Dedicated To You
Disclaimer: I do not own Squaresoft, a.k.a. SquareEnix, or any of the characters affiliated with Final Fantasy.
Chapter 7
Rinoa waited until the new SeeD had left the room. Then, she walked over to Headmaster Cid.
" Headmaster?" she asked quietly, " Was my name on that list, sir?"
The man turned around. " Yes, Miss Heartilly," he replied, " But I left it out in case you decided to pass up the chance of going."
" But, why did you only do that for me?" she asked.
The Headmaster sighed. " If everyone had a choice, then can you imagine how hard it would be to keep up the Garden's reputation?" he asked. " If everyone had a choice, we would not really be able to agree to do missions. Everyone would have a say, and everyone would have an excuse not to go. Petty differences would get in the way. You are a different case, though." He crossed his arms. " A very special case."
" Sir," she replied, " I came to this Garden, hoping I wouldn't be treated any differently than the rest of the students, or your mercenaries. I want to have the equal rules and limitations. I want to be treated normally. Please," she said, holding her hands up to her chest, " I want to go on my first mission."
Cid sighed again. " You realize, of course, that if you go, there will be a chance of your father coming to meet you, as well as the others."
" If I know my father half as well as I think I do," she replied, " Then neither you nor I will have to worry about that."
Cid laughed. " You have become as well of a negotiator as Squall!" he said, calming down. " You may go on the mission. I haven't replaced your position yet. You will be on Squad C. Your squad leader will be Commander Leonhart." He paused for a moment. " Well, with that set up, I don't believe your father will want to come meet your squad after all!"
'Why?' Rinoa thought, slightly curious. 'Who cares? I'll be working with Squall!' She stopped, cursing herself. 'Why should I care?' she asked herself, agitated, then smiling when she remembered, 'Because I'm falling in love with him.'
Suddenly, her thoughts were interrupted by none other than the Commander. " I've just been informed that you will be in my squad, Miss Hearti-Rinoa." he said quietly. She turned to face him, and smiled. He felt his face growing hot, and couldn't stop it. 'Dammit!' he thought. 'I hope I'm not like this the rest of the mission!'
" I just heard, too!" she said, giggling. " I can't wait! My very first mission."
Squall sighed. " Well, you're free until 1500 hours..."
Rinoa grinned, and grabbed Squall's hand. " C'mon!" she said happily, " Now you can finish taking me on that tour that you took me on when I first came here!"
He froze. " I thought Selphie showed you around." he said.
Rinoa shrugged. " Yeah, well, she didn't take me to the Secret Area yet." she lied. She had been there before-but she hope he didn't know.
He didn't. " Why?" he asked. 'The secret area?' he thought, 'She couldn't possibly...could she?'
She sighed. " Because everyone talks so much about it!" she replied, " Everyone says it's a great place, and I really, really want to see!!"
'This is crazy,' Squall thought. " Actually..." he replied, " I have a lot of work to finish before we leave for the mission, so I'm afraid we'll have to put that on hold."
Rinoa frowned. " Okay..." she replied sadly, looking at the floor. " I'll see you at 1500, then." She walked off. 'If only I'd said more...' she thought, 'What if I...?'
Squall shook his head, and started to walk to the elevators. 'Why?' he thought, 'Why does she want ME to take her to the Secret Area?' He paused. 'Unless she KNOWS...' He shook his head again. " Whatever..." he mumbled, and he walked up the steps to the elevator. Pressing the button, he stepped inside, and rode it up to the third floor.
~*-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rinoa went back to the dorms, down-hearted. 'I guess he doesn't love me...' she thought, walking into her room. Selphie ran to the door, not allowing Rinoa to come in.
" Rinny, I'm sorry I have to do this to you," she said, " But Zell's here, and I don't think he'd be comfortable with you coming in just yet. He's...trying to tell me something important." She paused. " Anyway, could you come back in about an hour?"
Rinoa nodded. " Okay." she replied, turning away from the door, and walking down the hall. She didn't know where she was going to go, but she was going somewhere. Next thing she realized, she was in a battle with a T-Rexaur. "Oh, great..." she muttered, casting Sleep on it. Then, she gave it all she had. Just as it seemed that the T-Rexaur was going to wake up, Angelo rushed in, and delivered the finishing blow. Rinoa sighed in relief. 'That was a bit too close...' she thought, walking. She knew where she was going now-she was going to train.
She fought battles in the Training Center for about an hour and a half, when she realized that it was almost 1500. " Oh, shit!" she said under her breath, running as fast as she could to her dorm. When she got into the hallway, she was running so fast, that everything was a bit blurry, but she managed to make out a figure coming toward her before she ran into it.
" OW!" she yelped, " What the-??" She looked up to see Seifer. She moaned, getting up. She tried walking away, but Seifer wouldn't let her pass. " What do you want?" she asked, annoyed.
Seifer grinned. " I want you to let me do the SeeD mission." he said, " And I want you to be my girl again. But," he added, running his hand through her hair, " Since I know that none of that's gonna happen, I want this-the Instructor's room number."
Rinoa stepped back. " What instructor?" she asked.
Seifer looked around, to make sure no one was listening. " Instructor Trepe." he whispered.
Puzzled, Rinoa asked, " Why Quistis?"
" NONE OF YOUR BUISINESS!!!" Seifer shouted, glaring at her.
'Ooh...too late, I get it now...' she thought, grinning. " Fine, I'll find out for you." she replied.
" Good." he said, stalking off. When he was out of sight, she laughed.
" Who would've thought..." she muttered to herself, " Seifer...and Quistis....could it work?"
~*-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
At 1500 hours, Rinoa, Squall, Selphie, Zell, and Quistis were assembled at the Main Gate. Cid went over the procedure one more time. When he was finished explaining, he said, " I want to let you all know that Garden depends on you. Do your best, and we wish you luck." He walked back inside the Garden. The SeeD all stared at Squall, waiting for their first order.
" Well, we'd better head off to the train station..." he said, and they walked to the parking garage.
They drove to the train station, and boarded the train. Selphie, wasn't watching the scenery pass by outside as usual, but she was talking to Zell in their cabin. Rinoa grinned. 'He must have told her...' she thought happily. She walked over to the window, and watched the scenery go by. She was becoming mezmerized by all the beautiful things passing by.
Night came. They were close to their destination, but still had about an hour before they would arrive. Rinoa continued to stare out the window, this time, trying to see the stars. But, there was a glare on the glass window, and it was next to impossible to crane her neck just right to see even the least visible star. Suddenly, she felt someone touch her shoulder. She turned around to see Squall. She grinned. 'He wants to talk to me.' she thought.
'Why is she grinning?' he thought, slightly puzzled. " I was just wondering..." he started.
" Yes?" she interrupted.
" If you wanted to join us for a meal." he finished. She frowned.
" Yeah, I'll be there in a minute." she sighed. She stared out the window at the darkness.
Squall slowly walked away, not letting her out of his sight until the door had closed. 'Why is she sad?' he wondered, actually starting to worry-a little bit. He turned around, only to see Zell, Selphie, and Quistis staring at him.
" Yes?" he asked. 'The hell?' he thought.
Selphie and Zell started talking again, and Quistis only shrugged. " Nothing, Squall." she replied, sipping her tea.
Squall shrugged. " Whatever." he replied, sitting down. Suddenly, the door opened, and Rinoa walked in. She sat down across from him, and Quistis grinned.
" Glad you decided to join us, Rin," she said, " Have a dumpling." She handed her a plate with a few dumplings left.
Rinoa took one, and started eating. Squall sighed, and sipped his tea. He waitied for Rinoa to finish eating, and then he stood up. " If you'll excuse me," he said, " I'll be right back." He stepped out of the room.
Rinoa watched him leave. 'Does he want me to follow him?' she thought, puzzled. She finished her tea, and then stood. " Thanks for the food, Quistis," she said, " I'm gonna go back out for a little while. I want to see the town when we arrive."
Quistis nodded, and Rinoa left the room. Quistis glanced at Selphie and Zell, who were getting a little cozy. She grinned, then turned away. She frowned. 'Lucky Selphie...' she thought. 'And Rinoa? I wonder if I'll ever fit in somewhere...will I ever have someone?' She sipped her tea again, thoughtful.
~*-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rinoa stared out the window again, this time, not caring that she couldn't see the stars. She only stared out the window, waiting for the ride to be over, waiting for her first mission. Waiting for whatever would come. Suddenly, she felt a familiar touch on her shoulder again. She turned around, and came face to face with Squall.
" You can see the stars better if you step out into the back." he said quietly. He took her hand, and lead her to the back of the train. They stepped out onto the platform, and stared out into the night's sky. Rinoa grinned.
" It's so nice out..." she said softly, so softly that Squall almost couldn't hear her. He looked over at her, and felt himself doing something he hadn't done in a long time-grin. 'What am I doing?' he thought, starting to soften. He was beginning to realized what he had secretly known since the day Rinoa first came to the Garden. But, it was still a bit hazy. Suddenly, Rinoa looked at him, grinning.
" Remember the SeeD party that Selphie threw?" she asked. " Remember how we danced that night?"
Squall nodded, a bit mezmerized. That made Rinoa a little nervous.
" Well..." she stammered, " I thought you told me that you couldn't dance."
Squall froze. He did remember, and he remembered lying. " Well..." he stammered, " It's complicated..."
" You mean you can't tell me?" she asked.
Squall sighed. " Not if I can help it."
Rinoa straightened up, and completely faced Squall. " Why?" she asked, " Why did you lie to me?"
Squall faced her, and stared at her for a moment. 'Moonlight...beautiful sky...me...and Rinoa...alone...what am I doing?' he thought, confused. " I don't know." he replied quietly.
Rinoa froze. She recognized something in Squall's eyes. Suddenly, she understood. She took a deep breath, and did the bravest thing she had done in her life. She leaned over, and lightly kissed him. She pulled away, and slightly grinned at him for a moment. He was speechless.
'Is this real?' he thought, but before he could even decide, she winked at him, and slipped back inside.
~*-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
He stood on the platform, frozen, when he suddenly felt the train come to a stop. He went back inside, and glanced out the window. He saw the lights of the city. 'I wonder how this mission is going to go?' he thought. He tried to keep his thoughts on the mission as he went to meet his squad. But, when the door opened, he saw her, grinning at him, and he lost his cool. All he could see was her. He didn't notice the strange stares he was geting until Quistis spoke up.
" We await your orders, Commander." she said.
He looked around the room. 'How am I gonna get through things in one piece?' he thought, looking at Rinoa one more time. He straightened up. " We should meet up with our contact. The Headmaster said that we should find him in front of the Galbadia Hotel." He paused. 'Focus...' he thought. " Let's move out."
As he left the room, Rinoa grinned. 'I think he feels the same way...' she thought happily, walking off the train.
~*-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
When they reached the meeting point, they looked around. 'I'd better be careful...' Rinoa thought, 'A lot of people know me here...' Suddenly, she turned around, and found their contact. She gasped. " Hey...!"
~*--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------*~
Author's note: What do you think? Is this a cliff hanger at all? Well...I may end up having to work out a few bugs in this chapter...I want to thank my reviewers for the last chapter:
Pretty Like Drugs: You're my most recent reviewer. Well, I don't know quite what you mean by the 'pairings' thing, because you seemed okay about what I have going so far, but thatnks for the opinion. What fanfics do you have? I'll try to check at least one out!
Rikku290: This chapter should tell you by now: Yes, yes, YES!!! A Zelphie has evolved in the middle of this mess. What do you think? Do we need more Zelphie in here? Let me know!!
Welsh Dragon: We've been in contact since you R&Red me! You've become my #1 fan, I think! Anyway, I hope you like this chapter. Glad you think the fic is AWESOME, and I'll try to update sooner next time.
~*------------------------------------*~
Until the next chapter!!!! Trinity
Disclaimer: I do not own Squaresoft, a.k.a. SquareEnix, or any of the characters affiliated with Final Fantasy.
Chapter 7
Rinoa waited until the new SeeD had left the room. Then, she walked over to Headmaster Cid.
" Headmaster?" she asked quietly, " Was my name on that list, sir?"
The man turned around. " Yes, Miss Heartilly," he replied, " But I left it out in case you decided to pass up the chance of going."
" But, why did you only do that for me?" she asked.
The Headmaster sighed. " If everyone had a choice, then can you imagine how hard it would be to keep up the Garden's reputation?" he asked. " If everyone had a choice, we would not really be able to agree to do missions. Everyone would have a say, and everyone would have an excuse not to go. Petty differences would get in the way. You are a different case, though." He crossed his arms. " A very special case."
" Sir," she replied, " I came to this Garden, hoping I wouldn't be treated any differently than the rest of the students, or your mercenaries. I want to have the equal rules and limitations. I want to be treated normally. Please," she said, holding her hands up to her chest, " I want to go on my first mission."
Cid sighed again. " You realize, of course, that if you go, there will be a chance of your father coming to meet you, as well as the others."
" If I know my father half as well as I think I do," she replied, " Then neither you nor I will have to worry about that."
Cid laughed. " You have become as well of a negotiator as Squall!" he said, calming down. " You may go on the mission. I haven't replaced your position yet. You will be on Squad C. Your squad leader will be Commander Leonhart." He paused for a moment. " Well, with that set up, I don't believe your father will want to come meet your squad after all!"
'Why?' Rinoa thought, slightly curious. 'Who cares? I'll be working with Squall!' She stopped, cursing herself. 'Why should I care?' she asked herself, agitated, then smiling when she remembered, 'Because I'm falling in love with him.'
Suddenly, her thoughts were interrupted by none other than the Commander. " I've just been informed that you will be in my squad, Miss Hearti-Rinoa." he said quietly. She turned to face him, and smiled. He felt his face growing hot, and couldn't stop it. 'Dammit!' he thought. 'I hope I'm not like this the rest of the mission!'
" I just heard, too!" she said, giggling. " I can't wait! My very first mission."
Squall sighed. " Well, you're free until 1500 hours..."
Rinoa grinned, and grabbed Squall's hand. " C'mon!" she said happily, " Now you can finish taking me on that tour that you took me on when I first came here!"
He froze. " I thought Selphie showed you around." he said.
Rinoa shrugged. " Yeah, well, she didn't take me to the Secret Area yet." she lied. She had been there before-but she hope he didn't know.
He didn't. " Why?" he asked. 'The secret area?' he thought, 'She couldn't possibly...could she?'
She sighed. " Because everyone talks so much about it!" she replied, " Everyone says it's a great place, and I really, really want to see!!"
'This is crazy,' Squall thought. " Actually..." he replied, " I have a lot of work to finish before we leave for the mission, so I'm afraid we'll have to put that on hold."
Rinoa frowned. " Okay..." she replied sadly, looking at the floor. " I'll see you at 1500, then." She walked off. 'If only I'd said more...' she thought, 'What if I...?'
Squall shook his head, and started to walk to the elevators. 'Why?' he thought, 'Why does she want ME to take her to the Secret Area?' He paused. 'Unless she KNOWS...' He shook his head again. " Whatever..." he mumbled, and he walked up the steps to the elevator. Pressing the button, he stepped inside, and rode it up to the third floor.
~*-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rinoa went back to the dorms, down-hearted. 'I guess he doesn't love me...' she thought, walking into her room. Selphie ran to the door, not allowing Rinoa to come in.
" Rinny, I'm sorry I have to do this to you," she said, " But Zell's here, and I don't think he'd be comfortable with you coming in just yet. He's...trying to tell me something important." She paused. " Anyway, could you come back in about an hour?"
Rinoa nodded. " Okay." she replied, turning away from the door, and walking down the hall. She didn't know where she was going to go, but she was going somewhere. Next thing she realized, she was in a battle with a T-Rexaur. "Oh, great..." she muttered, casting Sleep on it. Then, she gave it all she had. Just as it seemed that the T-Rexaur was going to wake up, Angelo rushed in, and delivered the finishing blow. Rinoa sighed in relief. 'That was a bit too close...' she thought, walking. She knew where she was going now-she was going to train.
She fought battles in the Training Center for about an hour and a half, when she realized that it was almost 1500. " Oh, shit!" she said under her breath, running as fast as she could to her dorm. When she got into the hallway, she was running so fast, that everything was a bit blurry, but she managed to make out a figure coming toward her before she ran into it.
" OW!" she yelped, " What the-??" She looked up to see Seifer. She moaned, getting up. She tried walking away, but Seifer wouldn't let her pass. " What do you want?" she asked, annoyed.
Seifer grinned. " I want you to let me do the SeeD mission." he said, " And I want you to be my girl again. But," he added, running his hand through her hair, " Since I know that none of that's gonna happen, I want this-the Instructor's room number."
Rinoa stepped back. " What instructor?" she asked.
Seifer looked around, to make sure no one was listening. " Instructor Trepe." he whispered.
Puzzled, Rinoa asked, " Why Quistis?"
" NONE OF YOUR BUISINESS!!!" Seifer shouted, glaring at her.
'Ooh...too late, I get it now...' she thought, grinning. " Fine, I'll find out for you." she replied.
" Good." he said, stalking off. When he was out of sight, she laughed.
" Who would've thought..." she muttered to herself, " Seifer...and Quistis....could it work?"
~*-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
At 1500 hours, Rinoa, Squall, Selphie, Zell, and Quistis were assembled at the Main Gate. Cid went over the procedure one more time. When he was finished explaining, he said, " I want to let you all know that Garden depends on you. Do your best, and we wish you luck." He walked back inside the Garden. The SeeD all stared at Squall, waiting for their first order.
" Well, we'd better head off to the train station..." he said, and they walked to the parking garage.
They drove to the train station, and boarded the train. Selphie, wasn't watching the scenery pass by outside as usual, but she was talking to Zell in their cabin. Rinoa grinned. 'He must have told her...' she thought happily. She walked over to the window, and watched the scenery go by. She was becoming mezmerized by all the beautiful things passing by.
Night came. They were close to their destination, but still had about an hour before they would arrive. Rinoa continued to stare out the window, this time, trying to see the stars. But, there was a glare on the glass window, and it was next to impossible to crane her neck just right to see even the least visible star. Suddenly, she felt someone touch her shoulder. She turned around to see Squall. She grinned. 'He wants to talk to me.' she thought.
'Why is she grinning?' he thought, slightly puzzled. " I was just wondering..." he started.
" Yes?" she interrupted.
" If you wanted to join us for a meal." he finished. She frowned.
" Yeah, I'll be there in a minute." she sighed. She stared out the window at the darkness.
Squall slowly walked away, not letting her out of his sight until the door had closed. 'Why is she sad?' he wondered, actually starting to worry-a little bit. He turned around, only to see Zell, Selphie, and Quistis staring at him.
" Yes?" he asked. 'The hell?' he thought.
Selphie and Zell started talking again, and Quistis only shrugged. " Nothing, Squall." she replied, sipping her tea.
Squall shrugged. " Whatever." he replied, sitting down. Suddenly, the door opened, and Rinoa walked in. She sat down across from him, and Quistis grinned.
" Glad you decided to join us, Rin," she said, " Have a dumpling." She handed her a plate with a few dumplings left.
Rinoa took one, and started eating. Squall sighed, and sipped his tea. He waitied for Rinoa to finish eating, and then he stood up. " If you'll excuse me," he said, " I'll be right back." He stepped out of the room.
Rinoa watched him leave. 'Does he want me to follow him?' she thought, puzzled. She finished her tea, and then stood. " Thanks for the food, Quistis," she said, " I'm gonna go back out for a little while. I want to see the town when we arrive."
Quistis nodded, and Rinoa left the room. Quistis glanced at Selphie and Zell, who were getting a little cozy. She grinned, then turned away. She frowned. 'Lucky Selphie...' she thought. 'And Rinoa? I wonder if I'll ever fit in somewhere...will I ever have someone?' She sipped her tea again, thoughtful.
~*-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rinoa stared out the window again, this time, not caring that she couldn't see the stars. She only stared out the window, waiting for the ride to be over, waiting for her first mission. Waiting for whatever would come. Suddenly, she felt a familiar touch on her shoulder again. She turned around, and came face to face with Squall.
" You can see the stars better if you step out into the back." he said quietly. He took her hand, and lead her to the back of the train. They stepped out onto the platform, and stared out into the night's sky. Rinoa grinned.
" It's so nice out..." she said softly, so softly that Squall almost couldn't hear her. He looked over at her, and felt himself doing something he hadn't done in a long time-grin. 'What am I doing?' he thought, starting to soften. He was beginning to realized what he had secretly known since the day Rinoa first came to the Garden. But, it was still a bit hazy. Suddenly, Rinoa looked at him, grinning.
" Remember the SeeD party that Selphie threw?" she asked. " Remember how we danced that night?"
Squall nodded, a bit mezmerized. That made Rinoa a little nervous.
" Well..." she stammered, " I thought you told me that you couldn't dance."
Squall froze. He did remember, and he remembered lying. " Well..." he stammered, " It's complicated..."
" You mean you can't tell me?" she asked.
Squall sighed. " Not if I can help it."
Rinoa straightened up, and completely faced Squall. " Why?" she asked, " Why did you lie to me?"
Squall faced her, and stared at her for a moment. 'Moonlight...beautiful sky...me...and Rinoa...alone...what am I doing?' he thought, confused. " I don't know." he replied quietly.
Rinoa froze. She recognized something in Squall's eyes. Suddenly, she understood. She took a deep breath, and did the bravest thing she had done in her life. She leaned over, and lightly kissed him. She pulled away, and slightly grinned at him for a moment. He was speechless.
'Is this real?' he thought, but before he could even decide, she winked at him, and slipped back inside.
~*-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
He stood on the platform, frozen, when he suddenly felt the train come to a stop. He went back inside, and glanced out the window. He saw the lights of the city. 'I wonder how this mission is going to go?' he thought. He tried to keep his thoughts on the mission as he went to meet his squad. But, when the door opened, he saw her, grinning at him, and he lost his cool. All he could see was her. He didn't notice the strange stares he was geting until Quistis spoke up.
" We await your orders, Commander." she said.
He looked around the room. 'How am I gonna get through things in one piece?' he thought, looking at Rinoa one more time. He straightened up. " We should meet up with our contact. The Headmaster said that we should find him in front of the Galbadia Hotel." He paused. 'Focus...' he thought. " Let's move out."
As he left the room, Rinoa grinned. 'I think he feels the same way...' she thought happily, walking off the train.
~*-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
When they reached the meeting point, they looked around. 'I'd better be careful...' Rinoa thought, 'A lot of people know me here...' Suddenly, she turned around, and found their contact. She gasped. " Hey...!"
~*--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------*~
Author's note: What do you think? Is this a cliff hanger at all? Well...I may end up having to work out a few bugs in this chapter...I want to thank my reviewers for the last chapter:
Pretty Like Drugs: You're my most recent reviewer. Well, I don't know quite what you mean by the 'pairings' thing, because you seemed okay about what I have going so far, but thatnks for the opinion. What fanfics do you have? I'll try to check at least one out!
Rikku290: This chapter should tell you by now: Yes, yes, YES!!! A Zelphie has evolved in the middle of this mess. What do you think? Do we need more Zelphie in here? Let me know!!
Welsh Dragon: We've been in contact since you R&Red me! You've become my #1 fan, I think! Anyway, I hope you like this chapter. Glad you think the fic is AWESOME, and I'll try to update sooner next time.
~*------------------------------------*~
Until the next chapter!!!! Trinity