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

Author's Note: School is evil! Ha ha, I have a nice four-day weekend off from school, so hopefully more writing will ensue. Chapter twenty-seven is completely done and about 90 typed, so things are looking pretty good so far. Sorry if this chapter seems boring, it's more of a filler, than anything. The next chapter will be all about the party, and lots will be going on. Thanks for the reviews, and keep them coming, please!

To Love You More

Chapter Twenty-Six

"Through this world I've stumbled

So many times betrayed

Trying to find a honest word

To find the truth enslaved

Oh you speak to me in riddles

And you speak to me in rhyme

My body aches to breathe your breath

Your words keep me alive…."

-"Possession" Sarah McLachlan

RINOA sat at her new desk, furiously typing away on her computer. All of the frustration, anger, and helplessness she was feeling was reflected in her typing. She knew that she had no right to be mad at Quistis, but that didn't change the fact that she was. Yes, she had said some hurtful things to Quistis the previous night, but Quistis had completely rubbed it in her face. In all honesty, Rinoa had been more than happy to apologize to her when she had seen her that morning. However, after hearing the way Quistis had addressed her, and the way she had flaunted the fact that she was Squall's wife, Rinoa couldn't help but retaliate. Now, she felt pretty stupid about the comment she had made to Squall. It made her come off as childish and immature, trying to compete for a married man's affection. Feeling even more frustrated with herself, she continued to bang away on the keyboard.

"Hey, do you have a death wish or something?"

Rinoa looked up to face the speaker. "I'm really not in the mood, Irvine."

"Well, I can see that. It looks like you could use a little cheering up, and I know just the thing," Irvine told her. "Let's get out of here."

"Sorry," Rinoa said, "But if you couldn't already tell, I'm working. Furthermore, it's my first day on the job. I'm not about to just get up and leave."

The cowboy scratched his head, puzzled. "Squall must really be taking it hard on you. Don't you have a lunch break?"

Rinoa nodded absently as she continued to type. "Yes, but it's not until twelve."

"Uh," Irvine said slowly, "It's one o'clock, Rinoa."

Rinoa's head immediately shot up from the monitor. "What?"

"It's one o'clock. You should have taken lunch an hour ago. What have you been doing?" Irvine asked.

As if on cue, the door to Squall's office opened, and he walked out. "Rinoa?" he asked, surprised. "What are you still doing here? I told you that you could leave at twelve."

Rinoa shrugged sheepishly. "I guess that I just lost track of the time. You know, because these SeeD reports are just so interesting."

"Of course," Squall said dryly. "Well, I hate to bring an end to your amusement, but your shift for the day is over. Have you had lunch yet?"

Rinoa shook her head. "I was just about to catch a bite with Irvine. What about you?"

Squall shrugged. "I'm supposed to meet Quistis at the cafeteria."

Rinoa nodded. "Of course. Well, see you later." She grabbed Irvine's hand. "Now, I believe you said something about a surprise?"

Irvine nodded. "That's right. You sure that you're up for it?"

Rinoa pretended to be insulted. "Of course I am, Sir Knight," Rinoa teased. "Let's go!"

Squall watched them leave, a pained expression on his face. Rinoa had just called Irvine her knight. Whether she had meant it seriously or in jest, he did not know. All he knew was that he had always been Rinoa's knight. The thought of someone else filling that position did not sit well with him at all. Not in the least.

THE first thing Rinoa heard was the crashing of the waves. She could smell the salt from the ocean, and feel the warm breeze ruffle her hair. There could be no denying the fact that they were at the beach. Irvine had forced Rinoa to wear a blindfold, insisting that it would only add to the surprise. Rinoa couldn't help feeling a dull, aching pain in her chest when she thought about the time that Squall had blindfolded her and surprised her by taking her on a yacht for her birthday. Irvine slowly led her over to an area just off to the right of the water. Finally, he told her she could remove the blindfold.

As Rinoa opened her eyes, pulling the blindfold off, she immediately gasped. They were looking upon a series of large rocks. On top of the rocks was a large blanket and a picnic basket. Rinoa was extremely touched that Irvine had set all of that up for her, but she couldn't brush off the feeling that things were moving too fast between them.

"Do you like it?" Irvine asked.

Rinoa nodded. "It's wonderful. When you said you wanted to go out for lunch, this was the last thing that I expected."

"Well, I figured you could use the change of scenery. You ready to climb up?"

"Yes, as long as I don't kill myself trying to do so."

Irvine chuckled. "Darlin', if I could climb up there carrying a blanket and a picnic basket, I'm sure you can make it."

Rinoa smiled. "Okay, you have a point there."

Irvine climbed up first and then extended his hand to Rinoa. "Here, give me your hand. I won't let you fall."

Rinoa cautiously stepped up and allowed Irvine to hoist her up onto the rock. "Wow," Rinoa said as she took in the view. "This is amazing."

"You should see what the sunset looks like from here. Too bad you have to get back to work."

"Actually," Rinoa said, "Squall gave me the rest of the day off. Didn't you hear him?"

"He did?" Irvine asked, surprised. "I guess I didn't hear that. Well, if you want to stay here for a few more hours, then it looks like we can catch that sunset after all."

Rinoa nodded. "That sounds great. Right now, though, I am starving. Bring anything good?"

Irvine chuckled. "Well, why don't you have a look and see for yourself?"

Rinoa decided to do just that and opened up the basket. Inside, she found an assortment of sandwiches, fruit, chips, soda, water, and what appeared to be some type of pie.

Seeing what Rinoa was holding, he quickly said, "Oh, I picked that up at Cafe Fiori on the way over. You never got to try the apple pie last time, so I figured that I'd bring it to you."

Rinoa was extremely touched at the Cowboy's actions. "Aw, Irvine, you didn't have to do all of this."

The Cowboy just shrugged. "I'm trying to do everything I can to cheer you up."

She couldn't help but smile when he said that. "Well, it's working." Her face fell suddenly. "I almost forgot about everything I said to Quistis last night."

Irvine winced. "Did you have to bring that up?"

"It's kind of hard to forget, Irvine. I made a complete fool of myself. Not to mention that Quistis hates me now and is pretty much doing everything in her power to flaunt the fact that she has Squall."

Irvine sighed. "Last night wasn't your fault, Rinoa. I should have never brought that beer. You wouldn't have said those things if you hadn't been drinking."

Rinoa shook her head. "You had no way of knowing. Besides, no one forced me to drink the beer."

He shrugged. "I guess." His face suddenly turned serious. "You're still hung up on Squall, huh?"

Rinoa was slightly taken aback by his forwardness. "Why would you say that?"

"Well, you said that Quistis is rubbing it in your face that she has Squall. I just kind of took that as you still having feeling for him."

She sighed. "I didn't mean it like that. Irvine, I know that Squall and I are over. Do I still care about him? Of course! I don't think I'll ever stop caring about him, just like I'm sure you'll never stop caring about Selphie. However, caring for Squall doesn't mean that I'm in love with him. I'm with you now, remember?"

"So it's official," he stated, a hint of amusement evident in his voice. "We're dating. No regrets."

"No regrets," Rinoa repeated. "I'm moving on with my life."

"Well," Irvine said as he produced a hidden bottle. "How about a toast then?"

Rinoa stared at the bottle in horror. "Um, after last night, I don't think it's a good idea for me to be drinking alcohol."

Irvine chuckled. "I figured you'd say that." He handed her the bottle. "Read the label. It's just sparkling cider. You're completely safe."

Rinoa laughed. "I guess I am." She popped the cork off the top and poured a glass for Irvine and herself. "What shall we toast to?"

"To the future," Irvine said. "And moving on with life."

Rinoa remembered a time, not so long ago, when she didn't even want to think about the future. She had been perfectly content to live in the present, one day at a time. However, that old Rinoa was gone. She was stronger now, and the future was a part of her life that she should look forward to wholeheartedly. That was why, in that moment, she raised her glass and let it clink against Irvine's.

"To the future."

"HONESTLY, this couldn't have happened at a worse time. I don't know what she was thinking. I thought we had made a lot of progress." Quistis glanced at her husband. "Squall, are you listening to me?"

"Huh?" Squall said as he snapped out of his daze. "What were you saying?"

Quistis sighed exasperatedly. "You haven't been listening to a word I've said, have you? Honestly, Squall, sometimes I don't know why I even bother talking to you."

"I'm sorry," Squall said. "I just have a lot of things on my mind. I'm listening now."

The truth was, he did have a lot of things on his mind, but he could never tell her what those things were. They mostly revolved around the fact that Rinoa had left with Irvine on a date, and, to his knowledge, still had not returned. He knew, because he had personally been staking out the security room and gluing his eyes to every available entrance into the Garden. He felt so pathetic, but that didn't change the fact that he was waiting for Quistis to stop talking so he could hightail it back there. Yeah, fucking pathetic.

Quistis just shook her head. "I was saying that this is a horrible time for Rinoa and I to be fighting. The party is right around the corner." She sighed. "I just don't understand why she had to personally attack me like that. I thought everything was fine between us."

"She was drunk, Quistis," Squall said flatly, counting every second he was missing. They had probably come back by now.

"I don't mean to sound accusatory, but she had one beer. Is it really possible to get drunk to the point of losing all common sense after drinking one beer?"

Squall shrugged. "You're the child prodigy, so why don't you tell me."

"How the hell would I know? For the record, I have never been drunk, nor have I studied anything having to do with it."

Squall rubbed his forehead. "So you're calling Rinoa a liar, then."

"No," she said defensively. "I was merely forming a hypothesis."

"Rinoa doesn't handle alcohol well. I know because I've experienced it first hand. The smallest portion of alcohol makes her tipsy, so there is no doubt in my mind that she was drunk last night. Don't take what she said to you personally."

Quistis looked at him in disbelief. "I'm not one to hold grudges, Squall, but this is a bit ridiculous. Although Rinoa may have been drunk last night, she most certainly wasn't this morning. You saw how she acted towards me. A little support on your part would be great."

Squall was beginning to get annoyed with the whole conversation. "What do you want from me? It seems like everything I say just pushes me higher up on your shit list."

"You know that isn't true! All I'm asking you for is your support. Is that too much to ask?"

"Well, you can forget it. I think you're blowing this thing way out of proportion. Why don't you just apologize to Rinoa so that things can be okay between you at the party."

"Excuse me?" Quistis said dumbfoundedly. "You want me to apologize to her?"

Squall nodded. "You were really rude to her last night."

Quistis laughed, for lack of anything better to do. Squall's lack of sympathy on her part was completely unnerving. "Why do you keep defending her over me?"

Squall sighed. "I am not defending her over you. All I am saying is that Rinoa had an excuse for the things that she said, but you didn't."

"Of course," Quistis said softly. "Because Rinoa can do no wrong. She's perfect, right? I should have known that you would side with her over me. That's the way it's always been, so why am I surprised? I mean, who cares if we're married, right? I guess some things just never change."

"There you go, making assumptions again. You know what, Quistis? I'm not going to stand here all day and justify my relationship with Rinoa to you. You're not inclined to believe me, so think whatever you want. I'm out of here." He turned to go.

"Not so fast," Quistis said as she quickly grabbed his wrist. "We're not through here."

"Yes we are, Quistis," Squall said as he roughly pulled his hand away. "I can't deal with you right now." In three quick strides, he had crossed the room and exited.

Quistis watched the door swing shut behind her husband, tears quickly filling her eyes. She was hurt beyond belief by the things that Squall had said to her. It made her feel like a discarded rag, just yearning for affection. She had tried so hard to make her marriage to Squall work, but it seemed to be falling apart right before her eyes. It was all because of Rinoa. Quistis hated to say it, but it was the truth. If Rinoa hadn't reappeared into their lives, Squall wouldn't be arguing over her. Everything seemed horribly unfair. Why did her happiness always seem to come last?

Sighing, Quistis grabbed her purse and exited the apartment. She was already late for a training session with Dr. Kadowaki. The last thing on her mind was medicine, though. Rinoa's party was in two days. How the hell would they be able to patch things up between them? Did she even want to patch things up between them? Maybe it would be easier to just call Rinoa out. No, that was impossible. It would only serve to anger Squall more, and Quistis loved her husband too much to see him unhappy. There just was not any other option. She was going to have to set things straight between her and the brunette.

INSIDE the security room, Squall was once again glued to the screen. He supposed that people would probably begin to realize he was missing from his office and try to find him. He doubted that they would think to check in there for him. The security guard on duty had called in sick, and Squall hadn't found a replacement. It worked to his advantage, though. There was no one there to witness him making a fool of himself.

The main entrance to Garden was fairly desolate. A few students trickled through the gates here and there, but the one person he was looking for was nowhere to be seen. Squall sighed irritabley. What could they possibly be doing for so long? Thousands of unwanted images flew through his head. He just didn't want to think about Rinoa and Irvine together in that sense. You better get used to it. She's dating the guy, remember? Suddenly, Rinoa's form took shape on the camera, walking hand in hand with Irvine. Squall watched through narrowed eyes as they stopped in the main hall. He quickly punched in a code to turn the volume on.

"...was great," Squall watched Rinoa say.

"I'm glad that you had a good time. I, uh, really like spending time with you, Rinoa."

She smiled. "Me too. Do you want to meet for lunch again tomorrow?"

Irvine nodded. "Of course. No beaches, though, unfortunately. Too bad you don't get out early every day."

Rinoa nodded. "Well, I'm going to take a shower now. The sand seems to have snuck up all over me. See you tomorrow."

"Oh, Rinoa, wait a second. I forgot to tell you that Headmaster Cid is having a special anniversary party for Edea in two days. Would you do me the honor of being my date?"

Rinoa laughed. "Of course! Although I very much doubt it's any honor."

"Well, we'll see about that. I'll talk to you more tomorrow."

She nodded and they parted ways.

Inside the security room, Squall watched in relief as they each went their separate ways. Part of him had been afraid that he would have had to witness some type of kiss between the two. In all honesty, he wasn't so sure that he could handle that. It was a horrible realization to make. He was a married man. Why did he have to keep reminding himself of that fact every second? Shouldn't it be a natural instinct? A beautiful feeling that came along when thinking of your spouse? Why was it so hard for him to feel that?

No, he thought, I do feel it. Just...with the wrong person. Rinoa made him feel that way. She had always had that effect on him. Why couldn't they just be together? Why was there always an obstacle standing in their way? It was too late now. Far too late. Fate's bell had tolled and he had never heard it ringing. "Now" was too far gone and there was no looking back. The past was the past, meant to lie untouched, unchanged. What was done was done. That was the reality of the situation. Reality was unkind, but it hadn't always been. Reality had blessed Squall Leonhart once. Just once. Luck had never been on his side.

Squall got up and left the security room. He should go to his office and finish the day there. He should go apologize to Quistis. He should do a lot of things. Why was it that all he wanted to do was run off to Rinoa's room and beg her to reconsider what she had said? He knew he couldn't do that, though. Besides, she was taking a shower. A smirk suddenly danced across lips at that thought. Shaking his head, he brushed his risqué thoughts aside and headed for the only place that had been faithful to him throughout all the years. It was the only place where he could let his anger loose and just let go. It was a place that he needed now, more than ever. The Training Center.