Author's Note: Hello. Where to start? I was worried this story might never be updated, the files were deleted when my computer crashed, a very long time ago now. Thankfully I found a old version of this on a dusty floppy disk, which in it's self wasn't too much use as PC's these days don't have floppy drives. But hey, I'm back on track now. This has been totally revamped from what happened in the original version, I think three lines made the cut.

Thanks to everyone who urged me to write more, without you I would have given up when my computer did. So, thanks.

A disgraced or a charmed life?

Rinoa stood feeling self conscious by the fountain. She had been standing still what felt like so long, that she was beginning to wonder whether she had imagined the conversation with Texas, or whether it had been some kind of joke, and he'd decided not to meet her at all.

The wind was chilly on her face, and Rinoa pulled the sleeves of her jacket down to cover her hands. She wondered whether it might be better to wait in a near by café and keep a watch out of the window, but then decided that she wasn't going to spend even longer waiting. If he didn't show up soon, she was going to go back to Garden.

A group of younger girls passed her on their way to the harbour, and giggled when they thought she was far enough away. Rinoa knew she must look very strange stood on her own in the middle of the road, and it would look stranger still if no one came to meet her.

Finally she had the sense that someone was watching her, not that this caused her much alarm, as everyone in the town had glanced her way at some point. Yet this seemed different, a continued stared, and Rinoa turned to find herself gazing down the road at someone she had never expected to see again.

For a moment she didn't move, just stared, shocked and breathless. She was once again looking into the eyes of Squall Leonhart. She brushed what she discerned was a tear from her cheek, and took a step forwards. At that moment Squall turned to walk away from her, intent on leading them somewhere less overlooked, but his movement only made Rinoa panic.

She began to run towards him, but he seemed so far away. No, her mind screamed, it's all another dream, it can't be real. He can't be here. It just wouldn't be fair that he should come back now, not after everything, not in this way. It all had to be a dream.

Squall caught Rinoa around the middle as he changed directions into a side street. Rinoa looked up wide-eyed, still convinced that she was dreaming and that any second she might wake up.

She followed blindly, both walking in silence until they reached the edge of the town and were looking over the seawall and into the water. Squall turned to look at her, and then away. Rinoa thought she might not ever be able to speak again, her mind seemed blank, shocked into silence.

"I'm sorry it had to happen this way, but you had to know," Squall said, facing the water and not yet daring to look around. "I've been here for sometime now…"

Rinoa felt something click back into place in her mind. Squall was Texas, that was why he had seemed so familiar. His hair was still raggedly cut, but it was back to it's usual brown now, and whatever had been hiding his scar had been washed away.

"Why couldn't you have told me sooner?" Rinoa asked. Her voice shook under the weight of her words. "I wouldn't have told anyone, you know I wouldn't have."

"I couldn't put you in danger. Seifer has you watched everywhere you go," he let this sink in, he knew that this would be new information to Rinoa, and he didn't know how she would react. She said nothing, so he continued.

"Besides, you may not have wanted to know."

Rinoa frowned.

"Why would you even think that? I have wanted nothing more these past two years than for you to come back to me! Why would you think I wouldn't?"

Rinoa knew her temper was rising, but she could little to control it. This had all happened s quickly and without warning, that she didn't know how to react to it. Half of her wanted to hold him, to be back in his arms again, and the other half wanted shout and scream and hurt him as much as she could.

"I thought you might be happy, with Seifer… if you had moved on, I wouldn't have blamed you. I knew I must clear my name…But I had hoped you'd be here… waiting…"

Rinoa looked away, her eyes filled with tears. Did he really think she had forgotten him? Turned her back on their love for some other? For Seifer?

"Squall I loved you…" she said almost choking on her own tears. "Seifer, he… he was just there. I know it sounds terrible, I sound like a horrid person, but after you left, I didn't know what to do with myself. I thought I was going mad! And Seifer, he offered me a home, a place in Garden. I never stopped loving you, never!"

Rinoa took his arm desperately, he had to believe her. She couldn't imagine what it must have been like, seeing her with Seifer. Ignoring him, not even seeing through his disguise that was so painfully obvious now.

"Please Squall, I don't think I could stand it if you went away again."

Squall placed his arm around her shoulder and pulled her close to him. There was nothing that needed to be said in that moment. Rinoa needed to be close to him, and he needed to hold her, and nothing needed to be said.

Rinoa thought the world had stopped, as she cried silently against Squall's chest. She had been hoping for this moment for what seemed like forever, and whilst reality had hardly lived up to her dreams, she felt finally whole once more.

"I just don't understand," Rinoa said once the chilled wind had broken through her haze of contentment, and she was once again aware of it's harsh presence.

Squall lead her over to a bench, that was sheltered by surrounding buildings. They sat and watched the sea again for a few moments, whilst they both thought, one for questions and the other answers.

Squall knew he would have to explain everything, he had been prepared for her questions, but now that the time had come he felt his words disappear. It would be so much easier to tell her that it didn't matter, that he was back, and that was all she need worry about. But she deserved better, she deserved to know as he did.

"About a year and a half ago I was freed. They said that the court that had sentenced me had been found to be corrupt, and that on further inspection of the evidence, there was not enough to link me to the crime, if there had even been any at all."

Squall spoke as if he was reading something from the very back of his mind. A skill he had learned from years of making reports as a SeeD. Rinoa listened to his words that were being spoken without emotion, and didn't interrupt.

"Ellone was not present on my release day, nobody was."

Rinoa looked down ashamed. She had not known. Seifer had made sure that she had not known. But Squall must understand already, as he wasn't accusing, just simply relating the facts.

"I knew I had to return to Balamb, the life that I was living I didn't deserve. I kept looking for a way back, and eventually I heard what I needed to hear. There were rumours, people were convinced that the bombing had been deliberate, but if I wasn't the one who orchestrated it, then who?"

Rinoa sat rigid. Why had she allowed Seifer to take such control over her life? If she had never accepted his offer of so-called love, then she would have been free to learn all of this. Maybe even have helped.

"You know who it was?" she asked in a whisper lest the walls overheard her.

Squall made sure that he caught her eye, he looked at her for the first time without turning away. He had left her so unprotected, in a world that she was unsure about, to become a SeeD under the command of a fake hero. It would have been better if she had returned home to her father.

"Seifer."

He saw Rinoa's already pale face turn a deadly white. She looked away from him in shame, stood and walked some paces forward, and then back again.

"I can't believe…"

Squall ignored her exclamation. It had come as a shock, it all had. Whilst he despised Seifer for what had happened to him, he knew that Rinoa did not truly feel the same. She still cared for Seifer, somewhere in her heart, even if she too had been betrayed by him, feelings didn't just switch off when they were no longer wanted.

"I needed to return to Garden. I couldn't let Seifer win."

Rinoa nodded slightly. She knew there was no use in asking Squall to abandon this plan, it would only be selfish of her. He didn't deserve to lead a disgraced life whilst Seifer lived a charmed one, and how could Squall exist without Garden? He was Garden, SeeD was his life, and if Rinoa wanted to be a part of that life, she would have to help.

"Not everyone is happy that Seifer is commander," she said knowing that she was only aiding Squall in his determination to return. "There are those, mainly the older cadets that remember what Seifer once was. They would support you, I know they would."

Squall stood and nodded. Rinoa could see that he had finished talking, he was ready to act on whatever plan he had next, and Rinoa knew that it evolved returning to garden.

They walked in silence to the gates, Squall with his hood over his head to hide his hair. Rinoa's heart hammered in her chest and her legs felt weaker with every step she took. Whatever Squall had planned, she was determined to stay by his side, no matter what.