Chapter Eight
Miniature Disasters

Rinoa grabbed a bottle of water off the cart and flopped into the nearest booth in the cafeteria. She'd just finished her first training lesson with Squall, Quistis, and Zell. She'd forgotten how hardcore these SeeDs were about their fighting, and she was exhausted.

It didn't help that she hadn't gotten to sleep until after four that morning, either. But with a small smile, she concluded that it was probably worth it in the end. Squall hadn't looked much better for the wear, and it had reminded her of all those times that she had kept him up way too late before.

After sleeping on it, she had come to the conclusion that she wouldn't have traded last night for anything. Yes, it sucked that he still didn't remember anything … but Rinoa truly felt like he was getting closer to something. And the fact that it was "all-new" to him sort of made it feel all-new to her as well. And honestly, that part wasn't so bad.

"You look beat," Irvine said, sitting down across from her with his lunch tray. "Out of shape?"

Rinoa shook her head, rolling her eyes. "No. I just didn't get much sleep last night, that's all." She began peeling the label off her water bottle, not meeting Irvine's eyes, but unable to stop smiling.

"You're smiling. People who miss out on sleep don't smile like that, unless the reason they missed out on sleep was … Rin?"

She looked at him finally and laughed. "Let's just say … it was worth it."

Irvine dropped his fork. "Oh, my Hyne. Already? Geez, I had no idea he'd move that fast …"

"Shut up!" Rinoa cried, knocking his hat off of his head playfully. "We didn't … do that. What kind of girl do you think I am?"

"Well, it's not like you haven't been with him for months," Irvine speculated, reaching down to retrieve his hat. He dusted it off and glared at the girl sitting across from him. This hat was so abused. Selphie used to steal it all the time …

"But as far as he's concerned, we met three days ago." She buried her face in her hands. "Ohhh, he probably thinks I'm a slut!" she moaned, but she was still giggling. Truth be told, if he hadn't stopped things last night … well, she certainly wouldn't have. It had been too good, being back with him like that.

"Never underestimate the power of a slut, I always say," Irvine said good-naturedly.

"I'm sure Squall doesn't feel that way …" she said, looking at him narrowly.

"He's a guy," Irvine said dryly. "Though he tries to be all stoic or whatever he calls it, he's still a guy. And he's a guy who's had the hots for you from day one, I'd say."

"Whatever. He didn't even like me at first!" she argued.

"I didn't say he liked you. I said he had the hots for you. There's a difference. Don't you remember the first day I met you guys?" Irvine responded.

She nodded. "At Galbadia Garden, yeah. You tried to arrange the parties and you were going to take me and Selphie with you, but Squall …"

"Didn't want you going with me, now did he?" Irvine smirked.

"That's not it at all! He wanted to keep his eye on me, I'm sure. I didn't know what I was doing, remember?"

"Oh, he wanted to keep his eye on you all right, but not because of that."

Rinoa grinned. "Seriously?"

"For a smart girl, Rin, you are, like, pretty damn dense sometimes," Irvine teased.

"I didn't think he thought about me at all until …"

"You went in a coma?"

"Well, yeah," Rinoa said. "He never really said anything to me."

"It's because he didn't know what to say. With guys like him, it takes a miniature disaster to get them to wake up. The feelings were like, always there. It just took that coma to get him to admit them." Irvine shook his head. "You should've seen him, Rin. I'd say it was bordering on pathetic, the way he reacted. He was in the infirmary with you, every day, for, like, hours on end. Dr. Kadowaki had the hardest time getting him to leave. And then one day, he just kinda snapped. He went to the infirmary, picked you up, and carried you on his back to Esthar."

"He what?" Rinoa said. She hadn't known how she'd gotten to Esthar, honestly. Whenever she'd asked Squall, he'd just said "Whatever. It doesn't really matter, does it?" And she had always dropped it, thinking that he'd talk about it when he was ready.

"You knew that, right? That Squall … carried you, all the way to Esthar, on his back?"

Rinoa shook her head, and felt a lump forming in her throat. "He would always avoid answering me when I asked what happened. My gods," she whispered. "I can't believe he did that." She turned her head, and began scanning the cafeteria for signs of the Commander.

She saw him, at the doorway, and she waved a little to get his attention. Funny. She knew he saw her, but he turned and walked out the door. "Squall!" she called. "Sorry, Irv, I've gotta …"

"I understand," he said, waving her off. "Later, darlin'."

"Squall!" she called, trying to catch up with him as he walked abnormally quickly down the hallway. "Hey!"

xXx

He'd gone to the cafeteria to find her. He wanted to talk to her, to see if she might be interested in meeting up later on. When he'd gotten there, however, she was sitting in a booth with that Kinneas guy, apparently having quite the conversation.

She was giggling and chattering away happily, like she had no other thoughts in the world. She leaned over flirtatiously and knocked his stupid cowboy hat off of his head, and laughed. She then buried her head in her hands and he heard the word "slut".

Eyes narrowing, he was about to just turn and go. He glanced at her one more time, unsure why he felt so angry right now, and saw how glassy her eyes had gotten and the dreamy expression she now had on her face. Something Kinneas had said had given her that adoring expression, and he was having none of it.

He shook his head in disgust, pissed at himself for even caring so much. He turned to leave just as he heard her call out his name. "Whatever," he muttered angrily, not even sparing her a backwards glance.

Stupid. He should've known better. Girls didn't just make out with guys they barely knew unless they were used to that sort of thing … right? He knew she was behind him, but he didn't feel like talking right now. But she was quicker than he had anticipated, and she grabbed his hand before he could escape into his dorm. Damn it.

"Hey! I know you heard me back there!" she said, her eyes questioning and a little indignant.

"I don't feel like talking," he said coolly.

"I was looking for you," she said. She still hadn't let go of his hand. And he hadn't pulled away either. Glaring, he jerked his hand back. She frowned. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," he practically growled. "Why don't you just go back and continue your conversation with Kinneas?"

"What?" Rinoa asked, confused.

"You two seem to get along … very well," he commented stonily.

Suddenly, realization dawned on Rinoa, and she wasn't confused any more. She was pissed. "What exactly are you accusing me of here, Squall?" she said through clenched teeth.

He shrugged. "I probably should've figured it out last night," he said. "You weren't exactly reserved, were you?"

Rinoa took a deep breath to steady her nerves, afraid that she was going to release some of her pent-up aggression in a very non-decorous way. "You. Son. Of. A. Bitch." Shaking her head, she willed herself not to cry in front of him. "You don't even know me!" As soon as she said the words, the weight of them came crashing onto her head and the tears couldn't be stopped. "You think I just … what, exactly? Make out with whoever's handy at the time? What about you, huh? I believe it was your hands on my ass."

"I saw you flirting with Kinneas!" he shot back, rather at a loss. Was he giving her a double-standard? Didn't he hate it when people did that to him?

"Flirting? I was talking to a friend. Just because you refuse to speak to anybody doesn't mean that that's how everyone else chooses to be," Rinoa said, ice in her voice.

"You looked more than friendly," he replied. "You were looking at him, all misty-eyed or whatever."

Rinoa closed her eyes and put her hand on his chest. "I looked like that, because we were talking about you," she said quietly. She bunched her fist around the fabric of his shirt, felt her skin starting to prickle again. High emotions always seemed to cause this problem. She let go of his shirt and pushed him back against his door and turned away.

"Rinoa …" he said, suddenly feeling like the biggest ass on the planet.

She was already walking away from him. "Just … forget it."

"No!" he said suddenly, and reached for her, touching her shoulder.

She shrugged him off. "Don't. You said what you wanted to say. Thank you, for letting me know that my worst fear had come true."

"Rinoa, look at me," Squall said, his anger from earlier now replaced with complete and total chagrin. He realized what he had implied … and he could see how much he had hurt her.

He really was an asshole.

Exhaling loudly, he realized that there was a group of students gathering in the hall, watching the spectacle. Just great, he thought grimly. "Look," he said quietly. "I want to apologize. Will you meet me tonight?"

She didn't say anything, she just looked at him for a long moment. "You can't apologize now?"

"Everyone is staring," he said, trying to speak without moving his lips.

She couldn't help it, the corners of her mouth quirked upwards. Part of her was still mad and hurt, but the bigger part of her knew that deep down, Squall was seriously insecure and his rudeness was merely a defense mechanism. "Where am I supposed to meet you?" she finally asked. He gave her a look and nodded towards his door.

Her eyes widened. "Seriously?" she choked.

"I just want to talk, somewhere we won't be interrupted. Nothing … funny. I promise not to grab your ass again," he said in a low whisper, and she laughed.

"Hmm, well in that case, no," she said teasingly. Then her face turned serious, and she put her hand on his arm. "We'll see."

She enjoyed this part. She knew full well that she would be there, but there was no need to let him know that he'd won already. Let him suffer a little. It would teach him to question her moral fiber. In fact … she had a few other ideas for him, as well. She smirked to herself as she walked away from him.

xXx

It was after midnight when she knocked on his door. She wondered if he was even still awake. She had decided to make him wait longer than was probably necessary. She had also made the decision to not change out of her day clothes. Probably safer that way, right?

Not that it mattered any more. It was sad, and pathetic, but if he wanted to … well, there was no way in hell she was going to say no.

He opened the door, and she saw that, thankfully, he was still fully clothed.

No need for this to be any more complicated. It was plenty confusing already. He was her boyfriend of months but at the same time, he was a guy that she was just getting to know, if you looked at it from his perspective. It was hard to find that balance. If he had been anyone else … there's no way she'd have agreed to meet in his room.

But he was Squall. And truth be told, his room was like home to her. "Hi," she said.

"I didn't think you were coming," he said honestly. He moved out of the way so that she could step inside.

She took a deep breath as soon as the door closed behind them, inhaling the familiar scent of the room. It was meticulously neat and tidy, and Rinoa knew for a fact that there was an alarming number of cleaning products in the cabinet under his desk. The thought made her smile.

"It's a girl thing," she responded to him, finally. "I couldn't let you know that you were forgiven. You had to suffer a little first. You did accuse me of being a slut."

His face reddened and she smiled tenderly at him. "I'm sorry," he mumbled. She knew how hard apologies were for him. He hated to be wrong, about anything.

"It's okay," she said gently. "Honestly … I can understand why you might think … that, based on last night. I want you to know, though, that, well, I'm not like that. I don't just make out with guys because they're there. Or even because they say nice things to me." She laughed a little. "The truth is, I like you. And I know we've only just met, and I don't technically know a lot about you … but it feels right to me, you know? You feel right to me."

He'd been watching her intently while she'd spoken, and he nodded. "I feel like I've known you for so much longer than a few days," he finally said. "I thought … I swear to Hyne, I just knew who you were the day you got here."

Rinoa smiled hopefully. This was good, right? He did remember her … the bond was still intact, thank Hyne.

"I think you're the girl in my dreams," he said after a long silence.

"Excuse me?" Rinoa said, genuinely confused.

"I keep having these dreams, or maybe they're just flashbacks. But I've had them for a while now. And there's always a girl who's face I can't see … I think it's you."

Rinoa's heart leapt. "Is that … okay? I mean, meeting your dreams in real life can sometimes be disappointing. I'd hate to disappoint --"

Her sentence was cut off by his mouth on hers. She gasped a little, and then returned the kiss with equal fervor. Her hands pulled on his white t-shirt, untucking it from the waistband of his pants. She pulled it over his head and tossed it aside … suddenly reminded of a night not that very long ago. Her hands ran along his bare torso greedily … she had missed him so much.

He pulled away from her, enough to whisper in her ear. "I'm sorry I called you a slut," he said, and she giggled.

"Well, I'm, um, kind of proving you right right now, aren't I?" she joked, as his hands slid up underneath her top to caress the skin of her back.

He lifted her up and carried her over to his bed. "I'm not complaining," he said, nuzzling her neck, licking at the pulse in her throat, causing it to race even faster.

She felt like she was in heaven. This was the Squall she had missed. The playful, sexy Squall, the one that only she ever got to see. Right or wrong, it didn't matter. She was his, and he was hers, and by Hyne, she was going to let him do whatever the hell he wanted to do with her tonight.

His hand had just inched up to cup her breast when there was a loud knock at the door, that made both of them jump and sit bolt upright. "Damn it," he hissed. "What?" he barked.

"Squall, it's me," Quistis' voice said, and she sounded frantic. "Please, open up!"

Rolling his eyes he walked to the door, pulling on his shirt in the process. "What is it?" he said brusquely.

Quistis' blue eyes were wide as she surveyed and deduced what it was she had just interrupted. "Um, I'm really sorry to … interrupt." She raised her hand in Rinoa's direction, a half-hearted excuse at a wave. "But we just got word from Cid in Trabia. We're not really sure why it took him so long to get in contact with us again, but …"

"But what?" Squall said impatiently. He shot Rinoa an "I'm sorry" look and then turned back to Quistis.

"The Sorceress is back," Quistis said.

Rinoa felt her breath hitch in her throat. "How … how do they know?" she managed to choke out.

"Cid received a letter a couple of weeks ago from a Dr. Cyrus Blakeslee in Esthar. He didn't give a lot of details, but the doctor informed Cid of the situation, and sent along a bunch of information about the new Sorceress. He's apparently been studying the Sorceress phenomenon, and according to him, it was only a matter of time," Quistis explained.

"So Cid … knows who she is?" Rinoa said, her throat dry.

"He had a picture and a name, but the file was stolen about a week ago. And he, of course, didn't think to memorize any of it." Quistis rolled her eyes.

"So … she could be … anybody. There's nothing to go on?" Rinoa said, suddenly feeling like the room was too hot, too small, too everything.

"Until Cid can either recover the lost file, or find out how to get in touch with this Dr. Blakeslee, we're kind of in the dark. He said he would let us know if he received new information. But he doesn't know when he'll be back." Quistis was obviously distressed.

"This couldn't have waited until tomorrow?" Squall said irritably. Yes, this was bad, but damn it, what could he do right now? He'd gladly do what he needed to do, just like they'd done with Ultimecia. But until they had more information …

"That's not all," Quistis said, dreading having to break the news this way. "Edea and Ellone. Squall, the Sorceress has killed them."

"Oh, Hyne," Rinoa gasped, her stomach churning.

Quistis looked at her, worried, but the look on Squall's face told her that her work here was done. "If you need anything …" she said before turning to leave.

"Thanks," he said bluntly, shutting the door behind her. He was feeling a little numb … Matron and Sis? They were dead. He looked at Rinoa then. She was pale and shaking. "Are you all right?"

Rinoa shook her head, and took a deep, steadying breath. It was now or never, right? The more honest she was now, the better it would be in the long run. If she tried to hide it, it would only be that much more damning in the future when all of Blakeslee's lies came to light.

"I -- I have Sorceress powers," she whispered.

Squall went to her side, knelt down in front of her. "What?" he said incredulously.

"Before. With … with Ultimecia? She used me. She possessed me. You fought Adel, right? Ultimecia used me to free her. She made me break Adel's seal, and then she left me to die in space. And you saved me," Rinoa said, staring into his eyes, willing him to remember. "You don't remember me, I know. Something's been done to your memory. That Dr. Blakeslee that Quistis mentioned? He kidnapped me, on the night of your 18th birthday, and did something to make you forget. Squall, he raped me, and tortured me because he wants to bring the Sorceress back. And he's trying to use me. I just really need you to remember me right now." Tears fell from her eyes now, and she felt like she was going to hyperventilate. "Think, damn it. I was here, with you. I fought Ultimecia with you. You keep saying how familiar I am to you. It's because I am a Sorceress, and you, you Squall? You're my Knight."

Squall didn't say anything for a long moment, he just stared at her. "You're a Sorceress?" he said. "Did you kill Edea and Ellone?"

Her eyes widened and she shook her head vehemently. "NO. But Cyrus -- Dr. Blakeslee, he wants everyone to believe that I did. Edea and Ellone were with me. He kidnapped them too, and then told me that he let them go free. I didn't know that he'd killed them. Squall, I swear on everything that I am, and everything that I love. I'm telling the truth." Closing her eyes, she waited for it. Waited for the end to come. What happened next was unbelievable.

He pulled her into his arms and held her close to him. He stroked her hair, like he had done after rescuing her from the Sorceress Memorial long ago. "I don't remember you. That's the honest truth, I'm sorry. But, I don't know how else to explain this bond with you. If you're telling the truth, then I don't have a choice, do I? And if you're not …"

"I'll be close enough for you to deal with quickly, if I'm lying," she said, clinging to him for dear life. "And Squall's sword will pierce my heart," she whispered, remembering those words from so long ago.

"Shh, that's not going to happen," he said, looking into her eyes. "Rinoa, I believe you, about Edea and Ellone."

"You … you do?" she breathed.

"Yes. And if the rest is true … then, Rinoa, you need a Knight. Not just for your sake, but for the safety of everyone else." He kissed her softly then, his lips lingering on hers, tasting the salt of her tears. "If you'll let me, I'll be your Knight."

No matter what happens, even if you end up the world's enemy … I'll be your Knight.

Rinoa smiled and rested her head on his chest. It wasn't perfect … not by a long shot. But Hyne … it was getting closer.

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A/N: No, don't worry, this isn't the end. Obviously, there's still a lot we have to do. I mean, we have to get memories restored, find out what the hell happened that night, and, oh, yeah, KILL CYRUS BLAKESLEE. lol I hope you guys liked this chapter! Don't you just love jealous Squall? XDDDD Also, I know this might seem like it's moving a LITTLE fast ... but that's the point. I was trying to make the point that even though Squall doesn't remember her, there's a part of him that will always, always know her. The Sorceress/Knight bond isn't one that's easily broken, and that's what I was trying to convey here. I do actually know what I'm doing and there's a reason for everything that's happened this far. Anyway, I hope you'll stick with me until the end ... we're getting closer:)