Disclaimer: All characters of FF8 belong to Squaresoft. No infringement is intended

Interlude

          "You should go inside. It's getting cold." Maria advised Squall who was outside the house.  He was gazing up to the stars, an act he rarely does. Seeing that he has no plans of going inside yet, Maria returned inside to get something to keep him warm.

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          It has more or less been a season since their escape from the Garden. Everything was going smooth; no enemies have appeared to them until now. The only problem that they had was getting along each other --- which were resolved now. They have been living peacefully, at least for the moment.

          The vacant house in Trabia was fairly good. It was big, compared to what they have expected. But the house had barely anything in it. All it had was he basic components of a house.

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          Maria got a dark blue shawl and placed it around Squall's shoulders. She then sat down next to him and started to gaze into the sky as well.

          "Thanks." Squall quietly thanked her as he tightened the shawl over his arms.

          "Oh…it's nothing." She replied awkwardly, as if finding no need to answer but did so just to say something to him. She continued to watch him as he kept his eyes over the horizon. It's the first time that she saw him look differently calm. Most of the times, she'd seen him calm over situations but she'd always notice a layer of tension beneath his blanket of calmness. He would look calm but inside him was a storm. But this time, she felt no tension in him.

          "Do you…do this all the time?" Maria asked even if she knew the answer very well. She only wanted to break the blanket of silence between them.

          "Not really." He said even without looking at her.

          "I see."

          A shooting star trailed upon the sky, catching both of their attention. Maria looked at it with amazement but Squall merely dismissed it as nothing.

          "Beautiful… it's the first time I've actually seen one." Maria exclaimed as she marveled upon the appearance of the shooting star. " They say that when you see a shooting star, make a wish and it'll come true."

          Right…The only thing that I knew about them is that when you see one, someone will die soon. He kept his morbid thoughts to himself in an attempt not to spoil her happy mood.

          "Have you made your wish then?"

          "Yes…but I'm not expecting it to come true. It's too impossible." She then stood up and brushed off the remnants of snow that settled in her skirt. Then she went back to the house.

          "Did I say something wrong?"

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          "Is someone there? Hello?"

          "Squall, should I answer it?" Maria asked as she reluctantly opened the door for the anonymous visitor. Squall stopped for a while, and then eventually gave her a nod. Maria then opened the sliding doors slightly to see who it was. To her surprise it was a girl dressed in Balamb Garden's uniform. Seeing that she had stood there for so long, she let the girl in.

          "Maria Alma--- Leonhart?" The girl asked.

          Maria reluctantly answered her. She never knew that people in Garden took this matter seriously.

          "Yes. What is it and who are you?"

          "My name is Carrie and I've come to speak with you by orders of Ms. Xu." She said concisely, getting straight to the point. She had no plans to waste time.

          Hearing this, Maria had a combined feeling of doubt and happiness. Doubt, because as far back as she knew, she never saw this Carrie. She felt happiness because this can be a step for their return to Garden. She went to Squall and informed him about her. She let Squall handle all the talking and left them in the living room.

          "What is it?" Squall asked the girl with a very unwelcome tone in his voice.

          "Courtesy of Xu." She handed him an envelope, which Squall hesitantly got. "For this season."

          Squall sarcastically grinned. Right…as if that's too important. "Tell her thanks." He put the envelope roughly aside. "How's the Garden?"

          "It's getting along fine however, the repair work is rather slow. But it's better than nothing." She reported concisely. "Your comrades are missing." She said calmly as if nothing was seriously wrong about it.

          "What do you mean "missing"?" Squall asked her coldly. He refused to believe that in any way his comrades would be defeated. They would certainly never run as well. They are not cowards to do such thing.

          "They've fled during the attack. And that includes headmistress Quistis as well." Her voice sounded irritated, if not angry. There was a tinge of hatred in her, and Squall quickly felt it. This proves that what she said was true.

          He shook his head in disbelief. They can never do that. Abandon the garden at a vulnerable state? No. They can never do that. They had been the best--- if not the elite fighters in garden. Something like this can never force them into cowardice.

          "I know you refuse to believe it. I too was shocked about this. I think there is no other way to deal with this but to believe in it."

          Squall did what he was best at. Keep his silence. Nothing can ease his mind from perplexity.

          Carrie stood up, signaling the end of their conversation. Squall then did the same and escorted her to the exit.

          "Goodbye and take care." Carrie said as she left. Maria hurriedly closed the door when she was looking away. Then she turned to Squall who looked deeply confused and perplexed.

          "Squall,"She began softly to avoid a surge of tension. "Honestly, I don't trust her." Her voice picked up gravity as she told those words. She was watching from behind and heard every word of their conversation. She felt the same way as Squall, skeptical and confused. She can never imagine her dearest friends turn their back on Garden for their own welfare.

          "I don't know…. and I don't care!" Squall said in an act of pure frustration. Everything that has happened seemed so unreal. It was just like a nightmare that never ceases. He wished that someone would wake him out of this predicament.

          He then felt Maria place her hands and lean her forehead in his back, letting her golden hair cover her face. Squall didn't know for certain what he wanted to do. Some part of him wanted to push her away but a majority of him wanted her to stay. For no special reason, he felt her touch…comfortable.

          "I'm sorry…to have you all involved in this…." She whispered pensively behind him. She choked on her words in an attempt to stop herself from weeping.

          Squall heard her silent apology. The words that she said was a repetition of what she was saying even before they got there but this time he knew and understood what it meant. He freed himself from her and turned to her. He let her close to him and let her lean on him. He wrapped her arms around her. This time, true tears came down from her eyes. Squall now understood what he meant. It was better suffer alone than having someone share the same degree of pain. Unconsciously, they have been feeling the same thing--- and that was what kept them alone. But now…no one will be…

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          "They're so gullible." She said spitefully. She had a very annoyed look on her face. Her face was so full of hatred that her eyes might really make something explode.

          "That SeeD and the sorceress can be easily dealt with now." She told him assumingly. The man simply smiled at her remark.

          "Why is that?" he asked sarcastically. It seems that he already knows the answer but wanted to hear her side as well.

          " I believe that they have fallen in love already."

          A sinister grin made its way through his face. This was getting interesting. Very interesting.

          "Good work. Now, all that's left is the proper time."

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          The sky was beautiful that night. No clouds intruded upon the sky, thus revealing the true beauty of the heavenly bodies that settled on it. Maria looked upon the circular window and saw the clear night sky. From there, she could see the twinkling stars and the bright blue moon. A shooting star complemented the splendid night. This was the second shooting star that she saw within the past few weeks.  She closed her eyes and sighed. She took a deep draw sigh of hopelessness.

          The words she murmured under her breath were rather hard to understand. Her expression was almost nondescript, betraying no feelings as she returned her gaze back to the star-filled sky.

          She felt someone tap her shoulder gently. She looked up to see Squall who brought with him a blanket. He put it over Maria who remained seated on the sofa. She moved a few inches from her position, telling Squall silently to sit next to her. He understood her question and sat down next to her, a few inches shy of sitting shoulder to shoulder with her. Silence prevailed as their eyes watched over the sky.

          "Squall…how long are we going to stay like this?" She asked as she tightened her covers and looked down. She expected no answers, as he always didn't mind these types of questions.

          Squall sighed. He took sideway glances at her but then returned his sight at the sky. He wanted to ask 'why' but found it rather inappropriate.

          "Until the garden is fully repaired…perhaps." Squall choked on his words, finding the incoherence of his speech irritating. He actually liked this lifestyle, having no enemies, no problems. It can be dull but it was a lot better than risking your life that you don't actually now or understand.

          "Squall, can I tell you something?" She asked him nervously.

          "Do you need to ask?" He said in reply. His voice had some trace of sarcasm and annoyance in it.

          "Maybe…. You don't want to listen…so…" Maria faltered on her words, slowly failing to deliver each word as she surveyed each thing coming in her mind, thinking if it was appropriate for the situation. She let her chin rest on her arms, trying to hide her face full of anxiety.

          "Go ahead. Say anything you like…. I'm listening." Squall insisted. Inside of him, he felt the urge to know what she has to say.

          "You know…I really like it this way…I hope…that this will never end." Maria felt the incoherence of her speech again. The feeling was unexplainable. It was the feeling of nervousness and excitement combined. Some part of her wanted to tell him dearly what she wanted to say but she was afraid that Squall might ignore her words.

          "Never end what?" Squall asked not to expect an answer but to avert his thoughts. He never knew that Maria shared the same feeling as well. All those times he thought that she was forcing herself this adapt to this kind of lifestyle.

          "I really like it. No enemies…no strife…  it's so peaceful." Maria let out a sharp breath, supposedly a sigh. "Most of all…I don't want to…" she took another breath, trying so hard to compose herself. "I don't want to be apart from you." Saying these words felt so lightening that it was lifting a heaven burden in her. Her suppressed love for him grew so much that she can't keep them anymore. She felt no regret in saying it, and she could care less of what he might say. What matters is that she did tell him. At least now, he knows.

          Squall couldn't answer her right away. This was the first time that someone actually told him something like this and his savoir-faire was rendered useless. He could not speak now. Maria's word reiterated itself in his mind and it bugged him. This was a situation that he was not used to.

          But inside him, he knew he felt the same. But finding the right words to say was not an easy task. All the words that can describe how he felt were already cliché. Someone already told everything that was in his mind in the past --- in some romance movie in some play or book or even in some other's lifetime. How then, can he tell her? Was he just to imitate someone else?

          But it didn't matter now. The immediate concern was to tell her. To get off that burden in his chest.

          "Maria…listen to me. " He began his statement by saying this to buy his thoughts some time to think of a more appropriate word to say.

          "…. I'm listening."

"I…feel exactly the same way you do." He paused, thinking again on how he can express the word he wanted to say. "Maria… I…I...love you. His voice faltered but picked up gravity as he said those three words. He didn't look at her but he could tell how she would react.

Maria's eyes widened. She was surprised of what Squall just said. Love her? Impossible. She would always bring trouble to him but now… love her? Maria looked at Squall who still kept his eyes to the sky. She can tell why he didn't want to look at her. She knew that they were having the same maelstrom of emotions.

She moved closer to him. Squall took notice of it, yet did not do anything. Silence prevailed over them and no one dared to break it. Maria took sideway glances at him, trying to know if his expression changed. But his gaze remained solemnly motionless. For a moment she thought if what he said was true.  But she knew…she believed…that he meant it.

She leaned on his shoulder, with her eyes closed. This time, Squall looked at her. He put his arm around her shoulder and eventually pressed her head closer to his. Maria opened her eyes and before they knew it, they were staring at each other almost eye-to-eye. Squall felt awkward and decided to avert his sight from her. But still, Maria looked at him, her sapphire eyes watching him intently.

"Did you ever know I was a sorceress?" She brought up the question even though he answer was obvious. Something inside of her just wanted to know. She wanted to know why he treats her genuinely equal. All of the people she knew would smile at her, would be kind to her because she was a sorceress. That's all. Her power set her different from the others.

"Of course. That's the very reason why we're here. Why?"

But not Squall. Sometimes he even forgot that she was a sorceress. He treated her genuinely, something clear of prejudice and discrimination.

"Nothing. Just curious…" A faint smile made its way to her face, something that she hasn't done sincerely for quite some time. She held Squall's hand that was in her shoulder. It was so cold, maybe just a few degrees from having the same as the dead.

"Your hands are cold. I can feel them even if you have your glove." Maria commented as she shifted her covers to him.

Squall let her do so without any objection. But then he felt her taking off his glove, exposing his pale hand. Maria held his hand tightly.

"You're not taking care of yourself." She commented once again as her soft hands continued to hold his. She snuggled closer to him, not letting go of his hand.

"What made you say that?"

She freed his hand from her grasp and lifted it up in a point where both of them could see it. She then placed her palm at the front of his. Slowly, she filled the gaps between his fingers.

"It's bruised." She turned his hand to show him the back of his hand. It was almost blue.

"Stupid mistake I made." He said as he brought his hand down from their sight.

Maria freed his hand and tore her gaze from him. "I wonder….if I could help someone not just by curing them or something like that but by being one with their suffering."

"What do you mean?" He looked back at her, who seemed so sad and desperate to help someone in her own unique way.

"Being one with their pain makes them strong to face the upcoming trials in life…They learn that they are not alone…that someone is there with them…" She looked a lot more contented now, freeing herself from that morose look that she had moments ago.

It seems that she, herself is the embodiment of her words. Squall had proved to be somewhat her partner in her trials; in her moments of weakness and triumph, in her moments of sadness and joy. Thinking of these made a tear fall of from her eyes. She could only hope that she had done the same… All that she can remember was dragging him into trouble. She had become more or less a burden to him, when she was supposed to be the one to give him strength.

There was another case of irony. Squall was the leader of the SeeDs yet he became her knight. It wouldn't be surprising if he tried to destroy himself because of this dilemma. Oh, why has fate have to be so cruel? The tears that welled up in her eyes suddenly overflowed, causing a waterfall of tears to flow.

Squall buried Maria's face into his chest, hoping that she would find solace in her arms. He didn't know for sure what she was weeping for but he knew that something that she has suppressed for so long now managed to come out.

"There's noting to cry now, is there?" He kissed her forehead in an attempt to drive away the sadness that made her weep. Her response was quite quick as she quickly wiped the tears from her face.

"I'm sorry."

"It's alright." He said as he wiped off her remaining tears. Those eyes that looked so sad…Those eyes that silently wept for him…he wished so desperately to make them look vibrant again, having that same glow of happiness and joy that they had before. But how? It was then when he noticed a shooting star trail above in the sky.

"Another shooting star" his eyes followed the heavenly body.

Maria didn't look at it but a smile emerged on her lips.

"Have you made your wish?" he asked as he gently stroked her golden hair. She smiled again and nodded in reply.

"It's quite simple…I want to be beside the one that I love forever." She held his face and looked into his eyes. That cold eyes that she once despised no looked full of concern.

"Consider your wish granted."

Rivulets of tears fell down from her eyes but she was still smiling.

But there was this one sad paradox of life.

The destroyer can never be with the redeemer.

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Author's notes: Phew…that was the hardest chapter I've done…and the longest! This is the first time that I've ever done a mushy scene so please have mercy! Please, no flames! (^-^);

Another thing: In the first part, when Squall said that there's a person going to die if you see a shooting star thing, that saying is really true. In the old times in our country, seeing a shooting star was a bad omen. They say it brings about famine, death and other catastrophes.

In the part that says the redeemer cannot be with the destroyer thing, Maria is the destroyer, being the sorceress and all. Squall is the redeemer because he is the leader of the SeeDs and thus, his task is to destroy all forms of evil. Just said that in case you got it the other way around.

Adieu!