iii. heat
Her rose colored lips still taste like chamomile to him, and he could die happy if that was the last thing he tasted. He kisses her like he use to, in the slow rhythm they established that speeds up as their heartbeats increase. But he wants this moment to last, he can't have her disappear again. She breaks from their kiss looking at him with the seduction that he has hungered for.
Please don't go so fast.
She takes his hand and drags him to follow her into the cold ocean water. A place that belongs to both of them; a place where they began their young summer affair. The rough waves splash against her white dress enough to reveal to him all the curves and details of her figure without it on. Her lips meet his again and he is reminded that happiness can be relished.
She is the carefree soul that stirs something inside of him.
He awakes holding his spare pillow wishing it was her. Somehow he thinks actually listening in his Psyche II class has helped him train himself to awake before the horror begins. That, or his subconscious is releasing him from this hellhole since he submitted his documents to transfer into Deling City University.
-xx-
It's been six months since the war, and the nightmares have subsided for him. Winter has passed and the decay in the cold air is gone. Spring is transitioning as the temperature in Balamb begins to rise. For Seifer, Summer is a season of rebirth and renewal. The warmth of the sun on his face gives him the vigor to move on. The smell of salt water awakens memories of pleasant times with his friends and with her.
"I never got to thank you," he says as he recasts his fishing line out into the waters.
It's the first fish of the season for him and she agreed to join him for the sunset catch. Garden has recessed for most leaving Balamb as a ghost town except for the locals. Neither of them have anywhere else to go. Rinoa remains in town because Leonhart continues to be further engulfed in Garden responsibilities. She could go back home, but she's not ready to spend more than a weekend with her father.
"For what?" Rinoa asks indifferent to his remark.
"You saved me," Seifer says as he puts the fishing rod down and faces her. "Without you, I'd be in a psyche ward by now."
He places his arm around her and gives her a humble kiss on her forehead. Rinoa breaks her gaze from the twilight and cotton candy skies that paint the evening for them and gently squeezes Seifer's hand. She's grateful he is better and that he no longer suffers. His smile is genuine, and for a moment Rinoa sees fragments of the old Seifer she knew strengthening against the shell shocked skeleton he had been the past six months.
-xx-
She follows Squall into the illuminating colors of the parade. Despite the disaster last year, they look forward to the Deling City parade this time around as a celebration. Her fingers are interlocked with his as they walk through the enchanted city of lights. The dancers contort their bodies to the songs, the street performers entertain, spellbinding music echos through out the city and the smell of fried foods is everywhere.
Fithos Lusec Wecos Vinosec
They watch the fireworks dazzling the sky with bursts of emerald, ruby, and gold. He reveals that fireworks remind him of her from their first dance, but she's distracted.
He's here.
Letting go of Squall's hand she follows him through the crowds. She doesn't know why she's drawn to him, but, Hyne, she's determined to get an answer. He leads her into a dark alleyway. She can't see anything in the midnight blackness except the faint glimmer of his silver necklace.
And the confidence in his jade eyes.
When she awakes its 1:30 in the morning she is alone. Squall isn't on his side of the bed, but she knows where to find him at this hour. He is in the second bedroom of their cozy apartment that they converted into his study.
"Is everything alright?" he asks looking up from reading over Garden documents when he notices her in the room.
Rinoa doesn't say anything, she just walks over to him slipping off her nightdress. Even though it was just a dream she feels guilty. Squall forgets whatever Garden bullshit he was working as her lips meet his. He needs to make more time for her, more time for himself. They both need to try harder, but that conversation can wait. The thoughts and troubles of their relationship are forgotten once Rinoa feels him inside of her.
-xx-