Your Thousand Seas

A romantic fantasy by Vick330

* Disclaimer *

Final Fantasy VIII and its characters are property of Squaresoft. I am not making any money out of this, it's all for simple enjoyment. I do own the idea for this story, the copyrights to the songs' lyrics and the characters of Kathrya Moonbrook, Chrislen Khosgrove, Marla Santor, and a few other minor ones.

Rating is for mature situations.

* Foreword *

I hesitated on writing about Rinoa & Squall, for high standards have already been set at fanfiction.net. There are many great tales on that couple out there, like Ashbear's remarkable Castles In The Sky (my all-time favorite) and the simply riveting Crimson Lies, which has kept me on the edge of my seat more than once.

There is also Optical Goddess's poignant and unique Lost & Found, which impressed me by its sensible and enthralling narrative. And lately, Robert Dogwood posted Star Crossed Lovers, which has an inventive and tastefully rendered plotline.

Of course there are other stories, but those particular ones earned my admiration by their emotional content, originality, creative writing and maturity.

This being said, I finally decided to add my contribution to the genre. I must point out -for those who inquired when it would be up- that I began work on this quite a while ago, but then left it for nearly two months due to work and writer's block. I hope that the wait was worth it guys.

And now, please allow me to share my tale with you.

Vick

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********** I - PROLOGUE **********

She awoke to the sound of the shower, and noticed that it was still early in the morning. Her head was throbbing madly, her innards felt full of vinegar, her naked body was stiff, and her creamy skin clammy. The unfamiliar room was a disarray of discarded clothes and empty liquor bottles.

'What happened?' She wondered, for she had little recollection of the past few hours.

Yesterday was his last day in town. In the evening they had gone out, and had a good time dancing, dining, and drinking – a lot of drinking. And then they had come back to his hotel room… and raided the mini-bar.

She remembered his body on hers, she remembered kissing and touching. She also remembered waking up with her head in the toilet-bowl, emptying her stomach. But she didn't remember much else…

He stepped out of the bathroom, the telltale signs of a major hangover on his face. When he looked at her there was shame in his eyes. "Are you all right?" He asked gently.

When she had first met him, he had seemed so arrogant and full of himself. After a while she had seen through his mask to a gentler personality, and it was what was showing right now.

She covered her nakedness with the covers, in an unnecessary gesture of modesty. Her mouth was dry, but she managed to moisten her lips before replying, "Did we…"

"I don't remember much of last night, I am sorry…" He apologized.

But it must have happened, right? The present evidence pointed that way. Right now nothing of that mattered though, she felt too sick to care and only wished to be alone with her misery.

"Listen, I have to go." Said her companion, "But if you ever need anything…"

"I'll be all right." She replied, "Go or you'll miss the train."

After he had left she stepped into the shower, keeping the water as cold as she could bear it and waiting for the nausea to pass. 'Sweet Hyne, what have I done?' She thought with regret, resting her head on the cool tiles.

She had always dreamt that her first time would be a magical moment, filled with tenderness and blessed by Love. Nothing to do about it, what was done was done and she wasn't the first one to go through it. Maybe she should be grateful that it had happened this way, for it finally made her see the silly romanticism of it all. She just hoped that she hadn't gotten pregnant, for that would complicate things to no end… No, no! This was no time for self-pity; she had put herself in that situation and she would take the responsibility for the consequences.

"Get a grip, girl!" She chided herself out loud.

She was a strong-willed and independent woman, and decided that it wasn't such a big deal as she once thought it would. This simply was another proof that the Real World was harsh, and unforgiving. At least she had the freedom to make her own mistakes, and choose her own path. Others were not so fortunate, but she knew now that it was in her power to do something about it.

She also knew she could take care of herself and make hard choices. Not like her delusional father, not like HIM, who always took the easy way out – 'Just following orders… Had no choice… One day you'll understand…' - Right! Excuses for cowards, irresponsible attitude suited for the weak of heart; oh how she loathed it, and she vowed that she would never be that way – ever!

Her self-questioning had been over for a while now, and she looked forward to her meeting with the people from Timber, as she would then embrace a just and worthy cause. As the cool water ran down her face and body, she felt that she was more than ready to embark on a mission to right wrongs - and hope to leave that same harsh and unforgiving World a better place than she had found it.

She just never planned that part of her innocence would never die.

Or that one day, not that far away, she would find love…

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~ To Be Continued ~