Dedicated To You
Disclaimer: Sadly, I didn't create anything in this story, except for possibly the conflicting emotions :P
Chapter 23
The next morning, Rinoa was awakened by an announcement over the P.A.
" Attention all SeeD, attention all SeeD!" Cid voice blared. " Commander Leonhart has a special announcement." Rinoa sat up in her bed eagerly. 'Wonder what it is?' she thought.
" This is Commander Leonhart." Squall said, his voice a bit quieter than Cid's. " Will all SeeD please report to the Third Floor at 0900. I repeat, will all SeeD please report on the Third floor at 0900. That is all."
Rinoa stretched, looking at the clock. It was already 8:30. So, she hurried up, and changed into her SeeD uniform. As soon as she was dressed, she laced up her boots tightly, and put up her hair in a tight braid. She didn't want any flyaways. When that was taken care of, she made her way to the elevators in the lobby.
As she rode up the elevator to the Third Floor, she took a deep breath. The last time she wore her SeeD uniform was right before Squall proved that he cared about her. That had been a long time ago, or so it had seemed. Suddenly, the elevator doors parted, and she stepped off. She did her best to come across professionally. She walked into the Headmaster's Office, and took her place in the lineup with the other SeeD. Selphie was down the line a little way, and she grinned and waved at Rinoa. Rinoa slightly waved back, and stood straight.
" Thank you all for arriving so punctually," Xu said, entering the room. " The Headmaster and the Commander were slightly delayed, but they will be here shortly." She bowed slightly, and left the room.
The room quickly filled with quiet conversations. Everyone was wondering what kind of mission they would be oing on this time, and who was in what Squad. Selphie traded places with the person ext to Rinoa, and tapped her on the shoulder.
" Rin!" she said quietly, grinning. " Why are you so nervous?"
Rinoa sighed. " I just want to seem professional," she replied, " I don't want to look like the ditzy girl who's in love with the Commander...even though I am."
Selphie giggled. " Aw, come on, Rinny, you don't have to try so hard..." she insisted.
" No, no," Rinoa replied, shaking her head slightly. " I would much prefer to be professional for once in my life. I want Squall to be proud."
" And he will be, Rin," the girl insisted once more. " Trust me; he's already proud of you."
" Really?" she asked.
" Honestly." she replied, nodding. She draped Rinoa's braid over her shoulder. " There! That's a bit better."
Rinoa softly chuckled, and that was about the time Cid and Squall entered the room. Rinoa did her best to maintain composure. She stood straight, and cleared her throat quickly. Everyone did likewise. 'I seem just like everyone else.' she thought, almost smiling.
" SeeD," Squall said, " We have been hired by the Space Station to serve as backup for a few days, starting tomorrow. Normally, we wouldn't take such a mission, but the Space Station is where the Sorceress Adel is guarded. This may seem a simple mission, but there are risks. That's where four of you will come in. I will be joining the dispatch team to observe them. We have a list here of the SeeD that will be going on the mission." He stepped aside, and allowed Cid to read the list.
" The following four have been chosen by the Space Station Commitee, and will meet here tomorrow at 0800: Selphie Tilmutt, Quistis Trepe, Zell Dincht, and Rinoa Heartilly. That is all."
Squall seemed to freeze. Rinoa tried to ignore it. ' He knew I was chosen...right?' she thought, shocked out of her thoughts by Selphie, who grabbed her.
" We're going on another mission together!" she said happily, jumping up and down.
Rinoa nodded, but took Selphie's hands off her shoulders. " I have to go to my room for a while, okay?" she said.
" Oh?" Selphie said, confused. " Okay, see you later, then." she said, waving.
Rinoa waved back slightly as she walked out. She glanced once more at Squall, who was taking the Headmaster aside. She slipped out of the room quietly, trying not to draw attention to herself.
-
Squall sat in his office, looking at the dreaded list. Why hadn't he seen it? Why did they pick her? He sat back in his chair, crumbling the piece of paper. He tossed it aside, sighing. 'Now what?' he thought to himself. 'Why are you so worried?' he asked himself. 'It's just a simple mission. Besides,' he added, 'Who says anything bad is going to happen?' Suddenly, there was a knock on his door. " Come in." he said reluctantly.
Rinoa walked in slowly, and closed the door carefully behind her. She was still dressed in her SeeD uniform, the braid still tightly under the control of her ribbon. She turned away from the door to look at Squall, and she smiled warmly at him. " Hi." she said quietly.
" Hi." he replied, sitting up. " What are you doing here?"
" What?" Rinoa asked, walking toward the desk. " Am I not allowed to come see my boyfriend- I mean, the Commander?"
Squall chuckled. " I never said that." he replied, standing.
" Good," she replied, " Because if you had said it, then I would have to have a serious talk with you instead of doing what I came here for."
" Which is?" he asked.
" To see if you're okay." she replied, " And to give you this." She kissed him lightly, and grinned wickedly at him. " I'm not going to get in trouble for that, am I?" she asked teasingly.
" Maybe," he replied, " But, that means I have to give you the apropriate punishment."
Rinoa laughed. " Oh, I'm so scared!" she teased.
Squall grabbed her quickly, and before she could squeel, he covered her mouth. " If anyone hears you," he said softly, " Then we BOTH may get in trouble."
" Oh..." she replied quietly, " Okay, then. We'll have to continue that conversation later." She kissed the tip of his nose, giggling.
He brushed his hand against her cheek, grinning. " Good." he said.
" Well," Rinoa sighed, looking away, " I guess I'd better let you get back to work." She sounded a little disappointed.
" If you must." he replied quietly. He was disappointed, too.
Rinoa slowly left his arms, and walked to the door. She went to turn the doorknob, but paused for a moment, turning to face him again.
" What is it?" Squall asked, smiling.
Rinoa smiled at him for a moment, silent. " I just wanted to say..." she started, then stopped. " Nothing."
" Sure?"
She nodded. " Yes." she replied, leaning against the door. 'Say something,' she willed. 'You know you want to. I know what you're planning, Squall Leonhart'
" Okay..." he said, sitting down.
She turned to face the door, and she counted to three, waiting to hear something else.
" Rinoa?"
She grinned before facing him again. 'Say it worked!' she thought, looking at him " Will you meet me tonight in the Parking Lot?" he asked. " I'd like to take you out tonight."
She grinned, and nodded, chewing the tip of her fingernail carefully. " See you around seven." she replied, slowly making her way out of the room. As she walked out, she smiled to herself. 'You'd better have something special for me tonight, Squall Leonhart.' she thought to herself.
------------
That night, she stood out in the parking garage. She had been waiting a while on the bench, but she hadn't bothered to look at her watch yet. 'Don't do it, Rin.' she thought to herself. 'Do NOT look at your watch.' Sighing, she slowly lifted her wrist, and after much hesitation, she glanced at her watch. 9:00. She instantly felt downhearted. 'Maybe he wasn't ready yet...' she thought, trying to convince herself what the obvious answered seemed to be.
" He's not coming." she sighed at last, when the clock struck 10:00. She stood, and decided to go t the Secret Area. No one would go there for another hour; she could stand by the wall and feel the night breeze. She walked to the Training Area, and somehow managed to avoid any battles whatsoever on her way. She walked in, and leaned sadly against the wall. Sighing, she said quietly to herself, " I can't believe he forgot. He never forgets..." A single tear streamed down her cheek, but she didn't allow any to follow. She wiped the one tear away, and left almost as soon as she had arrived.
-
Squall hadn't meant to forget; he didn't see the clock when it turned 7:00. In fact, he didn't stop doing paperwork until he noticed how dark it was. It was then that he looked at the clock, and the bright red numbers scorned him as they read 10:12 PM. He rose so fast, he almost knocked the desk over. " Shit!" he cried, running out of the office.
He ran as fast as he could to the Parking Lot, though he was almost certain that she wouldn't be there. But, he had to hurry; maybe she WAS still there. He felt upset for not keeping track of time, and felt even more grieved upon seeing an unoccupied Parking Lot.
" Rinoa..." he said to himself, wiping the light sweat off his forehead. " I'm so sorry..."
-
Rinoa slid under the covers, sighing yet again. She shut off the lamp, and tried not to think about the night's disappointment.
The next morning, she awoke at 6 in the morning. Sighing, she got up, and took a long shower. When that was done, she changed into her uniform, and set up her braid tighter than before. It was probably anger, but for the moment, she didn't care. She had a mission; that's all it was. She laced her boots as tight as they would lace, and even shined them. Her uniform was slightly different than most of the female SeeD uniforms; she wore pants instead of the dress. So, she walked out of her dorm, and to the lobby, almost appearing as strict as a Naval officer.
When at last she had arrived at the Front gate, she walked into the group in silence. Selphie, Zell, and Quistis were already there, and Cid came behind Rinoa. The three stared at her unusually; it wasn't like her to seem this way.
" Good morning." Cid said. " First, I would like to say that being chosen for this mission is a privilege. Don't let Garden down. Second, the Commander is waiting at the train station in the city. You will have an escort drive you to the city, and you must arrive promptly at 0830. Therefore, I will maintain the briefness of this meeting. Any questions?"
" Sir," Rinoa asked formally, " Who has been given our task outline?"
" Ah, yes," Cid said. " Commander Leonhart will be reviewing that with your team. Anything else?"
" No, sir." they all replied.
" Very good," he said, " Then I suggest you hurry to the Parking Lot. Good luck!" The four walked to the Parking Lot in silence. Selphie wanted to ask Rinoa what was wrong, but she decided now wasn't a good time. She would wait until later.
Squall was waiting by the van. He turned, and faced them. " Good morning." he said formally, just as Cid had. As soon as he saw Rinoa, though, his disposition changed, and it became evident that he was worried about her, and she was mad at him. She continued to stand firm, and was silent the entire ride to the train station. She was even more so on the train.
The five sat in the ship patiently. Squall stood. 'Rinoa...' he thought, 'I'm so sorry...' He cleared his throat. " As you all know, this train is heading to Esthar, where we will get our escort to the Space Station. When on the space station, we will do routine checks on the control center, just to insure that everything is running smoothly. Any questions?"
All were silent. " Okay." he said, " Then all of you are dismissed until we arrive in Esthar." He walked out of the coach, glancing once at Rinoa, who was sitting silently in her seat. He slipped out the door, hoping she might follow. He stood in the passenger coach, looking out the window, waiting for her. But, she didn't seem to be coming. 'Rin,' he thought, 'I'm sorry! Come on, Rin, you should know I wouldn't purposely forget'
-
As soon as Squall had left, all four pairs of eyes fell upon Rinoa. She looked at them all. " What?" she asked, almost puzzled.
" You know what." Selphie replied.
Zell sat back, sighing, then left the room. " I'll be back, Selph." He said, placing his hand on her shoulder before walking out.
" I'm going to take ten." Quistis added, walking out as well.
" Rinny..." Selphie sighed, shaking her head, " What happened last night?"
" Nothing." Rinoa replied, trying to seem like she was telling the truth.
Selphie saw through her. " Rinoa Heartilly, I know a liar when I see her. You can tell me; what happened?"
Rinoa sighed. Selphie could always defeat her easily. " Squall asked me out last night," she replied, " But, then he forgot to meet me. I waited for about four hours, Selph, FOUR HOURS." She sighed, shaking her head. " He never forgets...I don't understand how he did...but I know I'm mad at him for it." She looked at Selphie with pained eyes. " The only other time anyone has ever done something like that to me...was my father."
" Ouch..." Selphie sighed. " Now I know why you're so mad..."
" Yeah..." Rinoa replied. " But, I'm almost even madder....at myself."
" What?" Selphie exclaimed, " Why?"
" Because I should be more understanding about all of this..." she replied softly. " After all, this is the Commander of Garden that we're talking about. Duty first, right?"
" True..." Selphie replied, " But that doesn't mean duty before love, does it?"
Rinoa leaned back closing her eyes. " I...don't know..."
-
Squall watched the horizon. Esthar was coming close now, and Rinoa still hadn't come out. He sighed, and ran a hand through his hair. " Guess she's really mad, huh?" a voice asked behind him.
He turned to see Zell grinning at him. " What's so funny?" he asked quietly.
" You, man!" Zell replied. " You screwed up, and you're acting like it's the end of the world."
Squall straightened up. " What makes you think that I screwed up on something?" he asked confidently, trying to hide the fact that he was still kicking himself rather hard for letting the time slip away. He still had something in his pocket, but now it seemed like he was always going to keep it with him.
" It's written all over your face." Zell replied. " And Rinoa has that 'look'."
" What look?" he asked, sounding a bit worried.
Zell laughed, recognizing emotion in his voice. " That look a woman gets when she feels angry...and rejected."
'Rejected?' he thought weakly. " Why would she feel rejected?" he asked.
" What did you do last night?" Zell asked, " Then again, what DIDN'T you do last night?"
Squall sighed. " I let time slip away when I promised to meet her. I was late, and she was gone..."
" That was it, then." he said, putting his hands in his pockets. " You definately screwed up, man, but we all do. Don't worry-She'll come around soon."
Squall sighed. 'I hope so...' he thought. " ..."
" Not talking anymore, huh?" he asked. " I had that old feeling you wouldn't. You've got to find a good way to apologize, if you're going to get her to come around. Ask me anytime for advice!" With that, he walked off.
'Maybe he's right...' Squall thought, 'Well, then, what am I going to do?' Just as he was trying to come up with ideas, the train stopped.
" We have arrived in Esthar, ladies and gentlemen." a voice said over the P.A. " Please exit carefully onto the platform."
Sighing, Squall walked out onto the platform, and waited for the others. Quistis came first; she walked up to him quietly. She paused a moment before saying, " She'll forgive you."
'How does SHE know?' he asked himself, ignoring her words.
Next, Zell walked up, with Rinoa and Selphie close behind. Squall drew a sharp breath when he saw Rinoa; he soon thought of their last mission. 'Let's hope nothing even remotely close happens this time,' he thought nervously. 'I don't know what I would do'
" Everyone ready?" Quistis asked. Everyone nodded. " Yes, ma'am!" Selphie and Rinoa said in unison, and Selphie giggled.
" Very well," Squall said, " This way."
-
Hours later, they were on the Space Station. Rinoa was in her quarters, unpacking the few things she had brought. She had just finished, and fell back on her bed. She stared at the ceiling, and sighed. " I wonder why I was chosen to come on this mission..." she said to herself quietly. " Was it because I've only been on one mission? Tha one was a disaster, thanks to me. If I hadn't gotten in that battle with a T-Rexaur, maybe I could call myself a true SeeD. But, if I couldn't even fight that thing, maybe I should resign..." She closed her eyes for a moment while she meditated on the idea.
'After the mission is over...' she thought. 'Maybe then I'll turn in my resignation. ...No...I can't. If I do, I would never forgive myself if anything happened to Squall. I could never resign...' Her eyes opened, and she sat up. She thought she had heard a noise. She waited for a moment, and heard it again. " Who's there?" she asked timidly.
Quistis walked in. " Rinoa, are you okay?" she asked, the door sliding shut behind her. " I didn't even knock on the door yet."
Rinoa sighed. " Oh, hey, Quistis." she replied. " I think I'm just tired from traveling. It's nothing."
" Okay..." she replied. " It's not my buisiness." She walked to the door. " Well, I thought I'd let you know that your shift is going to be checking on the Control Center in an hour, so be ready."
" Who's on my shift?" she asked. " I am." she replied, " And Sqaull's coming, too. He has to follow each shift." She sighed, shaking her head. " Poor guy..." she said sympathetically. " He has to follow each shift. He won't get any sleep these next few days, that's for sure."
" Well, if each shift is an hour apart," Rinoa replied, " Then none of us will."
Quistis shook her head. " No," she replied, " Because our shift goes out once every hour from 4 PM to 4 AM. Then, Selphie and Zell have the other 12 hours."
Rinoa cringed. 'Poor baby...' she thought sadly. " Ouch..." she added aloud.
" Yeah." Quistis said, walking out. " See you in an hour."
-
An hour later, Rinoa, Quistis, and Squall were checking on the Control Center. They were all awkwardly silent, but they were all thinking the same thing. 'Someone needs to break this awful silence'
Rinoa was about to say something, when she felt a shiver run up her spine. She didn't like the feeling, but she was compelled to walk to the Control Center. She didn't realize the growing feeling until they had arrvied, and she looked through the large glass windows at what the center was Controlling.
Before her eyes was Adel's prison, with Adel frozen inside.
'What kind of sick asignment am I on?!' she thought, irritated, 'Squall, why'
Squall looked at Rinoa, who looked extremely uncomfortable. The best terms he could use to describe it was that she appeared to have 'Seen a ghost'. He felt a little uneasy when he saw her face. She looked frozen, almost terrified.
" Rin?" Quistis asked.
Rinoa looked at her with a weak smile. " Yeah?"
" ...Nothing." Quistis replied. She didn't know what was wrong with Rinoa, but Squall seemed to have an idea, and she decided it was best not to ask.
-
After what felt like forever, the three made their last rounds, and switched off with Zell and Selphie. " Goodnight, Squall." Quistis said as she walked ot her room. Squall was escorting the shift to their quarters.
'I should speak up...' he thought, realizing that they were alone.
Rinoa sighed, walking. 'I should say something,' she thought, 'I can't let him think I hate him...' She opened her mouth to speak, when she realized they were at her quarters.
" Oh..." she said quietly. " I guess I-" she stopped, looking at Squall's face; his expression unreadable. " Yes?" he asked.
She sighed sadly. He seemed upset with her, at least, that's what she thought. " Never mind." she finished weakly. " See you in twelve hours." She walked into her room.
Squall walked to his quarters for a moment, to sit down and rest a little. When he walked in, though, he slammed his fist against the wall. He was angry at himself for not saying anything, anything that might have made her stay with him for a while. He wanted to apologize to her, make everything better, but he hadn't gotten the timing. 'No wonder my plans are always screwed up...' he thought. After a moment of thinking, he stood up. 'To hell with timing,' he decided, 'I'm going right now to apologize.' He put a hand against his pocket, and he felt a small treasure sitting inside, waiting. He left his quarters, and headed to hers.
He was a little uneasy at first. He didn't know what to say. But, he knocked on her door, and waited for permission to enter. Instead, there was silence. He walked in anyway, thinking she may be asleep, but she wasn't there at all. In fact, she had left her SeeD uniform on the bed, but the bed was neatly made, left just the way Rinoa had found it. He checked the bathroom. She wasn't in there, or in the shower. 'Where are you?' he thought, a bit worried. Suddenly, he heard an emergency siren going off. " Red alert!" a voice blared, " Red alert! Will Commander Leonhart please report to the Control Center immediately!"
'Shit!' he thought, running to the Control Center. Only one thing was going through his mind-Rinoa was missing, and now there was trouble. 'What's going on?!' he thought, and he entered the Control Center, out of breath.
" Commander!" one of the engineers exclaimed, " Someone has stolen a space suit! Look!" He pointed out the window at a person floating toward Adel's prison.
" We think they are trying to set her free!" he said, panicked. " Do you understand how dangerous that is?!"
Squall ran up to the window, looking carefully to see if he could see the person's face. They weren't facing the window, but a moent later, they turned. His eyes grew wide with disbelief, followed by panic. 'RINOA!' he thought. " Where are the space suits kept?" he asked.
" Sir?!" the engineer questioned.
" Now!" he demanded. " Where are the space suits kept?!"
" Sir!" he replied, " In the Departing Bay!"
Squall bolted out of the Control Center, and ran to the Departing Bay. Soon, he was suited up, and out in space, trying to get to Rinoa. The suits were low on air; his guess was Rinoa was almost out of air. He had to get to her before she ran out, or else she would die.
'Rinoa...' he thought. 'You have to hold on. Don't give into Ultemecia. You can't leave me yet.' He used the jet boosters to blast closer to her. He had four minutes of air left, but she most likely only had one minute. As that one minute counted down, he tried his best to catch up to her. She had almost made it to the outer control panel for the seal, and time was running out. He used the boosters to get even closer, but it seemed like he would be too late. It was down to the last ten seconds now, and he still had over fifty feet to cover. He did his best; though it seemed like that wouldn't even do. Just as she was about to add the final sequence, he grabbed her. She turned to face him, her eyes glowing. Soon, the counter hit zero, and air ran out. Her eyes went back to their soft brown, and she gasped. " Squall..." she said softly, " I'm sorry..." With that, her eyes slowly closed.
" Rinoa!" he cried. His suit was attached to the ship by a cord. " Retract!" he commanded, hoping the system worked that way. It did; and they were pulled back into the ship.
-
Rinoa was in the Infirmary, the doctors trying to recover her. Squall was outside of the Infirmary, trying to convince the head engineer of the Space Station to let things slide.
" Thankfully, she didn't enter the final sequence in time," he said, relieved, " But, when the doctors recover her, we have to take her into custody."
" Sir, with all due respect," Squall said, " She is under my authority. Her punishment is my concern, and I am not willing to surrender one of my SeeD to suffer YOUR punishment."
" Commander Leonhart," the man said sternly, " She tried to free a powerful Sorceress. She is MY concern."
" But I am still her superior officer," he insisted. " It is MY responisbility to make sure she recieves appropriate punishment."
" Fine!" the man barked. " But, I will report your actions to the Headmaster immediately. You and your crew are off the mission from this moment forward."
" Very well, sir," Squall replied, " But, if I were you, I would do my best NOT to let this leak out. There are more people out there that will seek punishment for YOU if you let anyone know of this incident."
The engineer froze. " Done." he replied grudgingly, walking off.
Squall walked into the Infirmary. " How is she?" he asked one of the nurses.
" You brought her back just in time," she replied, " She'll recover, but she won't be consious for a few more hours."
" Thank you," he replied, " I'll wait here."
The doctors and nurses left, and Squall found a chair by the bed. He sighed. " Rinoa...I'm sorry." he said quietly, knowing she probably didn't hear him. " I'm so sorry."
-
Author's Note: Is the story almost over? Ugh, someone TELL ME!! LoL You all keep on reading, okay? I'll put thanks in the note for my next chapter. TTFN Trin
Disclaimer: Sadly, I didn't create anything in this story, except for possibly the conflicting emotions :P
Chapter 23
The next morning, Rinoa was awakened by an announcement over the P.A.
" Attention all SeeD, attention all SeeD!" Cid voice blared. " Commander Leonhart has a special announcement." Rinoa sat up in her bed eagerly. 'Wonder what it is?' she thought.
" This is Commander Leonhart." Squall said, his voice a bit quieter than Cid's. " Will all SeeD please report to the Third Floor at 0900. I repeat, will all SeeD please report on the Third floor at 0900. That is all."
Rinoa stretched, looking at the clock. It was already 8:30. So, she hurried up, and changed into her SeeD uniform. As soon as she was dressed, she laced up her boots tightly, and put up her hair in a tight braid. She didn't want any flyaways. When that was taken care of, she made her way to the elevators in the lobby.
As she rode up the elevator to the Third Floor, she took a deep breath. The last time she wore her SeeD uniform was right before Squall proved that he cared about her. That had been a long time ago, or so it had seemed. Suddenly, the elevator doors parted, and she stepped off. She did her best to come across professionally. She walked into the Headmaster's Office, and took her place in the lineup with the other SeeD. Selphie was down the line a little way, and she grinned and waved at Rinoa. Rinoa slightly waved back, and stood straight.
" Thank you all for arriving so punctually," Xu said, entering the room. " The Headmaster and the Commander were slightly delayed, but they will be here shortly." She bowed slightly, and left the room.
The room quickly filled with quiet conversations. Everyone was wondering what kind of mission they would be oing on this time, and who was in what Squad. Selphie traded places with the person ext to Rinoa, and tapped her on the shoulder.
" Rin!" she said quietly, grinning. " Why are you so nervous?"
Rinoa sighed. " I just want to seem professional," she replied, " I don't want to look like the ditzy girl who's in love with the Commander...even though I am."
Selphie giggled. " Aw, come on, Rinny, you don't have to try so hard..." she insisted.
" No, no," Rinoa replied, shaking her head slightly. " I would much prefer to be professional for once in my life. I want Squall to be proud."
" And he will be, Rin," the girl insisted once more. " Trust me; he's already proud of you."
" Really?" she asked.
" Honestly." she replied, nodding. She draped Rinoa's braid over her shoulder. " There! That's a bit better."
Rinoa softly chuckled, and that was about the time Cid and Squall entered the room. Rinoa did her best to maintain composure. She stood straight, and cleared her throat quickly. Everyone did likewise. 'I seem just like everyone else.' she thought, almost smiling.
" SeeD," Squall said, " We have been hired by the Space Station to serve as backup for a few days, starting tomorrow. Normally, we wouldn't take such a mission, but the Space Station is where the Sorceress Adel is guarded. This may seem a simple mission, but there are risks. That's where four of you will come in. I will be joining the dispatch team to observe them. We have a list here of the SeeD that will be going on the mission." He stepped aside, and allowed Cid to read the list.
" The following four have been chosen by the Space Station Commitee, and will meet here tomorrow at 0800: Selphie Tilmutt, Quistis Trepe, Zell Dincht, and Rinoa Heartilly. That is all."
Squall seemed to freeze. Rinoa tried to ignore it. ' He knew I was chosen...right?' she thought, shocked out of her thoughts by Selphie, who grabbed her.
" We're going on another mission together!" she said happily, jumping up and down.
Rinoa nodded, but took Selphie's hands off her shoulders. " I have to go to my room for a while, okay?" she said.
" Oh?" Selphie said, confused. " Okay, see you later, then." she said, waving.
Rinoa waved back slightly as she walked out. She glanced once more at Squall, who was taking the Headmaster aside. She slipped out of the room quietly, trying not to draw attention to herself.
-
Squall sat in his office, looking at the dreaded list. Why hadn't he seen it? Why did they pick her? He sat back in his chair, crumbling the piece of paper. He tossed it aside, sighing. 'Now what?' he thought to himself. 'Why are you so worried?' he asked himself. 'It's just a simple mission. Besides,' he added, 'Who says anything bad is going to happen?' Suddenly, there was a knock on his door. " Come in." he said reluctantly.
Rinoa walked in slowly, and closed the door carefully behind her. She was still dressed in her SeeD uniform, the braid still tightly under the control of her ribbon. She turned away from the door to look at Squall, and she smiled warmly at him. " Hi." she said quietly.
" Hi." he replied, sitting up. " What are you doing here?"
" What?" Rinoa asked, walking toward the desk. " Am I not allowed to come see my boyfriend- I mean, the Commander?"
Squall chuckled. " I never said that." he replied, standing.
" Good," she replied, " Because if you had said it, then I would have to have a serious talk with you instead of doing what I came here for."
" Which is?" he asked.
" To see if you're okay." she replied, " And to give you this." She kissed him lightly, and grinned wickedly at him. " I'm not going to get in trouble for that, am I?" she asked teasingly.
" Maybe," he replied, " But, that means I have to give you the apropriate punishment."
Rinoa laughed. " Oh, I'm so scared!" she teased.
Squall grabbed her quickly, and before she could squeel, he covered her mouth. " If anyone hears you," he said softly, " Then we BOTH may get in trouble."
" Oh..." she replied quietly, " Okay, then. We'll have to continue that conversation later." She kissed the tip of his nose, giggling.
He brushed his hand against her cheek, grinning. " Good." he said.
" Well," Rinoa sighed, looking away, " I guess I'd better let you get back to work." She sounded a little disappointed.
" If you must." he replied quietly. He was disappointed, too.
Rinoa slowly left his arms, and walked to the door. She went to turn the doorknob, but paused for a moment, turning to face him again.
" What is it?" Squall asked, smiling.
Rinoa smiled at him for a moment, silent. " I just wanted to say..." she started, then stopped. " Nothing."
" Sure?"
She nodded. " Yes." she replied, leaning against the door. 'Say something,' she willed. 'You know you want to. I know what you're planning, Squall Leonhart'
" Okay..." he said, sitting down.
She turned to face the door, and she counted to three, waiting to hear something else.
" Rinoa?"
She grinned before facing him again. 'Say it worked!' she thought, looking at him " Will you meet me tonight in the Parking Lot?" he asked. " I'd like to take you out tonight."
She grinned, and nodded, chewing the tip of her fingernail carefully. " See you around seven." she replied, slowly making her way out of the room. As she walked out, she smiled to herself. 'You'd better have something special for me tonight, Squall Leonhart.' she thought to herself.
------------
That night, she stood out in the parking garage. She had been waiting a while on the bench, but she hadn't bothered to look at her watch yet. 'Don't do it, Rin.' she thought to herself. 'Do NOT look at your watch.' Sighing, she slowly lifted her wrist, and after much hesitation, she glanced at her watch. 9:00. She instantly felt downhearted. 'Maybe he wasn't ready yet...' she thought, trying to convince herself what the obvious answered seemed to be.
" He's not coming." she sighed at last, when the clock struck 10:00. She stood, and decided to go t the Secret Area. No one would go there for another hour; she could stand by the wall and feel the night breeze. She walked to the Training Area, and somehow managed to avoid any battles whatsoever on her way. She walked in, and leaned sadly against the wall. Sighing, she said quietly to herself, " I can't believe he forgot. He never forgets..." A single tear streamed down her cheek, but she didn't allow any to follow. She wiped the one tear away, and left almost as soon as she had arrived.
-
Squall hadn't meant to forget; he didn't see the clock when it turned 7:00. In fact, he didn't stop doing paperwork until he noticed how dark it was. It was then that he looked at the clock, and the bright red numbers scorned him as they read 10:12 PM. He rose so fast, he almost knocked the desk over. " Shit!" he cried, running out of the office.
He ran as fast as he could to the Parking Lot, though he was almost certain that she wouldn't be there. But, he had to hurry; maybe she WAS still there. He felt upset for not keeping track of time, and felt even more grieved upon seeing an unoccupied Parking Lot.
" Rinoa..." he said to himself, wiping the light sweat off his forehead. " I'm so sorry..."
-
Rinoa slid under the covers, sighing yet again. She shut off the lamp, and tried not to think about the night's disappointment.
The next morning, she awoke at 6 in the morning. Sighing, she got up, and took a long shower. When that was done, she changed into her uniform, and set up her braid tighter than before. It was probably anger, but for the moment, she didn't care. She had a mission; that's all it was. She laced her boots as tight as they would lace, and even shined them. Her uniform was slightly different than most of the female SeeD uniforms; she wore pants instead of the dress. So, she walked out of her dorm, and to the lobby, almost appearing as strict as a Naval officer.
When at last she had arrived at the Front gate, she walked into the group in silence. Selphie, Zell, and Quistis were already there, and Cid came behind Rinoa. The three stared at her unusually; it wasn't like her to seem this way.
" Good morning." Cid said. " First, I would like to say that being chosen for this mission is a privilege. Don't let Garden down. Second, the Commander is waiting at the train station in the city. You will have an escort drive you to the city, and you must arrive promptly at 0830. Therefore, I will maintain the briefness of this meeting. Any questions?"
" Sir," Rinoa asked formally, " Who has been given our task outline?"
" Ah, yes," Cid said. " Commander Leonhart will be reviewing that with your team. Anything else?"
" No, sir." they all replied.
" Very good," he said, " Then I suggest you hurry to the Parking Lot. Good luck!" The four walked to the Parking Lot in silence. Selphie wanted to ask Rinoa what was wrong, but she decided now wasn't a good time. She would wait until later.
Squall was waiting by the van. He turned, and faced them. " Good morning." he said formally, just as Cid had. As soon as he saw Rinoa, though, his disposition changed, and it became evident that he was worried about her, and she was mad at him. She continued to stand firm, and was silent the entire ride to the train station. She was even more so on the train.
The five sat in the ship patiently. Squall stood. 'Rinoa...' he thought, 'I'm so sorry...' He cleared his throat. " As you all know, this train is heading to Esthar, where we will get our escort to the Space Station. When on the space station, we will do routine checks on the control center, just to insure that everything is running smoothly. Any questions?"
All were silent. " Okay." he said, " Then all of you are dismissed until we arrive in Esthar." He walked out of the coach, glancing once at Rinoa, who was sitting silently in her seat. He slipped out the door, hoping she might follow. He stood in the passenger coach, looking out the window, waiting for her. But, she didn't seem to be coming. 'Rin,' he thought, 'I'm sorry! Come on, Rin, you should know I wouldn't purposely forget'
-
As soon as Squall had left, all four pairs of eyes fell upon Rinoa. She looked at them all. " What?" she asked, almost puzzled.
" You know what." Selphie replied.
Zell sat back, sighing, then left the room. " I'll be back, Selph." He said, placing his hand on her shoulder before walking out.
" I'm going to take ten." Quistis added, walking out as well.
" Rinny..." Selphie sighed, shaking her head, " What happened last night?"
" Nothing." Rinoa replied, trying to seem like she was telling the truth.
Selphie saw through her. " Rinoa Heartilly, I know a liar when I see her. You can tell me; what happened?"
Rinoa sighed. Selphie could always defeat her easily. " Squall asked me out last night," she replied, " But, then he forgot to meet me. I waited for about four hours, Selph, FOUR HOURS." She sighed, shaking her head. " He never forgets...I don't understand how he did...but I know I'm mad at him for it." She looked at Selphie with pained eyes. " The only other time anyone has ever done something like that to me...was my father."
" Ouch..." Selphie sighed. " Now I know why you're so mad..."
" Yeah..." Rinoa replied. " But, I'm almost even madder....at myself."
" What?" Selphie exclaimed, " Why?"
" Because I should be more understanding about all of this..." she replied softly. " After all, this is the Commander of Garden that we're talking about. Duty first, right?"
" True..." Selphie replied, " But that doesn't mean duty before love, does it?"
Rinoa leaned back closing her eyes. " I...don't know..."
-
Squall watched the horizon. Esthar was coming close now, and Rinoa still hadn't come out. He sighed, and ran a hand through his hair. " Guess she's really mad, huh?" a voice asked behind him.
He turned to see Zell grinning at him. " What's so funny?" he asked quietly.
" You, man!" Zell replied. " You screwed up, and you're acting like it's the end of the world."
Squall straightened up. " What makes you think that I screwed up on something?" he asked confidently, trying to hide the fact that he was still kicking himself rather hard for letting the time slip away. He still had something in his pocket, but now it seemed like he was always going to keep it with him.
" It's written all over your face." Zell replied. " And Rinoa has that 'look'."
" What look?" he asked, sounding a bit worried.
Zell laughed, recognizing emotion in his voice. " That look a woman gets when she feels angry...and rejected."
'Rejected?' he thought weakly. " Why would she feel rejected?" he asked.
" What did you do last night?" Zell asked, " Then again, what DIDN'T you do last night?"
Squall sighed. " I let time slip away when I promised to meet her. I was late, and she was gone..."
" That was it, then." he said, putting his hands in his pockets. " You definately screwed up, man, but we all do. Don't worry-She'll come around soon."
Squall sighed. 'I hope so...' he thought. " ..."
" Not talking anymore, huh?" he asked. " I had that old feeling you wouldn't. You've got to find a good way to apologize, if you're going to get her to come around. Ask me anytime for advice!" With that, he walked off.
'Maybe he's right...' Squall thought, 'Well, then, what am I going to do?' Just as he was trying to come up with ideas, the train stopped.
" We have arrived in Esthar, ladies and gentlemen." a voice said over the P.A. " Please exit carefully onto the platform."
Sighing, Squall walked out onto the platform, and waited for the others. Quistis came first; she walked up to him quietly. She paused a moment before saying, " She'll forgive you."
'How does SHE know?' he asked himself, ignoring her words.
Next, Zell walked up, with Rinoa and Selphie close behind. Squall drew a sharp breath when he saw Rinoa; he soon thought of their last mission. 'Let's hope nothing even remotely close happens this time,' he thought nervously. 'I don't know what I would do'
" Everyone ready?" Quistis asked. Everyone nodded. " Yes, ma'am!" Selphie and Rinoa said in unison, and Selphie giggled.
" Very well," Squall said, " This way."
-
Hours later, they were on the Space Station. Rinoa was in her quarters, unpacking the few things she had brought. She had just finished, and fell back on her bed. She stared at the ceiling, and sighed. " I wonder why I was chosen to come on this mission..." she said to herself quietly. " Was it because I've only been on one mission? Tha one was a disaster, thanks to me. If I hadn't gotten in that battle with a T-Rexaur, maybe I could call myself a true SeeD. But, if I couldn't even fight that thing, maybe I should resign..." She closed her eyes for a moment while she meditated on the idea.
'After the mission is over...' she thought. 'Maybe then I'll turn in my resignation. ...No...I can't. If I do, I would never forgive myself if anything happened to Squall. I could never resign...' Her eyes opened, and she sat up. She thought she had heard a noise. She waited for a moment, and heard it again. " Who's there?" she asked timidly.
Quistis walked in. " Rinoa, are you okay?" she asked, the door sliding shut behind her. " I didn't even knock on the door yet."
Rinoa sighed. " Oh, hey, Quistis." she replied. " I think I'm just tired from traveling. It's nothing."
" Okay..." she replied. " It's not my buisiness." She walked to the door. " Well, I thought I'd let you know that your shift is going to be checking on the Control Center in an hour, so be ready."
" Who's on my shift?" she asked. " I am." she replied, " And Sqaull's coming, too. He has to follow each shift." She sighed, shaking her head. " Poor guy..." she said sympathetically. " He has to follow each shift. He won't get any sleep these next few days, that's for sure."
" Well, if each shift is an hour apart," Rinoa replied, " Then none of us will."
Quistis shook her head. " No," she replied, " Because our shift goes out once every hour from 4 PM to 4 AM. Then, Selphie and Zell have the other 12 hours."
Rinoa cringed. 'Poor baby...' she thought sadly. " Ouch..." she added aloud.
" Yeah." Quistis said, walking out. " See you in an hour."
-
An hour later, Rinoa, Quistis, and Squall were checking on the Control Center. They were all awkwardly silent, but they were all thinking the same thing. 'Someone needs to break this awful silence'
Rinoa was about to say something, when she felt a shiver run up her spine. She didn't like the feeling, but she was compelled to walk to the Control Center. She didn't realize the growing feeling until they had arrvied, and she looked through the large glass windows at what the center was Controlling.
Before her eyes was Adel's prison, with Adel frozen inside.
'What kind of sick asignment am I on?!' she thought, irritated, 'Squall, why'
Squall looked at Rinoa, who looked extremely uncomfortable. The best terms he could use to describe it was that she appeared to have 'Seen a ghost'. He felt a little uneasy when he saw her face. She looked frozen, almost terrified.
" Rin?" Quistis asked.
Rinoa looked at her with a weak smile. " Yeah?"
" ...Nothing." Quistis replied. She didn't know what was wrong with Rinoa, but Squall seemed to have an idea, and she decided it was best not to ask.
-
After what felt like forever, the three made their last rounds, and switched off with Zell and Selphie. " Goodnight, Squall." Quistis said as she walked ot her room. Squall was escorting the shift to their quarters.
'I should speak up...' he thought, realizing that they were alone.
Rinoa sighed, walking. 'I should say something,' she thought, 'I can't let him think I hate him...' She opened her mouth to speak, when she realized they were at her quarters.
" Oh..." she said quietly. " I guess I-" she stopped, looking at Squall's face; his expression unreadable. " Yes?" he asked.
She sighed sadly. He seemed upset with her, at least, that's what she thought. " Never mind." she finished weakly. " See you in twelve hours." She walked into her room.
Squall walked to his quarters for a moment, to sit down and rest a little. When he walked in, though, he slammed his fist against the wall. He was angry at himself for not saying anything, anything that might have made her stay with him for a while. He wanted to apologize to her, make everything better, but he hadn't gotten the timing. 'No wonder my plans are always screwed up...' he thought. After a moment of thinking, he stood up. 'To hell with timing,' he decided, 'I'm going right now to apologize.' He put a hand against his pocket, and he felt a small treasure sitting inside, waiting. He left his quarters, and headed to hers.
He was a little uneasy at first. He didn't know what to say. But, he knocked on her door, and waited for permission to enter. Instead, there was silence. He walked in anyway, thinking she may be asleep, but she wasn't there at all. In fact, she had left her SeeD uniform on the bed, but the bed was neatly made, left just the way Rinoa had found it. He checked the bathroom. She wasn't in there, or in the shower. 'Where are you?' he thought, a bit worried. Suddenly, he heard an emergency siren going off. " Red alert!" a voice blared, " Red alert! Will Commander Leonhart please report to the Control Center immediately!"
'Shit!' he thought, running to the Control Center. Only one thing was going through his mind-Rinoa was missing, and now there was trouble. 'What's going on?!' he thought, and he entered the Control Center, out of breath.
" Commander!" one of the engineers exclaimed, " Someone has stolen a space suit! Look!" He pointed out the window at a person floating toward Adel's prison.
" We think they are trying to set her free!" he said, panicked. " Do you understand how dangerous that is?!"
Squall ran up to the window, looking carefully to see if he could see the person's face. They weren't facing the window, but a moent later, they turned. His eyes grew wide with disbelief, followed by panic. 'RINOA!' he thought. " Where are the space suits kept?" he asked.
" Sir?!" the engineer questioned.
" Now!" he demanded. " Where are the space suits kept?!"
" Sir!" he replied, " In the Departing Bay!"
Squall bolted out of the Control Center, and ran to the Departing Bay. Soon, he was suited up, and out in space, trying to get to Rinoa. The suits were low on air; his guess was Rinoa was almost out of air. He had to get to her before she ran out, or else she would die.
'Rinoa...' he thought. 'You have to hold on. Don't give into Ultemecia. You can't leave me yet.' He used the jet boosters to blast closer to her. He had four minutes of air left, but she most likely only had one minute. As that one minute counted down, he tried his best to catch up to her. She had almost made it to the outer control panel for the seal, and time was running out. He used the boosters to get even closer, but it seemed like he would be too late. It was down to the last ten seconds now, and he still had over fifty feet to cover. He did his best; though it seemed like that wouldn't even do. Just as she was about to add the final sequence, he grabbed her. She turned to face him, her eyes glowing. Soon, the counter hit zero, and air ran out. Her eyes went back to their soft brown, and she gasped. " Squall..." she said softly, " I'm sorry..." With that, her eyes slowly closed.
" Rinoa!" he cried. His suit was attached to the ship by a cord. " Retract!" he commanded, hoping the system worked that way. It did; and they were pulled back into the ship.
-
Rinoa was in the Infirmary, the doctors trying to recover her. Squall was outside of the Infirmary, trying to convince the head engineer of the Space Station to let things slide.
" Thankfully, she didn't enter the final sequence in time," he said, relieved, " But, when the doctors recover her, we have to take her into custody."
" Sir, with all due respect," Squall said, " She is under my authority. Her punishment is my concern, and I am not willing to surrender one of my SeeD to suffer YOUR punishment."
" Commander Leonhart," the man said sternly, " She tried to free a powerful Sorceress. She is MY concern."
" But I am still her superior officer," he insisted. " It is MY responisbility to make sure she recieves appropriate punishment."
" Fine!" the man barked. " But, I will report your actions to the Headmaster immediately. You and your crew are off the mission from this moment forward."
" Very well, sir," Squall replied, " But, if I were you, I would do my best NOT to let this leak out. There are more people out there that will seek punishment for YOU if you let anyone know of this incident."
The engineer froze. " Done." he replied grudgingly, walking off.
Squall walked into the Infirmary. " How is she?" he asked one of the nurses.
" You brought her back just in time," she replied, " She'll recover, but she won't be consious for a few more hours."
" Thank you," he replied, " I'll wait here."
The doctors and nurses left, and Squall found a chair by the bed. He sighed. " Rinoa...I'm sorry." he said quietly, knowing she probably didn't hear him. " I'm so sorry."
-
Author's Note: Is the story almost over? Ugh, someone TELL ME!! LoL You all keep on reading, okay? I'll put thanks in the note for my next chapter. TTFN Trin