This is it everyone! Thank your for all of your support. It is greatly appreciated. I really hope you enjoy this last chapter. I worked very hard trying to satisfy everyone, and I hope I did a good job. Thank you for reading my story.

Check out my new story I just posted this morning! It's a Yuna and Tidus! I hope you enjoy!

Chapter 28

Friendly Reunions

The door to the airship flung open. Shaltwan ran towards the slow moving couple. "Thank goodness you're okay! I saw this weird purple cloud forming over the ruins. I thought something bad might've happened!" Rinoa and Squall stumbled forward.

"Shaltwan, can you help me carry him? He's really weak. That battle with Seifer wore him out pretty bad." The Amazon walked forward and placed Squall's arm around her neck, Rinoa on the other side. Together they were able to carry him back into the airship.

Sunlight poured out through the windows in the control room. Squall sat leaning against the back of the pilot's seat, bandages around his chest and arms. Rinoa was gazing out over the ocean the airship was crossing, watching the waves crashing into one another. Shaltwan had her back hunched over a computer, staring at a map. She turned her chair around and began speaking.

"So, this Balamb Garden, what's it like?"

Rinoa turned away from the windows smiling. "It's amazing! The building is huge and there are training centers, dorms, a cafeteria, infirmary, and hundreds of classrooms!"

"It sounds rather exciting!"

"It is!"

Shaltwan was silent for a moment, but then spoke in a shy voice. "Do you think it would be alright if I were to…maybe attend this school as you do?"

"That would be awesome! I could show you everything! You could even meet all of our friends!" Rinoa was jumping up and down.

"Thank you Rinoa. I would really like that." The girl's conversation was interrupted when Squall cleared his throat.

"Excuse me, but we better grab on to something…" He said seriously.

"What? Why?" Rinoa asked, raising her eyebrow slightly.

"Because we're about to land."

Rinoa ran back to the window and looked outside. Sure enough, Balamb had come into view. "Yes! We made it back! See Shaltwan, I told you it was big!"

Beep! Beep! Beep! A man wearing a SeeD uniform looked over at his radar that was going off. At the sound, another man ran into the room. It was Zell. Ever since they had lost contact with Rinoa, they had been constantly listening and waiting for any kind of signal or sign from her. The worst part was when they discovered Squall had left. Dr. Kadowakki had yelled at Zell for an hour!

"What is it?" Zell asked hurriedly.

"There's an airship approaching the school, sir!"

"An airship?" Zell asked. Then he smiled. "It must be Rinoa and Squall! They're back!" He ran out of the room, leaving the SeeD confused.

"Hold on!" Squall said over the loud engine. The airship began to shudder violently back and forth. It was hovering over the land now. Pulling a lever down and pressing several buttons, the ship jolted; then it fell slowly to the ground. Seconds later, it made impact, the engine shutting off. "We made it."

"Oh Squall! We're finally home!" Rinoa ran over to his side and wrapped herself around his arm. "I can't wait to see everyone again! It feels like it's been an eternity!"

"I know." Squall smiled down at the brunette, and looked over at the Amazon. She stood up and walked towards them.

"I'm ready to see my new home." She said, smiling. Squall smirked and nodded his head.

"Let's go." He motioned towards the door. They all climbed down the sides of the airship and landed softly on the brown earth. "It's good to be back home." The warm sunlight blazed on their faces, the gentle breeze blowing their hair ever so slightly. Squall looked from the wide open sky to the school's entrance. "It looks like we have a welcoming committee on its way." He said with amusement in his voice.

Rinoa and Shaltwan gazed over to where Squall was staring. Sure enough, an excited looking blonde was running their way, a large group of people following him, dust blowing in their faces. "It's Zell!" Rinoa exclaimed excitedly. Within seconds, he arrived, panting in exhaustion.

"You're alive! I thought something terrible had happened to you! When we lost contact, I was freaking out!" Zell stood up straight and took a deep breath. Then he looked over from Rinoa to Squall. "Dude, you're alive, too! I thought for sure you were a goner! I mean, going off in that condition…"

"Yeah, it's good to see you too Zell." Squall said rolling his eyes.

"Aw, I didn't mean it like that!" Zell slapped him on the back. Just then the rest of the group caught up.

"RINOA!" Rinoa knew that only one person could say her name that loud and excited. Looking around she spotted Selphie. She was jumping up and down frantically. "Rinoa, I was so worried about you! I was going insane!" She ran over to the brunette and hugged her tightly. "I'm so glad you're alright!" Rinoa gasped.

"Selphie…you're…ah…squeezing too tight! I can't…breath!" Rinoa said, trying to get some oxygen into her lungs.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" Selphie immediately released her. Rinoa sighed in relief. The next second, Rinoa found herself being embraced yet again, but this time by Quistis.

"Oh honey, you scared me so bad. I thought we had lost you forever!" Rinoa hugged her back and then turned to face the others. Irvine had just reached them. He smiled at her and raised his eyebrow, tipping his cowboy hat.

Everyone was silent for a few minutes until Quistis and Selphie looked over at Squall. "SQUALLY!" Selphie exclaimed loudly. At the sound of his name being said like that, Squall glanced at her, a scared look in his eyes. Before he could move, Selphie has lunged forward and hugged him. Quistis decided to join in as well. Both girls began to lecture him.

"I can't believe you would go off without a word to anyone of us! It was so terribly rude! Thank goodness you're alright. It's all thanks to Rinoa!" Quistis said in a stern voice. Rinoa, who was standing next to her, blushed slightly.

"Squall helped out a lot too!" She said defensively for him.

"What did he do?" Quistis questioned.

Rinoa closed her eyes. "It's a long story…" As she looked around at all her friends, she noticed that Zell had his mouth open, gaping at something. Following his gaze, she saw Shaltwan. Her light blonde hair was swaying in the wind, brushing the sides of her face lightly.

"Right." Rinoa thought to herself. "Hey guys, I'd like for you all to meet a good friend of mine. This is Shaltwan. She's an Amazon."

Shaltwan walked forward a little nervously. "Nice to meet you all. I hope you will all grant me the right to enroll in this school." She bowed her head, making her hair fall over her shoulders. Zell began to form a little drool on the side of his mouth.

Finally snapping out of his daydream he ran till he was about a nose away from her. "Of course you can stay! Can't she everyone? There's no problem with that! By the way, my name's Zell!" Shaltwan smiled sweetly.

"Thank you…Zell." Hearing his own name come out of her mouth he just about fainted. Rinoa rolled her eyes.

The golden-orange sun was slowly falling below the horizon. The clouds blended together forming colors of purple and pink. Rinoa leaned against the balcony railing of Balamb Garden, on the second floor. The only sounds audible was the whistling wind and occasional bird.

Suddenly, a hand reached out and grabbed Rinoa's shoulder. She turned around quickly, ready to fight. It was Squall. "Oh, it's you." She sighed with relief.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." He said gently. Walking forwards, he leaned on the rail and watched the sunset.

"I never thought I'd be back here again. All my friends around…"

"I know. Everything feels like a passing dream."

Rinoa suddenly burst out laughing. "What's so funny?" Squall asked confused.

"I just remembered the look on Selphie's face when we told her all that had happened! It was great! I'm never going to forget it! Her eyes were like the size of the dinner plate!" Squall smiled and laughed along. Rinoa loved his laugh. It was deep, but gentle. Those were the qualities she loved most. He seemed so cold on the outside, but on the inside he was really just a normal guy.

Their laughter died down minutes later. The couple watched the sun as it sank ever lower. "After all this time we can finally move on with our lives." She said in a distant voice. Squall gazed over and into her dark brown eyes.

"We can, but some of us with new people to go on with…" Rinoa quickly looked up at him. He was doing that famous smirk she loved.

"Thank you…" She whispered.

"………."

"You stayed with me all this time, even at the risk of loosing your own life. No one has ever done that for me…" She was cut short when Squall placed his finger on her lips. She gazed into his deep blue eyes.

"I should be thanking you. If you hadn't come along, I would still be the person I was then. When I met you, I figured you were just like all the other girls, but you're not. There's something about you. You're full of surprises. Besides, you know I would stay by your side no matter what the odds were. Nothing can come between us."

"Oh Squall!" Rinoa wrapped her arms tightly around him, burying her face in his leather jacket. "I never want you to let go of me!" She said, her voice muffled by his coat.

"I won't…" He replied. Just then, a little brunette with flipped out hair peeked around the corner, along with Irvine.

"Get a room you two!" Selphie said giggling. Irvine whistled.

"Stop spying on us Selphie!" Rinoa yelled. Selphie got the point and grabbed Irvine's hand, running for her life, leading him along like a helpless puppy.

Rinoa turned back around to face Squall. He walked closer to her, smiling. "What?" She asked. He had that mischievous look in his eyes.

"Now, where were we?" He asked her. Rinoa smiled. He lifted her chin up and leaned closer to her. Their lips pressed against one another gently. She wrapped her arms around the back of his neck, leaning in closer to him, deepening the kiss. She felt like an ice cream cone melting on a hot summer day. They pulled away slowly, not wanting the moment to end.

"I love you Squall! I love you so much!" She whispered in his ear.

"I love you too Rinoa." They kissed one more time and then continued to watch the sunset until darkness fell over the vast expanse before them. "We better go, it's getting late."

"Okay." Rinoa agreed.

As they walked back into the Garden, they saw Zell and Shaltwan sitting on a bench. Zell was talking really fast and moving his hands around in the air, demonstrating a battle. Shaltwan was giggling, her hand over her stomach.

"He doesn't waste anytime. Does he?" Squall asked sarcastically.

Just as Rinoa was about to reply, Shaltwan got off the bench and walked towards Zell. He stopped and looked at her. Shocking practically everyone, especially Zell, she leaned forward and kissed him lightly on the cheek. Zell's eyes were huge.

"Apparently, she doesn't either!" Rinoa said, laughing. Shaltwan grabbed Zell's hand and ran off pulling him along. Rinoa and Squall were left alone in the hallway. "Come on, let's go." Rinoa wrapped her arm in Squall's and marched off down the corridor with him.

When they reached the dorms, Rinoa ran towards her door and opened it. "Look, its fixed back to the way it was before Crystal messed it up!" She ran into the room and jumped onto the bed, laying her head back onto the soft pillows. Squall watched her for a few seconds, but then began to walk away. "Wait! Where are you going?" She asked.

"My room…"

"Don't go yet! I need…" Her voice trailed off.

"You need what?" He asked her suspiciously. Rinoa smiled and then placed her hands on her hips.

"I need a bedtime story!"

Squall stumbled. "You're joking right?" He asked.

"Of course not! Now come back in here right now and tell me a story! Then you can go get your beauty sleep your highness!" She said curtseying.

Squall sighed, but walked back into the room. "Fine…" He sat down on her bed and crossed his arms. Rinoa smiled triumphantly and placed her head on her pillow next to him. "What story do you want me to tell you?"

"Um…how about the one where there was a beautiful princess with brown hair and a handsome prince with a gunblade! They fought a tough battle, but defeated the Queen in the end! Does it ring a bell?" She asked, yawning.

Squall smiled. "Oh, that one. Yeah, I think I've heard of it." Rinoa smiled and then placed her head on his shoulder. Squall started the story, his deep voice comforting her.

About thirty minutes later, just as he was reaching the part where the girl destroyed the Queen, he heard deep breathing. Looking down, he saw Rinoa with her eyes closed, fast asleep. He smiled to himself. Gently, he moved her head so as not to wake her and pulled her comforter back. Pulling the thick blanket around her, he leaned down and kissed her gently on the lips.

"Goodnight my princess…" He whispered. He brushed his hand across her soft, smooth face. "I love you now and always. No matter where you are you will remain a part of me. I am your knight and I will always protect you."

Well, that's it! Please leave me a review on your experience reading my whole story. Thank you so much everyone! I love you guys! (Tears…) I'm sad myself that it's the end of the story, but it has to end sometime! Thank you!