Disclaimer: Okay, Okay, none of it is mine. You know, yadda yadda yadda, belongs to square soft, you know the drill.

Authors Notes: This is my first Final Fantasy 8 fic, though I have delved into final fantasy before with my ff7 fic: You'll never be alone. Check it out!

It was over. Their battle was over.

The bright lights of the ballroom told him so, They practically shouted joy and mirth at him, deafening him with shouts of pure, unforced laughter, and jolly, happy music. The sound reverberated from the high marble walls and bounced out onto the balcony, where he stood alone, a strong yet gentle gust of wind playing at his chin length locks. The ballroom was filled with so much emotion, so much love and adoration that had not been there since the intercontinental war had begun, yet he chose to remain solitary, away from all that. It wasn't his type of thing; emotions. Never had been.

That was the reason he was finding it so hard. He usually just kept them to him self; emotions, and only dared show the bare necessities; annoyance, anger, dislike. Never before had he had the problem he was faced with now. He had never acted so emotionally as he had during the past few weeks, never acted on any of those emotions he had tried to hard to hide. He had already admitted to himself that it was there, this strange, alien emotion that had blossomed within him, and had acted on it, but it was always under pressure, always forced. But now, with the evil sorceress, Ultimecia destroyed, and the world safe, he had all the time in the world to now battle with his own personal demons.

Leaning serenely on the white marble balcony wall, he looked out to the beautiful Balamb scenery, the midnight blue sea surrounding the tiny island, it's lush green forests covered in a veil of darkness, and he was tempted to give a little sigh. Laughing inwardly at his moment of weakness, he did not notice the soft footsteps echoing on the white marble floor.

She walked swiftly to the spot not two metres away from him, and placed her pale slender arms upon the balcony wall, throwing her black shiny hair behind her slightly. As she gazed out to the midnight sky, he studied her beautiful features, her smooth porcelain skin was a pale peach, bathed in soft yellow light from the ballroom, her perfect body completed also by the light. Her eyes were half closed, taking in the soft sights of the stars, her lips were illuminated by a clear lip gloss, which brought out her lips in a soft pout permanently. She was wearing the same creamy white dress as she had worn on the very first night they met, the soft creamy material complementing her curves and coming to a stop with some light see-through material just above her knees. He remembered his complete surprise as for one night she set him free, unhindered by demons or uniform, able to spend an evening away from that, even if it was only for one dance.

It seemed she was reminiscing too, as she turned and used the same gesture as when he first lay his eyes on her, pointing to the very same shooting star that had flown across the sky that night. This simple gesture brought a smile to his face, a facial expression that did not come easily to him. It was this that gave him his courage to finally act on that alien emotion within him, between them both. Smiling peacefully, the expression lighting his handsome face dramatically, he took her dainty hand in his own before gently pulling her light frame towards him. His head tilted slightly to hers as their lips met for the first time.

Tongues danced, as did fire and flames in their hearts and souls as they continued their long-awaited embrace. Her delicate hands were drawn to his deep chestnut coloured hair as his went up to cup her smooth and velvety soft cheek, the other hand pulling her closer. Lips melted together with hearts, the need for oxygen was forgotten, as they continued to hold each other in their mind-blowing embrace. Even spectators could feel the raw emotion in this kiss, as a certain brunette dressed in yellow found as she secretly filmed the couple with a camcorder. She smiled knowingly to herself and left, leaving the two to end their embrace, knowing she could show them later.

As the kiss ended, she fell into his arms and let out a soft, content sigh, her head laying softly on his chest, fingering a small lion shaped pendant hanging on a strong silver chain. He brought a gloved hand around her, pulling her closer still. She could never be too close.

'I- I love you, Rinoa…' he admitted defeat to the immense feeling threatening to take over his entire body, mind and soul. She looked up, more emotion on her face than any amount coming from the ballroom, and smiled her perfect smile.

'I love you too, Squall, my lion.'

It was over. Their battle was over.

The rest of their lives were only just beginning.