Title: Mirror, Mirror on the Wall
Disclaimer: I don’t own Final Fantasy VIII or Harry Potter
Summary: Reflections aren't always pleasant things, especially when they show you things you never want to see. Rinoa finds that out when she finds a mirror into another world.
Pairings: Squall/Rinoa, Squall/Harry
Warnings: I don’t think there are any this time. Maybe a slight obsessive-ness from Rinoa but that’s about it.
Timeline: Ultimecia’s castle
Author’s notes: I’m going to try to sneak this into Side Effects later, probably as in intermission, but I’d thought I’d post it now since I’ve been gone so long. I was trying to capture Rinoa’s emotional needy-ness by having her crave Squall’s attention, but totally missing the quiet signs he cares deeply for her. I’m not sure I got it right.
Mirror, Mirror on the Wall
What should have been a simple reflection wasn’t.
Rinoa moved closer to what had been a simple mirror just a second ago, the distorted reflection drawing her in. She could feel the others crowding behind her, Zell and Quistis standing at the back to keep an eye out for monsters, while Selphie and Irvine watched their sides. Squall was right behind her, one hand on her shoulder. The mirror didn’t show that. They were in the library, while their reflections and another person walked down a dusty hall Rinoa knew was on the other side of the castle.
Something about the hall was wrong.
Rinoa couldn’t pinpoint exactly what it was, but she thought it might have something to do with the gargoyle statue facing the mirror. The people in the reflection were off as well. Her reflection was missing one of the blue socks she always wore on her arms, Quistis’s had her hair pulled into a messy ponytail instead of the classic twist Rinoa was used to seeing, Selphie’s had a orange tank top under her dress and a matching orange jacket tied around her waist, reflected Irvine’s duster had some pebbled rips along the back, Zell’s was dressed in dark browns instead of his favorite outfit, and a hundred other little things about her and her friend’s reflections weren’t quite right.
There was something wrong with Squall’s reflection, too, and it wasn’t just how close he was standing to the short man with dark hair. It wasn’t until a T-Rex appeared in a flash of white light (the same way Ultimecia had been sending monsters after them from the moment they had stepped in the castle) that Rinoa began to suspect what that something was. The T-Rex roared, charging forward. The group scattered, Squall’s reflection grabbing the unfamilar man’s wrist and tugging him away from the beast’s charge. Suddenly the T-Rex swung around to face Squall and the man, its tail swinging wildly with the movement. The tail tip caught on the reflected Zell’s baggy shirt and slung him into the wall.
As the reflections moved into battle, Rinoa flinched and looked away for just a second or two, needing to see Zell was there and unharmed, that her friends were still with her and they were seeing everything she was. Squall squeezed her shoulder gently when she turned to look at him, as if to say he wasn’t going anywhere, but he didn’t look away from the mirror, his narrowed eyes completely focused on his reflection. She turned back to the mirror, leaning back against him and letting the feel of him behind her ground her.
By then Rinoa’s reflection was cradling an injured reflection Zell’s head in her lap as she healed him, and Quistis’s reflection was standing guard over them, casting Protect on them and herself and then the same spell plus Regen on the group fighting the T-Rex. Selphie and Irvine’s reflections were attacking the back legs of the T-Rex to immobilize it. And Squall…Rinoa shook her head and corrected herself, Squall’s reflection was attacking the creature’s neck with his gunblade, while the fourth male, a person Rinoa was positive she had never seen before, fired large ice crystals at the T-Rex’s face and neck, blinding it.
Rinoa wished there were voices to go with the reflections. The reflected Squall barely cast a glance in her reflection’s direction beyond the simple status check look, but he quickly distracted the T-Rex anytime it turned its attention towards the strange man. Rinoa wanted to know why.
The T-Rex quickly fell to the floor, its head barely clinging to its neck by a thin piece of skin. The reflected group instantly surrounded their Zell, Squall at the front and pulling the strange man with him, as if to make sure he didn’t suddenly disappear. Rinoa felt a flash of jealousy and along with a small trill of pride. She almost wanted Squall to be that protective of her, but she was beyond thrilled he knew she could take care of herself and trusted her enough that he didn’t do that. Then the man squeezed Squall’s hand as if to reassure him, and Squall’s reflection squeezed the smaller male’s hand in return; a move she wouldn’t have noticed if she hadn’t been looking for it. Jealousy reared its head again. The hand holding seemed to be reflection Squall’s way of keeping track of the man, but it was also a public sign of affection her Squall had never given her. Probably never would.
Selphie’s reflection suddenly started screaming—Rinoa assumed that’s what she was doing; she couldn’t think of any other reason for the girl’s mouth to be open like that—and jumping up and down, pointing at them. Almost as one, the group turned towards the mirror, even Zell who still looked dazed as he sat up. Zell’s daze completely disappeared though as the two groups finally looked at each other.
They simply stared at each other for a moment, studying the differences between their two groups.
Then the reflections’ instincts kicked in. Squall stepped in front of the smaller man, and the man rolled his eyes in an exasperated manner. Rinoa and Quistis guarded Zell, yet somehow guarding their group’s front at the same time—Rinoa’s reflection was already pointing her arm at the mirror, taking aim. Irvine and Selphie were guarding their rear, still glancing behind them even though Rinoa could tell they wanted to study the mirror like everyone else was doing.
Rinoa found herself locking eyes with the strange man as he stepped around his Squall and stared at her and her Squall. He was their age and kind of plain looking; the only striking thing Rinoa could find about him was his bright green eyes. But that wasn’t what really caught her attention about him; it was the guilty look he shot at her reflection. It was the kind of look that said ‘Oh Hyne, what have I done?’.
Rinoa felt vindicated. This person knew he had ruined the relationship her and Squall’s reflections should have. It was right that he knew what he had ruined. She and Squall had that once in a lifetime love, and he had stolen it. He had…
Rinoa’s reflection rolled her eyes and said something, causing Quistis and Zell’s reflections to snicker, before tossing her hair and walking off. They followed her, Zell’s reflection sneaking in a few peeks back at the mirror. Selphie’s reflection had doubled over laughing, and Irvine’s was helping her up off the floor and down the hall. Except Zell’s, none of the reflections looked back at the mirror, just at Squall and the strange man as they motioned for them to hurry up.
Squall and the strange man weren’t watching them any longer, but facing each other and arguing. The man’s expression was still slightly guilty as he stared at the ground and shook his head, ignoring whatever Squall was saying to him. Rinoa wanted to smack him. Her Squall almost never spoke so much at one time, yet this man was tossing it aside like it wasn’t important. For Squall, this was practically a speech. He should value it because it might not ever happen again.
Squall’s reflection put a hand under the shorter man’s chin and forced him to look up. It was right then Rinoa got her wish to know what the reflections were saying. Both Squalls spoke at once and the reflection’s lip movements matched her Squall’s words perfectly.
“…Ours is the only reality of consequence…”
Rinoa couldn’t take her eyes off the mirror as Squall gently guided her away. Squall’s words hadn’t had the same effect on her as they had the strange man. Instead, they opened up a small festering wound in her heart, while the man’s whole face had lit up as he smiled.
Her Squall never looked at her like that.
Tags: crossover, extra, ffviii, hp, side effects, squall/harry, squall/rinoa