The Ironic Things in Life
Disclaimer: Final Fantasy 8 doesn't belong to me...and yet I've been writing this story for almost 2 years...the future looks bleak as well
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The sun poured out over the Galbadian continent and finally lit up the large town of Deling City where people from outside were already entering, planning on spending a day shopping at the famous shopping district. Deling City was generally known as Galbadia as it was extremely large in size and divided up into north and western.
Rinoa Heartilly was a born and bred Western Galbadian and despite hating the fact that her father also resided in Galbadia, she really did love living there. She loved the bright lights and the bustling streets that overwhelmed her. She most of all loved the familiarity that came with visiting Western Galbadia and at every passing moment tried to hold onto some sort of vague memory of her mother that floated into her mind.
That's why it was easier for her to live out her 5 year sentence in Galbadia and not in the Desert Prison but now she didn't even know how long her peace would last. See, it had happened very easily for her. She had been a young and rebellious girl of 16, always feeling oppressed living with her father who seemed to hate her more and more every day. She couldn't really understand what the reason was but all she knew was that her older sister, Elly had always been the favourite.
A few months before Rinoa was to turn 16, she discovered a diary that had belonged to her mother. In it she read how Timber had been invaded 18 years ago and that despite Julia's pleas to her husband, he refused to tell the military to stand down. Rinoa felt an uncontrollable anger that day and felt that she should defy her father and continue her mother's dream, and that's exactly what she did. After that General Caraway had disowned Rinoa until the day she, Zone and Watts were captured by the Galbadian military. Rinoa was 17 then and had become even more hostile towards her father. However, because her sister Elly begged for General Caraway to do something, he unwillingly saved her and her friends from going to prison using his connections.
Rinoa shook her head as if to make her thoughts go away. She was on a rattling bus back to North Galbadia. General Caraway had offered to make other travel arrangements but she had refused his help.
The bus stopped and three people got on. Rinoa didn't pay much attention to them as they made their way up the aisle.
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"Stop whining!" Squall scolded, as the bus lurched forward.
"I can't help it…this beard's so itchy!" tiny Selphie Tilmitt complained, "I don't get why I have to wear this anyway!"
"Look, I've already explained this to you. We can't risk anyone seeing you or Zell. They think you're in totally different continents and if they saw us together they'd get suspicious," Squall repeated for the fifth time.
"I still don't get why I had to be the pregnant woman!" Zell whined.
Squall turned around to give Zell a death glare but decided against it as he took in the ridiculous outfit that they had purchased for Zell which included a pink maternity dress and a handbag to match. He had to hand it to Zell, he was dealing with it quite well.
"It's not fair that Squall doesn't have to wear an outfit," Selphie muttered darkly.
Squall sighed and instead averted his glare in her direction.
"I still don't get why Squall didn't pay for those parking tickets!" Zell exclaimed.
"Yeah! You're the President of Esthar's son! Do you even know how rich you are?" Selphie demanded, looking extremely fierce in her bearded attire.
"Does it look like I care? How the hell was I supposed to know that we'd get pulled over and that my car would be confiscated? There were only two unpaid parking tickets!" Squall quickly cut her off.
Zell and Selphie both smirked in unison and recalled how red in the face Squall had been when the officer had accused him of having an attitude and threatened to arrest him for it.
Squall turned around and continued walking up the aisle, then froze in panic.
"Oh, shit! It's Rinoa! Abort, abort!"
Zell looked around wildly and then threw himself down beside an elderly woman. Selphie also hurriedly seated herself whilst Squall looked around for an easy escape.
"Squall?" came a questioning tone.
'Oh, shit.'
"Rinoa?" Squall questioned, trying to look surprised.
"What a coincidence!" Rinoa said warmly, making room next to her on the seat.
Squall reluctantly sat next to her and looked around nervously at where Selphie and Zell were.
"Is everything alright, Squall?" Rinoa asked, noticing his anxious demeanour.
Squall whipped his head round to Rinoa's side.
"…uhh…yeah…I'm good…" he stammered.
Rinoa smiled and tilted her head.
"The last thing I expected was to see famous Squall Leonhart on a bus, although I don't think any of these people recognise you as of yet."
"Why? Is it that unbelievable to see a celebrity catching public transport?" Squall wondered.
Rinoa laughed easily. She really loved Squall's cool and easy way of talking and then his unexplainable awkwardness at times too. In fact, she loved all of him…
Rinoa shook her head to push her thoughts away. These growing feelings that she was experiencing towards Squall weren't only making her feel uncomfortable but could also threaten to be an issue with how she acted around him.
"Well…most celebrities are a little stuck up…not that I'm saying you aren't…you're just a stuck up celebrity who seems to like public transport."
Squall simply stared, not knowing whether to feel insulted or pleased. Rinoa laughed at the look on his face.
"Oh, I'm sorry, Squall. I was only joking around," she apologised with a giggle.
Squall gave her a strained smile. He wasn't in the mood to act all nice when Selphie and Zell were sitting less than a metre away from them. If Rinoa found out, then all his carefully laid out plans would blow up in his face.
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Zell tumbled off the bus as it pulled away.
"You've got to be kidding!" Selphie shrieked.
Squall sighed and looked around to make sure he knew where they were. He had refused to get off at the stop after Rinoa's just in case someone recognised them, and had decided that getting of 6 stops later was good enough.
"I am not walking back home like this!" Zell yelled.
"Well, you'll just have to," Squall snapped.
Zell scowled and looked up into the sky, hoping that it would calm him down a little.
"Ok, change of plans," Squall decided, "Take off your disguise, Zell."
Zell looked at Squall in disbelief but hurriedly pulled off his outfit.
"Zell, I want you to go back to the girl's apartment and act as if nothing's happened, ok?" Squall ordered.
Zell nodded obediently and hurried off down the street. It would be a half hour's walk back to the apartment.
Squall turned to Selphie who was scratching away at her face.
"Selphie, I'm going to go now but in about 15 or 20 minutes, I want you to take off your outfit and go back to your apartment, ok?" Squall asked.
Selphie glared at Squall.
"And how exactly do you expect me to get back?" she demanded.
"…uhh…walk?" Squall questioned.
Selphie stubbornly folded her arms across her chest.
"I refuse to walk!" she exclaimed.
Squall let out a deep sigh. He was so glad to be rid of Selphie.
"Look, you can get the bus back…" he started to say but was interrupted.
"No! I wanna get a cab! Give me some money."
Squall turned his head away and stared at the ground.
"Do you even know how rich you are?" Selphie demanded, then assumed the voice of a news reporter, "The Estharian empire is made up of many businesses which results in Esthar's large economy. The President of Esthar rakes in…."
"Ok! I get the point!" Squall yelled, thrusting a 100 bill at her.
"Only 100 Gil?" she asked.
Squall sighed and gave her another 500 Gil.
"Are you happy now?" he demanded, to which Selphie happily nodded.
"I gotta go," Squall muttered and strode down the street, and as far away from Selphie as he could get.
'Tee hee,' Selphie thought as she leaned against a wall.
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"Rinoa!" Quistis Trepe exclaimed as Rinoa opened the door to the apartment and walked in.
'Shit!' Seifer Almasy thought in his mind.
Rinoa surveyed the room and her eyes landed on Seifer who was comfortably sitting on the couch eating a bowl full of nachos with Irvine Kinneas.
"What the hell is he doing here?" Rinoa demanded, looking at Quistis suspiciously.
Seifer stood up, a sneer pasted across his face.
"I do have a name, you know," he said.
Rinoa closed her eyes for a split second and tried to forget about the night that Seifer had outright rejected her without so much as a consideration. He was the biggest jerk she had ever met, now that things were cleared up between her and Squall, and there was no way that she was even going to pretend that she liked him.
"Quistis?" Rinoa asked through clenched teeth.
Quistis, who was always calm and poised, looked slightly troubled and flustered. She didn't want Seifer being there to turn into a big deal.
"Well…we have a serious problem and Seifer and Irvine are both here to help," she explained.
Rinoa put a hand to her hips and looked sceptical.
"Oh, really? And what is this problem?" she questioned.
Quistis cleared her throat nervously as she sensed Rinoa's growing anger.
"Quisty, why don't you just tell her about us first?" Seifer interrupted.
'Quisty…?' a nerve twitched in Rinoa's forehead.
Quistis and Seifer stared at each other whilst Irvine tried to look interested by the throw rug that adorned the couch. Everyone seemed to know how Rinoa was going to react to Quistis and Seifer's "happy" news.
Rinoa glared around the room.
"Well?" she cried.
Quistis let out a breath that she had been holding.
"Rinoa, honey, I don't want you to take this the wrong way…you know? We don't have anything against you…um…see, the thing is…Seifer and I…we're…umm…going out."
Quistis said the last two words in a whisper hoping that they may have escaped Rinoa's ears somehow. However, judging from the twisted expression on Rinoa's face she guessed that this wasn't so.
"How could you do this to me, Quistis? I thought we were friends…" Rinoa said in a whisper.
"Rinoa…" Quistis began soothingly.
"NO! I've had enough! You've been going around behind my back!" Rinoa shouted.
"Rinoa, please calm down…"
"Why should I calm down? You knew how I would react to this! Even after you knew how I felt about Seifer! I can't believe this!" Rinoa yelled.
"Rinoa, stop this! We have to find Selphie!" Irvine intervened desperately.
Rinoa turned to face Irvine, her face flushed. Right now he seemed to be the only neutral person in the room.
"What?"
"Selphie's been kidnapped!" he burst out.
"Selphie? What? When?" she demanded.
"Right after you left on Friday night and today is Sunday so it's been 2 days," Quistis informed.
Rinoa massaged her head which seemed to be on fire.
"Do you know who did this?" she asked.
"Well, yeah…" Irvine said slowly.
Rinoa raised an eyebrow as the three other people in the room exchanged a "look" with each other. Quistis nodded to Seifer.
"We think it was Squall and Zell…" Seifer said slowly.
"Whoa! Wait just a minute here! Our Squall and Zell?" Rinoa asked, astonished.
Everyone nodded.
"You've got to be kidding…" Rinoa muttered, "How do you even know?"
Seifer smiled smugly.
"They went to school together and they used to be friends."
"I've got a date with Squall on Wednesday…" Rinoa mumbled.
"We know," Quistis said.
Rinoa raised an eyebrow.
"How?"
Irvine raised a hand.
"I'm his personal assistant, remember?"
'Oh, right,' Rinoa thought.
"But what does this have to do with Selphie being kidnapped?" she asked out loud.
"We think Selphie found something out about them and they decided to kidnap her. The next day Selphie disappeared apparently to go to Trabia," Quistis explained.
"I still don't get how Squall and Zell…" Rinoa started but quickly stopped as the front door opened and Zell walked in.
"Hey, guys!" Zell exclaimed.
Nobody said anything as Zell looked around the room and swallowed.
'Oh, shit! Seifer is here! What is he doing here?' Zell thought.
"Hello, Zell," Quistis said, coolly.
Rinoa gave him half a smile which was all she could do right about now. Seifer sneered and Irvine grinned.
"…I really have to PEE!" he burst out, dropping his bag on the floor and hurrying to the bathroom.
A giggle escaped Rinoa's mouth as she turned back to the rest of the group.
"Do you still think Zell and Squall are responsible for Selphie's kidnapping? Maybe there was a reason they didn't tell us that they're friends. You guys are seriously overreacting!" Rinoa reasoned.
"Look, Rinoa we think Squall might be after you," Seifer said.
"I think I know Squall better than you ever will," Rinoa scoffed.
"Rinoa, please," Quistis pleaded, "you have to understand that Squall may not be who he seems to be."
Rinoa rolled her eyes. She had always thought that Quistis was the only one with sense and reason but after today she really didn't know what to think.
"Until you guys get me some real evidence about Squall and Zell I don't think I'll see things your way, and as for Selphie being kidnapped…"
The front door unlocked and opened with a bang, and everyone looked towards it.
"BOOYAKA!" crooned Selphie Tilmitt.
A/N: I was a little upset that I didn't get my usual amount of reviews so I wasn't going to post up this chapter but I thought, "What the heck," and posted it anyway. I wish I'd gotten more reviews but it can't be helped.
Well, here's chapter 16 just as I promised. Despite, being swamped with much homework I got it done...tee hee...and I have my school holidays now so I'll probably post another chapter soon after I feel I have enough reviews. Please enjoy and I thank everyone who reviewed. Love you much. :)