Conclusion

It had taken him a damn long time to find her. Of course, at first he had to notice she was gone at all - after he had managed to pry himself loose from yet another stack of administration work. Tomorrow, he was going to hire himself a fucking secretary. He was sick of it - he never had time for anything anymore.

And Rinoa hadn't quite been herself lately. She was quiet, withdrawn and last night she had been crying against his back when she thought he had been asleep. He had wanted to reach out and comfort her, but she had asked him to let her be. "Bad enough I woke you up... just be here for me, okay?" she had whispered gravely. "I'm sorry." She had thrown her arms around him and fell asleep soon after. He had stayed awake a lot longer, and had vowed to have a talk with her the next day, when he came out of work.

But when he finally had time for her, it was half past six and dinnertime had almost passed. She was not in the cafeteria, in her room, not in the Training Center or at the Quad, and no one had spotted her in the past two hours.

The September evening was already growing dark, sunset had past. Only vague reddish colorings in the evening sky reminded him of the sunset when he found her on the beach.

She was sitting with her knees pulled up, hugging herself. She was only wearing her tank top and shorts, her blue vest lying discarded half-buried under the sand. He wondered if she wasn't cold like this. She hardly acknowledged him.

"I've been looking all over for you," Squall said, sitting down next to her.

"I'm sorry," she said, laying her chin on her knee. She looked at him with unreadable big brown eyes. "I had to think."

"What were you thinking about?" he asked gently.

Her gaze darted away from his face, avoiding him. "Just... stuff."

He felt impatient, but fought it down. Instead he smiled at her, because he knew she liked it. "Come on, sulking is my job. Can you tell me what is wrong?"

She sighed. It sounded oddly... deflated, somehow. "I've come to a conclusion tonight. I don't know if you will like it."

Squall didn't reply. He patiently waited whether she'd continue.

"It's about Garden. I don't know if I want to continue living here," she blurted out. "With me being a sorceress and all. The looks people are giving me... Garden fights sorceresses. I shouldn't be here. It is not natural. I should leave... I don't want to leave you... but I think I have to."

"Oh sweetling," he groaned, embracing her. For a moment they did not say anything. They just listened to the whispers of the ocean and the breeze, their eyes closed. Rinoa was crying again - those same silent sobs she had cried last night.

"Garden fights evil sorceresses," he said eventually, his face buried in her cool dark hair. "You're not evil."

She swallowed. "What if I will be one day? What if I lose control and…"

"Then you'll be right under our nose when it happens. You'll be safe - you're in the best place in the world."

She looked up at him. "I hadn't thought of that yet," she confessed.

"If you really feel so uncomfortable, we could try and do something about it. But for now, don't fear Garden. Garden will protect you as long as you're our Rinoa. Which you will be forever." He earnestly looked into her eyes. "Because I love you, Rinoa. It will be alright."

New tears spilled over her cheeks, but this time her face broke into a brilliant smile. "I love you too. Hyne, I love you."

The kiss they shared said it all.