Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy VIII…

Author's Note: It seems like I just can't find a rhythm with this fic. Every chapter seems to be a challenge, which I've never experienced when writing any of my other fics. That's why I really haven't been updating this regularly. I'm really sorry for that. Unfortunately, things aren't going to get better in the near future. I have finals next week, so I'll be cramming for them this week, and next. Then, I leave on vacation to Bermuda on the 29th. I'll be gone for a week, and there will be computers on the ship, but it costs 75 cents a minute to use them, so I don't think I'll be uploading from there. I guess I'll have to see what happens. Sorry!

On the Ice

Chapter 10- Passion

Squall awoke in unfamiliar surroundings, his arms wrapped around a sleeping Rinoa. He couldn't help but smile as he saw her there…an image of innocence. He felt so many emotions coursing through him. In that moment, Squall felt peace. He couldn't remember the last time he had felt so comfortable around someone. Quistis certainly had never given him this feeling. It had been so hard to open up and trust people again after Ellone's death. Squall had been so close to his sister, and her death had been the darkest time in his life. He had thought that pairing up with Quistis would help him get over Ellone's death. In a way, it was a way for him to honor her memory since she was the one who introduced him to figure skating in the first place. Squall had only been partly right. Skating had been a release, but Quistis had not.

Rinoa stirred, and then opened her eyes to see Squall looking down on her. "Hey," she smiled. "I see that you're picking up on my habits."

Squall shrugged. "It's hard not to watch you. You just looked really peaceful."

"I was," she looked at him thoughtfully. "You know…it's funny how at ease I feel when I'm with you. When I was younger, my mom was the person I could trust the most. I always felt so safe with her, so secure. Then…she died. I didn't know who to turn to. My father buried himself in his work and appointed a nanny to watch over me. Kerry was great, don't get me wrong, but she wasn't my mother, nor could she ever be. Pairing with Seifer was more of a rebellious decision on my part." She shook her head. "I regret the day that I laid eyes on Seifer Almasy. Except then, maybe I wouldn't have met you. Then, I would never have this feeling or security. You are the one who gives me that feeling, Squall. The feeling of comfort, happiness, peace… Thank you for that."

Squall was at a loss for words. Was it just a coincidence that he had been thinking practically the same thing a few minutes earlier? As much as he tried to deny it, Squall did have feelings for this woman, and he didn't know what to do about it. "Rinoa…I don't know what to say." He shook his head.

Rinoa gently pressed a finger to his lips. "You don't have to say anything. I just wanted to tell you how I felt."

Squall nodded. "I'm not very good with words. In all honesty, what I'm feeling right now is foreign to me. It scares the hell out of me because I don't know what to do about it."

Rinoa grabbed his hands and pulled herself closer to Squall. "Don't think, just feel. Your emotions won't lie to you." She stared at him with a deep intensity in her eyes. Squall stared back, his look mirroring hers.

Squall decided to heed her advice and pulled Rinoa closer. He brushed his lips over Rinoa's oh-so-gently. The simple kiss was deepened, each finding their want and need for each other. Rinoa lifted Squall's shirt over his head and began kissing him feverishly. A pounding on the door made them jump apart guiltily.

Rinoa groaned. "Whoever this is, it better be important." She got up to open the door and found Irvine and Selphie standing there. "What are you guys doing here this early?"

"Um, 'this early'? Rinoa, it's ten o'clock," Selphie told her. "We wanted to see if you and Squall wanted to go train with us."

"Oh, I can't believe we slept in so late!" Rinoa smiled sheepishly. "I'll have to ask Squall. Why don't you guys come in?" Rinoa walked back into the room and Selphie and Irvine followed. "Squall, what's the plan for today? Do you wanna hit the arena with Irvine and Selphie?"

Squall shrugged. "Sure, it doesn't matter to me. I just need to change."

Rinoa turned to Irvine and Selphie. "Could you guys wait while we get dressed? Then we could all leave together."

Selphie nodded. "Sure, no problem. Do you want us to wait here?"

Rinoa nodded. "Squall, why don't you go ahead and use the bathroom first. I'll wait out here."

With a nod, Squall pulled out a shirt and a pair of pants and headed into the bathroom.

"Irvy, can you go get us some coffee from downstairs while we wait?" Selphie asked.

Irvine sighed. "Sure, Seffie, I'll go." Irvine turned around and left the room.

As soon as Irvine was gone, Selphie turned to Rinoa. "Okay, fess up," Selphie whispered. "The guys can't hear us now, so you can tell me all about what's been going on with you and Squall."

Rinoa looked at her, confused. "What do you mean?"

"Oh, come on. Look at the state that this bed is in! Looks to me like you were getting down and dirty," she winked.

"Selphie! I can't believe that you just said that! Besides, that's personal."

"You really like Squall, don't you?" Rinoa nodded. "Do you love him?"

Rinoa shook her head. "I don't know. Define love. It's sure been a long time since I've felt much love towards anyone."

"But you are in love with him, aren't you?" Selphie said excitedly. "You just won't admit it to yourself."

The bathroom door opened and Squall walked out, so there was no opportunity for Rinoa to respond. "Where's Irvine?" Squall asked.

"He went to get us some coffee," Selphie told him.

"I'm going to get dressed, and then we can get going, okay?" Rinoa disappeared into the bathroom, not bothering to wait for an answer.

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A few days later…

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Deling Arena! We have quite a show for you here tonight. Competing in the pair's competition are five amazing couples. The competition will consist of a long and short program, taking place over two days. Tonight will begin the short program. We'll start with the first pair after the break."

Rinoa and Squall had spent every day training since their arrival in Deling City. Things had been going pretty well, except for the fact that they barely had any time alone with each other. When they were alone, they were too exhausted to do much else but sleep.

"Welcome back. Our first pair performance comes from Roger Stanton and Emily Morrison."

Squall and Rinoa, meanwhile, were backstage getting ready. They would be on last. Rinoa paced back and forth nervously.

"Rinoa, could you please sit down or stretch or do anything, but could you please stop pacing back and forth?" Squall asked irritably.

Rinoa smiled sheepishly and stopped. "Sorry, but I'm just so nervous! It's been awhile since I've competed."

"We're going to be fine. We should stretch and go through the routine while we still have time."

Rinoa nodded. "You're right, as usual." She kissed him. "What would I do without you?"

Squall shrugged. "Who knows?"

Back in the arena, Roger Stanton and Emily Morrison had just received their scores, mostly 5.5's and 5.6's. Next up were Selphie and Irvine. Selphie was dressed in a yellow, sparkling outfit, and Irvine was dressed in brown. They had chosen a song with an upbeat melody for the short program. The music started up and they began.

Rinoa and Squall were still backstage, so they couldn't see Selphie and Irvine's performance. "Squall, come on! We can afford five minutes to go see Irvine and Selphie."

"They're probably done by now anyway."

Rinoa shook her head. "They're not! I can still hear their music playing. Please?"

Squall sighed. "Okay."

"Yay!" Rinoa grinned and grabbed Squall's hand. "Let's go!" She pulled him down the hall until they had entered the arena. Irvine and Selphie had just finished and were taking their bows.

The announcer came on. "The technical marks for Kinneas and Tilmitt are: 5.7, 5.7, 5.8, 5.8, 5.8, 5.7." The crowd cheered. "The artistic marks for Kinneas and Tilmitt are: 5.8, 5.7, 5.7, 5.7, 5.7, 5.7." Selphie and Irvine seemed pleased with their marks. Selphie spotted Rinoa and waved enthusiastically before heading off with Irvine.

"They're in first place," Squall commented.

Rinoa nodded. "I wish I could have seen their performance. I know we're competitors, but we're still friends. I'm happy for them."

"That's true, but you can't think like that when you're out there. You have to focus all of your attention on the task at hand," Squall said seriously.

"Of course I know that!" Rinoa grinned. "You're so cute when you take things so seriously."

Squall just shook his head. "Do you think we could go back to getting ready now?"

Rinoa nodded. "Hey, at least we've got our costumes on. We don't have that much time until we go on."

Next up were Bart Cawler and Rosa Peters. Their performance was good, but nothing spectacular. They received 5.6's across the board.

It was time for Seifer and Quistis to skate. They wore looks of sheer determination on their faces. The song they had chosen had a salsa-type beat. Their outfits fit the song, Seifer in black and Quistis in red. They put on a great performance and nailed all of their jumps. They finished, grinning from ear to ear. They skated off of the ice and waited for their scores.

"The technical marks for Almasy and Trepe are: 5.9, 5.9, 6.0, 6.0, 5.9. 6.0." They beamed. "The artistic marks for Almasy and Trepe are: 5.7, 5.8, 5.8, 5.8, 5.9, 5.8." They waved and disappeared backstage.

"Squall, this is it, we're up! We're going to have to put up the performance of our lives if we want to beat them," Rinoa told him.

He squeezed her hand reassuringly. "We'll do it."

They skated onto the ice, Squall in black and Rinoa in light blue. Unlike Seifer and Quistis, they had chosen a slow song. The music started and they were off. Their performance was full of emotion. The song called for a profound sadness and longing, which Rinoa and Squall were able to pull of perfectly. Every time Squall lifted Rinoa or threw her into the air, she felt like she was on top of the world, a feeling she had never felt when skating with Seifer. It was as if Squall and Rinoa had been destined to skate together. Their performance had been beautiful.

They finished exhausted, but extremely happy. They bowed and waved as the crowd went wild. Skating off the ice, they anxiously awaited their scores. 'The technical marks for Leonhart and Heartilly are: 6.0, 6.0, 5.9, 6.0, 5.9, 6.0." The crowd roared in approval. "The artistic marks for Leonhart and Heartilly are: 6.0, 6.0, 5.9, 6.0, 6.0, 6.0."

Rinoa hugged Squall tightly. "I can't believe it!" She exclaimed.

"I told you we'd be fine," Squall said as he stroked her hair. "You were great."

"Well folks, there you have it. The final standings for the short program are: Squall Leonhart and Rinoa Heartilly in first, Seifer Almasy and Quistis Trepe in second, Irvine Kinneas and Selphie Tilmitt in third, Bart Cawlers and Rosa Peters in fourth, and Roger Stanton and Emily Morrison in fifth. Join us here tomorrow night for the long program. It's sure to be quite a battle for the gold!"

~*~