Title: Heal My Heart Once More

Rating: PG for now

Summary: [Seifer/Rinoa/Squall/Quistis] Afraid of their growing relationship, Squall Leonhart tries to break off all ties to Rinoa Heartilly. But two years later, when fate brings them together once again, he realizes he never stopped caring for her. Thing is, she has.

Author's Note: Yay! More reviews! They make me feel so loved and appreciated. ^^; Okay, Squall may be a little OOC (Out Of Character, for those of you who don't know) in this chapter, so please forgive me. He'll be acting a little OOC because he's feeling weird now that he's seen Rinoa. But don't worry, it'll all get fixed up at the end. Not a lot of Quistis in this chapter, but I am surprised at how many people still wanted a Quall. Well, we'll see. She'll play a bigger role next chapter, I promise. I'm still getting the feeling to make this a Squinoa, but don't lose hope, Quall fans. I'll put some twists and turns, and if all else fails… then Squinoa it is. I mean, you can't really beat that couple; Squinoa is the couple of all the Final Fantasy series… but of course, I am biased. Yes, I know there's a lot of Squinoas already, but… wah; I can't help it. v.v; Oh, and thank you for all the very nice reviews I've received. You are all too kind. Oh, and I forgot to put up a disclaimer, so… I do not own any of the Final Fantasy VIII characters, so please don't sue me. Read and review, please! They make me motivated to write the next chapter! :D

Cassandra— that is so freaky that you were listening to First Love when I mentioned it… and I'd have to disagree with some of you strict Squinoa fans— Qualls do not "suck." I'm sorry, but people are entitled to their own opinions, just like you, but please be careful. Don't get too offensive and mad at the Quall fans. Same goes for the Quall fans: please don't diss Rinoa or the coupling of Squall/Rinoa. I had a fic similar to this (a Xiaoyu/Jin/Julia in the Tekken section), and the reviewers got so carried away that they started bashing the characters and the saying nasty things about the pairing they didn't like. I just want to make sure that that doesn't happen again… especially with this fic, because I actually like writing this one. :D Anyway, that was my mini-rant… -_-;

baka-shinji-01— I'm glad you're okay with a Squinoa, but a Laguna/Quistis on the side? *shudders* I think I'll pass, lol…

Jade Bleak— Thank you so much for your uplifting comments. ^_^; And I'll keep working on the "updating frequently" thing…

Lily— Hehe… Thank you very much! I know it seems like everyone wants this to be a Squinoa, but keep the faith! :D

Wynter— How do you know that I am going to break Squall and Quistis up? Maybe I won't… v.v'

Ocean Tempest— Thank you for the suggestion; I am trying my best to not bold so much. o.O;

I'm also surprised that I got a review from the famous (:D) Angelprinczess29— her fics (including "On the Ice," I believe) are wonderific! Please go read her fics… after you read mine, that is. :P

Whew… lotta stuff I had to say… sorry about that; I might do that every chapter, so if you want, just skip all this crap. Onto the story! ._.;

*


Chapter 2: "Shocking Announcement"

"Squall! Good to see you!" Laguna said, trying not to push any buttons.

Squall ignored him and turned to Quistis. "Here's your punch…" He held it out to her as she took it and sipped it carefully.

"Thank you, Squall…"

Out of the corner of his eye, Squall saw Seifer and Rinoa kissing. Jealousy took over again… Two can play at this game, he thought enviously as he immediately leaned near Quistis, giving her an impulsive kiss on the lips.

"Squa—?" She was cut off as he kissed her deeper, searching and reaching for… something she wasn't sure of.

He pulled away, holding her hand and gently rubbed her ring with his thumb. "Quistis?… Come on. The reporters are going to find out about us now. I want the world to know that we're getting married… that I love you." Words that he couldn't stop were flowing out of his mouth before he could even think them.

Quistis smiled happily at him, putting a hand up to his cheek. "Okay, Squall. Okay." She had been dreaming of this night, when Squall would proclaim his love to her, to only her… and prove it by marrying her. Nothing could stand in their way anymore. They would have each other for the rest of their lives.

Squall leaned down for another heartfelt kiss, blocking all thoughts of Rinoa out of his mind. Tonight would be the night everyone would see how much he'd gotten over Rinoa the past two years. He didn't love her anymore; It isn't just jealousy, he convinced himself. I love Quistis, and we're getting married ASAP. I'm letting the reporters know about it tonight.

He took her hand and they strode to the front of the ballroom.

*


Rinoa looked around the ballroom, enjoying herself… It looked as thought everyone else was having a good time, too. She even saw Squall, and she surprised herself by being so casual. She had planned that if she saw him, she would simply ignore him. But her body did otherwise. She strode over to him, said hi, and basically left with Seifer.

Oh, well. At least Seifer doesn't have to get me a glass of punch now, she smiled to herself as she held up the half-full glass of punch. She drank some, suddenly remembering the pain she saw on Squall's face… and nearly spilled her punch.

"Rinoa? You okay?" Seifer stood up from his seat. "I don't want your beautiful dress to get a big blotchy stain on it…" He leaned forward to inspect her dress.

"Oh, you're so thoughtful," she smiled at him, playfully slapping his arm.

"I know," he grinned. "That's why you love me, right?" he hinted.

Rinoa rolled her eyes. "If it makes you shut up… then yes." She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.

Seifer held her hand in his, and helped her stand up. "Dance with me?" he whispered in her ear. After seeing Squall, he was worried Rinoa might have retained feelings for him, and he was determined to show her how much he really cared for her…

Rinoa pulled away from him and gave him a look. "You know how to dance?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

He blushed slightly and looked away. "Well… I didn't say that I didn't know how to dance…"

Rinoa bit her lip. Dancing… the last time she had danced was when… She swallowed hard. Her dance with Squall… She had never told him, but that was the first time she had actually danced with someone. She was just merely drawn to him. Seifer, she had thought, was never much of a dancer… but here he was, asking her now— and it was so incredibly sweet of him to, that she couldn't say no.

Right when she was about to answer "yes," she noticed Squall walking past with Quistis behind him… their hands tightly clasped together. Where are they going? Her eyes followed them until they stopped at the front of the ballroom, making their way up to the stage where the orchestra was playing.

She was confused at first. Why are they up there? No one usually goes up there unless there's a big announcement… She saw reporters and journalists whispering to each other, and crowding around the stage. What's going on? Photographers began to try to make their way to the front, and started to flash pictures. The dancing stopped, and people began to murmur, wondering what was going on.

Then Rinoa saw it: a beautiful, sparkling ring on Quistis' hand. Even from far away, she could still see it shimmering brightly. How could she have missed it before? Realization dawned upon her, as she gasped aloud, letting go of Seifer and slowly walking towards the stage… Her hand automatically fled up to the necklace around her neck, as her fingers traced a certain ring that she had never gotten rid of… She couldn't. He gave it to her, and he had promised that as long as she wore it, they'd be together… Was that why she had never thrown it away? Because she thought that as long as she had his ring, they'd eventually get back together?

Perhaps she had unconsciously thought that… Squall had still loved her; there had to be some logical explanation on why he had broken them apart. Her eyes became teary as she saw Squall and Quistis on the stage, Quistis leaning her head on his shoulder, and his chin resting on top of her head. Then, seeing the crowd and hearing the murmurs, Squall made his way to the podium, testing the microphone by tapping his finger lightly on it.

*


This was it. Squall took a deep breath. This was the moment everyone was waiting for. He looked back at Quistis, who smiled lovingly at him. He let out the deep breath he had held, and cleared his throat. "Excuse me," he said into the microphone. He glanced at the orchestra, and motioned for them to stop. Then he looked into the sea of people… all had stopped whatever they were doing, and now had their eyes on the Commander of Balamb Garden, anxious to see what he had to say. His eyes rested on Rinoa… who seemed to be holding something to her chest, with Seifer behind her, hands on her shoulders.

Looking away from them, Squall continued, "I… I have an announcement I'd like to make… Um…" he stalled. "I… I'd just like to say that… Quistis Trepe and I… we…" he sighed as he looked painfully at Rinoa, wondering if this would hurt her as much as she was hurting him now. "We are married… We have been for, uh… some time now… a couple months…"

And then all hell broke loose.

"Commander Leonhart, how many months exactly have you been married?"

"… any signs of pregnancy as of yet?"

"… planning how many children?"

"… affect your career and the future of Balamb…"

"… relationship with your former teacher… marriage…"

"… Commander and former Instructor… Headmaster Cid's reaction…?"

"… former girlfriend Rinoa Heartilly… What of her…?"

Squall panicked, looking around quickly, and squinting his eyes at all the flashing of the cameras. He walked away from the podium, and took Quistis' hand, making their way through the crowd of people shoving microphones in front of their faces. Squall looked for the nearest exit, and they escaped out the main door, as he thought it best if they went to his dorm room.

*


"Rinoa? They're gone now…"

"I know." Yet she still stared at the door that they went through about half an hour before. Everyone had gone back to the party since the media had followed Squall and Quistis.

"Hm. Who would have thought, huh? Squall and Quistis… wow. Guess he got over you pretty quick… but that's a good thing," Seifer rushed on. "Because… we're together now, right?" He gave Rinoa a tight embrace. "I love you, Rinoa…" he whispered. "Even if I don't always show it; I know I act like a jerk sometimes…"

Rinoa hugged him back, still staring wistfully at the door. Where were Squall and Quistis now? What were they doing? Were they maybe somewhere romantic, away from the media? Were they alone by themselves… perhaps in Squall's room? She closed her eyes tightly at the thought. "I… I love you too," she said hesitantly. I love you, Squall…

"Well," Seifer pulled away, "I think we'd better get going now. Let's go; there's nothing left to do here." He gave her a sad smile.

She nodded, then stopped. "Wait… I didn't get to talk to Selphie yet. Let's just stay a little while longer, okay? I know you're getting impatient, but… just go make fun of Zell or something. I'll be back soon," she promised.

Seifer sighed. "Okay… I guess. If you want. Don't wander off too far, okay? I wouldn't want to lose you now. And I don't want to look for you for an hour… Be careful," he added as he kissed the top of her head. He was feeling a little overprotective now that Rinoa was acting strange… Perhaps it was because of seeing Squall again… but Seifer prayed to Hyne that that was not the problem; he didn't need Squall Leonhart butting into his life again.

*


Rinoa placed her palms on the ledge of the balcony, unaware that Squall had been there moments before. She sighed heavily as she stared at the midnight sky. The emotions that she was feeling were a burden to her; she wasn't sure what she wanted to do. On one hand, there was Squall… she didn't want to have feelings for him, yet somehow she did. She knew it. But then there was Seifer… who loved her more than anything… They had been through so much, and he was always there with her…

Her hand clutched the ring Squall had given her years ago. Angrily, she tore it away from her neck, holding it up as it shone in the moonlight. The symbol of Squall's love for her… it no longer existed; there was no use for it anymore. She should've gotten rid of it years ago… but maybe she had hoped Squall would come back to her. It was evident that that would never happen now… not while he was married to Quistis, anyway. But even then… Rinoa felt it wrong. Her love for him was so wrong… and yet it felt so right. She couldn't explain it.

She felt like throwing the ring and chain far away into the night, where she would never see it again… but something stopped her. Sure, she could throw away the ring Squall had given her… but she could never throw away her feelings for him. Tears formed in her eyes as she realized that she still loved him… even after he had broken them apart… and her heart in the process. But she couldn't do anything about it now. Squall was occupied with his new life— which now revolved around Quistis, not her. She shouldn't— and couldn't— interfere with her friend's life. Even if her friend was married to the only man that she had ever truly loved.

Suddenly, Rinoa heard a voice behind her, which interrupted her thoughts. "Rinny… What are you doing?"

She whirled around, startled.

*


Author's Note: Haha… a little cliffhanger. Mwuahaha. I'm evil when I want to be. :D But it's not that big of a cliffhanger, just a mini one. You'll get over it. Annnd… you know the drill: please read and review, and leave tactful comments if you can. Flames are accepted, as long as they are helpful and mature. Thank you!