Chapter One: 6 Months Later
By PasifikStar
Author's Note: This is mostly an introductory chapter which sums up part of "My Knight" and where things have progressed since then. Nothing really happens and it's not really gripping, but it's a start. ^_^
* All Standard Disclaimers Apply: I do not own Final Fantasy or it's characters.
"Luke!" Selphie ran out into the stage, her long yellow, school marm costume flowing behind her as she stopped in the middle of the stage. The bright lights shone on her and the lone figure across from her. Her green eyes moistened as she stood there. "Luke...you didn't come say good-bye..." she said softly, her mouth setting into a bitter sweet smile.
Irvine, wearing dark brown leather chaps, a heavy wool lined jacket, and his very own black cowboy hat, closed his eyes. His back was turned to Selphie as his hand clenched the prop gun at his side. The audience waited with baited breath as they watched him earnestly, all hoping that he would respond to the young woman's calls. Instead, a whisper slipped from his lips. "Sarah..."
"I just thought, you know..." Selphie trailed off as she took a few reluctant steps towards him. "You'd say good-bye."
Irvine's head lifted and he turned to look at the petite, green eyed young woman. "Sarah...I ain't saying good-bye."
Her usually cheerful face took on a look of confusion. "But-" Before she could say another word, Irvine stood across the stage and took her hand in his. He slipped a small silver band on to Selphie's tiny left ring finger.
"I'll come back and that's a promise," he told her intently. He lifted up one of his hands and slowly removed the finger less glove from his left hand. Selphie watched with shock as a glistening silver band that matched her adorned his ring finger. "I ain't saying good-bye."
"Luke..." Selphie whispered. She covered her gaping mouth with her hands as Irvine smiled down at her. Without a second thought, her arms flew around the cowboy's waist and clung on to him. Irvine smiled as he gently put his arms around her slim shoulders.
"Wherever I go...I will come back to you, Sarah," Irvine said softly. "I'll come back to you not a gunslinger. Not a gambler. I'll come back to you man. But, rest assured, Sarah...I WILL come back."
With that, Zell cued the lights to dim on the outdoor stage. The lighting crew dimmed the bright lights and immediately the audience rose with applause. Shouts and cheers were hear from below the stage and Selphie and Irvine parted from their hug. She gave him a kiss on the cheek as they headed in opposite ends of the stage for the curtain call.
"How was it?" Selphie said as she reached stage left where Rinoa was standing with a script.
"It was great, Selphie!" Rinoa said cheerfully as she hugged her friend tightly. "Thank you so much for this!"
Selphie blushed and giggled. "No problem! It was fun playing the lead in a play!"
"Rinoa! Stand by for curtain call!" Rinoa heard Zell's voice on the head set she was wearing.
"Okay, cool! Selphie, stand by for curtain call!" Rinoa said. Selphie nodded. "EVERYONE! Curtain call! Stand by!"
She gave the thumbs up to Nida, who was standing back stage with some equipment. He unrolled a sheet of paper as the lights wet back on the stage. Selphie was helping Rinoa get everyone into position for the final call. The back ground music for Rinoa's latest Garden production began to be played. Then, Nida's voice boomed over the stage.
"Now the cast of Rinoa Heartilly's 'Gunslinger'," Nida said. The crowds began to cheer. "Seifer Almasy and Quistis Trepe as Mayor Hardway and Madam Rogue!"
"Quisty!" Rinoa called. The blond, dressed as an old western bar owner in black and red nodded and walked out from stage left. Across from her, Seifer strutted out wearing the white and red costume of the town mayor. He stopped in center stage and waited for Quistis to reach him before offering his arm and leading her out to the front.
"I LOVE YOU, QUISTIS!" someone shouted from the crowd. Rinoa and Selphie snickered as Seifer scowled somewhat.
Nida began to call off the other names, such as Raijin, the head henchmen of Fujin, the villain. Xu was the gossipy preacher's wife and the preacher was Zell. The extra's came on stage and then all that was left was Selphie and Irvine.
"Irvine Kinneas and Selphie Tilmitt as Luke Stockdale and Miss Sarah Ann Walker!" Selphie and Irvine walked out from stage left and right respectively as their names were called. The audience went wild and began to clap insanely as the couple, arm in arm, walked to the front of the stage and bowed.
"And now, the director and writer of 'Gunslinger', Miss Rinoa Heartilly!" Nida added.
Rinoa shot him an annoyed, but secretly pleased look, as she removed her head set and walked out into the stage. Everyone, cast included, clapped and bowed as she walked past them. Just like Selphie before her, she was given several bunches of roses, of which she sheepishly accepted.
Selphie handed her a microphone and Quistis took some of her flowers so she could speak. "Thank you all so much for coming out and supporting Balamb Garden in our second theatrical production - 'Gunslinger'," Rinoa said with a bright smile on her face. "I'd like to take his opportunity to thank the Garden Faculty, Staff, and student body for their assistance. Thank you to our kind hearted producers who provided the financial backing for 'Gunslinger', no questions asked. To my cast and crew, without you, my vision wouldn't have come alive. And finally big thank you my ever diligent and understanding fiancee, Captain Squall Leonhart...where are you, Squall? Stand up, baby!"
Seifer smirked as Irvine let out a holler to encourage the young Captain. Squall, who had been sitting in the VIP section with Cid, Edea, Laguna, and some other important people stood up sheepishly and waved. The spot light was momentarily put on him as he tried to look stern, regardless of the burning blush on his face. *She never said I'd have to do this...* he thought himself as he quickly sat back down. He felt some people pat him on the back.
Rinoa looked back at the crowd. "Thank you all once again, and to all the Balamb Garden students, I'd like to invite you to try out for our next production, a rendition of the classic fairy tail, 'Beauty and the Beast'. Thank you and have a good night!"
With that, the play came to a close. Selphie and Irvine, as well as some cast extras, stayed to take pictures with some audience members and sign autographs. Rinoa immediately headed back stage to thank the crew and remind them to join them at the after production party in the ball room.
Just as she finished speaking to Zone and Watts, who had come to Balamb to do the lightning, two arms wrapped around her waist. The feeling was so familiar that Rinoa didn't even have to think to know who was doing it. "Great job, Rin..." a deep voice whispered in her ear.
"Squall!" Rinoa smiled and turned around. She put her arms around him and kissed him softly. "Did you like it?"
"I loved it. Except the end where you told me to stand up."
"Hmm..." she said with a sly look on her face. "You know you liked it."
"Whatever," he mumbled. He hugged his fiancee tightly once more before letting her go. He was wearing his SeeD uniform, the Captain's version and Rinoa had to admit he looked good enough to eat. "Are you ready to go?"
"Can I meet you there?" Rinoa asked sweetly. "I have to finish up here." Squall nodded, understandingly and watched as she began to take charge and tell everyone what to do.
Three months earlier, Squall had proposed to Rinoa during the curtain call of the Garden's first production 'My Knight'. The play itself was actually an immensely elaborate plan to bring together Quistis and Seifer on the part of Rinoa, Selphie, and even Fujin. Over a year of planning, and Rinoa had succeeded in their so called 'Project Seiftis'.
He shook his head as walked through the crowd that lingered in the quad, by the out door stage, and headed towards the ball room. Now, three months later, Rinoa had succeeded in what she told him was 'Project Selvine'. Where she got those names, he had no idea. In the three months of practice for the performance, Selphie and Irvine had officially become a 'couple'.
While it was true that Irvine openly flirted with any female that passed, he was, at least to him, undoubtedly devoted to Selphie. Squall walked into the bustling ball room, which was already beginning to fill with VIP guests who consisted of staff, faculty, sponsors, and cast and crew members. It was an invitation only party, however, Squall had no problem getting past the tight security that Rinoa had hired.
"Squall! There you are!" an overly happy male voice boomed. Squall winced and slowly turned his head to his left. Laguna Loire was rushing towards him. "Excellent production! Rinoa did an excellent job, don't you think?"
"She always does," Squall stated simply. His father smiled brightly, looking like a spokes person for a tooth paste company. "Thank you for sponsoring us...again." Squall mumbled.
Laguna's eyes lit up with joy and he nodded. "Of course! It was my pleasure! You know that I'll do anything for my future daughter."
Ever since Squall proposed, his father had been insistent to helping with anything with the wedding. Which included paying for it. Squall didn't want him to, feeling that then he'd owe his old man something. Luckily he didn't have to worry about it, since the moment Laguna had mentioned it, at the last after production party, General Caraway, Rinoa's father, over heard.
The General stomped over, a heavy frown on his face that made Laguna shrink back slightly. "If ANYONE is going to pay for MY daughter's wedding, it's going to be ME." he told them flatly.
Rinoa had refused, saying that she and Squall would pay for it, however the General was even more insistent and said that he would pay for every possible little trinket she wanted. If she wanted doves. She would get doves. If she wanted a three story tall wedding cake big enough to house the wedding court, she would get the three story wedding cake. Anywhere she wanted, he would pay for it.
She still refused, feeling that he had a catch, but said she'd think about it. A week later, Squall got her to go have lunch with her father. In exchange, he would have lunch with his. He felt he was worse off, but didn't tell them that. She came back to his dorm room, in tears and immediately Squall regretted his attempt to get them to talk together.
Then she had kissed him and told him thank you. Over the last six months 'that man' became 'the general' which turned into 'my father' and finally settled into 'daddy'. In truth, that scared him. General Caraway scared him, although he wouldn't admit it. He was going to marry the one person they both loved and the man constantly referred to him as 'you'.
"You!" a voice shouted. Squall felt as if he had been hit in the head by a sledge hammer. "Where is my Rinny?"
"General Caraway, sir!" Squall saluted him and stood up straight. "She'll be here in a moment. She was insistent on staying and wrapping up the behind the scenes work, sir."
Laguna raised an eyebrow. It sounded like his son was giving a military report, not answering to his future father-in-law. In an attempt to be friendly, Laguna smiled brightly at the General. "General Caraway, good to see you again! Looks like we're going to be brothers!"
Cold dark eyes locked on to his and Laguna swallowed nervously. "President Loire," He extended his hand to shake Laguna's. Laguna winced as his hand was gripped firmly. "Thank you for helping sponsor my daughter's play."
"It was a pleasure, General," Laguna said cheerfully. Caraway let go of his hand and he shook it and winced. "Anything to help my future daughter."
Squall ran his hand down his face. He needed to get away. He need a distraction. He needed... "Squall!" a sweet, familiar voice echoed in his ear and he let out a breath of relief. He turned and smiled as he saw Rinoa walking towards him. She was dressed in a simply dark dress with a shawl and her hair in an up do.
"Rinoa," Squall said, almost as if praising her for rescuing him. He quickly walked over to her and swept her up in his arms. He was about to kiss her when he saw the look of warning from her father. "Uh...great play?"
Rinoa smirked and kissed him anyway. When she parted, she turned and smiled brightly. "Dad! Daddy!" she greeted them. "Thank you for coming!"
Squall had forgotten about that. Laguna insisted on being called 'dad', however Squall tried to avoid addressing him whenever possible. "Rinoa, great show! I loved it!" Laguna said.
"Excellent production, princess," Caraway told his daughter affectionately. Pride filled his voice as he gave his daughter a slight hug and kissed the top of her head. "Your mother would be so proud."
Rinoa and Squall automatically looked towards Laguna, who took a sharp breath. No one was exactly sure how each other found out, but Caraway and Laguna seemed to know who each other was to Rinoa's mother. It often made for awkward moments between them.
Once, they were having dinner in Deling City and Laguna was there on a political mission. Yet when Rinoa contacted him and said that they were there as well, he insisted on taking them and his future brother-in-law to dinner. As they sat around one of the most expensive restaurants in the city, a familiar song wafted through the building.
Rinoa looked up and smiled. Laguna smiled stupidly. Caraway had a thoughtful look on his face. Squall silently prayed and no one would say anything. Of course, he assumed that Hyne hated him and would thus ignore his silent pleas.
"That song was written by someone I knew." Laguna said proudly.
"Oh, that's right, you knew my mother, didn't you, dad?" Rinoa asked cheerfully. Laguna nodded enthusiastically.
"She said she wrote the song for me!" Laguna let out a sigh. "You know, I never thought she'd go for someone like you." he said, looking directly at General Caraway.
Rinoa's eyes went wide and she looked to Squall for help. Unfortunately, Squall was of no help as he covered his face with one hand as he shook it. Rinoa reluctantly looked over at her annoyed father.
"Personally, I can't see what she saw in incompetent ninny like yourself." Caraway retorted proudly.
Then there was a long period of silence and Rinoa ran her hand down her face. Sarcastically, she thought *What a great way to try to bring a family together...* Laguna would spend the rest of the night wondering what a ninny was and Caraway kept glaring at him and Squall. It was a tension filled evening that Rinoa and Squall never spoke of again.
"Uh...so, has everyone eaten yet?" Rinoa asked in a nervous voice. "Daddy, we have some Galbadian food here-"
"Oh! I love Galbadian food!" Laguna said. "Ward! Kiros! They have Galbadian food!" He called over his shoulder.
"Oh Hyne..." Squall mumbled under his breath.
"One of these days, you must good some of your mother's famous Galbadian ribs," Caraway said as he watched Esthar's president skip off with Kiros and Ward behind him. "Did you get that recipe I had faxed to you?"
"Yes, daddy, I did," Rinoa said with a smile. She squeezed Squall's arm. "Squall had some, didn't you?" She looked up to him and Squall nodded. He caught the glare from her father and diverted his eyes.
"Well...I shall go get something to eat then." Almost robotically, the General walked away and Rinoa giggled.
"See, he doesn't hate you!" she exclaimed. Squall nearly face faulted.
"Rinoa, your father was giving he the death glare," Squalls aid. "And all I did was NOD. I think he has it out for me."
"He does not have it out for you," Rinoa insisted. "Did you eat yet?"
"No-"
"Then let's go grab some food!" Rinoa insisted. "C'mon, the others are saving us a table." Squall sighed and allowed himself to be dragged over to the buffet line where Rinoa piled food on to a plate for them. Then they walked over to the large circular table where their usual group of friends were sitting.
"So, Rinoa..." Seifer said casually as he leaned back against his chair with one arm around the back of Quistis'. "Any ideas on the next lead?"
Rinoa rolled her eyes as Squall pulled out a chair for her. "You're going to have to try out, Seifer."
"Wait..." he gasped, in mock shock. "You think that I'm actually trying to weasel my way into a part? Rinoa, how could you!"
"What are you talking about?" Zell said as he bunched on some hot dogs. "You were just saying that-"
"Shut up, chicken-wuss." Seifer hissed. Quistis shook her head and gently rubbed his lap.
"Seifer, honey, it's a rendition of 'Beauty and the Beast'. You'd have to wear a mask or something." Quistis sighed.
"Baby, a lead is a lead." Seifer insisted.
"So what's it about!?" Selphie asked energetically. "I know the story, but you're going to do something to it, aren't you?"
Rinoa grinned. "It's all done!" Rinoa told them.
"Yes!" Selphie cheered.
"How do you do that?" Irvine asked as he took a sip from his wine glass. "How can you write a play, direct a different one, plan the back stage stuff, the budget, sketch the backgrounds, talk to sponsors, AND still have time to write a book."
"Speaking of which," Seifer said. "When is the next volume of Gothic Crystal coming out?"
Rinoa sighed. "I told Raijin and Fujin a thousand times already, NEXT WEEK FRIDAY. And Zell, I got that hard cover book with my autograph on it for your girlfriend."
"Cool! Thanks, Rin!"
"How do you do it?" Irvine mumbled, still shaking his head.
"Selphie helps with the back stage stuff," Rinoa said. "Quistis helps with the sponsors and paper work. And I like writing and directing so I don't think it's stressing."
Quistis sighed. "I'm surprised that you have time to plan your own wedding."
Rinoa, who had been in the middle of eating a salad stopped with the fork part way up to her mouth. "Wedding...?"
"Yeah," Selphie chuckled. "You know...where you walk down the aisle and Squall takes your hand and then the priest says-"
"I know what a wedding is..." Rinoa mumbled. "It's just that..."
Her voice trailed off and Quistis' eyes went wide. "No...Rin, no," Rinoa turned her head away and Quistis' mouth dropped as she leaned forward. "Rinoa, you haven't been planning your wedding!"
"Well, we haven't even decided on a date yet!" Rinoa exclaimed.
"YOU HAVEN'T DECIDED!?" Quistis and Selphie shrieked. Rinoa's eyes went wide and Squall put his fork down.
"We just felt that-" he began.
"Shut up, Squall!" Quistis snapped.
"This isn't about you!" Selphie added. The two other women looked at Rinoa. "You've been working so hard on the plays not to mention your books! You haven't even had time to think about your wedding!"
"Rinoa, it's your own wedding!" Quistis exclaimed, her eyebrows knitted in worry. "You have to start thinking about it."
"But the Garden-"
"Screw the Garden!" Selphie gasped. "You have to think about yourself sometimes, too! You can't go around saving others without taking some time out for yourself!"
"Well, once we get the date then I'll start planning," Rinoa said quietly. "Right?"
A pair of blue eyes and pair of green eyes stared at her. "Rinoa, any girl would be more concerned about her own wedding than the Garden's financial status-"
"Wait a second," Irvine said, cutting off Quistis. "I, for one, appreciate Rinoa's sacrifice-"
"Irvy, shut up!" Selphie snapped.
"Yes, mam." Irvine whimpered as he looked back at his food. Zell snickered and Irvine elbowed him.
"As your friends, we're thinking of you," Quistis insisted. "Tomorrow, we'll met at the usual spot and discuss the date. Bring Squall."
"Me?" Squall asked, jerking his head back. "Why do I have to go?"
"It's your wedding, too." Selphie reminded him. He narrowed his eyes.
"You just told me that it wasn't about me-"
"Just be there!" Selphie told him sternly. Squall looked around at the table. All the other men were looking away, avoiding eye contact.
Grumbling, Squall began to stab at his food. *Sure...wait until it's YOUR turn...*
Their 'usual spot' was a loft hidden in the library. Zell's girlfriend had sectioned it off for their private use that day. Rinoa dragged Squall into the library, holding her planner under one arm as Squall held his in his free hand. When they got there, Selphie and Quistis were already going over prospective dates.
The couple sat across from Selphie, who was sitting on the ground, and Quistis, who was sitting on a comfortable chair behind her. "First thing is first...what season would you like the wedding to be?"
"Hmm...It's winter now..." Rinoa mumbled. Luckily for them, Balamb never had heavy snow, but it was still cold. During the production, Rinoa had rented a massive canopy to go over the entire quad along with dozens of hanging heat lamps to keep the guests comfortable. "Maybe...spring?"
"Um...isn't spring a little too-"
"I don't want it to be during my birthday, though," Rinoa said, cutting him off. *That means instead of one anniversary present and one birthday present, I'll just get a combined one...*
"Hmm...so March is out...what about April?" Quistis said.
"That's around crunch time for the students and faculty..." Rinoa mumbled. She looked over her planner, which had Squall's schedule also written in there. Squall looked over and wondered why he even bothered to bring his planner. "I don't want everyone to be stressing about that AND the wedding."
"May?" Selphie asked.
"Finals." Squall stated. The three females looked up at him with predatory eyes and he shrunk back into the couch.
"He's right..." Rinoa sighed. "That's even worse than April."
"What about late June?"
"I want an outdoor wedding," Rinoa frowned. "Here in Balamb and it gets kind of hot...I don't want everyone to be sitting outside and get a sun burn. Remember when we went to the beach?"
Immediately, Selphie let out a muffled sort before holding back her laughter. Irvine had been wearing his hat the whole day and while his face had remained the same color, she couldn't say that for the rest of his lobster colored body. He was in immense sun burn pain for a week.
"Well, then why don't we try to schedule it earlier?" Quistis asked. "Like the end of February?"
"Hmm..." Rinoa narrowed her eyes. *The end of February...it's still cutting it close to my birthday...not that I'm greedy.* "You know...what about the beginning of June? We'll have a few weeks to do the final preparations after finals."
"That's five and a half months away, Rinoa," Selphie said as she looked at her planner. "Any particular day?"
"As long as we have at least two weeks after finals for the final touches." Rinoa said, also looking through her planner.
Squall sat there, unsure of what to do as three Selphie flipped through her colorful spiral bound planner. Rinoa moved through her baby blue leather planner and Quistis used a little pen over the screen of her PDA. He looked down at the his own planner, which he had set down. It was open to early June.
"How about June 7th?" he asked suddenly, not even aware that he had spoken.
"That's about three weeks after finals," Quistis said. "That's enough time."
"And it's still in a spring-summer season. It'll be perfect," Selphie added. They turned to Rinoa. "What do you think, Rin?"
The girl lifted her pen off of the dated paper in her planner and smiled. She had drawn a little heart in the corner with the words 'Getting Married to Squall' around it. "June 7th it is!"
According to the clock on white washed wall of now Captain Squall Leonhart's office, it was five o'clock in the evening. Which meant that any moment, a young sorceress with pale skin and dark hair would waltz through his door to pick him up from work. Like she did EVERY day since he proposed. She would even take time out of her rehearsals to meet him.
Not that he minded, but it was just so predictable. She would walk in, smile, and say 'Time to go!'. He would resist, saying he had too much work to do. Then she would tug at his arm and pout. 'But you need a rest!' she would exclaim. They would banter like that for ten minutes before he would finally give in and leave.
But today was different. Today, he wouldn't give her a fight. He actually FELT like going home and getting away from the mess at his desk. He had enough encounters with other employees that day to last him a life time. He glanced at the clock and frowned.
"She's late."
He shook his head, thinking that perhaps she was just caught up in a conversation with Quistis or Selphie or even Zell and Irvine. *No...she would just look at her watch and say she had to get going.*
What if she was sick? What if she had caught that flu that was going around that knocked Irvine out of action for a week earlier that month? Should he rush home and check? What if HE caught it? That would mean more work would pile up for him while he was out. He mentally swore.
Suddenly the door burst open. "Sorry, I'm late!" Rinoa gasped as she seemed to have run from their shared room to his office. "Are you ready to go, Squall?"
*She looks healthy...okay...that's good...* Squall nodded and stood up. "I was waiting for you and afraid you got sick."
"Aww...you worried?" Rinoa smiled, her entire face softened as she looked up at him. "That's so sweet!"
"So why were you late?" Squall asked. He took his jacket off the coat rack by his door and put it around him. Rinoa stepped out of the office, waiting for him to follow.
"I got a call from dad - Laguna." Rinoa answered cheerfully. Squall nearly dropped the keys he was holding.
"La...Laguna?" Squall gasped. "What did he want?"
"Nothing," Rinoa said, frowning slightly. "He just wanted to say hi. Really, Squall, can't your father-"
"Don't call him that." he snapped quickly, causing Rinoa to sigh and shake her head as he followed behind her.
"Fine," she relented. "Can't your...er...Can't the President of Esthar just call to see how his...uh...YOU are doing?"
"No," Squall said. He turned on his heel and began to walk through the Garden to the elevators. "He wants something."
"Squall," Rinoa sighed as she ran to catch up with him. His long legs certainly made it difficult to catch up. "I was just calling Ellone about the wedding date and she wanted to tell Laguna, or 'Dad'," Rinoa paused just to watch Squall wince. She giggled. "She wanted to make sure he was free. Then he took the phone and you know how he likes to talk."
Squall grumbled. "He didn't try to offer to pay for it, did he?" Squall mumbled.
"I already told him that we are paying for it with our own money so he shouldn't worry," Rinoa assured him. "We have enough. I've been saving up for this."
Squall blushed, knowing he had done the same. As a matter of fact, he had been saving for quite some time just so he could give her the dream wedding she deserved. "Anything you want, you'll get." he told her as he reached out and took her hand. He pulled her closer to him and she wrapped her arms around his waist.
Rinoa rolled her eyes. "You're sounding like daddy," she said. "Who, also, by the way, wants to pay for the wedding."
"You're not letting him, right?" Squall asked. Rinoa nodded and leaned up to kiss his cheek.
"I'm forbidding him," Rinoa said. She pulled away from him, but kept her hand in his as she pulled him forward gently. "But he now wants to pay for a honeymoon in Galbadia."
*Oh Hyne...will the man ever give up?* Squall thought. "What did you say?"
"I said I'd get back to him," Rinoa admitted. "Besides, we haven't decided WHERE we want to go."
Squall sighed heavily. "Anywhere with you is fine."
"Thanks," Rinoa smiled. "So...you want to come with to dinner with me?"
Squall nodded as his stomach grumbled. She laughed and patted his stomach as they headed to the cafeteria. "So how is your play going?"
"Oh, I wanted to tell you what it was about," Rinoa said with a bright smile. "I want you to be the first to know."
"I'm always the first to know...so what is it?" he asked. They walked down the sparsely populated hall way. It was a weekend and most students were out of the Garden.
"Beauty and the Beast, Rinoa Heartilly style," she said with a smug grin. "It's a bit twisted, but basically, Beauty is a handsome young man whose a gigolo. He's happy with his life, but finds that something is missing. The Beast is a beautiful young woman with at tormented soul. She hates the world and doesn't have any friends. She's a big shot executive and ends up having to get a male escort to some party. The escort finds himself wanting to help her and they fall in love."
"So...the beast isn't physically hideous, but emotionally." Squall stated slowly. Rinoa beamed a smile.
"You've been paying attention!" she cheered. She hugged his arm. "I've very proud of you."
He shook his head slightly and let out a heavy sigh. "So, any idea who you're going to cast?"
"Well...I have gotten requests for Quistis and Seifer again," Rinoa mumbled thoughtfully. "But I want to see how they can play it...I like the idea, though."
"Cid said that we can always use the extra money," Squall added. "Even though the other Gardens are nearly complete."
"Yeah, Irvine just wants his pay to go up," Rinoa continued. They walked into the cafeteria where Zell was already sitting and eating his hot dog dinner. Selphie and Irvine were getting their dinner. They went in line. "So..." Rinoa said as she picked up a tray. "Dad and I were taking about the colors. I want baby blue and silver."
*No kidding...* Squall thought to himself. He nodded. "That's fine."
"With a sort of icy, frosted theme in the summer," she added. "He suggested ice sculptures, but I figure they'd be a little hard to pull off..."
"Whatever you want is fine," Squall assured her. *Just don't put that man in charge...*
"You know, a week ago when we decided on the date, I was kind of afraid that I couldn't handle it," she told him with a bright smile. "But it's so easy. I don't even think I'll be stressed even WITH the play!"
Squall dropped the phone as he shot up in his chair. His eyes went wide as he scrambled to grab the phone before it hit the desk. He brought it up to his head. "She's WHERE!?"
"The infirmary-" Selphie's voice was saying. She heard something click. "Hello?" Silence. "HELLO...?"
Squall shot out from his office, not even bothering to close his door. He raced down the halls, nearly shoving students out of the way as he headed for the elevators. He pressed the down button a dozen times and was about to make a break for the stair well when the doors open.
He pressed the floor where the infirmary was located. The doors closed and he stood there impatiently as it went down a floor. *Since when were these things so damn slow!?* his mind screamed.
The doors opened and he was about to get out when he realized he was still a floor above the infirmary. His face grew dark as he eyed the cadets who were about to get on the elevator with cold eyes. They froze in mid step.
"Uh..." one cadet mumbled. "We'll wait for the next one, sir!" he said. They nervously saluted the young captain as the doors closed.
Squall's arms were crossed over his chest imposingly. It seemed to take forever for the elevator to finally reach the correct floor. As soon as the doors started to part, Squall squeezed out and made a mad dash to the infirmary.
His heart was racing as he only thought of the worst. Rinoa was unconscious. Bleeding. Drowned in a pool of her own blood. Perhaps she was under surgery that very moment. Perhaps she was in trauma, calling out for him and he wasn't there. His face could only be described as worried as he nearly rammed the infirmary doors open.
Luckily for him, Quistis had been stepping out and the doors opened just in time to let him fly through. Quistis, however, let out a surprised yelp as she stumbled back. "Squall!" she scolded.
He didn't pay attention as he ran through the infirmary, looking through each containment area to find his beloved fiancee. Horrible thoughts ran to his mind as his body lost it's color. He couldn't live with out. He needed her. *Hyne, please let her be all right!*
"Oh no, you didn't TELL him did you?" a voice sighed from the far end of the infirmary. Squall narrowed his eyes, recognizing it immediately.
"Well, what else was I supposed to do?" Selphie asked, a frown apparent in her voice.
"He's going to freak out when he finds out that I'm in-"
"Rinoa!" Squall shouted. She winced.
Rinoa was laying on one of the beds, a sheet over her body up to her stomach. The bed raised her upper body a few inches from a flat position. Selphie was standing next to her, a worried look on her face as Rinoa laid there.
Squall slid to a stop before the entrance to the little room where Rinoa was laying. He quickly ran to her side. "Squall," she began, in an attempt to calm him. "I'm-"
"Are you all right!?" he demanded as he put his arms around her gently and kissed her forehead. "Are you hurt anywhere? What happened? Who did this to you? He's dead!"
Rinoa rolled her eyes and looked over at Selphie. "See what you did?"
Selphie sighed and held her hands up. "It's not like I forced him to come acting like an over protective mom," Selphie sighed. "I'll leave you two alone."
"Thanks..." Rinoa sighed. Selphie slipped out of the room as Squall loomed over Rinoa, checking her face and arms for any sign of physical pain. "Squall..." she told him. He didn't stop. "Squall...stop it! I'm fine!"
"If you're fine, why are you laying on an infirmary bed?" Squall frowned.
"She passed out," a voice said. Rinoa frowned even more and Squall turned to the entry way. Dr. Kadowaki stood there, holding up Rinoa's folder as she looked through her notes. "I believe she was at a meeting with the cast of the new play when all of a sudden, she passed out. Mr. Almasy carried her here and she woke up just a few minutes ago."
"Why?" Squall asked desperately. "What's wrong? Oh, Hyne..." His face drained of it's last remaining pigment. "Is she pregnant?"
Rinoa shot him a shocked look. Her large brown eyes were looking at him as if he had gone insane. "What?" she gasped in disbelief.
"It's all right, Rinoa," Squall assured her. "I'm...I'm ready for this!" His voice was shaking and it was completely obvious that he wasn't...even if she was.
"Squall, I passed out because of STRESS!" she snapped. "I'm not pregnant!" She paused. Rinoa looked up at Dr. Kadowaki. "Right?"
"Right," the female doctor chuckled. "Squall, Rinoa's stress level is incredible right now. With the play, her writing, and now the wedding, there is an incredible toll on her body."
"But I FEEL fine!" Rinoa insisted. "Dr. Kadowaki, I'm fine, really-"
"Rinoa, I know you want to juggle all of those things at once," the doctor assured her with a concerned tone. "But you can't. You need to lessen your stress."
"You have been very tired lately," Squall mumbled. "VERY tired. You'd just go straight to bed and sleep the whole night, but you'd still be drained in the morning."
"That's nothing-" Rinoa continued to insist, but Dr. Kadowaki shook her head.
"Rinoa, you can't go on like this," Dr. Kadowaki told her. "The play won't be done for a while, your books are continuous, and your wedding is some time away. You need to lessen your work load some how. Prolonged stress is not good for you."
"But Dr. Kadowaki, I can't do that!" Rinoa gasped. "Everyone is counting on me and-"
"I know some people might not be happy," Kadowaki continued. "But many people will not be happy if something happens to you. Now I suggest you put some of your work load on others rather than try to do everything yourself. Selphie and Quistis said they would try to help you."
"But-"
"Captain Leonhart," Dr. Kadowaki said, turning to you the young man. "I suggest that you see to it that your fiancee takes care of herself."
"Yes, doctor, of course," Squall nodded. Kadowaki nodded and left the room. He turned to Rinoa, who was scowling. "We're going to go back to your room and discuss how you can lessen your work load."
"But Squall, no one else can do-"
"You have no excuse," Squall said sternly. "I love you and I don't want to see you here again. If I were you, I would start thinking of people who could help."
"No one can help with my writing," Rinoa told him weakly. "I'm the only writer."
"Fine, but what about the play? And the wedding?" Squall said. "Find assistants."
"Selphie and Quistis already said they'd take on more work for the play...but they have jobs-"
"If they said they would, then let them," he cut her off. "And now the wedding. I'll help as much as I can-"
"But you have work...and missions...and...and...and more paper work." she stammered. Squall shook his head.
"We'll find someone to help you with planning it."
"Oh no," Ellone said as she held the phone to her ear. "Is she all right?" Laguna was walking by the room when he heard his niece talking on the phone. "Oh no...that's terrible! What did Squall say?"
At the sound of his son's name, Laguna stopped and peeked into the room. *Squall...?*
"Poor Rinoa..." Ellone said with a worried frown.
"Rinoa!?" Laguna gasped. The brown haired female on the couch jumped and turned around. "MY future daughter - Rinoa?"
"Selphie, can you hold on a second?" Ellone asked. Laguna heard someone's high voice reply a yes and Ellone turned to look at him. "Rinoa is under a lot of stress and passed out, uncle. The doctor says that she has to lessen her stress."
"Lessen?" Laguna asked. "Gimme the phone!" he said. Ellone gave it up to him and watched as her uncle sat on the arm of the couch. "Hello? Selphie!...Yes, I'm fine. No, I didn't get that thank you gift basket," Ellone ran her hand down her face. "Yes, the weather here is nice! Although, yesterday, there were more clouds than I would've liked."
"I'm going to get some water..." Ellone sighed.
"Get me some, too, Elle!" Laguna called after her. Ellone nodded and walked out the door. "So, what is going on with Rinoa and Squall?"
"Rinoa has a lot of stress," Selphie began to explain. "You know, she's on a deadline for the next volume of Gothic Crystal. Then there's the play. Plus she just spent most of the day running around getting samples for her wedding. She went by herself because Quisty and I and the others all had work. She just likes doing these things by herself and it's been too much for her. So when we at the first cast meeting, she passed out all of a sudden."
"Is she all right?" Laguna asked worriedly.
"She's okay now, but if she continues, it's not good for her. So Dr. Kadowaki wants her to get some help for the play and the wedding. Quisty and I are helping with the play, but we're trying to help with the wedding, but Rinoa says that we already have too much to do with work and all, so she's refusing to let us take on half her and Squall's wedding planning."
"I'll do it!" Laguna announced. Ellone was walking in with two glasses of water. "I'll plan my son's wedding!"
Ellone froze in mid step, her eyes wide as the glasses of water fell from her hands on to the soft carpet. *Oh dear Hyne...*