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

Author's Note: Happy belated Independence Day to those of you in the USA. My chapters seem to be taking on a mind of their own, and are therefore becoming longer. Hopefully, they'll continue in that pattern. Thank you for your feedback!

To Love You More

Chapter Nineteen

"It's just a game of love, love, love

And even though it hurts me baby

I can never give you up

'Cause you're the one I'm dreamin' of

I can't live without your love

Tonight

And it's you that I adore

You're the one that I live for

Inside

Of you, I'm dreamin' of you"

-"Dreamin' of You" Celine Dion

Rinoa opened her eyes, blinking against the light that filled them. Looking around, she realized that she was not in her room, and then remembered that she was in Irvine's. At the thought of the cowboy, her eyes trailed to the floor where he had been sleeping. It was empty. Frowning, she swung her legs over the side of the bed and got up. The room was extremely bright, a result of the shades having been drawn. Rinoa looked around the room for a clock and saw that it was just after nine.

"Irvine?" she called. There was no answer. Her eyes traveled to a piece of paper on the stand beside Irvine's bed. Upon further inspection, she saw that it had her name on it. It read:

Rinoa,

Sorry that I left so soon, but I had to go deal with some crap in my office. That's where I'll be if you need me. I didn't want to wake you...especially after last night. Feel free to stay as long as you want. I'll see you later.

-Irvine

Smiling, Rinoa tucked the note into her pocket. Despite the invitation to stay longer, she decided that she had better get back to her room and freshen up. One glance in the mirror just further proved how much she needed to do the latter. Her clothes from the previous day were wrinkled and her hair was limp and unkempt. However, her eyes seemed to look brighter. She had actually been able to get a good night's sleep. Of course, thoughts of Squall and what she had heard last night began to surface, but she quickly pushed them away.

No more of that remember? Today's a new day and a new beginning. She quietly made her way back to her dorm, which was actually only a few rooms down and across the hall from Irvine's. Then, quiet as could be, she unlocked her door and stepped into her room for the second time. It was exactly the same as before, untouched, and a perfect preservation. Maybe I should redecorate. Sighing, she pulled open her closet, and sure enough, everything was there. She ran her hands over the clothes, spotting what had been her favorite outfit. A blue duster paired with a black tank top, black shorts, and a dark blue mini skirt. On the floor of her closet sat her favorite pair of black boots. Hmmm...I wonder if everything still fits. Gathering the clothes up in her arms, she deposited them on her bed and began to get changed. When she was done, she stepped back and admired herself in the mirror. She looked upon the image as if she were looking at a ghost. Her body hadn't changed much in the years she had been in a coma. Looking at the image of herself now, it was just like seeing her eighteen-year-old self again.

Out of nowhere, a sudden thought popped into her head. Angelo! What happened to Angelo? She couldn't believe that she had forgotten about her faithful companion. What could have happened to her? Rinoa mentally made a note to ask Irvine about it later. Hopefully everything was alright with Angelo. She suddenly realized just how good it would be to see her again. A knock on the door startled Rinoa out of her thoughts. She quickly ran a brush through her hair and then proceeded to open the door.

Rinoa couldn't hide the surprise in her eyes when she saw Quistis standing there. Dressed in a long brown skirt and white blouse, she looked even more mature and elegant than Rinoa had remembered. She suddenly felt very childish in her old outfit.

"Rinoa?" Quistis smiled. "Do you mind if I come in?"
"No, of course not." She stepped aside to let her in.

Quistis looked around the room, a hint of surprise evident in her blue eyes. "Wow...this room hasn't changed a bit, has it? Come to think of it, neither have you."

Rinoa realized that she was referring to her outfit. "Maybe not physically, but mentally, I think I have. What about you? It doesn't look like you've aged a day!"

Quistis shook her head. "I assure you, that's the magic of makeup. The number of wrinkles I have would astound you."

"Wrinkles? At your age?" The brunette asked skeptically. As with Squall, she realized that her and Quistis were just making small talk to avoid the subject at hand. For the time being, that was fine with her. It actually felt good to be talking to Quistis in a friendly manner.

"It's been a stressful few years. For everyone, actually. You too, I would assume. Which is the reason why I came here in the first place. I guess it's rather obvious that we have a lot to talk about."

Rinoa held up a hand to silence her. "If you're referring to Squall, then there really is no need to explain. I talked to him yesterday and he told me everything. I realize that I was extremely rude to the both of you the other day and I apologize for that. I also want you to know that, despite the situation, I want us to continue our friendship. Really, there is no need for hard feelings at all."

Quistis nodded. "Thank you."

Rinoa frowned. "Why are you thanking me?"

"For everything. You know, I really missed you. Squall," she said thoughtfully, "he told me that you were alive. In a way, maybe he knew all along."

Rinoa looked at her in shock. "What are you saying? That Squall knew I was alive and didn't do anything about it?"

"No, no, no!" Quistis exclaimed. "That's not what I meant at all. I just thought you would want to know how long it took for Squall to let you go. I didn't want you to get the impression that he just moved on without a second thought."

"Well, I appreciate your saying that. I told Squall that I am happy for him, and I will say the same to you. I honestly am."

"I know how hard this must be for you, Rinoa. Like you said, I want to remain friends with you. Squall would like that as well. Maybe things can finally start to get back to normal around here."

"Whatever 'normal' is." Rinoa smiled. "I'm just glad that you don't have the wrong idea about why I came back."

Quistis raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"Just...you know. That maybe I was coming back here to try and seduce Squall or something."
Quistis laughed. "Oh, don't be silly! I would never think something like that. I trust you, Rinoa." Okay, so maybe that isn't exactly true...

"I trust you, too, Quistis. I'm glad that Squall chose you for his wife. You can give him what he needs."

"You really think so?"

Rinoa nodded, despite her heart feeling as if it had been split in two. "Absolutely."

"I hope so." Quistis resisted the urge to confess that it sure didn't seem like it. "I have a question, though. Not to sound rude, but why are you wearing those clothes?"
Rinoa blushed. "I was going through my closet and I saw them. This used to be my favorite outfit."

"That's right," Quistis said. "I have to admit, I got completely thrown to the past when you answered the door wearing that. You're probably going to need some new clothes. I could take you shopping if you want."

"Now?" Rinoa asked in surprise.

"Well, the stores don't usually open until ten, but we can grab breakfast before we go. You haven't eaten yet, have you?" Rinoa shook her head. "Great! So, do you want to go?"

"Okay," Rinoa said uncertainly. "I better go see Irvine first and find out if I still have an account at the bank. I'm going to need money if we're going shopping."
"Alright then, you go talk to Irvine and then meet me at the cafeteria."

"Okay. Thank you for doing this," she said sincerely.

"Don't worry about it. I haven't seen you in three years, Rinoa. What better way to spend my day off then catching up?"

"So you're still teaching, huh?"

Quistis nodded. "I'll tell you about it later. See you in a little while!"

It was funny, but as Quistis left, Rinoa didn't feel so helpless anymore. She felt that keeping her friendship with Quistis was not only possible, but inevitable. Despite her being the wife of her ex-boyfriend/love of her life, there didn't seem to be any hostility between them. For that, Rinoa was immensely relieved. She felt that she could actually have fun shopping with Quistis. And for the first time since getting back, Rinoa felt hope.

A few minutes later, Rinoa was knocking on the door to Irvine's office. She hadn't been sure of which office was his since multiple offices had been added to the third floor. However, the receptionist had shown here where to go. A minute later, the door swung open and Rinoa got her first look at the office. The room was average sized, with a wooden desk cluttered with papers and a computer, smack dab in the middle. A brown leather chair was behind the desk, along with two in front of it, and a matching leather couch off to the right side. A pool table was pushed against the left side of the wall. Behind the desk, the whole back wall was lined with floor to ceiling windows.

"Wow," Rinoa breathed. "Nice place."

Irvine shrugged. "Squall had this whole place done over. I was lucky enough to end up here. What a view, eh?"

Rinoa nodded as she approached the windows. She could see Balamb, and beyond that, the ocean. "It's beautiful."

"Yeah, well it's nothing compared to Squall's. His office is twice the size of this one." He grinned. "So, what can I do for ya? Did you get my note?"

"Yes. Thank you for that. I came to see you for two reasons. First, I want to ask you about Angelo. Where is she?"

"Ah, it's about time you asked! Angelo is fine. She's in Balamb, actually, with Zell's mother. She offered to take care of her, and from what Zell tells me, she just had puppies."

"Wow. I'm going into town with Quistis today. Maybe I can stop by and see her."

"Wait, wait, wait. Did I just hear you say that you're going into town with Quistis?"

Rinoa nodded. "She offered to take me shopping." She noticed the shocked look on Irvine's face. "Hey, don't look so surprised! We talked about a lot of things this morning. I think everything's going to be okay between us. I can see us being friends again."

"Well, that's good news. So, what's the second thing you came here for?"

"Oh, I was wondering about my bank account. I mean, I had money in there. I don't know if it's still there or what could have happened..."

Irvine shook his head. "I wish I could help you there, but I honestly don't know. Squall handles all of that financial mumbo jumbo. You're going to have to talk to him about it."

Rinoa mentally cursed. Great. Just the person I want to talk to. "Well, I'd better go and see him then. I told Quistis I would meet her in the cafeteria."

Irvine nodded. "Good luck. Squall's office is the one in the center of the hall. You can't miss it."

"Okay. Thanks again."
Taking a deep breath, Rinoa slowly made her way down the hall. The door to Squall's office seemed to loom in front of her threateningly. You have to face him, she reminded herself. Besides, you agreed to be friends. Friends don't get intimidated by each other. Sighing, Rinoa slowly lifted her hand and knocked on the door.

"Who's there?" a gruff voice called from the other side of the door.

He doesn't sound too happy... "It's, um, Rinoa."

She could hear his footsteps as he approached the door and then opened it. "Hey," he said upon seeing her. He then noticed her outfit, his eyes practically bulging out of his head.

Rinoa shuffled her feet nervously. "I'm sorry to bother you. It's just that Quistis and me are going shopping. I was wondering if my bank account is still active. I asked Irvine, but he said you would know."

Squall nodded numbly, barely taking in what she was saying. "Come in."
As soon as she stepped into his office, Rinoa understood what Irvine had been talking about. The place was huge, although sparsely furnished. "It's nice," she said quietly.

Squall forced himself to snap out of his daze. "What is?"

"This office. It's much bigger than your old one." She walked up to his desk. "Your desk is huge, too. There's so much more room!" Rinoa blushed suddenly as she recalled the many times she had snuck into his office so that they could "make use" of that desk. The look on Squall's face told her that he was thinking the same thing.

Squall cleared his throat. "So you're going shopping with Quistis?"

"Mhmm. You don't need to worry about us. We worked a lot of things out."
"I'm glad," he said absently.

"Yeah..." She shuffled her feet uncomfortably again. "About my account..."

"Oh, right." He took a seat at his desk and turned on his computer. "Your account is inactive, but the money is still there. I can print you out the information and then you can take it to the bank to get your account reactivated."

Rinoa frowned. "The money is still there? I would have thought that somebody would have claimed it. More specifically, my father."

Squall shook his head. "I had the bank lock down your account. No one could touch the money."

"Why didn't you just take it?" she asked. "You know that money was as much yours as it was mine."

"I would never take your money, Rinoa." He sighed. "In a way, keeping the money in the bank made it seem like you were coming back. Pretty stupid, huh?"

"No, Squall, not stupid." She said softly. "I did come back. You were right all along."

He shrugged, turning back to his computer. "Here are your files. They shouldn't give you any trouble at the bank."

"Thank you," she said as she took the pages from him.

"Are you going shopping in Deling City?" he asked suddenly.

"No, Balamb. Why?"

"I just thought you'd want to see your father. He really took your death hard."

Rinoa shook her head. "I'm sure he's heard that I'm alive by now."

"Even so, don't you think he wants to see you?"
"I'll keep that in mind, okay? What about you, though? How's it going with Laguna?"

Squall shrugged again. "Nothing's really changed since...before."

Rinoa put her hands on her hips. "Oh, so you want to lecture me about seeing my father, but you still won't talk to yours?"

"This is different, Rinoa. You know I'm no fan of General Caraway, but the man thought you were dead. I know what that's like. I think he deserves to see you."

"And Laguna didn't know you were alive. See, our situations aren't very different at all."

Squall rolled his eyes. "You're still so damn stubborn, you know that?"

Rinoa stuck her tongue out at him. "Meanie."

Squall placed a gloved hand over his mouth to hide the smile that had formed there. "The infamous meanie line. That's classic, Rinoa."

"Ha! Did I just see you smile?"

"No," he said, trying to put on a serious face.

"Yeah, okay. Whatever, Squall." She smirked.

Squall rolled his eyes once more. "And you're still stealing my lines."

Rinoa laughed. "Okay, I give up. If you work on your relationship with Laguna, I'll go see my father."

Squall narrowed his eyes. "Define 'work'."

"You have to at least call him...twice a month. And you have to have actual conversations with him."

"Alright, I'll do it."

Rinoa looked at him in surprise. "You will?"

"Yes, I will. Now I think it's time that you go get started on your end of the bargain."

"Yes, Sir!" Rinoa mock-saluted and then sprinted out of the office.

Squall watched her go, a smile gracing his usually stoic face. It seemed like the first time in the past three years that it was genuine. The thought made a sharp pang of regret bite through him. He had lost himself a few minutes ago. She still had that effect on him. It made him wonder just what exactly he was missing because it sure felt like a hell of a lot.