Thief's Treasure
Chapter Nine: Return to Earth
By PasifiKStaR

Author's Note: LEMON ALERT! LEMON ALERT!! SquallxRinoa below! You have been warned!!

*All Standard Disclaimers Apply - I do not own Final Fantasy or it's characters.

"I can't believe it..." Squall whispered. He sat down in the center of the room tiredly. "It makes so much sense...but..."

Rinoa nodded. "Anything that has to do with love never makes sense," Rinoa said. She slowly walked into the room, looking around as she did so. "I can't believe he had this built for nothing..."

"Literally..." Squall sighed. He ran his hand through his hair as Rinoa stood in front of him. She looked down and smiled sadly.

"I'm sorry, Squall..." she sighed. "I wish I could help."

Squall shook his head. "Don't worry about it." he mumbled.

"You know," Rinoa said quietly. "I kind of wonder why exactly Leon said that both ships were caught in a storm and were ship wreaked. After seeing this, it's obvious that it was planned."

Squall nodded. "The end of the scroll from the other cavern said that he prayed that the people who found it did so for love..."

Rinoa looked slightly surprised. "I guess only people in love can really appreciate it's meaning."

"Do you appreciate it?" Squall said. Rinoa looked over at him. She blushed slightly and nodded. A simple question with a large meaning. Rinoa nodded.

"Of course I do."

Squall patted the ground next to him. "Have a seat," he sighed. "It'll be a while before they get back."

Rinoa did as she was told and sat down next to him. "I hope they make it back all right..."

"I'm sure they will," he assured her. Moments of silence passed between them as they sat there. Occasionally, Rinoa would look over at him. Squall looked straight ahead, out the door. "I found something in the first cavern."

"What?" Rinoa asked quickly, desperate for a conversation.

"It probably fell from the cushion the key was on since it was right next to the chest..." he mumbled. Rinoa raised an eyebrow in question.

"You lost me..." she said, shaking her head in confusion.

Squall turned to look at her. "When we get back to Esthar...I might never see you again," Squall stated. Rinoa's eyebrows furrowed as her smiled turned into a frown. "I know we said that we'd just be friends, but...I can't see you as just a friend."

Rinoa's face suddenly filled with sadness as she looked down at the ground. "I see..."

"You'll always be more than that to me," Squall admitted. Rinoa's head shot up and looked at him in shock. He was digging in the pocket of his pants and pulled out something. "I found this..."

"Hyne, Squall!" Rinoa gasped as she looked over the thing in his hands. Between his fingers was a platinum ring with a large stone framed by two smaller ones. A total of THREE diamonds. Her mouth dropped. "That thing's gorgeous!"

Squall glanced over at her. Without another word, he reached out and took her hand. Rinoa's eyes were wide as he lifted her left hand up and slipped the ring on to her ring finger. "I thought so..." he whispered. "Perfect fit. It was made for you."

She swallowed hard, unsure of what to say or even do as he held her hand and studied how the ring looked on it. "Squall?" she managed to gasp out.

He looked up at her and offered a soft smile. "No matter what happens, Rinoa...I'll love you."

"Is that promise?" Rinoa whispered quietly.

He nodded. "No matter what...always," he told her. He leaned forward. "I promise." And kissed her.

Rinoa smiled as she turned on her bed and tried to bury herself deeper into it's warmth. She loved that dream. Or rather, that flash back to their night in the cave. When she fell asleep in his strong arms. She couldn't remember when she had a better night's sleep.

She blinked and looked around her cabin. Angelo was sleeping at the foot of her bed, curled into a ball. Next to her, Squally-poo was sitting, guarding her. She smiled as she reached up and hugged the massive stuffed animal. As she squeezed it, someone entered her room.

"I'm starting to think that you love that thing more than me." an amused voice stated. Her brown eyes flew open as she let go of Squally-poo and looked over to the door. Squall was standing there, wearing a white shirt, not tucked, and leather pants with his belts hanging over his hips.

*I swear, those belts are eye catching...* she thought to herself.

Squall whistled to wake up Angelo. The dog was going to be fed. Rinoa was still looking at him as the dog scrambled up from the bed. He sighed. "Rinoa, stop staring at my crotch." he smirked.

Immediately, the young woman turned deep red as she shook her head from side to side. Her blanket fell to her waist and Squall immediately diverted his eyes. "I am NOT staring at your CROTCH," she stated. "I just think that you have nice belts."

"I've never heard it put THAT way before."

Rinoa raised and eyebrow. "You're one to talk...I suppose you're just noticing the pattern on my night gown?"

"I didn't notice the little white flowers before."

"Squall!" Rinoa growled as she brought her arms over her chest. She frowned and Squall smiled.

"Did you have a good night's sleep?" he asked. She nodded with a smile. "All right...um..." he rubbed the back of his neck. "Fujin said that we're going to arrive at the port soon."

Rinoa's smile faded. "Oh..." she mumbled. *Four days have gone by already...?* "I see..."

"Rinoa..." Squall began. He seemed to be having a lot of trouble suddenly.

"Why don't we spend the day at the port?" Rinoa suggested warmly, trying to ease the situation. "And then have a big farewell dinner? All of us."

"Oh...I suppose..."

"I mean...you guys aren't in that much of a rush, are you?" Rinoa asked, concerned.

"No...that's fine." he mumbled.

"Good!" Rinoa smiled. "It'll give us a chance to hang out one last time!"

Squall nodded and closed the door. *I don't see how she can be so damn happy...*

Rinoa fell back in bed and closed her eyes. Tears were falling from the corners of her eyes. It was happening. He was leaving her...and she couldn't stop him.

The sun was shining, the gulls were singing, and the Siren pulled up to the dock. Seifer and Raijin immediately got to work on securing themselves a space and tying the ship up for the day.

Selphie was unlocking the side of the boat and getting Irvine to help her put the plank down. "I can't believe we're back already..." Irvine said as he helped her slide the wooden plank down.

Selphie nodded. "I'm going to miss you..." she whimpered with a sad look on her face. Irvine smiled and pulled her into a hug.

"Hey...it's not like I'm disappearing..." Irvine said. "We still have a day... let's make the most of it."

Selphie nodded as Irvine kissed the top of her head. "Okay..."

"Don't be so down, Selphie," he said with a warm smile. "I'll let you wear my hat."

Selphie giggle and nodded. "I'll miss your hat, too."

"Hyne, get a room..." Seifer grumbled as he walked past them to go down the plank. "Damn teenagers..."

Quistis was coming out from below deck. "Is Rinoa up yet?" she asked as she looked around.

"I'm up!" a voice said from the captain's cabinet. Rinoa walked out, clad in her usual black and light blue out fit. "Oh! Before anyone leaves to go walk around, we're going to have one last dinner together as a group tonight! On me!"

"Aw, Rin, you don't have to!" Irvine assured her. "You guys have done enough already."

"No, I want to!" Rinoa said. "All of us!" She looked over at Selphie. "Selphie, what's the name of that restaurant you like so much-"

"Zidane's Sea Cuisine!" Selphie cut her off energetically. "YES!! Seafood buffet, here I come!"

Irvine chuckled as Zell asked if there were any hot dogs. "Well, there is a part with BBQ stuff..." Selphie said, thinking about it. "So there should be a hot dogs."

"So whose paying?" Seifer asked has he walked back on to the deck. He had gone to tie the ship to the pier itself.

"I am, cheapskate!" Rinoa stuck her tongue out at Seifer. "Quisty, what did you want to tell me?"

"Hmm? Oh," Quistis just raised a map. "I just wanted to know where we should go next. I want to plot the course ahead of time."

Rinoa nodded. "I'll talk to you about it after dinner." Rinoa said. Quistis nodded.

"All right, if that's all," Irvine said. "I'm taking Selphie out! We'll see you guys there!"

"Whoo!! Yeah!!" Selphie grabbed Irvine's hand as he swung her around the dance floor. Irvine was laughing as he watched Selphie dance circles around him. Music from the dance floor filled the rest of the buffet style restaurant where the group had congregated to eat dinner.

Against the brightly lit dance floor, the dimmer lit areas of tables had people sitting around them, talking animatedly with each other. To one corner, around a long rectangular table, was the group's table.

Seifer was busy trying to crack some crab legs. Every so often, Quistis, who was sitting next to him, would wipe her face as crab juice would fly on her. Across from them, Rinoa was looking over at the dance floor where Irvine and Selphie were dancing and smiling brightly as she moved her upper body to the music.

Next to her, Zell was putting several different condiments on the hotdogs he had brought over from the buffet. To her other side, Squall was quietly eating clam chowder. To Seifer's right side, Raijin and Fujin were eating shrimp and muscles.

The pieces of sushi on Rinoa's plate had all but vanished as she listened to the music. Selphie and Irvine were among a dozen or so other couples dancing to the foot tapping music. "I want to dance, too!" Rinoa frowned finally as the song died down.

"So why don't you go dance?" Quistis asked as she delicately picked up a piece of salmon roll.

"No one's going to dance with me!" Rinoa said. "I don't want to go alone...I'll look like a loser."

"Selphie looks like she's having a seizure, but that's not stopping her." Seifer commented as he finally managed to crack the crab leg. He grinned as the crab meat was exposed.

Rinoa frowned. "She's not having a seizure," she sighed. "She's just...really happy..."

"Uh-huh..." Seifer trailed off as he ate the crab and reached for another crab leg on his plate.

Zell let put a slight burp as he finished his hot dog and smiled sheepishly. "Sorry!" he smiled.

"You're excused," Rinoa said. She looked over at Squall. "Um...Squall-"

"I'm going to get more chowder." he stated coldly. He stood up, bringing his bowl with him. There was no way he was going to go up there.

Rinoa frowned. Quistis shook her head. Seifer raised an eyebrow as he was in the middle of cracking yet another crab leg. "Why is he taking his bowl? You just get another one when you're there."

"Why won't anyone DANCE with me!?" Rinoa grumbled. "Am I ugly!?"

Seifer opened his mouth and Quistis shot him a glare. He immediately looked back down at his food. "I'll dance with you, Rin!" Zell said with a bright smile.

Rinoa smiled warmly. "That's nice, Zell...but you just finished eating...are you sure?"

"Positive!" Zell assured her. He stood up and offered his hand. Rinoa happily took it and they scurried over to the dance floor.

Quistis wiped her face once more. "Seifer, will you PLEASE watch where you crack those things?" she sighed. "You're getting it all over my face."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Seifer frowned with fawned regret. "Here, let me move." He then held his hand and the crab claw over Quistis' plate.

Quistis frowned. "Seifer!" She slapped his arm and pushed him further away from her.

Seifer merely smiled coyly. "Quisty...not here...save for the bedroom."

Quistis glared at him and pointed her own crab leg crusher at Seifer. "One more word from you and I'm going to use this on your head. Do you understand me?"

"Where did Rinoa go?" Quistis looked up and saw Squall sitting down at his chair, next to Rinoa's and looked around.

"She's dancing." Quistis said. She pointed over to the dance floor, where Rinoa was dancing in front of Zell, big beaming smiles on their faces as they were caught up in the energy of the other dances.

Squall frowned. *Why is Zell dancing with Rinoa?*

Quistis smiled slightly as she noticed Squall's displeasure. "Rinoa wanted to dance so Zell said he'd dance with her," Quistis shrugged, fully aware that Squall was not happy. "They seem to be having a lot of fun, don't they?"

Zell took Rinoa's hand and turned in her a circle. "Rin's an accomplished ballet dancer, ya know." Raijin said.

Fujin nodded, also noticing the sudden conspiracy against Squall, and deciding to join in. "Dance champion."

"That's right!" Quistis stated, as if suddenly remembering. "Rinoa's been dancing since she was a child. Mostly classical styles, though...until that trip to Timber!"

The group, aside from Squall, all began to snicker and Squall looked over at them. Against what he knew would disturb him, he relented and asked. "What happened at Timber?"

"We were eating dinner and the entertainment were these belly dancers," Seifer grinned. He stopped eating for a moment and looked over at Quistis, who was suddenly blushing. "The girls were so amazed, they spent a week there learning. Even Fujin."

"Good exercise!" Fujin retorted defensively as she struggled to keep the blush from her face.

"That's always your excuse, ya know!" Raijin chuckled. Fujin kicked him under the table.

Squall suddenly had the image of Rinoa learning to belly dance in his head and quickly tried to shake it out. He turned to look back at the dance floor. His eyes went large as he realized both Selphie and Rinoa had their arms raised and hips moving from side to side in a fluid, obviously skilled motion.

Irvine was smiling appreciatively as Zell, for some reason, was attempting to follow their motions. Irvine looked over at Zell and shook his head. "Zell, you have to be more relaxed," Rinoa was saying. "It takes a while to learn."

"That's so cool!" Zell said. "Do guys do this too?"

"Uh...no." Immediately, Zell stopped and blushed, although Selphie and Rinoa both grabbed on to him and dragged him deeper into the dancing circle.

"Squall," a voice cut through the brunette's thoughts and he looked up. Quistis was looking at him questioningly. "Your chowder's getting cold."

His blue eyes dropped to his bowl and he started eating again. Seifer snorted. "Slow dance!" Fujin said suddenly as the loud, up beat music died down. The DJ in the corner began to play a slow song and Quistis tugged at Seifer's arm.

He grumbled and pulled away. "Seifer!" she hissed with narrowed eyes. "Hyne, you never do anything romantic!"

Grumbling even more, he dropped what he was doing and wiped his hands. "Fine, but if you smell like crab after this, don't come bitching to me."

Fujin and Raijin had already stood up and left Squall alone at their table to dance. The brunette sat there, looking around and noticing how suddenly alone he was. *Thanks a lot, guys...* he thought to himself.

"Hey, Squall?" a voice said behind him. Squall casually looked over his shoulder. "You want to dance with Rin?" Zell asked, looking a bit green. "I think..."

Rinoa was right behind him, a concerned look on her face as she pointed to their left. "Zell! Just go to the restroom before you puke all over the people!" Rinoa gasped. She put her hands on his shoulders and turned him in the direction of the restroom.

Zell covered his mouth and made a mad dash to the restroom. Squall watched, unsure of what to do as Zell ran away from them. Rinoa took a seat next to Squall and sighed. "What's wrong with him?"

"I think he ate too much and all that spinning and dancing we were doing got the best of him," Rinoa sighed as she shook her head. "Poor, Zell...he was just trying to be nice."

"Whatever..." Squall shrugged. Rinoa frowned.

"Can't you at least show a little compassion for your friend?" she said as she looked at him intently. "You've been such a hermit since we got here...all you've been doing is sitting and eating."

"Well, it IS dinner," Squall stated. Rinoa turned her head away, a sad look on her face. *Oh, way to go, Romeo! Confess your love to her and then treat her like crap...Amazing how she hasn't given up on you!* his mind scolded. Squall rolled his eyes and put his spoon down. "Let's get out of here."

Rinoa turned and looked at him with surprise written all over her face. "What?" she asked, her eyes wide.

"Let's go," Squall insisted. "Are you done eating?"

"Well...yeah, but-"

"Let's go," Squall said. He looked around quickly and stood up. "While they're busy."

Rinoa caught the rare mischievous look in his eyes and smiled. "Let's go!" she agreed. She took his hand and stood up. They quickly wove through the tables and out the door. As they rushed outside, they made a beeline down the street.

Squall put his arm around Rinoa's shoulder as he casually looked back to make sure that no one was following them. Rinoa leaned against him and he smiled slightly. "I thought you wouldn't come with me."

Rinoa giggled. "Of course I would!" she smiled. A slight look of worry crossed her face. "But...I think I'm forgetting something..." she trailed off and Squall looked at her, concerned, but he shook her head and smiled. "Nah! It's just me!"

Back at the restaurant, Seifer looked around. "Where the hell is she?"

Selphie was returning from the ladies room and was shaking her head. "She's not in the restroom!" she sighed as she sat down next to Irvine. She leaned forward. "But that lady in two tables from us is wearing a wing..." she whispered with a wink.

Quistis ran her hand down her face. "This can't be happening...Where did Rinoa and Squall go?"

"I don't care where they WENT," Seifer grumbled. "Whose going to PAY for all of this!?"

Quistis' head shot up and looked at Seifer with large blue eyes. "I thought you brought money..."

"Money?" Seifer gasped, looking at her as if she were crazy. "Quistis, I HAVE NO MONEY. Raijin?"

"I didn't bring any, ya know."

"Fujin?"

The white haired woman shook her head sadly. "Negative..."

Quistis looked across from her. "Selphie?"

Selphie shook her head. "I spent my last gil on cotton candy...Irvine?"

The cowboy also shook his head. "I thought Rinoa was going to pay so I spent MY last gil on some beer earlier."

"Hyne...we have NO money?" Quistis gasped. "NONE at all!?"

Irvine let out a deep breath. "Looks like I'll have to go to the emergency funds..." he said. He looked up just as a blond with a tattoo reached the table.

"Hey, guys!" Zell smiled brightly. "Where are Squall and Rinoa?"

Everyone turned to Irvine. Irvine smiled brightly. "Hey, Zell..."

Rinoa was holding Squall's hand as they walked through the port town. They were heading deeper into the town, farther from the water's edge. The inner part of the town was lined with small boutiques and little bistros.

As they walked, Rinoa occasionally stopped and looked through the glass windows at the clothes on the mannequins. Squall was content just to watch her. As they neared the center of the town, the streets began to have white paper lanterns hanging from the buildings, adding light in addition to the light from the street lamps.

They glowed in the darkness as festivities were underway. "Squall! Look!" she tugged on his hand and pointed to the town square. Squall turned and frowned the moment he laid eyes on the couples dancing around the star shaped fountain in the center of the town.

"Uh...no..." Squall began. "I really can't-"

"Please, Squall?" Rinoa pleaded, turning her large brown eyes at him. "Just once?"

He looked from Rinoa to the dancing couples and nodded reluctantly. "Just to warn you," he stated seriously as Rinoa's hand clamped on his wrist and dragged him forward. "I haven't danced since I was a child!"

"It's okay, Squall," she assured him as they entered the group of people dancing. "It's not formal or anything." She turned around and smiled at him warmly.

Squall let out a heavy sigh as he casually fell into step with Rinoa, proving he knew more than he let on. Occasionally, he slipped up, but with everyone around him dancing casually, it wasn't obvious. Rinoa seemed to be having a good time.

While holding her hand, she was turning in his arms. She pulled out from him and before being pulled back in and being crushed up against his chest. Squall caught the blush on her cheeks and pressed his head against hers. *Hyne, I don't want this song to end...*

"Squall..." a quiet voice whispered. He looked down at her and saw her chocolate brown eyes diverted slightly. "Tonight..." she trailed off. She lifted her head look up at him as they stood by the star shaped fountain. The music drowned their words out from the other dancers. Her hands tightened around his. "I don't want ANY regrets tonight."

Squall stared at her, unsure of what to say or do. Moments passed. "I... I'm not sure..."

"I want to spend tonight with you," she asserted softly. "Not just like back at the gave. I want more than that. Just for tonight, Squall," she told him intently. "Just for tonight, I want to have no regrets."

His hand gently rose and swept her dark bangs from her pale face. "Rinoa... are you sure?"

"No matter what," Rinoa repeated. "I'll always love you."

Squall wrapped his arms tighter around her and nodded slowly. "Even if it's just for tonight...just one night," Squall said. "I'll love you forever."

The room was dark and a cool ocean breeze swept in through the eastern window. It swayed the soft gauzy white curtains that lined it as he sat on the bed, wearing only a heavy chain pendent and unbuttoned leather pants. His back leaned against the head board of the bed, against the soft pillows he would later place her head on as he nervously waited for her to come out of the restroom. The door opened and he looked up.

Dark hair clashed against pale skin as she stepped out from behind the door dressed in a short light blue night gown. Fidgeting slightly, she walked over to his side of the bed, flushing the entire time.

Squall looked up at her and smiled intently as his hands rose and took her smaller ones in them. "You look beautiful," he told her breathy. "You always do."

Rinoa blushed. "Thank you." Squall positioned her so her back was tilted away from him and gently pulled her down into the bed, over his lap. She giggled slightly as she slowly was lowered on to the bed. He was being extremely careful, she realized. He held his body above her so that his pendant hung down and rested on her soft skin like cold ice.

He freed his left hand from her grasp and stroked her hair away from her face. She looked like she was going to cry. "You're not going to hurt me," Squall assured her, knowing that was what she was terrified about. "I'm not going to hurt you."

She nodded. "I know." She raised her hands to go through his thick brown hair and smiled slightly. Squall lowered his head and gently kissed her on the lips. Her close eyes as she felt his hands on the sides of her body, slowly moving upwards.

He lifted his lips off of her soft pink ones every so often to take a breath, but continued his soft, gentle caresses. His body craned over hers, taking pains not to crush her under his weight as he felt her bare leg rising and rubbing against his.

*Suddenly, these pants feel so confining...* he thought to himself as her hands trailed down the muscles that rippled on his back. He could feel his heart beating against hers as her breath quickened slightly. He took a deep breath and allowed his hands to rest on her shoulders.

He placed his fingers under the thin, silken straps of her night gown and began to move them over her creamy shoulders. As he lifted his head to look down and make sure he wasn't hurting her, Rinoa's lips trailed down his angular jaw line, down to his chin, and directly over his throat, right above his Adam's apple.

His rough hands went down along with the straps, rolling the thin piece of cloth off her shoulders, arms, and chest. It then rested around her waist. Reluctantly, Squall laid his upper body against hers, making sure to put most of his weight on his right hand as his left hand began to make small circles on her abdomen.

Her lips moved down to kiss him between his clavicles as her nervously shaking hands slid down his lean body to his hips. Her hands daringly dipped under his the hem of his pants to caress the smooth skin beneath and Squall's head dropped against her shoulder.

She let out a moan as warm lips pressed against her shoulders. "Take this off..." she whispered in his ear as she tugged on his pants.

Squall swallowed nervously and nodded. He turned over on his back and began to shrug his pants off. He could feel his face burning as Rinoa watched with intensity as he took his pants off and tossed them on the floor. She raised an eyebrow questioningly. "Do you usually not wear any...um... underneath?"

"Let's not get into that," he sighed as he rolled back on top of her and kissed her. "Let's get this off of you..." With the help of Rinoa's nimble fingers, he managed to get the remainder of her nightgown off her body and tossed them on to the ground. He paused for a moment to take her all in before leaning over her once more and kissing her.

She closed her eyes tightly as heated flesh seared against hers. She could feel his hands all over her body, exploring all her curves in the most loving way he could. The scent of his body was somehow calming all the anxiety she had been hiding away. Her arms wrapped around his body, under his arms as he slowly stroked her.

Regardless of the positive things he was hearing escape her mouth, he was still reluctant. It was fine so far, but there was still the danger of Rinoa losing herself momentarily to her powers. He didn't even realize he had stopped completely until Rinoa's confused voice cut through his thoughts. "Squall?" she asked quietly. "Don't stop..."

He mentally shook himself and looked back down at her, offering his most intent smile. "I'm sorry," he whispered. He lowered her head against hers and gave her a long, drawn out kiss. "I think you're ready..."

Rinoa was suddenly elated. Her eyes closed as a placid smile crossed her lips. She nodded. His hands gently ran down the sides of her body once more and down her legs. He paid close attention to any details that might show a sign of Rinoa lapsing into another mind set.

Rinoa herself was praying. *Hyne,* she thought desperately. *I love him... please, let us just enjoy this moment. Please...*

She felt him against her and opened her tearful eyes. Squall immediately froze. "Rinoa?" he asked nervously.

She shook her head. "I'm just happy..." she whispered truthfully.

He took a deep breath and pressed himself down into her. Her eyes went wide as she bit her lip. She felt it burning inside of her and felt a quick, painful sting. She let out a yelp and Squall put his head against hers. "It's all right..." he whispered quietly. "It's me...it'll be fine..."

*It's Squall...* her mind repeated over and over as he rose and fell above over her in a cool, fluid motion. *It's just Squall...he loves you...*

She looked up at him and found his head buried in the pillow right next to her head. She heard his ragged breathing as his lips caressed her skin. Her legs rose and ran along side of his, making Squall lift his head off the pillow and give off a quick breath. Her hands went around his shoulders and played with his hair as she pulled him down against her.

His motions began to quicken as his kisses became more heated. She felt a heat building up inside of her and her fingers grasped the bed sheets on either side of her body. Shallow breaths escaped her lips as Squall let out a groan. Her eyes shot open and she screamed.

"I'll KILL THEM!" Seifer growled angrily as he stormed out of Zidane's Sea Cuisine. "How DARE they leave us with the bill!? Especially when she said that she'd pay!"

"Seifer, calm down," Selphie said. "It's not like YOU were the one that paid," She looked over at the shorter blond male. "Thanks again, Zell. You really bailed us out."

"Don't THANK him," Seifer hissed. "He's the one that ate most of the food anyway."

"Hey!" Zell frowned. "You're lucky I even brought money with me!"

"He's right, Seifer," Quistis stated. "Stop complaining."

"I wonder were they went..." Selphie mumbled. "Zell, are you sure they didn't tell you?"

He shook his head. "Nope. I went to the bathroom and when I came back, they were missing."

"That's not like Rinoa..." Quistis mumbled.

"It's not like Squall, either," Irvine said. Suddenly, a sly, lopsided grin crossed his face. "Unless..."

"Unless...?" Selphie questioned.

"Unless they wanted to have some alone time," Irvine grinned. "In which case they left us on purpose to be alone..."

"No, Rinoa would NOT do that!" Seifer growled. "She wouldn't go through with something like that...with HIM."

"Loves him," Fujin said as they all headed back to the boat. "A lot."

"She has a point, ya know," Raijin said. "Even I've noticed it, ya know."

"Man, I hope he gets back in time," Irvine said. He looked at his watch. "We're supposed to leave from the train station early tomorrow morning. You did tell him, right, Zell?"

"Yeah, I told him and gave him his ticket," Zell said. "I'm sure he'll remember."

Rinoa's limp, sleeping body was on top of Squall's. Her head rested on the pillow next to his as one hand held on to his while the other was on the pillow by her head. Even, deep breaths came from her partially opened mouth as a mass of black hair fell around her angelic face.

Squall stared at the ceiling, deep in thought, as his left hand, his free hand, gently stroked Rinoa's hair. The blanket was raised to Rinoa's back side, keeping her nice and warm. Her breathing gently caressed his neck.

*She was a virgin...* Squall repeated to himself. *She doesn't remember what exactly happened...she must've killed him before he could actually rape her...* His eyes went down to look at her sleeping face and kissed the top of her head. *Oh, Hyne, Rinoa...*

The white sheets had been stained with virgin blood from the night before, a testament to Rinoa's truth. Squall hated the man that emotionally scared her even more now. For years, she had been lead to believe she was worthless and dirty. Even if nothing had actually happened. Regardless if Guado had actually raped her or not, didn't matter to Squall.

What mattered was that he even tried to. He looked at the clock by the bed. He had to get up soon - the train would leave for Esthar. Gently, he moved away from her and laid her body on the soft bed. He got up and slipped his pants back on.

Heading towards the window, he looked out of it, looking at the view of the sea from the hotel room they were in. The cool sea breeze went over his body and he closed his eyes. The breeze would always remind him of Rinoa's warm embrace.

He sat on the sill of the window, his back leaning against the window frame as he placed on leg on the floor and one leg on the sill. The wind blew through his hair and he heard the bed rustling. Looking over, he saw Rinoa move her head from side to side, at the sudden realization that he wasn't there.

"I'm right here, Rin," he told her from the window sill. She rolled over on her back and sat up slightly. She smiled, clutching the white blanket around her body. "Did I wake you? I'm sorry."

"No, it's okay," she said with a smile as she laid back down and smiled at him. "Did you sleep at all?"

He chuckled. "You wore me out," he grinned. Rinoa blushed slightly. He looked at her intently, and slowly frowned. "I have to go soon."

Her face paled, but she nodded understandingly. "The train leaves early...doesn't it?"

Squall nodded. "Rinoa," he began. She looked back up at him. "Rin... you were never...damaged."

She looked confused and Squall stood up. He walked over to the bed and sat down at the edge. His hand reached out and gently stroked her hair. "I don't..."

"Just to back to sleep," he whispered. He laid down next to her and pulled her into his embrace. "I love you."

"I didn't think you were going to make it!" Irvine said. He and Zell were standing at the train station, dressed and ready to go with bags around them.

"Hey, where were you last night!?" a half sleepy Zell exclaimed as he frowned. "I had to pay for dinner thanks you to guys!"

"We went for a walk." Squall stated simply.

"Yeah, a walk that took ALL NIGHT," Irvine grinned. "Nice, Squall..."

"Whatever," the brunette hissed. "Is the train here yet?"

"It just arrived," Zell said. "We were waiting for you."

Squall nodded and pulled his jacket tightly around him. "Let's go home."

"Rinoa!" Selphie gasped. She dropped the rope she had been holding and ran up tot he brunette who had just arrived on the ship. "Where were you!?"

"Where were you last night!?" Quistis gasped as she rushed over from where she had been talking to Fujin. "We were worried sick!"

"You ran out on us!" Seifer accused from the kitchen door way, pointing a ladle at Rinoa. "You left us with the bill!"

Rinoa looked up at them quietly and smiled. Her eyes were red from crying. Immediately, Selphie and Quistis frowned. "What's wrong?" Selphie asked. "Are you okay? Are you hurt?"

Rinoa shook her head. "I'm fine," she said with a soft smile. "I'm...I'm not broken..." As Selphie and Quistis stood there, Rinoa walked past them to her room. She closed the door behind her.

The petite brunette and the tall blond looked at each other. "What...?"

Rinoa leaned back against the door and smiled. She lifted up the silver chain she had bought that morning on the way back to the ship. She needed something to carry a larger silver ring on since she couldn't wear it. It was now resting around her neck. A thick silver ring with a lion engraved on it rested over her chest. She smiled.

She had woken up, alone in a bedroom. Flowers were placed by her bed as the ring rested on the pillow next to her head...the pillow where HE had been sleeping. He was gone, but she felt him still there with her. Taking the ring, she played with it in her fingers as she cried. Not because she was sad, but because she was happy. She truly had no regrets.

There was a knock on her door. "Rinoa...?" Quistis' voice said through the door. "Rin, we need to know where we're going next..."

Rinoa was now at her desk and opened her mother's diary. She pulled out a silver band that had been pinned inside of it. She raised it up and looked at it. "Head for Galbadia, Quistis!" Rinoa stated. "I'm going home."

The doors to the palace opened and a loud voice cut through the evening silence of the massive palace. "We're BACK!!!" Zell shouted.

From the library, Ellone heard him and threw her book down on the floor as she ran from where she was reading on a couch and out the door. Laguna was feeding Squally-poo his cat food when he heard Zell's shout. He dropped the can, nearly hitting Squally-poo, had Kiros not caught it, and ran off.

In the foyer, three young men had arrived. Ellone ran to her brother and threw her arms around him, hugging him tightly. "Welcome back, Squall!" As soon as she let him go, she proceeded to hug his two best friends. "I'm so glad to see you all are safe!"

"SQUALL!!!" a voice came, screaming down the hall.

Squall paled as his blue eyes turned to the hallway, where Laguna was bounding down with arms wide open. "Don't even TRY to hug me!" Squall growled, stopping Laguna in his tracks.

"How was the trip?" Kiros asked as he and Ward arrived.

"It was great," Irvine said. "I've met the woman I'm going to marry!"

The group went silent as they all looked at him. "The world is ending, isn't it?" Kiros asked seriously. Irvine frowned.

"Not funny."

"Did you bring her? Did you? Did you!?" Laguna asked, like a child asking for candy.

Squall looked at him disdainfully. *Idiot...* "What the hell are you talking about?" he hissed.

"He means Rinoa." Ellone explained.

Squall's blue eyes went wide as he stared at them disbelieving. "Rinoa? How do you know about..." He trailed off as he turned to his friends. Irvine looked just as confused, but Zell was avoiding eye contact. "Zell!"

The blond gave in. "I'm sorry! It was just a letter to tell Ellone how we were doing! I just happened to mention Rinoa and-"

"She's very pretty, Squall," Ellone tried to cut in. "She seems like a very nice girl."

Squall narrowed his eyes at the both of them. "How do you know how Rinoa looks like?"

"Uh...um..." Zell stammered. He looked around the building once more. "You know that picture you two took-"

Squall looked furious. "You STOLE one of our pictures!?" he growled. He threw his hands in the air. "No wonder I couldn't find one! Zell, you little-"

"Would help if we gave it back?" Laguna asked timidly.

"Yes!" Squall roared. "Give it back!"

Laguna had a sad look on his face as he nodded. He turned around and headed for his study. Squall followed behind him, sending glares over his shoulder occasionally to Zell. They entered the cozy room and Laguna walked over to his desk. He sat on his chair and opened one of the drawers on the desk, removing a small box.

Squall narrowed his eyes as he looked into the box. *Hyne, what does this man keep... is that floral stationary...?*

Laguna shuffled through the contents, taking out a framed picture of a beautiful young woman. He picked out the tiny picture of Squall and Rinoa and handed it back to his son. "I kind of wanted to keep it," Laguna explained sheepishly. "She... Rinoa...reminds me of someone..."

Squall raised an eyebrow as he took the picture. It's edges were worn, meaning it had been looked at quite a few times. His eyes went back to the silver frame. "Like that woman in the picture." he stated rather than asked.

Laguna nodded slightly with a blush. "Yes..."

"Of course she does," Squall said as he pocketed the picture. He turned around and headed towards the door where the others were standing. He didn't seem to make any connection or even ask why his father had a picture of Rinoa's mother. He was still angry after being told that a symbol of his precious time with Rinoa had been taken from him without him knowing. "That's Rinoa's mother." he said as he was leaving.

Laguna's head shot up and looked at Squall's fleeting back. "What!?"

"Squall, what did you just say?" Kiros asked, stopping Squall from walking out the door.

The brunette let out a heavy sigh. "The woman in that picture on Laguna's desk," Squall explained. "That's Rinoa's mother. She has a picture of her, her father, and her as a child on her desk on the ship."

Laguna shook his head as he stood up. He looked pale. "That's impossible...she can't be her mother..."

Squall rolled his eyes. "Look at the pictures. They look the same."

"Squall, you don't understand," Kiros said. "Do you KNOW who that woman is?"

He shook his head and turned to look at Laguna, who was clinging on to his desk to keep him standing. "Her name is Julia Heartilly..." he mumbled. He lifted his eyes to meet his son's. "She died in a storm out at sea almost three decades ago."