Dedicated To You
Disclaimer: The only thing I own is the storyline. Or, do I?
Chapter 24 -
Squall felt the warmth of a hand holding his. He opened his eyes wearily, and looked up at a napping Rinoa. He glanced at the clock. 6:00 AM. He sat up, and brushed a lone strand of hair from Rinoa's face. 'I wonder if she woke up last night? Or, was it just a reflex?' He was thinking of how her hand seemed to be holding his.
It was three in the morning when Rinoa opened her eyes. She started to sit up, but quickly noticed that it was early. She looked next to her bed, and saw Squall, fast asleep in his chair. She smiled tenderly at the sleeping man, and though to herself, ' He must have been worried about me...poor baby.' She brought his hand to her lips, kissing it softly, then setting it down on the bed, but not letting go. She lay back, and went back to sleep until daylight.
Squall was still trying to figure out how it had happened, when he noticed her stirring. He watched her eyes open, and she looked at him kindly, grinning. " Hi." she said quietly.
" ...Hi." he replied, and he started to smile. " How are you feeling?" he asked.
" Like I just woke up from a terrible nightmare." she replied, frowning slightly. " I didn't-you know...did I?"
" No," he replied.
" Oh, good..." she replied. Pausing for a moment, she asked, " How did I get back?"
Squall thought for a moment. " You were brought back." he replied.
" By whom?"
" ...That's not important right now." he replied.
'Why doesn't he want me to know??' she thought, a bit annoyed. She decided it best for now if she didn't try and force it out of him. She would wait for a while.
" Rinoa?" he asked.
" Yes?" she looked at him attentively.
'Should I?' he thought for a moment. " Rinoa, I-" he started, but when he reached into his pocket, it was empty. He paused for a moment. 'Shit.' he thought. " I was wondering-"
" Yes?" she interrupted. 'Is this it??' she thought, a bit nervous. She sat up.
" ...Do you need anything?" he asked weakly, knowing that without his surprise, the words didn't matter as much.
She sighed. 'No...' she thought. Then, her words and her thoughts mixed worlds. 'I don't need anything...' she thought, then, she said, " Please tell me what you were really here to say, Squall." She quickly clasped her hand over her mouth.
'Don't tell me...?!' he thought, nervous. " That was it..." he replied, embarrassed. " Was there something?"
Rinoa shook her head, but didn't speak. She was afraid of saying the wrong thing again.
" Okay." he said. They were both silent for a moment. Suddenly, he got up.
" I'll be back later, okay?" he said. " You rest a little more."
" Squall..." Rinoa started, " You don't have to leave..."
He turned to face her, smiling slightly. " I'll be back in a little bit." he promised, then, he walked out.
As soon as the door closed behind him, Rinoa fell back on the pillow, sighing. " Squall..." she whispered, " All you have to do is ask. I know what it is..." Squall went into his room, and looked for the small box that was supposed to be in his pocket. He found it on the nightstand. He reached over, and grabbed it. 'Now, to do this right...' he thought. He had almost opened the door, when he stopped. 'Maybe I should wait...' he thought. 'Until the time is right. No.' He walked out the door. ' I can't keep putting this off. The last time I did, Rinoa almost died. I don't want anything else to get in the way.' He was walking down the hallway, when he ran into Selphie. " Heya, Squall!" she said, smiling. " Are we really going home now?"
" What?" he asked.
" I just went to the Infirmary, and saw Rinny!" she exclaimed. " She said that you were there when she woke up, but that you had left. She wants to go home really bad, Squall." She gave him a look that agreed with Rinoa.
" ...I was just on my way to inform our 'host' of the early leave." he replied, sighing. 'Guess my chance is gone again...' He reluctantly walked past the Infirmary, where he saw Rinoa standing up. Selphie was applauding, and Zell was laughing. Quistis stood by the doorway, and said nothing as he waked past.
About an hour later, the party were gathering their belongings, and boarding the transit. Rinoa sat in her seat, content. " It's going to be so nice...being home again." she sighed happily.
" Yeah!" Selphie replied, " I can't wait to get back to Garden! I want to see sunlight again! Not to mention sunset..." She winked at Zell.
" We're all looking forward to being on land again." Quistis said. " I wonder how my plants fared?"
" I'll bet they're fine." Zell replied, putting an arm around Selphie. She giggled.
" Squall?" Rinoa asked. " Yeah?" he asked, looking up at her.
" Can I talk to you for a minute?" she asked.
He stood up, and kept the door open for her to exit. After he stepped out, and the door had closed, he asked, " Is something wrong?"
She shook her head. " No, nothing's wrong." she replied, " But, I just wanted to ask you a favor."
" Yes?" he asked.
" Meet me on the balcony outside of Quad this evening." she replied. " As the sun sets." She smiled. " It's the best time of day, don't you think? The sun is fading, and the sky is so lovely. Right before the stars come out. Will you meet me?"
" Yes." he replied, smiling faintly. " Good," she replied, kissing his cheek. " Make sure you're there, okay?"
When he nodded, she winked at him, and walked through the door, and back to her seat.
'Before the sun sets...' he thought. 'Favorite time...perfect time.' He set a new resolve, and decided then and there that nothing would waver him from doing what he had to do. Not this time. As the hour drew near, Rinoa decided to wear her favorite dress yet again. For the most part, it seemed her lucky dress. As she slipped it over her head, she smiled. 'I know; it will be tonight. There is no way it isn't.' She made a final inspection of the mirror, and then a glance at the clock. She sat on her bed, sighing. " Well, only a half an hour to go." she sighed to herself. She tried her best to be patient, but patience didn't come easily. Instead, she walked out of her dorm, down the halls, and waited on the balcony in Quad for Squall to arrive. Squall made sure he had absolutely no distractions. He didn't want to forget her again, like he had the last time. He sat on his bed, with the velvet box in his hand, trying to think of what words were best. But, he couldn't find them. He sighed. 'Think of how she makes you feel.' he told himself. He shook his head. 'No way.' he thought. But, what else would work? Squall wasn't sure. All he knew was it was about time for him to go meet Rinoa in Quad. So, he stood up, and walked slowly down the halls, still trying to find the words. He kept walking, looking at his feet as he did so, deep in thought, when he realized he had walked into Quad. The sunset had made the enclosed part of the area look eerie, almost as if it was a dwelling for ghosts, but that was often how sunsets made rooms look, especially rooms with plenty of tall windows, which was the way Quad had been designed. The skylight helped a little with the lighting, but it looked a bit eerie anyway. No one ever was really spooked by it, they knew ghosts wouldn't inhabit Garden. He walked across the marble floor where he and Rinoa had danced for the first time. He smiled slightly at the memory. The time Seifer refused to let her go. The night they danced for the first time. The concert. He thought of how her eyes always seemed to shine when she looked up at him; a luminescent appearance, beautiful. He closed his eyes for a moment, stopped walking, and thought about those things. 'Maybe that's where my words will come from after all...' he thought. When he opened his eyes again, Rinoa stood before him, smiling as she always did. He could still feel his face redden, almost as if they had just fallen in love.
" Squall, the balcony's over here!" she said, gently teasing him. She took his hands in her, and pulled him onto the balcony. Then, she turned to look at the sunset. Sighing, she said happily, " Beautiful as always." She turned to look at Squall, smiling. " Don't you think?"
Squall looked at her, but the look in his eyes didn't fully register with her. She couldn't quite tell what he was planning now. 'Is this it??' she thought, nervous. She didn't look nervous, but she seriously felt it. " Squall?" she asked weakly.
" Yes?" he asked.
She paused for a moment, then shook her head. " Nothing." she replied. She held onto the railing, leaning back for a moment, when he came up behind her and put his arms around her. She smiled. 'I was waiting for that...' she thought wickedly, holding his hands. The both stood silently for a moment, not sure what to say. Rinoa waited for Squall to speak, but all she heard was the night song of the wildlife that lived out in the woods.
" Rinoa?" Squall said softly.
" Yes?" she asked, just as soft.
Squall was silent for a moment. Rinoa frowned. She turned in his arms to face him. " What is it?" she asked quietly.
" Rinoa, I..." he started, letting her go. He was going to reach in his pocket, but his hand refused to move. Rinoa waited patiently, her heart racing. 'Why isn't he saying anything else?' she thought, slightly tilting her head.
Squall sensed the confusion, and tried to think of something to say. He looked at the marble floor inside Quad, where they had danced once before. The sunset reflected off of it gracefully. The floor almost called out to them. Then, he got the idea. " Will you dance with me?" he asked.
'Huh??' Rinoa thought, now completely confused. " ...Sure..." she replied, a bit taken aback. She let him lead her out on the floor, and he began to lead a slow waltz. She followed, thinking to herself, 'Why are we dancing'
" Do you remember the night we danced like this?" he asked. " Yes..." she replied, still very confused, but trying to focus on her steps, and Squall's voice. " I remember...that night...I felt so sure..." he started, then, he shook his head. " I can't quite explain...like right now...I know what I feel and how I feel, but I don't know how to tell you...how to ask you..."
Rinoa's eyes grew wide for a moment. " ...What..?" she asked, almost so quietly that Squall couldn't hear.
They stopped dancing for a moment, and Squall gently carressed her cheek. She held his hand, not understanding anything that was happening. She knew she should know, but for some reason, she felt like she was in the dark. Her eyes traveled up to the skies for a quick glance, searching for any possible stars. She saw the very first one. Closing her eyes, she thought, 'Help this confusion go away'
When she opened her eyes, Squall was smiling at her. She smiled back, the confusion slowly fading. Just as things were becoming clear to her, an announcement blared over the intercom. The couple turned to look up at the speaker.
" Attention: Will Commander Leonhart report to the Headmaster's Office immediately. I repeat, will Commander Leonhart report to the Headmaster's Office immediately. That is all."
They both sighed. Rinoa looked to the floor for a moment, sad.
Squall could sense her unhappiness. " Rinoa?" he asked gently.
Rinoa sadly chuckled. " Duty calls, right?" she asked, looking up at him. She played the sadness off pretty well, but Squall knew her all too well to be fooled. " ...Yeah." he said quietly.
Rinoa smiled weakly, and pointed at the balcony. " We'll meet again later." she said earnestly. She turned, and slowly started to walk out.
Squall pulled the box out of his pocket, and took out the contents. He caught up to her in a heartbeat, and grabbed her hand. " Wait." he said, slipping something on her finger.
She turned around to face him, when she felt it, and looked down. She was now wearing a ring on her left hand.
" I want you to have this..." Squall started, unable to finish his sentence.
Rinoa stared at the ring for a moment, in shock. She was completely speechless. Then, she looked up at Squall. " Squall..." she started, " This is...are you...?"
Squall could only answer with five words, words that described how he felt, truly felt. " I want to marry you..."
Rinoa was frozen now. She gasped, and stared into his eyes for what felt like forever. She couldn't move for the longest time. 'I didn't expect it to happen like this...' she thought. 'Then again, how did I think it was going to happen?' After a moment, she decided: 'I don't remember, and I don't care.' She threw her arms around his neck, and buried her face in his jacket.
They stood there for a moment, taking everything in. Rinoa felt like she was flying; she had to convince herself that she was still standing. Squall waited for an answer; any answer. He almost spoke up, when Rinoa looked up at him again, her eyes shining brighter than he had ever seen before.
" Squall Leonhart," she said softly, " I could never think of spending the rest of my life with anyone else." She paused for a moment, almost laughing. " I want you to marry me."
Squall's eyes grew wide. He had been sure that he knew she would say yes, but when he was actually looking at her, holding her, hearing her say the words to him, it was amazing. He brushed her hair out of her face, and kissed her happily.
Rinoa pulled away for a moment. " Don't you have to go meet the Headmaster?" she asked.
He shook his head. " Duty doesn't come first." he said.
Rinoa laughed. She brushed away a strand of hair from his eyes. Then, she looked at her hand again. She started smiling.
" It was my mother's..." Squall said. " It wasn't her wedding ring, but it was something her mother had given her, and her mother had given her."
" Your great grandmother's ring..." she said quietly. " It's beautiful." She looked over at his hand. " Where's your ring?" she asked, not quite able to see his left hand.
He showed her his hand, the finger graced with a simple band. After she had seen, he took her left hand, and pulled her back into his arms. She smiled, and closed her eyes.
" Rinoa?" he said once more.
" Yes?" she asked.
" I love you, Rinoa." he said.
She smiled. " I love you, too."
The EndAuthor's Note: This is the end! AUGH! I have had a terrible case of writer's block this entire chapter, and I've been having it more often since this story has been growing. Well, sorry to all you disappointed fans out there. BUT, I will write an epilogue, IF my writer's block clears (even if it only clears temporarily) This was my very first Final Fantasy 8 fan fiction, and the very first time any of my works were publicized (if you can call it that :P ) Anyway, I want to thank each and every person that every reviewed me; you all are the reason I kept writing for so long! I can't thank you enough for your support (and suggestions) and when I start up a new project, I'll let you know. Also, I have to personally thank Gracie (a.k.a. Welsh Dragon) for being my #1 fan! AAAAHHHH I feel so privileged! Gracie, you rawk! But, most importantly, I want to dedicate my work to one very important person: my brother. Collin, this one's for you. I know it's not your kind of story (obviously) but the entire time I was writing, I was praying for you and Amber to have Squall and Rinoa's happy ending. Well, the bitch may be out of the picture, but that's because she wasn't your Rinoa, I'm sure of it now (after what she did...) Anyway, when you find your Rinoa, best wishes to you both. LYL to you, and also to all of my fans. Keep in touch!!! Trin
Disclaimer: The only thing I own is the storyline. Or, do I?
Chapter 24 -
Squall felt the warmth of a hand holding his. He opened his eyes wearily, and looked up at a napping Rinoa. He glanced at the clock. 6:00 AM. He sat up, and brushed a lone strand of hair from Rinoa's face. 'I wonder if she woke up last night? Or, was it just a reflex?' He was thinking of how her hand seemed to be holding his.
It was three in the morning when Rinoa opened her eyes. She started to sit up, but quickly noticed that it was early. She looked next to her bed, and saw Squall, fast asleep in his chair. She smiled tenderly at the sleeping man, and though to herself, ' He must have been worried about me...poor baby.' She brought his hand to her lips, kissing it softly, then setting it down on the bed, but not letting go. She lay back, and went back to sleep until daylight.
Squall was still trying to figure out how it had happened, when he noticed her stirring. He watched her eyes open, and she looked at him kindly, grinning. " Hi." she said quietly.
" ...Hi." he replied, and he started to smile. " How are you feeling?" he asked.
" Like I just woke up from a terrible nightmare." she replied, frowning slightly. " I didn't-you know...did I?"
" No," he replied.
" Oh, good..." she replied. Pausing for a moment, she asked, " How did I get back?"
Squall thought for a moment. " You were brought back." he replied.
" By whom?"
" ...That's not important right now." he replied.
'Why doesn't he want me to know??' she thought, a bit annoyed. She decided it best for now if she didn't try and force it out of him. She would wait for a while.
" Rinoa?" he asked.
" Yes?" she looked at him attentively.
'Should I?' he thought for a moment. " Rinoa, I-" he started, but when he reached into his pocket, it was empty. He paused for a moment. 'Shit.' he thought. " I was wondering-"
" Yes?" she interrupted. 'Is this it??' she thought, a bit nervous. She sat up.
" ...Do you need anything?" he asked weakly, knowing that without his surprise, the words didn't matter as much.
She sighed. 'No...' she thought. Then, her words and her thoughts mixed worlds. 'I don't need anything...' she thought, then, she said, " Please tell me what you were really here to say, Squall." She quickly clasped her hand over her mouth.
'Don't tell me...?!' he thought, nervous. " That was it..." he replied, embarrassed. " Was there something?"
Rinoa shook her head, but didn't speak. She was afraid of saying the wrong thing again.
" Okay." he said. They were both silent for a moment. Suddenly, he got up.
" I'll be back later, okay?" he said. " You rest a little more."
" Squall..." Rinoa started, " You don't have to leave..."
He turned to face her, smiling slightly. " I'll be back in a little bit." he promised, then, he walked out.
As soon as the door closed behind him, Rinoa fell back on the pillow, sighing. " Squall..." she whispered, " All you have to do is ask. I know what it is..." Squall went into his room, and looked for the small box that was supposed to be in his pocket. He found it on the nightstand. He reached over, and grabbed it. 'Now, to do this right...' he thought. He had almost opened the door, when he stopped. 'Maybe I should wait...' he thought. 'Until the time is right. No.' He walked out the door. ' I can't keep putting this off. The last time I did, Rinoa almost died. I don't want anything else to get in the way.' He was walking down the hallway, when he ran into Selphie. " Heya, Squall!" she said, smiling. " Are we really going home now?"
" What?" he asked.
" I just went to the Infirmary, and saw Rinny!" she exclaimed. " She said that you were there when she woke up, but that you had left. She wants to go home really bad, Squall." She gave him a look that agreed with Rinoa.
" ...I was just on my way to inform our 'host' of the early leave." he replied, sighing. 'Guess my chance is gone again...' He reluctantly walked past the Infirmary, where he saw Rinoa standing up. Selphie was applauding, and Zell was laughing. Quistis stood by the doorway, and said nothing as he waked past.
About an hour later, the party were gathering their belongings, and boarding the transit. Rinoa sat in her seat, content. " It's going to be so nice...being home again." she sighed happily.
" Yeah!" Selphie replied, " I can't wait to get back to Garden! I want to see sunlight again! Not to mention sunset..." She winked at Zell.
" We're all looking forward to being on land again." Quistis said. " I wonder how my plants fared?"
" I'll bet they're fine." Zell replied, putting an arm around Selphie. She giggled.
" Squall?" Rinoa asked. " Yeah?" he asked, looking up at her.
" Can I talk to you for a minute?" she asked.
He stood up, and kept the door open for her to exit. After he stepped out, and the door had closed, he asked, " Is something wrong?"
She shook her head. " No, nothing's wrong." she replied, " But, I just wanted to ask you a favor."
" Yes?" he asked.
" Meet me on the balcony outside of Quad this evening." she replied. " As the sun sets." She smiled. " It's the best time of day, don't you think? The sun is fading, and the sky is so lovely. Right before the stars come out. Will you meet me?"
" Yes." he replied, smiling faintly. " Good," she replied, kissing his cheek. " Make sure you're there, okay?"
When he nodded, she winked at him, and walked through the door, and back to her seat.
'Before the sun sets...' he thought. 'Favorite time...perfect time.' He set a new resolve, and decided then and there that nothing would waver him from doing what he had to do. Not this time. As the hour drew near, Rinoa decided to wear her favorite dress yet again. For the most part, it seemed her lucky dress. As she slipped it over her head, she smiled. 'I know; it will be tonight. There is no way it isn't.' She made a final inspection of the mirror, and then a glance at the clock. She sat on her bed, sighing. " Well, only a half an hour to go." she sighed to herself. She tried her best to be patient, but patience didn't come easily. Instead, she walked out of her dorm, down the halls, and waited on the balcony in Quad for Squall to arrive. Squall made sure he had absolutely no distractions. He didn't want to forget her again, like he had the last time. He sat on his bed, with the velvet box in his hand, trying to think of what words were best. But, he couldn't find them. He sighed. 'Think of how she makes you feel.' he told himself. He shook his head. 'No way.' he thought. But, what else would work? Squall wasn't sure. All he knew was it was about time for him to go meet Rinoa in Quad. So, he stood up, and walked slowly down the halls, still trying to find the words. He kept walking, looking at his feet as he did so, deep in thought, when he realized he had walked into Quad. The sunset had made the enclosed part of the area look eerie, almost as if it was a dwelling for ghosts, but that was often how sunsets made rooms look, especially rooms with plenty of tall windows, which was the way Quad had been designed. The skylight helped a little with the lighting, but it looked a bit eerie anyway. No one ever was really spooked by it, they knew ghosts wouldn't inhabit Garden. He walked across the marble floor where he and Rinoa had danced for the first time. He smiled slightly at the memory. The time Seifer refused to let her go. The night they danced for the first time. The concert. He thought of how her eyes always seemed to shine when she looked up at him; a luminescent appearance, beautiful. He closed his eyes for a moment, stopped walking, and thought about those things. 'Maybe that's where my words will come from after all...' he thought. When he opened his eyes again, Rinoa stood before him, smiling as she always did. He could still feel his face redden, almost as if they had just fallen in love.
" Squall, the balcony's over here!" she said, gently teasing him. She took his hands in her, and pulled him onto the balcony. Then, she turned to look at the sunset. Sighing, she said happily, " Beautiful as always." She turned to look at Squall, smiling. " Don't you think?"
Squall looked at her, but the look in his eyes didn't fully register with her. She couldn't quite tell what he was planning now. 'Is this it??' she thought, nervous. She didn't look nervous, but she seriously felt it. " Squall?" she asked weakly.
" Yes?" he asked.
She paused for a moment, then shook her head. " Nothing." she replied. She held onto the railing, leaning back for a moment, when he came up behind her and put his arms around her. She smiled. 'I was waiting for that...' she thought wickedly, holding his hands. The both stood silently for a moment, not sure what to say. Rinoa waited for Squall to speak, but all she heard was the night song of the wildlife that lived out in the woods.
" Rinoa?" Squall said softly.
" Yes?" she asked, just as soft.
Squall was silent for a moment. Rinoa frowned. She turned in his arms to face him. " What is it?" she asked quietly.
" Rinoa, I..." he started, letting her go. He was going to reach in his pocket, but his hand refused to move. Rinoa waited patiently, her heart racing. 'Why isn't he saying anything else?' she thought, slightly tilting her head.
Squall sensed the confusion, and tried to think of something to say. He looked at the marble floor inside Quad, where they had danced once before. The sunset reflected off of it gracefully. The floor almost called out to them. Then, he got the idea. " Will you dance with me?" he asked.
'Huh??' Rinoa thought, now completely confused. " ...Sure..." she replied, a bit taken aback. She let him lead her out on the floor, and he began to lead a slow waltz. She followed, thinking to herself, 'Why are we dancing'
" Do you remember the night we danced like this?" he asked. " Yes..." she replied, still very confused, but trying to focus on her steps, and Squall's voice. " I remember...that night...I felt so sure..." he started, then, he shook his head. " I can't quite explain...like right now...I know what I feel and how I feel, but I don't know how to tell you...how to ask you..."
Rinoa's eyes grew wide for a moment. " ...What..?" she asked, almost so quietly that Squall couldn't hear.
They stopped dancing for a moment, and Squall gently carressed her cheek. She held his hand, not understanding anything that was happening. She knew she should know, but for some reason, she felt like she was in the dark. Her eyes traveled up to the skies for a quick glance, searching for any possible stars. She saw the very first one. Closing her eyes, she thought, 'Help this confusion go away'
When she opened her eyes, Squall was smiling at her. She smiled back, the confusion slowly fading. Just as things were becoming clear to her, an announcement blared over the intercom. The couple turned to look up at the speaker.
" Attention: Will Commander Leonhart report to the Headmaster's Office immediately. I repeat, will Commander Leonhart report to the Headmaster's Office immediately. That is all."
They both sighed. Rinoa looked to the floor for a moment, sad.
Squall could sense her unhappiness. " Rinoa?" he asked gently.
Rinoa sadly chuckled. " Duty calls, right?" she asked, looking up at him. She played the sadness off pretty well, but Squall knew her all too well to be fooled. " ...Yeah." he said quietly.
Rinoa smiled weakly, and pointed at the balcony. " We'll meet again later." she said earnestly. She turned, and slowly started to walk out.
Squall pulled the box out of his pocket, and took out the contents. He caught up to her in a heartbeat, and grabbed her hand. " Wait." he said, slipping something on her finger.
She turned around to face him, when she felt it, and looked down. She was now wearing a ring on her left hand.
" I want you to have this..." Squall started, unable to finish his sentence.
Rinoa stared at the ring for a moment, in shock. She was completely speechless. Then, she looked up at Squall. " Squall..." she started, " This is...are you...?"
Squall could only answer with five words, words that described how he felt, truly felt. " I want to marry you..."
Rinoa was frozen now. She gasped, and stared into his eyes for what felt like forever. She couldn't move for the longest time. 'I didn't expect it to happen like this...' she thought. 'Then again, how did I think it was going to happen?' After a moment, she decided: 'I don't remember, and I don't care.' She threw her arms around his neck, and buried her face in his jacket.
They stood there for a moment, taking everything in. Rinoa felt like she was flying; she had to convince herself that she was still standing. Squall waited for an answer; any answer. He almost spoke up, when Rinoa looked up at him again, her eyes shining brighter than he had ever seen before.
" Squall Leonhart," she said softly, " I could never think of spending the rest of my life with anyone else." She paused for a moment, almost laughing. " I want you to marry me."
Squall's eyes grew wide. He had been sure that he knew she would say yes, but when he was actually looking at her, holding her, hearing her say the words to him, it was amazing. He brushed her hair out of her face, and kissed her happily.
Rinoa pulled away for a moment. " Don't you have to go meet the Headmaster?" she asked.
He shook his head. " Duty doesn't come first." he said.
Rinoa laughed. She brushed away a strand of hair from his eyes. Then, she looked at her hand again. She started smiling.
" It was my mother's..." Squall said. " It wasn't her wedding ring, but it was something her mother had given her, and her mother had given her."
" Your great grandmother's ring..." she said quietly. " It's beautiful." She looked over at his hand. " Where's your ring?" she asked, not quite able to see his left hand.
He showed her his hand, the finger graced with a simple band. After she had seen, he took her left hand, and pulled her back into his arms. She smiled, and closed her eyes.
" Rinoa?" he said once more.
" Yes?" she asked.
" I love you, Rinoa." he said.
She smiled. " I love you, too."
The EndAuthor's Note: This is the end! AUGH! I have had a terrible case of writer's block this entire chapter, and I've been having it more often since this story has been growing. Well, sorry to all you disappointed fans out there. BUT, I will write an epilogue, IF my writer's block clears (even if it only clears temporarily) This was my very first Final Fantasy 8 fan fiction, and the very first time any of my works were publicized (if you can call it that :P ) Anyway, I want to thank each and every person that every reviewed me; you all are the reason I kept writing for so long! I can't thank you enough for your support (and suggestions) and when I start up a new project, I'll let you know. Also, I have to personally thank Gracie (a.k.a. Welsh Dragon) for being my #1 fan! AAAAHHHH I feel so privileged! Gracie, you rawk! But, most importantly, I want to dedicate my work to one very important person: my brother. Collin, this one's for you. I know it's not your kind of story (obviously) but the entire time I was writing, I was praying for you and Amber to have Squall and Rinoa's happy ending. Well, the bitch may be out of the picture, but that's because she wasn't your Rinoa, I'm sure of it now (after what she did...) Anyway, when you find your Rinoa, best wishes to you both. LYL to you, and also to all of my fans. Keep in touch!!! Trin