Disclaimer: Final Fantasy and all of its characters belong to the incredible Square-Enix.
- One Step Closer -
The world seemed to have stopped moving as she leaned back in the seat; the breeze from the crack in the window toyed with her raven locks as the barren, unchanging scenery zoomed by. The desert... the starry sky... the open road in front of her... they all seemed to go on forever. It was if time itself had frozen, trapping her in this one moment for all eternity. She didn't mind though — after all, this was her path to freedom, and she would've never found it without the help of the young man sitting beside her.
A small, incredulous chuckle escaped her lips. "I can't believe it..."
Seifer glanced at her briefly before returning his gaze to the road. "What?"
"That I'm finally getting away from that place," she answered, a smile playing on her lips as she looked out the window once more. "Father's going to be furious when he finds out."
He smirked. "It'll just give him one more reason to hate me," the blonde drawled, causing her to laugh quietly.
"Just be glad he doesn't know you're a student at Balamb Garden." She smiled up at him, pure sincerity in her expression. "I really can't thank you enough for this."
"I don't care, so long as you don't expect me to keep doing you favors like this."
"I know," she assured him before looking at him quizzically. "Honestly though... Why are you doing this?"
"You just looked like you could use some help," he responded with a shrug. A second later though, he flashed her a mischievous grin. "And you know I'm always up for a challenge."
The girl shook her head, amusement written clearly in her features. "I can just imagine you at Garden. The instructors must have an awful time with you."
"Only when they decide to argue with me," he stated with a lofty tone. After a second thought, he added, "Or when Puberty Boy gets on my nerves."
"Puberty Boy?"
He frowned as his hands unconsciously tightened on the wheel. "Leonhart. He's the type of guy who can piss you off just by lookin' at him."
"Is that so?" she murmured, her lips curving slightly. The silence resumed, and she couldn't help but notice the melancholy air about them. Even her beloved dog in the back seat seemed to realize her bittersweet disposition as she stuck her head in between the two seats, wanting some attention. She patted Angelo's head sadly before shifting her attention to Seifer once more. "I guess I won't see you for a while once you go back, huh?"
"We don't get breaks too often," he informed her, his voice oddly emotionless. She slumped back against her seat with a heavy sigh.
"And you have to leave once we reach Timber?"
"Yeah, we're catching the first train outta there." Shifting a bit in her seat, she leaned over and rested her head on his shoulder, which wasn't too difficult in the cramped rental car.
"At least we have a few more hours," she mumbled, letting her eyes flutter closed before she could see his expression soften.
"You're right... At least we have a few more hours."
The sun was just beginning to peak over the horizon as they stood on the train's platform; the few people who were bustling about took no notice of them. She was staring at the ground with her hands locked behind her back as he simply gazed at her, hesitant to get on the train and leave her on her own.
"You've got enough money, right?" he questioned, to which she replied with a nod.
"I took some from my father's safe, remember?"
He grinned in an effort to lighten the mood. "Good, 'cause you know I can't help you." He'd said it jokingly, and it had elicited a weak laugh from her, but they were both aware that the statement was true — it'd be too difficult with him so far away. Of course, that didn't mean he wouldn't try.
"Seifer!" A loud voice interrupted. "The trains about to leave, ya know?"
The tall blonde whirled around, his face contorting into an expression of annoyance as he shouted back. "I'm coming! Give me a minute, alright?" He turned back around to see her chuckle softly once again. He grabbed her by the shoulders, forcing her to meet his eyes. "If you ever need anything, don't be afraid to ask, got it?"
She was slightly surprised by the seriousness — and concern — in his voice, but she quickly pushed away the thought and offered him a smile that failed to reach her eyes. "Got it."
He glanced away with a furrowed brow as if contemplating something before moving closer and catching her lips swiftly in a kiss. It was a fleeting moment though; he pulled away a second later to enclose her in a warm embrace.
"If you don't hurry you'll miss your train..." Her voice was muffled by the worn fabric of his trench coat. In all honestly, she couldn't care less if his missed his train. It would only mean that he wouldn't have to leave her quite so soon.
"I know..." he admitted grudgingly as he pushed her away before treating her to a rare, wistful smile. "I'll catch you later, Rin." With those few simple words, he turned and started walking away.
She panicked at the sight of his retreating back. "Don't be too reckless, okay?" she called out after him, with the hope of delaying is inevitable departure just a little longer. He paused, looking over his shoulder at her with the same smirk that he'd worn the day they met.
"I can't make any promises."
She laughed, a clear, melodic sound that brought a smile to his lips as he continued on his way. "Till we meet again, right, Seifer?" she uttered thoughtfully, her hands once again clasping behind her back as she watched the young man meet up with his friends.
Upon seeing the leader of their group approach, Fujin inquired, "READY?" He walked past the pair with a blank expression.
"Yeah, let's head out."
Raijin turned to their female companion with a look of bewilderment. "What's up with him, ya know?" She rolled her eyes and followed Seifer onto the train as the last call for boarding passengers echoed across the platform.
"MORON."
They found him a few minutes later sitting in one of the window seats as he scanned the area outside for a girl in blue. He spotted her at the end of the platform and, as if she had noticed his eyes on her, she looked over at the same moment and waved at him with a broad smile. It would be this image of her that would remain forever imprinted in is mind as the train began to roll away: Rinoa growing smaller and smaller until she completely disappeared from sight.
Crowds rejoiced in the streets below as a rich voice echoed throughout the city of Deling. "How you celebrate my ascension with such joy."
A little ways a way a tall blonde rested against one of the brick walls, his arms folded over his chest as the sorceress gave her speech.
"Hailing the very one whom you have condemned for generations."
Unlike the rest of the people, his emerald eyes were focused not on the sorceress, but on the girl beside her, swaying back and forth as if in a trance.
"Have you no shame?"
She was so close, and yet taking those last few steps toward her seemed like the hardest thing in the world.
"What happened to the evil, ruthless sorceress from your fantasies?"
After all, an act that would take only seconds would destroy what he'd been dreaming of ever since he was a child.
"The cold-blooded tyrant that slaughtered countless men and destroyed many nations?"
Was this the path he really wanted to take?
"Where is she now?"
She was right there — so close and yet so far away.
"She stands before your very eyes to become your new ruler."
Rinoa...
Resounding, hysteric laughter rang throughout the air. Seifer couldn't take it anymore; his fist closed around the hilt of Hyperion as he swung it up to rest on his shoulder. His gaze lingered on the pure white angel wings upon her back before he turned away with a renewed resolve and passed through the doorway. She had Leonhart now — it'd be up to him to protect her from what ever lay ahead.
"A new era has just begun."
He had already helped her fulfill her dream. Now, he was one step closer to his own.
A/N - While I'm a huge Squall/Rinoa and Seifer/Quistis fan, I can't help the fact that I wish they'd elaborated on Seifer and Rinoa's relationship in the game. So, this is just a little bit of my take on it : ) I'd love to write a full-length fic about the two of them before the events in FF8, and someday I might get around to it, but for now, I'm just a little too busy... And now for some technical stuff:
- The title is from Seifer's quote, "The way I see it, as long as you make it out of a battle alive, you're one step closer to fulfilling your dream."
- Edea's speech in the last section is the actual dialogue from the game.
-And just for irony's sake, I'd like to point out that the following conversation happens in the game just a few minutes after the ending of this fic:
Irvine: Hey, hey, hey, she's in trouble big time! We've got to help Rinoa.
Squall: The parade hasn't started yet. The gate's not open.
Irvine: You gotta be kidding!
I'd love to know what you guys thought of it, so please review : )
-Twilight-Songstress