Author's Note: Just a little pointless fluff I thought of while listening to music on Rhapsody. Not much to say about it really other than I hope you like it! Don't forget to leave a review after you read; they make me happy. :)

Disclaimer: The characters and settings belong to Square-Enix, not me. I'm just a lazy woman with too much free time that likes to make them do crazy stuff. lol

Geode

By Phoenix DeFuego

"You're a geode."

"What?" Squall asked incredulously. He looked at the slender girl sitting next to him as if she had lost her mind.

"You're a geode," Rinoa repeated with a smile. Squall arched a single brow as he studied the smiling raven sitting to his left on the secluded bench. Maybe she really had lost her mind. Rinoa laughed at his perplexed look and decided to explain. "When I first met you, you were all serious and mean. You weren't very nice to us and you had a really ugly attitude. Like a dull rock!" Rinoa chirped. Squall frowned at the comparison. "Then I got to know you better," Rinoa continued, completely ignoring Squall's scowl. "I realized that you really did care about your teammates and me. I think it took me a long time to see it 'cause you're so good at hiding it. Then I learned that you kept your distance all the time 'cause you were afraid of losing the people you cared most about, not because you hated us or anything. It kind of made me sad. I thought to myself 'He must be so lonely!' I remember how lonely I felt after Mom died and I never wanted to feel like that again. Ever since then I was determined to be your friend.

"And then I started noticing things. The first time I noticed you really cared about us was when we met up again with Quistis, Selphie and Irvine in Fisherman's Horizon. I had never seen you look so happy before when you found out that they were back and that they were alright. And the way you saved Zell in the prison. He really is your best friend isn't he." Rinoa winked and said slyly, "I guess opposites really do attract." Rinoa laughed and stuck out her tongue as Squall rolled his eyes. As her giggles died down Rinoa looked up at the blue sky through the leafy branches overhead and enjoyed the warm breeze that blew through the Quad. The look of joy on her face melted away to seriousness as she continued to think of the recent past. "And all of the times you saved me," Rinoa said, her soft voicing sounding distant as she gazed at the sky. Squall cocked his head to the side and wondered at the sudden change in her attitude.

"I always felt like I was being left behind. You and the others are so strong, I felt like I was holding you guys back." Rinoa scoffed and said, "I would either get really sad and lag behind even more or get really angry and do something stupid." She looked at him with a sad smile and added, "You came to my rescue every time." Rinoa gazed into his intense stare, his gray eyes silently promising her that he would rescue her for the rest of his life. The first time Rinoa had seen such intensity in his eyes directed at her she didn't understand and it frightened her. Now she understood and it nearly made her cry tears of joy every time she saw it. The knowledge that he would lay down his life just for her happiness filled Rinoa's heart with an emotion she couldn't explain. It was like denial and sadness and hope and happiness all rolled into one. Rinoa blinked back the tears and said, "I started noticing the little things then.

"Every time you bought ammo for your gunblade you would always buy extra for Irvine even if he didn't need it. While buying potions and elixirs or whatnot you'd always ask if they sold tea leaves before Quistis could even search the isles for them and you always unlocked the train doors and let Selphie in first before she could even ask. Zell always got to pick the rental car even though you were paying for it and you never told him to hurry up when he started talking to the mechanics." Rinoa looked a little guilty as she said, "You were mean and strict when any of us started complaining about our mission and you would silently sit next to whoever looked really upset. You never asked us if we wanted to talk but we knew that you would listen if we did. You were there for all of us as a soldier, a medic; a leader… a shoulder to cry on…Whatever we were going through you would be exactly what we needed you to be without ever complaining.

"Beneath that crusty exterior of not caring is a person whose loyalty and devotion goes way beyond anything I've ever seen before. You love all of us with such a fierce passion that it shines like a million perfect diamonds."

Squall shifted on the bench as Rinoa locked gazes with him. It felt like her doe eyes were boring into his soul and it made him feel vulnerable. Rinoa gave him a warm smile and said, "On the outside you are cold and distant like an unfeeling rock but on the inside you are one of the most beautiful people I've ever known."

"Whatever," Squall huffed as he looked away, his cheeks turning a pale shade of pink.

Rinoa giggled and replied, "I love you too." She leaned up and claimed his lips in a chaste kiss. Squall's eyes widened in surprise. Rinoa leaned her forehead against Squall's and chuckled as she softly added, "My geode." Squall's look of surprise was quickly replaced by a smirk before he claimed Rinoa's lips in a not so chaste kiss.

Haha! Squall's a rock! Sorry, couldn't help myself. Anyway like I said, just some pointless fluff. Hope you enjoyed and don't forget to review!