The Ironic Things in Life
Disclaimer: I wish I owned Final Fantasy 8 because then I would be the proud owner of Squall Leonhart. Alas, I'm not so lucky.
---
Rinoa Heartilly's hair seemed to glow in the bright lights that surrounded her and because she looked like an angel, Squall Leonhart couldn't take his eyes off her. He couldn't believe that Rinoa was here with him.
Actually, it was quite a big deal where Squall Leonhart and Rinoa were at that moment; a crummy bar located somewhere in the slums of North Galbadia. Sure it wasn't the ideal place to take someone on a date but it was the only place that Squall knew that he could go to without being recognised and then stalked.
Rinoa coughed a little as smoke wafted in her direction from the bar stool next to them. She took in her surroundings and felt a little disappointed at Squall's choice. He had said that the bar was "quaint" but had forgotten to point out that it was also smelly, dirty and would most likely be filled with noisy alcoholics. However, Squall had a point; there was no way that he would be recognised in here.
'I might as well make the most of it,' Rinoa thought to herself, 'Who knows what will happen in my court case…maybe they'll give me a life sentence in the Desert Prison.'
"Rinoa, do you want a drink?" Squall enquired as the bartender impatiently waited.
Rinoa snapped out of her thoughts and considered Squall's question. She was quite a weak drinker and got drunk very easily. But here she was sitting in a pub, so what else was she supposed to do?
"Sure, I'll have a shot of vodka," Rinoa decided.
Squall's eyes slightly widened as he repeated her request to the bartender as well as his.
He recalled sometime ago when Rinoa had been at the anniversary of the T-board shop 'Zantetsuken' and had abused him in her tipsy state. He hoped that the same thing wouldn't happen tonight.
-----
"Wh-what do you w-want?' Zell Dincht demanded, his voice shaky.
Seifer Almasy moved towards the trembling young male slowly, deliberating each step so as to frighten Zell a little more. When he reached Zell he grabbed his collar.
"I want you to come with me," Seifer sneered menacingly.
-----
"Ahahah!" Rinoa laughed as she clutched her stomach, "Squall, you are so funny!"
Squall Leonhart laughed without restraint. He had never laughed so much or been so happy in his entire life. Nor had he ever let himself go as much as he was doing tonight. He didn't feel the need to have all his defences up and had instead laid himself bare to Rinoa. Sure, the alcohol was probably helping to loosen him up but he wondered why he didn't always do this.
"And then Zell started running all over the Centra continent trying to get his Chocobo back!" Squall finished, to which Rinoa laughed even harder.
"Oh, Squall! Stop now or my stomach will really split!" she exclaimed as her laughter subsided.
Squall raised his hands in the air defensively.
"Sorry, but it's really not me. You've gotta blame Zell for doing something so ridiculous," Squall reasoned, "Feeding the Chocobo chocolate when the instructor specifically told us that it makes them go crazy!"
Rinoa laughed harder and tried to stifle it by covering her mouth. When she began to calm down she addressed Squall a little seriously.
"I still don't understand why Zell didn't tell us that you two are friends," she wondered.
Squall sighed and closed his eyes. The alcohol was making his mind turn into mush and he couldn't think of a plausible excuse quickly.
"Uh…i-it…well, Zell…he d-didn't wanna tell you because you hated me," Squall spluttered out hoping that Rinoa wouldn't notice his awkwardness.
Luckily Rinoa had drunk just as much as Squall and was too intoxicated to be observing his behaviour.
"Zell's so silly, though at that moment I probably would've kicked him somewhere that would have resulted in him not ever being able to reproduce," Rinoa admitted as she giggled.
Squall let out a chuckle as he envisioned the misfortune that would have befallen Zell Dincht if Rinoa had found out that Squall and Zell were friends. He wondered what would happen if Rinoa found out that Zell had been hired by Squall to find out about Rinoa's mother and her affair with his father, Laguna.
Squall brushed away the unpleasant thought and focussed his attention back on Rinoa, or as best as he could in his tipsy condition.
"So, tell me something about your life. What's the craziest thing you've done?" Squall asked.
Rinoa's eyes sparkled mischievously as she thought about Squall's question.
"Well, when I was 16 I ran away from home and joined a resistance group in Timber called 'Timber Owls' which opposed the Galbadian military."
Squall's eyes widened as he tried to act surprised.
"But your father's the general of the Galbadian army. Why, that's…"
"…Crazy?" Rinoa asked and then burst into a fit of giggles.
Rinoa's laughter was infectious and shortly Squall caught on. The laughter subsided when Rinoa calmed down and closed her large, dark eyes. When she opened them she looked grieved.
"But something bad came out of my craziness, Squall. Something that I regret."
Squall clenched his hand. This was it. Rinoa was going to tell him about her court case. He tried to look as curious as possible as Rinoa took a deep breath.
"Well, I got arrested when I was 17 along with my accomplices, Zone and Watts and was going to get a life sentence in the Desert Prison but General Caraway used his contacts to get us out of the mess. Instead we got 5 years monitoring in Galbadia and Zone and Watts decided to work for the general to make it up to him."
Squall stared at Rinoa in surprise. This wasn't what he was expecting to hear and he was enraptured by her story. Zell hadn't been able to dig up anything on this. It was restricted information.
"So," Squall prompted, "that means you can't leave the Galbadian continent?"
Rinoa sighed and looked even more upset than before. She looked past Squall and seemed to be staring into the distance at something that she couldn't quite get to; freedom.
"Yeah, I only had two years of monitoring left."
"Had?" Squall questioned.
Rinoa's lower lip trembled as she took a deep breath in order to prevent herself from crying.
"Um, I got a letter about a week ago. They've reopened my case due to some new evidence. They say that it's because of all the deaths 'Timber Owls' caused…they're re-sentencing me."
Squall reached across the table to clasp Rinoa's hand as he noticed that she was close to having an emotional breakdown. He led her gaze to his and she began to calm down as she stared into Squall's cooling blue-grey eyes.
"Don't worry, Rinoa, I swear that I'll use Laguna's contacts and lawyers to make sure that you get out of this mess."
Rinoa sniffed a little as she smiled slightly. Squall started to feel uncomfortable at still holding her hand so he quickly let go.
"Squall, you don't have to worry. I've realised that this is the way the world works for people who try and make a difference. 'Timber Owls' never killed anyone…we only dealt in sabotage. It was those Galbadian soldiers who did the killing…if only I could remember the name of the two who were in charge…Bugs and…uh, Whinge? No, that's not right…anyway, it doesn't matter. I've come to accept my fate."
Squall frowned as he watched Rinoa reaching for her glass of alcohol. He now realised that the only reason she had done so much drinking tonight was because she was certain that such a chance would never come again; that she would get a life sentence in the Desert Prison.
Squall grabbed Rinoa's hand and stopped her from taking another gulp of the amber liquid which filled her glass. Rinoa stared at him looking a little annoyed.
"I have a surprise for you," he whispered and was happy to note Rinoa's grip slackening on the glass.
-----
Rinoa's eyes were clenched tight under Squall's hand. Her breathing was coming out in weird spurts and she knew that Squall's proximity to her was the cause of her strange behaviour.
Squall's vision was a little blurred as he led Rinoa out to the terrace of his apartment. He tried to maintain his balance and didn't like the fact that the alcohol was getting the better of him.
'Why did I have so much to drink?'
"Squall, I'm terribly uncoordinated right now," Rinoa murmured wishing that she had a better idea of where she was being taken.
Squall chuckled and took his hand off Rinoa's eyes and his smile broadened as he heard her take a deep intake of breath.
"Squall, it's gorgeous! It's so much better than the view at my apartment," Rinoa gushed as she took in the surrounding view that the terrace offered.
The terrace was high up and from it the city could be seen with all its bright lights and glamorous landmarks. A cool breeze wafted through the air and Rinoa absorbed it all in along with the breathtaking sight before her ebony-coloured eyes.
"Squall, I wish I lived here," Rinoa said, and frowned as she noticed the slur in her voice. She sounded very inarticulate in her current condition.
Squall gently grasped her shoulders and turned her around so that she was facing him.
"You could…" he murmured as he pulled her close.
Rinoa's cheeks flushed and she bit her lip, never taking her eyes off Squall's slate-blue ones.
"What do you mean?"
"You could live with me…" he trailed off as he carefully picked her up into his arms.
Rinoa studied him wondering if he was being serious or not, but that didn't matter right now. What mattered was how Squall felt about her.
"Do you love me?" Rinoa asked, her eyes shining bright.
Squall nodded as he stepped back into his room with Rinoa still in his arms. Rinoa's pulse had quickened and Squall was certain that his heart was beating rather irregularly.
"I love you too," Rinoa whispered, and that was all that Squall needed to hear.
Rinoa didn't even realise as she fell back onto the soft sheets that covered the bed. She didn't realise when Squall climbed next to her and took off his jacket. Her eyes were only fixed onto Squall's and she didn't resist as Squall hungrily pulled her towards him.
-----
"Y-you're crazy!" Zell shouted as he tried to free his hands from the rope which was tied around them.
Seifer Almasy snickered as he saw Zell struggling in his chair.
"You can keep telling me that or we can get to the point, chicken-wuss."
"Stop calling me that!"
The door opened and Zell saw a young woman with short grey hair walk in looking extremely annoyed.
"SEIFER…FREAK."
Zell's first reaction was to cover his ears but he remembered that that wasn't an option right now. There was no way that he'd be released until he gave Seifer some information about Squall's plans. He had to admit that Seifer was good. Seifer had figured a lot of things out on his own.
Seifer turned around to look at Fujin and nodded at her.
"Let him in."
Fujin disappeared through the door and returned with a tall man wearing a cowboy hat and an uneasy frown. He took his hat off to reveal a long ponytail of auburn hair.
"Irvine?" Zell demanded feeling surprised.
Irvine glanced at Zell sheepishly and turned to Seifer.
"Are you sure we have to go this far? This is illegal, Seifer," he pointed out looking nervous and fidgeting with his hat as he said this.
"Irvine, this is the only way we can get some information on what Squall's up to. I didn't wanna do this but I'm afraid it's come to this. This may be the only way to save Rinoa."
Zell couldn't help but see the irony in all this. Irvine was planning on uncovering Squall's plan along with Seifer. It was highly likely that Quistis was a part of this too although Seifer probably hadn't told her about abducting Zell. What Zell found funny was the fact that Irvine's own girlfriend, Selphie Tilmitt, was actually helping Squall which no one else was aware of. If Irvine found out then things would definitely get tricky.
"And yet we're the ones trying to save Rinoa," Zell muttered.
"What did you say, chicken-wuss?" Seifer questioned angrily, "You're trying to save Rinoa? What, by stalking her and invading her privacy? I don't believe that…"
"I'm not telling you anything," Zell stated defiantly.
Seifer cracked his knuckles.
"We'll see…"
-----
The sun shone through the open terrace and straight into Rinoa Heartilly's face and she turned around in the soft bed only to be hindered by a solid object next to her. Rinoa clucked, irritated, and pushed at the object only to find that this object pushed back. The object groaned and that's when Rinoa's eyes flew open. She surveyed this object to find that it was in fact a naked man who resembled Squall Leonhart.
Rinoa sat up in the bed and looked at the man closer, and her eyes widened at what she found.
'Oh my Hyne, this naked man is Squall Leonhart!'
Rinoa quickly jumped out of the bed, tangled her feet on the bed sheets and fell to the floor with a resounding thud.
-----
Squall Leonhart groaned again and slowly opened his eyes only to be blinded by the sun which was creeping into his bedroom. He crawled across to the other side of the bed to get a better look at his bed side clock and was startled to find a naked figure lying on the floor, wrestling with his bed sheets.
"Rinoa," he asked not believing his eyes, "are you trying to steal my bed sheets?"
Rinoa blushed as she managed to wrap the sheets around herself and stand up. The events of the previous night were slowly rushing back to her and she was mortified at Squall having found her like this.
"I-I…last night…we…uh…" she stuttered.
Squall realised that like Rinoa he was also undressed and he quickly covered himself with a pillow. He couldn't believe that he and Rinoa had actually gone all the way the previous night. They must have been really drunk to have done something like this.
"It's ok," he quickly interrupted, "It was a big mistake and it should never have happened. I don't know what I was thinking."
Rinoa's skin crawled as Squall said this. She couldn't believe what she was hearing.
"W-what?"
"Last night we were both drunk and we didn't realise what we were doing."
Squall ran a hand through his thick, chocolate-coloured hair. He had said enough and he glanced at Rinoa for assurance. Rinoa's large eyes were filled with tears that she couldn't hide and she felt stupid for spending the night with Squall.
"You don't love me?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
Squall stared at Rinoa not knowing what to say. The last thing he had needed was for this to happen. He had only wanted to find out about Rinoa, not sleep with her. Things had gone way too far. He had mixed business with pleasure and this could not continue no matter how he felt about her.
"I'm sorry…" he said gently and looked away from her.
Rinoa's insides crumbled and she didn't have the energy to argue with Squall. All she wanted to do was throw herself onto the floor and cry her heart out, but instead Rinoa merely nodded and got her clothes together. She dressed herself and left the sheet on Squall's bed before walking out of his room. Squall followed after her, wrapping the sheet around his lean, muscular body.
"Do you want me to take you home?" he asked as she headed towards the front door.
Rinoa shook her head and left through the door and when she got outside all she could manage to do was break into tears and cry over the biggest mistake she had ever made; falling in love with Squall Leonhart.
A/N: Well, here's chapter 19 and I do apologise for the lateness but hopefully I'll be able to update a little faster now that I have holidays for 5 weeks. I'm sure many of you will empathise with me when I mention having a tonne of homework, short deadlines and lack of sleep.
So, let me fill you in on what the next chapter will hold. Well, it will jump to Seifer, Zell and Irvine and perhaps have a little on Rinoa and Squall. If I can, then I will surely mention Rinoa's sister because I know many of you are curious about her.
I'd like to thank these revieewers because without you guys there would be no point to writing. :)
Hououza
a dark night
CristalBlueRose
Lila Michelle Tizuki
Random1010011010
Cerulean Crystal
WSecrets
Jana Banana
Jayliyah
I will update soon, I promise...as long as you guys keep up with those reviews. Also, if you get alerts saying that I've put up new chapters or something then ignore it because I'm only replacing 3 chapters that have grammatical errors. Thankies, guys:)