Disclaimer:---Power Turns On, Spotlight illuminates.---- Oh my gosh…it's the final disclaimer…I don't know what to say, but that I hope you've all enjoyed this story as much as I have when writing it. And as per usual, I'm getting back on track with writing again, so blame me if it's cruddy. Since this is the last disclaimer I'll probably ever make, I want to give some shout outs to— Power Shuts Off---- …Crap.
Damaged Hearts
Chapter 18: Finally Marching to One Accord
Looking upon his hotel room for the last time, Squall realized it truly had been a dungeon. Even with the festive decorations spread across the ceiling and the walls of the room, he saw no pleasure in his room. Its deep blue no longer held the relaxing glow he remembered when he had moved in for the first time. It was now a quartered torture chamber with a sinister aqua glow that mirrored the gloominess of the early morning's dullness; that is, a white morning sky without the sun's glare to brighten the world's surface for another day. The room was now cold and lifeless, mirroring Squall's heart of the past back when he had shut Rinoa out of his life for four years.
Because of his past festivities, he had missed out on a life much greater than what the world had to offer, and in ramification of his actions, he grew evermore lonely and had begun to miss Rinoa in his heart every single day that he spent apart from her. He missed her laughter, her face, her scent, he missed that distinguishable difference between her and other females, he missed the way her eyes would squint when she was growing agitated by his alter-ego. He missed having her so close, feeling her heart beating against his chest, her warmth igniting the fire in his heart on cold nights. He missed her passion, the intensity of her desires, the fire of truth and innocence burning deep in her heart and how it had caused him to act on his own beliefs at times when nothing else seemed possible. And then, Squall sighed and closed his eyes as he fell against the door of his dull room, the most wonderful event of it all had taken place and he had missed out on it too: it was the birth of his own daughter.
Squall felt horrible. He couldn't even begin to imagine what he had missed on Rori's birth day. It was her birth firstly, a time when she had taken her first breath into the world. The brunet closed his eyes, hoping he could open them and find himself back in time, standing beside Rinoa as she lay in the delivery room birthing their beautiful daughter. He smiled, delighting in his own imagination.
Maybe those blue eyes of hers had opened for the very first time to find Rinoa looking upon her with a priceless smile. He imagined Rinoa having put forth large amounts of effort trying to give birth to the girl, sweat beading at her forehead, her face showing incalculable pains as she battled with her large, pregnant body. The young woman's labor had probably been extended because he hadn't been there to support her. Maybe her friends were at her sides, helping her to breathe correctly and giving her the support that she desperately needed. Things would have definitely happened differently if he were there to support her. She probably cried out for him, holding on to Selphie's hand as she pushed a new life into her world.
Squall knew he could never dare to know the amount of pain she endured no matter how many angles he had viewed. . He definitely knew he could never have survived what she had gone through unwillingly. And all the combined pain of laboring the child of a spouse that had cowered long ago— his guilt along with her pain was enough to make him feel as sick as a dog.
However, when Rori finally made it into the world, Squall imagined Rinoa's pain subsiding all at once. And at the sight of Rori's tiny newborn body, Rinoa would no longer remember the lost time between them; the pain of birth, the hours of agonizing sharpness in her belly stinging at her every so often. He smiled when thinking how Rori had come into her life, melting all her troubles away…
Maybe she stayed up late a few nights at a time rocking the baby to sleep, feeding her, changing her pampers, and whispering three simple words into her ear. He imagined Rinoa promising never to abandon the girl, not like how he had did to her, not like his disappearance to escape the pain of his world and his heart. Compared to Rinoa's pain, his was like the mere bite of an insect.
So there he stared into the depressing blue painted walls and the matching blue printed comforters with crème sheets folded neatly and orderly across the bed, the little bathroom that was barely enough space to breathe at all, and the so called balcony to the left of his bathroom that only gave a breathtaking view of the ocean when he had first arrived, but nothing was breathtaking without Rinoa's presence. She was the beauty of his life; in all her ways, right and wrong…he loved her. He would always love her. Nothing he did now could take away all that unnecessary pain he had caused her.
The young man sighed into his room once more, and pulled the door closed with a firm hand. As he paced down the hallway and to his wing's stairs, he had found a means to smile. In that same moment, Squall promised himself one thing and one thing alone: I can never undo what's already been done, so it's pointless to regret my mistakes. But I will spend the rest of my life making it up to her…day by day, month by month, and year by year.
With that, he strode boldly into the hall of the hotel, and made his way to the hostess's desk.
Earlier that morning, he found himself face to face with a woman so full of life that a grin danced upon her lips even as she slept. Her eyes were closed, but had worn smiles also. Even with the darkness of the morning, the lights from the street fell in and brought a gentle glow across her smooth face. Soft locks of hair fell beside her lips, and her face had been encased by the mountains of her pillow. He smiled, wanting to kiss her soft lips again; however, he wouldn't dare to draw her away from that dreamland she was in. It was hard to see her fall back under the burden of gravity once more.
He brought his hand to her face, gracefully pushing the soft bangs behind her ear as he moved his face closer to her, where he planted a soft and firm kiss beside her mouth, and he planted another at the mid of her cheek in hopes that she would remain in her dream world. He only bid she take his kiss along with her as a blessing.
Squall had taken a deep breath, readying to part with his love for a short while; only a short while; and as he peeled away from her and the mess of covers between them across their bed, Rinoa gently reached out and grabbed his forearm while looking upon his frame. Squall felt her soft fingers digging into his arm nervously.
Rinoa had swallowed her breath hard, remembering how he had done the same in their past, the night he had left for the brief eternity.
"…Squall…you're leaving?" Her voice was soft yet filled with concern.
He was about to stand from the bed, only to feel her firm touch to his arm, and he turned to face her again. The young man smiled, nodding his head slowly at her questioning. "…There's something I need to take care of." He had answered in a whisper, but soon found himself being drawn back into bed by her strong demand. She forced him back with the pull of his shoulders from behind and planted a kiss between his shoulder blades while resting her face at the mid of his back. He had taken her hands from his shoulders and pulled them to his lukewarm chest as he closed his eyes, savoring every moment of their closeness again.
"Okay…" She murmured against his back, her warm breath sending chills up and down his spine. Rinoa rose to her knees and leaned against him from behind, pressing her body to his back and folding her arms around his neck. She moved her mouth to his left ear as she continued in the same murmur, "But Rori is an early riser, so you better go before she sees you."
"I understand." He answered softly, rubbing her arms that were still enwrapping his neck, "…Rinoa, why are you holding on to me like this? You know that I'm coming back, right?" He had asked while opening his eyes. When feeling the pounding of her heartbeat against his back, concern grew in his voice.
"Yeah, I know." She said, pressing her lips against the slick sideburn at his ear. "…I just want to be sure that you're real this time."
He winced at her words, realizing that with his disappearance years ago, she had had to learn to trust him all over again. His eyes fell to the soft floor of their bedroom; however, when the sound of her laughter filled the void of his ears, he had found his lost smile again. Squall loosened the grip of her hands held around his neck with the pull of her arms, and he faced her with a warm smile.
"Then how's this?"He whispered, scooping her body from the bed so that she rested against him in her fullness. Rinoa's face fell forward where his lips had met hers on a single whim, hungrily returning her love with immense ardor.
At the close of his new memory with Rinoa, his nerves aroused in a flutter and he reminded himself of what he had set out to do from the very beginning.
Now, making his way to the hostess's desk, Squall cleared his throat and rested his luggage beside himself on the marble floor of the hall.
"I'd like to check out." He said, rising to meet the hostess's eyes.
At the sound of his words, the hostess gasped inwardly, her face like a deer caught in headlights.
"… Check out?" The young hostess asked, hoping that her ears had deceived her. Inwardly, she hid behind a veil of sorrow, wincing silently at the thought of never seeing those beautiful eyes again.
"Yes." Squall answered casually as his eyes fell downward. He dug into his jacket pocket for his wallet, glancing up to her momentarily.
Over the past weeks, she, along with other young hostesses had begun to believe this day would never come; in fact, he had become a favorite to them. They would await his gentle greetings on his way in and out of the inn every single day; it was something of a highlight in their days of work, often trading words with one another about the handsome brunet from room 201. He was legendary.
When Squall finally retracted his eyes from his jacket and flashed a friendly smile, she realized a change had taken place in him. He brought his wallet from his side and rested his palms on the desk, bearing the band of union on his wedding finger for all to see. The man was at peace with the world, floating above the world on a cloud in heaven.
He was in love.
The young hostess forced her standard employee grin and moved her eyes to the computer monitor at her desk. "Mr. Leonhart," she began, "…after the first week of your stay, the hotel took it upon itself to fund the rest of your bill, as per our complimentary deal for staying with us for so long, sir. That makes your total five hundred gil, sir." She concluded, bringing her eyes to meet his once again.
Squall laughed inwardly as he paid the hostess, who had stared into his eyes a little longer than she had meant to. He cleared his throat, breaking away from her gaze, and gathered his luggage from the freshly swept floor of the inn. "…Thank you." He said firmly, "I've really enjoyed my stay here."
"And we were glad to have you…" She smiled warmly, silently bidding him farewell. "Please, do come again." She said, watching as he smiled again and made his way to the front door. Although she begged for his return, Squall had silently promised himself that he would never shelter under the roof an inn…his home now lied with Rinoa.
With that promise, he left the hotel for good.
One Year Later
The yellow, morning sun blared into the sky over Balamb as the warm wind carried in wafts of the ocean's salty breezes into the small town. The sky was radiant blue, courting puffy clouds that smiled upon the people of Balamb. A year had passed since the storm, and all their worries had been left behind them. Both Squall and Rinoa had promised to never bring up the past again; instead, they would use it as a lesson for their future together.
Walking through town hand in hand with Rori, Squall witnessed the girl's mouth spread as she grinned when sightseeing the small town with her father. She was by far the most beautiful thing that had ever happened to him, aside from Rinoa. As every little child, she had grown a few inches with the change of seasons. Her growth had been captured inside a picture diary that they had begun to keep of her; a project Rinoa and Squall had come with together. Rinoa, so proud of their work, especially when she realized Squall had begun to take it so seriously. The young womanly happily set the photo album out openly on the bookshelf in their home as a show case to their guests; unbeknownst to her, Squall had taken more pleasure out of it because he was no longer the center of focus, as most of their past pictures portrayed.
Squall had never been as dedicated to something in all his life as looking out for Rinoa and Rori. He made sure to spend as much time as he possibly could with his daughter every single day. Rinoa had accused him of spoiling the girl, but he couldn't help not being involved in some type of way. He loved her so much.
It was his way of undoing the past—making up for all the lost time to Rori, hoping that when she develops into an older woman, she would always remember him as her father and not as 'Squall.' He was glad when the girl had finally pushed aside his first name and had begun to acknowledge him as "dad" fulltime. It had happened unexpectedly a few months after his return into Rinoa's life.
He and Rinoa had had trying times during those months and there were days when they both wondered if his returning had done any good at all. However, Squall managed to ride out the waves of trials to face them and had found resolutions to their bickering every time. He had said to himself that they would be happy, and he promised Rinoa that he would always be there for her as her husband and to Rori as her father. Squall found comfort in the capability of becoming the sole provider of their household, and if things were to keep working out for them, they would most likely never need to ask anything of Rinoa's father. Of course, Squall remembered to humble himself as well, not wanting his pride to become too big of an issue that would come between his relationship with Rinoa and her family as it had before.
They were now back in speaking terms with their parents, allowing them to know the details of their storms and the aftermath of it all; of course, Mr. Caraway and Ms. Loire were a little concerned about Squall in particular, but the young man understood their concerns. Rinoa, on the other hand, turned a blind eye away from their voices. She trusted Squall in making the right decisions. Without her knowing it, Squall was encouraged by her beliefs in him, giving him strength in ways he hadn't known before, ways that kept a smile on both of their faces all the time. She gave him strength to complete every single day one step at a time.
Their lives together weren't always perfect, but Squall couldn't think of a time in his life where he had actually neared perfection like being with Rinoa and Rori. They would forever have his heart.
"Are you tired?" He asked the little girl. They had been walking through town visiting stores and picking up little things Rinoa had asked of them beforehand. In the middle of their trip, he decided to take a rest stop at Zell's shop.
"No." She muffled into her raised arm.
When they neared the shop, he reached for Rori's free hand and raised her arms to lift her over the old oil stains in the driveway. Rori laughed and urged him to raise her above the next stain too. Zell, hearing the 'commotion' outside of his store, emerged from the opened garage door towel drying his oily hands.
"Well if it isn't little Rori, how are ya?" He asked with a kiddy smile, slapping the dirty towel over his shoulder and outstretched his arms.
"Uncle Zell!" Rori cheered, ripping from Squall's hands to get to Zell. "Do you have the red car today?!" She asked as he picked her up from the ground and placed her at his side. Squall grinned and folded his arms.
"No, someone just borrowed it, but I'll tell you what I do have that's especially for you," he paused, "A new blue car!" The blond snickered, making an exaggerated turn around into his auto-shop. They were discussing cars that Zell had begun to keep for renting out, as part of his glorious reinvention to fend off any competition in town. He started this routine four months after the shop across the street opened up. As fate would have it, the shop that had moved in wasn't an auto shop as he so greatly feared, but something far worse than Zell could have ever imagined. Despite his concerns, Squall and Rori were supposedly headed there to pick up something Rinoa had pre-ordered for Rori.
"It's pretty!!" Rori said, jumping down from Zell's hold and charging toward the new car that Squall had yet to see.
When Squall made his way inside after Zell, he saw her jumping up and down at its side. It was a blue convertible buggy, perfect for a small family getaway. It was something even he could enjoy on a hot day like this. Squall smiled when he realized how much it matched Rori's eyes as she faced him with her bright smile, a smile she had indeed inherited from Rinoa. "Daddy! Can't we take it for a drive?" She asked him, copying the phrase he had always used.
"Rori…" Squall sighed knowing that leisure time was wearing thin for them.
"Oh c'mon Squall, you know you can't turn the little lady down!" The young blond yelled.
"I can't believe you're encouraging this." The young father retorted to the mechanic, placing a sturdy hand on his hip.
"And why shouldn't I?" Zell argued, throwing his hands on his hips in mockery of Squall.
"Did you forget already?! You tried to charge me for this last time!" Squall said, gesturing his free hand toward the car; meanwhile, Rori had been flashing worried looks between the two men.
"Tch! I said I was sorry about that time, geez! You don't forget anything!"
"I consider it a gift, too! Perfect for moments like these..." Squall smirked as he looked away from Zell and down to Rori again. "…Besides, we don't have time for this anyway, miss" he said softly, to the little girl who had waited at the driver's side of the car. "We have an errand to run for your mother."
"Aww…." Rori groaned, gripping her hands at the window of the convertible. With full and sad eyes, she stared at the floor, pouting her lips outward. Rori had begun to play her cards carefully, knowing exactly how to win her father's pity and make him feel guilty about whatever was up for discussion. She would have her way somehow; however, it was always a gamble when dealing with her father. Squall hadn't always fell victim to her cute tantrums, so she had been careful not to use her tricks all the time or else she would never get her way.
"I'm sorry, Rori," Squall apologized, "…but we have to get back soon anyway. You know that." He told her, trying to make her understand.
"Yeah, I know…" She whispered, forming her lips into a softer frown and facing him. "Well can I sit in the car then?"
He sighed and looked at Zell momentarily as if giving him his approval. Zell smiled and walked toward the car where he opened the door for Rori and outstretched his hand to help her inside. "There you go m'am. Now you can drive all you want!"
Rori took a moment first, looking toward her father to get his nod of approval also. At his assurance, she cheered and ran toward him, hugging his leg and then skipping back toward the car. She took Zell's hand and jumped inside the car. Placing her hands at the steering wheel, the young girl pretended to drive far away, even though she could barely see over the top of the wheel itself. Her body seemed to disappear in the cove of the car as the black roof shadowed the interior with as it was outstretched across its top.
Zell smirked at the little girl and closed the car door. "So where were you guys headed?" He asked, facing Squall as he dusted his hands off into the air.
Squall smiled, watching Rori pretend to drive the car away as he answered, "…Across the street."
"—To that dreadful place?!" The dreadful place, to which Zell had referred, was actually the most innocent store that had managed to make a home of Balamb. It was the last store that anyone had ever thought up; the last store that would ever seek competition from Zell: a bookstore dubbed "The Reading Train," complementing the trains of Balamb and other small towns near the area. Parked on the corner between other businesses and a café just a walk down the street, the bookstore was a decent fit into their community. Balamb as a whole welcomed the store excluding Zell, who disliked it with a deepening passion.
He had been partly embarrassed about getting so worked up over such a harmless store, an embarrassment he would least likely ever admit to himself.
Zell had given so much thought into ways of improving his own shop that he decided to go through with those plans. Somewhere amidst all of his delusions of competition, the blond realized his auto shop may have needed the changes he and Squall had proposed before.
He was also able to make a little extra money when throwing in a car renting option to his customers, and they would no longer need to rely on the means of a bus or any other methods to get around town while their cars were being operated on. As quickly as the new rentals arrived in his store, Zell found that his business began to pick up more as of late. In upcoming months, he would lay out a plan to build an additional garage and car storehouse to his shop. In the meantime, he played his luck in space by betting that a car would be borrowed by the end of the night, limiting the extra space. There were times when his goals were met, but most days he would offer Squall to test-drive the cars just as soon as he bought them and stored them, allowing the brunet to keep the car for a night as well.
He was naturally surprised that Squall had turned down the girl's chance for a joyride. Normally, whenever Squall was given a chance to test drive the cars, he would drive home and offer them a ride as well.
"…The Reading Train? What would you want with a place like that?!" Zell asked, scratching his head in disbelief.
"What else? Books…" Squall answered blankly. "Anyway, the store isn't that bad. You should really check it out sometime."
"They sell books about fixing cars in there! I can't be caught dead with a book like that in my hand. If people saw me reading one of those, then imagine how much business I could lose! They'll start to get that 'I can do it myself' mentality, and next thing you know, they'll be fixing their own cars! And I really don't want that!!" He paused. "Man…Am I the only one who thinks that that store is a disaster waiting to happen?!"
"Would you calm down? You're exaggerating everything," Squall grinned. "Well it's not all that bad… Customers might want to see you refreshing your skills by reading up on some of the auto material that's there; on the other hand, the shopkeeper is nice too. She could probably help you find a book that doesn't make it seem like you're losing your edge as a mechanic. There's really no harm in going inside…"
"Why does that sound like something Rinoa would say?" Zell mumbled, facing Squall. "…I tell you what, I'll let you guys take the car out for free if Rinoa stops butting into my personal affairs!" He groaned.
Squall became silent as he smirked at his friend.
"…Wh-what?" The blond questioned, gesturing his hands in the air.
"…So you do have an interest in the shopkeeper?"
"Tch! It's not like that, okay?!" Zell retorted. "I mean…we speak occasionally." He looked away, folding his arms. Squall covered his forehead with a hand and laughed. "What's so funny?" He asked the brunet.
"I don't think it's the bookstore—"
"Oh, not you too!!" Zell screamed, trotting toward Squall and placing his hands on Squall's shoulders, "C'mon man, you're supposed to be on my side here!"
"Sorry Zell, but you don't want to know what it's like to not be on Rin's side."
"Arrgh, I can't believe I'm hearing this from you, my best friend!" He retracted his hands and turned away from the brunet in a huff, "You're nothing but a family man now!"
"When are you gonna grow up?" Squall snickered.
"Can you blame me, though?" He groaned. "…You guys all got married on me and it gets lonely you know…" Squall stared at him as he prattled onward. He looked back at Rori and saw as she shrugged her shoulders in the car and carried on, and then faced his attention back to Zell. "I mean, I'll always be the' single friend!'"
Finally, Squall sighed, "Zell, please keep those kind of comments to yourself. You're scaring me--us." He said, motioning his head back toward Rori.
"Ah, I'm just kidding!" The mechanic waved his hand, "…But you guys are right…she's cute, okay? So anyway, why not just take the car for a drive with Rinoa. You know?"
"…I'll think about it, although I'm sure she wouldn't hesitate a second."
"Rinoa, refuse an offer like this? No way! Mother nature will frown on us if she turns this down."
--- --- ---
"No, no, no!" Rinoa shouted into the phone, "I can't go to Trabia with you guys, especially not alone!"
"Alone?! C'mon Rinoa! Who could leave Rori out of the equation?!" Selphie squealed.
"Irvine!" Rinoa answered. "When Irvine invited me earlier, he invited me and just me to go along with you guys."
"Oops, I guess he must've thought literally…" She chuckled. "I asked him to invite you, but I didn't mean just you, I meant as in you all. I can't believe he really invited just you," Selphie chuckled into the phone again. "Sometimes I don't know where his mind is…"
"Who knows?" Rinoa smirked. "…But I'm gonna have to decline anyway. I want to do something special with Squall and Rori this weekend."
"Well, I can't argue with that. I hope whatever it is you guys decide to do will be better than what I have to offer here! So have a great time!"
"Yeah, you too Sel. Thanks for the invite… Maybe next time, okay?"
"Yeah, sure! No problem!" The young woman said gleefully. Rinoa heard a loud boisterous thump behind Selphie's voice, causing the young woman to gasp loudly into the phone immediately after. "…Uh-Oh," She said, "I've got to go! Guess who just stepped through the door----or fell through the door rather?!
"Irvine…" Rinoa giggled.
"That's right! I accidentally left a box of clothes near the doo, and Irvine just tripped over it, poor thing. Well…on the bright side it serves him right for trying to invite just one person along with us. He's got some explaining to do!" She laughed. "I'll talk to you later, Rin! Bye!"
"Bye Selphie, and have fun in Trabia!"
"You bet!"
Just as she placed the phone onto its charger, the front door opened and Rori burst through. "Momma! Look what we got from the bookstore!" The little girl cheered, running to her mother with a large rectangular book in her hands. The book had colorful flower designs sprouted across its front cover with a few kids observing the different shapes and sizes of the flowers.
"Now that looks beautiful, Rori. Did you pick that one out?"
"No, daddy saw it first!" She said, turning to point at Squall who entered slowly, closing the door behind and wearing a faint grin. Rinoa took note of the bag with more books in his hand and smiled as Rori continued to prattle on about their well-spent afternoon, "I got the other two, though. I wanted to show you this one 'cause it's my favorite! I knew you'd like it, too!"
"Really?" Rinoa smiled, stooping down to become eye level with her enthusiastic daughter.
"Yep!"
"Oh, I'm so glad you found books that you liked and I'm glad you had fun, but I missed you sweetie!" The girl laughed as Rinoa embraced her.
"I missed you too, ma!" Rori giggled. She was glad to receive the loving embrace by her mother. Then like a violent earthquake, she shook her way out of Rinoa's arms as Squall approached them. "Oh! Daddy, can I show her the other books?!"
"Yeah, miss. Here you go…" He said as he lifted the bag in his hold while walking to the sofa. He placed it onto the coffee table and fell back on the sofa with a light sigh. Rori had just begun to read months before, and she was slowly learning to pronounce words on her own. Squall took much pride in his daughter's advances and her accomplishments. Most of all, he enjoyed reading to her as much as listening to her read.
When he removed the books from the bag, Rinoa and Rori had taken seats on the sofa beside him. Rori sat between her parents to share the news with them both. She sorted through the books with little hands, each with eagerness.
"Oh yeah, the cat book, look at his hat momma!"She giggled, pointing at the animal on its cover. Rinoa could smile as she tossed the book on the side and reached for another, "I picked out these two, but daddy picked this—" She began, reaching between the books and picking up the unfamiliar book, "…this one! And he didn't want to show me what it was when we were in the store!" She said, looking over her shoulder at her 'stingy' father, who had played an unfair game of keep away with her back in The Reading Train.
"I told you to wait until we got home, didn't I?" He laughed softly, coming to his own defense.
"Yeah, I know…" Rori answered softly.
"Well, we're home now. If you want to, you can read it now, you know."
"Really?!" She asked, and he nodded his head with a smile.
"What's the title say?" Rinoa cut in and Squall smirked. He knew Rinoa had already known about this particular book.
"…Umm." Rori started, "…How to be…the… best… big sis….…Huh…?" She said, scratching the side of her face. "…Daddy…?" She was confused. Although there was an apparent question at the tip of her tongue, she couldn't form her mouth into the words.
"…How to Be the Best Big Sister…" he repeated for her softly, and smiled again. Rori looked at Rinoa with worried eyes.
"What does it mean?" She asked.
"It means," Rinoa said, "You're going to be big sister soon, and this book is going to help you be a good big sister…"
"You mean…I'm gonna have a little sister?" She muffled, looking toward her mother and then to her father, who stumbled on his words.
"Well…" Squall whispered, still at a loss for words.
Rinoa laughed, "What your father is trying to say is, yes, you're either going to have a baby sister or maybe even a baby brother. But we won't know until the baby gets here… And whether it'll be a girl or a boy, we know that you'll take good care and be a great big sister, right?"
"Right!" She agreed, receiving a kiss on the tip of her nose from her mother. Turning to look at Squall again, Rori laughed furiously and pointed at him, "What's wrong with daddy?"
When Rinoa faced Squall, she saw that he was completely frozen in his seat, staring across the room into nothingness. The young woman smiled and embraced her little girl once more, "Don't worry; he's just living in the future….daydreaming."
Rori smirked and broke gently from her mother's embrace. "He looks stiff…" She whispered, continuing in a small voice, "I don't think he sees me."
Indeed. The brunet's eyes were glued to the sight across the room. When Rori neared him and climbed onto the sofa again to get beside him, she inched her hand to his cheek slowly, and begin in another whisper, "Dad-"
"HAH!" He yelped, causing the girl to shrivel with fright.
"Aaaaaah!" She screamed, falling back into the sofa, until her scream became a sob. He had laughed and only until he heard her crying. "Rori!" He said, his fatherly instincts forced him to scoop her up from the sofa and place her in his lap, but the girl continued to sob.
"I'm sorry!" He apologized, "Rori!"He had tried his best to calm her down, pressing her face into his shoulder while rubbing her back with his hand, "Rori…" What made it worse was that he could feel the rampant beating of her heart against him. "I didn't mean to scare you, sweetheart. I'm sorry. …Are you mad at me?"
"Yeah!" She sobbed, rubbing her face into her hands. She fell back in his arms so he could cradle her.
"How can I make it up to you then?" He asked, all the while, Rinoa had folded her arms and watched them together with a smile.
In the midst of her crying, Rori's face became straight. "Can we," She sniffled, "…take a ride in the blue car?"
"Rori!" He laughed, tickling her side softly forcing a laugh from her. "What am I gonna do with you?"
"Can we?" She begged, trying to fight against her laughter.
"Well…" He sighed, "…It's all up to your mother."
She looked at Rinoa who was still standing across the room, "…Mommy!" The girl roared, sitting upright in her father's arms. "Uncle Zell has a new car in his shop, can we please take a ride?!"
"That sounds like a good idea. I was beginning to wonder when you two would let me in on the fun." She smirked, turning to Rori with a smile."Sure sweetie, we'll take a ride, but let me freshen up first, okay?" With that, the young woman exited the living room and headed for the long corridor to the master bedroom.
"Yeah!" Rori cheered, facing her father as he wiped the tears away from her eyes with a grin.
"Are you happy now?" he asked, receiving a furious nod from Rori. "So, what do you say we grab the car and come back to pick up mom?"
"Sounds like a good idea!" Rori said, copying Rinoa's reply.
"Alright!" He grinned, planting a kiss on her cheek. "I'll tell her, okay? …Rinoa!" He yelled, standing from the sofa and placing Rori on the floor, "Stay here sweetheart, and don't open the front door."
'Okay!"
"That's my girl." He said quickly as he made his way across the room and after Rinoa. "Rin!" He yelled again, reaching their room. He opened the bedroom door slowly while knocking softly, "Rinoa…?" Squall said softly, giving the door a softer push and scanning the room with his eyes.
"Oh! Sorry…" Rinoa laughed, pressing a hand to her bosom, "I guess I started to daydream too." She said, turning around to the bed and placing a shirt across its covers.
He smiled, although momentarily. He always disliked whenever she was unresponsive. "…It's alright," He lied. "I was just on my way to tell you that we're gonna go get the car first. I wouldn't want you to wait in the shop either."
"I don't mind waiting…Unless," She paused. "…Did you bring up the woman at the bookstore with him?" She asked, facing him while noticing how white his face became.
"… I had to see if it were true," He admitted.
"Squall, that's not nice." She laughed, " I told you, I'll convince him to look into it more. I'm a matchmaker, so let me handle this, okay?"
"…Right." Squall sighed.
"What is that supposed to mean?" She grinned, lifting an eyebrow.
"What is what supposed to mean?" He inquired, looking about himself for a clue.
"That sigh," She giggled, "…You don't believe me, do you?"
"I don't believe what?" He asked, finding his eyebrows scrunching at her questioning.
"…That I can be a matchmaker!" Rinoa laughed, slapping his shoulder. "May I remind you, Squall, we're living proof, aren't we?"
He smiled, finally catching on to her game, "Almost eight years…" He had said, moving his hands around her waist and pulling her closely against him. They had finally begun to include the years they had spent apart, realizing that they had grown closer to one another during those years than they ever had in the time when they were together.
"That's right…" She smiled in agreement with Squall, resting her arms over his shoulders, "Squall…?"
"Yes, Rin?"
"You make a good dad…" The young woman whispered, watching his face fall quizzically at her words. He had opened in his mouth to speak, but she silenced him with soft fingers over his lips, "I saw the look on your face after Rori asked about the baby… I just thought you should know that as long as Rori has you now, she'll never have to wonder why you weren't here before or think anything else of you. And just as you're a wonderful father to her, you'll be a great dad to him, too." She said, moving her hand from his shoulder and reaching for his as it rested on her side. She placed their joined hands over her stomach with a smile.
"Him?" Squall asked, swallowing hard at the word.
"…You want it to be a boy, don't you?"
"Rinoa…" He said, blushing like a shy teen.
"Just say it! Nobody's here but us anyway." She laughed, watching his cheeks become rosy red.
"Yes," He finally admitted. "…I hope it's a boy, but I would like having another girl too."
"Well, only time will tell."
Squall pressed his fingers into her stomach. The longer he touched her soft stomach, the more his smile became lost to a void of questions. "…Rinoa…you're amazing." He whispered, his voice unlike any Rinoa could ever respond to. Swallowing his breath, he continued, "…I don't think that I could ever live without you again."
"Squall…" She said, keeping her same warm smile, "I'll always be with you, you know that."
"I know Rin…" He had brought his eyes to meet hers. "…I…I didn't want to tell you, but… about a year ago …I had this dream that something terrible happened to you, and…" He muttered, looking at the floor again, "I just wouldn't know what to do without you—"
"Squall…" She frowned, moving her hand from her stomach and reached up to his face where she slid her palm underneath his brown locks and into his hair. Squall had closed his eyes at the moment her hand made contact with his face. He covered her warm hand with his, "…You're afraid?"
He opened his eyes slowly, realizing it was foolish to bring up his nightmare with her; however, he could not undo what had already been spoken, so the young man could only sigh in his sorrows.
"Squall?" Rinoa questioned, watching as he had opened his eyes.
"Coming to this room and not hearing you say anything scared me Rinoa. I can't bear to think of what I would do if I lost you. I don't like when you don't answer me right away. It's a scary thought finding you in a room, collapsed out on the floor. Of course I'm afraid!"
"You won't lose me, Squall… I will always love you." She smiled and found his eyes again. "…I trust you, Squall. And I'm certain you'll be able to take care of our children better than I can."
"Rinoa, don't say that!"
"Well it's true… It's not hard to see that you're Rori's favorite anyway." Rinoa said, giggling as he sighed.
"That's not true! She likes us both the same."
"Okay! Okay! You're right." She laughed, but silenced herself quickly, "On the other hand, if something were to happen to me…I don't want you to say things like how you can't live without me. Even if it gets rough, I want you to hang in there. Like I said, I'll always be with you. So I know you could make it. Whether you realize it or not, you're strong enough to survive Squall. Rori would need you, he would need you, and I'll need you to take care of them for me because I wouldn't want anyone else to raise our children, do you understand?" She said, sliding her free hand onto his face and cupping his jaws in her palms. Her eyes were beginning to water, as had Squall's, watering at her faithful words. "But enough of this…I'm fine, really… I'm pregnant, that's all… We know the baby's heartbeat is weak, but I have faith in him."
He had taken a deep breath, never taking his eyes away from hers.
"Squall, seriously, what if that dream you had was about what happened to us before, except this time, you were in my place. Think about it… If that's true, then I think you haven't forgiven yourself for what happened before. I forgave you, so why can't you forgive yourself…?"
The brunet was silent, this time he was heavy in thought. He had never in his life taken dreams seriously, but that nightmare was responsible for opening his eyes to a new reality. He realized life wouldn't wait forever for him. The only way he was able to make his way back into Rinoa's life again was when he stopped thinking about her, and actually worked up the nerve to see her again with his own eyes. Sure they had been making each day count since his return, but had he really let go of his faults?
In that moment, the brunet took a deep breath and exhaled softly as he closed his eyes once more. When he opened them this time, there was smile filling his face. "…I guess I never thought of it that way…" He whispered as his eyes softened with great relief. "Rin—"
"I know." She answered him immediately with a tight embrace. "You don't have to say another word because I already know." She laughed into his shoulder.
"Daddy, can we go now?!" Rori yelled, peaking into the room from the crack between the door and the seal.
"Oh right…Just a second…" Squall said, releasing Rinoa and facing the door. "I'm sorry, Rori. I'll be right there, okay?"
"Okay, but don't keep me waiting!" She grinned as she turned away from their door and returned to the front of the house.
Squall smiled and faced Rinoa once more, "You're freshening up, right?"
"That's the plan." She answered, tilting her head to the side with a wide grin; a habit of hers that Squall adored. He smiled and embraced her again, this time finding her lips with his and beginning a heated kiss that would surely lead to something else.
"We'll continue this later." Squall whispered as he broke away from her parted lips. He stepped back from their embrace and left from the bedroom. On his face was a confident grin, one that would never falter to the tides of the future. Squall made his way out to the living room to find the impatient Rori surprisingly waiting for him, seated on the sofa and reading from her new book. He had taken a moment to stare at her.
Watching his daughter, he realized how right Rinoa had been… He said we wouldn't be able to live on if something were to happen to Rinoa, but then the same could be said of her if she had been taken away from him. Rori was a part of his life now, and he could barely remember what it had been like before she ever existed. Sure he was a little afraid of losing them, but it made their moments together even more worthwhile.
"Big sisters help mommy and daddy take care of the baby…" Rori read aloud from her book, and Squall quietly eased beside her on the sofa, scooping her up into his lap. As the girl came upon another big word, he had given her hints at how to pronounce it out correctly. "Brothers---!" She exclaimed, looking at her father with a wide and thankful smile.
Meanwhile Rinoa had peaked out of the room and out to the living room at her husband and daughter, realizing they had decided to wait for her instead. She watched how Rori had surrendered her book to her father, insisting that he read it for her and how he had gracefully took up her request. Now, listening to Squall read to her, Rinoa watched as Rori rested her head on his shoulder while looking at the pictures and pointing to objects that were drawn across the pages, inquiring Squall as to what was what.
Rinoa noticed how patient he had been with their daughter, diligently answering Rori's questions just as soon as she had asked. She even realized that Rori had begun to watch less television since Squall's arrival home. She was both grateful and humble for the new changes and additions he had provided for their family. There was no doubt in her mind that another child would suit them well.
The new child would be a blessing to the young couple; however, Rinoa feared for her life about the child's condition. Upon several visits to the doctor's office, they discovered unusual activity growing within Rinoa's womb. While she pretended to have optimistic energy with Squall, the young woman was slowly crumbling to pieces inside; however, despite the pressures of the baby's health, she had begun to think positively about their circumstances knowing that if she were to lose her grip, then Squall would surely follow. For the sake of her marriage to him, and for Rori, Rinoa had decided to be strong about the newest addition to their family.
Maybe she had been slipping into the depths of her heart as of late, for how could Squall have sensed a possible threat to her or the baby's life…a threat he may have been forewarned approximately a year ago? The young woman placed a worried hand over her stomach. She had been having unusual pains in her stomach all morning long. Could Squall have sensed that too?
As her mind wandered the possibilities of their future, her heart began to beat profusely in her chest. Then a surge of laughter fell in from the front of the house, Squall and Rori had obviously found something hilarious inside the book. It was at that moment when Rinoa realized hope in her situation. That no matter how high the waters became, she would have Squall to fall on. The young woman smiled, feeling her heart beginning to beat at its normal pace.
Placing a healthy hand over her womb, Rinoa smiled knowing that everything would be fine as long as she said it would be and as long as they believed it would be—together. Dropping her eyes to the floor of the hallway, she came across one of Rori's drawings: It was a family of three, with a little girl standing between a husband and wife. The woman had long black hair and was dressed in blue, and the man had reddish brown hair and was dressed in black, the little girl, who was most likely Rori, was dressed in green and they all had smiley faces. Underneath the drawing written in a green crayon was Rori's name and age. Rinoa opened the door all the way and reached for the drawing, picking it up slowly with a growing smile.
It had been awhile since Rori drew anything… The young woman was glad to see that "Seifa" had now been replaced with her real father….Squall.
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Somewhere in Deling City….
Emerging from a freshly cleansed sedan was a tall blonde. Closing the door, she had looked about herself, fixing her eyeglasses correctly onto her nose before proceeding to the door of the small restaurant. An afternoon lunch would put a close to her early workday before she would head home.
Walking across the pavement, the heel of her shoe came into contact with rough ground, stabbing the concrete in the mid of a crack. She nearly lost her shoe as a result but her glasses loosened from her ears and fell from her face, falling to the ground where they almost shattered to pieces had it not been for the quick reflexes of a young man who had just been exiting the restaurant.
"Whoa…" He said with light laughter, "Here you g—" His words had fallen short when he came face to face with her.
When she looked up, she smiled and took her glasses from his hand. Being nearsighted had always been a curse. It had even begun to grow worst over the years, and now, she couldn't even make out the face of a complete stranger without the aid of her glasses. The young woman smiled, placing her glasses safely onto her eyes and ears and sighed in relief, "Thank you, I don't know what I would do without these—" She began as she faced her hero, "…Wait a minute…Don't I know you?"
"….Maybe." The blond responded casually, "…That all depends on who you know."
The young woman gasped, having only met him on a few occasions while at Rinoa's side. "…Seifer?" She whispered.
The man lifted his hands defensively, "Before you say anything else, could I at least escort you to the door? Wouldn't want me to leave so soon and have your glasses fall again, right?" He smirked, walking before her and reaching for the silver handle of the restaurant's door.
Quistis smiled and accepted his gesture. Things were sure to get very interesting for the young attorney now.
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The End ...
Once Upon an Author's "Oh my gosh, I'm freaking out because I don't know what to say here!" lol
So I went boarder line this time, didn't I? I tried to get something out sooner, but my brain went away on holiday, so I was stuck with a blank screen for weeks and weeks and weeks—(this may take a while)—but you get the idea, right? Anyway, enough of my complaining about my procrastinati—I mean, my writer's block--- let's get on with the thank you list. makes a smiley face at the camera
A General Thank You: Thank you! ………………lol I'm just kidding! I've finished my third story, finally. I never thought I'd see this day. When I first started writing it, I thought it wouldn't do so well. It's only until I started to put my heart into each of these chapters that I realized what it had become, but I wouldn't have realized this story was great if it hadn't been for you all who read and review (most of the time ). So thank you for helping me reach my goal. The only way I was able to come out of my vacation was to actually sit down and be focused enough to actually write something down. I'm way too hard on myself, and that isn't a good method when it comes to writing…I just hope I'm not too lax when it comes to this ending. lol I know, I know---I did what I could!
About the ending…I am not a fluff author, okay?!!! Too much corniness makes me crazy…so if you have any questions, just ask me… I'll have more contact info in my profile, okay?
Long overdue thankyous to the Chapter 17 Reviews in order: (Sorry guys, I was brain dry in every area.)
K-Tea: Awww, I didn't mean to scare anyone with the dream, I really didn't……..okay, I vas lying (haha, sounds like Odine from the game) …But at least you know it was just a dream! I promise I won't ever pull another stunt like that! Starting now!! Oh…the ending's included with the dream, so you can't yell at me and say that I broke my promise about making you scared. Haha, I'm just kidding. But just think about this, there is nothing as uncertain as the future, and it can either be scary or exciting; it's up to you to have faith and trust that things will turn out okay. And suppose it doesn't turn out fine, just ask for the strength to be able to pull through it all, you know? I hope that sounds like something…haha. Thanks for reviewing----since the Very beginning! Oh wow!
SavannahX: I'm going to be rolling around like Rolly Polly! Hey don't take Rori's horse, she's gonna cry, and if she cries you're gonna have to make it up to her! And in order to make it up to her, you'll have to give HER the cake instead! So Hah!! I'm free!! (lol) Thanks Savannah, I've enjoyed your messages just as much as you've enjoyed Rori all this time! Thanks so much!
Blue: There he is!! Blue you're hiding in the midst like that, I almost passed you up! (lol) I'm just kidding!! I'm so sorry! …There's another tinge of darkness here too, but it's up to you to be the optimist here! Between you and me, I really think the dream was just a dream…Squall fell asleep with a picture in his hand that looked just like his dream, mixing fiction with reality all while the guilt of his past hang on his shoulders----I'd like to think it was a dream, but I don't always agree with my writing, c'mon, you should know that about me by now, haha. Thanks again, Blue.
Teresa: Long live Rori! I made sure to add extra Rori-ness just for you, haha. I know you adore the little girl, and if she were real, I'd let you adopt her! Haha. Thanks Teresa, I was able to keep writing because of your honesty. I hope to hear something from you soon, and please, by all means, drop me a pm sometime.
Optical Goddess: You know, I really don't know if he locked the door!!! I hadn't even thought about it until just now! Haha… Yeah, there would have to be a good reason to just kill of the main heroine…I still couldn't do it, though. Some people are dramatic like that, thankfully I'm not. (lol) Thanks for reading and reviewing, I was so surprised when you first did, too!
Jayliyah!!!!: (lol!) Thank you, I know. I think the second half of this chapter is what really made it what it was…especially the house. I couldn't make Squall just walk in and take a seat. It was like homecoming for him, and he had to take it all in. I'm so glad I was able to give some type of impression as to what type of feelings might have been coursing through his being at the moment. Hah…About the ending, yeah…I was debating whether to have them wait and not do anything at all, have them wait until Rori fell asleep, or…I would've let Rinoa jump all over him, but you know how we girls dream, lol. So, even as the ending didn't come so soon, I hope it's still enjoyable as any other chapter. I know the writing at the beginning is a little off, but I wrote it months ago… Isn't that ridiculous? Thanks again girl!
AlessiaHeartilly: In my opinion, there's nothing sweeter than watching a man spend time with his children, especially his daughter. Recently my brother was blessed with a baby girl and he is so cute with her! I guess I can say that some of that was what inspired me to continue and to make Squall so affectionate with Rori. And because Squall is such a klutz with romantic or personal things (in the game and the story), I believe that if he were to ever have a kid, that his kids would bring out the passionate side of him(besides his love interest, which is most likely Rinoa forever, hehe. Squinoa all the way!). Haha, Yeah, Rori is quite smart, I know…but I wouldn't have her do anything I think she wouldn't be able to do. Like I said, my niece was talking well at three and she was getting smarter every day. I was careful to place Rori in front of the television a lot…perhaps she picked up a few other useful or useless (like toasting!) information tips from tv? You never know, hehe. That's why it's imperative that parents get involved with their kid's lives and not have the television replace them. Rinoa also liked that Squall read to her more…perhaps she didn't have much time to do anything with Rori, you know? Haha, I don't know…I like to think there's more to it than that, that's all. Thank you for the wonderful review, and I'm so glad you enjoyed your read.
DarkFlames: Cookies!! Cakes!! I'll look like StayPuft from Ghost Busters if you guys don't quit feeding me! Lol. Thanks again!
Woven Bamboo Pattern: Thanks 17x. I know the update isn't soon, but I do hope you liked it too. 1, Thanks, I hope it wasn't too shabby. 2, Yeah, a reunion between a broken couple isn't always pretty, hehe. 3, Denial is a cruel thing, because the person in denial is always so delusional too! 4, I know, I don't like divorces either…unless the situation is critical such as someone's life being in danger, so in that case, yes, a divorce is necessary. 5, Yeah, it's so angst sometimes…I didn't know it would be so dramatic either. 6, Oh geez, I need to look at this chapter again, I don't know what happened there! Haha! 7, Yeah, it was bad. 8, Even terrible—a wound worsens before it gets better. 9, I loved that chapter, it was a breakthrough at the least. 10, haha, Seifer's not that bad, is he? 11, Squally always is!! 12, Hey!? 13, yeah…from this chapter to about the 15 is in the dark ages, haha. 17, Here we go! Thank you so much!!!!
Almostpoeticgrl: Yeah, I wouldn't be surprised if they haven't been nominated/awarded as the cutest video game couple ever. It's so hard not to resist them, you know? Normally, I'm not really one to have them having kids, but it was essential to the storyline, and so I'm just glad little Rori fits the mold. Yay for Rori!
RinnyLeonhart: Now it's the end! But don't worry----Any Squinoa fan can basically guess what happens after The End, right? I'm so glad you like this story, and that you actually appreciate its length too! That makes me happy! (If the ending sucks, just pretend you didn't read it, lol…I'm just kidding! )
Leonhartilly: Hey, I hope your exams went well…. I just realized the date since my last update, oh my gosh! It's been too long. Thank you! Personally your stories are much better. I get frustrated with fluffy things too fast, that's why I leaned more on the dramatic side of this romance in particular. Hah, You left some X's and O's, oh you're so sweeeeet! Thanks again leonhartilly, it was a pleasure!
Ayato: Wooooooo! I'm just glad that it's over with now. You don't know how much discipline I had to take in order to write this chapter out. Hmmm…it may have even whipped me into shape to tackle Eternal Breath again---luckily, I have a little help with that one! Yeah, Squall's dream was really bizarre, and I can't say if it's foreshadow or what have you, but it's up to you to make what you want of it. I'll just say this, I can be harsh to the characters at times, but even I (as non-fluffly as I am) like happy endings too. No worries, part of me being a non-fluffy author requires that I'm not racy with love scenes…actually, I prefer not to have them, but sometimes it reaches that point in the story---which usually involves me writing about two or three lines to sum up the evening, haha. I'd like it to be romantic, but the most romantic thing about romance is not seeing things with your eyes, it's about emotions…many people miss that mark (Not saying that I have a full understanding of it myself). Thank you once again Ayato! Since when have you authored 3 stories!!!!!? You'll be hearing from me again soon, I must take a look-see! Hehe!
Last update: 12/14/06 December? Oh wow… I'm so sorry you guys…it's already July!!!
If you feel up to it, let me know what you thought of this chapter! Was it Terrible, bad, okay, good, great, or Terrific: I'm all ears and eyes!
Courtsies Thank you, it was a pleasure guys! Hopefully, it was satisfying and enjoying at the most…but it was an ending after all…and don't worry, I'm sure nothing too drastic has happened to our lovely couple. Now, let's let Rori rest, she's earned her sleep. Don't you agree?
StardustRay- 7/10/07