Her heart shattered. That is, if it could possibly be split apart into smaller fragments than it already was. Her forehead throbbed, the pain ranging from dull to sharp, because she was still awake. She hadn't gotten any sleep, though her tears had long ago dissipated. Slightly reddened eyes stared up at the ceiling from her position on her bed.

Long ago, it had been, when she first laid eyes upon him. A mere child. Never had she expected to still carry feelings of affection toward him along with her . . . It was so long ago, and yet it never failed to seem like yesterday to her.

Had Squall forgotten, finally, those memories of the past? Or had he simply not allowed himself to think of them again? True, many of their childhood memories were painful. But they had been together, too, though she knew he couldn't remember their little adventures together down at the beach -- when she used to notice the brilliant blue of the sky, which she took for granted now.

She remembered that day so vividly . . . Waves soft and rhythmic, lapping upon the sandy shore . . . Sun shining brightly, illuminating the baby blue sky . . . Refreshing air, energetic breeze . . .

She said to him, timidly, "Squall?"

He turned around, his shiny brown hair swaying about his face and his bangs partially covering blue-gray eyes. So adorable, she thought. But his feelings were always hidden.

"What, Quisty?" he responded, bending down to pick up a seashell. He turned suddenly, tossing the shell out into the foamy water.

"I was thinking . . . If we weren't both sent here, we probably never would've met," she answered, staring into the waves. "I'm glad you're here with me."

What she said seemed to stir something within him, and she watched as he turned and headed off down the beach. She just wanted him to know she appreciated his company. Maybe he did know that, but . . . He always seemed so sad.

Gradually pulling away from that memory, she rolled onto her side and pulled the sheets around her. Miserably, she curled up and allowed more tears to fall upon her bed. She knew she couldn't live like this any longer. She would die of heartbreak if she didn't end this herself.

She threw her sheets aside, getting up and heading into her bathroom. Bitter tears streamed down her face as she yanked numerous drawers open, searching for pills. Her vision was too blurry to notice what kind of medicine the bottles contained, but it didn't matter to her. She just had to escape. Escape from this terrible, torturous world where it seemed everyone was out to get her. And there was nothing for her, either. The only thing she had ever wanted this badly was out of her reach.

Her hand shaking, she removed the cap from a bottle of pills and lifted it to her lips. She quivered with fear and excitement at the same time. She was ending her life, but that also meant that she was ending her pain.

Knock. Knock.

She lowered the bottle to the sink, startled by the abrupt knocking. She was furious at the interruption. She had been so close to escaping this hell! Who could be there this late? Slowly, she forced herself to see who it was. Her hand shook as she unlocked the door and turned the knob.

More torture, she thought. Her eyes were playing cruel tricks on her again. It couldn't be him standing at the door. He had left her again. He had left her to go back to Rinoa. He couldn't be here. He couldn't come back to disappoint her again!

But it was him. She knew it was. His eyes looked upon her coldly; he seemed confused. And then she realized how horrible she must look to him. Reddened eyes, tangled hair, tear stains upon her cheeks. How could he feel anything for someone so pitiful and unable to hide their hurt? He would go again. He would turn his back on her and leave her to die.

She turned suddenly, throwing herself face-down upon her bed. She couldn't bear to look at him, nor let him see her like this any longer. She felt so pathetic as she sobbed into her pillow, trying to block out the world -- to block out Squall.

Just as she expected, she heard the door shut behind her. She sobbed even more heavily, unable to breathe as her salty tears suffocated her. The whole damned world was suffocating. Now was the time to escape, before she lost her chance. She couldn't wait to leave forever. Maybe then he would regret the way he treated her . . .

She gasped in alarm as she felt a hand grip her shoulder. She shot up, looking into silvery eyes -- and she was pulled into their owner's arms as her entire mind swirled with confusion. Why hadn't he left . . . ?

Discarding her thoughts, she collapsed into his arms. A hand softly ran through her tangled hair as she continued to cry softly into his shoulder. She shivered all over, hesitantly raising her head as she gathered the courage to look into his eyes.

Eventually, she did -- and found herself staring into soft, concerned blue orbs. She was speechless as he lifted a hand to her face, cupping it softly as he gazed straight into her eyes.

"Quistis . . . I'm sorry," he managed, feeling foolish for saying it. He couldn't expect her to forgive him after all the times he'd screwed up.

"Oh, Squall . . . Please, don't worry about -- . . ."

"Shh," he whispered, placing a finger to her lips. "Just let me say this . . . I want to make the past up to you. I made the wrong choices."

He pulled her closer, wrapping his arms securely around her slender figure. He appeared calm, though his heart was beating so fast. He couldn't believe he had been able to speak his true feelings for once . . . Silently, he thanked Ellone for showing him those dreams.

He tilted her face up toward his, brushing his lips against her cheek as he felt her arms tighten around him. Gently, he wiped the remains of her tears away and leaned close enough to touch his lips to hers, watching her eyes slide shut in anticipation.

Finally, the gap was closed between them. His lips pressed firmly against hers, experiencing their sweet taste as she opened her mouth to him, releasing all of the passion she felt into one kiss. Surely this couldn't be happening, but it was. She could feel the comforting warmth of his body and smell the unique scent of him; even taste him. This was better than any dream her mind had ever conjured up.

He gently pulled away from her mouth, stroking her back as he hugged her tightly. His eyes closed slowly as he felt her lean into him.

"Do you remember that day on the beach," he whispered into her hair, "when you told me you were glad you met me? I still remember that . . ."

***


Oh my god, I suck so bad. I haven't updated this since last year!! Damn. I am horrible. I have an excuse, but I'm not going to go through all the explaining. It's kinda personal. I am back, though! I plan on posting another Quall that I'm already working on, so I hope you guys check it out. Thanks so much to anyone who read this story! It is finally finished after so long.