Oh desert speak to my heart
Oh woman of the earth
Maker of children who weep for love
Maker of this birth
'Til your deepest secrets are known to me
I will not be moved
I will not be moved
~*~
Squall stood on the very cliff edge, teetering between land and ocean and between life and death. To fall
here would mean death on the jagged cliff rocks or drowning and being smashed against the cliff face
by the waves below.
It was the anniversary of Rinoa's death. He stared at the horizon as the sun rose, throwing soft pink
light over the azure water.
Squall Leonhart had only stood at this very place three times. Once when the car containing his wife
tumbled over the edge; twice when he brought their daughter here to tell her about her mother and;
thrice now, the seventeenth year since the accident.
"Rinoa." He called, his soft voice carrying over the waves. Closing his eyes, he could imagine her slight
figure dancing over the waves. The very smile he loved so much across her beautiful face. Opening his
eyes, he turned to see Kaddar Leonhart on his left and Fureya Leonhart on his right. Kaddar was as
stoic as ever, so very much like his father. Fureya was openly weeping, her hand clasped tightly around
her mothers necklace.
"Mother." The children called out in unison, their own voices tumbling across the sea breeze to follow
their fathers.
~*~
In a moment we lost our minds here
And lay our spirit down
Today we lived a thousand years
All we have is now
~*~
It had been seventeen short years ago when he'd tried to heal his wounds and it had been seventeen
long years without his wife. It had taken a moment for him to lose her and almost a lifetime to let her go.
Today he stood here with his family, looking towards the future instead of back at the past that haunted
him so. He had healed a seventeen-year-old wound and ended seventeen long years of pain in one day.
He knew he had to live for now, with his angel watching over him, his angel blessing him and his angel
loving him.
He had two children to live for, a boy who was his father all over again and a daughter who was her
mother, but her father in the same instant; the angel with raven hair and silver eyes, the spirit of the
woman and the talents of the man.
"Rinoa." His voice was soft and warm as he spoke. "You would be proud of your babies. They grew
into beautiful people, almost as beautiful as their adoring mother." He turned his eyes skyward.
"Heaven reclaimed an angel early, I just hope I'm not forgotten and my angel waits for me."
~*~
And I will never leave you
'Til we can say, "This world was just a dream
We were sleeping now we are awake"
'Til we can say..
~*~
A strong wind out of nowhere stirred up. It swirled past the three lone figures on the cliff edge and
brought a flurry of rose pink petals with it. The petals danced around the pair, circling around and
surrounding them.
Squalls eyes widened and he reached out, cupping one in his calloused hand gently. Curling his fingers
around it, he filled it with his love for her and threw it up. A soft dove white feather left his hand, no
evidence that it was ever a pink petal.
"Rinoa!" He called with a sense of urgency as the feather fell back into his hand, the pristine white stark
against the soft brown tone of his skin. "I'll never forget you and I'll always dream of you when I sleep,
and think of you when I'm awake. I'll leave this world one day and I know you'll be waiting for me. You
even left me two angels to watch over me until we were reunited." A wet tear trickled down his cheek
and he fell to his knees as the seventeen years of hurt, pain and loneliness left him in the form of tears.
~*~
Yeah, I can see it now lord
Out beyond all the breaking of waves
And the tribulation
It's a place and the home of ascended souls
Who swam out there in love!
~*~
When the official ceremony started, a crowd gathered. Quistis Trepe, Selphie and Irvine Kinneas,
Madora and Zell Dincht, Edea and Cid Kramer and various other people had all loved her and had all
came to say goodbye. Not goodbye because they knew she was dead, but goodbye because they knew
she would finally rest in peace. Rest in peace now that her husband had let her go. There had never
been any memorial service, just a simple funeral that Squall alone had gone to. He'd been wild and
hadn't told anyone about the funeral until it was over. This was a chance for them to all say something
and to share memories of happier times.
"Squall." A gruff voice spoke up, breaking him from his trance. He looked up at the figure who had
spoken. A tall man with close cropped silver blond hair and vividly shining emerald eyes.
"Seifer." He replied. A silence that had stretched for years broke finally.
"I came because I respected and adored Rinoa Heartilly." He said after a moment. "After all that
happened, she still showed me kindness and forgiveness. She gave me friendship when no one else
would, so I came here to show her how much I achieved because she believed in me." Squall offered
Seifer a ghost of a smile and turned away.
"Rinoa would want you here." He said before walking away.
~*~
Run to the water
And find me there
Burnt to the core but not broken
We'll cut through the madness
Of these streets below the moon
With a nuclear fire of love in our hearts
~*~
The memorial had moved further down the coastline to where cliff turned into beach. Everyone stood
barefoot on the sun-warmed sand as person after person said their memories, thoughts and love of
Rinoa.
The last speaker was Squall Leonhart.
"I was never good at public speaking. Before I met Rinoa, 'whatever' was my answer to everything. Of
course, she wouldn't accept such a half assed answer, so I had to do better to satisfy her." That drew a
subdued laugh from the crowd. "Rinoa came to me in a dream last night and told me that today would be the
beginning of something new. She told me if I said the words, it would free us both. When I asked her what
words, she burst into a flurry of snowy feathers and disappeared. When I woke, I realized what she meant
and I know what to say. I have to say goodbye to her, and that I love her. I miss her, but I don't miss
her love because it still warms me at night. She loves me now as much as I love her." He paused and
looked around, two intertwined roses in his hand. One was a dove white rose and the other was a crimson
rose. Their stems had been carefully wrapped around each other. "The red rose signifies our passion and
love. The white one signifies the purity of our love, our pure feelings and your pure heart." He carefully
waded into the ice cold surf and floated the two roses on top of the water.
"Rest in peace, angel."
~*~
Rest easy baby, rest easy
And recognize it all as light and rainbows
Smashed to smithereens and be happy
Run to the water (and find me there)
Run to the water
(A/N - The song is 'Run to the water' - Live)
Oh woman of the earth
Maker of children who weep for love
Maker of this birth
'Til your deepest secrets are known to me
I will not be moved
I will not be moved
~*~
Squall stood on the very cliff edge, teetering between land and ocean and between life and death. To fall
here would mean death on the jagged cliff rocks or drowning and being smashed against the cliff face
by the waves below.
It was the anniversary of Rinoa's death. He stared at the horizon as the sun rose, throwing soft pink
light over the azure water.
Squall Leonhart had only stood at this very place three times. Once when the car containing his wife
tumbled over the edge; twice when he brought their daughter here to tell her about her mother and;
thrice now, the seventeenth year since the accident.
"Rinoa." He called, his soft voice carrying over the waves. Closing his eyes, he could imagine her slight
figure dancing over the waves. The very smile he loved so much across her beautiful face. Opening his
eyes, he turned to see Kaddar Leonhart on his left and Fureya Leonhart on his right. Kaddar was as
stoic as ever, so very much like his father. Fureya was openly weeping, her hand clasped tightly around
her mothers necklace.
"Mother." The children called out in unison, their own voices tumbling across the sea breeze to follow
their fathers.
~*~
In a moment we lost our minds here
And lay our spirit down
Today we lived a thousand years
All we have is now
~*~
It had been seventeen short years ago when he'd tried to heal his wounds and it had been seventeen
long years without his wife. It had taken a moment for him to lose her and almost a lifetime to let her go.
Today he stood here with his family, looking towards the future instead of back at the past that haunted
him so. He had healed a seventeen-year-old wound and ended seventeen long years of pain in one day.
He knew he had to live for now, with his angel watching over him, his angel blessing him and his angel
loving him.
He had two children to live for, a boy who was his father all over again and a daughter who was her
mother, but her father in the same instant; the angel with raven hair and silver eyes, the spirit of the
woman and the talents of the man.
"Rinoa." His voice was soft and warm as he spoke. "You would be proud of your babies. They grew
into beautiful people, almost as beautiful as their adoring mother." He turned his eyes skyward.
"Heaven reclaimed an angel early, I just hope I'm not forgotten and my angel waits for me."
~*~
And I will never leave you
'Til we can say, "This world was just a dream
We were sleeping now we are awake"
'Til we can say..
~*~
A strong wind out of nowhere stirred up. It swirled past the three lone figures on the cliff edge and
brought a flurry of rose pink petals with it. The petals danced around the pair, circling around and
surrounding them.
Squalls eyes widened and he reached out, cupping one in his calloused hand gently. Curling his fingers
around it, he filled it with his love for her and threw it up. A soft dove white feather left his hand, no
evidence that it was ever a pink petal.
"Rinoa!" He called with a sense of urgency as the feather fell back into his hand, the pristine white stark
against the soft brown tone of his skin. "I'll never forget you and I'll always dream of you when I sleep,
and think of you when I'm awake. I'll leave this world one day and I know you'll be waiting for me. You
even left me two angels to watch over me until we were reunited." A wet tear trickled down his cheek
and he fell to his knees as the seventeen years of hurt, pain and loneliness left him in the form of tears.
~*~
Yeah, I can see it now lord
Out beyond all the breaking of waves
And the tribulation
It's a place and the home of ascended souls
Who swam out there in love!
~*~
When the official ceremony started, a crowd gathered. Quistis Trepe, Selphie and Irvine Kinneas,
Madora and Zell Dincht, Edea and Cid Kramer and various other people had all loved her and had all
came to say goodbye. Not goodbye because they knew she was dead, but goodbye because they knew
she would finally rest in peace. Rest in peace now that her husband had let her go. There had never
been any memorial service, just a simple funeral that Squall alone had gone to. He'd been wild and
hadn't told anyone about the funeral until it was over. This was a chance for them to all say something
and to share memories of happier times.
"Squall." A gruff voice spoke up, breaking him from his trance. He looked up at the figure who had
spoken. A tall man with close cropped silver blond hair and vividly shining emerald eyes.
"Seifer." He replied. A silence that had stretched for years broke finally.
"I came because I respected and adored Rinoa Heartilly." He said after a moment. "After all that
happened, she still showed me kindness and forgiveness. She gave me friendship when no one else
would, so I came here to show her how much I achieved because she believed in me." Squall offered
Seifer a ghost of a smile and turned away.
"Rinoa would want you here." He said before walking away.
~*~
Run to the water
And find me there
Burnt to the core but not broken
We'll cut through the madness
Of these streets below the moon
With a nuclear fire of love in our hearts
~*~
The memorial had moved further down the coastline to where cliff turned into beach. Everyone stood
barefoot on the sun-warmed sand as person after person said their memories, thoughts and love of
Rinoa.
The last speaker was Squall Leonhart.
"I was never good at public speaking. Before I met Rinoa, 'whatever' was my answer to everything. Of
course, she wouldn't accept such a half assed answer, so I had to do better to satisfy her." That drew a
subdued laugh from the crowd. "Rinoa came to me in a dream last night and told me that today would be the
beginning of something new. She told me if I said the words, it would free us both. When I asked her what
words, she burst into a flurry of snowy feathers and disappeared. When I woke, I realized what she meant
and I know what to say. I have to say goodbye to her, and that I love her. I miss her, but I don't miss
her love because it still warms me at night. She loves me now as much as I love her." He paused and
looked around, two intertwined roses in his hand. One was a dove white rose and the other was a crimson
rose. Their stems had been carefully wrapped around each other. "The red rose signifies our passion and
love. The white one signifies the purity of our love, our pure feelings and your pure heart." He carefully
waded into the ice cold surf and floated the two roses on top of the water.
"Rest in peace, angel."
~*~
Rest easy baby, rest easy
And recognize it all as light and rainbows
Smashed to smithereens and be happy
Run to the water (and find me there)
Run to the water
(A/N - The song is 'Run to the water' - Live)