Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, locations, etc. of Final Fantasy VIII; they belong only to their rightful owner, and it is not me.
Rinoa leaned her head against Squall's chest, listening intently to his heartbeat. It was the night of celebration, the celebration of Ultimecia's defeat. Her lips were still tingling from their first kiss as she tried to hide the redness of her cheeks.
"I made a wish on a shooting star," she thought silently, "I want to be with Squall forever."
Squall gazed down at the beauty wrapped in his arms and felt a sense of pleasure from the simple action of holding her. He had never felt such a degree of intimacy. Maybe he had been close to her, like when she was sitting in his lap aboard the Ragnarok and also when he had rescued her from the Sorceress Memorial. But it wasn't the same. It was now, that he was allowing her to enter his heart a little. His grip on her slightly tightened when he felt a wave of hesitation, which he attempted to conceal.
Noticing the sudden change in his breathing, she lifted her head to stare at him, "What's on your mind?" she whispered.
"It's nothing," he replied, as if drawing back into his own world again.
Rinoa knew not to press the issue. Perhaps he was opening himself a lot more often to her. But he was still Squall. That was really the reason why she liked him so much, because he was Squall, and she didn't require him to change drastically in order to be fond of him. She laid her head on him again and smiled.
"…What's so funny?" he immediately asked.
"Ooo," cooed a chirpy voice, "You two look so cute together!"
Selphie skipped happily onto the balcony, wearing Irvine's hat, "So sorry to interrupt, Commander Leonheart," she spoke in a mock official tone, "But you have a phone call. Cid didn't tell me who it was but he just told me to tell you to answer it in his office."
Rinoa. Squall thought instantly, glancing at her briefly, noticing the fleeting disappointment on her face at being stripped away from her knight. Then she gave him that smile he had grown to admire and he excused himself.
"So, Miss Heartilly," Selphie grinned, "how does it feel to be the Commander's girlfriend?"
The young sorceress smiled sheepishly, trailing her right foot from side to side, "I don't know. He hasn't asked me yet. But if I were, I'd feel pretty good."
"Don't worry! He probably won't say it to you right now, but you can tell what he feels inside. After all, it's Squall! Anyway, I'll keep you company until he comes back from his phone call."
"Hello, Squall Leonheart, speaking," he spoke in his formal voice, as he was taught to do.
A familiar voice answered the commander, "Uh, yeah. Hey there, Squall. Sorry if I'm interrupting anything."
Laguna? "Is there a problem?"
"Yes. I mean, no. Well, I kind of need to see you some time tomorrow, if possible. I have some things to clear up with you. As I mentioned before, there are things that you need to know. But I'll understand if you don't want to hear it."
Squall shifted the phone to his other ear and adjusted his posture, "Then I will be at Esthar tomorrow."
Laguna then interjected, perhaps a little too loudly, "Oh WAIT! I mean, wait. As president of Esthar, I would like to request you to be at Winhill at 1100 hours."
Tired and confused, he ran his gloved fingers through his brown hair, "Fine. We will meet then."
The president began to chuckle, "Lighten up, Squall. This isn't a mission. I will see you then."
"…Goodbye," and he hung up.
Squall woke up early next morning to the sound of footsteps in his room. He pretended to be asleep. They came closer and his ears immediately recognised who those feet belonged to. Waiting a little longer, he knew the person was now peering down at him, from directly above. He inhaled and confirmed who the scent belonged to.
He groaned and rolled to his side, "Rinoa, don't sneak up on me."
She gasped and jumped, "Geez, Squall! You scared the hell out of me. I thought you were asleep."
"I was until you came in," he opened his blue eyes, rubbing them tiredly with the back of his hand.
Rinoa giggled and sat down on the bed, the only available seating in the room, "That's rather devious of you, pretending to be asleep. What would have happened if I was so frightened that I accidentally used my sorceress magic on you?"
"…Whatever," he replied, "You wouldn't."
The conversation became silent, but it wasn't uncomfortable; only pleasant. Squall reached upwards and gently fiddled with the Griever ring on her necklace. In his opinion, he wished that he could have given it to her in person had he known that Zell was going to offer it to her. Perhaps it would have meant something more special. Then again, he couldn't imagine himself presenting it to her. He would have most likely stammered a few words and dropped the ring into her palm, and run away.
She smiled at his gesture and stared down into his eyes. There was a gleam in them, as they focused on the piece of jewellery, as if his mind was in deep thought about something, "Do you have to go somewhere today, Squall?"
"Laguna asked me to see him at Winhill in about two hours. I don't know any details. He was acting strange. He usually is anyway."
"Well, I'll be waiting for you. I was going to attend one of Quistis' classes today, not as a student, of course. I just wanted to see what Garden life was like for the learners. Take care." Timidly, she planted a soft kiss on his forehead and stared at him one last time before leaving the room.
He gave a small smile when she left. Rinoa was always kind to him, and luckily not as clingy as she used to be. She was always patient with him somehow, even when he didn't feel like talking at all.
I really like you, Rinoa.
The Garden, piloted by Nida, was journeying towards Winhill by request of the commander. Squall had insisted on taking the Ragnarok however Selphie had already left early in the morning with Irvine with the ship to an unnamed destination, so that left him with Balamb Garden as the only means of transport.
After the craft had landed somewhere near the town of Winhill, Squall exited and made his way to the entrance. He was somewhat curious as to what Laguna had wanted. It was not going to be a mission, he had told him. What could possess the president of the most advanced city in the world to ask the commander of an academy of mercenaries to meet him in a quiet little town?
He breathed in the aroma of the country, it was refreshing. It was a welcome change from the air-conditioned school-like scent of Garden.
Suddenly, he recalled that Laguna had not told him where to meet. He rubbed the back of his neck in thought. After asking the old lady at the flower shop, who had told him that he was at his old house, the young man set out to the desolate house and knocked on its door. Something compelled him to knock, if the situation had been different, he would have just entered… like he had been all this time.
The door opened and Laguna appeared, dressed in his usual light blue shirt and brown trousers, hair carelessly tied back. He seemed to force himself to smile and nodded, allowing his visitor to enter.
"I'm sorry it has been such short notice to have you here," he began, "however I feel it my duty to be the one to tell you, rather than let it be someone else."
…He sounds serious, odd.
"This sounds serious," said Squall.
The older man rubbed the back of his neck and chuckled, "I suppose it is. But I guess it isn't anything life-threatening."
"So what do you have to tell me?"
"Come with me, there is something that I must show you."
What could Laguna be wanting to show him? Find out in the next chapter of Learning to Live: 'Truth unwanted.'