Hatred to Love

A/N: Thanks for all your reviews and I hope that you enjoy this chapter as much as I did writing it! This is probably the last chapter I'll write until I have more time, because unfortunately for me, school started again. And my teachers gave me more piles of homework. I'll update whenever I have the time. Enjoy! (If this chapter seemed boring, I'm really sorry. I planned out the next chapters already, and they're way more interesting and full of more drama and romance than this. This chapter is just here to explain some things and to fit in with the rest of the story) Also, sorry that it took me so long to update!

Chapter 4 – Rules of Attraction

"Irvy? Do you think that Rinoa likes Squall? Or the other way around?" asked Selphie.

Selphie, Zell and Irvine were hanging around at Quistis' house to do all their homework and in between doing all of that, they were discussing about Squall and Rinoa.

Irvine looked at Selphie and smiled. "I think that he does, because he was actually nice to her today otherwise normally, he would've given her the cold shoulder, like he does to all girls that come anywhere near him,"

Quistis sighed. "Did you people actually come over here to study with me or did you come over to discuss other people's love lives?"

"Join us or leave us now Quisty!" Selphie snapped.

Zell and Irvine chuckled at the shocked expression on Quistis' normally pretty face.

"Fine then! I'll join you guys! But don't expect me to help you with your homework Selph!" Quistis snapped back.

Selphie stuck out her tongue at Quistis.

"You know, I think that Rinoa really does like Squall," Zell said quietly.

Selphie and Quistis turned away from their argument and looked at Zell.

"What do you mean Zell? They don't like each other in that way, they can't, it won't happen," Irvine said.

"But Rinny's probably not telling us that she does. This is possibly the only day where they didn't argue with each other or call each other names. Remember last year? They always argued and were always at each other's throats! And those are pretty clear signs that they could be more than just friends, maybe they're already dating, but they're not telling us, " Zell said.

"So? Aren't they allowed to be nice to each other?" Selphie asked.

Everyone was quiet for a while. No one knew what to think. But the question really is what's going on with the both of them?

Rinoa didn't know what to believe. Was that flashback real or not? She couldn't really ask her mother, because her mother was on a promotional tour for her new album and wouldn't be back for a couple of months and her mother had told her that her father never really spent that much time with her when she was younger because he was always busy with work. Maybe that was the main reason why her parents got separated in the first place.

Now, even if she wanted to ask her father, she couldn't. He had recently got himself a new girlfriend named Amber. Rinoa loved her father dearly, but she still couldn't believe that her father would do this to her mother. They were separated but the divorce wasn't final yet. She hated his new girlfriend. There were times when she wished that her family were still together. But that wouldn't happen. She was still angry at him for hurting her mother's feelings.

Rinoa sat down on a chair clutching the framed photo of her and Squall. Why do I even hate Squall anyway? He never did anything to harm me or hurt me in anyway. Wait. Yes he did. He and his other friends from the popular crowd sent me notes that say "Rinoa loves Seifer". Why do I despise him so much then? I think that I'm starting to like him, but I don't want to acknowledge it…Actually, I don't ever want to acknowledge it. Never!

Rinoa looked at her watch. It was 4:30 pm. My god! Squall takes half an hour to shower! Seriously, what do guys do in the shower? Their hair is short so they shouldn't take that long to shampoo and condition…I'm really, really bored and tired now.

Rinoa's flashbacks had been keeping her awake at night and she couldn't fall asleep again. The flashbacks kept her thinking if they were real or just some pictures floating in her mind. She looked at Squall's bed and suddenly felt very sleepy. I'm sure that Squall won't mind that I took a nap…And Rinoa fell on the bed fast asleep with the photo of her and Squall when they were younger in her hands.

Squall walked up the stairs. He really wanted to get started on the assignment now, soon his older half-sister Ellone would be home from university and his parents, Raine and Laguna would be home later on. There would be so many questions if they all met Rinoa. Ellone and his father would probably tease him about Rinoa being his latest girlfriend.

He opened the door and walked inside. Squall couldn't see Rinoa anywhere. Was this meant to be a joke? Then he looked at his bed to see a sleeping figure. Lying right in front of him was Rinoa. She looked like a baby angel sleeping.

He walked closer to her and looked closely at what she was holding in her hand. It was the photo of him and her when they were both 12 years old. How'd she find that? I wonder if she knows that it's her in the photo…

Squall also had his shares of strange flashbacks as well. They just happened to come into his head whenever he saw Rinoa. He didn't know if they were real or not, but he knew that his family and Rinoa's family knew each other well and they spent a lot of time together years ago. But with Rinoa's parents' separating and his twin sister's tragic death, they didn't spend as much time together as they used to.

He smiled as Rinoa stirred a little. But she didn't wake up. So Squall pulled his blanket and placed it over her.

Squall then gathered all of his books and walked out the door and into his older half sister Ellone's bedroom to study.

He studied for around an hour and started to work on his and Rinoa's science project.

"What are you doing in here Squall?" A female voice asked.

Squall turned around and dropped his pen. Ellone had a shocked look on her face, probably because the last time he went into her room was about two years ago, before their sister's death.

"I was just about to leave, Sis," Squall mumbled.

Ellone placed all her textbooks on her bed. "It's ok Squall, you can stay in here,"

"Although, I just wonder, you do have your own study room, why are you studying in here?" Ellone asked with a smile forming on her lips.

Squall stood up from the seat. "Follow me,"

Ellone followed Squall back to his bedroom.

"There, lying on my bed, she's the reason why," Squall whispered.

"Really? Is that Rinoa Heartilly, Squall?" Ellone asked with a small smile.

"Yes, Sis. That is her," Squall said.

"Oh yeah, mum told me that dinner will be in half and hour. I'll go tell her right now that we have a guest tonight. Is she going to sleepover?" Ellone asked.

Squall was silent for a moment. "I don't know. She mentioned to me that her mother was on some promotional tour and her father was a politician that was too busy with his job to spend some time with her,"

Laguna Loire walked upstairs to his son Squall's room. I haven't seen Julia in a long time; I wonder how she's doing?

When he reached Squall's room, he was surprised to see Ellone and Squall standing near the door talking about something. The last time Laguna remembered, Squall was too busy shutting everyone out of his life after his twin sister died in a tragic car accident. But then, he met Mandy and everything had changed. What had happened after he dumped her?

"Dad!" Ellone squealed and hugged Laguna affectionately. Even if Ellone wasn't Laguna's biological daughter, he loved her and cared for her like one. Ellone was pretty fond of Laguna as well, because she never got to know her real father, as he left her and her mother Raine, when she was a young child.

"Hey there you two, your mother wants you both down for dinner in 30 minutes, ok? And who is that?" Laguna asked.

Ellone quickly whispered to Laguna and he smiled, "That's Rinoa? She's so different now. Maybe because we haven't seen her for about four years…"

Ellone and Laguna quickly left Squall's bedroom so Squall was alone in his room with Rinoa.

Great. I'm left babysitting for Rinoa. There's something about her that makes her a lot different from Mandy. She's special in a way.

Rinoa's dream

I was running and running. I seemed to be going absolutely nowhere.

The sky was dark and gloomy with a lot of black clouds. It seemed pretty empty to me and all around me there was just plain fields of green grass with some flowers growing. Where am I?

I continued running hoping to find him. I looked and looked but I couldn't see him anywhere.

You promised me that you'd be there for me. So, where are you now?

You always told me that you'll be here. You'll be waiting here. You promised me that you'll always be waiting here for me, and if I came here, I'll find you. That was the promise that you made to me. Always and forever.

I stopped and I looked down at my necklace. I held tightly onto it as it was around my neck.

I looked up into the dark sky and stared at the floating black clouds. Is this what you wanted me to feel? Lonely and empty? Where are you when I need you the most?

End of Rinoa's dream.

Rinoa woke up from her nap. She was sweating and breathing heavily. The dream that she just had had affected her in some way. She didn't like to be alone.

What did that dream mean? Rinoa thought.

Rinoa felt tears coming out from her eyes and sliding down her cheeks.

Squall looked over to Rinoa and saw that she had finally woken up. He also saw some tears falling out from her beautiful chocolate brown eyes. What was going on? He had seen her tossing and turning when she was sleeping, but really, what was the real reason?

He stood up from the chair that he was sitting on and walked over to his bed and sat down near Rinoa.

"Rinoa, what's wrong?" Squall asked.

Rinoa still crying looked up into Squall's beautiful electric blue eyes and quickly threw her arms around him in a tight embrace.

Squall didn't know what to do but he hugged her back anyway.

Rinoa dug her face even deeper into Squall's shoulder. She hadn't felt the warmth and comfort of a hug in a long time. Even though Rinoa knew that she was hugging the person that she hated the most, but she didn't really care right now. All she wanted was some comfort and maybe, only maybe, Squall could give her that right now.

But then, Squall didn't know why, but he tilted her face up to his and leaned down to kiss her tenderly. If Rinoa didn't want to be kissed by him, she would've pulled away, but she didn't.

Later on…

"This tastes really nice, Mrs. Loire!" Rinoa said cheerfully while eating pasta.

Raine beamed at Rinoa's compliment. She seems to have forgotten that she used to call me Auntie Raine…

"Rinoa, please call me Raine,"

Naturally, Squall and Rinoa were sitting next to each other at the dining table. Earlier Rinoa said to Squall, "Look, I know that both of us have hated each other for some time. But, I really don't want to admit this, but…Squall I have a crush on you! I know it seems awkward that we've hated each other for so long and now I'm falling for you…" Rinoa said blushing.

Squall merely nodded and hugged Rinoa. She had told him about all her pain, suffering and her parents' divorce. He wanted to understand her for some reason.

"Rinny, do you still attend Balamb High?" Ellone asked.

Rinoa looked over at Ellone and gave her a warm smile. "I still do,"

When they had all finished eating, Raine asked Rinoa, "Do you want to stay here for the night?"

Rinoa blushed immediately. "No, it's ok Raine; I'll go home now, because my mother probably is worrying about me…"

Raine said sympathetically, "Rinoa, I know that your mother is on her promotional tour and your father is busy with work,"

Rinoa blushed harder. She didn't even ask how Raine knew. "I don't want to impose on you or anything Raine, really, it's ok, I can manage,"

But Raine ushered Rinoa back inside the house and said, "I won't take no for an answer Rinoa, its ok, I like having company over,"

So Raine led Rinoa to a spare guest room which was right next door to Squall's bedroom.

"And Ellone will lend you some of her nightgowns to sleep in," Raine said before leaving the room.

Rinoa sighed. She wasn't really expecting this to happen.

Squall was walking past his parent's bedroom and accidentally overheard his parents talking about something.

"She's changed so much and she doesn't remember me at all Laguna,"

"Don't you remember Raine? After the accident, she forgot about almost everyone, but as days passed, she remembered some things. But remember how Squall and Rinoa were dating before the accident?"

"Yes, but then after she recovered, she went back to school and met Squall again. She then thought of him as an arrogant snob and hated him ever since then,"

"But I think there's something going on with them again. At dinner they were sitting next to each other and were very polite to each other. I remember that Squall used to come home complaining about someone annoying him at school. I believe that it was Rinoa,"

Squall not wanting to eavesdrop any longer walked into the spare room next to his own. He thought that Rinoa had gone home already, but obviously he was wrong. Rinoa must be very sleepy today, because she was already sleeping on the spare bed.

He smiled at the sight of her. He had to admit, that he was falling for her hard as well. But he didn't want to admit this, just in case Rinoa turns out to be just like Mandy.

There's something about you Rinoa that makes you shine from all the other girls. You're more special than Mandy ever was…

He walked over to her and kissed her cheek softly. All the pain, loneliness, suffering that she was going through. He had experienced that before. He shouldn't have hated her then.

Then, without thinking, he fell fast asleep on the bed next to Rinoa.