Disclaimer: I don't own Squaresoft or any of it characters, but I'm using them anyway, so, um, yeah.
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The wind gently swept across the surface of the ocean, stirring the waters, causing them to glisten in night. The moon shone with a silvery light, and the great expanse of velvet night glittered with a random smattering of stars. Rinoa Heartilly stood before the night on Garden's marble balcony, bedazzled with nature's majestic beauty. Had every night possessed this clarity? This nobility? Rinoa knew the answer. It had taken the monstrous threat of Ultimecia to open her eyes to all that had been taken for granted. It still shook her think that all of this splendor was nearly lost, fortunately, saved by Rinoa and her comrades and their will to survive, to preserve the only life they had ever known.
She could hear the music in the background that was played to celebrate the defeat of the evil Sorceress...sorceress? I'm a sorceress...what will happen now? a dark topic crept into her thoughts. What if I become like her? She turned her head past the doors to see Quistis and Selphie attempting to dislodge a hot dog from Zell's throat. What if there is a time where I try to kill them? Hastily, Rinoa shook those thoughts from her head. She was becoming like Squall, she realized with a faint smirk. How many times had she teased him for thinking too much? She needed to cease her worries for the present, and enjoy what she had now. The young woman sighed and turned back toward the skies. Enjoy this moment while it is here.
Squall wandered aimlessly in the crowded ballroom, taking notice of all the cheerful people around him. It was well they should celebrate; their futures in this world had been secured from a menace far greater than they would ever know. Squall ran his gloved hand through his hair as he reflected on the events that had taken place. What if they had failed? Would anything be different now? Or would it have taken time for Ultimecia's havoc to wreak itself across the globe? He sighed deeply. Did it really matter, what would have happened? Everything was over and done with. There was no point in "what if". Was there? Squall looked up and glanced through the crowd, and his eyes spotted Rinoa on the balcony. Without realizing what he was doing, Squall began to make his way over to her.
Rinoa heard the soft tread of boots behind her and smiled. She did not need to turn to see who it was. Rinoa had listened to those footsteps for weeks, and she'd be damned if she didn't know who they belonged to. She felt Squall's presence beside her as he stepped up to the balcony. Smiling she turned to him.
"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Squall felt the pit of his stomach jump as Rinoa spoke to him. Why did every move she make seem to affect him?
" Yes. It is". Not as beautiful as you, Squall found himself thinking with surprise. He was not completely made of stone. Squall had noticed Rinoa was an attractive girl- young woman, he reminded himself- but had not truly realized her beauty until now. The soft light accented her delicate features, highlighting the gentle contours of her face, neck, shoulders; the surface of the moon was marred compared to her. Her raven hair shone as the cool breeze caught it and stroked it with the tenderness of a mother, and her rich, chocolate brown eyes held a sparkle that caused envy among the stars. Squall felt a fierce blush creep to his face as Rinoa raised an india-ink brow, having caught him staring. He turned his face toward the ocean.
"S-sorry, I-" Rinoa's lips formed into an amused smile as she cut Squall's stammered apology short.
"Don't worry about it." She could hardly believe the change that had taken place in him over the period of time they had spent together. He had been such a closed-in person, a teenager thrown into turmoil and forced to perform a man's work, unable to relax. It was too much for him to deal with; even she noticed that. Squall's eyes revealed more than he would ever know, and exposed the scared young child inside his chilled exterior.
Squall turned those eyes to Rinoa, who smiled at him. She looked back to the sky as he followed suit. So many stars.
Just then, a silver light streaked across the sky. Squall, turned to Rinoa, wondering if she saw it as well. His question was answered when Rinoa, lips curved into a playful smile, pointed to the star, just as she had at Garden's graduation ball. Squall looked at her, and a strange feeling overcame him. His heart ached at the sight of her. How did she do that? All those times during their ordeal, when Squall first met Rinoa; her frightened, him telling her to stay close to him; at Fisherman's Horizon, her trying to crack his shell; on the Ragnarok, Squall holding the new Sorceress, her crying into his shoulder; her throwing her arms around his neck at the Sorceress Memorial ; him all alone in a barren desert.
Something inside him gave way. Squall reached for Rinoa and pulled her close. He could feel his heart pounding in his ears with apprehension as he hesitantly leaned in and kissed her.
Rinoa's lips were warm, and tasted of the cherry lip balm she had applied earlier. Squall rested his trembling hands on her side, unsure of what to do with them. He couldn't believe how good it felt to be kissing her. Squall felt Rinoa rest her arms around his shoulders, and he tensed at the unexpected contact.
Rinoa looked at Squall questioningly as he reached for her and gently pulled her to him. She gasped slightly in surprise when his lips met hers. Rinoa felt butterflies in her stomach, and slid her arms around his neck, feeling him tense, then relax. She could smell his musky scent of leather, and tried to refrain from giggling in pleasure as she realized that he had actually worn cologne. How sweet.
Reluctantly, Squall broke the kiss, uncertain if he had done it right. He looked at Rinoa in askance. She beamed at him, and he shyly returned a small, uncharacteristic smile. It faded, though, almost as quickly and unexpectedly as it had formed.
"What's wrong?" Rinoa asked, noticing his change in demeanor. Squall's chest heaved in a deep sigh. He knew he had to tell her. Something inside him wanted this so badly it hurt, but fear of rejection also crept into his mind. What if Rinoa didn't feel the same way? He knew that she had feelings for him; that was obvious enough, he inwardly smiled, but what if it wasn't love?
His brow had creased into a frown, Rinoa noticed, a sign that he was lost in thought. Hardly surprising, she thought, given all the times she had snapped Squall out of his reverie when he had lost himself in worry. Squall averted his eyes for a moment, then slowly turned his them back to her. He met her gaze, and took a breath.
"Rinoa, I-I love you," Squall said with difficulty. "and it's alright if you don't want to say it back, but, I just wanted to tell you." Great. Smooth Squall. Nice way with words.
Rinoa, however was speechless. She had know that he had loved her, but did not think he would ever admit to it. Squall had placed his heart in her hands, and with a start she realized that she could crush this precious gift with a single word. She quickly averted her eyes to Squall's chest, unable to look him in the eye.
Squall noticed this, and a feeling of dread swept over him. She didn't love him back. He swallowed a lump that had caught in his throat, and slowly began to slide his arms from around her. Squall had never felt so rejected, so empty, when, suddenly, Rinoa squeezed him tight, holding him with such a ferocity it seemed as if she were determined to never let him go. She pressed her lips to his, and this time it was Squall's turn to gasp in surprise. Rinoa broke her lips from his, and looked at him, tears forming in her deep brown eyes.
"Squall, I love you too." She smiled at him, and took note of his reaction.
His eyes had widened in shock, making them appear an even brighter blue. Squall could hardly believe that this was really happening. He had been so sure that she had rejected him. Rinoa buried her head in his chest and held on to him as though Squall were the last stable point in this world. His eyes softened, and he smiled once more, broadly this time. He kissed her soft, dark hair, and could smell the faint scent of jasmine. Just then, an untimely shriek arose from inside Garden. Rinoa look up, startled, then laughed at Squall's reaction as they recognized the shrill voice. He had turned his face, his brow furrowed as he scowled darkly.
"Irvy! Get this on camera! Awww, it's so sweet!"
A/N: I hope you guys enjoyed this. I'm still not sure if I would rather continue the story, or just keep it a one shot. It was mushy, I know, but I've become really tired of some fics that I've read that have a lot of dialogue but are lacking in emotion, so I made lots of fluff apparent. Please, I insist that you send me reviews and tell me what you think. Flames are welcome, as creative criticism is often a writer's best friend.