Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy VIII...

Author's Note: Woo-hoo, I actually updated two weeks in a row! I'm going to try to have one more chapter up before I leave for vacation on the 29th. Thanks for the reviews everyone. Special thanks to Baby Rose for e-mailing me her reviews when FF.net was down. Sorry for anyone hoping for a lemon last chapter. I hope this chapter satisfies you, but I don't really write lemons. This chapter is as graphic as it's going to get...for now anyway ^_^

On the Ice

Chapter 11- Just Feel

The locker room at the Deling City Arena was in shambles. Wood splinters decorated the floor, along with a mess of clothes and equipment. Anyone in their right mind would stay as far away from that room as possible. Only two people occupied the room now, one of those people being the person who the mess could be attributed to. Seifer Almasy was on a rampage.

"Seifer, you need to calm down. Look at this mess! They're going to disqualify us for this," Quistis said anxiously.

"Do you think I give a damn?" Seifer spat. "I am completely fed up with all this bullshit! Who the hell are Squall Leonhart and Rinoa Heartilly to beat us?"

Quistis shook her head. "That's just it, Seifer, they're nobody. You just have to calm down. I'm pissed off that we didn't win, too, but we still have tomorrow night. We're barely behind them! An outstanding performance tomorrow could result with us as the winners."

"How the hell can you say that, Quistis? Nothing is ever definite in skating, don't you get that? Those bastards are probably paying the judges to put them in first." Seifer slammed his fist against the wall. "I can't take this shit! I'm sick of being taken for a fool!"

"I understand how you feel, Seifer, but look what this is doing to you. It's tearing you up inside." She put a hand on his shoulder reassuringly. "I know how bad you want to beat Squall and Rinoa. I know, because I feel the same way. However, we can't just sit here and throw a fit. I've done that, so many times, and it doesn't get you anywhere. We need to work for this."

"Work? What the hell have we been doing? We've done nothing but work since we partnered up. I am sick of working my ass off for nothing!" He shouted.

"Listen to me, dammit! We haven't been doing this all for nothing! Second place is not exactly a bad thing," Quistis said exasperatedly.

Seifer shook his head. "That's not good enough. We already lost to Kinneas and Tilmitt. There is no damn way that I'm going to lose again!"

Quistis sighed. "I agree, we can't lose again. Right now, what's done is done, so let's get over it and move on. The only way to win tomorrow night is to go into it with a clear head."

Seifer turned around and looked at her. Snapping his fingers, he said, "That's not the only way."

Quistis looked at him wearily. "What do you have in mind?"

"It's simple, really. The other teams shouldn't be a problem, since we're already ahead of them. That just leaves Leonhart and Heartilly. Think of it this way, if something suddenly comes up, like a freak accident, they won't be able to skate, will they?"

"Seifer, where are you going with this? Are you saying that we should cause Squall and Rinoa to have an accident so that they won't be able to compete?"

Seifer grinned. "You catch on fast, Quisty. That's exactly what I'm saying."

Quistis shook her head. "How do you expect to pull this off? If we do something to both of them, it's going to look awfully suspicious."

"That's why we're only going to eliminate one of them. Quistis, this is the only way to ensure that we get the gold. Are you going to help me or not?"

Quistis nodded. "I'm with you, Seifer."

"Alright, then here's the plan..."

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"I can't believe we're in first," Rinoa said happily. Her and Squall had already left the arena and were now standing outside the door to their hotel room. "I am so completely happy right now!" She exclaimed, and twirled around to prove it.

Squall smiled. "I can see that." He took the cardkey to the room out of his pocket and swiped it through the slot.

Rinoa hit him playfully as they entered the room. "Come on, Squall, have a little fun. You've gotta loosen up every now and then. We just made an amazing comeback, so let's celebrate!"

Squall just shook his head. "Sorry, but I'm not into the whole celebration thing."

Rinoa put her hands on her hips. "Oh, really? Then what exactly are you into?"

He shrugged. "A lot of things. Skating, leather, you..."

Rinoa couldn't help but grin at his comment. She closed the distance between them, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Well, I'm into you, too, Squall Leonhart. I think at this point, there's a name for it, though."

Squall's eyes twinkled in amusement. "What would that be?"

"Love," she whispered.

Squall's eyes widened. "Love?"

"That's right, Squall, love. I love you," she told him softly.

Squall just stared at her. She loves me... "Rinoa..." Unable to find the words to even begin to describe the way he felt, he remembered her words. Don't think, just feel. Your emotions won't lie to you. He pulled her closer and kissed her with all the feelings he possessed.

Rinoa understood that this was Squall's way of telling her that he felt the same. She kissed him back, matching this newfound passion he was showing her. Rinoa broke away, panting heavily. "Are you sure you're ready for this?"

Squall nodded and continued to trail kisses down her neck. Satisfied that Squall was more than ready, she pulled him closer and they both fell back onto the bed....

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General Caraway sipped his coffee while he read the Deling Tab. It was a daily ritual for him; get up, eat breakfast, and read the newspaper. It wasn't much, but it was one of the few things in his life that remained constant. His wife had died, his daughter had run away, and he was basically left with nothing. Sometimes, it was the little familiar things in his life that kept him sane.

The General's eyes widened as he turned the page. Smiling up at him was a picture of his only daughter, Rinoa. Standing next to her was Squall, a look of pride on his face. The caption under the picture read "Squall Leonhart and Rinoa Heartilly: Currently in first place after the short program." The article basically summarized what had happened the previous night and what was predicted to happen that night. It wasn't like the General didn't know about Rinoa's skating career; he just chose to ignore it. The last he heard, she had been in Dollet.

"Sherry," he barked. "What is the meaning of this?"

The main housekeeper, Sherry, approached him. "What's the problem, Sir?"

"I would like to know why I wasn't informed that Rinoa was in Deling City," he said angrily.

"I believe that you said you wanted to cut off all connections to your daughter, Sir," Sherry said calmly.

"Forget what I said! I want you to locate her for me!"

"She's going to be at the Deling Arena tonight, Sir. Wouldn't it be easier if you went to see her there?"

He sighed. "Fine. Get me a ticket to tonight's show."

Sherry nodded. "As you wish, Sir."

"Oh, and Sherry?"

She turned around. "Yes, Sir?"

"I want you to find out everything you can about this Squall Leonhart. The man who thinks he is good enough for my daughter..."

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Rinoa opened her eyes and found herself tangled up in Squall's arms. Her head was resting comfortably on his chest and his arms were holding her tight. She sighed happily, recalling the events of the previous night. Her life finally seemed to be looking up. She loved the way Squall looked when he was asleep. No matter how many times she studied his face, she couldn't get over that peaceful look he always wore when sleeping.

She turned slightly, so as not to wake him. Reaching out, she ran her fingers through his hair. God, how she loved his hair. She let her hand trail down the outline of his scar. Rinoa couldn't resist the urge to kiss him, and feeling her lips upon his face, Squall opened his eyes.

He smiled. "So it wasn't a dream..."

"No, it really happened," she said, smiling back.

Squall looked at her seriously. "About what you said last night-"

Rinoa shook her head, cutting him off. "I meant everything that I said and there's no way that I regret what happened. Do you?"

"No, of course not. It's just...I've been trying to find the words to tell you how I feel. The thing is, I've discovered that there aren't any words to describe this feeling. Words just make it seem so insignificant. What I feel when I'm with you...what I'm feeling right now...it's beyond words."

Rinoa stroked his cheek gently. "The words are simple, but what they represent is not. I told you to show me how you feel, and you did just that. That's all I could ever have hoped for."

"I've found that sometimes the simple things are what mater the most. I love you, Rinoa, and that's all there is to it."

Rinoa grinned. "You couldn't have said it better. There's nothing else to it."

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Later that night, after Squall and Rinoa had managed to crawl out of bed, they had gathered their equipment and headed to the arena. Rinoa was anxiously anticipating what would happen as Squall searched for a place to park. She had never imagined that things could have gone so smoothly. If they could just win tonight, they would have made the ultimate comeback.

"Rinoa?" Squall's voice snapped Rinoa out of her daze. "I'm going to drop you off here, okay? It could be a while before I find a space."

"Okay," she nodded. "Do you want me to take your equipment in?"

He shook his head. "It's okay, I can handle it. I'll see you in a few minutes." He kissed her lightly and she got out of the car.

Rinoa watched as Squall drove off into the parking lot. She smiled to herself as she walked towards the arena's entrance. It was a beautiful night, and Rinoa found herself looking up at the stars. I guess my wish came true.

Quistis spotted Rinoa walking across the parking lot alone. This couldn't be more perfect. Dressed in all black, she blended in perfectly with the night. She crept up behind Rinoa, clutching a lead pipe in her hand. Raising the pipe above her head, she struck Rinoa's right leg as hard as she could. Rinoa cried out in pain as she slumped to the ground. The pain was too much to bear, and as a result, Rinoa blacked out.

"It's almost a pity," Quistis said softly. "Almost..."

~*~