Disclaimer: Come on, peoples. Do I really have to say it again...? *looks around the room hopefully* Tch! Fine... *sigh* I don't own any FF8 characters...blahblahblah...



Summary: A sister story to 'My Only Love,' and 'My Angel, Forever.' Y'know, forget the sister/twin thing. I, Kayli Sadira Moonshadow, officially declare that 'My Only Love,' 'My Angel, Forever,' and this story--which I'm calling 'My Heart's Desire'--are now all apart of my new series, which I'm calling 'The Lovers.' Okay! Now, in this one, it revolves around Quistis. 'Nuff said. R&R!



My Heart's Desire





Squall Leonhart... Savior of Time... That was his title, now... Angel Wing... That was hers, now...

I sigh to myself as I brush a strand of my golden hair behind my ear, letting a cool night wind embrace me. The winter moon rises above the trees with their leaves beginning to slowly fall, I see a shooting star fly across the sky as I lean against the stone railing on the balcony of the ballroom. The same place where the Savior of Time and Angel Wing had shared the glory of their victory against Ultemecia a week or so ago....

I felt the sting of hot tears flow from my already puffy red eyes. Dammit... Why did he choose her over me?! I slumped down to my knees and cried into the icy cold railing. I'll bet they were never cold here. They had each other to keep themselves warm...

I cursed to myself, it should have been me standing out here on the balcony with him. Not that Sorceress freak... She was loud, weak, emotional... Completely the opposite of Squall. He doesn't need all of that! He needs someone he can relate to! And who better to do that than me...?

After all, I have known Squall since he was a child. I knew his favorite color, his favorite food, favorite book... I knew everything about him! When we went to Garden together, I saw how strong a fighter he truly was. Even though he was very young, he had the mind of a real warrior.

When we reached our teens, I noticed that many people we knew were beginning to break out in acne, shoot up in height, or suddenly grow very irritable. Squall never went through that odd stage; he kept those beautiful, striking blue eyes, perfect skin, keep growing at a steady rate. He grew so strong, so mysterious...

That day when I heard he was scarred by the brash Seifer Almasy, I rushed to the Infirmary at once. I was afraid that it would take away from his perfection, his beauty, but it didn't. It was actually a plus to him, adding to his rugged attitude and strengthening his chin. How I loved him...

The day he became a SeeD, I knew that the Inaguration Ball was the perfect place to confess my feelings to him. He stood so strong against that column, like a God. My heart had raced at the very sight of him, his muscles pressing slightly against his sleek SeeD uniform. I was about to approach him, but...she appeared.

I watched every move she made, as well as every reaction he had. I could hear her saying 'Dance with me?' to him, and I saw that he went slightly red. No, I thought. Squall, you can't be falling for this little hussy... But he didn't seem to hear my thoughts; how I wished he had.

I watched her smile her wicked smile and drag him out onto that awful dance floor, forcing him to dance with her. Seeing them wrapped in each other's arms was sickening; it was the first time I had ever seen Squall lose his composure. And--even worse--it was because of a bitch like her.

I was afraid that I would lose every chance I ever had with Squall when they both stopped, staring into each other's eyes. Squall held her close and both slowly leaned in to each other. Thank God for those fireworks. Later, after she had left him, I went out to see him on the balcony. He turned around quickly at the sound of my footsteps, then sighed in frustration at the sight of me; perhaps he thought I may have been that demon-girl in white. I just couldn't say how I felt, so I just came up with an excuse to have him meet me later in the Secret Area. There, I had tried to reach him, but had failed miserably.

That next day, Seifer had broken out of the Disciplinary room, injuring many in the process. 'I've gotta go help Rinoa with this!' he had said. Rinoa; I had no idea who that was, but I wa soon to find out.

Rinoa... The name of the one from the Ball, the demon-girl that had slowly begun to steal Squall's heart. Rinoa... How I had tried not to show the rage I had for her, to curse at her name. How miserably I had failed at it... And how much it had tormented me and enraged me to see Squall slowly grow closer to Rinoa, slowly fall in love with her.

I smiled the day she fell into that week-long coma. I now had one last chance to get Squall for my own, but there was now way to get him alone with me. When he wasn't at the Bridge, he was in the Infirmary visiting Rinoa, mourning over the loss of his so-called 'angel.' And even though I was ecstatic that Rinoa might have been out of the picture for good, it killed me even more inside to see him so tormented over someone he now couldn't reach. Yet, I was strangely satisfied at it; he knew now how I felt each and every day.

I didn't want to believe it when I heard, but he had risked his life out in space for her. I knew then that he truly did love her, and nothing that I did would ever change that. I know that he'll show her how much he loves her tonight. I tremble at that thought as I watch him stand in the middle of the ballroom, brushing a few strands of his soft brown hair aside. I hear him take a deep breath and watch him walk up to the balcony entrance.

Rinoa turned around at the sound of his footsteps. He walked up beside her as I took a few steps toward the center of the ballroom, the two of them not seeming to notice me.

She smiled and pointed up to the night sky, so much like she did the cursed night both of them had met. Squall looked up to the night sky and sighed at the sight of a beautiful shooting star. They looked at each other, Squall smiled. My God... He actually smiled...?

Yes... He was truly smiling... Rinoa, now blushing, shyly smiles and looks down in slight embarrassment.

Strangely enough, Squall was making the first move, gingerly brushing a few strands of her hair behind her ear, moving closer all the time. The air in my lungs seems to evaporate as he wraps his arms around her waist and rests his forehead against hers.

Squall pressed his lips against hers after what seemed like an eternity. I almost screamed at that sight. I moved closer slightly, I want to make sure my eyes aren't playing tricks on me... But they weren't. For as I move closer, I see Rinoa pull away from Squall, as if afraid to know that someone was watching her. Their lips part only for one second, Squall pulls her back into his arms, as if afraid to let her go... As if he feels torn apart when they are not kissing.

I run and hide behind a nearby column, almost feeling as if I am suffering from a heartattack. I fall to my knees and peek around the column to watch. After well over an hour had passed they finally parted. They held on tight to each other. I then hear the three most awful words I had ever heard in my life, "I love you," Squall whispered to Rinoa.

"I love you," she whispers back. They melt into another passionate kiss as I run in tears from the ballroom. I run and run, out of the ballroom and out of the Garden building. I stop at the gates, seeing they are locked.

I slump down, now realizing why Squall loves Rinoa so much. Her spirit is free, mine will be forever trapped behind the iron gates of Garden, where I will watch the spirit of his angel fly away in freedom, along with the spirit of my heart's desire beside her...





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*sigh* I like this one! ... Ah... Well, I think that's enough said, don't you? I'm gonna put up the notice that the three stories are now all together in 'The Lovers' series soon after this is posted. So, review me, already! Thank you!

~Kayli