My Miind

The Lesser Chronicles

Raine

Desolate … barren and empty … in a word - lifeless.

Squall looked right and left. He was tired and he was sore, but he HAD to find Rinoa, so he started walking. As he walked, he kept an eye on the horizon. Thinking there was no end to this dead land as he walked, Squall suddenly found himself on the edge of a precipice … where he collapsed onto the ground. It was as if he were on an island floating in the middle of nowhere. It was as empty and isolated as his life had been.

He looked up and frowned as a feather floated down to his hand. Immediately he was reminded of the design on the back of Rinoa’s outfit … white angel wings. He didn’t know if it was exhaustion or anything else, but he could swear he could see Rinoa standing in a flower-filled field teeming with life and sunshine. "Rinoa!" He managed to push himself to his feet and walked towards the mirage. "Rinoa!" The vision blurred and turned into her wearing the dress she had worn the night they met. The memory played itself in his mind countless times. Her pointing to the skylight … where he had seen a shooting star. Walking towards him, dancing … always fleeting.

Then he thought of how his life had been life without her … how it would be. Two tears shot down his face as he collapsed. He could not survive losing anything else he loved … and he had loved her more than life.

*****

Desolate … barren and empty … in a word - lifeless.

That was what came to mind as Rinoa walked along. There was nothing on the hard ground and the sky was so clouded that there was no sign of the sun. To top it all off, there was no sign of Squall anywhere. This place was as barren as she felt without Squall there. He made her smile without meaning to. Her boots made a steady sound that broke through the silence. She looked straight ahead … and was rewarded by a vague outline of a form lying on the ground. She slowed as she neared it and felt her heart drop when she recognized Squall. He was lying motionless … as if he were dead.

Shoving that thought aside, she knelt beside him and lifted his head. She felt her eyes stinging as she lovingly combed her fingers through his hair once. He wasn’t responding to her. ‘No … he CAN’T be dead! Not NOW!’ After swallowing, she tried calling his name … and received no reply. ‘No … oh PLEASE … he can’t be dead!’ She tried again. "Squall? Please … answer me!"

Nothing … not even a twitch. She placed her fingers at his pulse point and then placed her hand over his over his heart … nothing.

Feeling all hope leave her, Rinoa let out a cry and held Squall tightly. "NO! You CAN’T die! Not now! Not when you had so much to live for! PLEASE don’t leave me!" She sobbed against him, barely aware that she was now sitting in a grassy field. The scent of flowers made her look up and she watched as the circle of light grew around her. She was impassive and wondered if this agony in her heart was similar to what Squall had felt to cause him to shut everyone out. ‘Why is it that I can only understand him NOW … when it’s too late?’ With a sigh, she looked back down, and felt her heart skip a beat. He was breathing! Her lips parted in amazed wonder as his eyes slowly opened. The pain that had been in her heart vanished as he slowly sat up and looked at her. "Squall? You’re alive?"

For his part, Squall felt tired. The pain at thinking he had lost Rinoa had been unbearable. He had given up and had let himself slip into darkness when the sweetest voice led him back. Now she was here, looking like the angel he always knew she was. For the first time in years, the joy he felt could not be contained and he smiled.

Rinoa couldn’t keep the happy mixture of laughter and tears in as she threw her arms around Squall and held him tightly. "OH YOU’RE ALIVE!" She sniffled as she pulled back to look at him. Disbelieve written all over her face. "I … I thought that…"

"Hush!" Squall’s arm felt like lead as he wiped Rinoa’s tears away. He blinked slowly. "Tired…"

Rinoa nodded at him. He had every right to be exhausted. "Rest, then. You deserve it." She gently coaxed him to lie back down as she continued to cradle his upper torso.

Squall gazed up at her … she looked so beautiful. He reached up and caressed her cheek. "Love you…" He then closed his eyes, relief washing through him and making him sleepy.

Rinoa bit her bottom lip as if doing that would keep her from bursting with the happiness she was feeling. She had known for the longest time that he loved her, but the words made a universe of difference. "I know … I love you, too." She kissed his forehead tenderly and felt a wave of happiness. She had fought her own private battle, and had won. She knew that Squall would no longer isolate himself. Rinoa looked up as she heard someone approach, and held Squall protectively. She relaxed as Irvine and Selphie appeared.

Selphie squealed in delight. "There’s Rinoa!" She waved like crazy and ran forward with Irvine close behind. "Omigosh! Is he…" she gulped "…dead?" The fear was written plainly on her face. She thought of Squall as a protective older brother … she had done so since they were kids.

Rinoa shook her head. "He’s just sleeping. That last battle wore him out terribly, and I don’t know how long he was lying here before I found him."

Irvine knelt down, relief etched on his features. Selphie’s question had voiced his own worry. "Come on … we hafta get him to Dr. Kadowski." He turned. "ZELL! QUISTIS! OVER HERE! WE FOUND THEM, AND SQUALL’S ALIVE!!"

Zell was there in almost no time at all. He was gasping for breath, but he had a huge smile on his face. "He made it?"

Quistis was slower in her approach, but her smile was no smaller. "He certainly did!"

Squall was barely conscious, but he had to see with his own eyes. He forced his eyes open and looked around. They were all there … each and every one of them. They were all beaming at him. He kept his usual expression only a moment before breaking into a tired smile.

Irvine let out a happy laugh at the sight of Squall smiling. "Well if that don’t beat all! Come on!" He dragged Squall to his feet and looped one of the younger boy’s arms around his neck while Zell, laughing up a storm, took the other. "Garden isn’t far … we figured you had something to do with that little light show a few moments ago. Next time, yell if you want to signal us."

"I’ll keep that in mind." Squall couldn’t put to words just how good it felt to be surrounded by his friends again. He had fought with all his might against feeling for these people, and they had stuck with him regardless. He was too tired to do much more than walk so he let the conversation flow around him. He was roused from near-dozing yet again when a loud cheer rose from the Garden. He gave Zell a puzzled look after being pounded on the back.

"Believe it or not … LIKE it or not … that cheer is for you, pal!"

Squall shook his head. "No … it’s for US." When the headmaster met them, he tried to stand on his own and salute, but failed miserably. After a moment, Squall found himself encircled in an embrace. He frowned in puzzlement as Cid released him. "What was that for, sir?"

"Because you were always like the son I never had. That was why I had always had such high hopes for you. For ALL of you." Cid turned to the dark-haired woman just behind him who was crying softly.

With a sob, Edea wrapped her arms around Squall. As with Cid, Squall was like a son to her. All the children had been like her own, but Squall was always special to her. Of all of them, Squall’s adoption had been the hardest to bear, and she had cried for days afterwards. She blinked as Squall pressed a kiss to her forehead. She blinked again as he smiled at her. His smile transformed him in an amazing way. Smiling made him look like the boy he was. She couldn’t help but smile in return. "I always wondered where you hid that!" She turned and let Dr. Kadowski take him.

The students of Garden all tried to get closer to Squall. Several of them were asking him if he’d be all right. Squall sighed in resignation as the doctor shooed them away by telling them that he needed rest. It was the truth too. He was beyond exhausted. The only thing keeping him up was the stubborn determination not to collapse. It worked part of the way, but he couldn’t keep his eyes open any more. He was only dimly aware of the collective gasp as he finally succumbed and passed out.

Dr. Kadowski kept him from falling to the ground. "Poor boy." She looked up to see Rinoa approaching. "Help me get him to the infirmary. My guess is he’s just suffering from dehydration and exposure."

*****

At Fisherman’s Horizon, Seifer watched the float with passive indifference as he contemplated everything. He had been more than foolish. He’d nearly gotten killed for no other reason than the fact that he had an old rivalry with Squall. He was just thinking that there was no fish in the lake when Raijin started whooping. He looked over his shoulder.

"WOO HOO! I CAUGHT ONE! LOOKIT THE SIZE OF IT! IT’S A WHOPPER!"

Fuujin kept her face in the usual disapproving mask. She looked over at Seifer. "SEIFER?"

With a growl, Seifer stood and threw his rod down in defeat. "Nothing EVER goes right for me!"

Fuujin shrugged and turned back to Raijin. She watched another moment as he did a little victory dance and decided that he was bragging a little too much. "SHOWOFF!" She lifted her foot and kicked Raijin into the ocean. It was more to make Seifer feel better than to shut Raijin up.

Seifer laughed at her way of dealing with Raijin. He shook his head, amazed yet again that they had stuck with him. He looked up as a shadow passed overhead. There were cheers coming from it. He smiled. ‘He’s alive! Good work, Squall. I knew you wouldn’t disappoint me.’

*****

In another part of the world, President Loire stood on a dirt path that he knew well. He glanced down at his wedding band and heard phantoms of the past.

—

"Laguna?"

He spun around and there she was. Raine, and she was looking as beautiful as he remembered. "Hmm?"

She stepped towards him. "Ellone said you wanted to see me? She was giggling. Do you know what she was talking about?"

"Uh … well … that little snitch!"

Raine tilted her head and smiled. "Well?"

He felt his leg starting to cramp up. "Nothing." He spun around and chided himself. ‘If she follows, I’ll do it!’

Raine walked after him. "Laguna! Wait a second. I was … huh?"

Laguna smiled as he spun back around and grasped her outstretched hand lightly and slid a ring on her finger. He hadn’t been able to get the engagement ring, but he did manage to get a set of wedding bands.

Raine gazed at the circle of silver around her finger as the meaning had hit home. She laughed through her tears as she looked at him.

With a half smile, Laguna lifted his left hand to show her the mate. "Beloved husband?"

Raine sniffled as she shakily brought her own hand up. She knew he was asking her to marry him. "Be … beloved wife! Oh, Laguna!" She ran and threw her arms around him. "’Til death do us part!"

Laguna smiled as a peace settled in his soul. He had fallen in love with Julia’s looks, but he knew it wasn’t real or he would have found a way back to her. Raine was pretty, but she had a spirit that drew him to her, and he loved her for that. "’Til death do us part!"

—

President Loire walked up to the gravestone and knelt by it. He felt his eyes sting with tears he refused to let fall as he read the inscription. ‘Raine Loire.’ He felt that old ache swell in his heart that he always felt when he remembered her. He blinked as he heard someone calling him.

"Uncle Laguna!"

Laguna looked over his shoulder and spotted Ellone waving at him. He smiled as he waved back. He looked up as a shadow passed over him and smiled at the cheers emanating from it. ‘Good work, kid!’

*****

Rinoa stayed by Squall’s bedside as he recovered. She was deeply concerned that she didn’t have to cast a sleep spell on him. She was beginning to worry that he would never wake up from his comatose state. She smiled in relief when his eyes finally did open. "Hey! Welcome back to the land of the living, sleepyhead."

Dr. Kadowski walked in and nodded. "So you’re finally awake. You had me worried there. Although I wasn’t as worried as this young lady was." She grumped a little, but was quick to smile as she got results from the tests she was running. "Everything seems to be in good order, although I suggest you take it easy for a few more days."

Rinoa reached to play with Squall’s bangs. "How are you feeling?"

"Like I was hit by a truck! My head is pounding like crazy!" Squall threw his free arm over his aching head. "Everything after getting back to Garden is a blur."

"Humph! No wonder about that! You passed out! You’ve been comatose for about five days." Even she had to chuckle at the dumbstruck look on Squall’s face. She had always known that hidden beneath all that hard stone was a treasure beyond price. She had seen the change coming the day she met Rinoa. Speaking of which… "You’d better hang on to this one, my boy! She’s been a good influence on you. AND she hasn’t left your side once since we had to drag you in here!"

Rinoa blushed and ducked her head in an odd motion of shyness. "I have no intention of letting him ditch me." She shrugged. "If I do, where will I see that dazzling smile of his?"

It was Squall’s turn to blush. Luckily for him, his arm hid most of his face.

Rinoa chuckled. "Don’t try to hide it! I know that you’re blushing." Then her tone became concerned. "Does your head hurt a lot?"

Squall shook his head. "No … it’s throbbing, but I’ll live. Can I go?"

Dr. Kadowski nodded after a minute. "You’re strong enough. Plus I think the rest of Garden is wondering how their Commander is. Just remember what I said about taking it easy. Don’t go fighting any T-Rexaurs for a few days."

"Great…" Squall’s tone was less than enthusiastic, but he pushed himself into a sitting position with Rinoa’s help. He smiled a thank you as Rinoa held his arm to steady him as he stood up. "I’m okay. I can walk under my own power."

Rinoa reluctantly let go of Squall’s arm, then smiled as he opened his arms to her. She walked willingly into his embrace and she felt him sigh happily as she returned it.

Squall inhaled deeply and held Rinoa a little closer as tears leaked out of his eyes. "I thought I had lost you. I couldn’t bear the lonliness again."

Rinoa nodded in understanding. The actual battle wasn’t what had almost killed him, it was the heartbreak of losing something very important to him. "It’s all right. I’m here and I don’t EVER plan on leaving you!"

During this touching scene, Dr. Kadowski was letting Quistis, Selphie, Zell and Irvine know that Squall was awake. She smiled at each reaction and knew that as she hung up, people would be gathering at the Quad. She nodded at Rinoa to tell her that everything was ready.

"Come on! Let’s go for a walk! The exercise will be good for you." Rinoa smiled as she walked, hand-in-hand, with Squall. There were a few students still around, but they started following the couple as soon as Squall was spotted.

About ½ the way to the Quad, Squall looked over his shoulder. "Why is everyone following us?"

Rinoa only smiled. "You’ll see."

Squall raised his eyebrows at her mischievous tone, but said nothing. He was only slightly surprised when they turned into the Quad. What surprised him was the setup. It looked as if they had been preparing for a party. "What the…?"

Rinoa stood in front of him, and smiled as she started clapping. Quistis, Selphie, Irvine and Zell joined her. Following them were Cid and Edea. Soon all of the Garden inhabitants were applauding and cheering.

Squall was confused as he spun around to read the banner they had passed under.

"WELCOME BACK, SQUALL"

Dr. Kadowski approached and joined in the applause.

That was the final straw and Squall felt his heart, and his eyes, fill. He’d thought he was alone, but he had a family bigger than he had even realized. He turned back to his closest friends and noticed that they had drawn closer. Before he knew what was happening, he was enclosed in a group hug, which caused the cheers to intensify.

Rinoa smiled. She could practically feel Squall soaking up the love and friendship that he’d denied himself for far too long. She stayed next to him as Selphie jumped up and down.

"OKAY! Let’s start the PAAH-TAY!"

Squall stayed inside for a while as everyone asked him how he was feeling. Some hugged him or shook his hand. One little girl even planted a kiss on his cheek. He glanced over to see where everyone else was. Selphie was taping with her camera, Irvine was dancing to the music, and Quistis was sipping at a drink.

"Are those the famed hot dogs?" Zell pointed a finger at the pile.

The girl with him giggled. "They are indeed!"

Zell ran forward and grabbed at least a dozen of the hot dogs, much to everyone’s amusement. Everyone knew that Zell had wanted to taste them. With a little skip, Zell went to a table and proceeded to eat.

Rinoa took Squall’s arm. "Come on! Let’s go look at the stars."

*****

Selphie was having a blast. She’d had to stop her taping to change the battery. "Okay … it’s on!" She turned to where Quistis was still sipping a glass of champagne. Irvine was right next to her doing some fancy dance moves. "Quistis! Over here! Smile!"

Quistis noticed that Selphie had the camera focused on her. So she smiled and waved.

Irvine was a little miffed that Selphie had cut him out of the picture, so he poked his head in front of Quistis’.

Quistis frowned. "You ham!" With that she sniffed once and walked away.

"What? Aw c’mon, Quisty! I was just having a little fun!" He turned to Selphie and cocked his head inquisitively. "What did I do?"

Selphie sighed as she followed Quistis with the camera, and smiled as she approached the headmaster.

"Headmaster?"

"Ah, Quistis!" Cid turned to Quistis and smiled. "How are you enjoying the festivities? Squall gave us quite a scare there for a while, didn’t he?"

Quistis nodded as she chuckled. "He certainly did. Dr. Kadowski was telling me just yesterday that she didn’t know if he’d EVER wake up. Poor Rinoa was so upset that she actually looked like she was planning to hit the doctor." She smiled fondly as Edea walked over. "Matron…"

"Well I, for one, am glad he pulled through it all right. But he always was a stubborn one."

"I think it’s not entirely fair that we’re talking about Squall behind his back!" Irvine walked over and smiled. "But I am glad we all found each other again! Despite being an orphan, my time at your place was the best time of my life, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for being there when we needed you." With that, he bowed and then winked up at Edea.

"You flirt!" Edea chuckled. She couldn’t believe the stroke of luck that had brought the children back together, and it saddened her that she had been the cause. They had been ordered to destroy her, and poor Irvine had been told to pull the trigger. She wondered what must have gone through his head. Then she saw the understanding in his eyes and smiled.

Irvine smiled back then turned to Selphie, who was dutifully taping the proceedings. "Hey! Get your cute fanny from behind that camera! I’ll take over for a while." At that point, he grabbed the camera and gently scooted Selphie to stand next to Quistis.

Selphie, in turn, nabbed his hat. "Irvine, the camera’s sideways. Turn it … THERE! You got it! I’m kinda … HEY!"

Irvine barely listened to Selphie talking and he focused on some girls and waved. "Good evening, ladies!" He grinned as they waved back at him.

Selphie stuck her face into the camera’s view and frowned. "Irvine! WHAT are you doing? Humph! I am NOT speaking to you." She walked off in a huff.

"Aw, Seffie! Come on! I was just having some fun!" He chuckled. He had done it deliberately. She was so cute when she was mad.

Selphie froze and her anger was forgotten in an instant. "Quistis! Look at Zell!" She pointed while giggling.

"What is it? Oh! Irvine, you should focus in on Zell! Look!" She pointed as well and laughed.

Irvine did, and grinned. Zell was wolfing down hot dogs like they were going out of style.

"Mph! I can’t tell you just how long I’ve wanted one of these!" Zell took two huge bites. "Well worth the wait!" Another huge bite that he swallowed without chewing. He reached for a glass of water to help it get down.

Quistis and Selphie ran to him and started pounding on his back. Selphie gave him a final hard smack and he swallowed the chunk.

Zell turned to the two women after recovering. "You two could have KILLED me!"

Selphie squealed with laughter as she ran away.

Zell turned to Irvine, who was still chuckling. "What are YOU laughing at, Pigtailed Boy?" He threw a half-eaten hot dog at the camera.

"WOAH! Chill out! And chew your food!" Irvine snorted and turned back to Selphie. Smiling as Rinoa’s dog, Angelo, ran across the room.

Selphie was looking around, and smiled as she pointed. "I found where Squall and Rinoa disappeared to! Don’t they make a cute couple?"

"I’ll say!" Irvine turned. He could see Rinoa, but he couldn’t see Squall. ‘He must be out of the camera’s point of view.’

*****

Rinoa gazed up at the stars. "Déjà vu!"

Near her, Squall nodded. "Only thing we need now is a shooting star."

As if on cue, a star streaked across the sky.

Rinoa grinned and turned to Squall. Her grin turned to a smirk as she pointed, mirroring the move she had made the night they had met.

Squall turned to Rinoa and smiled. "Come here." He took her hand and pulled her closer. He paused only a second to bend his head down to kiss her.

Rinoa wrapped her arms around Squall tightly. She felt the kiss all the way to her toes. Despite how independent he wanted to be, she knew that he needed her, and that endeared him to her all the more. She blinked at the light applause that suddenly started and gently broke the kiss. "I think we have an audience."

Squall turned towards the doors. Sure enough, all of Garden was watching them. To make matters worse, Irvine had a camera taping the whole thing and giving him a thumb’s up. He turned back to Rinoa. "Well, then let’s give them something to REALLY watch!"

Before Rinoa could ask what he meant, she felt herself bent backwards as Squall kissed her again. She had to hold on to him because she didn’t trust herself to stand on her own two feet. She couldn’t even hear the cheers over the pounding of her heart.

Selphie raised her eyebrows after a minute. "Um … they should breathe."

Irvine chuckled and turned to Zell. "Hey! How much you want to bet that Rinoa won’t be able to stand without hanging onto him?"

Zell shook his head. "No bet. I doubt she’ll even be able to think!"

Quistis nodded. "I never knew Squall had it in him, the rogue."

Rinoa blinked as Squall broke the kiss. There were stars in her field of vision. "Oh … WOW!" She blushed. ‘Is THAT what Squall feels for me?’

Squall grinned as the applause thundered again. He had to steady Rinoa and noted that Zell and Irvine exchanged a look. "You okay?"

Rinoa’s mind was a million miles away and she practically draped herself over him. "Mm hmm! Never better!" She blinked as she heard light chuckles. Then blushed when she noticed that they STILL had an audience.

Squall chuckled as Rinoa tried to gather her composure, but kept his arms firmly around her. The smile that had been missing from his face for far too long was firmly in place as he looked around and then settled back on Rinoa. He had a home. More importantly was that, finally, he had a family. His eyes softened as he regarded the woman he loved. ‘And, with Rinoa, someday I’ll start a NEW family.’ With that warm thought in his heart and mind, he moved towards the dance floor. "At least THIS time, I know how to dance!" As their song started, he swept Rinoa into the waltz she had taught him on the fateful night not so long ago.

*****

"…And they lived happily ever after!"

"Tell me another story, Daddy!" The little girl, who had her father’s eyes and haircolor, bounced on the bed.

The father stood up and smiled warmly at his child. "Tomorrow. I’ve kept you up late enough as it is! Your mother won’t be happy with me if I let you stay up much longer." He kissed his daughter and turned to leave.

"Daddy…?" Raine hugged her stuffed Mog. "Did all that REALLY happen?"

"I’ll show you the tape sometime." He promised. "Now go to sleep, R.J." He chuckled as he shut the door, and stopped as he was confronted by his wife. She tried to look angry, but smiled after a moment.

"You never could deny her anything!" She reached over and ran a finger lovingly down the scar on his face.

Squall smiled at Rinoa. "Can you blame me? I live the childhood I should have had through her."

Rinoa nodded. "I understand. Come on … let’s get to bed!"

Squall watched her walk to their bedroom and thanked that shooting star that had brought them together. After a moment, he followed his wife and closed the door behind him.

END

part 7

–

"Tell me again why we couldn’t just buy them something in Balamb," her boyfriend demanded, and Rinoa rolled her eyes.

"For the millionth time, Squall. They’re registered at Fratelli’s, and there isn’t one in Balamb!" A childhood friend of Rinoa’s was getting married in a few weeks, and the concept of a gift registry was far beyond the comprehension of Squall Leonhart. They were walking the bustling streets of Timber that afternoon, and he’d been complaining the whole time. He wasn’t a very fun person to shop with, but the gift for Andie and Shawn would come from both of them, and Rinoa would not let him off the hook.

They rounded the corner, and the giant department store loomed up ahead. There was a man in a top hat and long coat serving as a doorman, and she can tell that her boyfriend felt grossly out of place. Women draped in furs were hurrying in and out of the store, and Squall shoved his hands in his pockets as they walked up to the door. The doorman tipped his hat as they entered, and she had a difficult time keeping her enthusiasm in check. Rinoa loved Fratelli’s, and although the Deling City flagship store was grander, the Timber version was still beautiful.

Glass elevators moved between the numerous floors, and sales clerks rushed to and fro spraying new perfumes and trying to promote the latest sales. There were exotic plants and flowers scattered throughout the building, and a man was hired just to play the grand piano in the main lobby. Rinoa could spend hours in the store and not get bored, but Squall looked like he’d rather be helping Selphie with the Garden Festival. A woman immediately rushed up to them, and Squall recoiled like one of Irvine’s guns. "Don’t spray me! Don’t you spray me!" he cried, ducking behind her to hide.

She rolled her eyes and held out her wrist. "It’s ladies’ perfume, Squall." The woman smiled and sprayed her outstretched arm and moved off to attack the next group of customers. She sniffed her wrist and offered it for Squall’s inspection, and he gave it a whiff. He shrugged his shoulders, his usual answer when it came to perfume. Rinoa pulled Squall past the cosmetics and perfume counters, and after only a few moments, he was looking like he was ready to sneeze or pass out from the myriad smells invading his poor nose. Luckily, the registry counter was just beyond the last makeup counter. He stood back with his arms crossed while she asked for a copy of Andie’s list.

He immediately snatched it away from her and pointed to the first thing on the list. "Alright, she wants a coffee maker. Good. Let’s get that."

She yanked the papers back with a huff. "Squall! We need to find something perfect. I’m not getting the girl I went to school with for seven years a boring coffee maker!" She stomped off to a bank of elevators, hearing him moaning as he trudged after her. Rinoa pressed herself against the glass and looked down at the busy store as the elevator rose to the home furnishings floor. Squall got stuck next to a wealthy looking woman with a large hat who was carrying a yapping Chihuahua in her large bag. The dog seemed to hate Squall immediately and barked at him incessantly the entire elevator ride. She could tell that her boyfriend was wishing he’d brought his gunblade.

They reached home furnishings, and she perused the list. "How about a waffle maker?"

Squall frowned. "Don’t you just put them in the toaster?"

She felt like she was speaking with an alien sometimes. "Well, waffle maker implies that you’re making them yourself. Meaning not out of a box from the freezer." Squall continued to look at her like she had three heads. "Fine. No waffle maker. How about a bread maker?"

"How much bread do you need to make? It costs 100 gil for a loaf at the store."

She flipped through the next few pages of the registry, avoiding the next few insert-food-here makers so Squall wouldn’t make a stupid comment. Rinoa found something that he might understand a bit better. "Alright. Cutlery set."

He shrugged, and she knew it before he even said it. "Whatever." She closed her eyes and counted to ten, then walked in the direction of the silverware and kitchen utensils as calmly as she could. His shuffling footsteps behind her at least indicated that he was still following dutifully. They browsed a few aisles before coming across the set Andie requested. Her boyfriend sighed and pointed to the set. "8300 gil for knives?" He walked a few steps over and gestured to another set. "This one’s cheaper." This coming from a guy who had recently bought her a brand new car as a surprise.

Rinoa picked up the box in front of her. "Andie wants this one. It’s on the list."

"Knives are knives, Rinoa."

She tucked the box of knives under her arm and marched over. "I am not going to have this argument. You have been uncooperative all day, Squall, and I do not want to make a scene. Especially in the cutlery aisle, and believe me, sorceress powers include a wee bit of telekinesis, so don’t provoke me."

"That’s not funny," he muttered angrily.

"Then don’t push your luck," she snapped, shoving the cutlery box in his arms. "Let’s just pay for this. And because you’ve been such a moaning prat today, we’re having lunch at the restaurant here in the store." He scowled and followed her to the check-out. Squall continued to appear bored out of his mind as the shop girl scanned the item and checked it against the registry. The girl proceeded to elaborately gift wrap the box for an additional charge that elicited another whine from her boyfriend. Rinoa didn’t understand why he was so put out about the cost of the gift – he was the one with the big fancy SeeD salary, and she was paying her half out of her own savings.

The gift was finally wrapped and ready, and they took the luckily Chihuahua-free elevator up to the top floor. There were big plate glass windows wrapping around the entire floor, affording a gorgeous view of Timber. From this height, it was easy to see all the train tracks crisscrossing the city as well as the large screens near the television studio. Squall was a bit more agreeable once he got his food. She let her eyes scan the registry again in between bites, wondering if she’d ever get to register at a fancy store like Fratelli’s.

"Squall?"

"Mmm?"

"Do you ever think about getting married?"

The answer wasn’t entirely unexpected, but the spray of Squall’s water across the table from his mouth to her shirt wasn’t altogether pleasant. "We’re 17!" he sputtered.

"Yes, I’m aware of that. Nor did I say that you’d be getting married to me . I just wondered if you ever thought about it." She stabbed a piece of chicken with her fork and chewed it nervously since Squall was taking an agonizingly long time formulating a response.

He took a bite of his own food and frowned. "Well, to tell you the truth, no. And don’t freak out! But no, I have not thought about getting married. I can barely remember to make my bed in the morning, Rin. The whole wedding thing seems insane. You have to plan this big stupid party with color coordinated tablecloths and place settings and party favors and centerpieces and napkins and napkin rings, whatever the hell those are, and then you need to pick music. And then you need to pick people that irritate you slightly less than everyone else and ask them to stand up with you in the ceremony. And you generate lists and lists of crap you want people to buy for you and even then, you know that it’s all going to sit in the attic unused. And then you have to dress up and prance around in front of people you only invited because you know they’re going to give you money, and you have to pretend you’re happy they came even though you don’t remember their names. The whole thing should really just be about the person you want to spend the rest of your life with." He took a deep breath and prodded his food around with his spoon, and Rinoa stared in disbelief. Squall looked up in confusion. "What?"

"Admit it. You have thought about getting married."

He turned scarlet. "Maybe."

She set her utensils down and clapped her hands excitedly. "You want to marry me. Squall Leonhart wants to marry me."

Squall rolled his eyes. "You’re imagining things."

She leaned on her elbow and sighed in happiness. "You want to marry me!" she repeated dreamily.

"Keep dreaming," he muttered defensively, taking a sip of his water. His skin was the color of a tomato by this point. He flailed his arm for the server, asking hurriedly for the bill. She sat back and crossed her arms, smiling at him. It would be years and years away, but maybe it wouldn’t hurt to start planning now?

"So," she began with a devilish wink, "how do you feel about blue and silver?"

He pulled out his wallet and threw a wad of bills down. "This discussion is over." He grabbed the wrapped present and stomped out of the restaurant, still blushing furiously. She giggled and followed him to the elevator. Rinoa let her eyes flicker over the beautiful store as they descended. She hoped the next time she was in Fratelli’s she’d be the one zapping gifts for her own registry.

part 6

–

Squall fidgeted nervously on the cafeteria bench beside her, his leg tapping the floor over and over. Rinoa felt like decking him, but she was concerned too. The Garden cafeteria was empty at this time in the afternoon since lunch was over, and she sat at a table along with Quistis, Selphie, Irvine, and Seifer. All that Cid had said was "Cafeteria. 2:00" and she wondered if something was gravely wrong. Considering how chatty Irvine and Selphie usually were, their silence was rather noticeable…and even more worry-inducing.

At five minutes to 2:00, Cid Kramer arrived. He pushed a cart with an older television and VCR into the room, and she gave her boyfriend an inquisitive look. Squall shrugged his shoulders, and Rinoa sighed. What was Cid up to? The older man was not his jovial self, his arms crossing his red sweater vest as he frowned in turn at each of them. "You might be wondering why you are all here this afternoon. I think I will let Mr. Kinneas or Miss Tilmitt explain."

The two of them each turned a solid shade of red, and Squall pressed his forehead down on the table to avoid whatever uncomfortable answer was coming. "We apologized, sir. Don’t do this," Selphie moaned.

"Yeah, like, we won’t do it again. Well, I mean, we won’t do it there again," Irvine pleaded, and Cid frowned even further. Rinoa had an idea where the conversation was going, and she bit her lip to keep from laughing. Beside her, Squall began bumping his forehead against the tabletop rhythmically in a sorry attempt to drown everything out.

Cid shook his head. "No, it’s not the where that I’m here about today, although that displeases me in equal measure. It’s the act itself…"

"This is not happening…" Seifer muttered, attempting to rise from his seat.

The headmaster held up a hand in warning. "Mr. Almasy, since you still reside on these premises, you will sit down and shut your mouth or find somewhere new to live. Now, as I was saying. Mr. Kinneas and Miss Tilmitt’s actions have led me to realize that the state of sexual education at this Garden…"

"Headmaster, Dr. Kadowaki already…" Quistis interrupted, her face flushed with embarrassment. Squall’s head tapping grew to a noisy enough level that Rinoa slid her hand between his head and the table to muffle the sound.

Rinoa had never seen Cid Kramer livid like this. "Dr. Kadowaki has obviously not gotten through to any of you. No more interruptions! This facility will not be turned into a daycare for any babies that are the result of drunken fumbling in the secret area of the training center. And yes I know about the secret area, Mr. Almasy, I wasn’t born yesterday! Mr. Leonhart, get your head off the table! Now you will sit and watch this video about the miracle of childbirth…"

"Oh Hyne, no…" Squall mumbled, lifting his head to reveal a pink splotch across his forehead, and Cid cleared his throat angrily.

"You will watch this video, and maybe you will consider the dangers of your actions! Quistis, hand down. I don’t care if you’re eighteen or eighty-five, put your hand down. As long as you live here, I am responsible for you. Miss Heartilly, this isn’t a laughing matter!" Rinoa covered her mouth to contain her laughter, and Cid huffed and puffed to the VCR and pressed the play button.

Cheesy saxophone music wafted through the cafeteria then as they were introduced to Sarai and Dillan, a pair of "ordinary" teenagers who made the "huge" mistake of having sex before they were married. How old was this video? Who even thought like this nowadays? The camera then panned back to reveal Sarai’s huge baby belly, and Rinoa noticed Selphie’s face turn almost green at the sight. The scene moved to a hospital room where Sarai was now in labor. She glanced around the table to see Irvine hiding under his hat, Quistis with her arms crossed tightly, Squall gaping in horror, and Seifer reading through an old Weapons Monthly. Rinoa turned back to the video, but she spied Cid snatching the magazine away from Seifer, smacking him on the back of the head with it.

The labor continued for what felt like an eternity, and Rinoa was tempted to use her sorceress powers to zap the VCR with a bolt of lightning, but she held it in. Shortly thereafter, the bloody, gooey baby emerged from the mother, eliciting terrified screams from all in attendance.

"Hyne, Cid, I swear…we’ll never, ever again…please, just shut it off!" Selphie squealed.

Cid mercifully did so, and Rinoa noticed that Squall had edged away from her during the video, and she sighed. She raised her hand.

"Despite what you might think, Mr. Kramer, Squall and I have not had…" She received a sharp poke in the side from her boyfriend then, and she realized her mistake. She turned to see the biggest smile in the history of mankind emerge on Seifer’s face. Perhaps saying that she and Squall had not rounded all the proverbial bases was not the best thing to admit in front of your friends. Especially in front of an ex-boyfriend.

"Are you kidding me? Even chicken wuss is getting laid!" Seifer asked incredulously, and the others started talking excitedly. Squall’s eyes seemed to burn an angry hole through her face. She wasn’t making him wait so much as she wanted their first time to be perfect, was that so bad? Looking at her friends’ faces, she realized that yeah, it probably was.

"Enough!" Cid cried grumpily, his eyes narrowing. He grabbed a garbage bag from beneath the rolling TV cart. "You children…" Quistis groaned. "You children are the leaders of this institution. The younger students look to you for guidance! I can’t have you running amok in my school having intercourse in my classrooms!" Seifer raised his eyebrows at Irvine, and then offered him a high five. "And so to drive home the purpose of today’s talk, step forward and accept the consequences of your actions…or your potential actions, Mr. Leonhart." Selphie and Quistis giggled, and Squall looked about ready to pass out in embarrassment.

Rinoa stood up first to take one for the team, approaching Cid cautiously. He gestured for her to reach into the garbage bag. Her hand closed around a soft, lumpy bag, and she pulled on it. "You’re out of it, old man!" Seifer cried, jumping to his feet, and Quistis buried her head in her hands. Rinoa examined her "consequences," a small bag of flour that Cid had drawn a face on. He’d also managed to attach a baby bonnet to the top and a diaper at the bottom.

"So you’re saying that having sex leads to baking?" Irvine inquired innocently, and Cid yanked another flour baby from the bag and flung it at him.

"No, Mr. Kinneas. It means you’ve just become a father. Now go act like one! One week with these babies, and we’ll see how much romping you do around my school!"

"But sir, you flung the flour baby like a basketball. You’re not setting a good example," Selphie noted, and Cid scowled. He handed the third bag of flour to Quistis and left the room in a huff. Selphie poked the flour bag with her finger and smiled at everyone. "Irvy and I proudly present our fake baby, Sir Laguna!"

Squall was away from the table in seconds, stomping off like he had murder on his mind. Rinoa smiled and cradled the flour baby. "Maybe ours can have a play date, Selphie," she said jokingly.

"Seifer, don’t!" Quistis screamed as she was suddenly covered in flour. Rinoa whirled around to see that Seifer had ripped the flour bag open and dumped it out on the cafeteria table. He started flinging handfuls of their baby around in protest, and Quistis shook her head and left. Irvine and Selphie left shortly thereafter, depositing their "child" in the cafeteria kitchen. Rinoa stared at the creepy drawn-on eyes and mouth and sighed. She carried the bag of flour all the way to the dorms, knocking on Squall’s door when she got there.

"Are you alright? I brought little Squall Junior." She heard an angry growl through the door, and she entered to find him lying on his stomach, his pillow over his head. She sat down on the edge of the bed, propping the bag of flour up next to his pillow. He sighed as she slid her hand under his t-shirt to rub his back. "I’m sorry I embarrassed you in front of your friends. I thought they knew we were waiting for the right time."

Squall moved the pillow, knocking his fake son to the floor with a soft thud. "Do you think it’s too late to request a transfer to the Lunar Base? I’m sure Esthar needs more astronauts."

She smiled and set the bag of flour upright on the floor. Squall moved onto his side, gesturing for her to lie down next to him. She did so, and he wrapped his arm around her. He let his fingers flutter over her stomach, and she laughed. "Did Sarai and Dillan not reach you? This path leads to danger and shame and babies made of flour!"

He let his hand go still and simply held onto her. "Do you think we’ll be as boneheaded and strange as Cid when we get older?"

Rinoa considered his words. "I sincerely hope not. We’ve just had a strange array of adults in our lives." He snorted under his breath, and she smiled.

part 5

–

"Selphie, I’m worried about Squall."

Her friend shook her head angrily. "No, none of that today, Rinoa! It’s Boys are Stupid Morons Day, and I won’t have you tarnish it with your genuine and heartfelt concern for your boyfriend. You may only talk about him if you’re going to complain!" Selphie snapped back as harshly as she could. It sounded more like she was scolding a dog for peeing on the rug rather than genuine anger, but bless her, she was trying.

Rinoa kept her thoughts about Squall to herself. Selphie went back to the rack of dresses she was perusing, mumbling under her breath about "stupid" Irvine. Today was Selphie’s birthday, and they were shopping in Balamb. It was "retail therapy" seeing as how Irvine had forgotten it was her birthday. Or at least that’s what Selphie thought. In fact, "stupid" Irvine had planned a big surprise party for his girl that night. He’d even booked a historic train car at the Balamb station for the party, a move that Rinoa found to be the sweetest thing ever, knowing how much Selphie loved trains. Squall described the gesture as "cavity inducing."

It was taking all Rinoa could muster not to let Selphie in on the surprise, but she wanted to see the look on her face when she realized that her cowboy of a boyfriend was in fact not a moron. "Who goes fishing on his girlfriend’s birthday?" Selphie grumbled, tossing a dress into Rinoa’s arms. "And another thing. Since when does Irvine fish?" She’d come to be supportive and ended up being dragged around store after store in search of the perfect dress. She currently held about ten potentially perfect dresses, and they were growing uncomfortably heavy in her arms.

Not to mention that she was genuinely worried about her own boyfriend. Squall had not been sleeping, and every morning she’d wake him to go to breakfast and find him slumped over in front of the computer terminal in his bedroom. And during the day, she’d catch him on the terminal in his office, quickly clicking off something whenever she’d walk into the room. Whenever she asked him what was going on, he’d say that it was "important Commander business." Squall was an awful liar, but she had to trust him. But it was incredibly suspicious.

Selphie was finally ready to move to the changing room to try on the slew of dresses, and Rinoa trudged after her silently. If the day’s theme was Boys are Stupid Morons, maybe she could broach the Squall topic if she rephrased her concerns. Selphie might know what to do. "Toss over the blue one with the halter top first!" her friend called through the door of the changing stall, and Rinoa obediently held it over the top of the door.

"Squall’s been a real idiot lately," she began tentatively. Selphie’s snort of laughter encouraged her to continue. "I think he’s cheating on me with some online girl. He’s always on the computer, and he keeps telling me it’s nothing."

"Oh Rin, Squall may be an anti-social, grumpy, idiotic loser but he’s not a cheater. He adores you, and besides, he knows that we’d all kick his ass from here to Centra if he did something to hurt you!" Selphie called back. "This dress stinks! How about the green one with the sequins?" Rinoa smiled and handed over the next dress in the pile. She knew in her heart that Squall wasn’t a cheater either, but it always felt good to have external confirmation that your relationship was solid.

She listened to Selphie tug on a zipper impatiently. "Ugh, I’ve been eating too much. How do you stay so thin?"

"Good metabolism," she replied with a smile. Selphie was far thinner than her, but she was in a phase it seemed. "And I don’t let Zell con me into hot dog eating contests any more."

Her friend sighed. "Yeah, I need to stop doing that, or I’ll never see my feet again! Anyhow, purple one next!" Rinoa handed over dress number three, hoping it would be the winner. She wanted to get back to confront Squall. If she had to tickle him to incapacitate him, so be it. She was going to see what he was doing on that damned computer all day and night.

Selphie opened the door and paraded around the dressing room. "Well?"

"You look fantastic. That idiot will regret going fishing on your birthday for sure," she replied, doing her best to keep up appearances. Selphie smiled. The dress was a keeper, and her friend bounded over to the cashier to pay. Rinoa returned the dresses to their rightful racks.

Satisfied with her shopping and a successful Boys are Stupid Morons day, Selphie followed her back to the car, and they drove back to the Garden. It was always a bit strange to see the big structure parked next to the giant crater, but she was getting used to it. There was no real reason for the school to be mobile any longer anyhow.

Rinoa saw a beautiful new convertible parked in the lot, and she and Selphie openly envied whoever was the lucky owner. They parked the old rickety Garden car and walked in. Squall would be in his office still. She needed to see him before she burst. "I’ll see you tonight!" she called as Selphie walked away, and she regretted it as soon as she said it.

"Why? What’s tonight?" her friend asked curiously.

"Oh, nothing! Nothing! I just uh…maybe we could go out for dinner or something?" It was such a bad cover. Would Selphie go for it?

Her friend smiled. "Anything to get away from Irvine. When he comes back tonight, I’m kicking him in the shins. I’m going to tell Dr. Kadowaki to expect him sooner or later." Rinoa laughed and watched Selphie scamper off, and she hurried to the elevator.

When she arrived, she could hear Squall’s furious typing from the other side of the door. Without knocking, she barged into the room, and he looked up in irritation. She saw him move his mouse to click something on his screen. "No you don’t, Squall!" she cried and raced over, heaving herself between her boyfriend in his chair and his desk.

He tried to shove her off his lap. "Rin, I’m going over student applications. I don’t need this right now." She leaned forward to grab the mouse, and he kept trying to grab it away from her. "Hey! What are you doing?"

She kept trying to click on the program, and he was tugging on the mouse and doing his best to keep her away. "What are you hiding from me?"

He squirmed in his chair, trying to wheel back away from the desk so she couldn’t reach the mouse. "I’m not hiding anything!" he protested.

"Oh yeah?" she shouted angrily. She found that sensitive spot beneath his ribs and tickled him mercilessly until he released her. She grabbed the mouse and clicked the program. "Then why are you always doing…"

She closed her eyes and groaned, and she heard him fidgeting in the seat behind her. "Squall, how much money have you wasted on here?" He said nothing, and she opened her eyes to stare at the screen.

Triple Triad Addicts Online – Take the Challenge
Welcome, cmdrlion!
Current Logged Hours: 342.7
Credits Earned: 23578

"Squall, how much?" she repeated. He mumbled something under his breath. "How much, Commander Lion?"

Squall turned scarlet. "34,270 gil. It’s 100 gil an hour…"

"100 gil an hour!"

"Rinoa…"

"You told me you were saving that! You were going to buy a car!" Granted, Squall had plenty of gil from varying SeeD missions, but paying to play a card game he could play for free right there at the Garden? "You…you…you stupid moron!" Boys are Stupid Morons Day was an ingenious invention.

He pulled her back onto his lap and tugged on her hair. "Don’t we need to get ready for Selphie’s party?"

"Oh, don’t change the subject, mister! You look like a zombie! You need to stop playing this stupid game!" she argued, trying to ignore how nice it felt to be in his arms. He was getting better at distracting her from any points of contention she had with him. She clicked the window shut and heard him sigh. Rinoa stood up and stared down at him. "The next several hundred gil that you spend will not be spent there. We still need to buy Selphie a present."

He groaned and rose from the chair. He put his arm around her, and they walked to the door. "She talks too much. How about we get her a muzzle?"

"Squall!" She gave him a swift kick in the shins, and he cried out, hopping on his other leg.

"What? It was a joke! I’m still working on my delivery."

"Obviously." They took the elevator down to the parking lot, and Squall stopped abruptly.

He took a key from his pocket and put it in her hand. "Alright, there’s something I’ve been hiding. I don’t just go on that Triple Triad board to play cards." Her heart sank. Could it really be true? Had he met someone? Someone more grumpy and quiet like himself? "I’ve been talking to this girl in Deling City, and…well, uh…" She felt tears fill her eyes. Squall had a one-way ass kicking ticket to Centra courtesy of Selphie Tilmitt.

She looked up at him, and he suddenly looked horrified. "No…NO! No, it’s not what you’re thinking! Oh damn it, no no!" He shook her shoulders and pushed her forward. "The car! The girl sold me the car!" Rinoa blinked and saw the gorgeous convertible she’d admired before.

She smiled through her tears. "You stupid moron."

He rolled his eyes. "I wanted it to be a surprise. I thought if Kinneas could book a train car, then I could buy you the car you wanted."

Always a competition, she thought. Squall Leonhart was a constant riddle…wait.

"The car I wanted? You mean?"

He gestured to the key in her hand. "Are you deaf? Let’s go already." She squealed and threw her arms around his neck. No more borrowing the awful Garden car. No more noisy muffler, no more broken windshield wipers, no more blinking Check Engine light. She jumped behind the wheel and turned the key in the ignition.

"Squall, you can play Triple Triad online until your eyes pop out of your head." He grinned, and she pulled out of the

part 4

–

Rinoa yawned and lamented her lot in life. At least her lot in life for this evening. If the world was a perfect place, she’d be in the movie megaplex right now, Squall’s arm around her. But alas, it was not to be. They’d missed the 7:30 show they aimed for, and a quick glance at the clock on the wall informed her that the 8:30 show had just started. The 9:30 was probably going to be a bust as well.

"Damn motherloving hell crap damn!"

Rinoa watched Quistis clap gleefully and Squall moan loudly. Her boyfriend was always at his most animated when playing Triple Triad, and his language was decidedly colorful when he lost. For someone who could probably be mistaken for a mute, Squall sure whined noisily when he played his stupid card game. Quistis had just won his only Shiva card, and he looked like he was going to throw a temper tantrum.

Beside her, Seifer looked about ready to pass out from boredom. She nudged him with her elbow. "We’re a pair of Triple Triad widows, you know that?" What had started out as a best of three match had turned into best of seven, then ten, then twenty-one and by now, Rinoa had lost count.

He nodded in agreement. "Oh Seifer," he muttered in mockery of Quistis’ voice, "we just have to go see Killer Vampire Bats 2, it’s gonna be great! And we can double date!"

Rinoa sighed. Instead, their double date to that stupid horror flick turned into her and Seifer watching Quistis and Squall play Triple Triad. The two of them hadn’t budged from Squall’s bed, and she and Seifer had been demoted to the floor. "We’re almost done," Quistis mumbled, concentrating on the cards in her hand.

"Yeah, and I’m an alien," Seifer retorted grumpily. He got up from the floor and began rummaging through Squall’s closet. "Do you have any chips or something?"

"Sign," Squall answered, not looking up from his cards. Rinoa rolled her eyes. Seifer slammed the closet door closed, sneering angrily at Squall’s obnoxious print-out. No food in here, please. Take it to the hallway – Management. Seifer ripped the sign from the door, looking terribly proud of himself, but she shook her head.

"He’s got about fifty of those printed out. You haven’t solved anything," she informed him, and Seifer sat down at her side once more and began paging through an old Weapons Monthly. Rinoa watched a small grin quirk at the corners of her boyfriend’s mouth, and it infuriated her. "Ugh, there has to be something to do. You know, Seifer, I bet if we went to the movie, they wouldn’t even notice we left!"

"We would," Quistis replied cheerfully and took another card from Squall. Her boyfriend let out another slew of curse words, then demanded another rematch. Quistis eagerly accepted, and Rinoa couldn’t take it any longer. She was about to stand up and scream, but she noticed a colorful box poking out beneath Squall’s bed.

She pulled the box out, seeing it still wrapped in its original plastic. It looked to be a game called Human Pretzel. "Squall, what’s this?"

He barely glanced over, and when he saw what she was holding, he frowned. "Laguna." Rinoa grinned. There was a note taped to the top of the box, and she detached it to read the heartfelt message from the President of Esthar.

From the Desk of President Loire

Squall! Hey, how ya doing? Yeah, so this game has been surprisingly good with icebreaking and endless diplomatic meetings. Maybe you kids would like to try it. You know, you would simply not believe how good Ward is at this game. But don’t tell him I said so, alright? Yeah, anyway, write back soon. Elle says hi, and we miss ya!

Laguna

She heard Squall snort as she read the letter. Poor Laguna had been trying to reach out and get to know Squall a bit better, but the man didn’t seem to know exactly how best to go about it. Sending gifts appeared to be the first olive branch. Squall had been the recent recipient of an elaborate coffee maker, a trampoline, and a set of encyclopedias. President Loire meant well, but Squall wished the man had sent receipts with everything.

Rinoa set the letter aside and opened the box, its only contents being a cardboard square with colored dots and a spinner along with a large white cloth covered in larger colored dots. Seifer looked over with interest, probably looking for anything to do that didn’t involve watching a boring card game. "I’ll play," he offered, taking the cloth and setting it down on the floor. They took their shoes off and tossed them in the corner.

She spun the spinner. "Ok, um…right hand red? I guess that means your right hand." Seifer obediently crouched down, slapping his hand on a red dot. She set the spinner down in front of him. Squall and Quistis didn’t even look over.

Seifer let the spinner fly. "Left foot green." She placed her foot down and moved to hit the spinner again.

"Right foot blue." Seifer scratched his head and stretched his leg out to rest his foot on a blue dot.

He had to stretch a bit to get to the spinner again. "Left hand red." She surveyed the cloth, looking for the best red dot. If she just bent…this way, moving her arm over Seifer’s leg…

"What the hell are you doing?" Squall interrupted, and she and Seifer looked up. It was then that Rinoa saw where Human Pretzel might lead. The dirty look on Seifer’s face showed that he knew all along.

"What does it look like we’re doing, Squall?" she snapped back, trying to get a rise of him. That would show him for ignoring her all night. He may have agreed to the movie, but she’d let him pick the stupid vampire bat thing. And they hadn’t even gone! And now he was getting uppity yet again?

Seifer spun the spinner. "Left hand yellow!" He maneuvered his way around her suggestively. "Ah, Rin. Just like old times…"

And with that, Squall launched himself from the bed to tackle him. Rinoa dove out of the way and shared a grin with Quistis, who didn’t seem at all perturbed by Seifer’s behavior. Seifer would always be Seifer. Squall on the other hand…

Her boyfriend had his fists gripped around Seifer’s shirt. "Don’t touch her. Don’t think about touching her. Don’t even think about thinking about touching her!" Seifer was laughing hysterically at Squall’s threats, and Quistis and Rinoa joined in too. Squall didn’t find it all that funny, releasing him. He began folding the cloth up erratically, shoving it into the Human Pretzel box along with the spinner. "This thing is going back to Esthar!"

"It was a gift!" she pointed out to him, "you can’t send it back! You’ll hurt his feelings!"

Seifer sat up and shook his head. "You know, Squall…if you don’t want it, I’d be happy to…"

"No way," Quistis responded almost immediately. She gathered up her Triad cards and extended a hand to help Seifer from the floor. "We’ll reschedule the movie, ok?" Rinoa nodded, and the other couple took off for the night before Squall killed either one of them over cards or over Human Pretzel.

She smiled as Squall sat at his desk and took out a sheet of paper and a pen. "What are you doing?" she inquired, peering over his shoulder.

"Writing to Laguna."

"What are you going to say?"

He looked up from the paper and scowled. "I’m telling him to stick this stupid game where the sun won’t shine."

Her jaw dropped. "You wouldn’t dare!"

Squall frowned and set the pen down. "No, I guess I shouldn’t." He poked the Human Pretzel box with his foot. "What runs through his head? Does he go to the store and just say ‘You know, seeing this, I’m reminded of Squall’? Because I can’t figure it out. Maybe he draws stupid ideas from a hat?"

She wrapped her arms around him and kissed the top of his head. "He’s trying, Squall. He really is. You just need to give him some time, and I don’t know…point him in the right direction?"

He gripped her hand and squeezed it. "I guess so. But you know, Rin, if the General decided to send you a membership to the Exotic Cheese of the Month club, you’d be a bit taken aback too."

Rinoa giggled, thinking of the Winhill cheddar Squall had donated to the cafeteria the other day. "Yeah, I suppose you’re right about that." She bent down and picked the spinner back out of the box, letting her finger flick it a few times. "Are you really going to send it back?"

He turned and raised his eyebrows suggestively. "Well, not tonight…" He kissed her gently, easing the spinner out of her hands. Squall broke away first and gave her a winning smile. "I’m totally kicking your ass at this game, Heartilly."

She laughed again and dug the cloth back out of the Human Pretzel box.

part 3

–

His hands gripped hers, and she gripped the stick. And she wished that she had worn a thicker sweater, but luckily enough she could benefit from the warmth of his coat for the time being. He gave her hands a push. "Now you just pull back like this," he instructed, and she let him guide her to swinging the stick way back. "And then you bring it back."

She felt an exhilarating feeling as the stick collided with the puck hard, smacking it across the ice and into the goal. "Slapshot! That’s one point for you, Rin," he said, releasing her and giving her a congratulatory pat on the shoulder.

She turned around as best she could, still wobbling on her skates. "I want to try it again."

"Again?"

"Again." He nodded and put his arms back around her, his strong hands holding hers tightly against the top of the hockey stick. And that was when Squall had finally had enough.

"Okay, practice is over. Stop groping my girlfriend!" She sighed at the jealous tone in Squall’s voice, and Irvine released her with a wicked smile on his face.

"Your girl has a wicked slapshot," Irvine retorted, skating smoothly away to retrieve the puck from the goal. He brought it back and set it down next to her stick and stayed a comfortable distance away. It was still not comfortable enough for Squall, who continued to scowl. Squall, who was too uninterested in playing hockey at the new Balamb rink to join her on the ice. It was his stupid fault that Irvine had to teach her. He could have laced up a pair of skates himself, but he had refused. Irvine had been kind enough to offer his services as her sports instructor in her boyfriend’s place.

Quistis had tagged along, and she kept her eternally grumpy, anti-social lump of a boyfriend company in the stands just behind the goal. She caught the blonde’s eye and smiled. Quistis shook her head in disbelief, her usual reaction to pretty much anything Squall Leonhart did or said.

"Come on, goalie. Let’s see if she can get one past you," Quistis urged, and Squall seemed satisfied with this plan. Rinoa sighed at the growing smirk on his face. She could already tell that Squall was imagining several delightful scenarios, most of which involved Irvine Kinneas getting smacked in the face with a hockey puck.

"You think you’re ready?" Irvine asked her quietly, and she didn’t exactly have an answer. She felt fine when he was helping her, but she was still very new to the whole skating thing. Now she’d have to step up to a new level – skating and swinging a giant wooden stick at the same time. But she felt she was up to the challenge.

Rinoa rolled her eyes at the continued glee in Squall’s face. He was probably envisioning Irvine getting taken out of the rink on a stretcher at this point. "Yes, Irvine. I’m ready as I’ll ever be," she replied eagerly, tapping her stick on the ice with renewed enthusiasm. All she had to do was swing, right?

The cowboy turned skater headed back to the goal with a nod. He pulled a mask over his face (to Squall’s immediately noticeable disappointment) and put on a chest protector and pads. "Alright. Why don’t you skate towards me, swing and try and get it past me?"

"She’s not ready for that!" Squall argued, and Rinoa could feel her blood boiling. Who was he to tell her what she could or could not do? He wouldn’t even come down there! She tightened her grip on the stick and turned around, skating all the way to the other end of the rink.

"Oh yeah? Well, screw you!" she screamed at Squall, and even from this far away she could hear Quistis’ enthusiastic laughter. Irvine hunkered down in front of the goal and signaled for her to start skating. So she did. She held the stick stiffly in front of her as she picked up speed, her eyes entirely focused on the little black puck.

"Ease up, Rin," Irvine called to her, and that was when her panic started. "Rin, you need to slow down!" She thought she saw Squall and Quistis stand up, and she wasn’t exactly concerned about hitting the puck with the big stick anymore.

"How do I stop?" she cried out, her voice not sounding as terrified as she felt. The goal was coming up too quickly, and she wished she’d asked Irvine how to brake. Was that even the right word? Can you brake in ice skates? Her mind was pondering this as she dropped the stick and shot her arms out to try and keep her balance. Her ankles were shaking. How was she moving so fast?

She heard both Squall and Quistis cry her name as she collided with Irvine, and the well-intentioned goalie uttered a loud "Oof!" as she ran into him at full speed, knocking back into the net and toppling backwards onto the ice. She felt her ankle move in a way it shouldn’t as they smacked hard onto the unforgiving rink, and she groaned.

"You idiot!" She heard Squall’s voice, the fury radiating across the ice in a way she hadn’t heard before. She was in big trouble. She looked up from the tangle of her limbs and Irvine’s to see her boyfriend struggling to rush over to her, his big black boots slipping and sliding on the ice. He was by her side as quickly as he could, and as he moved her, the pain hit.

"Ow! Squall! Don’t move me so fast!" Rinoa protested, but he ignored her, giving a swift kick against Irvine’s chest protector to push him away from her. Irvine groaned as Quistis skidded her way over to help him up. Squall picked her up and carried her out of the rink, wobbling dangerously on the slick ice. Her ankle wasn’t broken, but it felt like crap. "Squall, put me down! I think I twisted my ankle…"

He let out a murderous growl, and she shut her mouth. Hockey was probably a bad idea. Squall set her down on the bench he and Quistis had just vacated, propping her leg up. "Kinneas, get her an ice pack," he called out in his most authoritative Commander voice. Quistis rolled her eyes and hurried off to let Irvine off the hook. The goalie was probably ok, she guessed. He only had the wind knocked out of him.

Squall wrapped his jacket around her shoulders. "I shouldn’t have let you do that. How could you be so dumb? You’re going to be the death of me!"

"Blah blah, I love you, blah blah you should stick by me at all times, blah blah. I get it, alright?" she snapped back. "Just relax. It’s a twisted ankle, for Hyne’s sake."

"It could have been far worse, and you know it! God, Rin, you scared me…" She looked up to see the return of Squall’s "Abandoned Puppy" face, this time with the added bonus of "Puppy that got kicked repeatedly and THEN Abandoned." She felt terrible.

"I’m sorry, hon," she replied softly, touching his face. He kissed her like he would surely die if his lips weren’t attached to hers, and the tingling pain in her ankle subsided slightly.

"This is where I make a wisecrack about tonsil hockey, isn’t it?"

She broke away to laugh, and Squall rolled his eyes at Quistis’ joke. "Ha ha, Quis. Very funny." He snatched the ice pack from the blonde and settled it on her ankle. She gave Quistis a wink and let him tend to her.

part 2

"I wish chicken wuss was here. I’m feeling way too domestic."

"Just read the card, Seifer," Quistis Trepe snapped, making Rinoa grin. Squall’s dorm room had unofficially become the Game Room for their group, and she could already hear him cracking his knuckles in frustration as Irvine accidentally spilled some ranch dip on his impeccably kept floor.

"Sorry Squall, I overdipped my chip," the cowboy apologized and sat back down at Selphie’s side, and Squall barely blinked. She reached a hand to pat his shoulder while they waited for Seifer to continue Questions and Answers.

The blond man held up the card in irritation. "Alright, alright. Rinoa and Squall…Entertainment. What actor famously left the Galbadian theater scene to run a fish and chip shop in Balamb?"

"Oh, this one’s too easy!" Selphie cried, "Why did we get the chemistry question?"

"Because we landed on a green space, not a pink one, Sef," Irvine teased, squeezing his girl’s hand. Rinoa took her eyes from the happy couple to frown at her partner. Much as she loved him, Squall was quite possibly the worst person to be matched up with for Questions and Answers. The game was equal parts pop culture and random trivia, and his mind was devoid of such "useless" knowledge. She was doing most of the legwork for their team while he moped. Socializing was still very new to Squall Leonhart, and Couples Game Night was only agreed to with the caveat that everyone had to leave his room by 10 o’clock. It was already 9:30, and Squall was checking the clock every other second.

She looked to him for an answer, and his expression was entirely blank. Useless! If Questions and Answers had categories like "Complaining" or "Battle Strategy," then they’d have the game won already. But no. "Squall, you don’t have any idea?" she moaned.

Rinoa saw his eyes flit quickly over to the clock on the wall and back to hers in a nanosecond. "Jordan Fanto?" he replied, his voice sounding as bored as he looked.

"Is that your answer?" Seifer asked impatiently, tapping the question card on his hand.

"I don’t know," Squall answered, the same enthusiasm evident. It took all the strength she had not to shove him.

"Jordan Fanto is a tournament level Triple Triad player, Squall. So no, Seifer, he is not our answer," she snarled, only looking at her partner, who continued to regard her with what she called his "Whatever" face. Seifer chortled, and she heard Quistis tell him to settle down under her breath. Selphie and Irvine were too busy tickling each other to care, and Rinoa had to look away from Squall to think. "Just give me a moment since I have to have the brain power of TWO people."

Seifer snickered again and gave Quistis a smile. "We don’t have all night. Some people have more important things to do," her ex-boyfriend remarked. Quistis groaned in embarrassment, and Rinoa shut her eyes to concentrate. As far as she was concerned, inviting the perverted mind of Seifer Almasy to Game Night was a bad idea. For once, Squall was right. But she wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of knowing that. She listened to the sound of tickling and giggling and could almost feel the dull eyes from the "Whatever" face gaping at her.

Eureka! "Daven Ridgeley!"

Seifer raised his eyebrows. "Heartilly comes through in the clutch! Nice!" She sighed in relief and took a small pink wedge and added it to her and Squall’s game piece. It was their first wedge compared to four for Selphie and Irvine and three for Seifer and Quistis.

Quistis smiled at Squall. "And your contribution is duly noted, Commander. Jordan Fanto was an…interesting guess."

Squall smirked. "I’m just here for moral support." Rinoa rolled her eyes and kept her Industrial Strength Squall-Poking Elbow to herself. Selphie and Irvine took their turn, and she read them a sport question. While the two of them made kissy faces and googly eyes at each other, their unconventional but successful strategy, Rinoa watched her boyfriend’s eyes. "Whatever" face was morphing into "Must Kill Kinneas" face, Squall’s eyes aimed like a laser beam at the dollop of ranch dip that still lay on his carpet.

She could just see the little hamster running in the wheel that was Squall’s brain. He was probably wondering what permanent damage the dip would do to his rug, and he was probably mentally listing the different stain removal supplies he had at his disposal. From the way his face continued to sink into a downright evil sneer, Rinoa imagined that Squall was also wondering if those supplies would get Irvine’s blood out of the carpet as well.

"Fourteen points!" Selphie and Irvine chanted together excitedly, and Rinoa looked back at the card.

"You’re absolutely right!" she replied cheerfully, and the victorious couple decided to make out a bit at their success. Seifer’s eyes could probably not roll back in his head any further than they already were.

"Are we done yet? Can’t we just let them win so they can go sex each other already?" Seifer complained, and Quistis smacked his arm.

Irvine broke away from his girl to smile that swoon-inducing smile he was so damn good at. "Now now, Quisty. You don’t have to crack the whip every time Seifer opens his trap…"

Quistis glared. "Oh yeah, that joke hasn’t gotten old yet!"

Irvine made a whip cracking noise, and a handful of question cards found their way from Quistis’ hand to Irvine’s face. "Not again," she heard Squall mumble beside her.

Irvine and Selphie raised stacks of cards in their own hands, but Seifer held up his hands in protest. "No way, not a chance, kids. I’m calling it a night. Cards aren’t my weapon of choice. I fight to maim and wound. Example, Squall’s face," he teased, gesturing to the scar on her boyfriend’s forehead.

"Whatever," he replied, to the surprise of no one. "At least yours got infected." Rinoa suppressed a smile at the rivalry rearing its ugly, but amusing head once again. Seifer laughed and dragged Quistis to her feet.

"Good night," Quistis called as Seifer tugged her out of Squall’s room. Selphie and Irvine dropped their cards in disappointment. They soon shuffled out as well.

She sighed and moved over to Squall’s drawers, pulling out the bottom one to reveal a disturbing array of cleaning supplies. "You get the game, I’ll tackle the dip," she offered.

He nodded and began gathering the cards, putting them in some order she would never understand. She snapped up a foam carpet cleaner and a few paper towels and got to work. He put everything back in the box and laid back on his bed with a sigh. "No food next time, alright Rin?"

She smiled and continued to rub the stain from the rug. "You mean there’s going to be a next time?" He groaned, and she knew she’d caught him. "Next time we’ll have to have Zell and the library girl…"

"Lia."

"That’s right, Lia. We’ll have them come instead of Seifer and Quisty. Seifer has a smutty mind, and all I can do is think of my boyfriend in filthy ways," she reasoned and stood up, dropping the soiled towels in the garbage. She opened the drawer and moved to put the carpet cleaner back, but he was behind her. He wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her cheek.

"Keep it alphabetical, please."

She turned around and hopped up to sit on the desk. She handed him the cleaner to put back himself and sighed. "You alphabetize your cleaning supplies?"

"I am a man of mystery, Rinoa. Don’t try and change me." He simply dropped the cleaner into the drawer instead of putting it in order and slammed it shut with his foot. He put his hands on either side of her and stared into her eyes. "So let me see if I follow…we shouldn’t invite Seifer because he makes you think dirty thoughts…about me? That’s just wrong."

"I am a woman of mystery, Squall," she whispered back as seductively as she could muster and tugged him to her by the collar of his shirt. "Don’t try and change me."

He kissed her then, and she felt totally and completely loved. She came up for air and winked. "But Jordan Fanto? That was the best you could do? Really?" He silenced her with another kiss, and she knew she’d never want another partner for Questions and Answers.

Life after Ultimecia

This part takes of after the party was triumphant against Ultimecia and saved all of mankind from what was suppose to be Judgment Day.

Life was was once again perfect & full of promises…

Go, 200 Gil

–

She laughed and couldn’t resist clapping her hands excitedly. "Three houses means 560 gil, Zell. Pay up!"

Her friend muttered a curse and started gathering the little paper bills together, and he slapped them into her now outstretched hand with a pained groan. "Why doesn’t anyone land on MY property?"

"Because everything you own is worthless, and even the dice realize it," Irvine joked, his fingers teasing their way up and down Selphie’s arm. Zell growled at Irvine’s comment, and the room erupted into laughter. Even Squall cracked a rare smile but hid it quickly, vanishing back into his stoic role as the banker.

Rinoa relished the laid back atmosphere as the five of them played Properties, an old board game Ma Dincht had urged Zell to throw out. Instead, he had brought it to Squall’s dorm room that night, and they had been playing for over two hours without tiring. Life was so much better now with the threat of Ultimecia gone and their world at relative peace. She arranged the fake gil into little piles and grinned. If she could spend the rest of her life this way – surrounded by friends with no worries – she knew she’d die happy.

It was Selphie’s turn, and she grabbed the dice from the center of the board. She placed them in her open palm and held it in front of Irvine’s face. "Blow on them for luck?"

Irvine tipped his hat back and winked flirtatiously. "Blow on what, Sefie?"

"Oh no way, sick," Zell complained. "You guys need to stop that! That’s just not right."

Selphie blushed and rolled the dice without Irvine’s "assistance," and Rinoa found her eyes drifting in Squall’s direction. She listened to the gentle tapping of Selphie moving her game piece around the board, catching Irvine tickling her from the corner of her eye. Squall seemed unmoved by the whole thing, and she sighed internally. She didn’t necessarily need a public display of affection from her boyfriend, but would it kill him to at least look at her once in a while?

He was preoccupied with his role as the banker, and Rinoa had never seen anyone as serious about a silly game of Properties as Squall Leonhart. She’d been peeking at him several times over the course of the game. His gil stash was neatly arranged, as were his property cards. The bank was just as organized, not one thing out of place. Every time a player passed the Go square, he would make a quiet announcement. He’d say "Go, 200 gil," and he would hand over the money. He also was the property card manager, muttering the name of the card as he distributed it, and then he counted and recounted the money the new property owner had given him in exchange. It was enough to drive her mad. It was just a game!

She watched his eyes dart over his gil stacks over and over, hovering his hand over them every few minutes, and then bringing his hand back, and she finally realized what he was doing. It appeared that Squall was waging an internal war with himself over whether to reorganize his money piles into ascending order or to leave them be. She saw him lift a small pile of 1 gils, then set it back down with a frown, and Rinoa was unable to avoid the boisterous laugh that emerged from her. The others looked up, and Squall raised his head curiously. "Did I miss something? I’m sorry," he mumbled, and she felt terrible for laughing at him.

It was her turn anyhow, and she gave the dice a shake and let them scatter across the board. She moved the little dog piece, thankfully landing on something she owned. Zell again sighed, as she had just bypassed the railroad he owned. Irvine snorted, and she and Selphie were in hysterics once again. Squall took his turn, calling "Go, 200 gil" even though he was the one receiving the money. As if they wouldn’t trust him to be honest about taking money! She bit back another laugh, desperately needing an escape from the oh-so-serious banker boyfriend she’d been lucky enough to snag.

"So," she began, catching Selphie’s gaze. "How do you think Quisty’s doing?"

Irvine scowled across the board at her. "Oh, don’t start this and ruin my evening."

But Selphie was eager to gossip too. "Where do you think they went? There aren’t that many restaurants in Balamb!"

"Oh, I know," she replied, giving her friend a wide grin. "There aren’t that many hotels in Balamb either!"

"Aaaaah, stop!" Irvine and Zell cried in unison, and Selphie was doubling over in laughter. Irvine pulled off his hat for the first time all night and flung it at her as a projectile attack. She caught it and placed it on her own head, but Rinoa did not miss the small flash of jealousy in Squall’s eyes. She was determined to leave the hat on her head then. Maybe it would stop his monk-like behavior.

Irvine crossed his arms defiantly, not even noticing Squall’s reaction. "The last thing I need to think about tonight is Seifer Almasy getting his groove on."

"Oh for the love of Hyne, did you have to phrase it like that?" Zell cried, throwing his little stack of property cards at Irvine. The challenge issued, the taller boy grabbed the stack of Chance cards from the game board and flung them back in a rain of orange. Rinoa watched Squall’s eyes narrow at the defilement of his perfectly ordered game world, and she decided to continue dismantling it.

"Oh Instructor," Rinoa shouted then in her best imitation of Seifer’s voice, "do you want to see my gunblade?" Zell and Irvine turned from their Chance card fight to gape at her in absolute horror.

"RINOA!" they screamed, and suddenly a giant flood of fake money was unleashed from the two of them, and she squealed at the assault.

Selphie seemed to be struggling with breathing, but she was able to take Rinoa’s side in this torturous war. "Why Seifer Almasy," she replied in a deeper, more Quistis-like voice, "it’s so big!" Selphie was tackled by Irvine then, a tickle war ensuing.

Zell was still disgusted by the whole exchange and kept his full attention on Rinoa, pelting her again and again with game cards and fake gil. Her sides began to ache from laughing, and she watched Squall turn from Slightly Irritated to Majorly Annoyed and then to the last stage of his usual anger cycle – Lethal Intent.

Noticing this Fury in Progress, she tipped Irvine’s hat at her boyfriend and winked, then grabbed a huge pile of gil from the bank – from his Sanctuary of Perfect Order – and threw half at Zell…and half at him. It was the straw that broke the chocobo’s back, and he was on his feet and grouchy as an old maid in seconds.

"Out. Get out of my room! Each and every last one of you, out!"

Irvine picked up the game board from the floor and swatted Squall in the ass with it in one swift motion, and Rinoa thought Squall would burst a blood vessel. She could have sworn that the stoic Commander’s eye was twitching.

"I said get out!" he scolded, and Selphie and Zell were silent. He marched over and took Irvine’s hat from her head. "And…and…" Squall cried, his anger coming out faster than his words. "And take your stupid hat with you!" he finished, thrusting the cowboy hat into Irvine’s hands. Selphie smiled widely and grabbed Irvine’s hand, dragging him out. Zell threw one last property card at her, still furious about the Seifer and Quistis exchange, and departed as well, shutting the door behind him.

She put her hands on her hips and smirked. "I suppose that includes me too?" He was on his knees on the floor picking up fake money and property cards. She crouched down next to him, touching his arm. "Squall?"

He was more graceful than she gave him credit for as he pounced, knocking her onto her back. She gasped in surprise as she felt the thin paper cards poking her in the back. "I thought they’d never leave," he whispered in her ear, kissing his way from her neck to her jaw.

She laughed at this unexpected turn of events and wrapped her arms around him. He moved to kiss her lips, and she turned her head away. "Hey," he responded sadly, leaning up to look at her. Lethal Intent was gone, with Sad Abandoned Puppy in its place.

She gave him a wink and poked him in the side. "Go, 200 gil."

He snorted and moved off of her, scrambling around on the floor. Producing the required currency and returning to her, he waved the colorful bills in her face impatiently. "I’m not this kind of guy. You know that," he said pointedly, a hint of a smile at the corners of his mouth.

She giggled and grabbed the fake money from his hand. "I know," she replied, kissing him soundly.

(2 b cont.)

Juz did Isya’…

Its 0129,but apparently i can’t sleep..

I’m damn tired alrite,but it seems like the power surge in my body is still in overdrive after a game of futsal with my uncles,cousins & friends.Yep,a few moments ago we were playing futsal,in a new corner of my beloved seaside city,called Jesselton Point.The place iz already a few months old,but its baffling new to me.The place really seems to fit my personality.Kehkeh,looks like i already found a new haunting place to add in my favourites list..

Well,if i can’t sleep,might as well do something worthwhile to pass the time.That’s when i remembered bout my blogs.I did made a mental note bout it,planned to update it after my Final exams.Haven’t touched it for sometime now,might as well start it tonite.

Frankly,before this i was reluctant to do any blogging,cuz i was afraid nobody would even bother 2 read it,nevertheless visit my blogsite.I’m kinda social sensitive you see,very nervous bout peoples perspective of me & how people think of me or my actions.But i quickly realized that,"What the heck?Who cares if nobody reads this stuff??Its not like i would lose anything???"

After some deep-thoughts,i think i need an output where i can pour out all my emotions,feelings,urges,condemns,etc..Before this,I tend to keep it all by myself,you know,the macho type..I tried not show my emotions,i tried to hide my feelings,i kept cool in all kinds of situations,I was solidly patient in every conditions,but seems like the Bag is about to blow inside out..Before I implode,i need an output to ease the strain.Thats when my blog filled the slot.

Beforehand,I’d like to apologize to all the willingful readers out there who  had  endured my rather boring insights,and more importantly, thanks for sharing my side of the story.

born 2 live,taxed 2 death,

Griever Lang @ Awangku @ MFR @ B29