-Note- This will be the last update for a while, might be two months or so until I can update again. I hope you enjoy this…weird chapter, hehe. Thanks!-

Chapter 9: Meeting Her: Pleasant Yet Unnerving

"He's her father." Rinoa said, facing him with eyes that pierced his soul. She knew he would hate her, but she also knew this man like the back of her own hand. He wouldn't turn away now, would he? Rinoa gulped, swallowing hard, hoping that her faith would pull through and Squall would take her hand in this long journey.

Squall felt himself lost in her eyes, and he stared until his began to sting and weld with tears from resisting the urge of blinking again. He couldn't believe his ears… What did she mean, Rori Leonhart? He had become suspicious about Rori, but never had he come up with anything like this. It was beyond his wildest nightmares. Rinoa had done well to keep this information away from him, and for the first time in his life, he felt a sense of hate and discrimination on Rinoa's behalf. She never allowed him to know…

"Your name sir?" The nurse asked, waiting for Squall to state his legal name. "…May I have your name?"

He snapped himself back into reality, and answered the question huskily, "Squall Leonhart."

"Thank you. …She'll show you the way." The nurse said, nodding to Rinoa. Rinoa displayed a phony smile and held out her hand to him, which he stared down at with eyes that burned at the sight of her. How could she act so innocent; hadn't she just announced that he was a father?

Instead of waiting for his response or some indication that he had accepted Rori, Rinoa grabbed his hand, leading him behind the double doors and down to the ER, the emergency room. The walk itself took ages, all the doors and lights paved about the ceiling gave Squall a thickening headache; everything had happened so fast.

Rinoa was glad to see he hadn't made a fuss so far, but before they could reach the door, Squall stopped dead in his tracks and jerked his hand away from hers like a resistant child. "Rinoa…what… What the hell is going on?"

Rinoa hadn't answered, she bit her bottom lip and stared at the floor, her face turning beet red with fear and sorrow. Somehow she knew he wouldn't comply. She knew he would abandon her as soon as he learned of Rori, and he would leave her in that hospital until the days turned into years, never to speak her again. But despite her deepest fears, Rinoa needed to defend herself.

Before she could form the appropriate words, tears began to escape her eyes. She looked at him and sighed, "…I didn't know what to say to you. I…tried to tell you…but…" She was heartbroken when Squall did nothing but stare at her with smoldering eyes. He stood there, face scrunched with anger and redness; he was upset because she was continuing to hurt him with her lack of a reasonable answer. "Squall…"

"When…?" He had asked softly, trying not to release his inner anger.

"…I'm sorry?"

"When did you…?" He asked, focusing on her eyes, trying to find some sort of connection that would allow him to understand the truth. She would stop the charade and tell him it was a joke, right?

But Rinoa quickly shot down all hope he might have built up with her response. "…Right after you left…that's when I found out I was pregnant…" She whispered, and he immediately turned away from her, moving a hand to his forehead and placing the other on his hip.

"…Why didn't I know…?" Squall almost cried out. "Dammit…Rinoa."

She touched his arm and whispered, "…Would you like to see her?"

Squall faced her quickly, glaring at her, "…It's not like I have a choice."

She flinched, "…Squall?" He paced down the hallway in a mad fit, leaving Rinoa behind to watch him bear the terrible weight of a burden she carried for four years. "Squall wait! I didn't mean it like that!" She said, trotting behind him and grabbing onto his shoulder, stopping him from going any further. "I had no idea you wouldn't return that night, so how can you blame me for not telling you sooner?"

"But you knew! Even after I came back, you knew about this! You were going to divorce me without saying a word! Hell, how do I know if the kid's mine anyway, I wasn't even there!" He stared at her accusingly, as if to say she had had an affair, after all, she had become lonely after his departure.

"How dare you! I may have been alone for all that time, but it would never drive me to sleep with someone outside of our marriage. Even though I was curious about what you did during your time away, I never came to that conclusion, not once! …And I was forced to stare into her eyes for four years Squall! I had to raise her alone! I had to lie to her about you!"

"I already told you before that I would never do that to you! Rinoa, you lied to me when you kept this away! What-is she dying! Is that the only reason you're telling me that we have daughter now! …And if she died, would I ever have known about her!"

"I didn't know how or what to tell you! I thought you would take off and leave again, Squall! Sometimes it's like you go into your own little world and you don't tell me anything! How was I supposed to know what to say to you! …Rori is a sweet little girl, and I didn't want her to meet you because …I didn't know what to expect from you! You think you're the only one in pain! …I thought she would die today, and the first thing on my mind was you! I knew I was wrong, but I did it to protect her… I didn't want you to hurt her like you've hurt me before…"

"…But you didn't give me a chance! You're about ready to take off with that other guy!"

Already fed up with Squall for possibly believing their child wasn't theirs, Rinoa clenched her fists at her sides and gathered her breath. "Will you shut up and look at her?" Rinoa yelled, pointing to the door of Rori's room. They were standing right outside of her door, arguing about past angers that were trapped within their hearts for all that time, and Squall hadn't even noticed. His eyes followed her finger to the window of the ER door, and there he saw a tiny figure lying across the bed. He immediately abandoned his rage at the sight of the girl.

On the bed that was positioned horizontally from the entrance, he saw the petite body of Rori, and with every breath taken, her little chest moved up and down making Squall's heart skip a beat. Slender and fragile fingers curled with the covers, clinging tightly for the support and warmth its softness provided, and brown strands of hair, no darker or lighter than his own, covered her eyes, flowing from her head to the pillow it rested upon and reaching past her shoulders. Squall's tensed face had gradually eased as he stared at her pale frame, glued to the heavenly body that rested just a door away from him. He pressed his hand to the cold glass of the window where her body lay in his sight, wishing he were touching her instead. Trembling tears danced at his eyes as he swallowed his breath and continued to stare, unsure if it were okay to release his cry. And at that moment, Squall knew without a doubt he had fallen in love with her…with his daughter…

"…Rori…" He whispered underneath his breath, recognizing the child to be the same little girl that had cried for her playing card behind the gate. A smile sprayed across his lips, but soon returned the frown. To hide his mixed reactions, Squall covered his mouth with a hand, but never withdrew his gaze away from her tiny body.

Rinoa watched as a tear finally rolled from his eye, trailing down his face and coating his fingers that rested on his cheek, unbothered by the sudden warm fluid. She had never seen Squall so at ease, so pleased and happy in his life before, but at the same time, he looked miserable. She tugged on his arm and muttered to him softly, "You can go inside if you want…she's only sleeping."

He faced her slowly and swallowed his breath hard, unable to understand his own emotions. Was he happy, sad, joyful or resentful? He paused at the door's entrance, looking to Rinoa for reassurance that this was reality, and after receiving a nod of approval by Rinoa, Squall reached for the door and gave the handle a turn. Rinoa would follow him, but someone else pulled her back. She found that Quistis was there with them in the hospital, just walking in on their disputes, returning the plea for help by Rinoa. After calling Quistis and getting some advice about what should happen next, the young woman found that this would be the best opportunity to tell Squall about his daughter. But judging by their previous conversation, Rinoa thought this to be the worst decision she had ever made in her life.

Quistis whispered to Rinoa, "Let him go…alone." And Rinoa could only sigh, looking back to Squall as he neared the bed slowly before Quistis pulled her away. She knew the woman was right…Squall needed time with the child for himself…

He stopped at the foot of Rori's bed, looking down at the little girl's fragile body. Although she was just a child, Squall found himself too nervous to approach her.

When she let out a soft murmur, he smiled, wanting to say she was cute; a word that was scarcely in his vocabulary. Squall placed his hand on hers and squeezed, then moved it to her angelic face to brush her gentle and chubby cheeks with the back of his hand. Rori's face was cold, but had quickly warmed just by his touch. He pushed aside the brown strands that fell across her eyes and moved them behind her ears. Everything about her was so small and gentle, and so he touched her with soft hands, not wanting to disturb her rest. He winced at the sight of the bandages placed over her left temple, the side of her face she rested on. It was then that he wondered what happened to her, and why she had wound up in the hospital anyway?

Disregarding those curious thoughts of his, Squall leaned down and planted a kiss on her cheek. He released a soft sigh; unable to believe this was his work, he had helped to create such an angel. He took her hand from its grip on the cover and held it with his own, bringing her palm to meet his lips and kissing her soft skin lovingly. But when an uncontrollable urge to cry overtook his being, Squall closed his eyes and shut out a stream of heated tears whilst a silent whimper joined them.

Rinoa was seated in the lobby, holding a hot cup of coffee in her hands that rested in her lap. Quistis watched the woman's legs shaking since the two had taken their seats, and finally decided to try and console her by placing a hand on Rinoa's knee. Rinoa immediately stopped fidgeting and looked up at Quistis with a warm smile, "…I'm sorry. I…just can't believe this is happening, and I don't know what to do…"

"Whatever happens, happens, there's nothing you can do. Knowing you've done all you could should be enough, don't you think?"

"…Somehow that doesn't sound completely right to me, Quistis. Rori almost went into a coma; thank god she's only sleeping…and Squall, he's inside with her right now." Her eyes fell to the floor, "…I don't know what to think… I feel helpless."

"But you're not. You've helped yourself enough. Think of this as a cool down. Everything you've done so far was done for a reason, and you kept her away until you felt he was ready to know."

"I wasn't ready for him to know just yet…" Rinoa said, remembering that it was Quistis' suggestion about her calling Squall for his support, since Seifer had left her alone with Rori in the hospital soon after arriving there. "I was going to tell him, but this is…this is all too much." Rinoa placed the coffee onto the small table before them, fearing she would drop the coffee onto her legs and scald them, and faced Quistis completely. "…Just before I brought him to Rori's room, we had an argument… He said some things that made me feel terrible… Like…if Rori had died tonight…I probably wouldn't have told him at all. …And I can't help but feel like he was right…"

"Rinoa, stop saying those things, you know that isn't true."

"…I appreciate your help, I really do, but—"

"Here he comes." Quistis muttered, looking past Rinoa and watching Squall emerging from the double doors. She saw that his eyes were on the floor, staring at the ground intently as if forgetting something behind.

Rinoa turned her head back to get a good look at him also, and immediately noticed he had probably cried again. She rose from her seat to meet him, stopping him in the midst of his walk.

Squall continued to stare at the white tiled floor, purposely avoiding her eyes. He took back the words he had spat to her before, about her having a baby for another man while he was away; he hated himself for saying those hateful words. Squall finally sighed and muttered under his breath, "…They're getting ready to move her into another room until she's better. Said to wait out here for a while…"

Rinoa nodded, "…Okay."

"Rinoa…" He said, his eyes finally rising from the floor. "…Can we talk outside for a moment?"

"…Sure." Rinoa answered, staring into his pools of sorrow.

-------

After briefly confirming her departure with Quistis, Rinoa joined Squall out at the entrance of the medical center. Rinoa noticed the air was moderate and calm after enduring the heavy storm from the day. The natural air had always felt better than any air conditioning system, at least, one that wouldn't freeze her to death. She stared out into the parking lot with Squall by her side who was doing just the same.

A longer moment of silence passed between she and Squall, but their silence was understood. Both had complaints and wrongs about their dilemma, but neither knew how to phrase them. So they would sit until life would ask for their return, or until either one would take the boldest step and speak first.

Squall decided to take that step and cleared his throat. Speaking about the first item of interest on his mind, the most important. "…How old is she, three?"

"Yeah…" Rinoa answered slowly.

"…She's…"

"Unbelievable…"

"Yeah." He said, scratching the back of his head while focusing his eyes to the ground once again, taking note of all the cigarettes that lay on its surface; another thing he hated about hospitals: As much as doctors warn people about smoking, they seemed to do the most of it. He merely laughed from this thought, but quickly shushed himself and nervously cleared his throat again.

"…She told me about what you did for her, about the card…you know…that was really sweet."

"…Just lending a helping hand…it wasn't a big deal."

"To her it was…" Rinoa smiled, finally facing him. "She'll know who you are just as soon as she wakes up." Rinoa roared with confidence, and Squall somehow felt lost. Sure, Rori would know him by face but…what would happen if she found out he were her father. It was wrong to stay around, wrong to intrude between Rinoa and Rori.

Unable to keep his emotions contained, Squall heaved a loud sigh and met Rinoa's eyes. "…She'll find it odd…won't she? About me being her…dad. She'd hate the sight of me, so I probably shouldn't…" Rinoa's eyes had widened, realizing the direction of his words. "…I shouldn't be here."

"…Squall, what are you saying? You have to be here… You belong here."

"No…" Squall shook his head. "…This isn't right. How in the hell can I be her father when I haven't been there for her…? She won't even know who I am…and…and I'll be a stranger…forever. …I mean, it would be great if I got to know her, but isn't it too late? I wouldn't blame her if she hated me." He said, his eyes grazing the ground once again.

Rinoa grabbed his hands and entwined their fingers, "Rori's not like that. I know we'll have a lot to explain to her, but she'd never resent you."

She smiled when Squall looked into her eyes and gave her hands a squeeze as he said, "And I could never regret having brought her into the world, no less having you to do most of the hard labor…" He released her hands to take a step behind her, and slid his fingers down her arms, reaching and grabbing them once again. Squall whispered into her ear, "I feel terrible about not being there…and it just goes to show how much you can accomplish without me being around. I'm intimidated… Honestly… you've done so much on your own--"

"And that doesn't mean I don't need you…" Rinoa murmured, moving back into his embrace.

"Funny…once upon a time you didn't need me."

Rinoa found herself laughing softly at his words, knowing they were true. She could remember saying it to him, caught up in the heat of their argument, screaming the words she never dared to speak to him before. She brought their joined hands to her stomach, smiling because she had lost herself in this moment as well, as she whispered, "…I lied."

Squall smiled, brushing his face against her ear, taking in the sweet smell of her hair. As he tightened his arms around her body, Squall moved his mouth to her neck and placed a soft kiss on her shoulder. "…Thank you for giving me another chance Rinoa. I promise I won't let you down." He said, resting his forehead in her hair. Rinoa could feel the heaviness of his breath against the back of her neck, and closed her eyes, savoring each second of their closeness.

Suddenly, Quistis' voice came from behind them, "I'm sorry…" She said, smiling nervously as Rinoa peered around Squall to see her. He had looked back also, never releasing Rinoa from his hold. And Quistis decided to continue with her message, "Um, they've taken her to the second floor…and she's just about ready to wake up any minute now Rinoa."

"Rori." Rinoa said, breaking out of Squall's embrace, but grabbing his hand and following Quistis into the hospital once again.

Upon entering, the three adults boarded an elevator to the left of the front desk, opposite of the double doors. Squall felt butterflies in his stomach when learning Rori was to awaken soon. He had stared into space before Rinoa squeezed his hand to gain his attention, "Squall, we've stopped."

"Oh…" He took a deep breath and took a step forward as the doors of the elevator opened. But before they could walk toward the room where Rori was being held, he stopped, almost like had before earlier that night. "…Rinoa…what happened to her? Why is she here?"

"…She was…hit by a car." Rinoa said, fearing that if he knew just who had hit Rori, he would lose his mind in a second. She bit her lower lip, "…Squall, we have a lot to talk about, I know. But please…just meet Rori…for me."

Squall swallowed hard, "…Hit by a…car?" He was amazed. The girl's injuries weren't severe, but they weren't minimal either. It was amazing to see she hadn't worn any casts or such, and with one bandage over her face only had made him wonder how fast the car had traveled.

"…Yeah."

He sighed, "Never mind," And the two continued with Quistis who waited in front of Rori's room. Squall hadn't really remembered just how he knewQuistis. He also wondered just why he was starting to see more of her tonight.

They approached the room, disheartened by the lack of a window on its doorframe. Squall wanted to peak at her before going head in, but he was quickly pulled inside by Rinoa who opened the door without any hesitation. She had held his hand the entire way there as if saying she would never leave his side and she'd always be there with him.

To their surprise, Rori had still been sleeping, tucked inside her bed with a bushy comforter instead of the thin sheets she had before. Rinoa smiled, releasing Squall's hand and walking near Rori's bed. "…Well, as long as she's resting, I guess it's okay…"

He watched her kiss Rori's forehead and pull the covers over her body to ensure the girl could be warm enough in the cool hospital room. Rinoa was a great mother to Rori, he could tell. Her love for the girl sprouted throughout the room. He realized Rinoa didn't have to have Rori, she could've gotten an abortion, but she went through and gave birth. She could have given the girl up for adoption, but she held on to her. Rinoa could have kept her away from him forever, but she allowed him this chance to meet her. And there was no way he would throw away an honor like that. Instead of joining her, he took a seat and watched her, speechlessly, as she mothered her, no, their child.

Not long after, Quistis had left the two of them alone with their sleeping daughter after Rinoa forced her home. It had already been in the early hours of morning, and after two more passed by, the sun still hadn't risen.

Squall sat wide awake, unable to sleep because of the events from the night, in large maroon chair holding Rinoa at his side, snuggled beside him to ward off the cold air flowing in through the central air cooling system. He glanced at her face, nestled on his chest, and smiled. It was then that he noticed Rori stirring in her sleep, and sounding as if she were waking up.

Rori muttered, "…Mommy?" Her voice had frozen Squall; nevertheless, he eased himself from Rinoa's embrace and sauntered toward the bed. "…Mommy, is that you?" She said, opening her eyes slightly.

"…No sweetheart." Squall whispered, surprised at his own answer. It flowed so naturally from his mouth, almost as if he had been around to call her sweetheart since she was a baby.

He reached for the lamp on the dresser beside her bed and pulled it down, glad to see it emitted dim lighting in their room. When he looked down at Rori's face, her eyes met his. Once again, Squall found himself staring into a mirror; never had he seen a pair of eyes to reflect his own so perfectly and flawlessly.

Rori was startled; she hadn't expected to find a man in her room, especially this man. "It's you…" She said, having little energy to rejoice about her own hero.

Understanding exactly why she would remember him, Squall nodded as he answered, "Yes…"

Rori smiled, but stopped immediately when she saw his eyes welding with tears. She whispered, "Are you crying?"

Squall slowly nodded again, this time without answering her with words.

"…Why?"

He took a deep breath and exhaled. And whispered back to her, "…Because we were worried about you."

"…Is my mommy here?"

"…Yeah." Squall said, moving aside so she could see Rinoa's sleeping figure on the chair. "…She's sleeping right now."

"Oh…have to stay quiet."

Squall smiled, "That's right."

Rori began to giggle, but it quickly turned into a yawn.

"Still sleepy?" He asked, leaning on his elbows as he placed them on the bed beside Rori. He rested his head on his palm and smirked to Rori as she yawned again, covering her mouth with a tiny hand. She nodded her head and tried to sit up, but Squall eased her back down, "Go back to sleep, you'll need plenty of rest."

Rori resisted. She moved her hand to his face slowly, and touched his forehead, tracing her fingers over his nose and mouth. She moved both hands to his cheeks and smiled while whispering, "You have blue eyes like me."

He smiled again, mesmerized by Rori's beautiful soul. Hadn't she any idea she was staring into the eyes of her own father? Squall gently touched her hands as they rested on his face and pulled them to his mouth, kissing them softly before easing them down onto the bed. "…Your mom needs you to rest, okay?" He winced at the disappointed expression she gave as he ended their brief proximity.

Somehow, Rori knew there was something different about this man. He was unlike Seifer and Irvine, who had merely played with her like older brothers would their younger sister. Somehow, she sensed something more of him.

Squall ignored her little eyes as they studied him while he reached for the lamp switch once more, turning off the light. He was surprised to hear her voice again, murmuring, "I'm Rori. What's your name?"

"Squall."

"Squall? …I like it, it's a pretty name."

He smirked, "Thank you." Glad to have his name reviewed by a three year old, Squall laughed to himself and rose from her side. "Rori try to sleep, okay?"

He saw her nodding, "Okay." But before Squall could turn away, she reached for his arm and whispered, "Will you be here when I wake up?"

Squall froze, unable to think of an answer to her question. He should have known the answer, it should've been clear and easy to speak aloud, but Squall somewhat struggled to give the girl a proper answer. "…You just focus on getting well for your mother, and I'll be back as soon as I can."

"…Squall?" Her little voice echoed throughout the room, shifting Rinoa's well-deserved sleep.

"Yes Rori?"

"…Are you my daddy?"

Squall took a deep breath, completely unexpected the question.

"Squall?"

He walked closer to her darkened figure and helped her to lie back on her pillow. He smiled, moving the loose strands of hair behind her ears and leaning in to kiss her cheek tenderly. Squall muttered, "Go to sleep Rori."

And before the girl could understand his answer, he was out of the door.

Rinoa sat perfectly still, watching him exit their room. She couldn't believe it…Squall hadn't stayed true to his word… She only wondered if he would return soon, as he told Rori moments before, but then Rinoa realized this was the same man who had performed the same disappearing act with her just four years ago… She feared that this time might be his encore.

Once Upon an Author's Departure
So... I'm terribly sorry, but College calls. (Oh how I dread thee) I had hoped to finish this story and update Eternal Breath as well, but fell behind schedule. I'm just glad I got to update this one, though.

Umm, please don't hate me for writing this chapter…it just kinda, happened. lol. I know it's weird, so flame me. :P

Here's the Thanks List: (Woo! You guys are crazy, lol)

Goldie: Thank you, I'm glad you like this one. (I was unsure about writing this story from the beginning, but it's grown on me. I know how you feel about Rinoa and Squall with a kid(s)…it's a little wrong, I know! lol. ) Thanks for reviewing, and take care!

Amy: Thanks Amy, I hope to keep up the good work, especially because I'm taking a long break now…: ( Thanks for sticking with me, and I hope to hear from you soon!

Pesjunkie: lol, You hid in a dryer? I sure hope no one turned it on! Hehe, so you noticed that I have an infatuation with strange cliffhangers, eh? haha, I hope this one isn't too bad though. Thank you!

AnimeFanaticDudette: LoL, I really hope I've satisfied your need for more, but I'm terribly sorry if this cliffhanger is even worse. –cries- don't hate me!

RinLeonhart: Haha, yeah, I've been moving right along. Working and writing as usual, but I'm glad to see you're still there! Yay! Lol. Thanks again, the reviews really push me forward!

Blue: Yes master, I shall correct thee when I'm through! lol! Not to worry about little Rori, she has a strong heart! She's Squall's daughter after all, hehe. The sun will keep on shining! Yeah, yeah, there were typos, but can you blame me, I was almost in a rush. (Plus, I got lazy and didn't read over everything again…-sighs- I know, it's terrible!) Anyways, I've gotta take on the real world for a few months and I'll be back, no worries!

And to everyone else who reads, I thank you. (Ittan-Momen, I shall email you when I'm away at school!—and I really hope you've enjoyed these chapters. Exactly as I promised, I've written two! So, hah! lol) –Squall jumps around in a bunny suit—hehehehe!

No worries, I'll be back to finish it. And I may even have spare time between classes to squeeze out another chapter, so that might be a bonus.

Regardless, this story will be finished by the end of this year, so add it to your alerts list or something…who knows…And uh…why not tell me what you thought of this chapter while you're at it. (At what, I haven't a clue…) lol

(To those who are reading Eternal Breath, I'll give you more information about the story in my bio. I'll update my bio soon, and thanks for those wonderful reviews, I'm so happy! lol)

Thanks again, and see you soon.

-StardustRay-