Disclaimers: I don't own anything Final Fantasy VII/VIII but this story.

A/N: The next installment has finally been released! :3 Thanks so much for people being utterly patient with me and my very slow releases! It final builds up at this point, but it'll only explode in later chapters! Hope you'll still be with me then! X3 Apologies if there isn't yet Squinoa, but by the next chapter or two, Squall will be more impulsive to create those! LOL

As always, I'm grateful for my readers and reviewers alike! Thanks so much everyone! To my reviewers: 6jrz422, Tiny Cherie, saya, Alessia Heartilly, Scribbleness, and Funk3y Fre3sh! I hope you guys continue to read!

…On another note, a shameless plug! My buddy Scribbleness has started a brand new story and I strongly suggest you guys read it if you have the time! If you're fans of FFXIII, then you'll definitely want to take a look! :3 Find it on her page or in the FFXIII crossover category with FFVIII!
See, I'm still relating it to FFVIII! XD

Ciao for now! And please remember to R&R!


"Even if you have someone else in mind
As long as you keep that bright smile on your face
It'll hurt, but I'll be okay"
~ Taeyang: Baby I'm Sorry

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Clank!

The can of juice dropped into the dispenser of the vending machine. Squall lowered himself to grab the can and opened it, taking a long chug of the liquid. He let out a relieved sigh afterwards, signifying that he was satisfied. It was lunchtime now and yet Squall wanted school to end. His morning classes have been nothing but study periods since midterms in November were coming up. He wasn't worried; Squall studied every day, but now it felt like such a tedious task.

Squall sighed once more before inserting coins into a snack vending machine. He wasn't hungry per se, but he knew someone who would be because she probably forgot to eat. Pressing a few buttons had plastic wrapped cookies falling into the dispenser. Squall once again lowered himself to pick it up. He stared at the cookies, It'll fill her stomach for now I guess. But her sleeping habits…

He was worried about Rinoa's health. Squall knew she was taking her studies seriously, but maybe she was taking it too seriously. Many nights he had seen her bedroom light on past her bedtime. Squall tried reasoning with her to get much needed rest, but Rinoa was too stubborn. She wouldn't even take Squall's help for tutoring if she was having problems! Thinking she wanted to try and be independent, Squall dropped the subject. He believed that once midterms were done, Rinoa would be back to her normal self; sleeping in and all… At least he hoped for that to happen.

Shaking his head, the brunette adjusted the strap on his shoulder bag and headed down the halls towards the biology classroom. He and Rinoa had biology before lunch, but the raven haired girl decided to stay behind to ask the teacher a few more questions. Squall was hesitant at first, but gave in after Rinoa stared him down for once. However, she never said anything about coming back to pick her up.

I gave her ten minutes... She should be finished now, Squall reasoned with himself.

He reached the room in no time, taking a deep breath to prepare himself if Rinoa nagged at him for coming back. Putting on his stoic face, Squall slowly opened the door so not to interrupt anything. When he heard no retort, Squall poked his head into the room. As luck would have it, Rinoa was still in the room. However, she was sleeping at a desk with the side of her head buried in the fold of her arms.

She's that tired huh? Squall sighed with a small smile, quietly entering closing the door behind him.

Squall didn't spot the teacher so he assumed he left for lunch. Walking towards her, Squall placed his bag on top of a desk adjacent to Rinoa's. He leered over her, spotting that she worked on a few problems before taking a nap. There were scribbles here and there on the sheet of paper; most likely notes to remember. Squall smiled again as he leaned against the desk.

She looked peaceful sleeping even if it was only for lunch. Squall didn't have the heart to wake her when she was so tired. He folded his arms across his chest as he argued to himself, But she still needs to attend class…

"Mmm..." Rinoa murmured, hutching her shoulders slightly before relaxing again.

Squall looked at her before deciding he should wake her. He kneeled beside Rinoa's desk and gentle shook her shoulders whispering, "Rinoa?"

Rinoa fidgeted, but she only buried her head deeper within her arms. Squall rolled his eyes. Even in her sleep she was stubborn. Leaning closer to her, Squall spoke a little louder, "Rinoa, wake up."

He waited for a moment before seeing Rinoa knit her eyebrows together. Rinoa slowly opened her eyes and gazed at him. Tiredly lifting her head, Rinoa let out a yawn while rubbing the sleep from her eyes, "Hmm…?"

"About time," Squall shook his head. He got up from his kneeling position and pushed his bangs to the side of his face, "Here, I bought you a snack since I'm pretty sure you didn't eat anything."

He turned to grab his bag and proceeded to pull out the cookies. Squall heard the screech of Rinoa's chair and assumed she was standing up. Except when Squall turned back around to face her, he was surprised she collapsed into him; the food falling to the floor as he backed into the desk. Holding up her body, Squall raised his eyebrows surprised, "Whoa! Are you okay?"

Rinoa answered him with a weary hum. She ended up wrapping her arms around Squall's body in a hug and rested her head on his chest, "Just a little longer…"

Squall blushed with how tightly she was hugging him. He was willing to hold her up, but how was this comfortable? She was practically resting her entire weight on him! Squall shifted his position to better hold Rinoa and for his own comfort. Looking down at her, Squall whispered gently, "At least go to the nurse's office to rest. They have beds there for a reason."

She shook her head and held him tighter, "I like this better…"

Okay, now you're just being bratty, Squall rolled his eyes again. It wasn't like he hated this when he thought about it. However the probability of them being caught by unwanted company was very high and Squall wasn't too keen on becoming a source of gossip.

Rinoa's relaxed breathing broke him away from his thoughts as he glanced down at her again. She smiled as she rested in Squall's arms with eyes closed. Her serene look caused Squall to lower his barriers, making him feel like he was dreaming too with the way he was holding her. Squall lifted a hand to move Rinoa's bangs to the side of her face. He aroused her awake as Rinoa's eyes fluttered open again and gazed up at Squall. He smiled softly at her and apologized, "Sorry. This time I didn't mean to—"

He was cut off when he felt his lips being pressed by the sensation of another's; more specifically Rinoa's. Squall's eyes widened once he really thought about the fact that Rinoa kissed himof her own accord. It was nothing more than a quick kiss, but it was enough for Squall to turn a deep shade of red. He failed to utter a word as Rinoa went back to snuggling his chest. Rinoa closed her eyes blissfully murmuring, "I must be dreaming, huh?"

Squall snapped to his senses, A dream…?

He studied Rinoa's face for a moment before slowly accepting the fact that she really was dreaming… Well at least sleep-talking of sorts. He was greatly disappointed that her spontaneity was only because she was in a daze. Squall had hoped that her actions were based on how she truly felt, but unfortunately, that was not the case. If this was something that Rinoa thought she was doing in a dream, then the person she probably planned to kiss could be none other than Cloud.

With that thought in mind, Squall felt his heart tighten in jealously. He hugged Rinoa closer to him as he forced himself to get over the fact that Rinoa was completely taken by the blond. There was no way he could stand a chance against him; especially since Squall was tied down to a bond he didn't want.

Closing his eyes, Squall took a deep breath. And then it dawned on him that this was Rinoa in a dream-like state. If he was presumably playing the part of Cloud, he could probably get away with anything… He didn't want to use underhanded tactics to get Rinoa's attention, but this was his only chance to be with her like this and Squall didn't want to waste it.

"…I love you, Rinoa..." Squall let out as he watched for Rinoa's reaction. He finally admitted the words to her, even if she was in a sleep condition.

She looked up at him blankly. Squall could see her glazed-over eyes as she smiled up at him, "I love you too—"

Cloud… Squall finished for her in his mind to lessen the impact when she would say that name.

"—Squall."

Once again, Squall looked at her in surprise. Instead of saying Cloud's name…she said his.

Was this some sort of trick? Was she really sleeping? So many thoughts ran through his mind, but the truth still stared him in the face: Rinoa had said she loved him. And that kiss… She had given it with full intention of giving it to Squall in her dreams. These simple facts together made Squall hopeful that Rinoa was in love with him as much as he was to her.

As if to fulfill his role as Rinoa's dream counterpart, Squall lowered his head towards her. To her, this would be nothing but a dream. But to Squall, he would be kissing her for real. He felt the warmth of her lips enwrap his and Squall felt time had stopped. It was a kiss so surreal to him that he hoped he wasn't the one dreaming. This was one dream Squall did not want to wake up from. Rinoa reciprocated his kiss the way he envisioned. She wasn't scared or disgusted nor was she shy or resisting. It was a chaste kiss; a bewitching feeling that Squall would burn into his memory. Kissing Rinoa made his world feel complete.

However Squall's state of ecstasy was shattered upon hearing an intruder entering the premises. Regretfully, he ripped away from Rinoa to hastily glimpse at the door. His mind went blank when he saw Seifer staring at them; hand on the doorknob and school bag slung across his shoulder. Seifer had an unreadable reaction, but it was enough to make Squall dread what was to come. Squall, unable to hold Seifer's gaze, looked down with guilt now that his true colors were on display.

The blond didn't immediately react. Instead, Squall heard him sigh before the door was shut. The brunette was afraid to see if Seifer stood in the room or not. He didn't have to think long when he heard Seifer talked in a monotone voice, "Here I am asked to look for you guys and I see that? This is the reason you're so 'attached' to her?"

Squall spoke defensively without looking at him, "Say what you will about me. Rinoa…doesn't have anything to do with this." He looked at the girl in his arms who had went back to sleep amidst the situation.

It was silent for a moment longer before Seifer asked carefully while leaning against the whiteboard, "...How long have you been like this?"

Squall knew that it was better to come clean before any more damage could be done; he could trust Seifer with this secret. Gently moving the girl to sit in her desk, Squall answered, "Since we were kids, but I only realized it in middle school."

Seifer hummed in thought before shaking his head, "Suppressed for that long huh? You got problems, Loire." Squall didn't say anything. Seifer could ridicule him as much as he wanted, but Squall wouldn't give him the benefit of crushing his pride for loving Rinoa. He stood stationary before Seifer sighed, "Look, to be honest, I don't really care. If you want to date your sister, do it."

The brunette looked up at him in bewilderment. Seifer was one to make a big deal out of almost anything, but his confession was unexpected to say the least. Squall was sure that his little secret would've made things a little awkward. He asked without thinking, "You don't think it's strange?"

"I think you're a little muddled in the head, but it's not like what I say will make a difference," Seifer shrugged. He placed his hands in his pockets and looked at Squall with a serious expression, "My words won't mean a damn thing to you. And honestly, I always thought there was something wrong with the way you acted. Still do, but that's a different story."

Squall looked away in thought. He wasn't sure if he should be happy that someone didn't look down on him or worried that someone didn't care about his actions. Squall thought for sure Seifer would be an opinionated person, but the blond's unfeeling demeanor wasn't a useful view as Squall thought.

Seifer decided to conclude his explanation, "I don't care. But I am going to warn you on one thing: Unless you make things clear with Rinoa right now, not only will she suffer but you will too."

Squall clenched a fist before looking at Seifer determined, "I know."

They both heard quiet muttering coming from Rinoa, realizing that she was starting to wake up completely. She lifted her head up slowly while rubbing her eyes. Focusing her attention at the front, she saw the blond staring at her, "Seifer? What are you doing here?"

Seifer smirked as usual, "Morning Princess. Decided to wake up?"

Rinoa yawned as she stretched out her arms, "Whatever. I was tired." She rubbed at her eyes a little more before noticing another figure to her right. Rinoa lazily looked over before jumping back, "Squall!"

Squall blinked before giving her a small smile. He would pretend nothing happened while she was sleeping. He greeted, "Glad you're awake before fourth period starts."

Rinoa nervously looked down as she blushed, "I've been sleeping for that long?"

Squall nodded, "You were really tired."

"How long…have you been here?" Rinoa asked innocently, although she still avoided eye contact.

How long? Squall raised an eyebrow, notably confused by her question.

Seifer decided to cut in, lying, "Not long, but it's quite a treat to see that you drool in your sleep, Princess."

Rinoa blushed even more as she glared at Seifer, "I don't drool when I sleep!"

"I beg to differ," Seifer taunted with a roll of his eyes.

Squall let out a mental sigh of relief. He would have to thank the blond for diffusing the situation, but that could wait. Picking up the forgotten cookies, he gently whacked Rinoa's head with it and spoke in his usual voice, "Alright enough. Rinoa, you need to eat before classes resume otherwise you're going to starve for the next three hours."

Rinoa rubbed her head feigning hurt, but nodded quietly. She didn't look up to face Squall, but reached for the treat. When her fingers brushed against his, she pulled back slightly with a blush, "Oh! Sorry."

She's so jumpy… Squall thought, not sure why she was acting weird. All she did was wake up, so what could be bothering her? It then dawned on him that Rinoa was probably remembering her "dream" and the kiss… Smiling inwardly to himself, Squall pretended not to notice her strange reactions. Placing the snack on the desk instead, he sighed, "Whatever."

Seifer piped up, "Hey ladies, hurry up! I want to find Quistis before classes start!" He stood by the door impatiently.

Rinoa snapped out of her reverie and replied, "Oh wait! Let me pack up first!" She quickly gathered her materials and stuffed them in her bag while Squall whirled around to pick up his bag and placed it over his shoulder. The stepsiblings walked over to where Seifer stood and exited the room.

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If there was one thing Squall wished he could ignore, then he wished he could've forgotten anything about Rinoa for the rest of the afternoon. They didn't share afternoon classes, but Squall had been replaying the kiss over and over in his mind; not to mention Rinoa's behavior once she had woken up from her lunchtime nap. Not once during the rest of the lunch period did she bother to look or talk to him directly.

He was usually antsy about her behavior, but since he was the cause (in what he thinks is a good way), Squall had let it slide. Rinoa was thinking about him and that was all that mattered. She was embarrassed because she was "kissed" her brother in a dream.

Squall smiled to himself in bliss. Rinoa was embarrassed because she kissed him. It was a silly thing to think about, but it made Squall feel special. If her dreams were like that, then she must've felt some sort of spark for him. He hoped Rinoa would become attracted to him after this ordeal in time. But he wished for it to happen soon!

Because of his thoughts being filled with so many "what-ifs," he wasn't able to concentrate in any of his afternoon classes. Quistis or Irvine, the only friends he'd seen for his classes today, would look over and find him staring aimlessly or constantly rubbing at his face. Even the teachers were speechless when Squall gave out the wrong answers to rather simple questions. People thought he was sick; maybe he was.

Enough thinking about that! Squall shook his head as he scolded himself. No, he had to take control! He couldn't lose himself in perceived emotions! Until Rinoa showed sure signs that she was truly fawning for him, Squall would not exceed his expectations.

He let out a long sigh as he wandered down the music wing of the school. Rinoa was tutoring piano today after school, but Squall decided to stay behind and wait for her. It was probably best to walk home with her since night came faster with winter around the corner. Squall wasn't using this as an excuse to watch Rinoa squirm in his presence…

"It was only a dream! A dream!"

Squall recognized the voice belonging to Rinoa as he neared the music room she was borrowing. His lips twitched at the topic of conversation. He didn't know who she was speaking to, but for Rinoa to openly discuss the "I-kiss-my-brother-in-my-sleep" dream, the person must be very trustworthy.

He could only hear the faint voice of another, but it wasn't so clear to Squall who it was. It mumbled as it was quiet.

Rinoa's response came afterwards, "Listen to me! It's only a dream! B-Besides, I don't think Squall knows about it…"

I disagree, Squall smirked in victory. If only she knew that the kiss was real!

"…I don't like it either way, Rinoa," the voice was distinct this time…and evidently male. Squall tensed at the sound; not only for being male, but a rather familiar male voice. His heart started to race as he denied who he thought it could be.

Rinoa spoke again, somewhat exasperated, "Well what do you want me to do to make you happy?"

Her question was met with silence.

Squall began to panic as he was now standing in front of the door. All he needed to do was open it to find out what Rinoa was doing and with whom. Squall gave himself a pep talk, Just open the door. She probably stopped talking… That's it…

No longer holding back, Squall quickly and almost violently opened the door wearing a slightly concerned look on his face. His mind was shot at the spectacle before him. There, sitting on the piano bench were Rinoa and Cloud; intimately close with Cloud's hand cupping Rinoa's cheek as he kissed her.

"Squall!" Rinoa exclaimed, breaking the kiss in a mixture of surprise and embarrassment. Cloud's expression on the other hand was stoic and unreadable.

Squall couldn't hear her speak. The only thing running through his mind was the fact that Cloud was there close to Rinoa…and he had kissed her behind closed doors. The brunette clenched his fist angrily as he hurriedly walked over towards the two occupants in the room. He ignored the horrified look on Rinoa's face when he swiftly connected his fist into Cloud's jaw, knocking the blond off the bench.

"Squall! Stop!" Rinoa gasped as she covered her mouth with her hands.

"Don't touch my her!" Squall growled as he grabbed Cloud's collar and slammed him against the nearest wall.

Cloud matched the glare as he bunched Squall's own collar in his hand. He ignored the fact that his lip was cut as he matched Squall's strength, pushing against him, "What gives you the right to call me out on anything!"

By now, Rinoa was trying to get in between the two. Squall snapped, slamming Cloud against the wall once more, "The fact that Rinoa isn't your girlfriend gives me a damn right!"

"I am his girlfriend!" Rinoa shouted out. She finally pried Squall off of Cloud the moment he was caught off-guard by her admission.

The brunette looked at her in puzzlement. Rinoa was giving Squall a look mixed with concern and fury. Squall narrowed his eyes at her, "What are you talking about Rinoa?"

She stood protectively in front of Cloud as she tried to glare Squall down, repeating, "I am Cloud's girlfriend!"

No you're not! Squall wanted to yell. He knitted his eyebrows together, his eyes darting between Rinoa and Cloud. Squall couldn't believe it! He couldn't form questions verbally, but they passed through him at a rapid pace. The major ones in his mind were how did they become a couple and when exactly did it come to pass.

As if reading him, Rinoa had calmed herself to softly answer the brunette's unspoken surprise, "Yes Squall; Cloud and I are dating. We've been dating in secret for a while now…"

I don't want to hear it! Squall gritted his teeth. His heart was twisting in pain and shattering into pieces simultaneously. He was confused by all means, but realized the one truth: Rinoa had lied to him. Squall backed away slowly as his gaze settled on the raven haired girl, "You were…keeping this secret?"

Cloud was about to explain, but Rinoa gave him a shake of her head. Looking up at Squall with pleading eyes, she began, "I asked Cloud to keep it secret. I was going to tell you when the time was right—"

"And when exactly is that?" Squall let out a bitter laugh, "Why couldn't you tell me?"

"Because I knew you'd be against it… You'd be mad."

"And you think I wouldn't be mad when I find out like this!"

"Squall, please listen!"

The brunette shot up a hand and looked away. Rinoa took his request for silence as Squall took a deep breath. She had been keeping this secret from him and from everyone else she knew? Or was it just him? Rinoa would normally come out with who she was dating without hiding, but she intentionally hid Cloud Strife. Was Squall that untrustworthy?

…Of course he was. She could date countless guys, but he prayed to Hyne she would never date Cloud Strife. He knew, but for Rinoa to hide this from him…Squall felt betrayed.

"I need time to think," Squall quickly responded after the long moment in silence. He paced towards the door and grabbed the doorknob.

Before he could open it, however, he felt someone tug on his shirt, Rinoa's voice begging, "Squall, wait—"

He spoke in a dead tone, "Let go." Squall knew he was being cold, but he couldn't stand to face Rinoa right now. Once she let go of him regretfully, Squall slammed the door shut and left the music wing.

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Squall had stormed down the hallways and out the main entrance of the school. Images of Cloud and Rinoa together wouldn't leave his mind and thinking about it made his blood boil. He stopped in front of the school gate to collect his thoughts. Maybe Squall heard wrong. Cloud didn't say anything; it was all Rinoa! She does say impulsive things when she was mad!

But they kissed… Squall bitterly pointed out, hands clenching into fists once more. That one concrete evidence backed up what Rinoa said. Nothing he could think of would ever deny the fact that Rinoa had willing kissed Cloud back.

"Dammit…"

"Squall!" he lifted his head and looked behind him. Rinoa was running towards him at full speed. He instinctively glared at her before facing the front once again. Rinoa huffed out of breath when she reached his spot pleading, "Listen to what I have to say—"

"You don't have to say anything. I don't care anymore," he lied coldly.

Rinoa furrowed her eyebrows in disbelief, "What?"

The brunette took a deep breath before turning around to face her. He held an icy stature as he explained, "I don't care who you spend your time with. If you want to spend it with Cloud, then go ahead."

"Squall—"

"You're finally dating someone you had a crush on for a long time right? Congratulations."

"You—"

He let out an ignorant smirk, "You must be happy…"

Rinoa frowned deeply as she swiftly lifted her hand and slapped it across Squall's face. He was left stunned by her actions. Touching the side of his face, Squall could still feel the warm sting of her palm connecting with his face. Squall looked at her in confusion and was surprised to see tears in her eyes.

"You're such an idiot!" Rinoa yelled at him, hands firmly at her sides, "How would you know about how I feel!"

He hesitated to touch her hand when she looked down. Unable to do so, he glanced away.

Rinoa rubbed at her eyes as she continued her rant, "I wanted to tell you; I really did! But you wouldn't be happy right? You dislike Cloud so much that I was afraid to tell you! I didn't want you to feel uncomfortable, so I asked Cloud to keep us a secret until I was ready to let you know!"

Squall was taken aback. She was only keeping a low profile to spare his feelings? He asked quietly, "Are you…serious…?"

"Of course I'm serious! When Cloud confessed to me, the first thing that ran through my mind was you!" she cried out. Rinoa glared at him with watery eyes and Squall felt guilty for making her look so uneasy. Small tears escaped her while speaking in a broken voice, "I was happy because Cloud felt the same way I did, but at the same time, I was torn because that meant you'd be upset! You're my brother; my closest friend. I didn't want to hurt you…"

"Rinoa…"he took a step forward, looking at her in pain.

She was only trying to protect his feelings, but to Squall, she was doing the exact opposite. Rinoa was only increasing his suffering. No matter what she did, it only hurt Squall… However, no matter what Squall did, his actions only hurt Rinoa. It was a vicious cycle.

"I don't care anymore! Squall, you dummy!" Rinoa muffled out through her tears, covering her face in her hands.

She was shaking and Squall wanted to comfort her. He knew he was important to her, but not like this. Squall never realized Rinoa took his feelings into account when she wanted this relationship with Cloud. She cared about him so much that she went so far as to hide her relationship to spare him. It was the wrong way of doing so, but it was the only thing she could think of.

He was impulsive when he stepped in front of her and pulled Rinoa into a hug. Squall only hugged her tighter when Rinoa began to openly sob against his chest. He rubbed her back gently without speaking. What could he say? Squall inadvertently hurt her more than he thought. It was because of him that Rinoa was suffering from having to juggle her feelings and Squall's feelings at the same time.

She's already suffering… Squall inwardly mocked himself, seeing the irony in Seifer's earlier warning.

"Squall?" Rinoa sniffed after calming down. The brunette didn't reply, but Rinoa understood his silent gesture. She moved back to look up at him. Rinoa had cried out most of her tears although her eyes were red. Rinoa lowered her head, "I'm sorry Squall. I shouldn't have hidden the truth from you."

The brunette only sighed. He rubbed the back of his head as he lowered his gaze to the ground as well, "Don't apologize anymore. You had the right to. I don't…have control over your relationships."

Rinoa gazed at him with another sniffle. He really wanted to hug her again, but fought against that urge as he used his sleeve to wipe Rinoa's eyes, "Stop crying already you big baby."

"Ah! Meanie!" Rinoa retorted, trying to push away Squall's hand.

"…I'm sorry…" she heard him whisper. Rinoa tilted her head to see Squall looking away shyly. His eyes were downcast, but Rinoa knew he was feeling guilty, "I'm sorry that you had to think so much because of me."

Rinoa smiled at the sincerity of his actions that she let out a few giggles, "We both…worry about each other a lot."

Yeah, we do… Squall thought, his lips twitching to form a smile. He looked back at the school and immediately saw Cloud leaning against a school pillar. His arms were crossed as he watched the stepsiblings interact. Squall's faint smile immediately disappeared as he locked eyes with the blond. There wasn't any doubt that they had a mutual feeling hating each other.

"I-I guess I should clear things up with Cloud," Rinoa caught Squall's attention as she pushed her bangs to the side of her face. She smiled as she looked up at Squall, "We'll go home together alright?"

"What about him?" Squall gestured towards the blond. He wasn't mad about leaving the Cloud by himself, but he was slightly perplexed that Rinoa was still willing to go home with Squall instead.

Rinoa backtracked as she answered, "It's been a long day and I'm sure Cloud will understand." She rushed up to the blond. Squall didn't know what they were discussing, but whatever Cloud and Rinoa talked about seemed to flow smoothly; Cloud smiling for Rinoa had proven Squall's point. Rinoa smiled back as she entered the school building, leaving her stepbrother and now known boyfriend outside together.

They minded each other's own business before Squall noticed Cloud was walking towards him. He immediately put up a defensive front, pretending to ignore the blond's incoming presence.

Cloud stood there a few feet away from Squall and simply stared at him. Squall didn't give a damn about acknowledging him, never looking back at him. The brunette heard him speak in his solemn voice, "I know you and Rinoa aren't blood siblings."

"And so does the whole world," Squall sarcastically remarked, now looking at the blond with narrowed eyes, "What's your point?"

"She's your sister," Cloud deadpanned, returning the glare, "You can't love Rinoa the way I do."

Squall felt his hand twitch in his coat pocket, "And what makes you think I even care about Rinoa in that way?"

"Because not once did you didn't even call yourself her brother, and instead of calling Rinoa a 'sister,' you termed her as someone's 'girlfriend.' The way you acted was more of a boyfriend than a brother," Cloud retorted again. He took advantage of Squall's lack of response before heading back towards the school, "I don't plan on giving Rinoa to anyone; especially you, Loire."

Rinoa came out of the building by the time Squall and Cloud had finished their conversation. Squall had gotten two opinions that day about his feelings for Rinoa; both of which only made him sit on the fence once again. Squall watched as Rinoa said her good-byes to Cloud before she ran up to him. She noticed his troubled face and asked, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," he quickly answered, turning around and walking away. Was Squall only ever fated to be torn?

He felt his arm being hugged and he surprisingly looked to see Rinoa smiling innocently up at him, "I know you don't want to talk about it, but… If you have someone you like, you can tell me okay?"

Squall blankly looked at her before slowly nodding, "I promise…"

"Good! I'll support you all the way Squall!" Rinoa laughed, hugging his arm tighter.

He let out a curt chuckle, watching Rinoa's smile dance against the sunset. He closed his eyes as he answered her in his mind, It's you.