Part 20:
Squall stood there, gazing at the exit door and supporting himself on the couch as he tried to remember what had happened to him and how he had got there…
'…how the hell did I get here…? ' he thought to himself.
'The only thing I remember is hearing her scream and…urgh!' his back hurt as he turned his neck to look around…
'…and now my back hurts like hell…' he moaned.
'Where's is she…' he wondered as he looked around, searching for a sign of her…
Tired of standing, he sat down slowly on the couch…and stared out the window, where the setting sun rays touched his face gently…
Suddenly he heard the elevator coming down from the control room, making him jerk slightly in surprise as he heard Laguna's loud voice babbling as usual outside the meeting room.
'Quistis, it's just that I didn't think it was a good idea, you know, letting them wonder around the world alone with those guys on the loose, I mean…sooner or later they'd appear again and we don't know what could happen next…and I know Squall would do his best to protect Rinoa and try to avoid her abduction at all cost but…he's gotta understand that together things are easier, safer… we're a team…teams stick together…right'' Laguna said softly.
'What a wimp…' Squall thought to himself…
'I know Laguna, it's just that I know Squall…his "lonely wolf" attitude gets the best out of him. I just know he won't be pleased to find himself here when he wakes, he'll be furious…he ran away, precisely to avoid…this…
And by what you told me, I think his reaction was quite predictable, he's a very independent and proud person…it's not anyone who can get around him, you know? He doesn't like to show his true feelings or what's on his mind…he'll push everyone away and now that he has probably found out that you, well…you know…he wants to get away now more than ever…anyway, Laguna, all I want to tell you is that you must understand Squall… he's very proud and very independent… the best way to deal with him is by giving him time… time and space…try and understand him, it's the best way, Laguna. Patience is the only way…' Quistis answered back.
'What does she know about me?' Squall frowned disapprovingly.
'I don't know anymore, Quistis…Sometimes I think it's too late for me…you know…to assume anything…he hates me already and I haven't even spoke to him yet. That just makes things harder between us…sometimes I wonder if he'll ever forgive me…' Laguna said bleakly.
Squall crossed his arms annoyed.
'Don't think about that, you can't give up, Laguna…Sooner or later Squall will have to accept you…he can't run away from the truth all his life…you'll see…just give him some time and space…it's what he needs…trust me.' Quistis smiled confidently.
'Yeah I suppose I mustn't be selfish…if its' time and space that he needs, then I'll do my best and give it to him…I must be patient…I know… it's only fair…' Laguna smiled slightly.
Quistis smiled back.
'I'm just so damn glad Rinoa called us for help…I don't want to think of what could've happened if does guys had appeared once again…' Laguna muttered worriedly.
'What!...Rin, called them! She couldn't have…no…she… couldn't…' Squall held his head between his hands in disbelief.
'She's such a nice girl…always caring for others. I genuinely think she's good for him. Good-hearted, only good intentions towards him…a real darling… just like her mother… she'll be a wonderful sorceress, one of the best we have ever known…. I'm sure…' Laguna smiled delighted.
Quistis remained silent to this and looked down.
Back in the meeting room, Squall now just sat on the couch, holding his head in his hands, stressed with the whole situation as he stared at the emptiness of the room with his eyes half-shut and his mouth slightly open. Feeling down in the dumps as if he had travelled miles and miles alone with Rinoa trying to avoid facing these people to just get picked up by them in the end… the last people he wanted to face right now…
Quistis was tired. She was up to her neck with this talk-talk about how nice Rinoa was. "Rinoa's so nice…Rinoa's such a darling…Rinoa's so pretty…Rinoa's so good-hearted…Rinoa's so this…Rinoa's so that…".
'What's with everyone!' she thought to herself. It already was hard enough for her to try and erase all feelings she had for Squall, but as she tried as hard as she could, a nervous, annoying, disgusting feeling just went on growing inside of her chest. Something she wasn't proud of at all; a horrible feeling that meant only weakness to her…it was jealousy. Quistis was jealous of Rinoa and there was nothing she could do about it…This made her feel so stupid, so futile, so shallow…
At this very moment she just hated herself more than anything else. More than Seifer, even. She felt disgusted with herself, liking someone who already belonged to someone else and feeling jealous of that person…It made her furious, it was weakness at its worse…
'Hello Quistis…' Laguna said cheerfully waving at her.
'Oh…sorry Laguna. What is it?...' Quistis looked down in shame then slowly back at Laguna.
'Err… I was sayin…why don't you go check up on Squall, see if he's awake…you know?' Laguna suggested.
Quistis snorted.
'Oh…I don't think that's a good idea. No, I think I'd be the last thing he'd want to see right now… Rinoa should go…don't you think?' Quistis murmured tiredly.
'Yeah, I suppose, so far she's the only one who really gets along with him, isn't it?' Laguna chuckled.
'Hm-hm…' Quistis smiled tiredly.
'Ok…anyways…What was I saying before that?' Laguna scratched his head…
'The space equipment in the energy room…'
'Oh, yeah…that's it…I was saying…these equipments were used by a group of Galbadian soldiers seventeen years ago…they have files with loads of information about them, date of birth, hometown…anyways…what I thought was really interesting for you was…' Laguna went of gabling loudly at Quistis enthusiastically as Squall just ignored the rest of the conversation…
Laguna and Quistis went on with their conversation for some time, then went for a walk to the energy-room they were talking about, spent some time there and finally returned to the control room where everyone else was.
As soon as Squall had heard the elevator go up again, he decided to go and search for some cure draw-points. He remembered there used to be one near the air-lock room, up the stairs.
Squall got up slowly with some effort, supported himself on the couch for a few seconds and finally took a deep breath and made his way out of the meeting room.
He past by the various rooms slowly, holding his back with one hand, wincing a few times and stopping abruptly as he made wrong moves with his spine. He was really getting impatient with himself…
When he had finally reached the staircase room, he held on the railing tightly and mostly just pulled himself up as he spotted the draw point near the airlock room's door.
The draw point's flames weren't their full size, for someone had already drawn cures from it. Squall started loosing his temper…
He drew from it anyway, getting two cures in return.
It would help a bit, he thought to himself.
He quickly cured himself and felt a lot better, though he could still feel a large sized bruise on his back that would ache if he made rapid moves, but at least now he could walk straight.
Squall stood there for a few moments rubbing his back and he stared over the bridge looking passageway that led to the air-lock room.
He didn't want to return to the meeting room. He really didn't feel like it, so he entered the air-lock room.
There was a big circular window on the ceiling, where he could see the clouds passing by quickly and the sun setting warmly, with is glowing rays making their way through the double-glass window on to a store metal cabinet near the space suits.
Squall made his way towards the sun and sat on the cabinet, leaning against the wall and stared directly out of the ceiling window.
The warm sensation of the sun setting softly on his face was soothing and calming.
He liked that feeling, but as much as he tried to forget about what Rinoa had done, he couldn't.
Her loving, warm beetle brown shinning eyes kept on infiltrating his mind…
'I trusted her… I told her how I would have preferred to just stay away from them instead and she just ignored that…she called them to come and get us…she couldn't have. I told her I wasn't willing to return…'
Squall thought to himself with an unhappy frown on his face.
'She said she wouldn't…and now I'm here…with these people…and I just don't want anything to do with them…' he looked away from the sun.
'I shouldn't be here…I don't want to…' he placed his hand on his face in frustration and massaged his forehead brutally.
His mind was clouded as usual, in thought. He could only think on how much he didn't want to be there.
Meanwhile in the control room.
Laguna and Quistis sat on the couch as he drew sketches of the space ships there used to be in his time, then changing the topic to his favourite journalists and his ambitions, then his favourite music bands and artists while Quistis held her head in her hand, almost falling asleep to the gaggling of Laguna's enthusiastic voice. She was really tired of hearing him. He was basically telling his life story, making Quistis wonder when the ship would land next. Suddenly she had a great idea. She didn't want to be rude, so she used the topic he was talking about to remind him of something…
'Speaking about talking to people, did you already ask Rinoa to go and check up on Squall?' Quistis said tiredly.
Laguna looked up at Quistis and snapped his fingers impatiently turned around to Rinoa who laid on the opposite couch with her head on Zell's lap (he slept deeply with his mouth wide open), sleeping too.
'Rinoa, dear…sorry to bother you but…'
Rinoa opened her eyes and blinked as she stared in Laguna's face. Suddenly she realised something…
'What time is it!' she snapped worriedly getting up in a hurry.
'Oh, you've been sleeping for the past hour or so…' Laguna looked at his watch then back at her.
'Anyways, I was gonna ask you to…' Laguna smiled friendly, but was interrupted by Rinoa…
'Squall…' she murmured softly looking worried.
'I have to go…I'll talk to you later Laguna, sorry…' Rinoa hurried out of the control room and down the elevator she went.
'No problem…' Laguna said.
Quistis was hoping now Laguna had forgotten what he was doing so she could have one moment of silence at last…
'Guess I didn't have to ask her at all…' he chuckled as he sat down beside Quistis again and leaned his backwards and closed his eyes…
'Man, I'm tired…' he moaned.
'So am I…' sighed Quistis as leaned her head on the couch too, closed her eyes in relief and stayed like that for a few moments…
After taking in a few deep breaths, she opened her eyes slowly and found herself staring at Seifer who a few steps away from her, sat on a single seat, and with his arms crossed, he leaned his neck backwards and starred out the window blankly.
She stared at him closely, watching him stare without blinking for long periods of time as he took deep breaths, one at the time, very calmly as if in slow motion…
Quistis wondered what went on in his mind. What would occupy so deeply such a cruel soul as his…
After making herself this question countless times, and just looking at him with a frown on her face, Seifer suddenly turned his neck and looked her straight in the eye, as if he had known all along she had been staring at him. This made Quistis nervous, it was way too weird. His face was as serious as it could be, no furious frown, no sarcastic grin, just a serious face. It was really creepy.
It was strange and scary in other words. He was staring back at her, so directly it almost hurt, not blinking a single time. But Quistis just stared back, wondering what was happening in his head. How did he know she had been looking at him? And did he? There was something weird going on. She didn't know what it was, but it wasn't normal…
His look was piercingly direct, so infiltrating, it made her uncomfortable. She couldn't bear it any longer, her eyes were almost tearing with the stress…she had to look away, but something stopped her from doing so. Finally with a lot of effort, she managed to swerve her eyes onto something else quickly...
That had been a long weird, scary moment, as if he had been reading all her thoughts…Was he? Could he? How? She wondered fearfully.
Rinoa burst into to the meeting room and scoured around worriedly.
'He's already up…' she murmured softly as she turned around and walked out.
She searched all the rooms on her way, calling for him softly in every room, but not finding him in either one of them.
When she finally had reached the stairs room, she had slowed down and walked up the staircase. Then as she made her way across the bridge looking corridor, she noticed the recently dead flames of the draw-point…
The door opened and Squall looked quickly to see who had invaded the room, turning his face quickly back up the window once he had seen who it was.
'I was supposed to be there when you woke up, but… I fell asleep in the control room…' she gasped.
Squall just remained silent to this.
They both just kept quiet for the next long tense moments.
'You're mad at me, aren't you?' she murmured softly.
Squall remained silent continuing to just gaze out of the window.
'It's Ok, you can say you are…I can handle it…' she murmured once again.
'…whatever.' Squall murmured.
'Well, I'm sorry…' she said in grave tone.
'Are you?' he said coldly.
'Yes, I am.'
'Ok…' he said.
'…what's ok?' Rinoa approached him worriedly.
Squall kept quiet.
'Squall? 'she took another step towards him.
'Everything's Ok…isn't that so? Everything's fine…just fine…' he murmured coldly.
'Squall, I said I'm sorry…' she stopped abruptly.
Squall grinned and puffed through his nose sarcastically.
'Sorry about what, Rinoa? You called them, right?' he looked at her with a grinning stupefied face.
'Yes, I did…but I didn't want…' Rinoa tried to explain herself but…
'But, what? But what!...but you didn't mean to? Is that it? C'mon, Rin…I'm not that stupid… ' he said furiously.
'If you just give me a chance to explain…please, Squall, there's no need for this…'
'Fine…go ahead…' he said carelessly.
'Squall, I called them to come and get us because…you were hurt, you were unconscious…I didn't really have a choice, you know? I was scared, Squall…I couldn't risk having you get worse…you were already hurt from the fight you had with Seifer…I wasn't going to stick to a promise that could put your life in danger…I couldn't.' Rinoa was now right next to him, but he insisted on not looking at her.
'My life wasn't at risk…it was yours…' he murmured.
'I could still walk, run, save my life…but you…you were hurt, you wouldn't be able to run if you had to…I saw him kick you in your back, Squall…I know you wouldn't be able to move. That's why I did what I had to do…even if it meant you not speaking to me for a long time…'
'I wasn't that hurt…I would have preferred to stay there then put up with these guys…' he mumbled.
'Forget about it, Squall. You're here now…and you gonna have to face them sooner or later…' Rinoa said.
'But did it have to be now, Rin? When we were this close from Ganahir! We would have made it, I'm sure…we don't need them…' Squall finally looked at her in her eyes as he spoke.
'Yes, we do. Squall, they're our comrades. We're on the same side…we're a team. We work together…that's why…friends care for each other and they care for you…and I'm sure you care for them too…' Rinoa held his hand caringly.
'How can you be so sure about that?' Squall smirked and looked at her, already feeling lighter.
'Because I know…' Rinoa smiled.
'Know, what?' he grinned slightly.
'I know you like them…' she murmured leaning her face against his, their lips an inch away from each other.
'Does "them" include you?…' he murmured smiling, squinting his eyes to look into hers.
Rinoa nodded.
Squall reached his hand for her face and kissed her lovingly. The anger in his veins had evaporated…
To be continued…
Sorry, sorry, sorry guys…! I'm sooo busy, I have to study and do loads of homework…Please forgive me for the short chapter. I really didn't want to keep you guys waiting too long, so I hope it pleases you despite the fact of it being a little shorter then the others. Thanks for reading everyone! Thank you so much!
Thanks Zerda, Marta, Angelo, Squall!...everyone!
Please review:)
P.S: Dxculpa lá não ter atendido, Martuxa. A gente fala depois, oki? Bjinhux!
Marta e-mail me to mitigwakiisapo.pt, ok? I don't have access to my other one!