Sweet Nothings
Summary: Squall and Rinoa couldn't get over their differences when they were going out, so why do Quistis and Zell think that a pair of handcuffs can solve everything? Possible Squinoa. Full of cheese and fluff.
Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy. Square soft does. Please don't sue.
Chapter 2: Control freak
You lose your mind if you lose control
it makes you feel ashamed for the hearts you stole
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"Come on, please?" The blonde martial artist asked with his infamous cheeky smile. The brown-eyed girl shrugged her shoulders as she gave her comrade a dissatisfied look. She then looked down to the floor as she tried to snap out of her fatigued state. It wasn't everyday that she was flown from Esthar to Balamb within half an hour. Damn Zell and his kooky ideas.
"I don't like this, Zell. Look what my powers got us into with Ultimecia. Who knows what could happen?" she questioned rhetorically as she sat down. "And you call this an emergency?" She added.
Zell rolled his eyes as he held his sister's hand, "Look, it's just a gentle push in the right direction. Come on Elle, please? For Squally-wally?" he pleaded as he irritably waved a photo of Squall and Rinoa over her face. Ellone snatched it from him to halt his pesky way of negotiations. However, with one look at the photograph, Ellone's heart sank.
She sighed as she gave in, "Fine, but no guarantees."
Zell jumped up with excitement as he started to do uppercuts into the air. He lifted Ellone from her seat and started dancing with her, but Elle just smiled as she felt like a one of those bouncy head ornaments in cars. "Thanks, Sis. You won't regret it!"
Ellone gave him a sleepy nod as she sighed and held her hands together. She closed her eyes and started to navigate her way towards Rinoa's psyche. Unseen by the human eye, Elle could see the magical force field surrounding Rinoa and Squall. She raised her eyebrow as she looked more closely at Squall to discover that he was wearing a bracelet, no, a handcuff that was emitting some sort of power between them. She broke through Rinoa's sphere as she tried to locate and revive a happy memory locked away. She scurried though several images of her past and present, it was like watching her life in rewind.
There were a lot of images that brought a smile to Ellone's face. Cute images of the couple that warmed the cockles of her heart. She wanted something special, something that would make Rinoa feel like that Squall was the only one for her. Ellone cringed as she saw a flash of Squall doing something that... a sister shouldn't know. He's all grown up now, she had to remind herself as she quickly passed those images, reminding herself to tease him later.
Suddenly, Ellone heard a quick snap like an electrical circuit afflicted by water erupted in her ears. She winced as she saw horrific images flick through her mind. She found herself somewhere dark and dank. There was only one sole light, a hanging light globe as the air was icy cold and the walls were painted with grime. Ellone wondered if she entered into the wrong mind then suddenly, Rinoa brushed past her with her heartbeat blasting through her mind. Ellone tried to move the scene but she couldn't, she was stuck and there was no way out. Without hesitation, Ellone quickly retreated. She opened her eyes holding on to her head as she could feel a migraine coming on.
"What happened, Sis?" asked a very excited Zell. However, with one look on Ellone's fearful face, Zell knew that they were in trouble. "What happened?" he beckoned in an entirely different tone.
Ellone closed her eyes briefly once again before she looked up at Zell, "I think we've just done something terribly, terribly wrong..."
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Squall lazily opened his eyes as he watched Rinoa, who seemed to be in a vivid dream. Even in the darkness, nature seemed to still cherish her as the moonlight from his window lightly grazed the edge of her face, highlighting her beauty. She started whispering gibberish with her fists clenched as she shook her head. Squall watched her worryingly as he began to stroke her hair to comfort her.
"Hey Rinoa, wake up," He called but to no prevail. "Rin," he called again, more assertively, but she still wouldn't wake. Now more alert, Squall moved closer to her as he realised that she wasn't speaking gibberish, she was crying out.
"No...Squall, don't...Squall..." she whimpered as tears began to drop from her closed stare. Squall's eyes softened as he turned on his side lamp. He drew a tissue from its box as he wiped her tears away and attempted to wake her again, but like before, she wouldn't wake. He placed his hand on her shoulder as he gently shook her.
"Rinoa, wake up," he called in a louder tone. Rinoa's temperature began to rise as she looked like she was sweltering in fear. Her fidgeting became more vigorous as Squall held her shaky hands. "Rinoa!" he yelled as she began to cry excessively. Rinoa usually would wake with a few calls, however this time she didn't arouse to anything and that made Squall unwillingly scared. "What's going on in that head of yours?" he asked gently as she continued to cry.
What in the world would make you this upset? He thought as he gently caressed her shoulder. Just wake up Rin...please?
"I can't bear to you see like this," He reluctantly admitted to himself.
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The smell of burnt rubber was intoxicating in the enclosed playhouse. Rinoa ran up to the stage, but she knew that she was trapped. Her heart beat rapidly as her breath found it hard to keep up with her. She twisted around as she glanced about the room trying to find a place to hide, but there was nothing there. Her hands were shaking as her sorceress powers failed her. There was no escape. "What the hell do you want with me?!" She yelled to her hunter.
Slowly arising from the darkness, a woman with peculiar tattoos and anomalous clothing walked towards her with an evil sinister smile on her face. Her fingernails were as long as grass reeds and painted with blood. Her scarlet-coloured hair was coiled into a solid bun with a sharp point. And her eyes, her eyes were what made Rinoa's blood run cold. Her entire eye was blacker than night. It was like a whole universe was encapsulated in her eyes. The woman stopped as she laughed at Rinoa's frailty.
"Rinoa Caraway," she called in her cold soulless voice. "You shall soon be dead."
The woman clenched Rinoa's throat with her powerful hand as she lifted her up off the floor. Rinoa kicked her feet and tried to rip her hand off her throat, but she was so much stronger. She looked into her eyes as she saw the reflection of her last moments, but to the corner of her eye she saw someone that she hoped would never come.
"Let her go, Adel!" her knight called as he slashed the evil sorceress's hand with his ever trusty gunblade. Adel dropped Rinoa as Squall caught her in his warm arms. As Rinoa caught her breath back she saw the evil smile on Adel's face grew.
Rinoa tightly embraced Squall as she whispered into his ear, "You shouldn't have come." Her knight looked at her with softened eyes as if he knew his future.
"I made a promise to you," he replied as he held his gunblade sturdy. Rinoa stood behind him as he passed her Valkyrie.
Squall ran up to Adel as he started attacking her with all the power that he had, however all Adel had to do was raise her palm to block all of his moves.
"Interesting. Very interesting," She assumed hollowly. With a flick of her wrist, she pushed Squall to the wall and lifted Rinoa back into her grasps. Still not fully recovered from her previous attack, she found it hard to move as she aimed her Valkyrie towards her and shot. The arrow grazed across the evil sorceress's face causing minimal damage. She called her GFs, but they were wiped away by Adel's magic.
There's no hope, Rinoa thought as she looked around in the lonely room.
Adel looked over to Squall as she hovered towards him, "Squall Leonhart. Become my knight or watch Rinoa Caraway die."
Squall's eyes widened as he watched Rinoa's attempts to free herself became less energetic. "Make your decision now," the harridan commanded as she began to tighten her grip on Rinoa's neck. Rinoa looked at Squall and could see the helplessness written across his face. In the back of her mind, she knew it would come to this.
"Save yourself!" she managed to muster as she slowly continued to free herself. Don't be an idiot, Squall. Rinoa could see the agony in his face as he continued to watch her. Adel was too powerful and he loved Rinoa too much.
And suddenly his gunblade fell. "You win. I'll be your knight," Squall whispered in a pain-filled voice.
Rinoa closed her eyes as she was slowly dropped down to the floor. "No, Squall!" She yelled, but it was ignored as Squall walked directly towards Adel.
The evil sorceress laughed as she saw Squall walk to her and bow down. "I shall be your knight, Sorceress Adel." Adel straightened her dress as she told Squall to rise. She cupped his face as she looked into his eyes and saw the hatred and resentment he felt towards her. She dropped her hands and laughed again.
"Any last words to your previous sorceress?" She asked in an authoritative tone.
Squall looked over to a confused Rinoa as she fell down to her knees, unable to hold up her own weight. Rinoa tried to read his face, but she couldn't see what he was trying to tell her until he said, "I made a promise to you that I would never betray you..." Rinoa held her breath as he said those words. She started shaking her head in disbelief. No, he didn't. NO! Her mind screamed.
He promised that he would never betray her, he would die first.
"No, Squall. Don't!" She yelled, but he turned around and faced Adel who seemed oblivious to what he just said. "Squall!"
Adel stretched her arms as looked down at Squall. "Say goodbye to your previous life," she announced as she cupped his face and pursed her lips. Squall never took his eyes off her as he raised his gunblade from behind. Rinoa closed her eyes as she heard the crushing sound from his sword penetrating their bodies. Squall had stabbed both Adel and himself before their lips ever touched.
"W-What is this!?" she yelled as her legs started to bubble and dissolve. "This is not the end!" she yelled as she was melted down and then dissipated into oblivion.
Rinoa ran to Squall as he lay down on the cold floor smiling up at her. "Hey gorgeous," he said wearily as she began to cry while lovingly stroking his face. She lifted him up as she took his gunblade out. He winced slightly, but it was all numb, everything was going numb. She stroked his hair as she kissed him longingly. He pushed forward and kissed her back, but then he stopped. As they parted, Rinoa looked down at Squall and closed his eyes as she threw herself in his chest, sobbing endlessly.
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"Why won't you wake up, Rin?" he asked softly as their noses barely touched.
Suddenly her eyes opened as she saw him alive and breathing. Tears welded up in her eyes again as she pushed forward to kiss him deeply. Squall's eyes widened as he unknowingly kissed her back. I'm tonsil fighting with Rinoa, not a smart move, Commander, he noted to himself.
After a moment, she parted from away him and held him close. She rested her head on his chest as her tears began to dry. Listening to his heartbeat was like a nightingale's song to her ears. Her own breathing and heartbeat began to slow down to match his as she tried to shake off the terrible nightmare she just had. Squall wrapped her up in his ever reliable arms and kissed her forehead like he used to. "It's okay, you're safe now."
"I-It was so real..." Rinoa whispered into his chest. "Y-You were...so…"
"So?" he whispered as he began to stroke her hair. She turned to look at him, however her demeanour changed.
"SO ARROGANT!" Came her response as she began to pound Squall's chest.
"Wha?" he coughed as she continually kept hitting. He placed his hands up to stop her punches, but somehow she still managed to get him. "What the hell did I do?!"
Rinoa stopped as she realised she was angry at the wrong Squall. That Squall was in love with her, this one wasn't. Then she realised what she had done.
Wait, did I kiss him? Shit! Rinoa folded her arms as she lay back down trying not to think about it. "You killed yourself to save my life," she whispered as she stared at his ceiling.
Squall gave a sad nod, "But my hair was nice, right?" Rinoa laughed as she pounded him with her pillow, which Squall diverted then gave her a small smirk. "You're only doing that because you know I'm right about the hair."
"Your hair was fine!" she chuckled. She then realised that she wasn't sad anymore. Only this idiot could change a serious situation into a stupid one. "But your nose was wonky."
Squall's eyes widened. "B-but that's my best asset! No…" he replied sarcastically. "On a serious note, you shouldn't get too riled about what happened in your dream. It seems like a probable situation."
Rinoa faced him with a raised eyebrow. "You would seriously do that?!" She yelled. "No!"
Squall rolled his eyes as he could see that Rinoa was turning back to normal. "It wouldn't happen anyway." He moved back to his spot as he rested his head back on his own pillow.
"Promise me that you will never ever sacrifice your life like that," Rinoa asked gently as she bit her lip. "Promise me."
Squall grabbed another pillow to cover his head as he tried to get back to sleep. "Go back to bed Rinoa."
"Squall!" She yelled as she smacked him with her pillow. Just at that moment his door opened with a worried looking Zell and Ellone.
Squall lifted the pillow above his head as he saw the couple. "Elle, when did you get in town?" He asked. He then realised that that was an ignorant question as he observed the look on their faces. "Don't tell me that you two have something to do with Rinoa's nightmare."
Zell tried to loosen his collar as if he was sweating like a whore in church. "Well, I thought it would be a great idea for Elle to bring you two back to a place that you guys were, like, together. But, yeah, it stuffed up somehow. Might have been cause of the 'cuffs." He took in a breath as he bowed, "Sorry, Rinoa."
Ellone gave a weak smile. "Sorry Squall, Rinoa. I knew it was a bad idea. I didn't think that trying to find your happiest moment would cause so much harm. It was the totally opposite to my intentions. I saw some flashes of your dream, a-and even I was mortified," She bowed to them. "Again, I'm really sorry."
Squall stood up, dragging Rinoa with him as he faced Zell. Squall yawned slowly as he then, out of no where, punched Zell in the face that would definitely ensure him a black eye.
"I deserve that," Zell recoiled as he winced in pain.
"Squall!" Rinoa argued as they walked back to his bed.
Squall waved at Elle as he placed his blanket on top of him. "Night Elle, drag Robin back with you."
Elle smiled and waved back as she dragged a-very-knocked-out Zell with her. Rinoa folded her arms as she glared at Squall; "You didn't need to knock Zell out."
Squall shrugged his shoulders as he closed his eyes, "Yes, I did. It's male bonding."
Rinoa snorted as she rested back on the bed, but the thoughts of sleep were beyond her. Just the thought of Adel invading her mind again made her skin crawl. But there was something that Elle said that really stuck with her. As the handcuffs inversed her intentions, that meant that her worst nightmare was Squall dying. She sighed and stared at his ceiling as she organised her emotions. Even though they weren't together, even though she was meant to hate him, when it was between life and death, the thought of losing him was on the top of the list.
Squall opened his eyes to watch a very awake Rinoa wrestle with her thoughts. "Funny," he said breaking the silence.
"What is?" She asked as she twiddled her thumbs.
Squall looked away nervously. "Did this dream happen to have Sorceress Adel?"
Rinoa's eyes widened. "Y-yes."
Squall looked away sadly, as he didn't meet her stare. "Were you in a dark room that smelt like...a tyre factory?"
She gave him a nod as she turned to face him.
"And she asked me to be her knight?"
"H-how do you know?" Rinoa questioned as he placed his hands together.
He sighed as shut his eyes. "Because...I just do."
Rinoa got up as she slapped Squall across his shoulder. "Hold on, don't you fall asleep on me yet. How the hell do you know all that?!"
Squall tried to cover her attacks with his pillow, but somehow it was to no avail. He held her hands and dragged her back down on the bed that caught Rinoa by surprise. She breathed in heavily as she realised that he was on top of her. She opened her mouth to try and say something, but she couldn't. Squall rolled his eyes as he could piece together what Rinoa was thinking and moved back to his side of the bed. "Rinoa, you're a bright girl. Figure it out."
She glanced over to the handcuffs that bound them together, as a spark seemed to have lit in her mind. It wasn't my nightmare. It was his. She covered her mouth after the realisation as Squall still looked away. "B-But you..."
Squall rubbed the back of his neck as he stretched his arms. "Anyway," changing the subject, "Let's go for a walk. No one's up so we'll be fine." He stood up and got dressed as Rinoa still sat in bed dumbfounded. "Come on, don't make me dress you."
"I'm no Barbie and you're no Ken." Rinoa replied confidently as she hid her temporary redden cheeks. She got up slowly and moved towards her suitcase to grab an outfit. "No peeking," she teased as she got dressed. Squall placed his palm over his eyes until Rinoa tapped them away when she was done. As they were about to walk out, Squall walked back in taking his gunblade.
"You never know what dirty monsters might have escaped from the training area."
Rinoa rolled her eyes knowing that the Training area was tightly sealed. "Whatever."
He looked at her with an unamused look knowing that was a sarcastic comment towards him. "Oh, you're going to regret that, Heartilly," he uttered as they walked to the main lobby.
"And what are you going to do, mister?" She teased, sticking her tongue out. Squall looked to the edge of the sidewalk where all the fountains were. Rinoa followed his eyes as she laughed. "You wouldn't dare." Squall looked to the left with his hand on his chin thinking mischievously.
"I would," he mischievously replied as he lifted up the kicking Rinoa over the edge and safely dropped her into the fountain.
Rinoa screamed at its icy coldness as she narrowed her eyes looking at Squall and pulled her left arm as an attempt him for Squall to lose his balance.
"No," Squall said as he raised his finger waving it towards her. She grabbed his finger and with all her might, dragged him down with her. He emerged out of the fountain as his hair was matted down. "Oh, you're going to get it now!" He taunted as she tried to run away from him. He pulled her back as he wrapped his arms around her preventing her from any escape.
Rinoa struggled as she closed her eyes. "Mercy!" She yelled as they sat down in the middle of the fountain.
"Oh, I guess you're going to have to get the coochie coo treatment," He taunted with a rare gleaming smile. Rinoa waved her hands.
"No! Oh God, no!" She yelled as he started tickling her. She laughed uncontrollably until he stopped and watched him stare at her with a reserved look. Rinoa looked at him curiously as he seemed to be hiding something. Then Squall pulled her closer towards him as his lips brushed momentarily past against hers with a yearning look in his eyes.
Suddenly, alarm bells rang as a net was flung towards them trapping them inside. They quickly parted as they looked around to see that some students began to come out with their weapons thinking that an intruder had invaded Garden.
"Shit," Squall cursed looking at the net above them. "Shit," he repeated.
A whip was used to take away the net to unveil a very tired, but relieved looking Quistis watching down upon them. "Cid wants to see both of you in his office."
Squall rolled his eyes as he stepped out of the fountain and guided Rinoa down. Quistis handed them robes with a hood so that the students weren't able to recognise them, but they knew anyway and sniggered when they walked past.
Shit, Squall cursed in his mind as the couple walked to the elevator that would take them to the dreaded third floor.
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"What are you doing, Irvy?" Selphie asked as he crouched down and began to fiddle around with the electrical wires.
He sniggered as he glanced up at his beloved. "Well, let's say that I'm, uh, setting up a catalyst." He grabbed the wires out as they short-circuited from the main system. Suddenly the elevator lights were turned off and the awaiting couple was stuck. "Hehe."
"Are you crazy?! Headmaster Cid is going to be furious!" Selphie warned as he stood up. She then cracked a smile and jumped up and down. "This is going to be so awesome!"
They both laughed as they looked above to the famous couple hoping that somehow they would find that special something that brought them together before.
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"You've got to be joking," Squall muttered as he looked down to the lobby where Selphie and Irvine waved and smiled. Then Irvine did an odd gesture with his hand, almost like a jerking motion, but Selphie smacked him in the stomach as she spotted the students approaching. Squall rolled his eyes as he leant back in the capsule. "He bloody short-circuited us."
"Great. More alone time with Mr. Commander," Rinoa said sarcastically. However, Squall couldn't see the humour in it.
"And being with a psycho sorceress is my cup of tea," He spat as he sat down in the elevator, just waiting for it to move.
"A psycho?!" Rinoa exclaimed. "At least I don't have a bloody stick up my ass the whole time!"
"At least I don't pretend to be someone that I'm not!"
"As if you have the right to say that! I don't deny the fact that I have a father."
"You don't deny yours because you're a bloody princess. Why don't you just go back to Galbadia since you're so happy there?"
"I would if I could, but no...You just had to ruin my life and make me a bloody sorceress!"
"I don't want to hear it, Rinoa. You think if I had a choice I would drag you into this stupid mess?''
"Oh, now it's all 'poor little Squall,' little orphan that was abandoned and had no choice in life because of a divine intervention. Wake up! Look at Seifer, he's perfectly normal."
"Then why don't you go back to Seifer?"
"Because I'm stuck in these stupid cuffs and and..." She suddenly paused as she saw how close Squall was. He pushed his hand against the wall as Rinoa was trapped. "And..." she tried to say but her thoughts all were focused on Squall's mouth. Squall hushed her as he pushed forward and roughly kissed her. He could feel the floor move underneath him and with a small ding, he parted and walked out, leaving a very flushed Rinoa try to regain her composure.
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They walked in with puddles as Cid guided them to sit down. Squall took off the robe as he tried to dry off his pants, but Cid stopped him. "Don't worry, I'll call in the cleaner later." Rinoa gave Cid a teeth-baring smile as he walked behind his table to gather words.
Cid's office had been revamped since Ultimecia's short reign. Even though he would like to help Edea out at the orphanage, he had duties here that only he could solve. He sat down and folded his arms on his wooden table as he stared at the couple. He then rubbed the back of his neck, unsure what to say to his predecessor and his, well, sorceress. He sighed and turned to Rinoa. "So, was it fun?"
Rinoa laughed to break the stale atmosphere. "Yes sir."
Cid laughed as he leant back in his chair. "Well that's a relief. I didn't build those in here for nothing!" Squall rolled his eyes as he folded his arms, obviously not wanting to be there. Cid gave a chuckle as he saw Squall's reaction. "Squall."
"Sir," Squall saluted reflexively.
The Headmaster sighed as he turned towards the television with the security tape in hand. "Here," Squall took the tape and placed it in his lap.
"Thank you sir," he replied coldly as if he knew that his lecture was coming on.
"Squall," he called as he rubbed his chin. "You of all people would know that that area was fixed with an alarm at all times."
"Yes sir. I take full blame, sir."
He shook his head. "What has got in to you, boy? First that drink driving offence and now this?" He turned towards Rinoa. "Would knock some sense into him?" He then turned back to Squall. "Get your priorities straight, Commander, I can't keep covering up for you. One more mistake and it will have to go down on your untainted record."
"Yes, sir."
Cid slouched back as he waved his hand. "Dismissed."
Squall charged out of the room with a chain of profanity under his breath. Rinoa was reluctantly dragged along as she waved goodbye to Cid. The headmaster waved back as he closed his door wondering if he had been too harsh on the Commander. Ah, he can handle it. After all, he did save the world.
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When they arrived back at Squall's dorm, he moved towards the kitchen and started pulling out bottles of liquor. He then opened all of them up and simultaneously poured then down the sink. He then picked up the four bottles and threw them in the bin causing a big clanky sound. Rinoa stood in silence, as she couldn't understand his terrible change in mood. Squall collapsed over the sink as he smacked his hands over the counter making everything shake.
"Squall," she called. "W-What's going on?"
He tilted his head as he glanced at her, seeing the worry written all over her eyes. "Nothing. Absolutely nothing." He replied as she approached him and gently rubbed his back with her free hand.
"You're just having a bad day," she whispered as she tried to wrap her arms around him. He froze quickly as he budged her off to escape from her.
"Don't," he said firmly as if he were talking to a cadet. "Just… don't touch me."
Rinoa withdrew her arms as she gave him a troubled smile trying to change the mood. "Okay, maybe you're just having a bad life then." Even with that attempt Squall was still unfazed, she calmly asked, "Why don't you tell me what happened?" But he refused to answer. "Squall, talk to me."
"I can't alright!" He shouted with his arms up in the air. He tried to place the fault of his actions elsewhere as he yelled, "Cid shouldn't have told you anything!" He rubbed his temples with his free hand thinking of a way out. He couldn't explain it. It wasn't like him to do something so callous, especially in front of the whole Garden. I need to get rid of these cuffs.
Rinoa's eyes started to sting with tears. "Why are you shouting at me?" She cried as she grabbed his arm. However, Squall waved it off like she was an insect.
Squall's hands started shaking as he watched Rinoa's lip shiver in fear. "I-I can't handle this anymore," he managed to mutter as he looked at Rinoa apologetically. He then started to shake his head as if he had seen something horrific. "I can't do this anymore. I need to get out of here."
"We'll go then. Please Squall, tell me what's wrong," she cried as he paced back and forth.
Squall stopped pacing as he faced Rinoa. "I-I can't be around you."
"Why?" She questioned as she held her arms close to her chest defensively. There was something in Rinoa's tone that made Squall's stomach sink. It was like she was pleading for something. He held her wrists as he could feel Rinoa's concern overwhelm his senses. He held her gently by the shoulders, but he couldn't meet her eyes.
"God dammit, Rinoa," he cursed as he dropped his hands down slowly. "I can't think straight when I'm around you. So what good am I as a Commander if I, of all people, can't even follow the rules set by Garden? My whole life is here! And just for that single moment, that small moment, I nearly lost everything that makes me who I am. Don't you understand, Rinoa?" He sighed as he shook his head trying to make sense of his emotions. "I-I can't afford to make mistakes and…" He paused as his tone changed to a silent whisper when he finally met Rinoa's glance, "I can't help the way I feel-"
Unexpectedly Squall seemed to snap out of his dazed state as he began to think somewhat logically. Rinoa watched Squall's eyes wander down to his belt and stopped at his gunblade. "It's an electrical bond. It should be weakened slightly if I put a metallic substance between us. It might be just enough to break it."
Rinoa held her hands up, offering them to Squall. "What ever it takes to make you happy."
It was unlike Squall to be irrational, but rationality seemed beyond him at this present time. He was torn between his duty and the love of his life. How was he supposed to choose? It made it worse that Rinoa was continually questioning him as he started to panic. "I know what I'm doing," he confirmed. "Just hold out your hand and everything will go back to how it was like before."
Rinoa's face saddened; she knew that she had no choice. "Squall..." She whispered as she held her arms further out and closed her eyes. He's the Commander of Garden. I'm simply a sorceress. We are meant to be enemies. It's just the way it's meant to be.
Squall breathed in deeply as he levelled his gunblade to the bond between them. "Stay perfectly still," he muttered as he waved his free hand over the bond. "Three, two, one-"
An electrical snap was heard as the gunblade was thrown to the back of the wall from the electrical charge. The couple were thrown to the other side of the room as their bodies were like well done spaghetti plastered onto the wall. Then they slowly dropped to the ground when the energy moved away. Squall's free hand was seared as he winced through the pain. He rubbed his head as he looked over to his arm to see that his mission had failed. He turned over to Rinoa who had her eyes closed as she was left slumped by his wall. "Rinoa, wake up." He shook her shoulders as she refused to wake up. "Shit," he cursed as he checked her pulse. Thankfully, there was a beat.
He carried her onto his bed as he reached for his cell phone. "Zell. Call Dr Kadowaki to my room now. Don't give me any crap; just tell her to come to my room now. It's an emergency." He shut the phone as he watched the lifeless form. "Shit!" What the hell did I do? WHAT THE HELL DID I DO? "What the hell is wrong with me? Rinoa!" He could feel his eyes stinging as he realised what he had just done. "How could I be so stupid?"
The pain in his arm seemed to get worse, but he didn't care. He was a soldier, an athlete, he was meant to deal with pain. His door opened as Zell and Dr Kadowaki ran toward him. "What happened, Squall?'
"I-I," Squall stuttered as he looked over at Rinoa's porcelain face. "I knocked Rinoa out."
Zell widened his eyes as he grabbed Squall's shirt. "YOU DID WHAT!?" The doctor tried to knock Zell's hand away from Squall, but he wouldn't let go. "How could you even THINK of doing that?! Are you bloody insane!? I should bash the shit out of you if you weren't chained up."
"Zell!" The doctor yelled. The doctor looked over towards Squall as he absorbed in Zell's words. He could feel his hands shaking behind him as he briefly closed his eyes. "What happened, Squall?"
"He already said what happened! He knocked her out!" Zell exclaimed.
"Zell please! This is Squall we are talking to!" Zell stood the quietly with his arms folded looking angrily at Squall. "Squall?"
He faced the kind doctor as he swallowed hard with guilt. "I tried to break the handcuffs with my gunblade and then there was a sound as if there was an explosion. I can't really remember the inbetweens. I-It happened so fast. I think she might have hit her head."
"And what about you? You look awfully pale."
Squall shook his head. "Take care of her first. I'm fine."
The good doctor nodded as she inspected Rinoa with her stethoscope. She then checked her head to see if there were any bumps or bruises and finally checked her temperature. "She's fine Squall. There isn't any sign of any bruises or marks. Signs say that she fainted before the impact. It's not your fault."
Zell tapped Squall on the back, "No hard feelings man. I'm sorry to jump to conclusions."
Even though it wasn't his fault that Rinoa was in the state that she was, Squall told himself that it was a lie. He had placed Rinoa's life in danger. He was her knight, he was meant to protect her from anything and everything. How could it be that it was him that would cause the danger? How could I lose sight of that? "What kind of knight am I?" he mumbled to himself.
Dr Kadowaki moved over to Squall's side of the bed, but he waved her off, "I'm fine."
The practitioner pulled his free arm as she gasped when she saw the blood trickling down from it. Squall raised his eyebrow as he looked at the doctors face and then to his arm. Slash marks was scrambled across his free arm like he had a date with a razor. He could feel the blood trickled down to the bottom of his fingertips as he tried to think of some reasoning towards this false act of self-harm. "It's not what it looks like."
The doctor looked at Squall's face as she placed her hand behind his head. Before Squall could even wonder why, he rested his head upon it as he too fainted, however, through blood loss.
"What on earth is going on, doc?" The blonde martial artist asked as he watched the sleeping couple.
Kadowaki simply shook her head, "You said that you gave them an Odine handcuff right? Well, my guess is that when a sorceress wants to attack while wearing the handcuffs, it becomes self inflicted and everything is inversed."
Zell raised his eyebrow. "So you're saying that by Squall trying to separate themselves, he somehow interrupted the connection of the electrical force and that's why they are..." He paused as he suddenly realised. "Hold on, are you saying that Rinoa did that to herself?" He exclaimed as he pointed towards Squall's arm.
She shrugged her shoulders. "Yes, but it wouldn't have harmed her. Probably would have just been a pen mark to her."
"B-But how can you say that Rinoa would ever do that to herself?"
"Because I don't think Squall is a narcissist," She replied as she wiped the blood away from Squall's latticed arm where it spelt, 'I heart SL.'
Zell snorted as she began to bandage up Squall's arm. He would never have thought that a pair of handcuffs would cause so much damage. He smiled to himself as he watched over the sleeping couple. He then glimpsed at the electrical bond between them changed from the neutral colour of yellow to an electric blue.
Don't worry guys, you're almost there. Just hold on.
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It was a dreary night as the smell of rain was in the air. The Commander looked outside of the bar as if he was reluctant to leave, but knew he had to. He paid the barman as he stumbled out of the room sluggishly and walked over to his scooter. He placed his helmet on his damp hair as he zipped up his leather jacket and allowed his mechanical demon to roar.
The road out of Balamb City and back towards the Garden as the rain started pouring down heavier and he began to get wearier. I told her the truth and that is what I get he thought to himself as he drove faster. Whoever said that 'the truth will set you free' is a fucking liar.
Through all of the commotion that was going in his head and the weather, he couldn't see that there was a police officer infront of him. Oh Shit. The police officer waved towards him as he swerved towards his vehicle. "What's the problem, officer?"
The officer held out a breathalyser. "Random breath testing."
Shit! Squall looked at the officer as he took off his helmet. He passed him his license and his keys. "Just take me in now."
The officer lifted his eyebrow as he scanned Squall's license to see his untarnished record and that he was the Commander of Garden, the one who saved the world from destruction. "Commander, if you don't mind," he said as Squall got off his vehicle and presented his arms out infront to be cuffed.
Suddenly the officer's cellphone rang. Squall wondered who he was talking to at this ungodly hour as he seemed to be slightly distressed by the call. He finally hung up as he removed the cuffs from his own hands. "You're free to go, Leonhart. Just don't let it happen again."
Squall didn't bother to argue as he politely thanked the officer and drove himself back to Garden where a angry looking Headmaster was waiting for his arrival. "What the hell is wrong with you, soldier?!" He yelled outside the Garden.
"Get away from me, old man!" Squall cried as he tried to get his way past the Headmaster. However in the state that he was in, he was in no condition to argue. "Leave me alone!"
"Squall!" The older man yelled as he held him from the shoulders. "Listen to me. You are the Garden's icon; you have a responsibility to uphold."
Squall snorted, "And you are a fucking moron!"
"Listen to me!" Cid said angrily. "Set yourself straight soldier. Get your priorities right. Everyone in this Garden depends on you."
"I didn't ask for this! Just leave me alone!" He slurred as he batted Cid away and stumbled through Garden. The Headmaster rolled his eyes as he escorted the Commander through the back entrance to his dorm as he slumped on to his bed.
"Quit acting like a child, Leonhart. Grow a backbone and don't let something stupid like this happen again. What in the world would possess you to get yourself into the state that you're in?"
What does he want to hear? He already won. Goddamn it.
"Well? Justify yourself, soldier."
Squall glared at Cid as he ordered him to leave his dorm however, before leaving he ended the conversation with, "I gave up Rinoa for Garden, so don't you dare lecture me about priorities."
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Rinoa slowly woke from her slumber as she looked around her surroundings. Squall's room. She lazily thought.
"How are you feeling?" A deep husky voice called from the corner of her ear. She turned to face her knight as she gave him a sheepish smile.
"Better," she answered softly as she touched his chin. "I saw what happened. The night we broke up."
Squall eyes softened as he breathed in deeply, "Well...yeah. I got your scars so you get my past." She looked down to her chained hand to see that the wire changed colour. "It's grown longer." He noted as he observed it. He cleared his throat to catch her attention, however he looked nervous. "I'm sorry."
"For what?" she questioned, thinking that it was ridiculous to apologise to something that he had no control over.
"Everything."
Rinoa closed her eyes momentarily as she felt his apology. All the angst and hate that she felt suddenly disappeared; everything else seemed so small compared to this moment. She got up and faced him, "Squall. Before, in the elevator..."
He rubbed the back of his neck, "Yeah. I don't know what came over me..."
"No, it's not that. You were just..."
"Yes?"
"Lousy."
"WHAT?!"
"I don't blame you since, I'm guessing that you haven't been getting any in a while and-"
"We'll see about that," he replied proudly as he leaned over, but he stopped suddenly.
Rinoa lifted her eyebrow, "What?"
"I, uh..." Squall felt the blood rush to his face, unsure how to tell her. "Uh, can we go brush your teeth first?"
Rinoa breathed into her hands to realise that her breath was awful. "Okay... fair enough," she laughed as she dragged herself out of bed. "Come on, it's about time we got out of bed."
A/N: Hello. Once again, I'd like to thank my beta reader, Rikke for the fantabulous job that she has done. She is the sugar in my tea. (I know, the metaphors aren't getting any better. Suggest some for me.) I enjoyed writing this, so I hope you enjoyed reading it. I'm currently on crutches at the moment due to an accident in the moshpit at the recent Snow Patrol concert. But damn, they were awesome. Gary Lightbody is my hero. Anyway, reviews are the only way that I know I'm doing the right thing, so please…review.
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