-The eyes and ears of a child do not lie, for whatever that child may experience is forever branded onto his memory, but even that memory could be slightly exaggerated than the event as it actually took place; furthermore, not every memory is reliable, some children will block a memory from their mind if necessary, curiously, one horrific, most likely unforgettable, event.-

Chapter 8: Anxiety
The sound of the winds blowing as the thunderstorm swayed through Balamb viciously and menacingly had distracted Zell from his work. He looked at Squall and smirked. "…Hear that? Whenever Mother Nature yells, it definitely means we should pack up and go."

"…We're done?" Squall asked, wiping the oil from his hands on a rag.

Zell nodded. "We're done. …And I wanted to finish this baby off too." He sighed, scratching the back of his head. "Oh well…"

Squall had taken off his layering uniform and walked toward the back of the shop, hanging them with the other uniforms that were unused as he sighed from his long day. The day had progressed slowly, and hours passed sluggishly as he and Zell had been working on the same car for yet another day. He shifted his eyes to the dark car, gazing at the repairs that had been made. Unbelievably, it was fixed and finished, but Zell could be quite the perfectionist. Never wanting his work to leave any other way than perfect, the man spent hours at a time reviewing each step repeatedly until he was satisfied, something Squall feared would never happen.

He wiped his face with a clean hand towel and paced toward the closed garage door, closed when the droplets of rain first fell from the sky. He and Zell both could feel the water spraying in every so often, and when the coolness became too cold for the two to handle, the door was closed immediately. Squall opened the garage door by pressing a red button on the wall of its left side that shifted the door up and back to reach the top of the ceiling. His eyes were met with surprise when he saw just how dark the day had become. "…Zell…what time is it?"

"…About five or six…why---Frickin-" The blonde had looked up from some papers in his hand and witnessed the gloominess for himself. "…Hell…what's with the weather?"

"I have no idea, but…whatever, I'm going. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Uh, sure." Zell said, his eyes still glued to the scene.

"Are you gonna close the door?" Squall asked as he waved his hand from side to side at the entryway of the garage, hoping to get Zell's attention.

Zell shook his head furiously, snapping himself from the stare, and managed to answer Squall. "Um, yeah. Don't worry about it."

"Alright." Squall said, waving his hand back as he faced the open road. The drizzling had been intense, and he had begun to jog to the hotel to keep from getting soaked by the rain. Only today did he realized how close the distance between the shop and the hotel had been, an incredible discovery indeed.

Squall wiped the water from his face as he stepped inside the doorway of the hotel, greeted by the hostess as per usual, "Good evening, Sir."

"Hi." He said, stomping his feet on the rug to dry the bottom of his shoes. He quickly left the hall and headed to the stairwell, climbing up to his room, which had greeted him with a cool wave of wind from the air conditioner at full blast. He shuddered as soon as the air came into contact with him, freezing the rainwater that clung to his skin from outside.

Squall immediately turned the cooling device down to a minimum, and turned to face his bed. He saw that his phone was set on the floor. What the hell? When did I…oh yeah, I remember. He hadn't used it for a while, and the last time he had, he remembered leaving it on the floor. It was the day he rushed out to meet with Rinoa. Despite his knack for working so hard with Zell, Squall found he had pushed aside all thoughts of his personal life once Zell managed to bring up an embarrassing moment of their past about him, as a way to counter the incident from their youth. Needless to say, the two went back and forth about past things to put each other deeper into the hall of shame.

However, now that he was alone again, thoughts of Rinoa and her 'lover' began to cloud his mind with no restraint.

"She may be your wife, but I know you don't really give a damn about her or Rori!"

Rori… Why was that name haunting him so? He had escaped the need to call Rinoa all day long, he had purposely told himself to wait until after work to call her and ask about this Rori person. He knew Rinoa would tell him if he would only ask, but how to bring up the question, how to ask without striking an argument?

But what about the blonde, wouldn't he know more about Rori since he brought it up? Finding the blonde and squeezing information out of him would be much better than interrogating Rinoa; however, Squall wanted nothing more than to keep that man away from Rinoa as much as possible. He wanted nothing to do with him or his lies. Having his presence around would only delay his progression with Rinoa.

Squall merely bit his tongue at the thought of him. How dare the man intrude between Rinoa and he? He had no right… He would continue to win Rinoa's heart even if it meant making a few threats…

Finally, Squall had gotten the courage to pick up the phone and call Rinoa to ask about Rori. If she had known someone by that name, she wouldn't have hesitated to speak about him, would she? Squall braced himself as the phone continued to ring, it had been ringing for a few seconds now and he still hadn't received an answer. After more than five rings, Squall decided to hang up. Maybe Rinoa was out of the house at the moment? The brunette scratched his head as he thought to himself, Who would leave out in a storm like this?

By nightfall, the storm was intense. Rinoa feared her daughter was trapped somewhere and screaming for her help. The woman yelled for Rori at the top of her lungs beside Seifer as he drove less than three miles per hour down the road. The hours had passed by like minutes on a summer night, and deceived Rinoa into believing things had happened in just a short amount of time. She remembered each frantic minute as it took place, piecing together the scene to ensure she hadn't missed anything. But where on earth could Rori have gone?

Rinoa replayed the scene in her mind once more…

"Rori's gone!" Rinoa panicked, eyes glued to Seifer's, and the blonde stood in one spot trying not to upset her any further. He squeezed the bridge of his nose with a sigh and summoned up the best words that would ease Rinoa's wrecked heart.

"Rinoa, relax, she's probably playing a quiet game." He said, wincing at his own doubt.

"I don't think so. I called out to her already and she hasn't answered. You know Rori, she always answers me!" Rinoa had turned to him, distress present in her voice and eyes.

Seifer cleared his throat. Almost whispering he said, "We'll look around one more time."

"Don't you understand, I already tried that---forget it!" Rinoa yelled, turning to the front door and opening it wide. She cupped her hands at her mouth and walked to the porch screaming, "RORI! RORI!"

Rinoa, feeling horrible about her outburst to Rori earlier, cried for her as the day broke into night. The showers continued to pour, misty and cold on contact, but Rinoa wasn't fazed. Rori was out there somewhere, and she needed to find her. Besides, how far can a three year old get by herself? A storm much worst than the current storm happening in the small town had been evolving inside Rinoa's shell. And the only thing that would replay in her mind were her last words to Rori, "Rori stop whining and go to your room!"

"Oh my god…Rori, where are you!" Rinoa, almost on the verge of tears, ran out into the open road yelled to her daughter again. "Rori!"

"Rinoa! Come on!" The blaring rainstorm drenched his clothes the second he had stepped off the porch. "We'll take the car!"

"But she's only a little girl, she's not going to run so far away!"

"In this rain! You'll catch pneumonia faster than we can find Rori, so get in the car now!"

The woman hung her head low and finally gave in. Without responding to him, Rinoa walked to the passenger's side of the car and got in.

Since then the two had been driving around town, stopping occasionally to inspect any suspiciousness but never came across anything that stood out. Rinoa cried, although the rainwater hid every sign of her sorrow through its moisture, and Seifer looked on, not wanting to say anything that would cause her to shed more tears. Although worried about Rori, he managed to contain his despair through a stern gaze out of the window. He had joined Rinoa in calling her, but decided to keep his eyes on the road. All the while, he wondered just how far the little girl had run by herself. He hoped he could catch up to Rori before something terrible happened to her.

------

Rori shivered as her body had numbed, freezing from the cold rain that poured down from the heavens above. She looked up from her hiding place, underneath her very own house, fearing that her mother would never return.

Yes, Rori had heard Rinoa's conversation, and she had run out of the house and down the front steps. Weeping, Rori ran down the street through the foggy rain and out of sight. The little girl was heartbroken, hearing her mother say such awful words.

"Because Rori might not be wanted!"

Rori was confused, and after being yelled at, anything but an apology from Rinoa would hurt her feelings further. She had run to Selphie and Irvine's home because it was always the place to go whenever Mommy was in trouble. Following her old instructions, Rori was met with disappointment upon discovering the young couple was not there. Rori hadn't known about their sudden departure to downtown Balamb, and the little girl sat on their front steps, drenched by the rain and crying into her lap.

Minutes had passed and still no one was there. Rori screamed for them to open their door but no one answered, and Rori stayed there on their doorsteps, soaked by her own tears. As the sun was completely hidden by the dark clouds, Rori stood to her feet, rubbing her red eyes and sniffling.

She knew even if her mother had said something bad about her, she probably didn't mean it. Rori knew her mother had loved her too much to do that. The little girl just ran because it was the first and only thing to do when encountering that situation. She was frightened and had felt alone if only for a moment… But as Rori ran, she felt as if she were running to someone, not her mother, not Seifer, not even Selphie or Irvine, but Rori felt like she had to find someone.

But for her little body, the pursuit was impossible, and so, Rori decided to run back home. She knew if she had run away, she would need her mother, and her mother would definitely need her; after all, she loved her and no words could get in the way of that.

And Rori ran toward the house, but saw that Seifer's car was gone. The door was closed and the lights were off; like Selphie and Irvine, no one was home. Rori sobbed and wiped her runny nose as she muffled, "Momma…" She whined and ran to the door, turning the knob and finding it locked. As she turned the knob again, a great bolt of lightning struck the grounds, sounding as if it were near her and reverberating throughout the neighborhood. Rori released the knob and ran down the steps of the front porch, and then crawled under the house and behind the steps. Rori rocked back and forth, covering her ears to shield her from the boisterous thunderstorm and lightning flashes. She had stayed that way for a while, almost as long as Rinoa and Seifer were out looking for her.

The first place Rinoa searched was Selphie's home, hoping that Rori would run there just she told her to do before, but Rinoa was disheartened to find Rori had not followed her directions. After searching that house, Seifer drove down the street slowly and any place he could think for a three year old to run.

"I don't know where she could be…" Seifer muttered, gazing out of his window at the side street houses and studying everything that passed his eyes.

Rinoa sighed and bit her bottom lip fiercely, "…I feel terrible. This would never have happened if…" She closed her eyes, "…if I had just told Squall the truth."

"…About that…" Seifer started, braking the car in the middle of the road as he continued, "…What if 'Squall' doesn't reject Rori…? What will you do? Would we still…?"

"…Seifer, now isn't the time for this…"

He groaned from his throat. "…Yeah…" With a shake of his head, Seifer released his break and continued down the road. Ever since he had seen Squall with Rinoa in their front lawn reuniting, he felt his chance with Rinoa slimming. He could see in her eyes that a spark for her husband was still there, but even after spending those few months with her, he believed there to be a spark in his eyes whenever he looked at her. Rinoa was the only woman he could be truly open with, the only woman, the only person that would listen to him speak his mind without having to worry about being hurt or laughed at. She was open and sensitive to him, and she cared for him just as much as he cared for her. He would give up the world for her, and the one thing he cherished most about Rinoa was her lovely daughter, Rori.

Seifer knew from the moment he saw Squall that Rori was his daughter. First were their identical blue eyes, and then their brown hair, and their faces…Rori looked exactly like him. Seifer was angered about the matter, and he wanted to pummel the man's face for leaving Rinoa alone for so many years. He almost growled to himself when thinking back to their encounter, by then, he had wished he had done something other than run.

He glanced at the road once more and saw Rinoa's house coming up the street; he would have to pull over soon. Still, he wanted to tell Rinoa anything that would take that ridiculous twinkle from her eyes. He wanted Rinoa to forget her husband, especially if the man disclaimed Rori. When Rinoa feared Squall would do such thing, his immediate sympathy had turned to anger. He would hate that man forever…

"Seifer!"

"OH SH—" He swerved the car but the two still felt a thump against the car's front. Rinoa immediately jumped out of the car and ran around, and Seifer heard her release a lamenting cry.

"RORI!"

Seifer hadn't moved, he was frozen behind the steering wheel. The sounds of the rain and Rinoa's crying had sent him to another level of reality. With every second that passed, he could feel Rori's little body being hit, struck by the face of his own car; the scene was set to replay in his mind over and over again.

"Seifer!" Rinoa yelled, slamming the passenger door shut tightly. "Seifer, drive to the hospital!"

He could hear every word she had said, but found himself unable to move. Seifer was in a daze until Rinoa patted his face, a desperate attempt to bring him back into reality.

"Seifer, she's going to die! Please drive!" Rinoa yelled, cupping Rori in her arms and kissing her forehead. Rori's face was bloody, and Seifer could not bring himself to look at her, as her body lay motionless.

Finally he shook himself from the daze and pulled out of house's drive. He had focused himself enough to drive the long road to the hospital in Downtown since there were no local infirmaries in Balamb. Seifer glanced over at Rinoa and Rori, and had hated himself for doing so, for if something would happen to Rori…he would hate himself forever.

After ringing her phone every half an hour, Squall had finally given up and laid down in his bed. He was worried about Rinoa, she would be inside before nine o'clock so it seemed, but maybe she went out with someone, anyone but that 'boyfriend' of hers he hoped. He shrugged his shoulders and closed his eyes as he prepared for sleep; however, he felt a strain tugging at his soul. No matter how many times he tossed and turned, Squall could feel something preventing him from sleeping.

Sighing, he sat up and turned the lamplight on that set beside his bed. He leaned his back against the backboard and groaned aloud. There were too many things on his mind for sleep, for one, Rinoa wasn't answering her phone and it was going passed midnight. He rubbed his forehead and closed his eyes, finally feeling a sleepy yawn overcome his stressing.

Just as he reached for the lamplight again, the phone began to ring. Without hesitation, Squall reached for the phone instead and picked up, bringing it to his face with haste. He breathed out, "Hello?"

He could hear someone sniffling at the end, breathing into the phone as well, and then he heard a muffled, "Squall."

"Rinoa! Rinoa, is that you?"

"Yeah…" She sniffled.

"What's wrong?" He asked, immediately the sleepiness had shook off of him. She sounded to be in danger. His heart pounded in his chest, "Rinoa!"

"Squall…I need you…"

"Where are you!"

"…At the hospital."

"What! Why, what happened!"

He heard someone speaking beside her, but couldn't make out what that person might have been saying. Instead, Rinoa returned with a sigh; a sigh of relief or distress, it was indistinguishable, but she spoke into the phone, "I can't…I…Squall, please…just get here. I'll tell you. I promise."

Squall swallowed his breath and muttered, "…Okay." He could hear the phone lines terminating with a click, and he eased his phonedown on the hook as well.

His room was silent for a minute until he questioned himself aloud, "…The hospital?"

Why on earth would Rinoa be in the hospital?

Squall threw the covers from his body and stood, pacing to find clothing that just lie around the room and threw them on, not caring what piece went with what. Rinoa was in danger, and nothing else mattered to him more. He needed to get out of the hotel and down to the hospital, but then…he remembered the hospital was so far away and he didn't have a car. Where would he get a car from in the middle of the night?

----

"Zell! I have to borrow that car!" Squall yelled into the phone.

"Ouch! Squall, what the hell, it's like one in the morning! What the hell are you shouting about in my ear! Geez!"

"I'm really sorry, but I need to get that car from you. Rinoa's in the hospital and I have no other way to get there!"

"What? The hospital?"

"Yeah! Zell, please!—"

"Of course, Squall! I've got the keys here at my place. I'll meet ya down at the shop."

"Thank you!" Squall said, hanging up the phone in a hurry. He grabbed his room keys from the dresser and ran out of the room, locking it behind himself before running down the hallway and reaching the stairs.

The run to Zell's shop had felt like a daydream, maybe happening or maybe just a dream, and before he knew it, the dream was over. He came to a stop when he reached the shop, breathing heavenly and placing his hands on his back to allow himself air.

"Here Squall." Zell called out, tossing a key to Squall as he turned around to meet his voice. Squall caught the key. "What happened? Is she alright?"

"…I don't know…" Squall said, disoriented and wanting only to get into the car and down to the hospital. Zell understood that his friend was not thinking clearly and decided to leave it at that. He opened the garage door with another set of keys and watched as the door peeled up and displayed the black Convertible parked inside.

"…Don't let me keep you. Go ahead!" Zell said, fanning Squall to the garage door, and Squall nodded in return.

Before he knew it, Squall had driven the car manically up the road and out of town, disappearing into the darkness. Zell only wondered if tonight would be the one for Squall; would it be the night he meets his own little girl…

----

Almost ten minutes later, Squall pulled into Balamb Medical Center's parking lot, parking the car any which way he could, it didn't matter because he would fix it later; Rinoa needed him now.

Squall walked through the sliding doors and entered the front lobby of the hospital. He paced himself to the front desk and looked over the counter, seeing a nurse in all white reading a list and checking off names. He hated hospitals, he always had, despite the fact that their only existence was to help and treat people, but then the place never seemed welcoming. It's white walls, small rooms, weird smells, and people…busy people, people who were always at their toes, but where in the world were they whenever someone really needed them?

He cleared his throat and spoke, "Excuse me?"

The nurse hadn't looked up, she rolled the pen over a name and murmured, "Yes?"

"Umm…Where can I find Rinoa Leonhart's room?"

"…Leonhart." The nurse whispered, never looking up at him. "Oh! Here we are…Rori Leonhart… I'm sorry sir, there are no visitations at this time, not unless you're family."

"Say again?"

She finally looked up from her papers and stated, "There are no—"

"No, I understood that…but…whose name…"

"Rori Leonhart…" And as the woman spoke, Squall's heart froze. His eyes averted from the nurse's and stared away at some unknown figure. "Sir, you'll have to take a seat in the waiting room."

He whispered to himself, "…Rori Leonhart…"

"Like I said, no one but family at this time. Sir could you please-"

"Excuse me, miss." Squall heard Rinoa's voice from his side and he turned to face her as she continued to speak, "…He's her father." Rinoa said, facing him with eyes that pierced his soul.

Once Upon an Author's Blues…

Aye, a crazy one from yours truly, so my apologies. I'm terribly sorry for the long wait, but things have been coming my way again. (Stress…heartache…) Anyway, I managed to get through this chapter.

It's depressing right…? Ah well, sue me… lol

Thanks to: (hey, some new faces, kool!)

AnimeFanaticDudette: Thank you very much! I tend to spend a lot of time on these chapters and sometimes wonder if their any good, but I'm really glad they don't suck, lol. Thanks!

Amy: Thanks, I'm glad to see you're sticking with me through this mess, eh. I hope this update didn't keep you waiting too long.

Ittan-Momen: Whenever you get back from your holiday…please don't kill me! I know…Rori is too cute for this to happen…I know! Don't make me scrub floors with your brother, No! Please, Anything but that! Think of Squall in motor oil, anything that will brighten your day, think about him! Just don't make me scrub! –eyes water- I'll email when I've finished this story. (If I do any writing outside of my story, then my mood is spoiled and I am no longer motivated to write, lol, that sucks!) And I'm really glad that you like Eternal Breath, I'm still working on that one…I had hoped to have another chapter up by this time, but this story is getting in the way, lol. (no I don't hate it, it's just not one of my favs) Change the subject---points to Squall in a bunny suit--- There he is, Stop him! Lol

CJ: I am and I will! (Writing more and continuing:P) Thanks for the review!

Pezjunkie13: lol I agree with you, Seifer should've lost his temper…but then we have to remember that he doesn't want to lose her…and also, I've been hard on Seifer too many times now, (although I love a bossy Seifer, nothing beats that) I just had to tone him down a notch. He wasn't saying anything, but he was thinking it, I swear! Lol Thank you!

Ittan-Momen- What the…hey! Two Times! Lol okay, okay, I'll see you in a week! And not to worry, I hope to have updated twice by the time you get back. –Squall hops by- There he is again! Charge! (Thanks for the second review! Yay!)

Silver-nex: haha! I tricked you! I'm not that predictable! lol Yeah, its like a soap-opera with on going drama, except, I hope to end it soon. (Unlike the TV soaps, geez…one minute a character is 'good' the next they're plotting on that woman's husband. Aye, a headache indeed!) lol But they're loveable, and I'm glad you're still with me! Thanks so much!

Do you love it, hate it, dig it, play it? Tell me! –smirks- C'mon, you guys should know I'm a little on the goofy side…anyways, please tell me, and thanks again everyone.

(Yeah, I hope to update soon, but…I have to get packed!) …Sadly. So there are no promises, okay? And also, that last chapter was so short, lol. I don't know what I was thinking...

StardustRay