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A Break in Character	By : Resting-Madness Category: Final Fantasy VIII > Yaoi - Male/Male > Irvine/Squall Views: 919 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I don't own the characters or setting of the Final Fantasy VIII universe and make no money from this work of fan fiction. It's all for fun.

Chapter List
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Seifer Almasy was trying to kill him! Squall was sure of it. The guy was relentlessly bashing him with a souped-up variation of his preferred gunblade model, Hyperion. This one was cruel, covered it what looked like nicks but they are actually metal bent to resemble scales of a serpent. So if the slice misses the opponent the bat aside will make up for it. The dangerous blond already victimized his coat by tearing open the sleeve. Single-hand gunbladist are truly psychos!
"Okay." Squall said, then having to block another blow he raised his voice. "Enough!"
A barrage of poisonous blobs shot from the lion's hand bashing into Seifer, crippling him to the ground.
"What the..." Seifer coughed and spat out a bit of blood. "I thought we agreed to no spells.."
"We also agreed to a spar." He casted Esuna to heal his friend. His rival could have stood to suffer a bit longer.
Squall dropped onto the cold snow covered ground beside Seifer; touching his coat as though internally licking the wound of evaluation that it needed to be replaced. Lucky it wasn't one of a kind. Breathing labored, he caught his breath in visible puffs from his internal heat greeting the cold. It was a spar of temperatures. No one can beat the elements.
Having better caught his breaths, the renegade tapped his booted-foot against Squall's to get his attention; a clump of snow in the shape of the underside of the footwear rejoined it's collection in the collide. "Now that you're too tired to argue," Seifer stated. "Wanna tell me what had you so distracted earlier?"
Squall blanched. 'So that's what this was about. A ploy to get me to talk.' He shook his head. 'I should have known, Seifer's so underhanded, his own mother probably had the doctors pat-him-down after birth.' He shrugged his shoulder. "There's really nothing. I was just going through some weird flash. It must be from the coma."
Seifer, who is a few inches behind Squall's beside, leaned forward to see his friend's face. Poker. As expected. Squall could look as bland as his favorite expression of "Whatever". If he's lying, the ex-knight can't tell. The pair locked eyes each daring the same thing but from a different inflection. Keep going. Well, nope. Squall decided he was done for now. He not only needs to change coats, he needs to change clothes after a shower. He really worked up a sweat. Getting to his feet, he reached out a hand to Seifer and helped him up.
"Thank you." Said Seifer. He then shoved Squall over back into the snow. "That was for the cheap shot." He brushed the cold, wet season from the back of his clothes, then walked back to the school. He's not at all convinced that he wasn't lied to. But, he could ask later, by a little snooping.
...
"Irvy!" Selphie called out when spotting the fellow orphan walking to class. "Hi." She hugged him, but backed out quick with a light giggle. "You better not have enjoyed that." Teased the chipper.
"No, no. I know the reality, we're just friends. And I'm glad for it." He smiled secretly, as he had enjoyed the hug. He is a teenaged guy after all.
"We're having a Garden movie night this weekend, to better the peace. Can I get you to sign up for the committee?"
"Can I get something out of it?" He teased by puckering up his lips.
Selphie playfully scoffed. "Ohh, you want lip service." Smacking the clipboard into his torso, she says in a commanding tone. "Sign the damned form, Kinneas." Looking rather pleased with her joke, she stuck out her tongue when Irvine gave it a thumbs down. "I tried. But, seriously, will you sign up?"
"What do you want me to do?" He moved aside for a cadet walking into the classroom, he stood in the doorway with Selphie to talk, but it also works in letting the instructor know that he is early for class. He's just distracted.
"Until the movie begins, can you do concessions?"
"Sure! Do I get to take my fill?"
"It's not about perks, it's about peace and love. Friendship." Selphie looked sadly at the floor. "I kinda think we all need the reminder that we were once same unit, just from different places."
Irvine peeled the clipboard from his stomach, then wrote down his name. "You're right. I'll do it. I mean, I was any way, but I won't steal snacks."
"Thanks. But free snacks is practically a known secret at the stand."
"Mm hmm." He looked over her head at the movement down the hall. His eyes smiled when he spotted Squall headed for Class 6.
"And Irvine, make sure you really sell it. The money earned is going to Trabian relief funds."
"You can count on me. I'll make them feel the weight of what was done, and what needs to be righted."
She brightly smiled. "Killer. You're the best!" Hopping up and down, she eventually landed a kiss upon the helpful sniper's cheek. Seeing someone trying to move quickly out of view, she called to them. "Celeste! Hey! You wanna join the committee?!"
Irvine felt a warmth in his heart. Selphie Tilmitt is a winner in achieving goals. And at caring without a limit. A lot of cadets could learn a thing or two from her. Galbadia Garden suffered minor damages that the trusty engineers of Fisherman's Horizon were able to repair with no problem. Trabia was oblitorated. They all need to do their part in getting the place back on it's feet.
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Seifer verbally "tisked" when Squall walked into the classroom. "Leonhart, are you getting slow in your old age? I showered and changed then came to class 30 minutes ago."
Squall was about to remind Seifer that he's younger than him, but that wouldn't help in his case. And any way, he was distracted while showering. He was thinking about hanging out with Irvine, and during the spacing out, he thought about an accidental kiss, which lead to a little more, involving hands and mouths, and the next thing he knew he was finishing himself off as the shower water grew cold. Watching Irvine's handsome face be so focused on pleasuring him, and feeling the strength behind his jaw as he sucked. All the sniper's chatter seemed to have a double-use. The guy could likely suck the liquid center from a chocolate ball without damaging the shell.
Blinking back to his current surroundings, Squall was beginning to worry that his wandering mind could spell trouble, if Seifer doesn't get him off his radar. His rival has his cyan-colored gaze upon him, scrutinizing him with tons of "Why's" that he won't have answered. Leonhart took a seat in front of Seifer but one terminal up leaving some distance between them. Safety measures.
"Alright, who's the wiseguy?" Griped an unseen male voice, shortly after his declaration of grief the class hears moaning coming from the speaker of his computer. "This is so disgusting, have some respect for property." He closed the webpage. "Jerks."
Seifer snorted in amusement, although his old self made a note to get the names of the students who last logged in to that computer. He may now consider himself a cadet for Galbadia, and after what went down in the war and the part he played it was near force, but he would always have traces of Balamb in him as a cadet and head of the disciplinary committee.
Squall logged-in and checked the message board. He grimaced when seeing a post from Selphie. She's recruiting again for committee activities. He made a mental note to avoid her at all cost, if the situation involved their being alone. She may have roped him into it last year, but luckily it never really panned-out. Zell wanted to go T-boarding, it was an open invite to all cadets, including Galbadian. That was nice. Leonhart has noticed a sort of divide between them at times. Hopefully everyone will get it together before Galbadia Garden is back up and running. The world doesn't need anymore 'It's them or us' disconnect.
Squall read over the rest of the messages on the board from his circle of friends. He then clicked on his inbox with an aggrieved state-of-mind. He's been getting too many love interest based e-mails. It's mind-numbing. For Galbadians to hold a bit of stand-offish behavior towards Balambmites, the girls sure don't mind setting their feelings aside in order to date.
'Damn registration. I should make a new account.' Thought Squall, hitting the delete all, he stopped himself from taking out the trash when seeing one is from Rinoa. Clicking on it he read it. His lips tightened into a thin agitated line. Two simple sentences just turned his stomach.
I'm relieved that you're awake finally. I'm coming to see you. Love, Rinoa.
'Love? What "Love", were we that close?' Not at all that Squall can recall.
He's had many strange flashes during the coma. The others trying to get him together with Rinoa. His trying to become her hero. Her knight. She had stolen his ring via Zell. Rinoa had become possessed by sorceress Ultimacia. The evil entity was tricked out of her in trade for Sorceress Adel, and it would seem the others and she made it out of Time Compression safe enough physically, if not emotionally. These things he was told. But 'love'? Surely some wires had been crossed. If Rinoa was under the impression that they had something going other than client obligation than clearly some lines have been crossed. He doesn't love Rinoa. And if she's coming over with any notion of otherwise this was going to be a very awkward reunion.
Squall opened a private chat with Seifer.
The teacher is still looking over the assignments from yesterday and getting notes together on the board, he has a little time for personal matters.
Squall: Have you seen Rinoa since the war?
Seifer: Once. She's liberating Timber. She lives out there, I think.
Squall: Oh.
The messaging ended there, and class began.
...
"Everyone, have one of these." Selphie passed out pieces of paper around the cafeteria tables that her friends inhabit. "Aren't they cute? I researched the look and copied it exactly."
Quistis blinked, then her fine deep blonde brow rose in wonder as to what it is she's looking at.
Squall was the twin to the expression, but Zell was the one who'd ventured to ask.
"It looks great, but what is it?" He turned the black rectangle paper over in his hand. It's a rectangle with 2 white squares on each side, a white strip in the middle, and for some reason dark brown half moons are in the squares. "An ugly pastry?"
Selphie shook her head, her hair bouncing in the movement, it looked sort of like a chandelier doing the twist. "It's called a Video Home System tape. Or VHS for short. I wanted to make the Quad look really cool, and while searching for movie covers to scan for posters, this baby popped up. I read all about it."
"Do tell." Seifer meant it as a mock, but it unfortunately wasn't taken that way and Selphie pressed on.
"You stick them into this huge box, and the brown part plays over a magnet to project what's on the film onto the TV."
"Why would anyone spend so much time on that when digital codes are aplenty?" Irvine scratched his head.
"Apparently, they didn't have them back then." She shrugged her hand out before using that appendage to lift her hot dog with sweet relish to her mouth.
"Poor bastards." Setting it down on the table, Irvine then asked. "What do we do with these? Hang 'em up?" Looking around him, he knew it would be much too skimpy as a decorative item, even in a single room.
"Write the movie you wanna see on the white bar, and drop it over there." She points to a table at the entrance where a cadet is seated, the girl is a monitor of sorts, and is quietly eating her lunch while cadets drop their VHS request card into a basket.
"It makes it fair if it's a random draw. I don't think any four or so people would want to see the same movie, unless they talked about it beforehand."
"I can't believe headmaster Cid gave the OK for this." Quistis says offhandedly. "I thought he was taking time off to help Matron."
"Not this month. That's why I'm doing it." Waving at them. "So, go on. Write your choice."
"I don't care, because I likely won't be showing up." Zell remarked. Handing the card back to the excited Trabian-transfer, he continued with eating his lunch.
The others filled out the cards, but remain at the table. They could drop them off as they leave.
"Did Rinoa contact any of you guys?" Asked Squall out of the blue.
Irvine's attention perked up. A possible rival for him? Perhaps. But it seemed unlikely. Squall was probably just wondering about their activist friend since she hasn't yet come by since his getting out of the coma. The initial day, sure, but Squall was pretty out of it. She's been absent from the physically since. It must be too hard for her to see him struggle, when knowing how courageous he'd been for her.
"I saw her... Two weeks ago." Selphie tapped her finger to her chin. "Yeah. Two."
"I only got e-mails." Said Zell. He was now on his third hot dog. He got lucky coming in early after classes let out sooner for an instructors conference. Other cadets went and messed around, but he bolted for the cafeteria.
Quistis stood from the chair she was seated in. "Why? Did she contact you?"
"She wants to visit."
Selphie intoned a sound of passionate pleasantries. A gal wanting to visit a guy exclusively. What else could the meeting be about? Plus, she'd only contacted Squall. Her feelings must have blossomed in the absence. The whole rest of the war, Rinoa was: "Squall would want this" and "for Squall, we have to that". Rinoa was infatuated. She seemed the type to be easily trapped by love and feelings off romance. The seasonal hook-up most guys dream of dating: She was a rush, and then she was gone.
"Well, if she's here over the weekend, invite her to movie night."
"Sure. Right." Squall quieted from then on.
"Zell, why aren't you going to movie night?"
"Ma said Pa is coming home, we're gonna have dinner together." He beamed a perfect grin at his friend. His father is a fisherman, often out at sea for long periods of time. But, there are many days, though not enough in Zell's eyes, that the man will come home and spend some goid quality time with his family.
"Say "hi" for me."
"Alright." He replied. Calling after Quistis to wait for him, he stood from the table and left after a rushed good bye.
"Thanks for coming, Seifer." Tilmitt says when he handed her his card. "Sorceress's Knight, good choice."
"I thought so. And of course I'll go." He planted a kiss atop her head. "Gotta play nice with the overly jolly, because the day they snap and collect on debts, I wanna be spared the wrath."
Selphie laughed. That's so not a thing that's gonna happen with her.
Hearing the reply to the comment, Squall and Irvine hand their card over as well. Better they all fly under the radar.
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Finally, classes came to an end! Irvine thought he was going to explode! He hurried out of the parking lot in a short green rover, and headed into Balamb town for snacks. A 'get together' needs something to munch on when conversation falters. Irvine can imagine that it's going to happen a lot between him and Squall this evening. His crush has gone global within himself. He feels genuinely happy just seeing the guy, it's projecting outward. He thought he was going to embarrass himself and say something stupid to dear Selphie, that she should mind her own business in people's relationships. But, what would be the sense in that? He is not Squall's love. And neither is Squall his. They're friends. And will hopefully drift into better friends later on.
Dumping some flavored pretzels into a wooden bowl, he just placed a six-pack of cranberry-grape Trabian Dry out, when the door bell startled him. Schooling his nerves, Irvine wiped the dew from the cans onto the side of his pants then answered the door. Greeting his guest with a smile, he stepped aside to let him in.
'These places are a lot smaller than I expected.' Squall looked around assessing it with his eyes.
He, and the others, will move out here sometime. Maybe later on, if Cid decides that 21 is the new age to send cadets from the in-Garden dorms. There are still meetings that must go on between headmaster Cid, soon-to-be headmistress Edea, and headmaster Arnot from Trabia. Eventually something will come together and bare fruit for the future of Gardens. For now, each place is in a weird sort hiatus. But, any cadet still wishing to continue on with classes and assignments was welcome to attend at the only properly functioning Garden. Balamb.
"Which rules are we using?" The host walked the seven feet to the couch and took a seat; his cards and the Triad board are all set out for use. There is also food and a video chip in case cards were a pass as an activity. "I only don't know Centra's rules, but I'm not a fan of Esthar's."
Squall set his thin wood box of cards down on the table. "I don't like playing with Esthar's rules either." Removing a chunk of his expansive deck, he handed them to Irvine. "We'll play Dollet, then Balamb." Taking a handful of Irvine's cards, he shuffled them before randomly extracting 5.
"Alrighty. Your cards," he handed them over to Squall. He wondered if it was a cop-out on his skill level to hope that he pulled from a place in Squall's deck that contained weaker cards. What if Squall picked some of his best ones, then he lost. The guy seems like the 'for keeps' type, unless they're won back, and he likely wouldn't use the victory cards. "Is this for fun, money, simply card collecting?" Better to get these things sorted early on.
"You're that scared?" Squall smiled fiendishly.
Irvine smiled with a glow in his admiring eyes. "You're real cute when you smile like a villain."
Flustered, Squall scoffed it off. "Card victory. Two a win?"
"One."
"One? Then we play five games."
"Five games! Are you looking for something specific?" Irvine looked over his hand. A Carbuncle, good. Damned Grat. The rest of the hand wasn't terrible. "What, have you got a God-hand for picking losing cards."
"It's all about the player, Kinneas." He turned on the board. "You can go first."
Irvine mumbled. "I hate having the floor given to me, I smell a trap." Looking over his hand he laid down a Gesper card. Squall flipped it with a Chicobo card. "Crafty. But if you're already whipping out the big guns, then this match is mine."
Squall looked rather smug when he set down a useless Geezard, after Irvine stole a corner with a Cerberus block. Irvine looked momentarily lost in the blue glow coming from behind the clear parts of the card from the board, then after another moment of thought he laid out a Jelly Eye. In his lean forward, he felt a lump form in his throat when his knee accidentally brushed Squall's. It wasn't so much the contact that wanted to choke him up, but the warmth. He remembered that warmth from the earliest hours of this morning having sandwiched him at the hips as he lay beneath the guy, who is hard to catch in a moment of 'letting loose'.
Irvine wet his lips to discourage a dry spell creeping in from his throat. He wants so badly just to ask Squall out and get that "yes". Is it some time in the future now? Can he reconsider the "just friends" between them? The sniper looked at Squall from his peripheral. Was he feeling the same sweet temptation rush all over himself too? Does he notice their knees are touching?
"Oh!" Irvine laid down a card flipping over at once. He'd been so distracted he didn't see the obvious win. "Victory!" He laughed as he pumped his fist.
"Just take it." Squall knew which card the sniper was aiming for. It's what he would have taken, if he didn't already have one.
"I will." Irvine plucked the Tri-point off the board. "You might get it back if you shuffle the cards juuust right."
"I don't rig games to win."
"I never said you'd win, just that you can look at the good use of your lost card for a while."
Squall scoffed. "You can really talk some trash." He looked through Irvine's deck then removing a chunk he again shuffled them and handed over 5, receiving 5 of his own in return.
They comfortably played two more games, neither of them accidentally elevated each other's blood pressure level. Just a good game between friends. When 9 o'clock rolled around, Squall decided he'd lost and gained enough card currency to satiate him for a while.
"Can I walk with you back to Garden?" Irvine asked.
"It's ten minutes away,"
"That's ten more minutes I get to spend in your company."
Squall rolled his eyes. It was sweet to hear though. "You wanna get beaten up?"
Irvine clutched his chest. "Ten more minutes and physical contact?"
"You're gonna make being friends impossible, aren't you?"
"I swear I'm not. I just... I like you. And I wanna spend as much time with you as possible." He stuffed his hands into his pockets, shrugging with his shoulders. "Galbadia could be up and running in no time, then it'll be back to normal. I'm over there and y'all are over here."
Squall hadn't thought of that. Irvine and the other Galbadians, and Trabians, will eventually be back at their respective Garden. He actually began to think this was normal. He's been seeing Irvine amongst everyone since waking up from the coma. He'd even thought he'd be seeing more of Rinoa. He dreamt they were together, standing on a balcony under the stars during the celebration of the frightening war being over. But, that must have been an implant from Rinoa talking to him.
'Rinoa.. She wants to see me. Hopefully it'll just be to ensure I'm still alright.' He's not sure he can handle any love confessions. Not from her.
"Can I walk you to the street?" Irvine interrupted his friend's thoughts.
"Yeah."
Side by side they walked down the corridor, then it's six steps at the end to their destination. All quality, in Irvine's book; he suspected Squall felt the same way. It's snowing. Gentle are the flakes contact with them, the size is big enough to provide a parachute flight for the frozen water. It was like being showered with little wet kisses to the face and hands. The pair looked up and watched.
"It looks kinda weird at night." Irvine commented.
'So much for thinking we were sharing romantic thoughts.' Squall looked over at Irvine. It was a beautiful sight. The snowflakes sparkled in his hair like crystals. As if the sniper was some fusion of man and ice entity. "You're right. It does."
"What are you two doing?" Seifer asked rhetorically. Stepping past them he continued on his way up to his apartment. "I'm not cooking Kinneas, are there leftovers?"
"In the fridge." Irvine called.
"Seifer bums food from you?" Squall wondered. He straightened his gloves onto his hand after removing them from his coat pocket.
"We take turns or order in. We live together."
Squall was sure he'd of decorated the fresh powder of white with whatever was in his mouth, if he had been drinking something. Irvine and Seifer live together?! As in, his rival could have walked in on them had he stayed a bit longer. He could have caught them in a compromising position had he allowed his wandering thoughts play out! That kind of live together?! Was Irvine deranged to invite him over?!
"You seem surprised? We're both going back to Galbadia, Seifer said he can't stay at Balamb." He shrugged out his hand. "It cuts the cost of living. Plus, I like Seifer. Don't you?"
"Yeah. But live with him..." He'd rather cut off his gender.
"It's nice. He's neat. Quiet. And he can whip up some pretty good dinners, you should come by some night and see."
Squall was sure that invite was a "hard pass" for him. "I'm going."
"Bye."
Squall gave a nod then headed into the night for Garden.
...
The entire walk back, he kept seeing images. Bad images. Seifer and Irvine comforting each other. Seifer and Irvine conulting each other for advise. Seifer and Irvine relieving stress from each other on the bothersome mornings when one's body just feels the need to get up and go through a little speed bag fitness. He was so distracted by the disturbance of this newly discovered situation that he walked right past his original disturbance without having seen. But he heard her. A single utter caught his attention.
"Squall?"
He stopped, his finger midway to pushing the code into his doors lock panel. Turning around, he locked eyes with Rinoa Caraway.
"Hi... It's been a while."
Squall only stared. He must have looked insane. He should have said something, but nothing came to mind.
"Can we talk?" Her glance suggested the privacy of his room.
He would have rather discussed whatever was on her mind right where they are, but there's light foot traffic, since it's still early.
"Come in." Punching in the code, he entered his room with Rinoa in tow.
It was beyond awkward between them. Rinoa said nothing. Squall wasn't going to get the ball rolling, he wasn't the one who'd wanted to meet up. He'd expected her tomorrow. Not now. Why now? He's got too much on his mind to be bothered with this encounter right now.
"You look good."
It was a lame open. But at least she got something out. Rinoa thought this would be a lot easier than it is. But, it's not.
"Thanks. I heard you're doing ok for yourself too."
Glad there was some back and forth started, she nodded eagerly. "Yes. I'm happy to report that Timber is official from under the thumb of those oppressive jerks who stormed the place." She didn't want to say Galbadia, because she now knows that it wasn't their fault. There was a lot of manipulation going on. No one set of persons can be blamed.
"I, um, I wanted to see for myself how you're doing." She rocked nervously on her heels. "I was really worried about you. When we all found out about what happened... I blamed myself."
'You should. I blame you too.' Thought Squall.
"Say something, please. I feel so guilty."
"It isn't my fault that you feel guilty. You were told to stay put, but what did you do? You alerted sorceress Edea that something was going down that night. We had the advantage, but your careless behavior completely obliterated the element of surprise."
Rinoa looked baffled by the declaration. She had expected sadness, not anger. And certainly not at her. "I was only trying to help."
"And how'd that work out?"
"But... even if she knew something was going to happen... Didn't Irvine miss the shot?"
"It was deflected. His bullet was a dead-on." Nevermind that Irvine did not want to shoot Matron. He still would have killed her that fateful day.
Rinoa's eyes hazed over, tears were more than ready to find the way to the floor where they'd shatter just as her heart was. This definitely was not as she had seen things going. She saw equal the tears. Equal amounts of remorse and concern. And the very real feelings of love blossomed between them. But Squall is hostile. His tone is less than friendly. It's like she's never known him, or got that peek inside when he was helping her when the sorceress attacked.
"But you rescued me.. that night. And then again when we escaped from prison."
"Irvine told me to help you. I wanted to wait for the right time to get into position to carry out the assassination." He pinched the space between his eyes. He can feel his head pounding. "You were nothing but a job to me. I was hired to assist you, whether it be move for move or freestyle. None of that was emotionally involved."
Rinoa sniffles. "It may not have been for you. But it was for me... When I saw you get struck down... When the bridge was collapsing and you nearly lost your life at the prison.. I don't know. I just saw more to you than some cold mercenary. I liked seeing that. And you were so upset over Seifer.. there's just no way you're like this." Her hand swung out as if the "this" was a person in the room that could cling to and manipulate someone. Harsh and effective. The abrasive side of an otherwise soft object. Was it weird that she felt scared of this strangeness.
"I wanted to go back for everyone, but Irvine only came to rescue me. We were out of there and on the road before he finally turned around."
"Can you blame him for wanting you gone, you did such a bang up job the night before."
Rinoa balked. "Why are you being like this? I came here just to talk, make sure you're ok. And catch up. I thought we could become friends, and get close."
"No." Squall was silent. He felt he should say more. But he didn't know what to say.
"All the time I was lost emotionally during the war; fighting for you. Hoping to repent what happened... You felt this way. I had been lost in space, but you know what guided me to safety? What helped me get my last bit of oxygen? It was seeing an end to the war and then seeing you."
Squall shrugged out his hand.
Rinoa's hands pulled through her hair, and she shook her head. This was.. an embarrassment. Such an embarrassment. "Squall... please don't be angry with me. Please give me at least that much."
"I won't be angry. I can't. What's the point of it." Squall sincerely meant those words. Or would like to. "But, there will never be anything between us. Even if we become friends, don't hope for anything more. ...You don't know me like you think you do."
Rinoa swallowed her words. He was wrong. She does know him. But apparently she can't have what's there.
"I'm glad you're doing better. I hope I only hear good things about you, Squall." Her breath caught, and she shook her head. It was time to go before she further embarrassed herself. "I planned to stay for the weekend, on Selphie's invitation. I won't be a burden."
Squall nodded.
Rinoa took one last look at the stone made of flesh, then left the room.
Squall sank down onto his bed. He didn't feel good about that, but neither did he feel bad. He just felt relief.
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