We are getting closer to my favorite part! Yeah! Let's go!

Disclaimer: I still don't own anything that has to deal with the characters of Final Fantasy VIII. I only own like four that I made up myself.

Chapter Thirty-Four

More Mysteries

Time can slow down and minutes can seem like hours when you're with someone you love and care about more than anything. It's almost as if being in their presence makes all the bad feelings disappear. Life can be a lonely place without someone to hold onto, you know, and it's good to have that one thing to rely on through the tough times.

Rinoa and Squall sat there, like that, lost in each other, comforted by each other's embrace, the other's presence. They didn't really say much as there wasn't much to say. It was easier to just enjoy the silence.

Rinoa could feel an aura around her that she didn't like and was beginning to fear. Ever since on the Ragnarok days ago, she found that this feeling was following her everywhere, taunting her, torturing her. It hurt that she couldn't figure out its puzzles. It was controlling her and she couldn't break away. Something told her that this aura was a clue to something or a warning. Just thinking about it made her head spin, making her feel weak. Dread accompanied this feeling in cold, bone-chilling waves. Was it destruction that she was foreseeing?

Squall was tensing with every moment that passed. He wasn't familiar with being at such a close proximity to Rinoa. He still feared being too close to someone, feared being rejected, left alone again. That was his one weakness, and anyone could use that against him for an advantage. The cadets at Balamb liked to joke that he had no weaknesses, but that was there they were all wrong. He did have a weakness, and it could kill him at any given time.

Squall thought about saying something to Rinoa, but he couldn't find any words that wouldn't come out as a giant jumble, a bouquet of clumsy words. He wanted to tell her how he felt, how he's always felt. He still didn't know what words would describe those strange feelings. He wondered if he'd ever lose hold of this feeling.

"Rinoa?" he whispered in her ear, keeping his voice as quiet as possible.

"Hmm?" she answered, eyes closed and feeling peaceful.

He hung his head, realizing that what he wanted to say had nothing to do with how he felt. He wanted to tell her the truth, he owed her that. It took so much to just force out five tiny words.

"I don't want you here." There. He'd said it. As painful as it was, he'd said it. He looked away as she turned to look at him. He saw the look in her eyes. He saw the worry.

"Why?" Did I do something wrong? She wanted to push further questions, but he answered her before she could.

"I hate it when I can't describe my feelings." He sounded frustrated and now aggravated. He sighed.

"Are you afraid of something?" She moved off of him and took his hand in hers, suddenly knowing what he was talking about.

Nodding, "Yes. I could you could say that I am. I'm afraid of losing you. I don't want to be left alone again. I don't want to be pushed away. I don't want anything to happen to you because of you. What good of a knight am I if I can't protect you from everything that could harm you, including me? I took you away from here for a reason. I wanted you safe. It's frustrating when I can't keep you safe." Frustration was tearing him apart. He sighed and stood up in an attempt to get away from her for the time being. He couldn't look at her. For all he knew, she probably thought he was an idiot. He walked back out to the balcony, back into the wind and rain. Rinoa didn't know if she should go out there after him or let him have some time to himself. Playing it safe, she walked to the room's edge and leaned against the wall. She left him alone but just in case, watched him.

"You're gonna get sick, you know," she whispered after a long silence between them. He didn't turn around but shrugged to show her that he didn't care. She knew he felt crazy, split between two jobs. If it was one thing she knew, it was that she could wait. The world couldn't. She walked out to him and laid a hand on his back, feeling the warm skin beneath his cotton shirt. He wasn't wearing his leather jacket, which made her a bit curious.

"Squall," she forced him to turn around and face her. It was her turn. "Nothing's going to happen to me, okay? I'm going to fine. All's I have to do is stay near you." But when she looked up into his face, she saw something that startled her. He didn't give her time to do anything, however He dropped to his knees, pressing his forehead against her thigh, hands firmly on her hips. He mumbled something inaudible, and she responded by running her hand through his wet mop. It took her some time but she finally dropped to her knees, too, and laid his head on her shoulder.

He was crying.

"Squall…" But Rinoa just couldn't say anything. The words wouldn't come, but words weren't good enough for either of them right now.

Rinoa felt so helpless and useless. Squall was upset, but she had no idea what to do. She'd never been faced with something like this before. He'd never broken down like this in the past. He just never cried in front of her. She used to think that he wasn't a crying person. But now she knew better. Figuring that there wasn't much that she could do, she just held him close.

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The rain outside continued to pour down with no intentions of stopping. Seifer was woken out of his dreams by the sounds due to a sudden crash of thunder that shook the palace. He sat up and looked around the room as best as he could. Something caught his attention. Both Squall and Rinoa's beds were empty. Seifer couldn't help but smile to himself as he laid back down to sleep, listening to the sounds of Zell's snores and the storm.

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Rinoa held onto Squall as hard as she could. Her nails dung deep into his skin. Squall closed his eyes as his head still rested upon her shoulder. He'd stopped his tears, feeling embarrassed for crying in front of her. His arms were wrapped tightly around her but his grasp had began to weaken as her rhythmic heartbeat put him to sleep. He fought desperately to keep awake, but he was losing his battle. Squall kissed the wet, bare part of her shoulder that her blue duster didn't cover as he reluctantly drifted off.

Rinoa, too, found it increasingly difficult to stay awake. She suddenly had a change of heart. She no longer wanted to be back in the line of action, but in a peaceful little cottage in the country somewhere away from all this danger. She wished and hoped that this newfound nightmare would be over soon.

But she had no idea that this "nightmare" would have a chilling end.

A sudden crash of thunder brought Squall back to reality. He sat up, tensing once again. Rinoa opened her eyes and looked into his. The normally stunning blue eyes were red from his tears. Squall pulled her up with him as he stood, avoiding her gaze.

"We should really get out of this rain." He said after a moment or two. Rinoa nodded but didn't move. He had to pull her back into the tiny room where it was dry.

She started laughing when they finally got out of the rain. "Wow! We're drenched!" She exclaimed, laughing openly. He cracked a half smile but it didn't get any farther than that.

He started to say something, the one thing that had been stuck in the back of his throat since they met, but he was stopped by a loud distressed yell.

"What was that?" Rinoa ran to the door and looked down the hall. The yell came again, painfully.

"It's coming from the direction of Odine's new lab!" Squall answered. He and Rinoa didn't waste any time and took off toward the other end of the palace. Laguna had moved Odine's lab to one end of the palace so he could keep a watchful eye on him better.

The pleading cries were indeed coming from Odine's lab. When they reached the lab, Squall and Rinoa met up with Seifer, Selphie, Irvine, Zell, and Quistis, and Laguna. By then, though, everything was quiet.

"What's happened?" Laguna asked. He had been in his office when he heard the pleading cries. The others shook their heads. Squall reached out and opened the lab door.

The room was completely destroyed. Things were strewn everywhere. There was no sign of Dr. Odine, but over in the corner, the far right corner, there was a form.

"Oh my gosh!" Quistis nearly screamed as she walked over the debris to the fallen form.

It was Cid.

"Squall, it's Cid." Quistis whispered. The others moved over to her. Squall bent down, fearing the worst. He gently shook the Headmaster, hoping he was alive.

Cid moaned slightly. He felt as if a truck had hit him.

"Cid, sir, are you all right." Squall asked his superior. Cid sat up, blood dripping down from his lips. He nodded, his head rocking from one side to the other, and he tried to stand. Squall and Irvine were immediately at his side. They were able to get him to the doctor in the palace, just minutes before he fell into a deadly coma.

Back in Laguna's quarters, the group tried to think of what to do. Their situation was bad.

"What do we do now?" Laguna asked, trying not to sound like poor Zell, who was awfully quiet. Nobody could think of anything to say.

But Seifer suddenly thought of something and wanted an answer.

"Umm, not to change the subject or anything," he said. They all looked at him, and he continued. "Squall, answer me this: Why are you and Rinoa so dang drenched?"

A/N: Okay, I don't remember where that came from, but it was funny at the time, I think. Sorry if the chapters 33 34 and 35 seem as if they've all been chopped up into three separate chapters. I tried putting all three of them together, but it just didn't fit right. Anyway, I'm headed on to the next chapter. It's raining here, I didn't have to work today, so I'm doing something constructive: working on my story! Be proud, y'all, be proud! Later Days.