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

Author's Note: Hmm...there's not much to say, except THANK YOU to everyone for being patient with me. I know that updates have been slow, but you can't even imagine how touched I am at the number of you that continue to read and review despite that. From the bottom of my heart, THANK YOU!

To Love You More

Chapter Thirty-Five

"And all the roads we have to walk along are winding
And all the lights that lead us there are blinding
There are many things that I would
Like to say to you
I don't know how

Because maybe
You're gonna be the one who saves me
And after all
You're my wonderwall..."

-"Wonderwall" Oasis

RINOA watched the sun rise from the balcony of Balamb Garden. Although it was still early, the weather was fairly warm, and there was not a cloud in the sky. Zell and Carrie would have a beautiful day for their wedding. Rinoa closed her eyes, letting the sun's warm rays shine down on her. It was a moment of the utmost peace and tranquility. The sorceress could not help but smile to herself. Her friends deserved the best day for their wedding, and Rinoa had a feeling that they were going to receive just that.

Rinoa's eyes suddenly snapped open as she felt a pair of arms encircle her waist. Tilting her head back, she saw that it was Squall. She pulled away quickly, shocked at the risk that Squall had just taken. Was he out of his mind?

"Squall," Rinoa said indignantly. "What are you doing?"

The commander shrugged. "I had to see you."

"Oh, Squall," Rinoa said, sighing, "You make everything sound so simple. You know that we can't be here together."

"Why not?" Squall asked, taking a step toward her. "Most of Garden is still sleeping right now."

"That's not the point. Anyone could see us and jump to conclusions. Besides, I thought we agreed that nothing could happen between us while you're still married."

"I know," Squall said, sighing in defeat. "I just figured that now would be a good time to see you. I miss you, Rinoa."

Rinoa smiled sadly. "I miss you, too, Squall."

"Screw it," Squall whispered as he took one final step towards her, closing the distance between them. He claimed her lips with his own, reveling in their sweet taste.

Rinoa was momentarily swept up in his kiss, forgetting where they were and what they weren't supposed to be doing. God, he had this effect on her every damn time. She could never refuse his kiss, or resist it, for that matter. He was damn good, and he knew it. Rinoa found herself running her hands through his silky brown hair, moaning against the assault on her mouth. Still, both were forced to part, simply for their need of air.

Squall was the first one to gain his composure, as he so often was. "I'm sorry," he breathed. "I shouldn't have done that."

"No," Rinoa said quietly, "You shouldn't have." She saw the hurt flash across his face, albeit briefly. "But you have nothing to be sorry for. I know that I shouldn't have enjoyed that, but I did."

Squall allowed a small grin to form on his face. "I should get going, as should you. We have the wedding to get ready for." Rinoa nodded, and turned to go. "Besides," Squall continued, calling her attention back to him. "I don't trust myself around you. If I kiss you again, I don't think I'll be able to stop myself."

Rinoa grinned. "You're not the only one who feels that way." Her gaze turned serious. "You're right, though, we need to get ready. I trust I'll be seeing you at the wedding?"

Squall nodded. "It looks like I'll be your escort down the aisle."

"Well then," Rinoa said, running a hand through her hair, "I look forward to it. See you later, Squall."

Squall's eyes followed her as she left, noticing every curve and sway of her body. He shook his head, clearing such thoughts. Now was not the time to be thinking such things. With a sigh, he, too, left the balcony.

QUISTIS placed her bags on the floor of her bedroom and sighed. She had arrived in Balamb so late the previous night that she had just decided to get a room at the hotel for the night. Now, she was back in her apartment at Balamb Garden, feeling a bit out of it. Squall was not there, so she assumed that he was in his office. She was secretly relieved by this fact, seeing how she wasn't too keen on seeing Squall again. They had a lot of things to talk about, and Quistis was not so sure that she was ready to do so. Any resolve she had felt in FH seemed to be slipping away by the moment.

The sound of a key turning in a lock made Quistis completely freeze. So much for Squall being in his office. She knew that she should call out to him and let him know that she was there, but she found that she couldn't speak. She wasn't quite sure why she was so nervous, it was just Squall, but nevertheless, she just stood there, frozen. She suddenly had the strange sense to hide. What had come over her? She urged herself to calm down.

Squall, in the meantime, was rummaging around in the kitchen. He figured that he'd have a snack before he got ready for the wedding. A small smile played about his lips as he recalled his morning rendezvous with Rinoa. He couldn't wait to see her again at the wedding. She always had the ability to completely alter his mood. At that moment, a shadow seemed to fall over the kitchen, causing Squall to look up...right into the eyes of Quistis. The box Squall had just been holding fell to the floor with a crash. All Squall could do was stare in shock.

"Hello, Squall," Quistis said quietly. "I hope I didn't startle you."

Squall shook his head mutely, and then bent over to retrieve the box of cereal. "You're back," he stated, hoping that he sounded calmer than he felt.

Quistis nodded. "Yes."

Squall felt like an idiot. He couldn't even seem to put two words together. Snap out of it, he mentally ordered himself. "I suppose you know that the wedding is today."

Quistis nodded once more. "Yes. It's the reason that I came back."

"Oh," Squall said quietly. "So you weren't going to come back."

The blonde sighed. "Squall, we have a lot to talk about. I've come to many realizations in the past two weeks, and I can only assume that you have, as well. I want to sit down and discuss everything with you, but now is not the time. After the wedding, perhaps. If you don't mind, I would like to enjoy myself today."

Squall nodded. "Of course. Whenever you want to talk, I'll listen."

"Okay," Quistis said, surprised at the change in Squall's attitude. He was being more agreeable than she had remembered. The only other time she had seen him like this was with Rinoa. Of course, she thought. Rinoa's had two weeks to work her magic on him. She shook her head, forcing herself to banish such thoughts. There was no reason for her to jump to conclusions.

Squall frowned at her action. "Are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine." She forced a smile. "I suppose I'm just a little tired from my trip."

Squall nodded in understanding. He knew what it felt like to be worn down from traveling. "You have time to rest before the wedding, if you want to. I can wake you up in about an hour to get ready."

Quistis once again was surprised. What had gotten into Squall? Regardless of what it was, she couldn't deny the fact that it was pulling at her heart strings. Perhaps he had missed her, after all. "Thank you, Squall. I think I'll do just that." She began to walk out of the room when she suddenly thought of something. "Oh, and if it's not too much trouble, do you think you could get my dress from Selphie?"

"Sure, no problem. You just rest up, and I'll handle everything."

Quistis nodded and proceeded to walk to the bedroom. Something was definitely off with her husband. The question was...what?

"HERE you go, Rinoa. Don't forget, we're all meeting here to do hair in makeup in an hour and a half. Just be dressed by then," Selphie told Rinoa, handing her her bridesmaid dress.

Rinoa nodded. "Sure, I won't forget. By the way, have you heard anything about Brett? Is he going to be okay?"

"Yeah, Dr. Kadowaki says he's going to be fine, but it'll take a few days. The poor guy has a stomach bug."

Rinoa winced. "Those are the worst. It's too bad that he won't be able to make the wedding."

Selphie shrugged. "I don't know, it seems like it has its advantages."

"What are you talking about?"

"Don't play dumb with me," Selphie said, grinning mischievously. "You know exactly what I'm talking about."

"Selphie!" Rinoa exclaimed, "I have no idea what you're going on about."

"I'm talking about Squall, and don't pretend that you weren't thinking the same thing because it's written all over your face!"

Rinoa opened her mouth to protest, but was cut off by a knock at the door. Selphie moved to open the door, but not before shooting Rinoa a look that clearly read that the conversation was far from over. From where Rinoa was standing, she could not see who it was, but Selphie would not keep her friend in suspense for long.

"Oh, hey Squall! What brings you here?" the brunette asked cheerfully.

"Uh, I'm here to pick up Quistis' dress," he told her.

From her place within Selphie's room, Rinoa froze. He had come to pick up Quistis' dress? Then that could only mean one thing. Quistis was back.

Selphie's smile immediately faltered. "Oh, Quistis is back?"

Squall nodded. "Yeah, she got in this morning. Said that she wanted to make it for the wedding. Anyway, she was feeling tired, so I figured I'd give her a break and help her out. That's why I'm here for the dress."

"Okay, I'll go grab it. Oh, and let her know that we're meeting here in..." she glanced at her watch, "An hour and twenty minutes for hair and makeup." Selphie turned to retrieve the dress, but found that Rinoa had beat her to the punch.

"Here you go, Squall," Rinoa said, plastering a smile on her face as she handed it to him.

"Rinoa," Squall said in surprise. "I didn't know you were here."

Rinoa shrugged. "It's okay. I was just leaving." She turned to Selphie. "I'll see you in a little while. Thanks for the help." She began to walk away, but was quickly stopped by Squall.

"Hey, at least let me walk you to your room."

"Sorry, Squall, but I don't think that would be such a good idea," she said, continuing to walk away.

"Rinoa," Squall said, grabbing her arm. "Why are you acting like this?"

This time, Rinoa stopped. "In case you forgot, your wife is back. Do you want her to see us and go jumping to conclusions? I think that is the last thing anyone needs to go through today, especially Zell and Carrie."

"I understand that, but it's just walking you to your room. Besides, Quistis is asleep. I very much doubt that she'd be down here spying on us."

Rinoa sighed, suddenly feeling extremely tired. "Okay, fine. If you insist, then fine. Just don't blame me when things start to fall apart."

They began to walk in silence. Now that Squall had gotten his way, he found that he didn't have a thing to say. Unlike previous silences between them, this one proved to be extremely awkward and uncomfortable. He could sense that Rinoa was upset, and he figured that it had something to do with Quistis being back. He hoped that she didn't think he had any intention of staying with Quistis now that she was back. He still fully intended to tell Quistis that he wanted a divorce. He was just about to tell Rinoa as much when she grabbed his arm with a gasp.

"Rinoa?" he said, alarm in his voice. "Rinoa, what's wrong?"

Rinoa clung to his arm, trying to steady her breath. After a few minutes, she pulled away and regained her composure. "I'm sorry," she said. "I just got dizzy for a minute."

"Are you okay to walk back to your room?" Squall asked worriedly.

"Yeah, I'm fine. The dizziness is gone now."

"Are you sure? I can take you to see Dr. Kadowaki."

Rinoa shook her head. "Really, Squall, I'm fine."

Squall rolled his eyes. "Stubborn, as usual. Remember what happened the last time you wouldn't let me take you to the infirmary?"

It was Rinoa's turn to roll her eyes. "This is a completely different situation. Everyone gets dizzy spells."

"Why do I have the feeling that this isn't the first time this has happened?"

"Squall, I don't want to argue with you, okay? Right now, I just really need to get ready for the wedding. I advise you to do the same."

"Rinoa, look at me," Squall demanded, turning her face towards his. "I know what's going on in your head right now, and for some reason, you feel the need to push me away. I know, because I've been there before. How many times did I push you away, Rinoa?" She shrugged, averting her eyes. "Just listen to me, dammit! I am not, nor do I have any intention of staying with Quistis. Do you understand that? Nothing has changed."

Rinoa nodded mutely, feeling her resolve crumble. She just wanted to be able to trust him so badly. "Okay," she said finally. "I understand. I'm serious, though, Squall. If you don't let me go, we're both going to be late for the wedding."

Squall released her reluctantly. "Are you going to be okay to get back to your room by yourself?" Rinoa nodded. "Okay, then. I guess I'll see you at the wedding."

"Yeah, see you then," Rinoa said softly before turning around and briskly walking away.

BALAMB Garden loomed imposingly over Seifer Almasy. The reality of the situation, that he was actually back, still felt surreal to him. The decision to return to his former home had not been an easy one. In fact, after reading and rereading Quistis' letter several times, he had fought an inner battle with himself. He had always secretly wanted to come back, and with Quistis gone, he figured he had even more reason to do so. That was why, just hours after Quistis had left, Seifer packed up a few belongings and bought a ticket to the next train to Balamb. The train hadn't arrived until that morning, but Seifer made it, and that was what mattered.

With a small sigh, Seifer made his way into the intimidating structure. Seifer had never been one to cower in fear, but even he could not deny the fact that this whole situation was resulting in a flock of butterflies in his stomach. He supposed that the one thing that had him the most nervous was how Quistis would react to his arrival. Sure, she had written that he should visit sometime, but he highly doubted that this was what she had had in mind. Regardless, he still had a gift to deliver to her, and he would not give up until he had.

With a deep, steadying breath, Seifer began to climb the front steps of Balamb Garden. He willed himself to become more confident, more self-assured. He had never had such problems before, but then again, this wasn't exactly an ordinary situation. Whether he wanted to admit it or not, the past two weeks in FH with Quistis had had a major impact on him. He wouldn't be back in Balamb if it wasn't for her, that was for sure. Truth be told, showing up on the day of Zell's wedding probably wasn't the best idea, but it was too late to turn back now. He just hoped that the wedding hadn't started yet so that he would have the chance to talk to Quistis before then. No matter what, though, he was willing to wait as long as it took to deliver the music box to her. He could just imagine the look on Squall's face when he saw him. Smirking, Seifer's steps quickened.

"IS everyone ready?" Selphie asked from outside of the ballroom.

The crowd of bridesmaids, groomsmen, and other various friends of the bride all quieted down. Rinoa and Quistis were among the group, however they had not had a chance to say anything to each other, except for rushed hellos. Squall was also there, speaking quietly with Irvine and the other groomsmen. He had not addressed Rinoa in front of his wife, and he preferred to keep his distance from the both of them.

"Okay, listen up," Selphie told the crowd. "We're going to have a slight change of plans again. As you may recall, we had to switch partners around during the rehearsal due to the absence of Brett and Quistis. Brett is still not with us today, but Quistis is. That means that Squall and Quistis will partner up as originally planned. Rinoa, we need to find you a new partner."

Rinoa nodded, scanning the area for possible replacements. Would they be able to find someone on such short notice? Well, if it was possible, Selphie would definitely find a way. "Do you have anyone in mind?" she asked as she approached Selphie.

Selphie shrugged. "No...but we better find someone fast! The wedding starts in five minutes!"

"Okay, we just have to remain calm. Out of all the people in Garden, there has to be someone who could stand in."

"I could stand in."

Rinoa immediately tensed up at the voice behind her. Before turning around, she knew who it was. A silence fell over the crowd, further confirming her suspicions. She turned around to face the amused green eyes of Seifer Almasy. Before she could even open her mouth to speak, Squall was by her side, a furious expression on his face.

"What the hell are you doing here?" he demanded angrily.

"Can't a guy come see his friend's wedding?" Seifer asked coolly.

"He could," Squall said, "But I don't see any friends of yours here."

Seifer clenched his jaw in anger. All of his old feelings of hatred towards Squall were returning ten-fold. He was just about to retort with a comment about how cozy Squall and Rinoa had become in Quistis' absence, when none other than the blonde herself suddenly stood between the two angry men.

"Enough!" she exclaimed. "Seifer is here because I invited him." Squall stared at his wife in shock. She had invited him? What the hell was going on? "The wedding is going to begin in a few minutes, and we're short a groomsman. Seifer, if you come with me, I'm sure I can find you a spare tux."

"He can't be in the wedding," Squall hissed. "How the hell do you think Zell will feel?"

Quistis shrugged. "It can't be helped, Squall. There isn't time to find anyone else." She turned to Seifer. "Come on, we have to hurry with that tux."

As the two of them hurried off, the crowd stared after them in awe. Had the Commander's wife really run off with Seifer Almasy, her husband's rival? Is that where she had run off to these past two weeks? Rinoa and Squall shared the same thoughts as the rest of the crowd. Thing just kept on getting more complicated.

"WHAT on Earth are you doing here?" Quistis demanded the second they were safely away from the crowd.

"Hey, you left without saying goodbye. I had to do something to remedy that. Besides, you wrote in your letter that you wanted me to come," Seifer replied with a smirk.

"Yes, but I never imagined you would come so soon! Seifer, now is not exactly the best time for you to be here."

"Actually, I think that my timing is perfect. You needed another groomsman, right?"

Quistis nodded. "Still, I doubt Zell will be pleased when he sees you."

Seifer shrugged. "Too bad for him, eh? He should be thankful that I stepped up to the plate."

Quistis rolled her eyes. "Oh yeah, he'll be thrilled." Shaking her head, she swiped the key card through the door to her and Squall's apartment, which they had just reached.

"Wow, nice place," Seifer commented as he followed her through the door. "Squall must be living the good life."

Quistis ignored him and hurried over to the bedroom to retrieve Squall's spare tux. Once back in the living area, she handed the suit to Seifer. "Go change into this. I'm hoping you and Squall are about the same size."

"I bet I could teach you a thing or two about size," Seifer told her, smirking.

"Seifer!" Quistis exclaimed, blushing crimson. "Just go change!"

With a chuckle, Seifer made his way over to the bathroom. He hated to admit it, but he was glad to be back in the presence of Quistis. It was just too fun to egg her on and embarrass her. He chuckled to himself again, wondering what her reaction would be to his gift. There was plenty of time for that later, though. He had a feeling that he'd be staying at Garden for awhile.

"Seifer, what are you laughing at?" He heard Quistis ask exasperatedly. "We don't have time for games!"

Yup, Seifer thought, smirking, I'll definitely be sticking around.

"SO I just want to dedicate this toast to Zell and Carrie, two great people who make an even greater couple. To Zell and Carrie!" Irvine exclaimed as he finished up his toast.

Glasses clinked together all over the quad as people joined in the toast. It was a beautiful, sunny day, just as Rinoa had predicted. The weather had worked out perfectly since the wedding reception was being held in the quad. Zell and Carrie's wedding had been short, but extremely sweet. Of course, the majority of Garden had been shocked to witness Squall escorting Rinoa down the aisle, followed by Seifer escorting Quistis. Although Quistis was originally supposed to partner up with Squall, she decided that it would be less awkward for everyone if she paired herself up with Seifer, instead. It was definitely fodder for rumors circulating around Garden.

Zell and Carrie were seated at the head table, grinning from ear to ear. No one could really focus on gossip when the bride and groom were looking so happy. Rinoa was seated between Zell and Selphie, so she was never at a loss for conversation. To Selphie's left was Irvine, followed by Seifer, Quistis, Squall, and Carrie. Squall was not at all pleased that Seifer was sitting with them, but Quistis had insisted upon it.

"So," Selphie said, addressing the table, "Whose up for some dancing?"

Grumbles were heard throughout the table from the males in the group, but Selphie figured that dancing was a sure bet to break the tension between certain members at the table.

"Alright, alright," Irvine grumbled. "If it makes you happy, I'll dance with you, Selphie."

"Excellent," Selphie said, rubbing her hands together with and evil smirk. "Come on, the rest of you guys have to come, too!" With another smile, she grabbed Irvine's hand and headed over to the dance floor.

"Come on, Zell, let's go, too!" Carrie exclaimed, dragging Zell to the dance floor.

All that remained at the table now were four very uncomfortable people. Each who seemed to be gazing down at their hands nervously. Rinoa realized that she should probably say something to break the tension, but she had absolutely no idea of what to say. Before she could think of something, however, Squall got up and stormed out of the quad. Quistis and Rinoa exchanged looks, as if daring the other to go after him.

"Excuse me," Rinoa said as she got up and hurried out of the ballroom. She noticed, with a sigh of relief, Squall sitting on a bench right around the corner. She walked right up to him and extended her hand. "Come on."

Squall looked up, an unreadable expression on his face. "I'm not in the mood for games, Rinoa."

"This isn't a game," Rinoa insisted, still holding out her hand to him. "You look like you could use a walk. Besides, I owe you one for being a pain in the ass this morning."

With a sigh, Squall grabbed her hand and hoisted himself up. He quickly dropped her hand as they began to walk side by side. It was far too risky to be holding her hand in public. The two of them walked in silence until Rinoa couldn't help but break it.

"What's on your mind, Squall?" she asked softly, looking at him questioningly.

Squall shrugged. "A lot of things."

Rinoa nodded in understanding. She, too, had a lot of different things running through her mind. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Squall shook his head. "What's the use? I'll just end up angry, and I don't want to take that anger out on you."

Rinoa sighed. "If it's any consolation, I'm worried, too. I'm worried about Seifer coming back to Garden, I'm worried about Quistis, I'm worried about losing you."

Squall looked up at her admission. "You're not going to lose me, Rinoa."

"Nobody can predict the future, Squall," she reminded him. Their footsteps had led them to Garden's second floor balcony by the classrooms.

"It doesn't matter," Squall told her. "You should know that by now. Rules don't apply to us, Rinoa."

Rinoa nodded, walking over to the balcony's railing. She closed her eyes, letting the fresh air wash over her. A sudden thought came over her, and she turned back around to face Squall. "Dance with me?" she asked, cocking her head to the side.

Squall raised an eyebrow. "Here?" Rinoa nodded. "You know I don't dance."

"No," Rinoa said, taking his hands. "I know that you do."

With a small smile, Squall pulled her closer, and they began to sway to an imaginary melody. In that moment, they were in their own little world, concentrating on nothing but the eyes of the other. Rinoa rested her head on Squall's shoulder, enjoying the feel of his arms around her. She would never get tired of that feeling.

"Squall," Rinoa said, looking up at him. She would not get to finish the thought, though, as she suddenly felt another bout of dizziness wash over her, causing her to fall into Squall's arms.

"Rinoa!" he asked, panic-stricken. This was the second time today that such a thing had occurred. "Is it the dizziness again?" Rinoa nodded mutely, her eyes closed. "Just hold on, I'm taking you to Dr. Kadowaki."

This time, Rinoa did not refuse as Squall scooped her up in his arms and hurried to the infirmary. The halls were empty since most of Garden was attending the reception in the quad. Squall knew for a fact that Dr. Kadowaki had attended the actual ceremony, but had not planned on attending the reception. Hopefully, she would be in the infirmary. As Squall came through the door, he was immediately thankful to see Dr. Kadowaki sitting at her desk.

"Squall!" the doctor exclaimed. "What happened?"

"She's been getting dizzy spells all day," he explained as he set Rinoa down on one of the vacant beds. "This seems to have been the worst of them, though."

"Alright, Squall, you know the drill. You're going to have to wait in the other room while I take a look at her."

Squall nodded and immediately left the room. He collapsed onto a chair in the waiting room, praying that Rinoa would be okay. He didn't know how long he sat there, maybe minutes, maybe hours, but it sure felt like an eternity. Finally, Dr. Kadowaki emerged from the room.

"Everything looks fine," she assured Squall. "I just need to run a few more tests, but it looks like the dizziness is just a result of Rinoa over-working herself."

"Can I see her?" Squall asked anxiously.

"Well, she's sleeping right now, so I think it would be best if we don't disturb her. Why don't you head back to the quad, Squall? I'm sure everyone is wondering where you are."

Squall shook his head. "I'd rather stay here."

"Now Squall, don't be stubborn," Dr. Kadowaki scolded. "Your friends must be worried sick. I promise that I'll come find you the minute she wakes up."

"Okay, fine," Squall agreed with a sigh. "Take care of her."

"I will," she said, smiling warmly. The second Squall left, Dr. Kadowaki hurried back into Rinoa's room. She looked over the test results one more time, making sure that her eyes weren't failing her.

"What is it?" Rinoa asked sleepily as she opened her eyes. "What's wrong with me?"

"Nothing is wrong with you, Rinoa," Dr. Kadowaki assured her.

"Then why have I been getting these dizzy spells?"

"Oh, dizzy spells are perfectly normal in your condition, dear."

"My condition?" Rinoa repeated slowly.

"Why, yes. Congratulations, Rinoa, you're pregnant!"