Woo-hoo! Some people liked it! YAY! I'm listening to Toby Keith, singing "How do ya like me now". That's EXACTLY how I feel. Hee-hee! Well, chapter nine, and I'm glad you get who Seifer was joining up with, but hurry up and guess what he IS. Ok, reviews, and then we move ONWARD WITH THE MADNESS!
Ej- -grins- So you got it, quicker than I thought anybody would. Well, the story and the hyperness continue, so don't worry. I have some… plans for this story. BUAHAHAHA -cough- ha.
Magical Girl Pretty Sammy-Chan- Yay for Squinoa fluff! Lol, yes, there shalt be fluff. Eventually, we'll get to the actual romance stuff, but for now, they've gotta fall in love first, right?
Wolf- Yeah, see, you know what I mean. And I don't think boys are icky, remember Alex? Yeah, Shaman King-guy? And my dogs rock better than your dog and your cat put together. (To be honest, your cat is minus points, it has it in for me) And thanks for that, glad everyone likes it!
And you people out there, don't act like I just spoiled that, you knew they were gonna fall in love, for Pete's sakes, don't throw a fit. OK, here we go! Oh, and to be honest, you're gonna hear more about Toby Keith, he's gonna have a role in this, somewhat.
Chapter Nine: Start Living
Selphie served up a round of drinks, setting one down for herself and sliding into a seat next to Irvine. "Why did you make us leave?" Zell asked, downing his third glass. As he eyed Selphie, puppy-dog eyes on full for her to get him another round, she groaned.
"Get it yourself," she said testily. Zell gaped at her, then shrugged and slid out of his seat, abandoning his drink and slurping directly from the tap. "Eww, Zell, people get their drinks from that," Selphie added. He shrugged and continued to lap at the beer from the wooden barrel. Quistis shuddered slightly and took another light sip of her beer.
"We left so they could be alone, couldn't you tell?" she said sarcastically. Once more, Zell shrugged, getting more intoxicated by the second. "Look, Rinoa thinks he's cute, he couldn't take his eyes off her last night, he saved her, don't you think that's enough reason to give them some time to learn about each other?" Irvine grinned slightly and looked at Selphie, who was busy watching Zell with a look of amusement and horror on her face.
"Still, we should go check on them sometime, they've been in there half-an-hour!" Selphie giggled.
"Wonder what they're doing…" Irvine said aloud.
"Trust me, you probably don't want to go there," Quistis said warningly. Still, she couldn't help but wonder. What were they doing…?
-POVC-
"What do you want?" Squall asked, hands still on Rinoa's shoulders. The figure laughed, and came into view. It was a woman, silvery hair almost down to her ankles. She was beautiful, in a weird, old-lady way. Still, Squall couldn't help but feel that the woman needed more clothes, particularly in the shirt area.
"Why, just to speak with the couple of the year. I heard about you from last night," she said laughingly, coming closer with each breath. Rinoa let out another whimper, and Squall grasped her shoulders tighter.
"How do you know…?" she stopped. How did she know about the night before? Why did she call them couples? Did she know what she was thinking?
"My dear… I know everything," she said. As she spoke, black wings sprouted from her back. "Nine-hundred years of life on Earth can do that to you." She was now a foot away from them, and she looked Squall up and down. "Funny, you look so much like him…" she said quietly, and Squall's eyes widened. He wondered if he could grab his gunblade without her noticing. "Oh, yes, introductions are suitable. Your names, please?" she asked with forceful politeness, obviously false. Squall didn't think it would hurt them, besides, if he could get his gunblade out, that woman would be dead before she could utter the first syllable of her name.
"Squall Leonhart," he said, still moving his hand slowly. Rinoa stared at him, wondering what he was playing at. Still, if he said his, it must be safe for her to relay hers.
"Rinoa… Heartily," she said, trying to conceal her trembling.
"Give us yours, demon." So we can put a proper name on your gravestone besides "Unknown woman who attacked us", Squall thought with a smirk.
"Oh, you don't need to know mine. Just know… I will be haunting your dreams for quite a while, kiddies. You'll never know when I'm just around the corner." Her wings began to carry her up as a bone-chilling laugh began to echo. As she stuck her hands out in the pain, they noticed a rune on her right palm, and Rinoa gasped. She had studied Ancient Runes before, with her father, and… it couldn't be… Wait, pain? The echo of bones cracking and a painful, yet pleasurable, scream resonated through their ears; a blast of wind nearly blew them off their feet. Squall, not realizing it, put his arms around her and held her close, trying to keep her from being knocked over. Rinoa felt herself surrounded by him, and was stunned into submission.
"Damn it!" he cried, surrounded by another blast of wind. Finally, the storm halted, and they pulled their heads away to stare at the woman… but… she wasn't there anymore. Instead, there stood a werewolf on its hind paws, silver in color and howling to the ceiling. The wings on its back slowly melted away, back into the skin, and the thing pushed the door open with its shoulder, howling again as it galloped away. Squall looked down and saw the top of Rinoa's head. He suddenly realized that she had her arms around him… and his around her. But… he couldn't let go. Any moment now, come on, reflexes, kick in! Despite his thoughts, his arms didn't move, and she looked up.
"Uh…" she muttered, staring into his eyes. Damn, were they beautiful… the perfect color of grey, tints of blue creeping in. He had rescued her, given her his ring, acted… civilized when she accidentally barged into his room, and now had his arms around her. He stared back, warm chocolate eyes seemed to bore a hole in his soul, engrave her name in his heart. She smiled and laughed slightly, and he raised an eyebrow. Just as she was about to get closer…
"Oh, crap, see, I told you, Selphie!" Quistis had opened the bank door to see Rinoa and Squall locked in an embrace with her leaning closer to him. Selphie's head poked behind the door as well, and gasped.
"Oh, uh… sorry!" she cried, trying to shut the door quickly. However, Quistis' head and Zell's foot blocked it.
"Ouch!" she cried, rubbing her forehead as Zell stumbled in.
"Aw…" he slurred, "Love at first sight!" he said, stumbling in and putting his arms around them. "Damn, I wish I was in love… We'd drink beer together, and she'd help me run the bank… Oi, Quistis!" he cried. Her face flushed as her eyes widened in horror.
"AUGH, get away from me, you drunk piece of cow crap!" She turned and ran, leaving enough space for Irvine's hat-brim to stand out. A chortle echoed, and Irvine stepped in followed by Quistis.
"I see you two hit it off," he said humorously. Instantly, the two separated, Rinoa's face flushing. At that moment, Quistis was chased by Zell back in the building, who both stopped to catch their breaths.
"Why don't you ask Selphie to be your girlfriend, huh?" she said angrily, huffing. He shrugged, and pointed.
"She's in love with Irvine," he stated. Selphie gasped, and flushed instantly. Rinoa and Quistis covered their mouths, and Squall looked at her amusedly.
"Uh… uh…" her throat sounded dry, and her face was getting redder by the second.
"Hell, Irvine loves her too," Zell slurred. This time, it was his turn to go red and clap a hand over his mouth. Squall couldn't stand it… the pressure… too much to handle… He excused himself from the group quietly and left the bank, restraining himself as much as possible. As he walked out, a scrap of paper fell from a back pocket, and Rinoa stared after him, ignoring the chaos ensuing around her. As soon as Squall was outside, he let a snort escape him, but wouldn't let anything else emit from his lips. Almost chuckling, he walked to the saloon, hoping for a quick drink before he headed back to his room at the inn. Hell knew he needed it… he had to get his mind off Rinoa for a while.
-POVC-
Rinoa looked at the piece of paper in her room at the inn. It was a… of all things, it was a "to-do" list. She laughed, and looked at some of the items on the list. "Buy a horse", "buy provisions for trip", "shine and polish gunblade", "leave town". Rinoa frowned. She didn't want him to leave town… yet, if he was, it wouldn't kill him to get some advice, right? She added something at the bottom of his list, and then snuck out of her room. It was dark out, and the hallway was almost pitch-black. She pushed open his door to see Squall spread out on his bed, still fully-clothed. Thankful that he didn't lock his door, she left the list on his tableside. As she shut the door, a small prayer went out from her heart to his, hoping that he would get it.
"Unh?" he mumbled, sitting up as he heard the door shut. He saw a slip of parchment on his desk. Yawning, he reached for it and began to look it over. It was his "to-do list", and it looked okay… but there was something on it that wasn't his handwriting. Squall's eyes widened as he looked at the paper. After his things, it said:
"Raise a little hell,
Laugh till it hurts,
Put an extra buck in the plate at church,
Go see your folks, just to chat,
It's time that you made time for that
Stay up late,
Oversleep,
Show your girl what she means to you
Catch up on all the things you've ever missed
-Rinoa"
He laughed. It sounded like she was trying to give him advice. Still… if she wanted him to, it was advice he'd follow. Setting the list down, he summarized all the things she told him to do. It basically sounded like she was telling him to… keep living life. Hell, he thought as he lay down, I'm not living now. As his eyes slowly shut, he put what she wrote in a short phrase… "Start living," he said quietly, as he drifted off to sleep.
OK, first off, My List belongs to Toby Keith, I just thought it would fit in well. Buaha, first time I put a song in my story. Anyways, Zell spilled their secret! Hee hee, what wonders a drunk man can do. BTW, I'm changing the title! This song is gonna fit a lot more into this story, trust me. Muahahaha, we shall be advancing the plot soon… so Ultimecia revealed herself to the couple, and they're starting to fall in love, and so are Irvine and Selphie! Yay for that, well, review, let me know how horribly this was written, whatever. Thanks for reading! Oh, and… I was gonna say something… oh, well, if I think of it, I'll let you know. -greiverwings
