Disclaimer: I do not own FFVIII. It is the copyright of Square-Enix.
Part II
Squall closed the door behind him and leaned against it heavily. It seemed that every time there was a moment when he could settle down, there was usually an obstacle he has to overcome before it happened. The commander took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, all the while annoyed thoughts were racing through his mind.
Why must Cid always place me with this responsibility? I never even asked for this in the first place…
But he had to deal with this burden for a number of months now and he had gotten pretty damn good at it. Apparently the old man had known this as well, hence the large pressure on his shoulders. Well, there was no use in delaying the inevitable.
He realized with a start that the room was strangely quiet and with a quick sweep around, his eyes darted to the black chair, then from the chaise lounge near to his desk to the window. His brow furrowed in concern, a quizzical look appeared in his blue eyes. He walked back to his desk, and then paused. Without turning around, a smirk slowly formed on his lips.
"You're getting good at that."
Two thin arms from behind wrapped around his waist and squeezed tightly. Startled by the sudden contact, his muscles became rigid but eventually relaxed when familiarity reigned. Warmth from another body enveloped him as he felt himself getting lost in that unmistakable scent of her.
He could feel her head resting against his back, her body now close to his. A tingling jolt of pleasure ran up and down his spine. It was amazing the effect she had on him; no one else could pull it off so effortlessly.
Her soft hands that started running up and down his chest, had now slipped underneath his thin shirt, her fingers caressing his toned abs.
Squall's breathing stopped as her light touch paralyzed him to the spot. His heart was pounding so quickly, he felt like it echoed throughout the room. All the while, he was blissfully enjoying this sensation.
All the thoughts he had trickled away like a flowing stream, it was like he couldn't even think straight.
He immediately turned around to face the lively, chocolate-colored eyes of the dark-haired woman – the woman he loved, causing her actions to cease, while he regained his breathing. A second didn't even pass between the two before he cupped his hands around her heart-shaped face and pulled her in for a sweet, tender kiss.
Rinoa smiled as their lips continued to express the burning desire and love that they felt for each other.
It had been a little more than a year now since the incident that occurred between them, almost shattering what they had. And right now, things couldn't be more perfect in Rinoa's mind.
A compromise had formed between the couple; all their old lingering issues had been worked out and laid to rest. They reached a stage where comfort was now a second home in their hearts and minds.
Both Rinoa and Squall had grown and matured considerably from being in a relationship with one another – Squall was still Squall, but over the course of time, had finally stopped shutting his friends out and let them see a more open friendly side that he wouldn't have normally shown, except in the presence of Rinoa. The dark-haired sorceress on the other hand, had calmed down considerably since no longer being the 'princess' of the Forest Owls, and of course from being in close proximity to her soul mate, where a new quiet side had emerged.
Not to say the happy couple didn't have problems now and then, in fact, it was almost routine. After all, any healthy relationship wouldn't work without them, and while it was expected being two polar opposites, they became just as good in making up afterwards.
He'd set aside more time for her, which was easily carried out now that he had assistance.
Along with Quistis' cooperation, Squall also made another mutual arrangement with Xu to handle half of the administrative duties when she had some time to spare. As she would receive an additional bonus paycheck each time as per her request, no complaints could be made on her part. He couldn't even describe the enormous relief he felt once some of it was off his back.
As for Rinoa's part, she became more understanding about his duties as Commander and didn't pester him about it like she used to. After moving back into Garden with Angelo by her side, there was still an uncertainty regarding her place there. Although Cid had graciously offered her the chance to be a SeeD, she politely declined deciding that it wasn't for her.
It was on Selphie's suggestion that Rinoa could take on the job position as the official 'Assistant Garden Festival Organizer' – with the bubbly brunette as leader, naturally – and one that she wholeheartedly agreed with. She then spent her days arranging and planning ideas for events in the newly restored Quad. Something she found she had a knack for; plus, hanging with Selphie was never a dull moment.
As much as Rinoa missed Squall and wanted to spend more time together, she realized how hectic his work was. As more time passed, she gained a whole new respect and admiration for how he efficiently ran the Garden yet still made time for her. He even gave specific orders to not disturb him while they were out together, unless it was an emergency and if Cid personally requested him for any duties.
It seemed like everything was falling into place.
It hadn't been too long until Squall explained his little 'flashback' journey in his conscious to Rinoa, who was bewildered at the part she played into this without being aware. Edea took the time to carefully expand on that with the limited knowledge and past experience she had on sorceresses and reassured the couple that their bond had strengthened again – to the point, where sometimes they could sense each other's presence as well as strong emotions, maybe even thoughts.
Rinoa surprisingly took this in stride, but it took a while for Squall to adjust to his interesting "situation". At first he wasn't pleased with the idea that his girlfriend could tell what he was feeling sometimes. He felt like it was an invasion of his private emotional states; that basically Rinoa had the key to his lock. She understood him though, and knew when to back off when he needed his space.
Besides, as long as Rinoa was there in his life, he could deal with anything.
After a heated moment between the two, they held each other lovingly; Rinoa broke off the kiss and smiled weakly at the dazed Commander.
She giggled upon seeing his expression. "Looks like someone was hungry for more, hmm?" She whispered mischievously.
Her arms were now loosely wrapped around his neck, her hand playing with his hair while his arms encircled her slim waist.
Squall gave her what passed off as a reprimanding look, which she only knew to be playful. "Now, Ms. Heartilly, do you not know that teasing your superior can only lead to severe punishment?"
She adopted a somber look and proceeded to play along. "Punishment? Why, Commander Leonhart, surely you must have it somewhere within in you to… give me a little break?" She ended sweetly, trailing her fingers across his collarbone.
Squall smirked. "Apparently, you underestimate me. I am capable of a lot of things."
"Ooh, I'm scared now." Rinoa replied sarcastically as she rolled her eyes in jest.
"You should be."
Rinoa simply had an amused look on her face and planted a quick kiss on his mouth.
"So, is anyone onto us yet?"
He half-smiled. "I think Zell just figured it out. He also mentioned Selphie was having another 'hyper' fit looking for you."
She giggled a bit at that discovery and bit her lip. "Aw, well I guess the 'coffee' excuse won't work anymore either," Rinoa pointed out as she glanced at the former steaming brown mug at the edge of his cluttered desk, now at room temperature.
Squall groaned. "I think that people stopped buying it after the last six times you used it. It's getting way too old now."
Rinoa playfully swatted his arm. "Well, why don't you try coming up with something else? You're the one who's supposed to be good at strategy!"
"Or we could just end all this "sneaking" around and just come out with it already. It's not like anyone doesn't know by now."
She shrugged. "We could… but then it wouldn't be more fun this way."
"Well," he whispered conspiratorially. "It looks like I have more to teach you then." He mumbled as he nuzzled her neck.
"Hmm… I guess so."
Squall simply leaned down towards her until their foreheads touched. They stayed like that for a few minutes just gazing into each other's eyes, until he placed a light kiss on her temple and retreated behind his desk. There was a silent understanding between them, no words were necessary to break the moment. They would see each other later anyway, plus she didn't want Selphie to kill her.
Taking it as her cue to leave, Rinoa made her way to the door but suddenly stopped, remembering something.
"Oh, what did Cid want to meet with you about just now? I thought you already talked to him earlier this morning about… that Dollet mission?" She asked, tilting her head to the side.
His hand hovered over the pen in mid-air and paused. "Apparently, Laguna is requesting that I check over at Esthar in a few hours; something to do with the new soldiers he's organizing for his new security system. I'm not sure how long I'll be over there; Cid informed me that I'll get the vital details from him later."
Rinoa nodded her head, marveling at the fact that Squall's expression no longer sported that infamous scowl he'd get once Laguna's name was mentioned. Just one of many new changes she began to see. Maybe he's finally accepted him.
"That doesn't sound too bad. You could get to spend some quality time with Ellone and him as well; maybe learn something you've always wanted to know."
Squall scoffed. "Right. Like one big happy family?"
She pursed her lips, once she felt the tiny pricks of irritation radiating from his aura. Okay, so maybe he still hasn't yet…
Deciding to try a different tack without him having to pull his barriers up, she linked her hands together.
"Squall, I know it hasn't been easy for you to forget the past – believe me, I've had my share of problems with my da- that man myself…" She trailed off, referring to the estranged relationship between her and General Caraway. Strangely, some small part within did feel regret for the way they were now.
She shook her head, now wasn't the time to think about that and continued on.
"…But Laguna genuinely wants to make it work between you two. You just… choose not to." Rinoa stated carefully, as she walked back over to boyfriend, resting her arms on his shoulders. "I must be rubbing off on you." She joked.
Squall chuckled. "More than you know."
The sorceress laughed. "Still, it wouldn't kill you just to try get along with him for this trip. Besides, I have a feeling you're going to appreciate him in your life one day."
Blue-gray eyes tinged with disbelief rested on her pretty face to his right. "Are we still talking about the same moron?"
"No, I'm talking about your DAD." She corrected, ruffling his hair. "He is your family after all, Ellone too. Sometimes… it's better to just move forward."
Squall sighed, as if to indicate his resignation.
'Maybe, but you're still all the family I could ever want.'
He was unaware that his one fleeting thought had reached her mind. Warmth blossomed within her spirit as she grasped his true feelings for her. Unable to stop herself, she smiled and kissed his cheek.
Immediately, he blushed almost involuntarily. "What was that for?"
"Just for being you."
"No, no, no! Carlos, I want all the flowers on that table over there! More colors in that banner, Sheena, we want it to stand out! We want to make this party one of the best ever, guys! Keep up the good work! Where are the fireworks I asked for?? And has anyone seen Rinoa yet??!"
Indeed, anyone passing by the ballroom or anywhere in the halls for that matter could immediately identify the excited, high-pitched shrieks coming from that megaphone, as a flurry of cadets milled around the area, hurriedly preparing the instructions demanded from their leader.
"Fireworks?" An amused Southern drawl accent asked as he came into view, being none other than the gun-toting, ladies' man. A lazy smirk formed on his mouth.
Selphie lowered her megaphone and turned to Irvine.
"Of course! It wouldn't be a par-tay without adding an extra BOOM!" She raised her arms straight up for emphasis.
Irvine just looked down at his girlfriend and couldn't help but join in her infectious enthusiasm. "Hey, I'm all for that, darlin'. Anything to make you happy, but isn't that a bit much, even for this?"
Selphie just shook her head energetically, her brown curls swishing at the sides of her face. "Trust me, Irvine. You're dealing with an experienced planner. It's gonna be perfect! I know it!"
"Believe me, I do. And uh, I thought the whole point of this was to not let Rinoa know about it. Why are you calling around for her?" Irvine asked, puzzled.
"For dramatic effect, duh! This way, her suspicions would be put down. Besides, I already knew she's been sneaking around to visit Squall and they're probably making out like crazy right about now." She said, matter-of-factly.
Surprised, Irvine whistled then placed his hands on his tanned slacks. "Hoo, looks like Squall is getting more than his share of work, then." He commented, thinking to himself that he couldn't be more proud.
"Yeah, romantic huh? But Irvy, I'd really, really like you to go make sure we get the cake ready in time, oh! And that the seating arrangements are all taken care of and that the band arrives early tomorrow, ok, great, thanks!"
She kissed him quickly on the lips, and then pushed him the other way almost causing him to fall over, and then skipped over to check on the progress of the silver streamers that were being lifted in the center of the room.
The cowboy just grinned. That's what he loved about her. The boundless energy she seemed to never have enough of and her ability to instantly bring joy to other people with her cheerful, upbeat attitude – it was something that always deep down drew him to her, from the very beginning.
Irvine was interrupted out of his thoughts when he heard the light pattering of boots, and out of the corner of his eye noticed a petite, slim figure with dark hair stop beside him, panting heavily.
"Whoa, Rinoa, you look a bit tired there. Anything I can do for a lady?" He asked, putting his full charm on.
She took a moment to catch her breath, and then smiled tiredly up at her friend. "Just ran all the way down, I didn't mean to be late, honest. I, uh, had to check up on Squall, you know. Making sure he's… awake."
Irvine grinned wider. "Uh huh, I bet you did." He winked at her slyly.
Rinoa looked at him directly, giving him an almost playful, challenging glance.
"Not to worry, secret's safe with me. I remember those claws of yours."
"There's more where that came from." Rinoa smiled, pointing up her index finger as electricity crackled from it.
Irvine gulped a bit then directed his gaze over to Selphie and shouted. "Sefie! Rinoa's here!"
They watched as she hastily spoke something to a group of cadets, before she skipped casually over to them, a serene smile on her face.
"Rin, glad you're here! I was looking all over for ya! You know it's much more fun when my assistant's helping!" Selphie exclaimed.
"I know, and I'm sorry, Selph. I got caught up—"
"Spending time with Squall. Don't worry about it! I think it's soo cute." She squealed.
The raven-haired girl laughed in agreement, amazed at how her friend knew and how she had that natural ability to instantly put anyone at ease. "Isn't it?" She dreamily sighed.
Irvine just watched the exchange in amusement. "Alright ladies, now isn't it time we got back to work?" He placed his arms around both girls.
Selphie jumped back into hyper mode without missing a beat. "Right! Time to get back into party planning, people!" She grabbed the megaphone on a nearby chair and again raised it to her mouth. "OK, that's enough for break! Now I wanna see some action, booyaka!"
And everyone scurried off to their duties.
Rinoa trudged back to her room, flushed and exhausted after taking a long jog around the Garden with Angelo, who was feeling a lot better now that he had an opportunity to run about in the fresh air. Pausing to take out the key card out of her black drawstring pants pocket, she swiped it through and unlocked the door stepping inside. Angelo ran back to his usual spot by the bed and lied down, wagging his tail happily. Rinoa flopped backwards on the bed; her eyes stared at the ceiling while she reflected on yesterday's events.
Once she had finished overseeing the arrangements of the multi-colored lights decorated around the ballroom, Selphie shooed her away and insisted that she get some rest, noting how tired she seemed and that everything else would be taken care of. After some protests, Rinoa eventually obliged and made her way to the cafeteria for a snack.
She couldn't help but wonder why she was let off early, but those thoughts were easily replaced by something else that bothered her. By that time, Squall had already found her before he departed for Esthar and after a few hugs and kisses, promised her he'd be back as soon as possible. As sad as she was, she forced back the wave of disappointment that came over her, then simply smiled and told him goodbye, all the while secretly wanting to just reach out a hand and pull him back to stop him from leaving.
That was yesterday, and she hadn't heard from him until he called her earlier in the morning where he apologized and told her that he wouldn't be able to return as quickly as he thought.
She sighed, pushing her sweaty bangs away from her forehead and glanced at the clock above her dresser. 6:30pm.
The dance wouldn't begin until eight, but her friends had wanted to get together to have dinner an hour earlier. She was looking forward to it honestly, the company of her friends would definitely lift her spirits and afterwards, she was sure to enjoy herself at the dance.
'Oh, who am I fooling? It's not the same without Squall there.'
Well, unless he shows up in time, but who's to say that would happen?
Rinoa sat up, with a new sense of vigor and resolve. "Alright, I'm tired of letting this get me down. Just because Squall's not here doesn't mean I have to let this birthday go to waste, right Angelo?"
Angelo lifted his head and barked in response.
She nodded for reassurance and smiled. She got up off the bed and walked over to the bathroom. It was time to get ready.
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The reddish pink tint of the sun's light surrounding Balamb had just begun to fade into the horizon when the raven-haired woman had lightly stepped onto the hallways of Garden. Her slinky creamy-white, halter dress perfectly captured the gracefulness and maturity of her body, as it clung to her like a second glove. Complete with matching white high heels and a pair of pearl earrings, it added a nice touch to her natural beauty. Her black hair, nicely brushed, was hanging loosely down her back scented with the rich smell of vanilla.
Just when she began to decide where to meet Selphie, she didn't realize that someone was calling her from behind. Rinoa turned to see Irvine dressed to the nines, his long, wavy brown hair locks complementing his token brown, cowboy hat along with the tuxedo, making him look even more dashing than usual. Lady-killer, indeed.
"Hey Rinoa, don't you look gorgeous tonight." Giving her a quick once-over, he tipped his hat and flashed a charming grin her way.
"Why thanks, Irvine. You don't look so bad yourself." She looked around, curiously. "I thought Selphie was with you. Are the others there yet?"
"That's why I was trying to find you. She sent me here to get you because she needed help with carrying some boxes up to the ballroom, and she said you knew where to find them."
'She must mean the ones in the supply closet.' Rinoa didn't stop to think why she would need them at this time, however. "Yeah, I do. I'll just stop by there and pick them up then."
Before she could move, Irvine rested his hand on her shoulder. "No need. I could do that for you."
"It's alright, you don't have to-"
"It's fine. Now, let's go, come on."
Rinoa smiled at him in appreciation and followed after him.
Once they had enough, they took the elevator to reach the ballroom.
"I don't wanna be late for dinner." Rinoa stated as she smoothed down her dress. "We better hurry up before they start to worry."
"Relax, they won't be. I'm sure about it."
The elevator dinged as they reached their destination and walked out.
Irvine still holding the boxes, stepped to the side. "After you."
Rinoa pushed open the huge doors only to find the room enshrouded in darkness. "Are the lights supposed to be off? What's-"
"SURPRISE!!"
The lights immediately illuminated the entire room, where to Rinoa's great shock, almost everyone in Garden happened to be standing right in front of her, beaming with excitement. And right smack dab in the middle of it were Zell, Quistis and Selphie all dressed up in formal wear, wearing big grins surrounding a table with a long rectangular-shaped cake, the red icing boldly spelled out "Happy 19th birthday Rinoa!"
Rinoa's jaw dropped about ten feet to the floor, flabbergasted and speechless of the display before her. A hand pushed her forward making her walk forward a few steps.
"Hehe, fooled you, didn't we?" Irvine whispered as he passed her to join his friends standing at the center, giving a high-five to Zell who let out a whoop.
"Come on Rinoa, say something!" Selphie exclaimed, looking attractive in her green baby-doll dress that stopped at about her knees. She clapped excitedly at her friend's stunned reaction. Echoes of laughter reverberated throughout the room at the sorceress' inability to utter a single sound.
"I- I honestly don't know what to say…. I don't understand… how did you do all this? This was all decorated for the dance, wasn't it?" She asked, puzzled yet still in amazement.
"It was pretty simple, actually. We figured, what better way to throw you off track than organizing your own surprise birthday party right in front of you without you knowing about it! So we made sure to tell you it was a spring dance and worked on it in secret! Of course, it helped that you "snuck" off almost every time." She winked, causing a slight blush to appear on Rinoa's face. "So it ended up working perfectly to our advantage! Tee-hee!"
Rinoa couldn't do anything but just laugh at the craziness of it all. "Wow, Selph, everyone… thank you so much for this. You really got me, and honestly, I'm touched at how much effort you put into keeping this for me." Several "awws" erupted from the crowd, which eventually turned into more cheers.
Selphie held up a wireless microphone. "That's coz we love ya, Rin. Alright, people. You know what time it is! Time to par-tay! Start the music!" She exclaimed as she ran over to the band.
"You should've seen your face, Rinoa! It was priceless!" Zell exclaimed as he gave Rinoa a fierce bear hug causing her to smile.
"Definitely one for the pictures," Quistis added, slightly chuckling as she also gave her a tight hug. "Happy birthday." She whispered.
"Thanks Zell, Quistis. I really can't believe you guys were all in on this!" Rinoa said, as tears filled up her eyes. Words couldn't express how appreciative she was at the lengths they went through to pull this off.
"Aw, Rin. Don't cry. We just wanted to give you the best birthday." Zell grinned. "I'm gonna go look for Kat. She's supposed to be here soon. Enjoy yourself though!" His spiked blond hair was the last thing they saw as he sprinted off into the crowd.
An instinctive feeling rose up within her at that moment, her eyes automatically started scanning the room as if she expected Squall to suddenly jump out of nowhere and surprise her.
"Looking for a certain commander?"
Rinoa jumped a little, forgetting that Quistis was beside her. "Oh no, I was just uh, admiring that banner at the ceiling. It looks so pretty." She said weakly, knowing that it sounded lame even to her own ears.
Quistis smiled sympathetically. "You know that he'd be here if he could. He cares for you very much."
She glanced up at her friend, grateful for her kind words. "I know. I just can't help but miss him."
A rush of compassion for the cheery girl flowed through the blonde, as she knew that she wouldn't have to worry about Squall once Rinoa remained with him. He had found his saving grace.
Quistis put on her biggest smile. "And I'm sure he misses you too, even though he'd never admit that. Now no moping, this is your party after all. We're supposed to celebrate, aren't we?"
Rinoa giggled. "You're right, Quistis. And you especially need to show off your fantastic self to these poor guys." She complimented, as she admired the silky black spaghetti-strap dress her friend had on, giving her an older appearance. "Speaking of… what ever happened to that secret admirer?" She asked coyly.
Quistis chortled in reply. "I don't know, and I don't think I want to find out either." She honestly answered, still thinking that Trevor's probably lurking around the place.
"Well, whoever he is, I hope he's the one who makes you happy someday, Quistis." Sincerity could be heard in Rinoa's voice and seen in her warm eyes.
The blonde smiled and gave Rinoa another hug. "Thank you." I hope so too.
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Hours passed by as the party was heavily in full swing with people chatting merrily about, while couples lit up the ballroom floor dancing freely to the band's music and without a care in the world.
That is, except one person. Rinoa sat at a nearby table, a glass of wine in front of her as she morosely stared out at the people dancing. So much for having fun.
Not only was she missing Squall desperately, she couldn't help but be worried about him at the same time. She couldn't blame like him like she did before, she knew it wasn't his fault but still…
'God, what's wrong with me? I must sound ungrateful… my friends went to all this trouble organizing a surprise birthday party for me and all I can do is sit here moping and thinking about Squall…'
It wasn't fair to her friends, she realized but at least everyone else was having a blast though. She did too at first, laughing with her friends, greeting other people who passed, like Cid and Edea, looking both refined and glamorous gave her warm wishes. Zone and Watts were also somewhere around the place as well, with the latter probably avoiding the liquor trays… and even Seifer showed up, which was a sort of joke in itself.
Her ex-boyfriend who betrayed Garden, became Ultimecia's puppet and even tried to kill her, not to mention Squall's longtime rival, had the time to acknowledge the day of her birth. Yes, life was funny sometimes.
But he had changed. He came back to Garden a few weeks ago, a broken man in need of redemption. Cid taken pity upon him – much to Squall's initial displeasure -and assigned him under the care of Quistis who was supposed to 'whip' him into shape. And of course, they had to spend a lot of time together. Rinoa smiled a little to herself as she thought about what she witnessed earlier between them.
Seifer swaggered through the crowds, his slicked back blond hair glinted from the lights as he made his way over to where another blonde happened to be standing. Her blue eyes appeared dull and lifeless, as she listened to some cadet blabber on and on about her looking like a goddess. He stopped directly in front of them.
"Well, pleasant night, isn't it, instructor?" He smirked as he grabbed a glass of alcohol off a table behind them and drank it down in one gulp.
"I didn't think you were one for social gatherings, Seifer." Quistis retorted, remaining poised as usual.
"On the contrary, I'm always the life of the party." He quipped, as he towered over her.
Meanwhile, the Trepie known as Trevor was still openly gawking at the beautiful instructor in awe, who had now become a bit uncomfortable with all the attention, when Seifer noticed this.
"Alright, now don't you have something better to do with your time? Run along now." He said casually, waving his hand at him dismissively.
Trevor turned to Seifer in surprise. "But you-"
In disgust, Seifer cut him off before he could finish. "I said, beat it Trepie!" The shout caused him to step back in alarm, spilling his champagne all over himself. Looking embarrassed, he scurried off.
Seifer laughed raucously, bending over. Quistis, looking incredulous, faced the arrogant gunblader.
"Seifer! There was no need for that! Did you not learn anything from what I've taught you or has it all escaped your mind already?" She hissed at him.
The former knight just quirked an eyebrow and casually waved his hand at her. "Relax
already. Besides, I thought he was getting on your nerves, or maybe
you always have that uptight look every time a guy talks to you?"
He smiled as her cheeks began to flush.
"Yeah,
see? You know I did you a favor."
"That attitude was still uncalled for. I really thought you had changed but I guess not." She sighed. "Maybe I don't deserve this teaching license…"
Seifer cleared his throat as he folded his arms. "Don't say that. You've done more for me than anyone has these past few weeks, and I'm…grateful for that, even if I haven't shown it. And look at Puberty boy, for example. He learned from the best, didn't he?"
A smile tugged at her lips.
He stepped closer to her, his voice sounding more serious. "And for what it's worth, you look beautiful tonight… Quistis." She stared up into his face in shock, speechless. He leaned towards her ear and whispered. "All the stars in heaven couldn't compare to the ones in your eyes." Seifer then gave her a genuine smile and walked off in the other direction.
A gasp rose from Quistis' lips as she was unable to move for a couple of seconds. When she came to and watched him from afar, a startling revelation came to her causing her heart to pound and blush madly.
'No…the
whole time, it couldn't have been… Seifer?!'
Rinoa put down her third glass of wine, feeling tired but not wanting to show it. She was asked to dance several times by some male SeeDs but politely refused, not wanting to offend them but also not feeling in the mood to do so. It just didn't feel right.
Sure, she danced with a big group, one that consisted of Zell, his girlfriend Kat, Selphie, Irvine- but dancing with some random guy was different. Not like when she and Squall first danced…
'OH STOP IT, just STOP thinking about him already! He's NOT coming tonight, Rinoa! Get over it!'
She couldn't help it, she missed everything about him. Yes, she was that much in love, to the point where it now became unbearable to be apart from him for a long period of time. She sighed pathetically to herself.
She didn't know how much time had passed. Eventually, murmurs could be heard from several people, some were even whispering excitedly. But Rinoa ignored them, still occupied with her thoughts.
She then felt a presence behind her, she couldn't explain how she knew but she did.
"Excuse me, I'm looking for the prettiest girl here. Would you like to dance?" A polite deep yet familiar voice asked.
Her ears perked up suddenly. Rinoa's heart panged at hearing those words, but thinking she was probably hearing things or maybe she drank too much wine, she was unsure of what she felt, so she kept her face forward.
"Ok then, look into my eyes." The stranger walked right in front of her and kneeled down to her eye level, where at this point, her heart raced faster as she looked directly into the face of a handsome young man with a scar across the bridge of his nose, into the blue-gray eyes that twinkled back at her and ones that could see into her soul. The face of the man she loved.
"You're-going-to-like-me. You're-going-to-like-me. Did it work?" He finished, breaking into a beautiful smile that completely changed his features.
Rinoa let out a sound that was a mixture between a sob and a laugh as she nodded shakily.
Squall, dressed and looking incredibly handsome in his SeeD uniform, stood back up and gently took her hand lifting her out of her seat. Unable to hold back any longer, she jumped up and embraced him tightly.
He hugged her back, his hand stroking her back tenderly.
"Rinoa, I'm so sorry I came back late, I-"
"Shhh… It's ok. You're here now, and that's all that matters."
They both pulled back to smile at each other, while the crowd that was watching them went into rounds of whistles and catcalls at the couple. Both Squall and Rinoa were so caught up in the moment, they forgot where they were. Startled by the sudden noise, she smiled weakly while Squall tried his best to hide his embarrassment.
Rinoa was too giddy with excitement to care though. This was by far the best birthday she has ever had and one she won't forget anytime soon.
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"Squall, you've been practicing, haven't you?" Rinoa asked breathlessly, as she walked off the dance floor with her left arm linked with his.
Squall tried to appear emotionless. "Maybe."
"Don't think I don't have ways of finding out." Rinoa mischievously stated, causing him to chuckle.
Tired, they both found their way towards the balcony gazing up at the night sky that glistened with little diamonds. The two stood close beside one another, letting the breeze them.
Rinoa then spoke. "I really thought you weren't coming."
Squall turned to her, a small smile appeared. "Come on, did you really think I'd miss your birthday?"
A sparkle shone in her eyes. "It sure seemed that way at first, but never mind that. I'm still waiting for my present." She joked, clasping her hands behind her back.
Squall looked down at the ground for a minute, as if thinking or waiting. He then cleared his throat nervously as he looked back at Rinoa, uncertainty and a little bit of fear clearly seen in his eyes.
Rinoa's expression changed into a worried one, wondering why he looked that way all of a sudden. Was it something I said? About the… present? I was only kidding…
"Squall, are you feeling alright?"
He hesitated then spoke. "Remember when we were talking yesterday about moving forward, about one day appreciating certain people in our lives?"
The raven-haired girl nodded, thinking back to the conversation about Laguna.
"Well… I think that day has already come." He looked straight into her, unwavering as he took her hand and held it up in his for a moment.
Rinoa just looked at him curiously. Squall was acting a bit off; it was starting to concern her. She decided to let him continue.
She watched as his other hand slipped into his pocket fidgeting with something in his fingers. Then, without warning he slid what looked like an elegant, silver-studded ring onto her finger where it fit perfectly.
The sorceress gasped in shock, unable to believe what just happened. She slowly brought it up to her face admiring it, as tears swelled up from the corners of her eyes.
"Squall… is this-?" She croaked out.
Her knight just gazed at her lovingly, not sure of the right words he could say at this moment that could express all he felt for this woman but also realizing that actions were sometimes louder than words. He learnt that from a wise man earlier.
Instead, he cupped his hand on her cheek caressing it with his thumb, and slowly leaned down to her lips and kissed them. That was all the answer she needed as she kissed him back holding onto him tightly as if she'd never let go.
As the two lovers celebrated their private time together, a shooting star shot across the sky in that instant, sealing their love and future forevermore.