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Note: To all you people who guest what's gonna happen next.....you are right, in a way......

~*Chapter 8: A Painting That Hangs Out Of Reach*~

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"Holy shit!" Kyle screamed.

"Don't curse!" Laguna scolded harshly.

"That place is huge!" screamed Steven. Rinoa looked at what they were all looking at. It was the Caraway Mansion. A place she dreaded. It was why she ran away in the first place. And now they were having a fun loving party, that's just sick! A chill ran down Rinoa's back and her tongue absent mindedly stuck out at the sick feelings.

"What are you doing?!" Squall yelled at her. His voice shook her out of her thoughts. He was a few feet away from her. He waved his hand for her to come near. She stayed in that spot, she wasn't planning on moving, but if she did it would be back home. "Fine! Stay out here in the cold!" Squall yelled once more as he turned around and began to walk to the mansion. "I don't exactly care."

She bit her lip hard, discussing what she would do and finally uncovered an answer. "Wait!" she called as she began to run after him.

Squall opened the door and with it came a loud blast of music, warmth and the smell of alcohol. Rinoa coughed loudly to rid herself of the smell.

"Good lord." Squall gagged as he took a few uneasy steps in.

Rinoa coughed and gagged along with him. This was the time to make her escape. She mentally smirked at the opportunity, she'll just sneak outside, no one will notice. "I need to get outside." Rinoa gagged once more as she pushed and shoved her way to the back of the house and towards the backyard. Squall followed her quickly, in pursuit of pure air also.

Rinoa finally escaped the house that held her awful, misfortunate past. Squall busted out with her.

"Wow! That was bad." She said with another gag, ridding herself of the smoke. Squall didn't pay attention to her as he found a seat to place his body on. She sighed heavily. She hesitantly walked up to the chair that was so perfectly placed across from him. She flopped into the seat, her hands neatly folding over one another on her lap.

She looked up at him but found him looking away to the grove of cherry trees just a few feet away from them. She sighed heavily and turned to where he was looking. A light breeze rattled the two's hair. Rinoa shivered according to the wind and she let out a shaky breath of hot air.

Desperate to make conversation, Rinoa spoke. "I-I wish I could have lived her." She said with a tiny smile. Squall just nodded. There was silence for a few peaceful moments until Rinoa blurted out: "Why are you so cold?" her eyes widened at the fact that she had just asked such a thing.

"What?" He asked looking at her with a strange puzzlement on his face.

"Sorry. It wasn't my intention to bring it up actually." She said with a small and shy smile.

"Then I won't answer it." He plainly stated. She grunted in disbelief. He could at least answer a question before him. She stood and walked to the cherry trees. She stepped lightly beside the nearest tree, and let her body face toward Squall's face. He didn't look away like she expected him to. She delicately placed a hand to the tree.

"I remember." She said shyly as she closed her eyes in remembrance.

"Remember what?" Squall asked in the tiniest bit of excitement. Despite his cold appearance to her, he was quite interested in her 'forgotten' past.

"My dog, Angelo, and I would come to this orchard." She said with a faint smile.

"Do you remember anything else?" He asked her.

"Ummmm... no." She hesitantly answered as she grew uncomfortable with her position. She rushed to her seat across from Squall and plopped herself down. Squall's eye's followed her the whole way there. They sat there for quite awhile, wallowing in the silence of the cold night. Abruptly Rinoa stood, knocking the chair to the ground. She slammed her hands down onto the table.

"Do-Do you think if the world was different, could you... or would you ever love me?" She asked in despair. What was she talking about?

"What-what are you talking about, Rinoa?" Squall said as he stood himself, backing away the slightest bit.

Tears streaked down her face. "I don't know. But could you ever love me?" She asked in despair. 'WHAT ARE YOU SAYING, RINOA!?!?' She screamed to herself as she grabbed her head in frustration. 'Why? I don't love him! I have a crush on him, that's all. Oh God, what's wrong with me? Please! Tell me!' She screamed as a throbbing pain blinded her vision and clouded her mind....

Water....

The sun danced atop the crystal, blue, water above her vision...

So many bubbles...

Bubbles arose from where she was...

A naked Rinoa lifted herself from the water, coming up chest first. She wore a small smile on her face. Her brunette hair covered her breasts as the sun from above danced upon the darkness of the hair. She was standing in a large sea of a melancholy colored liquid. A painting of her floated in front of her. It danced lightly about. She reached out to touch it and the painting seemed to creep closer.

"There is no need to hide anymore, heart." Rinoa said with a smile. She held out a hand to it and the painting dissolved and flew into her chest. The water around her drifted to the side as the dissolved bits of the painting placed themselves into her. Next thing she knew, she was still outside. She was in Squall's arms. He was looking down at her with a concerned look.

"Rinoa?" He called as he shook her lightly....

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A/N: Interesting... I know... I know... Kinda stupid... I know ... I know... NEXT CHAPTER WILL BE A VERY BIG TURNING POINT!!!!!!!!!!!

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