Author's Notes: Hoo, boy, sorry it took so long to get this up. I kinda got stuck for a while there…but thanks to my girly Wolfy and Noacat, I finally got it done. Special thanks to both of you! Mwa ha ha, I love giving cliffhangers. Is there something mentally wrong with that? I wonder…anywho, I'm surprised some of you didn't know why he froze, but you're about to find out! On with the story!! Thanks for reviewing, don't stop yet!! Much love, ~Rose.
Noacat, this chapter is dedicated to you.
Running
Chapter 6
Melt
"I melt
Everytime you look at me that way
It never fails, any time, any place
This burn in me is the coolest thing
I've ever felt
I melt…"
-Rascal Flatts, "I Melt."
In mid-strike, Squall froze.
Rinoa looked over at him, confused. Why had he stopped? The monster was still moving, ready to attack at any moment, and he was unmoving right out in front of it. She couldn't understand what might be going through his mind to cause him to do this. Looking over at Angelo, who barked, she patted his head, a worried look still clearly written on her face. "What's going on, Angelo?" she asked him, close to his ear. "Why isn't he moving?"
"Glad Rinoa's okay?" "Got scared for a second!?" What the hell am I thinking? In the midst of these disturbing thoughts, the Electrode attacked again, sending an electrical current shooting up and down his arm. He dropped his gunblade to hold on to the shaking arm, but let no cry of pain escape his lips. He kept it bottled inside, not wanting to show weakness to anyone, especially Rinoa. Dammit, he scolded himself. Stop thinking like that!
Realizing he was in need of help in battle, Rinoa refused to give the "Damsel in Distress," impression and pulled herself up from the cement. Angelo gave her a nudge with his snout to attempt to help, and she gripped her Pinwheel with renewed strength, aiming it at the offending monster.
"You okay, Squall?" she called to him, eyes fixed on the Electrode. She released the Pinwheel and listened as it sliced through the air, and a smile came to her face at the appeasing sound of weapon meeting flesh and tearing through bone and sinew. Fixing the weapon back into its projectile holster, she gave a cheer as the monster fell.
"Look Squall!" she cried, ignoring the fact that he hadn't responded to her earlier question. "We did it! We beat him!"
Shaking his arm to try and relieve the surges of electricity coursing through his veins, he shot Rinoa a glare. Though he knew inside that he was almost glad she'd helped him and they'd beaten it, he wasn't about to voice it. Currently his emotions were being tossed around like a Tornado spell, and he was going to try to disregard that as long as possible. "Whatever," he responded coldly. She frowned, a hurt look entering her chocolate eyes, but was determined not to give up on making this guy let down the walls that so obviously surrounded his heart.
"Whatever?" she repeated, giving him an odd look with a playful smile attached to it. "That doesn't seem like a grateful, respectful SeeD from Balamb Garden."
Squall ignored her and kept walking. This girl was starting to get on his nerves, and he was starting to wish he hadn't allowed her to come along. Just as he was about to tell her what he thought, however, he felt a hand on his shoulder and grabbed his gunblade, turning around in a flash and flicking the tip of the sword to the furtive stranger. But, as Squall's eyes widened, he realized it was no stranger at all.
"Whoa, Squall," Nori said meekly as he tried to back off from the blade at his neck. "It's just me. You wouldn't want to have the killing of your group leader on file for your first mission, now would you?"
Still breathing heavily from the adrenaline rush, Squall lowered his gunblade and sheathed it. "Nori," he said calmly, although his nerves were still on edge. "Where did you all go?"
"Where did we go?" he repeated with a shake of his short auburn hair. "I don't think it's a question of where we went. You're the one who…" Nori's sentence was cut short as he finally noticed Rinoa's presence. She smiled knowingly, amused by his reaction to seeing her there.
"Hello," she said politely. "I'm Rinoa."
Nori gave a nod of acknowledgement, and spoke to Squall, though his eyes lingered on Rinoa. "So this is where you were," he stated quietly, a coy tone to his voice. "Squall man, I didn't know you had it in you! You dog."
Squall rolled his eyes, speaking in normal tones as the rest of the group looked at Rinoa, then back at him approvingly. "I didn't just pick her up somewhere." Well, I sort of did. "She's running away from home, and we were headed in the same direction. That's all."
Nori raised an eyebrow, but didn't push the matter, remembering what Squall's temper could unleash. "Well at least we found you. It's time we head back to Garden."
He nodded curtly to show comprehension, and turned to Rinoa. Coldly, he told her, "We have to head home now, so you're on your own. Good luck to you." He couldn't disregard the frightened look that came into her chocolate eyes, but pretended not to notice.
Just as he was about to turn away and follow the group, his arm was suddenly tugged back by Rinoa. "No! Squall, please don't leave me alone! I would've been a goner already if you hadn't been here with me. Please, don't leave." She begged with her eyes,a nd hoped that, like everyone else, he couldn't resist them. "Please," she whispered again, almost on the verge of tears. "I'm scared."
Squall felt his face grow red hot with embarrassment, and could hear Brecken and ? snickering, but after Nori elbowed them, they quit. Squall stood frozen for a moment, his gaze locked on hers, until finally he looked back at Nori, the question written in his stare.
"It's fine," he told him, beginning to walk forward. "Just stay behind her."
Rinoa beamed in relief and happiness, and Squall forced her to release the grip she had on his arm, showing that, even though he had let her tag along still, he didn't want her to get any more attached to him than she already was. "Thank you, Squall," she said softly, knowing she'd caused him to be embarrassed and feeling guilty for it. "I'm sorry I did that in front of all your friends…"
As much as he wanted to be angry, to be furious with her, he found it hard to keep the fury raging inside of him. "Whatever," he replied, not meeting her eyes. "It doesn't matter."
She knitted her brows, having had enough of his callous ways, saying, "Is that like the only word you know? A simple, 'You're welcome,' or, 'It's alright,' would do. Hell, even, 'Shut up,' would be better than, 'Whatever.' Just show some emotion, for Hyne's sake! Is that so much to ask?"
Maybe it is, he thought. What's it to you? I just saved your pathetic self from being alone down here and defenseless, and this is how you repay me? With a lecture?
"I said it didn't matter," he responded irritably. "What more do you want?"
She cast her eyes down to the floor. "Nevermind," she said quietly. After a few moments of silence that was golden to Squall, she spoke again. "Hey Squall?"
"What?"
"Can I ask you something?"
"Yeah, what?"
Her voice was timid, and it seemed she feared what he was going to say in response after she asked the question. "Um…after we get out of here…what's going to happen?"
He sighed inwardly, trying to keep his patience. Deep down he knew he liked the girl by the way he'd been acting earlier, but in attempting to keep those feelings from surfacing, he endeavored to push her away.
"Well, I have to go back to Balamb Garden, and you have to go wherever you're planning to go. I can't take you to Balamb with me, Rinoa. We have to separate."
It was the answer she had dreaded. Before she'd encountered this beautiful, stoic stranger, she'd had herself convinced that making it to Timber by herself would be a breeze, and she wouldn't need anyone. But after nearly being knocked unconscious by a simple monster in the sewer, she felt more insecure than ever, and realized she did need someone after all.
"Oh," was all she said, disappointment clearly heard in her voice.
He turned back to her and stopped, while the rest of the group moved on. Trying to keep his tone from sounding cruel, he said, "Tell me something, Rinoa. Before I showed up at your door, did you really think you were magically going to meet someone who would help you fight?"
She looked away and shook her head. "No, but I…"
He didn't wait for her to finish. "Then you should've known it wouldn't be easy to run away. And you must've thought you were strong enough to do it on your own, so I'm sure you are. You don't need me."
With that, he turned back around and began walking again, Rinoa remaining silent behind him. She knew he was right, up until the last part at least. She felt she did need him, and she didn't know how to convince him to stay with her.
Maybe I am just the spoiled, pampered brat everyone says I am, she thought dismally. I can't fend for myself. What am I supposed to do now? If I try to go on like this, I'll be dead before I get halfway to Timber. But I can't go back home, either, so it's not like I have a choice.
As they came to the ladder that would lead them out into the city, Rinoa felt apprehension. Despite knowing Squall only hours at most, she already felt that she didn't want to part with him for anything. Up above her, where he was already on the third rung of the ladder and working his way up, Squall was trying to fend off the same emotions she was feeling.
Dammit, stop thinking like that! The sooner I'm rid of her, the sooner these thoughts will go away.
As he reached the top, evening seemed to be settling on the city. Obviously they had been down in the sewer all day, and the bright lights in the popular city were gleaming all around them. Nori and the other two came out first, and Squall expected them to try and help him and Rinoa out of the hole, but no faces looked in at them. As Squall came out, he saw that the three SeeDs were being handcuffed by the Deling City Police, who had their backs to Squall.
Nori gave him a look that said, "Run! Before they see you!" and resumed asking the cop why they were being arrested. Squall could merely stare for the moment in wonder.
"By order of General Caraway, you are under arrest for the kidnapping of Miss Rinoa Caraway."
As Rinoa came out of the sewer, she was about to correct whoever called her Caraway. "It's Heart…" she was cut short, however, by Squall grabbing her hand out of sheer impulse and dragging her away from the scene as one of the cops turned around, pulling her around one of the pillars and covering her mouth with his gloved hand. Carefully peeking around the corner, Squall watched as the three men were being questioned, seeing that the cop who had turned went back to his business.
"Where is she?" one of the policemen demanded of them, not being gentle, either. "Where is Miss Caraway?"
Nori shrugged, replying, "I don't know, we never saw her. Why would you think we had?"
The police didn't favor that answer. "General Caraway said the passage to the sewer in his mansion was open. Balamb Garden said you were on a mission down there. Now where is she!?" They yanked on Nori's handcuffed hands, causing a grimace of pain to flash on his face.
But even with the pain, he refused to give up any information on Rinoa's whereabouts. Convinced that they wouldn't be getting any answers by free will here, they began leading Nori, Brecken and ? to the cars, telling them they'd be taking them down to the station to be questioned instead. As they departed, Squall's hand left Rinoa's mouth.
"Oh Hyne! They're being arrested because of me!" she exclaimed, panic written on her face.
Duh! Thanks for stating the obvious!
"Why didn't he just give me up? If it means them being arrested…"
"Because SeeDs are taught to resist giving up any information to protect a potential or current client," Squall snapped. Though how in Hyne's name he sees you as a potential client, I'll never know.
"I…I'm sorry. I didn't know my-the General would look for me," she sounded like she was about to cry, and it made Squall's gaze and tone soften.
"Don't worry about it," he said. "All they have is speculation. The worst they can do is put them in jail overnight, and Balamb Garden will bail them out. It's…not your fault." Did all of that mushy crap just come out of his mouth? One thing was for sure: this girl was not good for his reputation, he knew that much.
She smiled at the unusual kindness of his words. She didn't say anything in return, but her smile said thank you for the comfort.
"C'mon," he prompted, breaking the silence. "We have to get out of this town quickly. From now on, we're running."