No copyight infringement intended - copyright to Squaresoft/Enix.

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The Mortal Who Fell For a Star

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"So, Miss Heartilly, any men in your life?"

"Haha, no, Tom, I'm just focusing on my music right now..."

"Oh, I see, well, we seem to be out of time. It was a pleasure to have you, Miss Heartilly-"

"It was a pleasure to come-"

"Yes, thank you, and we hope to hear much more from you soon... and up next-!"

click

An irritated man stood over the now blank screen of the television set, looming. Like he thought somehow his angry presence in that hotel room while she could be somewhere halfway across the world would reach her. Who knows, maybe she had gotten a shiver?

Squall flinched at the idea of not knowing anything about what his lover could be doing at this very moment (or even where she could be due to her touring). Who she was talking to, what she was eating, how she was feeling. Had that smile been fake, or could she really be that happy without him? It had already been a week of them both traveling around for their jobs and the eighteen year old didn't know if he could do it.

Rinoa had been up and about for her job, her singing career which had just started kicking off in the past year, and he had been there right by her side the entire time. Until he realized that without a job he would be viewed as one of those people who uses their partners money, a penniless unemployed freeloader. He couldn't have that, not Squall Leonhart, the man who had always been the top of his class, nominated to be the most successful person in his graduating group from one of the most prestigious Universities in New York City, Princeton.

He thought back to that faithful year when he had fallen into a rut, he couldn't find any computer consulting jobs that he found suitable to himself, and every time he had they were only short contracts where he usually had to settle for working with a bunch of amateurs who thought they knew more then he did.

It infuriated him to no end. So he had decided to take a break, to live off of the earnings of one of his last contracts and just take a little while to make decisions. To choose a direction for his life which at the time had seemed like an empty slate with nothing that could fill it.

Just so... empty.

It had been on one of his regular nights - at the bar - that his life had changed forever.

It had been a Friday night so he had dressed casually and decided to go by himself just to have a few drinks seeing as all of his buddies (meaning one or two guys that he could actually stand from previous contract work) were all busy with something or another. It hadn't mattered to him anyways, he'd always liked being alone more then being surrounded by people. It made him feel much more secure, and security had always been a large part of his life, it determined (most of the time) whether or not he liked something compared to loved it. Although, all around he had always been, and still is, a very neutral person.

His view on things has always been that there are two sides to every story, thus, there is always something good to something that is bad. So how is it possible to hate something, really hate something when at the same time it could potentially be ethically correct?

He does have things he hates, however, his ability to over-think everything being one of them.

In fact, that was exactly what he had been doing when she had first spoken to him. He had been sitting at the bar, uptight and completely devoured by his thoughts (although he was having a hard time concentrating due to the typical bar atmosphere). The noise of the television with the sports on the screen, the rowdy men beside him, and the bartenders constant hollers for people to stay behind the counter or for the bouncers to kick someone out all seemed to be fazed out by that one simple word though.

"Hello".

His first thought had been about how charming her voice was, soft and yet demanding, utterly feminine but like nothing he had ever heard before. Sultry in it's under-statedness.

He'd scoffed at her, but not really at her, just at how much he had been thinking about her between the three second interval of their meeting.

"Um, hey," he'd began awkwardly and then stared straight ahead again, eyeing the pretty woman from the corner of his vision.

Even though he'd only glanced at her he'd been able to notice her form-fitting red dress, which seemed to be some sort of polyester material with a strange texture which caught any bright light in the room and made it shine a light copper.

He had also noticed that slight flare she had added to her attire by wearing a red scarf around her neck, he admired her daring fashion sense, he himself had always been teased for liking his leather jacket with the fur-trimmed collar.

On second glance he had noticed her bright brown eyes which smiled at him playfully and those full, incredibly kissable lips and not to forget the paleness of her skin, fine and without a single blemish on it. He had wanted to reach out and stroke it, just like her jet black hair, which seemed to frame her face somehow accentuating her beauty instead of making her look too pallid in comparison. There was just something about her that made him keep looking when he usually would have been trying his best to brush her off. He did with all attractive women (or men) who approached him (of course for different reasons). With the women, it was because he didn't hold interest in that sort of thing. His job and schooling had always prevailed for most of his life, how could he have it change in just a couple of months? His whole mindset?

"You know," she had began, leaning forward against her knees and drawing her face nearer to his, "You're the best looking guy here!"

Squall had felt the blush rising to his cheeks at her statement but had simply looked away and took a long sip from his drink.

He could almost hear her thoughts 'Oh, trying to play it cool, huh?'

In another naive attempt the young woman had stood up and brushed against him, somehow managing to loop her arm through his.

The auburn-haired man could only gape at how disturbingly straight-forward the woman was being.

"Dance with me?"

Squall had seemed to twitch at the very sound of the word, 'dance'. It wasn't something he was very interested in talking about, let alone doing.

"Let me guess… You'll only dance with someone you like."

The disappointment in her voice had almost had him feeling regret as he meagerly sipped at his drink again, sighing quite too many times to be normal.

"Okay then… look into my eyes," Squall had then turned to her only to find a finger with a well-manicured nail in his face. He'd jumped back slightly and caught the womans gaze, thoroughly surprised.

"You're going to like me… you're going to like me..." she'd swirled the finger in small circles in front of his face, obviously trying to hypnotize him or something to that effect. Squall had only tried to withhold a chuckle but failed horribly at it.

He'd shook his head and looked into those dark, perpetually mysterious eyes full of joy and promises once again.

"Did it work?" she had finally asked.

"… I can't dance," Squall replied at last, staring straight into her eyes.

"You'll be fine. Come on," she'd said encouragingly, "I'm looking for someone. I can't be on the dance floor alone."

She'd dragged him out onto the dance floor, dancing circles around him and ushering him into the music. About three songs in he'd actually tried dancing and found, much to his surprise, that he 'was a natural' as she had put it. Rinoa.

Squall sighed, shaking his head and trying to let reality hit him again after getting so indulged in his thoughts. The past.

That night hadn't ended there, he knew that. It ended with them both in bed together, with his very first sex... and was it ever good.

Not that he'd ever slept with anyone else before Rinoa, not that he wanted to. He'd been as devoted to her as he had been to his schooling and any perspective of a job that he desired.

She, to him, was just as desirable as any of that.

Slowly, he got back up from the bed which he had gone over to sit down on during his sudden reminisce. He scowled at how the towel that clung to his waist had now grown incredibly itchy because the water had dried up on it and was now scratching his skin harshly.

With one sharp movement he ripped the towel away from his mid-section and lower body and trotted across the hotel room looking through his suitcase while glaring at every article of clothing in it that he didn't want to wear. Finally, he decided on his usual trademark black pants (these happened to be his leather pair) and a white t-shirt (one of many) before slinging on his leather jacket and belts and un-tucking his metallic, chain necklace from underneath his shirt. He always wore it, it had been a gift from somebody very special to him. Besides, the creature on it which resembled a lion never failed to look impressive, especially on him.

He'd named it when he was younger, 'Griever', a name with a story behind it. However, the brunette preoccupied himself by searching around for his car keys and rushed out the door before he began recollecting some of his more painful memories, memories that he wished he could just erase.

Work again. Work, work, work, it was all that he seemed to have lately. It was all he ever had before too, but after getting a taste of life with Rinoa, everything just seemed so much worse. The skies, grayer, the winter, colder, every miserable miss-step during the day or incurable accident due to his stupidity which normally somebody would brush off with ease, seemed to threaten to break him down even more.

Since when had the strong and sturdy Squall Leonhart turned into this? Since when had he gotten so dependant on another person? Even after having known her for three years and traveled around with her (for her band) for nearly two, the thought had never occurred to him. He'd let her become a part of him.

It never seemed as hard on her as it did for him, either. Weren't men supposed to be the stronger ones? Why didn't she just show him her feelings? She'd talk to him but she always played this part, trying to act tough for him and she always talked big to him about it too. About how he needed to open up more for their relationship to work, and he had tried, he'd tried as hard as one man could to satisfy his woman. She'd still seemed displeased with him when she'd left.

They'd gotten in a fight which he had apologized for, even though he really shouldn't have considering it was all her, going off on another rant about how closed of he was when he was feeling down or was worried about something, which had been about them parting for nearly a month for their jobs. For her, her tour, for him, his contract. He also had been frustrated with starting a job again, he hadn't worked a single contract since he'd met her.

Yet, being the man that she had grown to love, he hadn't wanted to trouble her with his problems and inwardly, he didn't want things the other way around either. Sure, he hated when she was sad and he hated it even more when he couldn't help her... but what he hated the most was the fact that she was so reliant. Squall always wished just as much as she wished for him to open up, that she would learn how to deal with her problems on her own a little more instead of spilling her guts to any person that would listen. Yes, after you live with her for a while, come to think of it, even after you've known her for a day it becomes extremely clear that Rinoa Heartilly is a very emotional person, just as much as she is enthusiastic.

It worried him to think that she'd always be so out of touch with most people due to her constant need for attention. Every chance she got the girl would talk her mouth off, always the main attraction in a room or at least a sight to be marveled at. On plenty an occasion Squall had found himself actually jealous! Yes, jealous! Something he had rarely felt before in his entire life. Jealousy had always struck him as a useless emotion, something not to get stuck on, much like what he had thought about love... but it looked like the two walked hand in hand.

After drowning in his thoughts from his hotel room to his car he sat down in the comfortable and plush leather seat of the Porsche Carrera that Rinoa had bought him for his eighteenth birthday. Yes, that's when she had just started making the real money and since getting in the public eye, people couldn't seem to get enough of her. Squall could see why but just thinking about it made the suffocating feeling of resentment close in on him. He didn't want people thinking about her like that, and it didn't help that her manager wanted her to maintain a false profile including how 'single' she was either. That wouldn't matter to teenage boys anyways.

With a deeper frown and his eyebrows furrowed so much that he was beginning to give himself a headache, he turned furiously out of the parking lot. Nothing was going right, all over again.

Nothing was going right.

He just wanted her here with him, no... he wanted to be with her on some deserted island where it was just her and him. Where they could be together and nobody would bother them, nothing could break them apart, make them have to kiss that bittersweet goodbye one more time.

ring

"Shit," he cursed beneath his breath, feeling around without actually looking down for his cell phone. In his pockets, then to the side where his cup holders were, then even along the dash. Eventually he managed to tear his eyes away from the road for a moment after hitting a traffic light.

ring

"I hear you, shut up," he muttered to himself nonchalantly, feeling around even more with his leather driving gloves still on.

ring

Finally he managed to get a hold of it, after coming upon it having been tossed carelessly in the back seat. He frowned at how disorganized he had been the night before after coming back to the hotel after work, he dreaded working away from home. Especially on contracts like these, with such long hours. He'd reached the hotel around ten o'clock last night, it was no wonder that he'd been a little too tired to care anymore.

ri-

"Hello, Squall speak-"

"Squall! Oh, Squall, you have to come out here right now!"

"I recognize that voice... that's Rinoa's assistant manager..."

"Shelley? ...Why? What's wrong?"

"Just come to Seattle! Now!" the now very frightened man gulped, the tone of the irate womans voice on the other end almost making him feel sick. Yet he managed to stay dignified and actually focus on the road as all this went on.

"Well what happened?" he pressed on, desperately wanting to know why she could possibly be so upset.

"Rinoa, she was playing this concert and last night- she- uh! Somebody tried to shoot her!"

"What?!"

Squall rolled down his window immidietly, feeling almost dizzy as he heard the news.

"Not now. Not this. Not now."

"Squall, she needs you, she wants you to come and see her... I'm sorry, I know I should be more professional then this but-" he winced as he almost thought he heard Shelley crying on the other end.

"Why is she crying?"

"Alright, I'll be there, but the earliest I'll be able to get there is tomorrow,"

"Oh-Okay, and Squall?"

With a slight sigh and another couple of deep breaths he managed to reply "Yes?" calmly enough for his taste, back to her.

"I'm sorry... that you had to be dragged into all of this…"

With that she hung up, not very characteristic for her but Squall figured that you don't exactly act yourself when somebody you've worked with so closely for the past couple of months nearly dies.

"Wait, is she okay? She has to be okay... she didn't get shot or anything… right? Shelley would have said something... wouldn't she?"

Squall felt his head spin again and eventually couldn't take it anymore and pulled over.

His work, those drivers angry at him for just cutting them off, Shelley's strange behavior, all the doubts he'd been having about his relationship.

Nothing mattered right then.

Nothing mattered except her. Rinoa.

AN: This is my first story so please be kind and tell me your thoughts. I apologize in advance for any spelling or grammar errors, I did my best to edit it myself. If anybody is interested I'm looking for a 'beta' reader. Please, someone?

Anyways, thank you for reading.