Don't deny me, This pain I'm going through...
Please forgive me, If I need you like I do...
Please believe it every word I say is true...
Please forgive me, I can't stop loving you...


Everyone around him was forgotten, as Irvine leaned forward. Time seemed to come to a crawl, as he reached out with his left hand. 'Please Squall, please... Be alive.'
The others watched, waiting as well. Ellone had had Irvine, Squall, and Rinoa under her power for an hour and a half. Then, it had been another three hours till Irvine had stirred. The others had yet to move.
'Squall, you know how much I love you, right? You know I can't live without you, now... No,I never could again...'

A breeze ruffled the curtains hanging over Squall's bed, causing Irvine to still in the middle of reaching out. The windows were closed. So why..? He glanced around, to see if anyone else had noticed this, but they were all gone. 'What? Where?'

"Irvine." He looked up and to the left at the sound of his name, and gasped. The figure standing besides Squall's bed was familiar. In fact, when he met the person's eyes, it was though he was staring into a mirror. A slight smile crossed Irvine'' face, and the curtains stopped their rippling movement.

"You know... You are the first male to hold the gift of a Sorceress? Not a single male since Hyne himself, has what you do now. And what shall you do with this power? With this gift you've been given?"
'Do?' Irvine frowned. He wasn't going to do anything....
"Several women have gone mad since becoming.... Blessed, as it were. Drunk of the power from the gods. They believe they can do anything. A knight can usually temper the gift, but only in certain cases. Sometimes, not at all. Perhaps one doesn't want a Knight. Or one dies, or cannot be found. And since you a man, Irvine. There is no telling what it may do to you. Why did you accept the gift?"
".... I wanted to save Squall." A pause, as Irvine bowed his head. "I thought the power of my love for him, combined with Rinoa's... That it would save him."

The angelic figure nodded his head, a truer smile lighting up his face. "You'll see it if did soon enough, Irvine. We just needed to know if you understood what you have become. And if you could accept it."
"What I have become?"
Irvine's head snapped up, indigo meeting indigo. Irvine smiled, his wings closing about him like a downy colored cloak. "You are a Sorcerer. The first. You had to accept it, and everything it brings, in order for it to work."
"I'd go through hell for him, if I had too."
"Perhaps you already did. Perhaps you will..." The words were whispered, as the other Irvine left his field of vision.

Selphie bit her lower lip, as Irvine's fingers brushed the side of Squall's face. The familiar tingle of touching Squall's ran through Irvine, but it was augmented with another feeling. And he smiled, almost breaking down into tears. "He's... He's...." He trailed off, unable to finish.
Squall did it for him. "I'm ... what?" Groggily.

At the sound of Squall's voice, Selphie let out a loud cheer, and squeezed Zell. Quistis sagged against Seifer in relief, who tightened his grip on her. Laguna smiled, wiping at his eyes as Ellone and Edea hugged each other. Squall had made it!

A few days later, Irvine was standing outside. A light breeze danced around him, and he chuckled slightly. Talk about déjà vu. This was almost like the night he and Squall had confessed their feelings for each other. Except tonight, the moon was hidden behind the clouds. And he was different.

He leaned over the railing, studying the blue-black water beneath him. It was actually relaxing in a way. Squall and Rinoa had been released from the clinic today, yet he hadn't seen either of them. He was avoiding them, actually. He figured they had wanted to talk, and he knew Squall would be able to find him, no matter where he went. As a matter of fact, he'd been watching him for ... five minutes. Irvine hid a smile as he glanced at his watch, then over his shoulder at the sound of Squall's voice.

"What are you doing out here?"
"Relaxing." Squall snorted. "You're hiding. Why?" Irvine shrugged, not having a ready answer.
"I know about the transfer of powers." Irvine's grip tightened for a moment on the railing, then relaxed. Only they knew about it, the people in the room that night. "And....?" He managed to ask, almost idly.
But Squall heard the slight taint of worry in his tone. "And, nothing. I love you Irvine, I told you that. Besides, once her powers became yours, so did..."

Irvine cut him off, whirling around. "Don't give me any of the bullshit about a bond, Squall. I want to know that you'll stay because you love, not because you're a damn knight. I knew you loved me before, but now..."

However, the words lacked any anger behind them. He was truly worried about loosing Squall to something he didn't understand. Loosing his love because of what he was. Squall sighed. Irvine looked as tears threatened to fall at any moment. He took a few steps forward. "I know you feel about me. And I know you know how I feel about you. But.. I want to give you this..."

Irvine watched, as Squall crept closer, as though he was approaching a wary animal. He held his out; something cupped in the palm. Irvine held out his hand, and the object was dropped into his hand. He toyed with it for a moment, the smooth surface warm with heat. He held it up; studying it in the dim light that reached the balcony. His eyes widened when he made out the marking upon the ring - Griever.
Squall hadn't removed it from his hand since Rinoa had given it back to him, till now.

"Squall..."
One of those rare, shy smiles tugged at Squall's mouth. "It's a bit to early... To be thinking marriage. But I wanted you to have this. I give it you, because of our bond. Not as a knight, but our love for one another. The love I felt upon the transfer, and I saw you as you've been to me. My guardian Angel."

"Squall... I..." Irvine was flustered, and didn't know what to say. He'd never expected a declaration like that from Squall. Especially not after what had happened to him, with Rinoa, and then Irvine's receiving the gift.

"I will always love you, Irvine. Always."
Moonlight met dusk, as Irvine smiled through the tears that had spilled over. "And I you, Squall. Always."
He tugged the glove off his left hand, and slipped the Griever ring onto his left finger. He admired it for a moment, not having thought that it would fit as though it belonged on his hand. Then, he reached out and pulled Squall to him, kissing him gently.

As they kissed, Squall felt something cold within him gather, then shatter like dropped glass. And where the empty, cold feeling had been - a new warmer one grew.
He was finally at peace, secure with his true love.


I don't want to miss one smile, I don't want to miss one kiss...
I just want to be with you, Right here with you, just like this...
I just want to hold you close, Feel your heart so close to mine...
And just stay here in this moment, For all the rest of time...

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A/N - The end. ^_^ I hope everyone enjoyed, I might continue this... (after all, you never know what might happen with Irvine having magic, tee-hee!)Usual discalimers: I don't own anyone. Lyrics are from Bryan Adam's - please forgive me, and Aerosmith - I don't wanna miss a thing.