Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the Final Fantasy series. I only own the games.
~*Chapter 20*~
The wind swept around her and she savoured the salty breeze as it kissed her skin. The waves crashed against the shore, the only other sound that could be heard was the even breaths of the man beside her and her own heartbeat as the blood pounded relentlessly through her veins. Squall moved silently to the car and pulled out a woollen blanket to spread on the flowered cliff top. He spread the blanket and placed the wicker basket on the ground, dropping heavily to the ground with a slight thud. He was silent, not uncharacteristically so, for he had never been much of a conversationalist, but he seemed to have retreated back into the near impenetrable shell he had created for himself. The shell she had had some success in breaking down in recent months. His head was cradled in his hands and he looked through the cracks in his fingers at the ocean.
She knew it calmed him, the rise and fall of the tide. It seemed to hark back to his days at the orphanage, the once place he had felt safe. She sat down beside him, close to him but not so close as to deny him the space he so obviously desired at this time. Rinoa watched as the sun began its descent into the ocean, turning the sky rose coloured pinks and hue's of orange. Petals from the flowers scattered on the cliff top danced on the breeze and she caught one, giggling softly with girlish delight before letting it continue its jig.
She noticed with a start he was staring intently at her and she mock frowned at him and studied his form. Instead of the usual drab garb, some colour adorned his muscular frame. He still wore the same black jeans and boots, but all the belts, bar one around the waistband, were gone. Dark silk hung from his torso, moving between black and midnight blue with the rise and fall of his chest. He had no jacket, only his Griever necklace hung around his neck. He stuck out his tongue, surprising her and she laughed easily with him, moving into the proffered nook between arm and body, relishing the warmth radiating from him. She hadn't even realised she was cold. He cupped her face in his hands and stroked her cheek gently before looking back out to sea. She pointed to the picnic basket and he opened it, removing champagne, hand made chocolates and small triangular sandwiches. The young couple ate the feast in companionable silence before Squall took to his feet, running a hand absently through his hair and scratching his scar. Still not a word had been exchanged since they had arrived.
"Squall?" She whispered, fearful of the words that remained as yet unspoken.
He looked at her, smiling and shaking his head. "Shhh."
He took her hand and led her to the edge of the cliff. She followed him tentatively; watching his hand as it pointed to the sands below. She looked over the edge to see small torches lighting the dunes and the scripting that had been written there.
I love you Rinoa
Her breath caught in her throat as she simply stared, entranced at the scene before her. The sky had changed from the previous pastels to a blood red, the black twilight sea a stark contrast. She smiled a little, reciting a rhyme her mother had taught her,
"Red sky at night, shepherds delight." She felt his arms envelope her slim waist, his head resting on her shoulder. The silence was comfortable, warm. The lovers stayed for a time, watching the sun disappear into the depths of the brine. The moon took her place in the night sky and touched the world with her silvered fingertips.
Rinoa felt Squall shift away as the darkness drew in around them, stars beginning to shimmer in the heavens above. He returned with a candle, unlit for now. Taking her by the hand, he lead her down the rocky terrain to the shore, the blanket slung casually over his shoulder. Setting the blanket down on the soft, white grains he lay down with his hands beneath his head, watching the night sky intently. She followed his lead and squinted, tying to see what he was looking at with such rapt attention.
"This has to be the weirdest date we've ever been on." She thought, smiling slightly. Squall checked his watch; it was time. He caught her eye and pointed to the diamond-studded stratosphere. She audibly gasped as a single shooting star raced across the twilight sky, before fizzling out to a premature end. It was a beautiful sight to behold, more special for the significance it held for the two. Squall took her delicate hand in his own battle hardened ones and looked into her eyes. He began to speak, so softly she could hardly hear him over the gentle lapping of the waves against the shore.
"Rinoa, life is…unpredictable. The only certainty in life is that we shine brightly for a brief second in time, one snap shot, then we fizzle out. We die. That used to be the only certainty I ascribed to. Not anymore. Now, I know that love is precious, fleeting. That if you find it, you should risk everything to hold on to it. That is my new certainty and it came from learning to love with you.
You saved me from myself, if you hadn't found me during time compression I…well, I wouldn't be here. I was searching for you; I was so scared in case you were gone. I'd never felt fear like that before. That was when I realised it's so fragile, this thing we call love. And life is nothing without love. Do you remember when I told you I'd be waiting in the flower field for you if you ever needed me?"
Rinoa nodded, a single tear escaping her eye and rolling down the soft skin. He wiped it away with a finger and continued.
"I don't want to have to wait for you to find me. I want to be by your side, always. I'll forever be your knight. I know that in a perfect world my hands wouldn't be as stained as they are now, however, I also know that much as I try I can't change that fact. I'd love to hold you in my arms and know that I'm not tainted with the blood of others. I can't. You accept that, you accept me, despite how difficult I can be. That's how I know that you're the one. I always thought that was a crock, a stupid conglomeration of words made up by stupid card makers to sell stupid bits of paper, until I met you. You turned my world upside down, inside out and I love it. I love you. Will you turn my world a bit more? Will you marry me?"
He locked eyes with her, the tempest brewing in his eyes threatening to spill over. She looked, speechless, at the ring he held out to her, begging her silently with those eyes. She slipped her ring finger though the cool metal and leapt into his arms, squeezing the air from his lungs. A tear trickled down her face and she smiled into his chest, restraining the sobs that threatened to burst from her lungs.
He stroked her midnight locks and whispered into her ear, "Is that a "no"?" She shook her head, still buried in his chest.
He looked amused at her small form snuggled into his larger one. "Is that a "yes" then?"
She looked up at him with hot, salty tears coursing down her face. She grinned broadly and punched him lightly, playfully. "Of course it's yes, dummy! I can't believe you needed to ask! What does the inscription mean?"
"It means never forget how much I love you. Never forget me." He lifted her chin up, her lips meeting his own.
Locked in an embrace, time seemed to stop. When they pulled away, she looked at him almost shyly. "How could I? I love you."
He kissed her once more before lighting the candle to make the journey back to the car. "I love you, too."
