AN: Please read the Author Note at the end of this chapter.
"Yo, are we all here?" Zell asked as they fell on top of one another as they hit the sands of the beach beside the orphanage.
"Anyone seen Rinoa and Squall?" Irvine asked as he climbed to his feet, dusting down his clothes to try and remove some of the sand. Selphie madly ran up the steps towards the Orphanage to look for them while the others combed the beach.
"They're not here!" Quistis said as she looked around them stricken with panic.
"Guys?" Selphie, like Quistis, seemed stricken with panic. "I can't find them anywhere!"
. . . I'm not alone . . . If I call out, they will answer. He tried to stay calm as he floated through time wandering to no where in particular. "Where is everyone? Rinoa! Where are you? Zell! Selphie! Quistis! Irvine!" He was answered by silence. He couldn't think of anything to do but call for the one person he knew he was supposed to meet. "Rinoa!"
. . . Am I . . . alone? Rinoa? I want to hear your voice. Which way . . . do I go? I don't know how to make it back . . . alone.
"Rinoa?"
Am I . . . all alone again? Where . . . am I? I haven't changed at all . . . I'm still lost without someone to depend on.
It felt like he'd been walking for an eternity, all he could see was barren land, no land marks or familiar traits that he could use as a guide. He could feel his legs beginning to buckle under his own weight as the exhaustion finally reached them. He used his hands to stop his from collapsing against the ground completely as he fell to his knees. "Rinoa? Irvine? Guys?" He spoke between laboured breathes as he felt his body begin to give up on him. He turned his body to sit down with his legs extended before him. For sometime he found himself staring at the floor.
The clouds separated and rays of light passed over him attracting his attention as he weakly turned his head to look up. He watched as a white feather floated on an unseen breeze, landing between his legs. As he reached for the feather he saw the past few months of his life passing before his eyes. Is this what it feels like to die? He questioned himself as he watched Rinoa cold and alone in the bath surrounded by bloody water and broken glass. As she turned to look at him a black void began to consume her face from her eyes out. Rinoa? What? This is all my fault! He scolded himself as he watched it change to Rinoa in his arms as they dance, Hyne she took his breathe away that night. But when she turned to him after watching the star her face was gone as well, filled only with darkness. No! I won't let her disappear from my life! He screamed in his mind as the image change again to Seifer this time, his face did not disappear instead his sickly processed smirk dominated Squall's thoughts. Squall clung to his hand as he snatched it back from the feather, grateful that the images had finally stopped. Through his exhaustion he saw nothing as his body finally lost all it's will to fight.
She wondered through different times and places crying his name as she ran from place to place. Eventually she found what looked like dried and cracked soil for as far as her eyes could see. She screamed his name once more, her voice beginning to fade due to her screaming. "Squall? Squall, where are you." She swallowed a lump in her throat as she walked through the barren waste land. Tears filled her eyes as she began to suspect the worst. Her cries grew weaker as she became tempted to just give up and let this world become her death bed. She stumbled over small rocks as she continued on weakly, trying not to let her exhaustion take over.
She stopped suddenly as she spotted a black figure lying on the floor just in her range of sight. Please don't be dead, please don't be dead, please don't be dead, please don't be dead. Thewords spun and resonated around in her head like an echo rebounding from wall to wall.She raised a hand to cover her mouth as she looked on with worry. Picking up her pace she ran over to the body falling to the floor beside it as she looked at his face. She slowly reached for his cheek and ran her finger tips down to his jaw line. The cold from his skin was too much for her as she snatched her hand back and bit on her bottom lip to try and stop the tears. It didn't work and she soon found herself covering her mouth with her hands as tears rolled down her cheeks. She sat rocking herself for sometime trying desperately to stop the flood of tears but to no avail.
She could still feel the sobs rocking her body as she leaned over him and stared at his face. "Squall please . . . I don't know what to do. I don't know how to save you." She reached for his arm trying her hardest not to pull back at the icy cold feeling of his body. Tears still rolled down her cheeks as she pulled his body slowly towards her own. "Squall please . . . I can't do this by myself." She said as she rested his body across her lap. Her head fell into her hands as she tried to fight back another fit of sobs, each one felt like a raging tsunami pulling down her life bit by bit as they passed over her. "This wasn't supposed to happen . . . you promised . . ." Sobs rocked her body as she stared down at his still face. "You promised it'd be ok . . . you promised . . . in the flower field . . . you can't die! Not yet . . . not yet!" She argued with his cold form as she pulled him against her chest. Hugging him tightly as her head leant against his chest she gave into the last few tears she had left to cry.
A strong breeze brushed past her and lifted her duster, making it dance in the wind. She looked up as it attracted her attention, the clouds drifted apart and light poured around them both. Petals of the flowers what grew around them danced on the warm breeze. A whirlwind of petals spiralled upwards as the flower field grew and blossomed around them. Rinoa looked on in awe as she realised they were both where they had promised to meet. Glowing feathers mixed with the flying petals as they slowly fell to the floor. A single tear and the last her body could produce fell down her cheek as she tightly shut her eyes to shield her from the pain. She felt a gloved hand brush the tear from her cheek and she leant into the touch before pulling away sharply and opening her eyes open in shock.
Lying before her was Squall his hand still outstretched for her cheek, his eyes open and his chest rising and falling with ever breath he took. A disbelieving laugh briefly shook her body as she look down on his with a storm of emotions rushing thought her body. "What are you crying for?" He asked softly as she felt a small smile slowly begin to spread across her lips. He smiled back and for the first time it was a real smile, as he sat up using his arm for support. Another disbelieving laugh escaped her lips as her own smile grew larger. Throwing herself at him she tightly wrapped her arms round his neck
"Hyne, Squall I thought you were dead." She spoke into his shoulder as she felt them both fall to the ground with the force of her hug. She lifted herself away from him only to feel a small tug on her arm from him as he caught her hand. She looked back to him with joy filled eyes as she stared down at his face. He sat back up with Rinoa still sat across his lap.
"Rinoa . . . you're . . ." He tried to say the words, he wanted so badly to tell her how he felt but he couldn't think how to phrase it how to make the words leave his mouth. Instead they both moved closer together, his hand reached up to brush the soft skin of her cheek while her arms found their way around his neck once more. His breath tickled her skin as them found themselves only inches away from one another. Both felt their eyelids begin to lower as their lips parted slightly.
"Achem . . ." Laguna coughed loudly and the pair moved apart as they looked onto the crowd, both a little embarrassed by the spectators. Irvine gave them both the thumbs up which only made Rinoa look away shyly before getting off the ground and dusting down her clothes.
"Yo, we thought we'd lost you both!" Zell said as he leaped around like a small child. Ellone was leaning back in fear of getting hit round the face by him but she still found the time to give the pair a knowing glance. They looked to each other and smiled as Squall got back onto his feet.
"We were worried." Quistis said in her usual motherly tone.
"Yeah, like what happened?" Selphie asked as the pair looked to each other for an answer.
"I guess we both just . . ." She looked up to Squall as she spoke, "need time to clear our heads." She smiled at him before turning back to their friends.
"Maybe we should give the couple a moment alone." Irvine suggested as he put his arms around Selphie and Quistis and tried to guide them away, Quistis was quick to remove his arm from around her neck and give him a sift shove away from her which cause him and Selphie to fall in a heap on the floor. Ellone followed them, quick to catch on to what Irvine had meant. Zell and Laguna were slightly slower to catch on but they eventually left the couple alone.
"Thanks for saving me." She smiled at him as he took her hand while he spoke.
"It's ok; I couldn't come back without you, we promised." She looked at the ground as she spoke, crossing her arms behind her back as she avoided his eyes. "Squall I . . ." Her tone had changed and she sound slightly upset or maybe downhearted, he couldn't tell with out seeing her face. "I really like you but . . ."
But? Great we managed to get this far and now it's just a but. I should have just taken you in my arms . . . I should have paid more attention. Rinoa why are you pushing me away now, why when I want to hold you so much?
"I don't think . . . maybe we should just stay friends. I . . . I can't . . . I can't wait for you to get hurt again." She looked at him with sorrowful eyes as she turned and ran from him. He opened his mouth to speak but stopped letting his head fall into his hand as leant against one of the stone walls for support.
Why?
AN: Please read this! I'm really grateful for all your support and reviews. Rinoa and Squall didn't end up together but should they? An opinion in your review will determine if I add one more final chapter to this story. You opinion only changes weather or not the story finishes here, not what happens next. Keep that in mind.
Anonymous reviews are accepted, so review!
