Author's notes: Oh dear it's been a month hadn't it? It's all my fault, I'm terribly sorry so…hey! (dodging the rotten eggs ) Yeah, I'm too lazy to even type all right apart from chatting on net…so I decided to give you readers out there another chapter (sounds corny eh?) Anyway I hope you all will still enjoy this story and please give me more reviews k? :P Last but not least, thank you for reading.

Chapter 15

Rinoa, the President of Galbadia.

Rinoa swallowed down her saliva down the throat nervously. Looking around her, she was only greeted by shocked or fuming eyes. What the heck….me….a president?

"General Martin, I am really beginning to doubt if you're still sane. How could you…..suggest her as the next president? A seventeen year old girl?" General Keith spatted angrily. The room became very noisy all of a sudden as the generals began to questioned Martin's decision. Rinoa sat nervously on her chair not daring to speak. Nervously, she turned her head around and looked at Squall with fear in her eyes. Squall sighed softly before walking towards her and whispered lowly.

"We can get out of here if you really want to. I'll find some way," Squall whispered. Before Rinoa had the chance to reply, Martin's loud voice startled her.

"Generals! My decision is final. Rinoa shall be the president. She's only the temporary president until president Caraway is back on his feet again. Besides, she has all of us to guide her, I don't see any harm on this idea," Martin shrugged.

"You see no harm? Well I'll tell you what General Martin! This…..this pathetic girl will ruined the whole country! What can she possibly do to rule the country?" General Bill pointed his finger sharply at Rinoa. Rinoa winced at his comment. Pathetic girl?

"General Bill is absolutely right! What is she going to do as a president? She's probably going to satisfy the people with her pretty face! In the end, when she's fed up with all these things, she's going run back to her father's arms! Then, we shall be the one dealing with all the embarrassments and critics from other countries while she goes la la la!" General Keith was losing his temper as he shouted loudly. Anger filled Rinoa as she listened to his accusing words. Suddenly, she stood up and hit the table hard with her right palm making the once noisy room quiet again.

"I'm not going to stand all these anymore!" Rinoa screamed out.

"Hey child, watch your mouth!" General Bill spatted.

"I'm not a child anymore, don't you dare call me that old hag!" Rinoa snapped back loudly. Martin and Squall was shocked at her sudden outburst. Getting no response, Rinoa decided to continue. I'll tell them how I feel! "We'd been in this room for more than an hour and what all of you did was complaining this and that. And you, General Keith, you think that I am as stupid as you to think that I will do nothing but showing my so-called pretty face around to satisfy the people?! I'm not a blockhead like you! If you think I can't do anything to help the country you think you can by giving out all your stupid idiotic comments?! If I were to really rule the country I bet I can do better than all of you stupid generals!"

"Why you?! Look at her Martin! She's not even respecting us!" General Keith was fuming in anger but Martin purposely ignored him. He merely shrugged.

"Well I don't see anything wrong for her to voice out her opinions after all the insults you gave her," Martin replied making General Keith speechless.

"Well then lady, you want to take the president's place?!" General Bill asked all of sudden. Rinoa kept quite for awhile before looking back at him with a strong determination burning on her eyes.

"Yes, I would certainly do it for the sake of the country and my father. I shall represent him until he recovers and I'm certain that he will," Rinoa answered bravely.

"…..Very well then, you're in young lady," General Bill answered simply shocking everyone including Rinoa.

"General Bill, are you nuts?! Why all of the sudden you agreed to this insane idea?" General Keith looked at him in disbelief.

"No point arguing, besides, she has General Martin the highest ranked general behind her. What can we the stupid generals do?!" General Bill hissed. "The meeting's over gentlemen. Tomorrow I shall announce to the public that the temporary president would be Rinoa Caraway. You shall take over all the things the president was doing and you shall also give all the speeches that the president was supposed to give to the public. But mark my words, lady. We, the generals, will not assist you in anything, not even when there's somebody out there wants to kill you. I guarantee you that in the end, you'll hope that you didn't let your filthy tongue slip on this very day."

With that, all the generals apart from Martin left the room leaving a shocked Rinoa there.

"Must they be that mean?" Rinoa choked back. Tears were threatening to spill from her brown eyes. Sighing softly, Martin approached her and put a hand on her left shoulder.

"Well, that's life dear. Now I suggest that you take a good rest for tomorrow is the big day. Mr. Leonhart, please make sure she's safe," Martin said. Squall nodded silently. He was lost in words after all that had happened that day. Boy, what a hectic and surprising day.

"Before I go, I have a question for you Martin," Rinoa spoke up as she approached the exit.

"I'm hearing," Martin answered.

"Why did you choose me of all people to be the president?"

"………I guess I believe in you," Martin answered simply. "Now, please have a good rest, president."

Rinoa smiled slightly before walking out of the room with Squall.

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Back in her room, Rinoa sat on the bed sighing loudly. Her mind was raging all the while. 'What should I do tomorrow? Will the people laugh at me? What if I failed the people? Will dad ever recover? What would he think if I failed?' Feeling the pressure building up as time goes by, Rinoa couldn't help but to collapse on the bed and cried her heart out. A knock on the door stopped her crying.

"Rinoa, are you all right?" Squall came in looking very worried as he took a glimpse on her teary eyes. Rinoa bolted up and tried to brush the tears from her eys roughly.

"I'm all right Squall," Rinoa chuckled bitterly. "I placed my contact lens on the wrong side so it hurts…that's all." Rinoa was desperately trying to save herself from embarrassment. 'Boy that was silly, since when I ever wore contact?' Rinoa hit herself mentally. Squall cocked his left eyebrow up and stared at her straight in her eyes making her feeling stupid even more. Slowly but steadily, he sat beside her on the bed.

"Here, the water you asked for," Squall handed her a glass of water. Mouthing a silent thank you, Rinoa drank up the whole glass of water before passing it back to Squall. Putting the glass aside of him, Squall nudge Rinoa closer to him. Slowly, he lifted her chin up to see a pair of teary eyes.

"It's no use keeping it all to yourself, tell me what's wrong," Squall whispered softly. In an instant, Rinoa wrapped her arms around Squall and cried her heart out. Squall returned her embrace and ran his hands soothingly through her soft hair. Rinoa did not know what got into her but she did know she was letting out the stress that was pilling up within her.

After a moment of crying, Rinoa had managed to calm herself down but found herself too reluctant to let go of Squall. Instead, she buried herself deeper onto his chest.

"You know, it's weird," Rinoa spoke up as she enjoyed the lovely embrace.

"What's so weird?" Squall asked back curiously.

"Well, you telling me not to keep something to myself but let it out," Rinoa replied.

"……What's so weird about that?" Squall was getting confuse.

"I mean it's not weird if it were someone else who said that….but no, it was you, the arrogant, cold famous bodyguard," Rinoa chuckled silently as she tightened the embrace.

"…..Whatever," Squall and Rinoa answered in unison. Rinoa chuckled when she heard Squall grunt in annoyance.

"How do you know I was crying anyway?" Rinoa asked. 'All right, that was stupid' Once again she hit herself mentally.

"I heard your cry from the outside. Besides, you don't wear contact as far as I'm concern," Squall shrugged making Rinoa chuckle again. Rinoa was beginning to feel sleepy under Squall's embrace. Stiffling a yawn, she kissed the tip of Squall's nose lightly before pulling both of them down to the bed without breaking the embrace.

"I guess you're tired after everything, I'll leave you to rest," Squall was starting to leave when Rinoa pulled him down to the bed once more.

"Stay with me please," Rinoa pleaded softly. Squall's lip curled into a small almost invisible smile as he leaned his back on the wall. Knowing that he was going to stay with her, Rinoa rested her head on his legs.

"You're going to make my back stiff and my legs cramped by the time you get up," Squall warned jokingly as he brushed her face tenderly.

"Whatever," Rinoa replied before finally dozing off to a sweet dream. If only the real world was as sweet as her dream.

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Outside the palace's gates, Galbadia was in chaos. People was making huge commotions everywhere demanding to know what had happened to the President and most importantly, what will become of the country. In the midst of the commotions a number of newspaper boys had managed to squeeze through the crowds and stood in the middle of them. The noise was shut down as the crowd waited anxiously for the news the few newspaper boys might bring. One by one they shouted making the crowd gasped.

"Latest news! Latest news! The president is safe but unconscious! So the generals had elected a new temporary president!!!" They shouted.

"So who is the new president?" The crowd shouted back.

"Well, for the latest news, get a copy of the Galbadia Times now!" The newspaper boys shouted back. Immediately they were ambushed by the crowd, all trying desperately to get a copy of the newspaper for themselves.

"What the….???" A guy shouted as he read the newspaper.

"Oh dear," A woman beside him said.

"Oh yeah! I knew it!" Another guy shouted from behind. No matter what their reactions were, the crowd was starting to make noise again for the headline read: 'Rinoa Caraway, The New President of Galbadia.'

All right! I finally finished the chapter! I know I'm getting lazy with the fiction (chuckle nervously). Don't hit me! Argh!!! (Dodges banana skins). I hope I can finish up the 16th chapter before I go off for my vacation. I'll try my best. Please, for all the readers out there, drop me a review for I love them more than anything. Last but not least, thank you for reading this chapter. It's dedicated to my friend, who celebrated her birthday this month. :P