RINOA'S HEART- A FF8 FANFIC (PART II)

Disclaimer: I do not own any characters within, I am not a major Rinoa fan, and this particular chapter cointains yaoi (malexmale relationships). If you do not like the concept of yaoi, do not read the continuation of this fic.

Rinoa arrived at the Timber stop. But something held her back, she didn't get off of the train. She went back to Dollet, then got a train to Balamb. She couldn't go back to the Forest Owls, not tonight. She had to end things with Squall. Her feelings were not for him anymore and she knew it, she hated to admit it. She had to end it now!!! She noted the rage coming back, calmed it. Rinoa didn't even pause to think, to realize, that it would be about two in the morning by the time she got to Balamb Garden, she just frantically rehearsed in her mind how she would tell Squall that she wanted it over.
Eventually, the train arrived in Balamb, and Rinoa noticed the time. It was too late to go talk to Squall, so she rented a hotel room and waited until morning. She practically ran to Garden and searched everywhere she could for him, eventually locating the Garden Commander on the bridge. He stood next to Nida, listening to an explanation of how to pilot the Garden if necessary, but as soon as the hover-platform rose up to the bridge, Squall turned and saw Rinoa, still dressed sort of like Ellone.
"Rinoa!" He ran over and drew her into an embrace, stroking her hair. "I've missed you." Reluctantly, she drew back and looked into Squall's eyes, hating what she'd have to do. But she'd made her decision and she couldn't go back on it now.
"Squall, I'd like to speak with you, in private, and as soon as possible." Her tone was formal, she thought, and conveyed that she wanted to distance herself from the fact that they were still 'a couple'. Squall nodded, and then led her down to his dorm room. He sat on the bed and watched her, his highly trained senses to apprehend conflict, to see a blow in a fight coming before it hit, were at use here. It was almost as if Squall knew what was going to happen.
"Squall, I think it would be better if we… you know… broke up. Saw other people, and everything."
"Why so suddenly, Rinoa? Was I just your protection, your 'knight'? Do I mean nothing to you? If so, fine, walk away. I always thought that we were just more than that, necessity. You opened me up to the world, you made me a better person. And now you're going to abandon me, just when I believed that I would never be alone again? Fine, then get out." He lay on his back on the bed. Rinoa, almost in tears after his little speech, followed his advice. Then Squall curled into fetal position facing the wall, like he did so often, and began to wonder just what went on there.
Out in the hall, Rinoa thought she saw Seifer, leaning up against the wall with his head bent down. From Rinoa's experience, happy and alright people did not adopt that position. She yelled, being too far away to simply ask, "HEY SEIFER, ARE YOU OKAY?" Slowly, Seifer freed his arm from being tucked seemingly under himself, and not changing position, held up his index finger, in a gesture much like Rinoa's, to acknowledge her question. In a second, he turned halfway to face her. Seifer's trenchcoat had covered enough, and Rinoa hadn't really been looking at his feet. Clinging to the half-turned Seifer was Zell, who Seifer still had pressed up against the wall.
"I've never been better in my life!" Seifer was slightly sarcastic under the truth, as if this is exactly how he wanted her to see him again, after giving her to Adel. Seifer had been let back into the Garden, and, though feared more than before, hadn't gotten hit with negative influences from the students. Garden was a good group. And now Seifer had just been a) torturing Zell, or b) making out with Zell. Seifer would be proud either way, but Rinoa was crossing her fingers for 'a'. Zell was supposed to be her next boyfriend! Her hopes were extremely dashed when she saw how happy he looked.
Zell grinned and waved to Rinoa, maybe not ecstatic to see her but genuinely happy. He shook free of Seifer's hold on him and put an arm around the taller man's waist. The two walked forwards to greet her. Seifer slipped an arm around Zell's shoulders just before the two reached her.
"Hey guys, what's up?" Rinoa shrugged, not going to let her disappointment over loosing her hope to her ex, or her never-was boyfriend. This was confusing, and she didn't like it. She was also still disappointed over how badly Squall took her breaking up with him.
"We're…" Seifer started, then looked down to Zell. Zell looked back at him, and they shared a silent exchange that Rinoa didn't even attempt to interpret.
"Seifer said it earlier, we've never been better."
"Yeah, my little chicken-wuss (and here Seifer petted Zell's hair affectionately) has really helped me though everyone being scared of me now, I've realized it's not such a great thing, to be feared by everyone. So, how're you? Back to visit Squall?" His question was innocent enough, but it still made Rinoa want to scream. She counted to ten under her breath and told herself that killing Seifer and Zell would probably be a bad idea.
"I'm okay, and I'm not here to visit Squall, in fact I just broke up with him." Zell looked shocked, Seifer looked slightly annoyed. Rinoa, frustrated, left the two guys standing there and went to go find someone who might offer some comfort for what Rinoa was currently considering a very bad decision.