Mortal Sin
Chapter 4: Excess (or Greed Part 1)
Greed is a sin which leads those to hoard their resources. A greedy person never wants to share their belongings and is fearful to even use them. Cronos, the titan god, was driven by greed. This greed led him to be fearful of his own children overthrowing his power. So, as each was born, he ate them. There is a painting that depicts Cronos eating his young that an eccentric man painted on the walls of his house, Saturno devorando a su hijo. Or at least, that's what they teach in Garden's Art History course.
To say that Squall Leonhart had been a complete asshole for a week would be an understatement. Commander Asshat was what he was called in public. The titles for him whispered privately within the walls of Garden were far worse.
The man was testy at best. Seriously testy. He had barked at anyone he crossed paths with and had been sending people on awful missions at the drop of a hat. He also had spent a lot more time than normal holed up in his office burning through multiple cartons of cigarettes or killing grats in the training room.
Quistis made the mistake of reminding him of the smoking ban in the training center and people didn't see her for three days. When she returned, she mumbled something about Dollet and moombas and never tried to remind Commander Douche Canoe (Selphie's name for him) of rules again.
Some speculated that perhaps Commander Micropenis (Irvine's name) was upset that his estranged father had disappeared once again. Abandoning him once more. No one suspected Squall's involvement in that disappearance.
Irvine remarked that he probably hadn't gotten laid in a while. That was partially true. Irvine was wise enough to not say anything to Squall's face.
Rinoa had been gone for over a week in Deling City. There was an event to honor General Caraway and she had to be there. Because of work, Squall could not join her. This led to two problems. First, Squall was extremely nervous about letting her be alone. He didn't trust that someone from Esthar might try something. Or worse, someone from Garden. Specifically, someone from Garden who knew Squall couldn't be watching her every moment of the day. Cid was gone as well, which made the whole thing even more suspicious. Secondly, he missed her physical presence. Rinoa was an intoxicating drug. The best drug in the entire world, and the high he got from being with her was more powerful than any weapon he had ever wielded. He hadn't been away from her this long in over two years, since their adventure began.
Missing her physically was causing dear Commander ButtFuck (Quistis' term) to be downright bitchy. He didn't have a fix. Even worse, Rinoa also hadn't come to him in his dreams. He had been waiting for her, and she didn't come.
He was…restless.
Squall did not like the idea of Rinoa being on her own unprotected. He knew that in reality, Caraway was probably the second safest person for her to be with after himself. Despite the fact that he loathed the man, and the feeling was mutual, he knew Caraway loved his daughter. Caraway would sooner die than let anything happen to Rinoa. It was probably why Caraway put up with Squall in Rinoa's life. They had a single thing in common: keep Rinoa alive and well. They both loved her and could at least see eye to eye on that.
Squall also knew that Rinoa would scoff at the idea of him sending Zell or Irvine- or even Selphie- with her to be a bodyguard. She would argue with him and claim it was unnecessary and in the end probably get her way.
But Squall, being the Commander Poop Face (Zell was never the most creative nor the meanest) that he was, always had a backup plan.
Rinoa hated Deling City almost as much as Squall hated Winhill. The place held no fond memories. Her mother died in Deling City. Her father distanced himself from her in Deling City.
She was alone in Deling City.
While in Esthar, people whispered behind her back because of the Lunar Cry. In Deling City they whispered behind her back of being the daughter of a great general. It wasn't kind whispers either. Princess. Brat. Spoiled. Reckless. Stupid. Poor little rich girl…
Rinoa didn't like Caraway, that much was obvious, but deep down she respected him. Even though she would never admit it out loud. For that reason, and because Squall told her it was important to go, she arrived at her father's mansion for the celebration of his jubilee as General.
"Caraway." She didn't try and hide the disdain in her voice.
"Rinoa."
"How's the army?" Rinoa forced arbitrary small talk, ensuring her tone was perfectly uninterested.
"How's the mercenary?" The word was spit out of Caraway's mouth like it was poison.
"Perfect in every way." She raised her eyebrows in defiance and smirked ever so slightly.
"Damn. I was hoping he was dead." Caraway scowled in obvious irritated disappointment.
That was about the extent of the conversation they would have for the entire week.
Fury Caraway watched his estranged daughter flounce away and sighed. It had been over two and a half years since he had last seen her, the day of the attempted assassination on the Sorceress. Gone was all of the baby fat in her cheeks, she now had sharp angles and defined high cheekbones. Gone were her bangs, once holding golden highlights. Her hair now cascaded down her back like an ebony veil. And at some point since she'd left home, she'd also left her old body behind. She had taken on the shapely curves of a grown woman, no longer the young girl he remembered. She looked so much like Julia, Caraway's heart ached.
Rinoa huffed up the stairs and opened the door to her childhood room. The house hadn't changed since Julia's death. Rinoa always figured it was Caraway's way of keeping her mother alive in the house. Rinoa recalled once playing the piano in Julia's private study. She was five or six. She just wanted to play mommy's piano. She had played a single chord before Fury stormed into the room and screamed at her to get out of there and never come back. He was so forceful that she was reduced to tears. She learned very early that some things in the house were untouchable. The piano in the parlor was safe, in Julia's study, not so much. Her childhood bedroom hadn't changed much either. It still resembled something that a ten or eleven-year-old might stay in, complete with her stuffed animal collection. As she opened her bedroom door sulkily, dreading the week to come, an extremely unexpected unwelcomed guest greeted her.
"Seifer?"
Sitting smack dab in the center of her canopy bed, the man in the silver trench coat polished his gunblade with utter disregard of his surroundings. A tiny drop of gun oil dripped onto the duvet. "Well hello there, Princess."
"What in Hyne are you doing here? My father will have you shot on sight!" Rinoa knew that there was only one person that Caraway hated more than Squall, and that was Seifer. Well, maybe the two were equal in the General's eyes.
Seifer smirked and patted the spot next to him on the bed. "Shot? I don't think so, Duchess. The man hired me."
Well, that was a half-truth. There was another party at play that had sent Seifer to Deling City in his stead, and had helped convince Caraway that Rinoa needed extra protection. Seifer knew that Rinoa would not like the idea of Squall sending any bodyguard after her, especially not Seifer, so he figured it best to leave out Squall's involvement.
Rinoa being the one thing Squall and Caraway could see eye-to-eye on (not including her living arrangements or her relationships), Squall had an easy time convincing Caraway to hire Seifer to watch her. Seifer, being a former Knight, was the best choice. Seifer had the best training. Deep down, despite everything, Squall knew that Seifer cared about Rinoa and would keep her safe. No matter how much of an asshole Seifer acted like in the process. Squall would never refer to it as "trust", but it was something.
Warrior code, perhaps.
Squall was staring intensely into black eyes. Black eyes that belonged to a certain plucky green Guardian Force.
"What's your secret?" He muttered to himself as he poked the ruby in the center of Carbuncle's forehead.
He tried rubbing the ruby, nothing happened.
He tapped it like a button, nothing happened.
He held up a scanning device, nothing happened.
The man even held up the GF like it was a piggy bank and shook it around like something would fall out.
Carbuncle was non-plussed, his ears flopping around as he was manhandled.
Squall had carefully inspected him for any accessories or implants. No collar with a tracking implement, nothing hidden beneath its green fur. Nothing stuffed in its ears. The Commander was convinced that the GFs were feeding information to Cid. If the GFs stripped their memories, the memories had to go somewhere. He figured Carbuncle would be the easiest one to solve, having Doomtrain in his office seemed like an extremely bad idea.
"Stupid Pikachu-looking fucker…" Squall grumbled at the beast.
He had been fussing with the thing for over three hours and nothing. At one point, Carbuncle had even bitten his hand. He didn't dare junction, not wanting Cid to get any wind of what he was investigating.
Finally, with no results and a bleeding wound on his palm, Squall settled for the next best thing.
What he really wanted to do was tear the stupid ruby of the smug GF's face and firaga the creature until all was left was some tufts of singed green fur. Alas, he did not have any natural magic with Rinoa being away and not coming to him in his dreams.
Instead, he locked the vermin in a closet in his office, figuring he would deal with the vile Pikachu fucker later. It wouldn't bode well if Cid noticed the GF didn't exist anymore anyway.
About a week into her stay in Deling, Rinoa finally had a dream. It was the first time she had been able to fall into a deep sleep, thanks to some external help. Her dream that was so vivid it reminded her of the dream at the Sorceress Memorial.
Squall smiled gently at Rinoa as she walked towards him, holding out a hand for her to take. "I've been waiting for you."
They were in the flower fields of Centra where he had promised to be her Knight.
Rinoa took his hand and held it to her face. "I'm sorry I made you wait, I always promised to come here. I haven't been sleeping well"
Squall shook his head., "It's okay." He pulled her into an embrace.
Rinoa hugged him tightly. "Red wine and sleeping pills help me get back to your arms." She was wearing short blue slip that she normally wore for nightwear.
Squall was shirtless and in pajama pants with chocobos on them. He smiled down at her and ran his hands along her bare arms.
"I need you," he whispered into her hair, before leaning down and kissing her.
"I've needed you." He murmured again against her lips.
"I was waiting…"
Rinoa shuddered, and it felt as if she were suddenly inside of his thoughts. Squall knew he was dreaming. He was acutely aware. Images of himself waiting for her in this very flower field, night after night since she'd been gone. Alone. He had been disappointed, angry with her even when she hadn't appeared. But now, finally, she was here. He was pacified. Squall's entire mind was alight with passion and lust.
Was she asleep too?
No, she couldn't be. She was back in Deling City, reading a book in her bed. It was after midnight, yes, but she hadn't been tired. She had been having trouble falling asleep since she left Garden. As she tried to determine what was happening, the feeling of rough, insistent lips against her exposed skin jolted her back to the moment.
Fuck trying to figure this out.
Squall kissed down her neck and began to push the spaghetti strap of her nightie off of her shoulders as he kissed along the collarbone. "As nice as this is…" he whispered in between gentle kisses, "…you don't need it."
The slip pooled at her feet and she stepped out of it.
He was slowly pulling them to the ground, easing Rinoa onto his lap. "I love you," he murmured as he continued to kiss down the valley in between her breasts. Squall's lips felt like ice. A cool burn that felt soothing under the sun in the flower field.
"Stay with me."
"I want you…"
"Please." His tone was almost pleading.
Squall shifted her in his lap and Rinoa gasped as he filled her. They gently made love. Squall guided her hips in an agonizingly slow and almost lazy rhythm. He obviously wanted to savor every second of their reunion.
It was bliss. Squall's lips and fingers continued an icy burning assault against her flushed skin. Magic seeped out of her with every stroke.
With every thrust he felt more powerful.
With every thrust, she felt more hypnotized.
Squall gathered her ebony tresses in his hand and gently tugged her hair back to expose the soft milky-white skin of her throat so he could kiss her there.
Rinoa was now begging, wanting release. "Please…" she moaned, her throat vibrating against Squall's lips. "Squall. Please."
"I know…" He answered against her.
She climaxed, hard. Squall finished with her and collapsed on his back, pulling her on top of him.
As they tumbled to the ground, Rinoa finally accepted the fact that she was dreaming. Though, she also realized, it was something more than just a dream. She knew as she was falling asleep within the dream, vanishing away, that she would wake up back in Deling.
"I will see you in the next life," she murmured almost singing into Squall's chest.
"Hm?" Squall murmured.
"The song." Rinoa chuckled softly before falling asleep on Squall's chest
As Rinoa faded away into sleep within her dream she was pulled back into reality. She could feel Squall's heat, hear his heart thrumming in his chest. Smell his masculinity lingering in the aftermath of their lovemaking. She sensed Squall's contentment. His Bliss.
His power.
His raw energy.
His ecstasy.
His…invicibility.
The heavenly calming sunshine of the flower fields beamed down on them.
Seifer jerked awake to the sound of Angelo growling in the hallway. Rinoa took that stupid dog everywhere.
He jumped out of bed with lightening speed and dashed out into the hall. His room was directly across from Rinoa's. Angelo was clawing at her mistress's door.
Gripping Hyperion tightly in his hand, Seifer quietly turned the knob and snuck into the room, ready to surprise any intruder.
He was not prepared for what he saw… or felt.
Rinoa's room was freezing. Surely it wasn't this cold outside. Did she have a window open? Seifer glanced at the window and noticed frost rapidly appearing on the glass. He could see his breath in the darkness.
He darted his eyes towards Rinoa. She was thrashing in her bed. Her eyes were closed and she was clearly asleep. Her body began to sit up in bed with her head tilted back almost as if she was possessed. Again. Phantom strings were pulling her up like a puppet. Her lips were completely blue from the cold and her hot breaths were rapidly evaporating in the air. She panted, her breaths coming too fast.
Seifer watched as the straps of her nightgown were pushed down her shoulders by ghostly invisible hands. He was quite certain no one else was in the room. The sound of his chattering teeth was painfully audible.
Rinoa rocked against a phantom specter, her mouth hanging open, her hands gripping thin air. Her body shuddered, her hips instinctively opening themselves to enveloping passion.
Then she did the last thing Seifer was expecting. She let out the most pleasurable moan he had ever heard in his life.
Pure ecstasy.
The room continued to get colder, but Seifer could not tear his eyes away from her. She continued to moan in front of him in her sleep. She bounced and writhed on her bed, her legs trembling as she desperately tried to keep up with someone. Something. Sweat beaded on her skin, only to freeze seconds later. There were now snowflakes on her eyelashes and her hair was turning to icicles.
And then it happened.
"Squall," Rinoa groaned in pleasure as her eyes shot open and she went to grasp at the rings she always kept around her neck. Her other hand slammed against her breast right above her heart. As if she were feeling for a beat, trying to calm herself.
Seifer narrowed his eyes, watching from the shadows. The second Rinoa woke up the coldness disappeared. Her lips returned to pink, the frost on the window vanished.
She let out a satisfied, totally spent breath and collapsed back onto her bed. Seifer couldn't help but notice an obvious souvenir of her arousal. Rinoa moaned once more and rolled on to her side, her arm flopping off to the side of the bed. There was a content smile on her tired face. She was asleep.
Seifer quietly exited the room unnoticed, frowning in concern.
The morning after Rinoa's intense erotic dream, she was eating cereal in the kitchen of Caraway's mansion. She was joined, much to her displeasure, by Seifer. She had been humming a tune as she ate. One Seifer recognized but couldn't put a finger to. Seifer had an annoying knowing smirk on his face.
"So…" He began as he poured milk into his own cereal. "Sleep well?"
Rinoa grunted in response. Squall's non-verbalness had been rubbing off on her.
Seifer casually brought the spoon to his mouth, "Good…dream?" He questioned, eyeing her up.
The blush that spread across Rinoa's nose and cheeks made it obvious to Seifer that she remembered her dream very clearly. Rinoa cleared her throat.
"Whatever." She responded. "Have nice dreams of a certain Professor Trepe?"
Squall really had rubbed off on her.
Rinoa started to bring her spoon to her mouth again, but was thwarted by Seifer's hand on her own.
For once, his voice held none of its usual sarcasm or taunting. "Rinoa," he said seriously. "Be careful." He paused. "Please."
It was the "please" that made Rinoa know that Seifer was serious. She shook her head and tossed her bowl in the sink. As she marched out of the kitchen she remarked, "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Oh, but I think you do." Seifer responded softly as he watched her rapidly retreating form.
"I think you're crazy, maybe." He remembered the song she had been humming earlier.
As Rinoa set off to shower, Seifer took the opportunity to sneak back into her bedroom and look around for any other signs of what had happened the night before. What he stumbled upon were prescription bottles: Diazepam. Then another: Trazadone.
It wasn't the prescriptions themselves that were concerning, Sefier knew that Kadowaki encouraged Rinoa to take medications. Cid suggested it might help her transition her sorceress powers, and possibly help her learn to control them. Seifer didn't know enough about the prescriptions to know their strength or appropriateness, but he knew they caused sedation based on the droopy eyed warning label. He mentally memorized the names, determined to do research later.
Seifer inspected the bottles carefully. He then did a double-take, and his stomach turned.
The name of the prescribing doctor glared back at him. Odine.
For the first time in his life, Seifer was genuinely worried.
First and foremost, I thank my beta, bebedora. She was instrumental in this chapter.
Saturno devorando a su hijo or "Saturn devouring his son" is a painting by Francisco Goya. After going deaf from illness late in his life he purchased a house in Madrid that was literally called "Villa of the Deaf Man". The previous occupant had also been deaf. There he painted fourteen paintings directly onto the walls of the house – very different than his previous work, likely representing Goya coming to grips with his own mortality as well as the civil disruption that was taking place in Spain at the time. Curators managed to put the paintings onto canvas and this one is at the Prado.
I do not own the song "Motion Picture Soundtrack". That belongs to the amazing band Radiohead. If you listen to the acoustic version with just Thom Yorke and piano, I could picture it as a melancholy Julia Heartily song as she pines for Laguna.