Waltzing in the Rain
Twin-Lance
Chapter Six: Revelations
The Estharian night lights illuminated the skyscrapers in an iridescent glow, making them look like mammoth crystals protruding into the sapphire sky. The beauty of course, was lost on Squall as his eyes drifted downward, beyond the track of the lift system and down to the brightly illuminated city streets below. Lost in thought, he watched the taillights of the vehicles as they snaked their way between the bases of the tall buildings. His mind was distracted, drawing the parallels between Esthar and Winhill, Timber and Winhill, and even Deling and Winhill. He was caught up in trying to find another city Laguna had been to that rivaled the level of inappropriate oppressiveness that the people of Winhill had apparently shown themselves to possess. Not even the residents of that secluded little Centran coastal town, they'd discovered during the war, had been as close-minded and obtuse as the people in Winhill had proven themselves to be. He couldn't help but wonder if Laguna would have written about Winhill as romantically as he did, had he known the true depth of the hatred the people there had for him.
The story that Laguna had revealed to him during the stone setting had caught him completely off-guard and had made the ride back to the palace very uncomfortable. If they weren't quarreling over Winhill, they were trapped in a very tense and emotionally-charged silence. Squall was in such a sour mood that he didn't even get a bit of joy out of the debilitating leg cramp that Laguna had fallen victim to a few blocks from the palace. Laguna's story had sullied everything Squall had once believed about the town of Winhill. It wasn't that he had any real fondness for the place; Winhill would always be a backwoods hick town with no future in his mind. But it had at least been the beloved home of his mother, and supposedly, the people there had loved her as much as she'd loved the town. Just that simple assumption had been enough for Squall to view the small town with a slightly higher regard, until now. It angered Squall that the town had denied his mother the ability to marry. It was something so simple yet so important. He knew Rinoa was very excited about their wedding and he didn't want to imagine how crushing it must've felt for his mother to have been denied it; all because she'd wanted to marry his father.
It was unfair; not that Squall really cared about all the unfairness in the world. He understood that it was just the way things were, but this involved his mother. As a child, he hadn't known anything about his family history, and had fabricated a story of how things had been before everything had gone wrong. He'd imagined what his parents looked like and what kind of people they had been, especially his mother. Even though he'd never met her, in his mind they would've to have been very close had they had the chance to be. While Edea had tried to fill that maternal role, Squall knew that it wasn't really the same as having an actual mother around.
But Laguna's story had ruined the make-believe family he'd made up when he was little. It left his childhood memories, whatever few of them he could still remember, feeling tarnished and corrupted. No matter how Squall attempted to look at the situation, it all came down to the perfect, angelic mother he'd always imagined living an unfairly, prejudiced existence because she'd made one mistake: falling in love with his bumbling moron of a father. Sure Laguna was an embarrassing idiot most of the time, but he was definitely not what Squall would categorize as a bad guy. He was definitely not so bad that it warranted Raine having to have an unofficial ceremony under the guise of darkness, with no one but one of his father's sidekicks as a witness.
There was enough evil in the world. Growing up in a Garden, he'd studied nothing but the world's history of war and power and the corruption of men. To be good a mercenary he needed to understand how and why dictators and oppressors did the things they did. Being prepared for whatever kind of adversary he was hired to defend against, fit in with Garden's belief that a good SeeD should be prepared for any situation that should arise. To think that someone as good-natured as his mother, had been punished because of the petty prejudices held by the elderly curmudgeons running the town, went right through Squall. It was insignificant when compared to all the more important things going on in the world. She was just one woman who happened to fall in love with an idiot. If those were the kind of issues the leadership of the town focused on, it was no wonder that the younger people had left Winhill in droves. Squall felt that the elderly population deserved whatever became of them as reparation for their callousness they'd shown. Was he a little bitter? Possibly. Did he care? No. This conclusion on Squall's part had led to a barrage of questions and accusations the entire ride home. Laguna, for the most part, had managed to defend the gil he'd allocated to helping keep Winhill safe from monsters but it still upset Squall. Laguna's financial aid had become an almost contemptuous topic between the two of them, and Squall couldn't let it go.
Despite all this, Squall figured he at least owed Ellone some kind of thank you for the things she'd shown him throughout the war. While she'd had some of the absolute worst timing, the things she'd shown him had changed his life. She'd carefully chosen the things she wanted him to see, while shielding him from the unpleasant things that she didn't want him to find out about. Ellone had always been the one person in the world who had always been there to try to protect him, even if he didn't realize it. She'd wanted him to see that his parents really were as good as he'd imagined them as a child. He appreciated it more than he knew how to express.
"- just don't want you to be so upset over this," Laguna's voice continued. His thoughts interrupted, Squall glanced up as the lift stopped outside the palace. Clearly, he'd gotten so tired of Laguna's excuses that he'd tuned him out. "The people that gave your Mom and me such a hard time, they're all old buzzards now. Well, the ones of them that aren't dead. There are lots of other people still living there that haven't done anything wrong. I'm trying to protect the town that Raine loved. If a few of the short-sighted jerks that hated me are still living there, lucky them. But the town will be there long after they're gone and that's what's important to me."
Squall stepped off of the lift. "Whatever," he said dismissively. "You're overcompensating for your own guilt and they're reaping the benefits."
Laguna frowned. "There are still children there," he stated. "Children that play in that town square just like Ellone did when she was little. Those children deserve to be protected. I don't have to be the one to do it, but I want to be. The elders don't matter. Your mother would've understood that."
Squall spared a glance over at the door where he saw Rinoa peering out. "Well I wouldn't know. I never got the chance to meet her," he told him as he crossed his arms.
Laguna sighed and settled for patting him on the shoulder before starting towards the door. Squall gazed out at the city beyond the palace until he was sure Laguna was a few feet away. Slowly turning his head, he watched as he went inside. Their outing had ended on a rather upsetting note.
Rinoa stepped outside after Laguna went in. Lightly clasping her hands in front of her, she strolled over, watching Squall curiously. "..I'm not really sure how to read the past ten or so minutes between the two of you," she admitted. "You were really upset there for a while but Laguna offered me a big smile when he went inside. You two didn't get into an argument did you?"
Squall offered her a smile. "No," he told her. "It's nothing."
Rinoa gave him a look.
He was quiet for a moment, "I just learned some things I wasn't really happy about."
"Oh? Was it really bad?" she asked.
"I'd rather not talk about it right now," he replied dryly as they walked towards the door.
"Oh, okay," she frowned, her bangs falling into her face a bit.
"But the trip wasn't totally unbearable," he offered.
"It wasn't?" she asked, surprised. To be fair she had no idea what they'd even gone off to do. She'd just hoped that it had gone well.
"Surprisingly," he admitted.
"So where did you two go?" she asked. "You were gone a really long time. The kitchen staff already fixed the rest of us supper."
"We went shopping. He introduced me to a friend of his."
"You went shopping?" she asked, crossing her arms and raising her eyebrows. "I can't ever get you to go-"
"It was for a ring not clothes," he addressed her argument quickly.
She covered her mouth with her hands and gasped. "You bought me a ring?"
Squall paused, wetting his lips. "I, well…. No, not exactly."
Her heart fell into her stomach and he could feel the disappointment shoot across to his side of the sorceress-knight connection. "..Oh," she managed, flattening her shirt a bit and awkwardly wrapping her arms around herself. "Well, what kind of ring were you shopping for?" she asked. "You know Zell is into that kind of stuff," she reminded him with as steady of a voice as she could muster.
Squall watched her. She looked like she was on the verge of tears. Correct that, she was already crying. "Rinoa don't cry," he told her, pulling out the ring box and opening it for her. "I didn't want Zell making this ring for you," he told her. "And I didn't want him making the bands to go with it either. But don't repeat that to him, I'm sure he'll find some way to take offense to it."
Rinoa stared quietly at the ring in his hand. Even with the exterior palace lights being the only illumination around them, the ring still seemed to sparkle. She held up her hand. "Put it on," she told him, holding her hand out expectantly.
Squall watched her, trying to read her emotions but she was guarding them very effectively. Eventually, he hoped to be able to do the same. He was fairly certain his thoughts were still his own, but his exposed emotions sometimes felt like a privacy breach. Hopefully, with time and practice, he'd figure out how to hide his emotions from her; assuming he could of course. For all he knew, her powers might not even allow it.
Shoving that uncomfortable thought aside, he dropped down to a knee and took the delicate little ring from its resting spot. He slowly slid it up past both of her knuckles and then adjusted it on her ring finger. He watched as she admired it in the dim light. A wave of excitement inundated their link as she dropped the guard she had up between them. Her cheeks still bore the pink hue from where she'd gotten upset but he could see and feel how happy she was. Slowly standing, he leaned in to kiss her. She responded by swatting him—twice.
"You are such a meanie!" she cried as she swatted him a third time. "You made me cry!"
He honestly couldn't tell if she was sobbing or laughing. Even the emotions she was flooding their link with were a bit jumbled and confusing.
"Don't ever do that to me again!" her voice squeaked a little as she pushed him back a step. "I am seriously crying and I can't stop," her squeaky voice grew more high-pitched as she succumbed to the sobs and let them take over her.
Squall stood there quietly. He didn't know how many times he'd heard other guys talk about how they wished they could understand what went through their women's minds. He could however say with the utmost certainty, that if any of those guys were ever given a glimpse of what Rinoa exposed him to, they would be even more dumbfounded than they had been to begin with. Women were complicated and irrational. He stood there rather lamely, as he tried to decide what he was supposed to do.
Rinoa wiped her eyes and put her hands on her hips. "When I'm crying you're supposed to comfort me," she informed him. "Give me a hug at the very least." He observed her for a moment, and only after a slight twinge of a grin crossed her lips did he step towards her. She smiled as she wrapped him in an exaggerated hug. He closed his eyes, sliding a hand up her back until it brushed the tips of her hair.
"Do you like it?" he asked quietly. He wasn't certain what kind of response he'd expected from her, but it certainly hadn't been the one he'd gotten.
"I love it. It's perfect," she whispered as she squeezed him a little more tightly.
"It's a princess cut," he pointed out.
"That detail did not escape me," she smiled broadly as she pulled away from him and brushed back her bangs. "The girls are going to love that little detail. Just wait til Selphie tells Irvine," she teased.
Squall shook his head. "You say want me to make friends but yet you sabotage the friendships I manage to obtain. Eventually he's going to stop talking to me."
"Oh he will not. He's too big of a softie," she smiled, taking his hand as they stepped inside. "Did you and Laguna stop for supper before coming back?"
"No," he made a face. "We pretty much came straight back after the jewelry store. Things got awkward."
She frowned. "For a pair of guys, you two are too complicated. You're both nice guys, I don't understand why you can't just get along?" He wanted to laugh at her suggestion that he and Laguna were complicated but he didn't.
"We are getting along," he informed her as he made an abrupt right for the kitchen and tugging her gently as he walked. She smiled as she trotted to catch up to him. Tightening her hold on his hand, she pulled him playfully towards her.
"What I felt earlier was anger and distress. That is not getting along Squall."
"We've come to some agreements. We understand each other," he offered.
"Oh?" she asked.
"But it is a little complicated," he admitted.
She poked him teasingly in the side with her free hand. He twisted away with a smile.
Arriving in the kitchen, he looked around for a plate. Finding one, he began digging food out of the refrigerator. A member of the kitchen staff rushed over to heat up the food for him. Rinoa watched as she hopped up on a stool to wait on him, intending on telling him all about her trip to the museum whether he wanted to hear it or not. Then, she was going to get him to open up to her about what had been bothering him so badly on the ride back.
Down the hall in the guys' room, Irvine, Jasper, and Zell sat surrounded by bowls of junk food and open drink containers. The lights were out and the big screen on the far wall illuminated the room with a strobe effect. Irvine sat on the floor, using an ottoman as an arm rest while he worked to open a camera box. He paused long enough to take a drink and then set it aside. Watching the movie distractedly, he spared a glance every now and then to the carnage that was unfolding before them.
Zell meanwhile, sat on the short sofa with Jasper, his hand resting on the rim of a large bowl of buttered popcorn. His eyes never left the screen as he brought a handful of popcorn up to his mouth and shoved it inside. "One of the best parts is almost here," he assured Jasper as he chewed his mouthful of popcorn. With his other hand, he reached over and grabbed his drink.
Beside him, Jasper spared him a quick glance before returning his attention to the movie. He'd been silent the entire movie, taking as many notes as he could. "…Are all zombies like this?" he asked, leaning forward a bit.
"What about 'em?" Zell asked, going in for more popcorn.
"Zombies. Are they all this… grotesque and scent driven? How else do they keep finding those people?"
"The girls screaming probably isn't helping their stealth abilities," Zell shrugged it off before finishing his drink. He made a face as he looked down in the bottom of the bottle.
Jasper continued watching the movie uneasily.
"…Dude, it's just a movie," Zell informed him.
"Yeah I know," Jasper played it off. Of the few movies he'd seen since he'd left the ship, none of them had been remotely like this. "I just…real life zombies, what are they like? Not like …this? Right?"
Zell laughed. "Zombies aren't real. Well, zombies like that aren't real."
"But they are real," he replied, looking for the confirmation.
Zell reached over and paused the movie. "It's a status thing," he told him. "You have to get a zombie spell cast on you."
"But is it like that?" Jasper pressed.
Zell and Irvine exchanged momentary glances. It was becoming clear that the years spent on the SeeD Ship had left Jasper a bit naïve to certain things in the world much like it had Ellone. They needed to get him out more.
"Well your skin does turn a sickly green color," Irvine admitted.
"And you get like, really resistant to physical attacks. It makes you like a tank. It's disorienting to say the least," Zell offered.
"You've been zombified?" Jasper asked in awe.
"Only briefly," Zell informed him. "It's easily cured if you have the right magic on hand."
"Or holy water," Irvine chuckled. Zell scowled over at him. His reaction only made Irvine grin more broadly. "Green. The putrid color green it turned you, looked horrible on you man," he teased. "And those black eyes were pretty freakish."
"I didn't look freakish," Zell dismissed him.
"You looked freakish man. There was no blood or open sores and he didn't try to eat any of us… although to be honest, considering how much he eats normally, I was really surprised," Irvine continued teasing him as Jasper cracked a small grin.
Zell grabbed a throw pillow and threw it at Irvine.
"Dousing him in holy water was so hilarious. He was all green and his bright blonde hair was hanging in his dark, lifeless eyes," Irvine laughed. "The girls were freaking out."
"Was this during the mission? Where was Squall?" Jasper asked.
"I was pitching my recommendations to Quistis that we leave him that way," Squall replied from the doorway.
"Seriously?" Zell frowned as he spun around in his seat. "You guys are asses!"
Squall shrugged it off as he came into the room. "You were quieter as a zombie. Aside from the groans and grunting," he smiled a little smugly. "But like he said, it freaked the girls out. Even Quistis was a bit rattled."
Zell crossed his arms in a huff. "I hate you both."
Irvine grinned as he leaned forward and took the remote. "No you don't," he said as he pushed play. "But to answer your question Jay, no. Real life zombies aren't like this."
Jasper managed a slight nod. He was relieved because the movie was freaking him out— not that he'd admit it. "Well spending most of your life on a wooden boat will kind of kind of keep you ignorant to some things," he mumbled in defense of his uneasiness.
Squall nodded as he pulled out his wallet and placed it on the oversized dresser. He paused momentarily to adjust his ring on his finger and then removed his gunblade from his hip. Without a word, he carefully placed the luminescent blue blade in its case. Pulling out a cleaning cloth, from a pocket in the case, he gently wiped away a smudge before replacing the cloth and closing the case.
"Now that that routine is over with," Irvine teased. "How was your trip into the city with Laguna? We were starting to consider launching a rescue mission."
"I didn't need rescue," Squall assured him as he removed his gunblade support belts and then began removing his boots.
"Not for you, for Laguna," Irvine grinned.
Squall looked up at him, some of his chestnut hair falling into his face. He didn't dignify that statement with a reply. Neatly placing his boots beside the chair, he sat down and leaned into the plush backing of his seat.
"So what were you two doing all this time?" Zell asked. "You missed supper."
"Ring shopping," Squall responded, absently watching the zombie hoard on the television screen. The volume was turned down but Zell had watched this movie so many times around him that Squall nearly had the entire thing memorized.
The movie was paused again.
"What kind of ring shopping?!" Zell asked.
"What kind of ring do you think?" Irvine countered as he sat the camera aside and hooked the battery up to the charger that came with it. "Let's see it," he told Squall with a broad grin.
"I don't have it," Squall replied. He tried twice to move his hair out of his face with a toss of his head but had to resign himself to actually tucking it behind his ear with his free hand. He needed a haircut.
"Did you buy anything?" Irvine asked him. "There's a place down on Seaside in Balamb that has a pretty nice selection."
Zell looked over at Irvine as if he were crazy. "Are you kidding me?! Am I the only one here not looking to get married before I'm twenty?" He realized Jasper was still sitting next to him and threw his arm around his shoulders. "Are Jay and I the only two here not looking to get married before we're twenty?!"
Jasper looked down at Zell's hand on his shoulder and gently lifted it up and moved it off.
Zell threw up his hands. "Sorry man, I thought we were buds. I didn't realize you'd take offense."
"I didn't," Jasper assured him. "But first off, I'm twenty-two already. And second, Ellone and I are planning on getting married just as soon as we can figure out how to gently break it to Laguna."
Squall sat up, suddenly very interested in the conversation.
"You're what?!" Zell exclaimed.
Author's Notes: I'd like to thank everyone that's still reading and reviewing this story. I'd also like to apologize for the lengthy waits between updates. I struggled a lot trying to put Squall's emotions about his mother and Winhill into words, and it took a lot of heavy editing by both my muse and myself to fashion something that I hope is at least understandable. This was another chapter that had to be broken up to keep it from being overbearingly long and then it was further delayed by a series of unexpected illnesses in the family. Hopefully I won't have to deal with any more of that this winter and I'll be able to get my updates out faster.