Yuki: heehee. I'm so happy with the positive feedback. Didn't expect so many reviews for my first ff8 fanfic. This chapter's gonna focus more on exploration on Quistis' and Squall's relationship. I wrote and rewrote this chapter so many times, it was completely different from what I originally had in mind. Besides, I'm not good at writing romantic scenes. 0_o . So forgive me if it's not very good. ^_^ but this is one of favourite chappie yet.

P/s: don't worry. Squall wanted to accept this mission NOT because he's in love with Rinoa. Never!

3: Don't Hurt Me

"Quisty! Sefie! Squall! I'm so glad to see you guys!" Rinoa Heartilly exclaimed happily as she ran down the stairs of the mansion towards them. She hugged both Quistis and Selphie tightly and turned to Squall to give him his own share of hugs. Quistis had a hard time keeping a straight face as Squall pulled away, looking uncomfortable.

"It's been awhile since we last seen each other, Rinoa." Quistis said, smiling warmly at the raven-haired beauty.

"Yeah, since I was possessed by the Sorceress." Rinoa replied quietly. Her eyes were cast downwards as she remembered the awful experience.

"Oh, Rinny! I missed you soo much!" Selphie jumped up and gave Rinoa another tight hug. The older girl just laughed.

"You haven't changed one bit, Sefie." She looked over at Quistis, whose smile seemed strained and then at the grim-faced Squall.

"You look tired, Quistis. You haven't been working her too hard, have you, Squall? Or did you two have a fight, hm?"

Squall scowled. "I haven't—"

"It's nothing, Rinoa. Squall's always like that. And I'm just tired from all this traveling. Don't worry about it." Quistis interrupted.

"Oh, but surely you won't be too tired for the party tonight, will you?"

"Party? What party?" Quistis asked in confusion. Rinoa stared at her strangely.

"My birthday party, remember? You are here for my party, aren't you?"

"Of course we are." Squall said before Quistis and Selphie could answer. He shot them both a warning look. Quistis blinked. Clearly, Squall didn't want Rinoa to know the real reason they were there.

"Great! Come on, you two! We need to go up and change! It's about to start." Hooking her arms around Quistis' and Selphie's back, she steered the two girls towards her room, chatting happily about the party.

Quistis managed to glance back at Squall but he seemed deep in thought.

What's on your mind, Squall? What's your secret this time?

~@~~@~~@~

"Quisty, why don't you let you hair down?"

"Excuse me?" Quistis said with indignation. "Are you trying to say that I'm too uptight?"

They were in Rinoa's room and it was a complete mess. Clothes were scattered everywhere and bottles of perfumes littered the white dressing table. Shoes and boxes of jewellery were pushed to one end of the lushly carpeted room and the three girls were standing on the other end of the room, the only place where they could actually see the carpet.

Rinoa giggled at Quistis' expression. "I didn't mean that. I just meant that you should take your hairclip off."

"No, thank you. I'd prefer not to have my hair all over my face."

Rinoa raised an eyebrow and looked meaningfully at Selphie. "Okay, Selphie! Grab her!"

Selphie ran over and jumped on Quistis, making them both topple onto Rinoa's bed. Quistis screamed as Selphie pinned her hand on her back while Rinoa plucked the hairclip that held her hair off. The one under attack struggled while ordering them to stop immediately.

Quistis rolled on her back and grabbed both her attacker. She smiled evilly and threw them on the bed while pushing herself off it. Selphie yelled "Whoo-hoo!" and tried to lunge after her but Quistis quickly evaded and Selphie landed on the floor with a loud crash.

Rinoa giggled uncontrollably at Quistis who was standing over them, glaring down at them with annoyance. "That was low, girlfriend, and you're going to pay!" Quistis reached down and tickled Rinoa until tears streamed down her face and she begged her to stop.

Quistis finally let go and snatched up her hairclip from the bed, laughing as Rinoa gasped for breath. "That should teach you!"

"Don't put your hair up, Quisty, please? I really like seeing your hair like that. Even if you won't borrow any of my dresses, the least you could do is grant me this little favour." Rinoa said, looking at her pleadingly.

Quistis rolled her eyes. "I didn't want to borrow any of your dresses because they're all way to short, Rin. But anyway, I guess I can 'let my hair down' for one night. Just this time, okay? And only because I didn't get you a present for your birthday."

"My dresses are NOT too short! They're quite long, mind you!" Rinoa protested loudly, pulling the hem of her gold-trimmed white dress self-consciously.

"Wow, if that white piece of number you're wearing is long, I'd hate to see a 'short' one." Quistis teased, pointing to Rinoa's dress.

That's the spirit!" Selphie exclaimed, getting up. She beamed at the other two girls, apparently unaware of the conversation the other two had just shared.. "I'm okay, everyone! No reason to worry!"

And then all three of them burst into laughter.

~@~~@~~@~

The party was in full swing when the three girls descended down the stairs—well, Selphie hopped down every two steps so just Rinoa and Quistis descended. Every eye in the room turned to look at the birthday girl as she smiled brightly at her guests.

"Welcome all to my party! Please enjoy yourselves!" she said cheerfully. Her eyes scanned the room but the person she was looking for didn't seem to be there. She sighed in disappointment. "So he didn't come."

"Who?" Quistis asked.

"Nothing! Come on! Let's dance, Quisty!" Rinoa said brightly and pulled Quistis to the dance floor. Quistis' blonde tresses flew as Rinoa spun and twirled her. They both laughed as Rinoa almost stumbled on Quistis's boots.

"Who's leading, Rin?"

"I assume you'd lead because you're taller."

Rinoa suddenly stopped in the middle of the dance floor and pulled Quistis to the edge of the room. Quistis just followed obligingly until she saw Squall leaning on a pillar and frowning at them as they approached him.

"Squall, would you mind dancing with Quistis? I seem to dance better with the member of the opposite sex and I can't possibly leave her without a dance partner." She said, her eyes twinkling playfully at Quistis.

"I don't dance." Squall muttered, echoed by Quistis. She made a face at him.

"You don't do anything but frown and brood and think about how to solve the world's problem." She pointed out.

Squall scowled at her. "I do not." He said defensively.

"Hey, you two! Are you just going to stand here all night arguing? C'mon, Squall! Be a gentleman and ask Quistis to dance." Rinoa urged.

Squall ignored her and looked away pointedly. Quistis almost laughed as Rinoa narrowed her eyes at Squall. Well, he was being rude. She thought.

Suddenly, Rinoa grabbed Squall's hand and pulled him towards the dance floor. Probably surprised, Squall didn't protest as Quistis was pushed into his arms.

"You'd better dance or I'll—I'll—I'll—or else!" Rinoa exclaimed.

"Humour her." Quistis whispered as she led Squall to the center. Squall sighed in defeat and took Quistis' outstretched hand.

As they danced, Quistis was pleased to know that Squall was as great a dancer as he was a swordsman. He moved with confidence and ease—but he avoided her eyes when he was dancing so even though they moved with perfect synch, it still felt stiff and practiced.

He was distant. They were in the same room and yet, they were continents apart. They had known each other for a long time and yet, she barely knew him. In his own way, he was pushing her away. He always did that. Simply by concealing something from her and making it known that he was deliberately doing it.

He was mocking me.

~Just stay away~

The message was clear.

But she wouldn't.

She couldn't.

Quistis suddenly twirled away from him, still holding Squall's hand. He was surprised. She flipped her hair and stared at him defiantly, daring him to meet her cerulean gaze.

That's it, Squall. Say something! Say anything! Just stop ignoring me! Do you know how much it hurts to not be able to get close to you? Hyne, I've tried, Squall. Tried to understand you. Tried to break your shield. Tried so hard that I was beginning to despair. When will you ever trust me—trust anyone? When will you ever stop looking through me and just plain look at me?

 She spun back into his arms but suddenly stumbled. How humiliating. But Squall quickly reached out to steady her, snaking an arm around Quistis' waist. He pulled her closer until their faces were only inches apart. Quistis held her breath. Squall still refused to look at her directly.

If this was a game, she would have already thrown up her remaining cards with frustration. How can you win against a block of ice anyway?

But since this wasn't, she decided to be direct. To hell with beating around the bush. The ice refused to crack. And honesty was something that Quistis never had a problem with.

"Squall, is something bothering you?" she asked quietly, forcing him to meet her eyes.

Squall looked down at her and an intense expression crossed his face but was gone as quickly as it had appeared. He let go of Quistis' hand and ran it through his hair irritably. "Can we talk?" he asked.

Quistis blinked. "Talk? Here?" this doesn't sound good. But wasn't that what she wanted?

Taking her hand, Squall led her towards the balcony. "No, here." He replied as he closed the glass doors shut, effectively blocking in the music.

Quistis smiled nervously at him. She was alone…with Squall. When was the last time that had happened? Still, he wanted to talk. And 'talk' wasn't what Squall often does.

In a way, it was strange. He was never comfortable if he was alone, with her. She'd made it pretty clear that her feelings for him weren't those of a close friend's, or even those of a sister's. Not even close. Her feelings ran deeper than the childhood friend, brother-to-sister or SeeD to SeeD bond. Deeper still than her feelings for anything else.

And he'd made it clear that his feelings were just bordering somewhere along the co-workers and tolerable companies line. Never further. And now, he actually wanted to be alone with her. Without having to threaten him or drag him by the collar to do so.

Hmm. Maybe she should check if the temperature in Hell has dropped or something.

She waited for him to say something but he was busy staring up at the sky while leaning against the railing. She crossed, then uncrossed her arms uncomfortably as impatience crept in. silently, Quistis wondered what he could possibly say that he couldn't have said inside.

Maybe he never wanted to 'talk'. Maybe, all along, he was just playing with her, waiting for the next opportunity to laugh at what an idiot she was.

An idiot because she had fallen for Squall Leonhart, Incurable Cold-hearted Syndrome.

What are you trying to prove? That you can lead me on and strand me when I'm full of hope?

She was crazy. She was thinking like a crazy person. She knew Squall wasn't like that. The best bet was that he didn't even care about her feelings. Which wasn't the most comforting alternative in the world. But still.

"So…you wanted to talk?" she said finally, evenly. Her tone was surprisingly neutral—considering the fact that she felt like hitting him and hugging him at the same time.

She was a mess of emotions, a jumble of nerves, and a picture of perfect calm all rolled into one.

Squall glanced at her briefly. "Well, it's about the Sorceress."

Oh. So it's about work. Quistis didn't know if she should feel relieved or disappointed. The urge to hit him was becoming stronger.

"If the Sorceress from the future really did arrive here, don't you think that she'd already found herself a home—a body to occupy?"

Quistis contemplated this for a while. "Well, I suppose…" then she started. She looked at Squall sharply. Suddenly, it all made sense. Squall offering to escort Rinoa, his strange manner around Rinoa and his colder than usual attitude.

"You don't mean…Rinoa?" she asked, horrified.

Squall looked away. "She was a Sorceress before."

"Squall! How could you even—! No, I don't believe that Rinoa is Sorceress Millennia. How can you even suggest—"

"Quistis, listen to yourself! You're ruling out the possibility just because Rinoa is your friend. How can you forget your duty as a SeeD?"

"SeeD? What about friend? We are Rinoa's friends, Squall!"

"Do you think I like being SeeD first and friend second? Do you think it's easy for me too to fight against someone close to me? I just…don't want to see anyone get hurt again. Not after what happened…last time."

Quistis looked down as Squall turned away. The silence between them stretched endlessly.

"I'm sorry, Squall. It's just that, when Rinoa was possessed, I thought, we had to kill her just to save the world. It was a nightmare back then. I don't want—I can't handle that kind of pressure again."

"I know. That's why I had to make sure. Tonight proved me wrong. And I was never so glad to be wrong in my entire life."

Quistis groaned. She slapped Squall squarely on the shoulder. "You jerk! I thought you were serious!"

A ghost of a smile appeared on Squall's face. "You never did give me a chance to finish. If I recall, you were the one who made all the assumptions." Suddenly, he turned serious again. "But seriously, Quistis. What if another one of our friends is the Sorceress? What if it was me, or you? If you'd known you were the Sorceress, what would you do?"

"Why must you have such depressing thoughts, Squall? Don't you think it's too much of a coincidence such thing could happen?" Quistis protested.

"But what would you do? Would you kill yourself, die for the world, and your friends?" Squall's eyes looked haunted as he stared morosely at her. He was beginning to get her depressed.

Quistis smiled and shook her head. "If I were to die, it would not be for anyone but myself. Because I could never let other people feel guilty over my death. So I live for myself, and will die for myself too." She said softly.

Lies! All lies!

But the truth would've killed me.

And your answer would bring me back to life only to die a thousand times more.

There was a rustling noise and she realized that Squall was moving closer. He now stood only inches away from her. He reached out and touched her cheek, sending shivers through her. She looked up into the sapphire depths and they seemed to speak volumes to her. But what, she didn't understand. Or dared hope.

"You were always the one to think about other people, aren't you, Quisty?" he murmured softly.

Quisty.

He called me Quisty.

She looked away. My heart is not up for your games, Squall. It's too fragile.

"Don't say it like it's an endearment to you." She replied hurtfully.

You knew! You know how I feel about you!

"It comes from the heart."

What do I want?

He seemed like he meant it.

What are you trying to say?

Look up into his eyes and you'll find your answer.

But I can't.

He's waiting for you.

I'm afraid.

You've been waiting for so long for this.

I've been waiting for so long…

"Quisty…"

He was lifting her chin. He was leaning closer. He was closing his eyes.

Please don't hurt me.

His lips brushed hers, soft as a feather's.

He was kissing her.

His lips were soft, and slightly sweet from the punch he drank. It moved gently against hers, coaxing her to return it. And when she did, it was with everything that she got.

It seemed like an eternity later when they pulled away. Her face was wet. She was crying. Was it from happiness? She couldn't tell. She buried her face into his chest.

"Why? Why now?" she said in muffled whisper.

Squall ran a hand through Quistis' loose blonde hair. His gesture was so natural that it surprised her a bit.

"I didn't want to ruin it. You mean so much to me. I just…I was afraid something might happen to you, to us. That's why I kept my distance. I'm sorry, Quisty. I'm sorry for making you wait for so long. I wanted to tell you. Honestly, I do. But I dare not. I was afraid I'd lose you."

She looked up at him. "How long, Squall? How long have you kept this?"

Squall looked embarrassed. And uncomfortable. He ran a hand through his hair, a gesture made whenever he was nervous, or annoyed, depending on the situation. "Well, I can't really be sure," he mumbled, "but I wanted to tell you how I feel about a year ago, after the fight with Seifer where I got my scar. But it just…didn't feel right. I didn't know how to. The problem with building walls so high is that you never know how to take them down."

"The problem with having walls so high is that you never know what is waiting on the other side." Quistis replied, smiling up at him.

"You're wrong. I knew you're waiting. I knew, no matter what, you'll always wait. And I've always watched. No matter how high the walls are, there's always a small opening for me to see you. You were the only one that stood by it long enough to wear it off."

"That's good to hear. Remind me later to bring a hammer. It'll be so much faster that way."

"Very funny. Do you think my affection is something to be made fun of?" said Squall dryly.

With his words, came a warm feeling that enveloped Quistis like a cocoon. She felt…happy. Exhilarated. So he loved her too. He'd always loved her.

Helovesmehelovesmehelovesmehelovesme.

The words ran over and over in her mind with her repeating it like a magic mantra. He loves me. It was too good to be true. What did she ever do to deserve this? Hyne, she was not a Saint, and yet, Hyne blessed her with Squall's confessions—which was even better than what she'd dreamed of.

The tears came again. This time she was positive that it was from happiness. She rubbed her face against his white shirt, wiping her tears. And Squall actually wrapped his arms around her!

It was so uncharacteristic of him that she began to laugh. A soft, soundless laugh. She pulled back, and her eyes twinkled up at him.

"I'm surprised you're so good at this whole courtship thing." She teased, her old humour returning.

Squall just rolled his eyes and pulled her back into his arms.

But Quistis didn't miss the slow grin that appeared on his face.

Yuki: Phew! Finally, the last draft. Geez. I hope it's not too sappy. Definitely OOC for Squall. What the heck.

Oh yeah, flames will be used to fire the flying cockroaches that so love to disturb me when I'm writing my fic. Byeeeeee.