't sound too well."
' You're not the only one who thinks that.' he thought, shrugging again. " Whatever." he replied, and went to find Headmaster Cid in the crowd of SeeD.
Selphie decided to go to the Secret Area to find Rinoa. ' I bet he DID talk to her!' she thought. ' Why else would he be acting so weird? And, why is he talking more than usual?'
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Rinoa stepped up to the railing, and stared at the moon. It was full, and pale, and it mesmerized her. ' Now, if the sky could just freeze like this...' she thought. She heard someone behind her. ' I'm just being stalked tonight...' she thought, irritated. " Yes?"
" Hey, Rinny." Selphie said quietly. She walked up next to her, and noticed she was staring at the moon. She looked out, too. " The moon is pretty." she said, hoping that would break the ice.
Rinoa just nodded. Selphie tried again. " You know, I had no idea where you went." she said, " I was worried. Why didn't you tell me?"
Rinoa shrugged. ' Hyne, now she's becoming quiet like Squall!' she thought. " Rinny?" she asked quietly.
" Yeah?" she replied quietly.
" Whatcha thinking about?" she asked.
Rinoa paused. ' Can I honestly tell her?' she thought. Taking a deep breath, she realized her answer.
" Rinny?" Selphie asked again.
"...Nothing." she replied, staring at the brightest star in the sky. ' Now, if I could just replace Selphie at this moment...' she thought quietly. ' No offense to her...'
" You want some quiet time, don't you?" she asked, and Rinoa nodded.
" ...Yeah..." she replied, " If you don't mind."
Selphie nodded in understanding, and slowly walked off. ' What's going on?' she thought, ' And why is Squall all weird, too?' She paused. " He doesn't! ...nah...' She immediately dismissed the possibility in her mind, and hurried back to the auditorium.
Rinoa continued to stare at the sky. After pondering it for a moment, she started to go back to the auditorium, too.
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Squall finally managed to reach Cid. " Headmaster." he said loudly. Cid turned around. He had been talking to his wife.
" Yes, Squall?" he asked.
" I think I'm going to bed." he said. ' Why is he looking at me like that?' he thought.
Cid nodded. " Very well," he said, " I expect to see you hard at work tomorrow."
Squall shrugged. " Whatever." he replied, and he walked off.
Cid shook his head. " That boy needs to lighten up." he mumbled. He turned around, and continued his conversation with Edea.
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Rinoa had just returned to the party. ' I'm going to find an empty seat to sit in,' she thought, ' I'm sick of standing up!' Just as she started to scout for a seat, she felt someone yank her away. ' What the-?!' she thought, and she turned around to see who was pulling her.
" Seifer?!" she shouted, " What do you think you're doing?!"
" We're gonna dance, baby!" he replied.
She tried to pull away. " No, we're not!" she insisted, and she yanked harder. His grip was too tight for her to pull away, and it hurt her wrist.
" Rin, listen to me." he said, pulling her close. " We're going to dance like it was the first time. And you're going to love it." He paused. " In fact, you're going to admit you were wrong about that night, and we're gonna be together."
" NO!" she shouted, pulling hard. He was caught off guard, and she managed to free herself. She started to run away, when he grabbed her again.
" LISTEN!" he yelled, when someone suddenly knocked him down. " What the?!"
" You know your place, Almasy," Squall said, " And I suggest you stay there."
" Screw you, Puberty Boy." he replied, taking a swing at him. He missed.
" You're drunk," he observed, and immediately, Seifer was dragged away by Fujin and Raijin. " We don't want you to make a scene, ya know?" Raijin said quietly. " Don't want you to do anything you'll regret until you're sober."
" SEIFER..." Fujin said, with almost a hint of softness in her voice. Rinoa watched as the three disappeared.
Then, she turned to face Squall, but he was already gone.
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Squall was hurrying to his room. ' Why do I always end up having to save her?' he thought. ' Seifer just doesn't know when to quit. He's also stronger than her...' he paused. ' And he's an angry ex-boyfriend.' He shook his head. ' How many guys have actually gone out with her?' he stopped. ' Who cares?'
" Squall!" a feminine voice shouted from behind him. He turned around to see Rinoa running, trying to catch up to him. When she finally met him, she stopped for a moment, trying to catch her breath.
" I just wanted to thank you for what you did." she said, still a bit breathless.
A sudden feeling came over him. ' What's wrong with me?' he thought, but he wasn't angry about it. He didn't know what he felt...at all.
" Squall?" she asked. ' Wait, is he mad because I got in trouble again?' she thought, starting to panic. " Are you mad at me?" she asked, worried, " I'm sorry I got in trouble again, but I didn't start it, honest!" She paused, and noticed he had the same look on his face as when she'd started. " He just came out of nowhere, and-"
Rinoa was stopped in mid-sentence by...
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Author's note: What do you think stopped Rinoa? Is someone else coming? R&R and tell me what you think!! Thanks to the awesome people who've R&Red me so far! P.S. What do you think of how I've ended the last two chapters? Is it better as a cliffhanger, or should I just write the end of the sentence, and build the next chapter from there? Let me know what you think!
Disclaimer: I am not the wealthy genius who created FF8, or any of the characters. So, I'll just have to settle for creating the idea for the fanfic. I can do that, right??
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Selphie popped up behind her. " Hey, Rinny!" she said, excited. " Isn't the celebration going great?" She paused, noticing that Rinoa seemed a little lost in thought. " Rinoa?" she asked quietly.
Rinoa sighed. " Yeah, the party's great, Selphie." she replied. 'I was kinda hoping that the Commander would come out and talk to me...' she thought. 'I don't know why...that doesn't even sound like him.'
Selphie started waving her hand in front of Rinoa's face. " Hello?" she said, sighing. 'She's lost.' " Rinny, why did you leave the party?" she asked, hoping to hear her speak.
Rinoa shrugged. " I just needed to get some fresh air," she replied, " It's nothing."
Selphie crossed her arms. " It's nothing, huh?" she repeated, " I think you're hiding something from me, Rinoa Heartilly."
" I asked the Commander to dance," she blurted out, " And I started staing in his eyes again, and he started to stare at me, and...I don't know how to say it..."
Selphie grinned. " I sense another match made in heaven!" she cried.
' Oh, hyne...' Rinoa thought, 'Please, don't...' She cringed, but Selphie walked past Squall, and over to Zell.
" Hey, Zell!" she said, almost in a flirty way, " I think that girl over there's checking you out..."
Zell turned around to look, then shrugged. Rinoa noticed his face was a bit flushed. ' Maybe he's just playing it off.' she thought, grinning.
" Not interested." he said, shoving a hot dog in his mouth. Selphie shook her head.
" He'll never quit with the hot dogs..." she muttered, and she turned to go back to Rinoa. But, Rinoa wasn't there.
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Rinoa started to run down the hallway, when a voice said quietly, " You probably shouldn't be running."
She froze. " Why?" she asked, wondering if the voice belonged to whom she thought it did.
" You might knock someone over again." he replied, and then Rinoa knew. She turned around to see Squall.
" Commander-" she started, a bit embarrassed, but something told her to shut up.
He paused for a minute. " Call me...Squall..." he said quietly, almost in a whisper. Part of him hoped she wouldn't hear.
She did. " Really?" she asked softly, almost not believing.
" Only on an informal basis." he added. ' I hope that didn't sound like an invitation.' he thought.
" Okay...Squall..." she said, the rest of the sentence erased from her mind. ' I have no idea what I was going to say to him!' she thought, her face slightly flushed.
They both were silent. " Where...were you going?" Squall asked, and as soon as he said it, he realized he sounded more concerned than he ever had.
' Is he...worried about me?' she thought, puzzled. " Probably the Secret Area." she replied. " Why do you ask?"
' No one would be there...' he thought. ' Why am I thinking about being alone with her?!' He shrugged. " Just wanted to make sure you wouldn't knock anyone over on your way." he replied. " I don't know."
Rinoa giggled. " I'll watch where I'm going this time," she said. " I just wanted to get away from the crowd." She paused. " Would you care to join me?" she asked, somewhat hopeful.
' Does she have to ask?' he thought, almost saying yes. " Actually, I have to keep an eye on the party..." he started.
She sighed sadly. " That's okay..." she replied quietly. " I understand." She started to walk off. ' I should've known better...' she thought to herself. ' He's the Commander, he's a busy man...'
" Rinoa?" he said quietly, and Rinoa froze.
' He...called me...Rinoa...' she thought, shocked. " Yes?" she asked, hoping he had changed his mind.
" Make sure you're back at the dormitory by curfew." he replied. ' I lost my chance!' he thought. 'Chance for what, Squall?'
Rinoa sighed. " Yes, sir." she said, and started to run to the Training Area. ' Damn!' she thought, ' He needs to make up his mind!'
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Selphie was running around, looking for Rinoa. " Where is she?" she muttered to herself, upset. " Rinny!!" she shouted. She looked around, and suddenly noticed Squall returning from the hallway. She made her way to him. " Squall!" she said, trying to make herself heard over the orchestra, " Have you seen Rinoa?"
He nodded. " She went to the Secret Area." he replied.
' Wait a sec...' she thought, 'How would he know?!' She started to grin. " Did she tell you that?" she asked wickedly.
' Oh, great, what's she thinking?' he thought. " I saw her running in that direction," he replied. He shrugged. ' It may not be the whole truth, but why does she have to know everything I do?' he thought, slightly irritated by his own thoughts. He didn't feel right, maybe he was working too hard.
Selphie seemed dissappointed. " Oh," she replied, " Squall?" she added. " Get some sleep, you don't sound too well."
' You're not the only one who thinks that.' he thought, shrugging again. " Whatever." he replied, and went to find Headmaster Cid in the crowd of SeeD.
Selphie decided to go to the Secret Area to find Rinoa. ' I bet he DID talk to her!' she thought. ' Why else would he be acting so weird? And, why is he talking more than usual?'
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Rinoa stepped up to the railing, and stared at the moon. It was full, and pale, and it mesmerized her. ' Now, if the sky could just freeze like this...' she thought. She heard someone behind her. ' I'm just being stalked tonight...' she thought, irritated. " Yes?"
" Hey, Rinny." Selphie said quietly. She walked up next to her, and noticed she was staring at the moon. She looked out, too. " The moon is pretty." she said, hoping that would break the ice.
Rinoa just nodded. Selphie tried again. " You know, I had no idea where you went." she said, " I was worried. Why didn't you tell me?"
Rinoa shrugged. ' Hyne, now she's becoming quiet like Squall!' she thought. " Rinny?" she asked quietly.
" Yeah?" she replied quietly.
" Whatcha thinking about?" she asked.
Rinoa paused. ' Can I honestly tell her?' she thought. Taking a deep breath, she realized her answer.
" Rinny?" Selphie asked again.
"...Nothing." she replied, staring at the brightest star in the sky. ' Now, if I could just replace Selphie at this moment...' she thought quietly. ' No offense to her...'
" You want some quiet time, don't you?" she asked, and Rinoa nodded.
" ...Yeah..." she replied, " If you don't mind."
Selphie nodded in understanding, and slowly walked off. ' What's going on?' she thought, ' And why is Squall all weird, too?' She paused. " He doesn't! ...nah...' She immediately dismissed the possibility in her mind, and hurried back to the auditorium.
Rinoa continued to stare at the sky. After pondering it for a moment, she started to go back to the auditorium, too.
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Squall finally managed to reach Cid. " Headmaster." he said loudly. Cid turned around. He had been talking to his wife.
" Yes, Squall?" he asked.
" I think I'm going to bed." he said. ' Why is he looking at me like that?' he thought.
Cid nodded. " Very well," he said, " I expect to see you hard at work tomorrow."
Squall shrugged. " Whatever." he replied, and he walked off.
Cid shook his head. " That boy needs to lighten up." he mumbled. He turned around, and continued his conversation with Edea.
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Rinoa had just returned to the party. ' I'm going to find an empty seat to sit in,' she thought, ' I'm sick of standing up!' Just as she started to scout for a seat, she felt someone yank her away. ' What the-?!' she thought, and she turned around to see who was pulling her.
" Seifer?!" she shouted, " What do you think you're doing?!"
" We're gonna dance, baby!" he replied.
She tried to pull away. " No, we're not!" she insisted, and she yanked harder. His grip was too tight for her to pull away, and it hurt her wrist.
" Rin, listen to me." he said, pulling her close. " We're going to dance like it was the first time. And you're going to love it." He paused. " In fact, you're going to admit you were wrong about that night, and we're gonna be together."
" NO!" she shouted, pulling hard. He was caught off guard, and she managed to free herself. She started to run away, when he grabbed her again.
" LISTEN!" he yelled, when someone suddenly knocked him down. " What the?!"
" You know your place, Almasy," Squall said, " And I suggest you stay there."
" Screw you, Puberty Boy." he replied, taking a swing at him. He missed.
" You're drunk," he observed, and immediately, Seifer was dragged away by Fujin and Raijin. " We don't want you to make a scene, ya know?" Raijin said quietly. " Don't want you to do anything you'll regret until you're sober."
" SEIFER..." Fujin said, with almost a hint of softness in her voice. Rinoa watched as the three disappeared.
Then, she turned to face Squall, but he was already gone.
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Squall was hurrying to his room. ' Why do I always end up having to save her?' he thought. ' Seifer just doesn't know when to quit. He's also stronger than her...' he paused. ' And he's an angry ex-boyfriend.' He shook his head. ' How many guys have actually gone out with her?' he stopped. ' Who cares?'
" Squall!" a feminine voice shouted from behind him. He turned around to see Rinoa running, trying to catch up to him. When she finally met him, she stopped for a moment, trying to catch her breath.
" I just wanted to thank you for what you did." she said, still a bit breathless.
A sudden feeling came over him. ' What's wrong with me?' he thought, but he wasn't angry about it. He didn't know what he felt...at all.
" Squall?" she asked. ' Wait, is he mad because I got in trouble again?' she thought, starting to panic. " Are you mad at me?" she asked, worried, " I'm sorry I got in trouble again, but I didn't start it, honest!" She paused, and noticed he had the same look on his face as when she'd started. " He just came out of nowhere, and-"
Rinoa was stopped in mid-sentence by...
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Author's note: What do you think stopped Rinoa? Is someone else coming? R&R and tell me what you think!! Thanks to the awesome people who've R&Red me so far! P.S. What do you think of how I've ended the last two chapters? Is it better as a cliffhanger, or should I just write the end of the sentence, and build the next chapter from there? Let me know what you think!