Disclaimer: I don't own the words to "Forgotten" be Linkin Park.
I'm over it
You see I've fallen in my vast abyss
Haunted by memories of the past
At last, I say....
I feel it fading, I can't speak it or else you will take my place
You feel it finding, always winding, take my hand now
Feel alive
--- David Draimen of Disturbed "Forsaken"
Chapter 7
"Sometimes, things aren't what they seem. People aren't what they seem. And the truth is something that cannot be reached. So how do you know when you've been deceived, or when it just appears that way? How do you find the truth, when its burried so deep within the lies that it's no longer visible? He said this town would destroy me. I'm beginning to think he's right."
Rinoa sighed as she pushed the cap back onto her pen. Squall wasn't someone she wanted to think about right now, but somehow, he was always there, lurking beneath the barrier of her conciousness.
About two days had passed since her last encounter with him. She hadn't been out of Selphie's apartment much since then, but when she did go out, it was as if he'd vanished from the earth. Even her dreams of him had stopped coming. The roses were no were to be found. No one had seen him, or heard from him. Not that many people cared.
"You have to get over him," Selphie sighed as she stood with her hands on her hips in the door way.
"Get over who?" Rinoa asked innocently.
Selphie walked in and sat down on the bed beside her friend. "I noticed that the two of you dissapeared after your dance. And that you didn't come home until early the next morning. Since then, he hasn't called you, or bothered to show up. Guys are like that, Rin. It's a fact of life."
Rinoa shook her head. "It's not like that. Nothing actually happened between us."
"You didn't sleep together?"
"We did sleep together. We just didn't have sex. We started to, and then he said it wasn't a good night. I started to leave, but he said he wanted me to stay, and we fell asleep in each other's arms."
Selphie's face took on a perplexed look. "How odd. But still, you have to get over him. I bet he's married or something. He didn't want to have sex with you becasue he felt guilty. He still does, so he hasn't tried to talk to you anymore."
"No, the reason he hasn't tried to talk to me anymore isn't because of that. It's because of something I said. Something I did."
"Which was?"
Rinoa studied her friend's face for a moment before saying, "I accused him of something horrible. I have evidence. But I'm still not sure if I was right to accuse him."
"What did you accuse him of?"
"I can't tell you," she replied flatly.
"Oh. Well, still. Until you know for certain that he did whatever it is that you think he did, you shouldn't-"
"Have you ever just saw something?" Rinoa interrupted her. "You know, like some moment in time where something atrocious happened. And you weren't even there when it happened. But you still saw it, like some kind of memory."
Selphie put her hand on Rinoa's shoulder. "Rinoa, have you ever considered counseling?"
Rinoa put her head in her hands. "I'm not crazy Selphie! I'm not!"
"Calm down! I never said you were. It's just that sometimes people have these chemical imbalances in their mind and-"
Rinoa stood up suddenly. "Stop it! Just stop! I don't have a chemical imbalance! I don't have a mental problem..." her voice trailed off and she leaned against the wall before sliding to the floor. "It's been that way all my life. I could see things that no one else could see. I would tell them, and they would laugh. I don't know why I see the things I do. I don't know why I hear the music, and peices of words. I just do. But I'm not crazy."
"I'm sorry, Rinoa," Selphie said gently.
Rinoa stood up again. "Don't be! I'm used to people not believing what I say. I just have to remember to keep those things to myself."
Rinoa turned and started out the door, then, deciding she would go for a walk. She needed so badly to get out of that place, to get away from Selphie. She wasn't crazy! She was different.
"This place will destroy me," Rinoa whispered, as she cautiously opened the closet door and grabbed her coat.
Never again would she open a door without feeling the fear that someone on the other side would be dead. Never again would she look out the window without expecting to see a murder. No longer would she drift off to sleep without expecting to have nightmares of killings long since passed dancing through her head. And always, no matter where she went, she found herself looking over her shoulder.
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
Once again, Rinoa found herself walking along the beach. Perhaps it was the solitude that drew her there time and time again. There was no one there sneaking up on her, there was no one there to stare at her as she walked past, making her feel like the lunatic she was accused of being. It was just her, the ocean, and the soft melody in her head.
She walked past the warehouse where she'd seen Kinneas the other night, hoping to find him there again. Maybe he could give her more answers, or at least prove to her that she wasn't crazy. But no one was there. Perhaps spirits weren't very reliable.
Rinoa continued to drift along the shore, not thinking about where she was going. At least, not until she found herself nearing the dock where Ellone's bones had been washed ashore. At least, she was fairly certain they were Ellone's bones. Who else's could they have been?
When she finally reached her destination, she discovered that the bones were gone. Not a single one of them remained. But there was one thing jutting out of the sand which caught her eye. It was just a tattered shred of the red cloth. She carefully picked it up and examined it, noticing for the first time the darkened stains and the faint scent of lingering perfume.
Almost as soon as she picked it up, her mind was clouded as yet another vision overtook her. Only this time, it was all very fragmented, and blurry.
He walked out of the mansion, he back rigid against the frantic calls behind him. From a distance, he looked well composed but the look on his face betrayed his calm air. Strands of dark hair fell over tear filled eyes as he swollowed the lump in his throat and continued walking.
"Wait!" a distraught voice called behind him. "Please! It's not fair of you to just walk away from me like this!"
He turned around suddenly, his resistance broken. "Of course it's not fair!" he shouted back at the dark haired woman that followed him. "Nothing is ever fair is it?"
She walked up to him until her face was just inches from his. "I can't stop you from leaving me. If that's what you really want, then I won't stop you. I want you to be happy, whether it's with me or not. But you owe me an explanation. Yoiu can't just walk away like this."
He ran a hand over her cheek before saying, "You and I are not the same. You... you deserve so much better."
"No one could ever be better to me than you!" she cried.
"We can never be together again. I'm sorry. You and I are too different. One day, you'll see what I mean. I'll always love you. But I have to go now. And I can never look back."
That was exactly what he did. He turned and left her there, frozen in place by a mixture of awe and sadness. Until she felt the sharp pain in her stomach and shoulder. She tried to scream for him, but she was never heard.
Her warm blood spilled out from her severed flesh, staining her crimson dress, even while it was torn apart by the same needle-like sharpness that tore into her skin so ruthlessly. in. Her vision slowly began to fade and pulse, as off in the distance, the ever-present harmony was suddenly disrrupted by the sound of the very heavens themselves screaming.
Rinoa was shaking violently as she dropped the cloth back into the sand. She couldn't see clearly who it was in that vision, but she assumed that it was once again some one from the past.
(I can't go home, tonight) she thought as the sun began to set. (I can't face Selphie. I can't face the fear. Just for tonight, I need an escape.)
With that decision present in her mind, she decided to keep walking along the beach, in hopes of finding a hotel, or even an abandoned house to stay in.
When she had finally come to a spot on the shore where the beach was too rocky to cross, she happened to look up and see a small cluster of buildings up on a cliff above. Luckily for her, there was a path leading up the cliff to the top, which she followed eagerly.
She found herself at the edge of a forest after finally reaching the top. As she gazed through the trees, she spotted a small, abandoned- looking, white-washed church with a graveyard off to the side of it. And, sitting there in front of an isolated grave that was set a good distance away from the others, was none other than Squall Leonhart.
For a moment she wondered if she should go over and say something to him, but quickly thought better of it. They hadn't exactly left off on good terms, and he probably wanted to be alone at the moment anyway.
Instead, she settled for observing him for a moment. He was kneeling in front of the grave staring at it with a strange look in his eyes. Every now and then, he would raise his eyes to the empty air above the tombstone and say something, or so it seemed.
Finally, Rinoa decided to sneak over to the motel she saw off in the distance. It looked run-down, and mostly empty, but at least it wasn't in Balamb.
After checking into a room, which was a lot nicer than she had expected, she immediately flopped down on the bed and began drifting off to sleep. But she soon found that she could not escape the dreams, no matter how hard she tried.
She dreamed of places and people she had never before seen, and of doing things she knew she had never done. Things that she refused to believe she had done.
"I didn't kill her!" she screamed, waking herself up.
She sat straight up in bed, her bare skin soaked in cold sweat and tears. Her heart was pounding widly in her chest, and her breathing was shaking.
(I need a shower) she thought to herself, standing from the bed and stumbling through the darkness to the bathroom.
As she allowed the steaming hot water to cleanse her of the torment and pain, she found herself humming a rather familiar tune, which she eventually began to sing.
"Why won't you die? Your blood and mine. We'll be fine. Then your body will be mine."
Her temporary state of relaxation was brought to an abrupt halt when she realized that the song she was singing was the same one that had haunted her visions and dreams. She quickly shut off the water, stepped out of the tub, wrapped herself in an over-sized towel, and ran to the mirror. After wiping away the fog so that she could see herself better, she suddenly broke down into tears.
(I'm not a killer! I'm not insane! God, I don't know what I am anymore. I don't know anything, I can't control anything! Won't this ever end?! Why can't I just be normal, like everyone else?)
She wiped furiously at the tears that streaked her face, then glared into the mirror.
"Why won't you leave me alone?!" she screamed at her reflection before ramming her fist into it.
The glass shattered beneath the force, and sliced into her sensitive skin. She fell back against the bathroom door while she clutched her injured hand. She brought it to her mouth and tried to sooth the pain while she sobbed to herself.
Her painful reverie was broken when she heard a knock at her door. She stood weakly from her spot on the cold tile floor and wiped at her eyes before answering the door. She had been so caught up in her tantrum that she hadn't noticed the horrible thunderstorm that was raging outside.
When she opened the door, still clad only in her blank white beach towel, she was met with the sight of Squall, his clothes clinging to his skin from the heavy water that soaked the material. Grayish puffs of air escaped his lips and she noticed he was shivering slightly.
"S-Squall?" was all she could manage to get out.
"You going to let me in, or shall I just stand here freezing to death?"
She stood back and allowed him to enter, the look of astonishment still gracing her features.
"W-what are you doing here?" she stammered.
"No where else to go. I saw you coming here while I was visiting with my sister. It started raining and I knew I wouldn't make it back to Balamb."
"Oh," she replied. "About that.... I'm sorry. I shouldn't have accused you like that. You probably don't understand why I accused you in the first place, but-"
"She was wearing this necklace when she died out at sea and suddenly it shows up on my desk," he said. "I understand."
"How...?"
"How do I know? I know a lot of things, Rinoa. But let's not discuss them right now, okay?"
"Yeah, okay," she agreed. "Let's put all that behind us, and try to be friends."
"Friends, huh?"
She cocked her head to the side. "You don't want to be?"
(No) he thought to himself. (I want so much more from you. So much more that I'll never be able to have.)
"I do. I'm just not used to having friends."
"Well, now that things are settled between us, let's get you out of those wet clothes. You'll catch pneumonia."
For the first time since he'd entered the room, he noticed the cuts all over her hands and the way her eyes were swollen and puffy.
"Are you alright?" he asked, nodding to her hand.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Just a little accident," she replied then grabbed the bottom of his shirt before pulling it up. "This needs to come off," she said in a soft voice.
She pulled it over his head and tossed it to the floor, revealing the firm, very well defined muscles of his chest and exposing them to her wandering eyes. Suddenly, the air was thick, and the moment was fragil again, just as it had been at the dance. He was so close to her. She could feel his sweet, warm breath on her face, and his exposed flesh was only a few inches from her, begging to be touched. She brought a hand up, slowly, and placed it over his heartbeat, which thundered beneath his rib cage. His eyes fluttered closed and his breathing was rough. Just her slightest touch set his skin on fire. He'd been waiting to long to feel this. For him, it was the ultimate bliss, just for her to be touching him. Just for her to be so close to him. Forbidden fire. He lowered his head until his lips were almost touching hers before quickly forcing himself to jerk away.
"Friends.... friends don't do this," he said in a low, tortured voice.
"I guess not," she replied, unable to mask the dissapointment that was so evident in her tone.
"I need to go take a shower," he said, walking away from her.
(A very cold one) he added silently.
She nodded. "Right. I guess I'll just see if I can't get some sleep."
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
The next morning, the two said their reluctant goodbyes, and headed their seperate ways. Squall wanted to go back to Balamb, but Rinoa wasn't quite ready for that yet. Much to her surprise, he didn't question her decision, but just told her to come back when she felt ready. It amazed her sometimes how well he seemed to understand her without so much as a word from her.
Rinoa decided she would go and explore the forest that she had encountered the previous day. Perhaps there would be something interesting some where beyond it.
After less than an hour's walk through the thin set of trees that barely passed for a forest, she found herself on the other side of it. There, she found the remains of a bridge that, at one time, had spanned a great distance over a river, which had now dried up.
Feeling adventerous, she climbed down the dry, rocky banks and into the hollowed out space where the river had once raged. She crossed the distance then climbed up the banks to the other side, where she was met with a small clump of trees. On the other side of this, she found herself in the middle of a vast field flowers. As she passed throught it, childish laughter and voices rang through her head, telling her of a time long forgotten. When she finally had reached the end of this peaceful location, she found herself standing in the middle of a small, destroyed town.
It was obvious that the town had existed a long time ago, judging from the style of the buildings, and the condition of the remains. It seemed that the place had been in that destroyed and abandoned state for a long while, and had been completely forgotten about.
As she stood there, her mind buzzing from this discovery, more visions began to flash through her mind. Visions of her, as a child, standing in the kitchen of a small house next to a smiling, happy woman with dark brown hair. She sat on a stool as she watched mother working at the stove and listened delightedly while the woman sang a beautiful song.
"In the memory you'll find me. Eyes burning up. The darkness holding me tightly. Until the sun rises up."
Then the scene changed, so that she, still as a young child, stood in front of a huge stone building. Children ran around everywhere, laughing and playing with each other. All but one.
"Hi, I'm Rinoa. Who are you?"
"I'm...."
The vision was gone before she could hear the rest of the answer. She saw that she was, once again, standing in the middle of oblivion. But directly ahead of her, she noticed what must have been the remains of the large house she had been playing around.
She walked closer to it and was inspecting it when she noticed a sign sticking up out of the rubble. It read "Edea Kramer's Orphanage of Timber."
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
I'm over it
You see I've fallen in my vast abyss
Haunted by memories of the past
At last, I say....
I feel it fading, I can't speak it or else you will take my place
You feel it finding, always winding, take my hand now
Feel alive
--- David Draimen of Disturbed "Forsaken"
Chapter 7
"Sometimes, things aren't what they seem. People aren't what they seem. And the truth is something that cannot be reached. So how do you know when you've been deceived, or when it just appears that way? How do you find the truth, when its burried so deep within the lies that it's no longer visible? He said this town would destroy me. I'm beginning to think he's right."
Rinoa sighed as she pushed the cap back onto her pen. Squall wasn't someone she wanted to think about right now, but somehow, he was always there, lurking beneath the barrier of her conciousness.
About two days had passed since her last encounter with him. She hadn't been out of Selphie's apartment much since then, but when she did go out, it was as if he'd vanished from the earth. Even her dreams of him had stopped coming. The roses were no were to be found. No one had seen him, or heard from him. Not that many people cared.
"You have to get over him," Selphie sighed as she stood with her hands on her hips in the door way.
"Get over who?" Rinoa asked innocently.
Selphie walked in and sat down on the bed beside her friend. "I noticed that the two of you dissapeared after your dance. And that you didn't come home until early the next morning. Since then, he hasn't called you, or bothered to show up. Guys are like that, Rin. It's a fact of life."
Rinoa shook her head. "It's not like that. Nothing actually happened between us."
"You didn't sleep together?"
"We did sleep together. We just didn't have sex. We started to, and then he said it wasn't a good night. I started to leave, but he said he wanted me to stay, and we fell asleep in each other's arms."
Selphie's face took on a perplexed look. "How odd. But still, you have to get over him. I bet he's married or something. He didn't want to have sex with you becasue he felt guilty. He still does, so he hasn't tried to talk to you anymore."
"No, the reason he hasn't tried to talk to me anymore isn't because of that. It's because of something I said. Something I did."
"Which was?"
Rinoa studied her friend's face for a moment before saying, "I accused him of something horrible. I have evidence. But I'm still not sure if I was right to accuse him."
"What did you accuse him of?"
"I can't tell you," she replied flatly.
"Oh. Well, still. Until you know for certain that he did whatever it is that you think he did, you shouldn't-"
"Have you ever just saw something?" Rinoa interrupted her. "You know, like some moment in time where something atrocious happened. And you weren't even there when it happened. But you still saw it, like some kind of memory."
Selphie put her hand on Rinoa's shoulder. "Rinoa, have you ever considered counseling?"
Rinoa put her head in her hands. "I'm not crazy Selphie! I'm not!"
"Calm down! I never said you were. It's just that sometimes people have these chemical imbalances in their mind and-"
Rinoa stood up suddenly. "Stop it! Just stop! I don't have a chemical imbalance! I don't have a mental problem..." her voice trailed off and she leaned against the wall before sliding to the floor. "It's been that way all my life. I could see things that no one else could see. I would tell them, and they would laugh. I don't know why I see the things I do. I don't know why I hear the music, and peices of words. I just do. But I'm not crazy."
"I'm sorry, Rinoa," Selphie said gently.
Rinoa stood up again. "Don't be! I'm used to people not believing what I say. I just have to remember to keep those things to myself."
Rinoa turned and started out the door, then, deciding she would go for a walk. She needed so badly to get out of that place, to get away from Selphie. She wasn't crazy! She was different.
"This place will destroy me," Rinoa whispered, as she cautiously opened the closet door and grabbed her coat.
Never again would she open a door without feeling the fear that someone on the other side would be dead. Never again would she look out the window without expecting to see a murder. No longer would she drift off to sleep without expecting to have nightmares of killings long since passed dancing through her head. And always, no matter where she went, she found herself looking over her shoulder.
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
Once again, Rinoa found herself walking along the beach. Perhaps it was the solitude that drew her there time and time again. There was no one there sneaking up on her, there was no one there to stare at her as she walked past, making her feel like the lunatic she was accused of being. It was just her, the ocean, and the soft melody in her head.
She walked past the warehouse where she'd seen Kinneas the other night, hoping to find him there again. Maybe he could give her more answers, or at least prove to her that she wasn't crazy. But no one was there. Perhaps spirits weren't very reliable.
Rinoa continued to drift along the shore, not thinking about where she was going. At least, not until she found herself nearing the dock where Ellone's bones had been washed ashore. At least, she was fairly certain they were Ellone's bones. Who else's could they have been?
When she finally reached her destination, she discovered that the bones were gone. Not a single one of them remained. But there was one thing jutting out of the sand which caught her eye. It was just a tattered shred of the red cloth. She carefully picked it up and examined it, noticing for the first time the darkened stains and the faint scent of lingering perfume.
Almost as soon as she picked it up, her mind was clouded as yet another vision overtook her. Only this time, it was all very fragmented, and blurry.
He walked out of the mansion, he back rigid against the frantic calls behind him. From a distance, he looked well composed but the look on his face betrayed his calm air. Strands of dark hair fell over tear filled eyes as he swollowed the lump in his throat and continued walking.
"Wait!" a distraught voice called behind him. "Please! It's not fair of you to just walk away from me like this!"
He turned around suddenly, his resistance broken. "Of course it's not fair!" he shouted back at the dark haired woman that followed him. "Nothing is ever fair is it?"
She walked up to him until her face was just inches from his. "I can't stop you from leaving me. If that's what you really want, then I won't stop you. I want you to be happy, whether it's with me or not. But you owe me an explanation. Yoiu can't just walk away like this."
He ran a hand over her cheek before saying, "You and I are not the same. You... you deserve so much better."
"No one could ever be better to me than you!" she cried.
"We can never be together again. I'm sorry. You and I are too different. One day, you'll see what I mean. I'll always love you. But I have to go now. And I can never look back."
That was exactly what he did. He turned and left her there, frozen in place by a mixture of awe and sadness. Until she felt the sharp pain in her stomach and shoulder. She tried to scream for him, but she was never heard.
Her warm blood spilled out from her severed flesh, staining her crimson dress, even while it was torn apart by the same needle-like sharpness that tore into her skin so ruthlessly. in. Her vision slowly began to fade and pulse, as off in the distance, the ever-present harmony was suddenly disrrupted by the sound of the very heavens themselves screaming.
Rinoa was shaking violently as she dropped the cloth back into the sand. She couldn't see clearly who it was in that vision, but she assumed that it was once again some one from the past.
(I can't go home, tonight) she thought as the sun began to set. (I can't face Selphie. I can't face the fear. Just for tonight, I need an escape.)
With that decision present in her mind, she decided to keep walking along the beach, in hopes of finding a hotel, or even an abandoned house to stay in.
When she had finally come to a spot on the shore where the beach was too rocky to cross, she happened to look up and see a small cluster of buildings up on a cliff above. Luckily for her, there was a path leading up the cliff to the top, which she followed eagerly.
She found herself at the edge of a forest after finally reaching the top. As she gazed through the trees, she spotted a small, abandoned- looking, white-washed church with a graveyard off to the side of it. And, sitting there in front of an isolated grave that was set a good distance away from the others, was none other than Squall Leonhart.
For a moment she wondered if she should go over and say something to him, but quickly thought better of it. They hadn't exactly left off on good terms, and he probably wanted to be alone at the moment anyway.
Instead, she settled for observing him for a moment. He was kneeling in front of the grave staring at it with a strange look in his eyes. Every now and then, he would raise his eyes to the empty air above the tombstone and say something, or so it seemed.
Finally, Rinoa decided to sneak over to the motel she saw off in the distance. It looked run-down, and mostly empty, but at least it wasn't in Balamb.
After checking into a room, which was a lot nicer than she had expected, she immediately flopped down on the bed and began drifting off to sleep. But she soon found that she could not escape the dreams, no matter how hard she tried.
She dreamed of places and people she had never before seen, and of doing things she knew she had never done. Things that she refused to believe she had done.
"I didn't kill her!" she screamed, waking herself up.
She sat straight up in bed, her bare skin soaked in cold sweat and tears. Her heart was pounding widly in her chest, and her breathing was shaking.
(I need a shower) she thought to herself, standing from the bed and stumbling through the darkness to the bathroom.
As she allowed the steaming hot water to cleanse her of the torment and pain, she found herself humming a rather familiar tune, which she eventually began to sing.
"Why won't you die? Your blood and mine. We'll be fine. Then your body will be mine."
Her temporary state of relaxation was brought to an abrupt halt when she realized that the song she was singing was the same one that had haunted her visions and dreams. She quickly shut off the water, stepped out of the tub, wrapped herself in an over-sized towel, and ran to the mirror. After wiping away the fog so that she could see herself better, she suddenly broke down into tears.
(I'm not a killer! I'm not insane! God, I don't know what I am anymore. I don't know anything, I can't control anything! Won't this ever end?! Why can't I just be normal, like everyone else?)
She wiped furiously at the tears that streaked her face, then glared into the mirror.
"Why won't you leave me alone?!" she screamed at her reflection before ramming her fist into it.
The glass shattered beneath the force, and sliced into her sensitive skin. She fell back against the bathroom door while she clutched her injured hand. She brought it to her mouth and tried to sooth the pain while she sobbed to herself.
Her painful reverie was broken when she heard a knock at her door. She stood weakly from her spot on the cold tile floor and wiped at her eyes before answering the door. She had been so caught up in her tantrum that she hadn't noticed the horrible thunderstorm that was raging outside.
When she opened the door, still clad only in her blank white beach towel, she was met with the sight of Squall, his clothes clinging to his skin from the heavy water that soaked the material. Grayish puffs of air escaped his lips and she noticed he was shivering slightly.
"S-Squall?" was all she could manage to get out.
"You going to let me in, or shall I just stand here freezing to death?"
She stood back and allowed him to enter, the look of astonishment still gracing her features.
"W-what are you doing here?" she stammered.
"No where else to go. I saw you coming here while I was visiting with my sister. It started raining and I knew I wouldn't make it back to Balamb."
"Oh," she replied. "About that.... I'm sorry. I shouldn't have accused you like that. You probably don't understand why I accused you in the first place, but-"
"She was wearing this necklace when she died out at sea and suddenly it shows up on my desk," he said. "I understand."
"How...?"
"How do I know? I know a lot of things, Rinoa. But let's not discuss them right now, okay?"
"Yeah, okay," she agreed. "Let's put all that behind us, and try to be friends."
"Friends, huh?"
She cocked her head to the side. "You don't want to be?"
(No) he thought to himself. (I want so much more from you. So much more that I'll never be able to have.)
"I do. I'm just not used to having friends."
"Well, now that things are settled between us, let's get you out of those wet clothes. You'll catch pneumonia."
For the first time since he'd entered the room, he noticed the cuts all over her hands and the way her eyes were swollen and puffy.
"Are you alright?" he asked, nodding to her hand.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Just a little accident," she replied then grabbed the bottom of his shirt before pulling it up. "This needs to come off," she said in a soft voice.
She pulled it over his head and tossed it to the floor, revealing the firm, very well defined muscles of his chest and exposing them to her wandering eyes. Suddenly, the air was thick, and the moment was fragil again, just as it had been at the dance. He was so close to her. She could feel his sweet, warm breath on her face, and his exposed flesh was only a few inches from her, begging to be touched. She brought a hand up, slowly, and placed it over his heartbeat, which thundered beneath his rib cage. His eyes fluttered closed and his breathing was rough. Just her slightest touch set his skin on fire. He'd been waiting to long to feel this. For him, it was the ultimate bliss, just for her to be touching him. Just for her to be so close to him. Forbidden fire. He lowered his head until his lips were almost touching hers before quickly forcing himself to jerk away.
"Friends.... friends don't do this," he said in a low, tortured voice.
"I guess not," she replied, unable to mask the dissapointment that was so evident in her tone.
"I need to go take a shower," he said, walking away from her.
(A very cold one) he added silently.
She nodded. "Right. I guess I'll just see if I can't get some sleep."
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
The next morning, the two said their reluctant goodbyes, and headed their seperate ways. Squall wanted to go back to Balamb, but Rinoa wasn't quite ready for that yet. Much to her surprise, he didn't question her decision, but just told her to come back when she felt ready. It amazed her sometimes how well he seemed to understand her without so much as a word from her.
Rinoa decided she would go and explore the forest that she had encountered the previous day. Perhaps there would be something interesting some where beyond it.
After less than an hour's walk through the thin set of trees that barely passed for a forest, she found herself on the other side of it. There, she found the remains of a bridge that, at one time, had spanned a great distance over a river, which had now dried up.
Feeling adventerous, she climbed down the dry, rocky banks and into the hollowed out space where the river had once raged. She crossed the distance then climbed up the banks to the other side, where she was met with a small clump of trees. On the other side of this, she found herself in the middle of a vast field flowers. As she passed throught it, childish laughter and voices rang through her head, telling her of a time long forgotten. When she finally had reached the end of this peaceful location, she found herself standing in the middle of a small, destroyed town.
It was obvious that the town had existed a long time ago, judging from the style of the buildings, and the condition of the remains. It seemed that the place had been in that destroyed and abandoned state for a long while, and had been completely forgotten about.
As she stood there, her mind buzzing from this discovery, more visions began to flash through her mind. Visions of her, as a child, standing in the kitchen of a small house next to a smiling, happy woman with dark brown hair. She sat on a stool as she watched mother working at the stove and listened delightedly while the woman sang a beautiful song.
"In the memory you'll find me. Eyes burning up. The darkness holding me tightly. Until the sun rises up."
Then the scene changed, so that she, still as a young child, stood in front of a huge stone building. Children ran around everywhere, laughing and playing with each other. All but one.
"Hi, I'm Rinoa. Who are you?"
"I'm...."
The vision was gone before she could hear the rest of the answer. She saw that she was, once again, standing in the middle of oblivion. But directly ahead of her, she noticed what must have been the remains of the large house she had been playing around.
She walked closer to it and was inspecting it when she noticed a sign sticking up out of the rubble. It read "Edea Kramer's Orphanage of Timber."
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