Zell had seen a great many things since being a SeeD; the true side of politics, a warmonger gone mother, a country turned inside out and a building suddenly being able to fly to name a few. And that wasn't counting the endless crap he witnessed on Esthar, but that list was quite long. Long story short, Zell figured he saw pretty much everything once.
A sleepy Zidane in an oversized t-shirt about to fall off him answering the door to Squall's dorm? Nope, that was new.
Zidane's eyes were barely open. "Wut?" he murmured.
"Uh," Zell wanted to both look away and try to re-adjust the garment so it wasn't about to fall off. "Is… Squall there?"
"Sleepin'," Zidane yawned. "Whatcha need?"
Zell looked away as the wide neck of the shirt slipped off a shoulder, one hand rising to rub the back of his neck. "Uh, just to give a report…"
"Later?" Zidane swayed.
"Um, sure. Sleep well?" Zell looked back just as Zidane walked away from the door, making it shut and lock. He stared at the door for several seconds before shaking his head and leaving the dormitory area. His new motto was going to be, 'If I haven't seen it, I'm about to.'
Zidane clambered back into bed, where Squall laid half-awake himself. The mercenary cracked an eye open, and as Zidane made himself comfortable against his chest again, Squall flung the sheet back over him.
"Who was that?" Squall asked, a little more coherent even when sleepy.
"'Ell." Zidane muttered against his chest. He curled up as close as humanly possible. "Few mo' minutes."
"Give you thirty."
"Mmmmkay." Zidane smiled drowsily before he once more drifted to sleep, Squall holding him tightly.
Although he wanted to stay awake so he could keep good to his word, Squall found himself far too comfortable curled around Zidane in bed and drifted off before he knew it. The dreams he had were strange, like a mix of an actual dream and Ellone using her power. Squall saw Laguna, cheerful and stupid as always, except it was in the war-world. Hell, they even interacted—Squall had that feeling of passively watching like a third party, seeing his war-world self battle side by side with Laguna against the manikins and various henchmen of Chaos.
"These things are gettin' bad, aren't they?" Laguna asked, for some reason shading his eyes.
"Going on like this is suicide," Squall commented coldly. "We either head back or wait for the others."
Laguna looked at him, that look on his face as if he was never worried. "I think we can handle it."
"You don't think." Squall snapped. Laguna rubbed the back of his head at the tone.
"I know the whole thing between us has some bitterness…" Laguna muttered. "But, obviously we can kinda get along, so—"
"I'm not having this conversation right now." Squall turned on his heel, going back the way they came. Laguna waited a few moments before running after him.
In his sleep, Squall gripped Zidane's shoulders hard, his eyes twitching rapidly beneath his eyelids as he felt, through the fading dream, a presence bleeding into his mind.
"I said I'd try to talk to you this way again," Ellone's voice came through.
Is everything okay? Squall thought back.
Ellone actually laughed, so he took it as a good sign. "I suppose. Have you found Quisty and Rinoa yet?"
I'm taking a wild guess they're on the White SeeD ship with Matron. We're going to Balamb, and then heading to the orphanage. Tell me, is Esthar spying on us?
"Of course, but the President is buying you time."
… who is the President, Sis?
Ellone sent the impression of a wide smile on her face, and if he were awake, Squall would have facepalmed himself.
You're kidding.
"You should be glad I have connections in high places. You should get to them before Esthar does, and hopefully by then, he'll have reined the people in and found Adel so the people can focus on her instead of Rinoa." There was a sense of static, and Ellone's voice began to break. "Hu? I think one of us is waking…"
Squall's eyes shot open to stare into the half-cringed, half-concerned face of Zidane. Immediately realizing his bruising grip the mercenary released his smaller lover, who couldn't resist raising a hand to rub his aching shoulder. Squall sat up, bracing himself on one hand as the other covered his face as if to wipe away the rest of the sleep. Zidane also sat up, tail creeping up from the shirt and sheet to wave worriedly in the air.
Squall glanced down at Zidane, who waited patiently for him to explain his actions. Instead of doing that, Squall leaned toward him and pressed a little kiss to the bruised shoulder in apology; he climbed out of bed, stretching his arms above his head with a groan and glanced at the clock. Zidane looked at the clock himself, although he wasn't sure why the time seemed to be important.
Must not have been, if Squall's slow and casual movements were any indication; he grabbed the forgotten bottle of mineral water off the desk, taking a drink to wash out the just-woke-up taste.
"You okay?" Zidane finally asked, unable to keep silent for that long.
"Yeah," Squall grunted, taking another drink. He didn't particularly like his water room temperature, but he didn't want to throw it in the fridge and wait. "You?"
Zidane nodded, hopping out of the bed and merrily going to the closet where his bag of clothing was stored. Squall carefully kept his eyes averted when, as he browsed the small selection, Zidane's tail rose up, taking the hem of the shirt with it. No need to start any more of that sort of activity and endure more embarrassment.
Squall went into the kitchen with his water, leaving Zidane to change. Pausing at the counter and setting the bottle down, the mercenary pondered his plan—Ellone was working on her end to ensure Rinoa's safety, but once they caught up to the pair, then what? Did Squall once more play fugitive until everything calmed down, or do they go back to Esthar and try to fix what Rinoa screwed up? Obviously Ultimecia wanted Adel, and considering her tie with Squall, he was sort of obligated to figure this crap out.
He leaned his forearms on the counter, staring at the polished marble as his mind tried to come up with something. If the President of Esthar was who he assumed it was (and Ellone's amusement only confirmed it) then Squall had a decent chance of getting back into Esthar with Rinoa in one piece. Of course, this was assuming his hunch of their being on the White SeeD ship was correct. For all he knew Quistis ran off with Rinoa toward Trabia, where they could use their connection to Selphie to get temporary shelter. Since Trabia was in ruins and Esthar was xenophobic, Squall doubted they'd check there.
Crap, his plan could be completely wrong and those two were sitting ducks til he got Balamb Garden to Trabia. But if he weren't and they reacquired the women, then what? Did he wait for Ellone's signal? If so, how does one avoid a country capable of making fricking space ships?
Arms wrapping around his waist pulled him out of his thoughts, and Squall cringed for a moment even when he knew it was Zidane. Touch was still new to him, regardless of the memory he regained, and Squall's first reaction wasn't going to be pleasant unless he instigated the action. A few seconds after struggling with himself, Squall half turned to look down at Zidane, who stared up at him. He had donned his normal, outlandish clothes; Squall couldn't help but admire just how well they fit him, more than any outfit this world could provide.
"You're getting restless," Zidane noted. "C'mon, what's on your mind? Spill it."
Squall turned so Zidane could rest his chin against his stomach, and he lifted one hand to pet the thief's head. "Just trying to figure out our next move," he muttered.
"Take it one step at a time," Zidane offered. "Find Quistis and Rinoa first. Then we'll see what to do afterwards."
"Sounds like something Rinoa would say." Squall shrugged, then poked Zidane's forehead. "I gotta go see what Zell wanted and make my rounds. You be good."
"When aren't I?" Zidane playfully frowned, but released his boyfriend, making note of the slight relaxation of his body. So the shock of his return was wearing off.
Squall ruffled his hair, going to the bedroom to change to his usual clothes. He emerged moments later in the usual ensemble, including a new jacket. Zidane was poking around the kitchen, and although that slightly worried Squall (He hoped Zidane wouldn't find the automatic can opener) he nonetheless gave Zidane a quick kiss before departing. Zidane watched him go, and when he disappeared, the thief had to wonder what the hell he was going to do now.
"Will you quit giving me that look?" Squall scowled, and Zell blinked. "So what's the report?"
Zell rubbed the back of his head, just unable to shake the slight awkward feeling of knowing something private occurred between two of his male friends. Support or not, it was still strange as hell. "Uh, so I was helping repair the last bit of the quad when we noticed a big red space ship thing flying around toward Esthar. Since you came in on a space ship, I figured you'd know what it meant."
Squall didn't, but he could make a decent educated guess. "If it's Sis, we're fine. But there's a half chance it's not, meaning we need to skip Balamb and get to the orphanage."
"We can't skip Balamb, man," Zell replied. "A lot of students need to get home, and we've been getting calls and transmissions from families…"
Squall rubbed his forehead, his scar feeling itchy as hell. Zell was right, unfortunately—now that it was known their destination was Balamb, many students had actually packed, ready to disembark until the battle with Ultimecia was over. Most of them probably even called home to announce their arrival, and now that he was the complete leader of the Garden, Squall didn't want that mess on his lap.
"Go find Selphie," Squall said, putting a hand on his hip and assuming his usual leader stance, "and tell her to call the Balamb Pier. Arrange for a military oceanic vessel to be ready upon the Garden's arrival, preferably the same type we used for our SeeD exam. Then, tell Nida to park the Garden at its original place and keep low until we return. We'll spend four hours in Balamb to get supplies—Xu will handle the domestic affairs with the students and families. We'll take the vessel to Matron's."
"I gotta tell Xu her orders?" Zell groaned. Xu was such a bitch to anyone she deemed 'less' than herself. "All right, all right. But, uh, hey… how's Zidane?"
The look Squall gave him made Zell nearly regret the question, but the mercenary leader sighed. "You talked to him earlier."
"Yeah, but he was half-asleep. Now that it's been about a day after the whole thing in space, I'm just wondering if he's… mentally okay."
Squall shrugged, either in an uncaring or unconcerned way, Zell wasn't too sure. "Zidane's made of tougher stuff."
That seemed to be the end of the conversation, so Zell took his leave with a quick wave. Squall watched him jog down the hall toward the elevator, leaving him alone in the walkway with nothing much else to do but go back to his room.
Squall rubbed the back of his neck before heading toward the cafeteria. He needed a few minutes by himself to really think over his new plan and come up with possible strategies should certain outcomes come to pass. Zidane's advice to taking it one move at a time was good, but that wasn't Squall's way; no matter how some may say he had changed, there were just some things that were 'Squall,' and that included over-planning.
At the cafeteria, Squall had a cup of coffee, of which he spent more time staring at then actually drinking. If the spaceship was Ragnarok, than Squall was sure it was Ellone and those on their side. But what if Ragnarok was a mass-produced ship? Then it really could be anyone, including those who sought to do harm to Rinoa. Squall frowned at that thought—he wasn't going to let anyone entomb Rinoa. The mercenary was finding himself developing quite the fierce protectiveness of all of those under him, something he was sure he developed in the war-world when he spent his time with Zidane and Bartz.
As much as Squall meant to plan his moves should the Ragnarok-ship-thing proved to be enemies, his mind shifted to a much more personal thought process. Now that he regained his memories, so did he the emotions and thoughts attached to them. When Zidane finally discovered and did his divine-given duty… was Squall expected to just let him go? Squall took a large swallow of the still scalding coffee, coughing some of it up and covering his mouth with a napkin. He waved at alarmed students meandering nearby, assuring he was okay.
Yet his mind wasn't okay. He didn't want to let Zidane go, not after nearly losing him. He wanted to keep the thief at his side, selfishly away from his homeworld. Zidane obviously was completely in love with Squall, so it wasn't like he wouldn't be happy. Squall knew, with this whole 'promotion' as the Garden Commander, he could easily provide for them both and Zidane would never know sadness. Why did he have to leave at all?
He doesn't belong here.
He belongs with me.
Squall wasn't used to being possessive of a person, or even having a person to call 'his.' Now that he had, he was finding himself floundering of how to handle it. Sure, the memories he recovered indicated they had a good relationship in the war-world, but he didn't remember everything. How did he act, exactly? Was it like Zidane said, the same? But how could it be the same if he never had someone before Zidane?
Squall felt like taking another hot swallow of coffee to clear his head. He was supposed to be thinking of plans and battle strategies, not personal problems. But…
"Thought you were makin' rounds?"
Speak of the devil—Squall raised his eyes from the coffee to the sparkling blue orbs of Zidane. He had to fight the strange but nice feeling of seeing those eyes so alive again. "I did."
"Didn't last very long," Zidane sat in the chair next to him. "What're you doing, sitting here all alone?"
"Thinking," Squall answered matter-of-factly, taking a smaller sip of coffee. It wasn't as hot as before now. "You hungry?"
"Nah," Zidane fiddled with his gloves. "Just kind of… want to spend time with you." He glanced around, hoping no one heard.
Squall frowned a bit, tapping the edge of his mug as he stared at Zidane. In the war-world, their secret lasted maybe a few days before it got out, but the other Warriors were very understanding and accepting. Despite that, Squall faintly recalled keeping pubic displays on the low end… now, in his world, they couldn't even look at each other for too long. He was in too high of a position for such… information to be revealed.
Zidane seemed to think the same, for he sat casually away from Squall, body language denying any sort of romantic connection between them. The mercenary had to admit Zidane was an excellent actor.
"Bored?" Squall asked lightly.
"Yeah. When this thing is sailing there isn't much to do, other than randomly play Triple Triad with people or pester you." Zidane smirked at the last part, and Squall couldn't help smiling a tiny bit.
Squall felt the urge to grasp Zidane's hand, some strange itch that egged him to do it. He wasn't sure if it was just normal teenage hormones or he just wanted to assure himself this was his Zidane, but he fought it down regardless. He had to be professional…
If I had fallen for Rinoa, it'd be all dandy to make out against the wall. But that was life in his world.
"C'mon," Squall got up, leaving the half-drunk mug there. Zidane blinked, gazing up at him with a questioning look. Students near them were also watching, and Squall pointedly ignored them. "I got battle strats I want to bounce off you, and the cafeteria's too noisy."
Zidane caught the look in Squall's eyes, and he had to make sure he wasn't too eager in taking his place next to Squall as they exited. The eyes watching them felt suspicious, or was he paranoid?
This wasn't how it should be; Zidane felt caged in a way different than anything he ever experienced. In the war-world, if he wanted, he could hold Squall's hand. Whether or not the mercenary let him was a chance, but he could try… or hop on his back, or randomly hug him, and nothing terrible would come of it. Now, suddenly it felt as if he were being watched. Every move was recorded and analyzed, making Zidane having to actually think of his actions and words.
They happened to walk down an empty hall when Zidane finally reached out and grabbed Squall's hand. That made the mercenary freeze and he tried to pull away, but the blond held on stubbornly.
"Zidane," Squall hissed, eyes darting around. Not many went to the quad since it was technically still under repair, but still…
"This sucks," Zidane complained, holding tightly onto Squall's hand. "I knew your world was judgmental as hell, but it's just the first day and I already feel on edge and paranoid! Squall, it isn't any of their business, can't we just… not care about what they think?"
"I don't. But I do care if they'll follow me or not," Squall gently pried Zidane's hand from his, dropping them after giving his fingers a squeeze. "I have to lead these people, and they have to believe in me if I'm going to successfully do that."
"They can believe in you still," but Zidane knew it was a losing argument, and he frowned deeply. "I just…"
"I know," Squall muttered, his expression almost uncharacteristically soft. "We have limited time and this is wasting it. I'm sorry."
"Ya don't have to be," Zidane waved his hand in the air, trying to dispel his own disappoint at the entire situation. Maybe it really would have been better if Squall never remembered… "It's just how the Zodiac drops. We'll get through like always… right?"
"Shouldn't you be more optimistic?" Squall raised an eyebrow, losing his affectionate expression.
Zidane grinned cheekily at him. "I'm stealing your job like the thief I am."
Squall rolled his eyes and turned to continue their walk to the quad, where repairs were finalizing. Construction workers were cleaning up their tools of the trade, and as Zidane inspected the repairs around him Squall spoke to the overseer about what changes were placed. The quad was essentially the same as before, but now it was fit to be a defensive position with well-hidden ramparts for casters and ranged and sturdy (but 'fashionable' as Selphie put it) barricades for melee to take refuge behind. The military touches were well concealed so more festive gatherings could still occur, but never again will the quad be the Garden's weak point in another clash.
Squall probably spent a good hour touring the new investments, and Zidane fidgeted in boredom. He knew it was all important and Squall's job to make sure it was done right, but for someone like him it was too slow and monotonous. However, if he weren't here, he'd be going crazy from boredom elsewhere.
"Inspection passed," Squall finally said, and the overseer seemed to finally breathe. He began to write rapidly on a clipboard. "Finish your finalization and talk to Xu for your payment. When we dock at Balamb we will arrange a barge for you to be returned to FH."
"Much obliged," the man replied, taking the clipboard from Squall and passing it to another worker. "It's always a pleasure to help our friends."
Squall frowned slightly. "I'm not sure if your mayor thinks such."
"He's a stick in the mud," the overseer said, waving his hand in the air. "I mean, I respect him and all, but you're all still good kids." He patted Squall on the shoulder and walked away, leaving the mercenary scowling.
"Not kids," he muttered, turning to look down at Zidane. "I think that covers my rounds."
"Great," Zidane grinned widely, eyes sparkling. "Let's go to the dorm."
"Why?"
Somehow Zidane's grin got bigger, but instead of scoffing, Squall matched him with a grin of his own.
The team spent an hour tops in Balamb itself. Although many students wanted Squall to handle the affairs, the mercenary briskly told them otherwise and pointed them to Xu. With Nida's help, Xu more or less took over Garden and Squall felt confident about leaving it in her iron fist. He could only hope she'd pry that fist open when he returned.
Once supplies were purchased and Zell dropped a brief visit with his family, they crammed themselves into the military vessel Squall had requested. Within minutes they were bulleting across the ocean, meant to reach Centra within a day and a half at full speed.
Unfortunately, the barge only had one living space and four bunks. Immediately realizing that, Squall had made it his intention to sleep on the couches in the debriefing cabin, which only drew attention to him. With no way to avoid everyone, he was forced to endure the questioning looks from Selphie and Irvine until the girl finally cornered him.
"So like, you and Zidane are official, right?" she asked, right in front of everyone, in the middle of Squall speaking of his plan.
That made him go quiet and Zidane to wince. Zell had to turn his head, as he was confident he knew already, as Irvine and Selphie stared earnestly. Finally Squall sighed deeply, dropping his hand from the flickering map of Centra.
"Yes, Selphie," Squall said, rather bluntly and casually. "Zidane and I are dating. Now, can we move on?"
"Just wanted to make sure," she said, smiling. "We figured you would, but it seemed so… like you weren't!"
"I'm a military officer. I'm not going to advertise my relations in Garden; now, as I was saying—"
"Oh I understaaaaand," Selphie again interrupted. "But you know around us it's okay to act like a couple!" she elbowed Irvine before he could say anything. "We don't judge, right guys?" she glared.
"Nope," Zell said. "But I don't think that's appropriate right now, Selphie."
Squall grunted. "By now, the White SeeD ship should have reached Matron's house. We'll dock on the beach near there and hike the rest of the way—if luck's on our side Esthar will have not deployed a—"
Selphie's nose was cutely scrunched as she asked randomly, "Is it true guys only get together cause it's easier than getting in a girl's pants?"
Squall facepalmed, and Zidane awkwardly patted his back. "Selphie…"
"Cause like, Rinoa would have been willing…"
Zell gave Selphie a look. "We don't judge, right?"
Realizing how she was coming off, the statement made Selphie finally fall silent and look at her lap self-conciously. Giving Zell an appreciative look, Squall was able to finish the debriefing of the situation and his plans given any scenario. If unfriendly Estharians were present, they would do enough just to secure the women; if Ellone's allies, they would use them to send a message to Esthar. Squall hoped no Estharians were there and he could just take the girls and leave.
After a rather tense evening meal Selphie and Irvine retired to the sleeping quarters, leaving the other three in the debriefing cabin. Zidane lounged on a couch across Squall's lab, fiddling with his unloaded gunblade as Zell thumbed a magazine, leaving Squall to slouch and partly doze as he randomly flicked at Zidane's twitching tail.
"Sorry about Selphie," Zell suddenly said, bringing Squall out of his doze. "I probably should have told them so this wouldn't happen, but I wasn't sure if you'd want me to do that."
Zidane rolled the barrel of the weapon, the clicks echoing in the room. "I guess we were doing a decent job at hiding it, if Selphie didn't pick up on it."
"Selphie's dense," Squall muttered, languidly staring at the fuzzy tail now wrapped around his forearm. "No, Zell, it's fine. I was waiting til we were all back together so I only had to deal with this once, but I should have known better."
The boxer looked over from his magazine. "What's the plan once we get Rinoa and Quistis back?"
Squall was hoping the answer to that question would have formed eventually, but all he could do was shrug. Zell waited a few moments before going back to his reading, and Zidane flipped himself over so he could look at Squall.
"We should go back to Esthar," the thief said, making Zell look back up. "Find Adel… and Ultimecia."
Squall frowned. "Provided we can even get into the country…"
Once more the cabin fell quiet, Zidane sitting up and resting his head on Squall's shoulder. Squall put an arm around his shoulder, but otherwise just tilted his head up and stared at the ceiling. Once he got Rinoa and Quistis back, he had no idea what to do… what to expect. At this point, all he had to do was wait and take things as they came.
He hadn't noticed Zell left until the door closed behind him, and Squall looked over to it with a sort of dazed expression. He felt exhausted for some reason, as if he weren't getting enough sleep, and that was a bad sign. Squall knew he needed to be in fighting condition, because a conflict was just around the corner. If the Estharians were at Matron's and they were enemies, he needed to…
Soft lips grazed his neck, making Squall freeze and his entire body tense. When Zidane's warm breath washed over the sensitive skin, Squall had to suppress both the urge to throw him and the desire to shudder. He looked down to see Zidane's half-lidded eyes, lips ever so slightly parted.
He didn't get a word in—before Squall could say anything, Zidane leaned closer and their lips brushed as he adjusted himself in Squall's lap. The mercenary's eyes darted to the door, but he was only given a half a second to look before Zidane was comfortably straddling him and pressing their lips together in a soft but insistent kiss. It took several seconds for Squall to finally relax into the touches, and a few more for him to return the kiss. It remained rather chaste, and when they pulled away to gaze at each other, Zidane had that lazy smile Squall quite liked.
"Getting time alone it going to be harder," Zidane whispered, not daring to ruin their moment with a loud voice, "now that we left the Garden."
"We'll have to make do," Squall muttered. He lifted a hand to lightly graze Zidane's lips with his gloved fingertips. He still felt a bit conflicted in a way, how to act to having his first boyfriend whom he had before.
Zidane seemed all right with that, an understanding shimmer to his eyes as he kissed Squall's fingers. He figured he'd have to lead their dance, in subtle ways of course, but subtle was his middle name even if he pretended to be brash. "Like… now?"
Squall smirked a bit. "This is rather public."
"Nothing bad, of course," Zidane chastised, leaning closer again. "But just…"
His sentence was cut off as they kissed again, this time Squall more receiving of the attention. The mercenary wrapped his arms tightly around the slimmer Zidane, shifting so the blond sat in a much more provocative position in his lap as the kiss took a much deeper, more sensual turn. Zidane's soft moan passed between their kiss, the minute vibration inviting a more vigorous response from Squall. Their calm kiss because more passionate and frequent, and although he knew anyone could walk in at any moment, Squall didn't care. He knew moments like this were going to be few and far between, if this weren't the last… and he had to get his fill while he could.
He belongs with me.
We won't be together forever.
Make these count.
Their kissing ended with gasps on both of their accounts, and Squall quickly glanced at the door. They remained alone, and Zidane grasped his face between his hands, forcing Squall to look at him.
"Stop it," Zidane said breathlessly, shifting his hips in Squall's lap and delighting in the look that blossomed on his mercenary's face. "Just for a minute, I want to be selfish and have all of your attention."
"Zidane," Squall half-groaned. "Stop doing that."
"This?" he shifted again, and Squall had to bite his tongue. "Only if you quit looking at the door."
"Fine, I'll stop looking at the door."
Zidane smirked triumphantly before instigating another kiss. He behaved for a few moments, but he quite liked the sensation of grinding against his mercenary. Regardless of the rising passion between them, which should have also risen Squall's apprehension of getting caught, the brunette kept to his word and did not look at the door; instead he did as Zidane requested, turning all of his focus to the blond by returning the favor of fevered kisses and sensual movements.
The next morning found the pairing on the couch, Squall sleeping on his back with one arm tucked under his head, the other around Zidane whom slept happily on top of him, tail coiled around Squall's thigh. Squall's jacket served as a sort of blanket over their bare upper bodies; although Irvine was glad they had pants on when he happened to enter the cabin. Despite the awkwardness and general disgust the gunner felt, he nonetheless swallowed it down and left the couple to sleep, deterring the other two of the party from entering.
"Why, what's up?" Selphie raised an eyebrow when Irvine attempted to direct her away from the debrief cabin. "They gotta get up, we get to shore in an hour or two."
"They're having, ah…" Irvine frowned a bit. "A moment, Selphie. Let's be friends and let them have it."
Selphie's face had the comical combination of mischievous and appalled, but her brighter side won over and she giggled. "Yeah, I guess. They won't get another chance like this, right?"
"Right, so let's drop that topic and mooooove on," Irvine gently grasped her shoulders and turned her around, heading for above deck.
Zell watched them go, then glanced at the door leading to the cabin. He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, unsure of what to do—he didn't want to wake their leader up quite yet, but he didn't want to see Selphie and Irvine suck face either. Damn teenager hormones…
Having no other choice, Zell went back to the bunks. Maybe he'd find another magazine or something.
Squall was displeased with the group's apparent shyness to get him up before they reached shore. The only reason he even got up once they beached was the impact of the vessel hitting the bank, and both he and Zidane had gone flying off the couch and uncomfortably onto the floor. Zidane's advantage to being small proved to be good for him, but terrible for Squall—he was fairly sure his chest was going to be bruised for a while. He absent-mindedly rubbed where he landed on Zidane's elbow.
"I said sorry," Zidane mumbled upon seeing him do it.
"And I said don't worry about it," Squall dropped his hand and tried to remind himself to quit doing that.
Luck was on their side as the group made the short journey to the stone house; Squall could see the White SeeD ship docked near the orphanage and there was no Estharian ship, ocean or space variety, around. Now he had to hope that luck held and he was right about the women.
A few hours of mostly silent walking (Squall figured they all had the wrong idea, but then again, he would have probably thought the same if he walked in on any two of them shirtless and cuddling.) found the group of five at their old home. Before they even got to the door it opened, Quistis running out with a smile on her face.
"Guys…!" she threw her arms around the first person, who happened to be Zell. "Oh, thank Hyne! We were afraid Esthar might hold you prisoner because of us or… or…"
Squall breathed out a sigh of relief, loud enough that all heard it and stared in amazement. "So you and Rinoa are here," he said to her.
Quistis let Zell go to look at their leader, and she nodded. "She's with Edea now, and—hey, Zidane, you're really awake!" the blond woman went to him and, dropping to her knees, gave him a hug as well.
Zidane patted her back. "Yeah, and I'm glad to see you're okay too." When Quistis released him, he smiled charmingly at her. "What's Rinoa doing with Edea?"
"Sorceress training," the ex-instructor replied, getting to her feet and dusting her dress off. "I'm pretty sure Esthar told you some terrible bullshit or something. Sure, what Rinoa did was stupid and unforgivable, but—"
"We know," Squall cut in. "Ultimecia possessed her since she became a Sorceress. That's fine; we're going to protect her from Esthar. Can we see her?"
Zidane couldn't help but to give Squall a look at the anxious way he spoke, but he made sure Squall didn't see it. Rinoa was a friend, and one in a lot of danger, of course anyone would be anxious. Quistis nodded and led them all inside—Zidane couldn't imagine anyone living comfortably in such a crumbling, run-down place. But the SeeD went through without another glance, and Zidane trailed after them toward the backyard, which was a cliff overlooking the beach and lighthouse; Zidane saw what seemed to be the ship the women traveled on, and waiting in the yard was Headmaster Cid.
"Ah, Squall!" Cid exclaimed. "We saw the military vessel and wagered it was you. What happened to the Garden?"
Selphie volunteered to fill the Headmaster in, and peering down the beach, the rest could see Edea and Rinoa near the water. Edea summoned pillars of ice from the ocean, and Rinoa seemed to be either trying to mimic the spell or best it with her own. With what seemed to be less effort, Rinoa's icy pillars were much thicker and taller, and when she dispelled them, they shattered into potentially harmful projectiles instead of vanishing.
The group minus Selphie went down the winding path, and Quistis shouted to them. The magically-inclined women looked over, and Rinoa's face lit up upon seeing Squall. To Zidane's inner jealousy's dismay, Squall's face also lit up.
The girl in blue dashed toward them and Squall briskly walked a few steps, the two colliding in a hug that was mostly Rinoa tackling him and Squall holding on to her to avoid dropping her and to balance himself. Despite that he still hugged her, and Zidane had to struggle to keep the frown from his face. Since when was he so easily made jealous?
The two separated and Rinoa lost her smile. "Squall," she muttered, barely heard over the waves of the beach. "I'm… I'm so sorry. I…" she looked past him to Zidane, and his jealousy withered as Rinoa began to cry.
"Rinoa…" Squall awkwardly grasped her by the shoulders, bending slightly to look up at her now-bowed head. "Rinoa, we're not angry. You didn't know, you couldn't help it."
"He's right," Zidane piped, knowing she needed to hear him say it. "I got nothing against you. I'm sorry I couldn't protect you."
"You have nothing to be sorry for," Rinoa sniffled, rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand.
By now Edea approached, and she placed a hand on Rinoa's back. "Head into the house, dear," she said in her motherly tone. "We're done for today. Good job, as always."
Rinoa nodded to her, smiling a bit. With Quistis, Zell and Irvine, she went back up the path toward the house, Zell and Irvine chatting excitedly with her. Now with just Squall and Zidane, Edea clasped her hands in front of her.
"She's horrendously powerful for such a young, fresh Sorceress," Edea said to the question in Squall's eyes. "But she has a pure heart—once she acquires a Knight, Rinoa will be a just, good-natured Sorceress as I tried to be."
Zidane wanted to ask why she needed a Knight, but the woman looking at him made him fall silent. She looked at him from the top of his head to the tip of his boots, her eyes lingering on his tail for a moment before finally she smiled. Zidane released a breath he hadn't realized he was holding.
"Finally awake," she said comfortingly. Somehow she now instantly put him at ease; no wonder they all liked her as a mother. Edea looked to Squall. "I take it you have discovered yourself?"
Squall didn't know what exactly to say, so instead he merely nodded and reached over, grasping Zidane's hand in his. Realizing what exactly was going on, Zidane stood by Squall and held his hand just as tightly, meeting Edea's eyes and hoping he was doing it right. He must have, because she smiled approvingly and placed a hand on each of their shoulders.
"Then may you be happy forever," Edea said with upmost sincerity. The men smiled brightly at her, then at each other, beaming.
Edea meant to say more, either about them or the situation with Rinoa, but she was cut off by the sudden roar of what seemed to be Ragnarok flying precariously low over the house. She ducked instinctively and Squall let go of Zidane's hand to cover her with his body as Zidane whirled around to follow the red ship with his eyes. Did they ever get a break?
When the shock faded and Squall straightened with Edea, he muttered, "I hope that's Sis…"
"Let us hurry regardless," Edea said firmly, already hurrying up the path. Zidane briefly had to marvel at her ability to run in such a seemingly tight dress.
They rushed after her, entering the house where everyone was gathered. Rinoa clutched something in her hands, and Squall recognized it as an Odine Bangle; she was shaking terribly. He touched her shoulder, and Rinoa jumped, dropping the item with a clatter.
Squall snatched his hand away, staring at the melted leather and flesh and scorched bones with wide eyes. Astonishment overrode the pain for a moment, but once that moment ended he let out a long hiss. Rinoa quickly grabbed his hand between hers, casting a Curaga spell and reversing the damage completely. It all happened within seconds, the only thing everyone turning to see was Rinoa holding Squall's hand. The young Sorceress inspected her healing, then dropped his hand.
"Sorry," she whispered as she picked up the bangle, clipping it on. "I… can't control the powers now that they're awake. It's why I've been training…"
"It's all right," Squall muttered, rubbing his now repaired gloved fingers and thumb.
Shoving aside what this all could implicate, Squall tapped Selphie and Zell on the shoulders. "You two come with me outside. The rest of you, guard Rinoa."
Zidane protested, but Squall just lightly caressed his cheek before the three darted outside, where they could see the Ragnarok-like space ship landing. Zidane raised a hand to his cheek, sighed and stood by Rinoa, who nervously clutched her elbow.
"I don't want to fight," Rinoa murmured. Edea came to her other side and placed a hand on her shoulder. "I'll lose control…"
"It's okay," Irvine said reassuringly. "It's probably Sis, er, Ellone. She's on our side, you kn—"
Gun fire made Irvine whirl around to face the door, eyes wide as they heard Squall shout out orders and Selphie screech in pain. Before the sharpshooter could rush to her defense, the door burst open and Esthar soldiers began to pour in.
Zidane summoned his daggers as Quistis drew and cracked her whip several times in the air to keep the soldiers at bay. Irvine pulled his shotgun from his back, dropping into a shooter's position and aiming at the nearest one. Rinoa backed away slowly as Edea also took on a protector's stance before her, the older woman casting a protective barrier of thick but transparent ice around the group. As fighting was heard outside, the leader of the Esthar unit before them pointed at Rinoa.
"For your transgressions against Esthar and for releasing the horrors of Adel," the man recited. "Sorceress Rinoa, you are hereby under arrest and sentenced for eternal entombment. Surrender peacefully and none here will be harmed. Resist and we will kill all of your friends."
Before Rinoa could break and do as the man commanded, Zidane launched himself into action, leaping over the barrier and kicking the unprepared soldier's chest. The man flew back, and the Estharians raised their weapons right at him. Zidane wanted to jump back over the barrier where he would be safe, but guns were faster than he was, and all Zidane heard was the explosion of at least five guns going off, all of them pointed at him.
Author's Note: So sorry for such a long wait for an update! Clinicals for nursing have started so now I got even less time to write and do all the stuff I wanna do ; ; Like Magnetized lol Hopefully I'll get the first few parts of that posted here soon…
-Wingsong5555: Selphie embarrasses everyone XD And she'll continue to do so!
-Kuroneko03: Second opportunity came and went, perhaps third time's a charm? XD Although Zidane won't know about Laguna and Squall, given his memory of the 12th Cycle was purged completely, and Laguna was not part of the 13th Cycle. I'll get to work on Magnetized soon though! =)
-Lady Phantome: Chicken pox? Oh my, I hope you're doing much better now! Welcome back =D And yes, I'm also glad to be having more 8x9 moments in the fic now, I may or may not get carried away with it despite working on Magnetized XD But oh, your comment about chapter 9 made me realize I subconsciously started the heavy 8x9 stuff on chapters 8 and 9… XD Haha. As for your correction, yours flows better than what I had, I'll go back and edit it a bit later on. Thank you =)
-Lady Kupo: Man, the whole 'give me a hug' scene was kinda… awkward to me lol Squall was all gungo of saving her and all of a sudden he didn't 'care' anymore until they got to the cockpit and had their moment, and even then he was kinda stand offish, and then… yeah lol I mean, I liked that part of the game, but at the same time it's so… strange now! XD Zidane and Squall are still reconciling their relationship a bit, but as Squall gets used to it, Zidane gets confidence and… fun stuff happens, heee. Don't worry, the bath scene gets much more detailed in Magnetized. *fangirl giggle*