AN: Sorry abotu the delay in updating guys, but i have been busy. Yeah sorry, i know it seems like every author says it but i really can't offer any other explantion. Ok, so about Rinoa's off personality. She might be a bit OOC for a while as i begin to get a feel for what she is like again. It has been a while since i played the game, so i am relearning. Also i dont really enjoy rewriting previously written chapters (like this one) as i find editing hard enough.

however i hope that despite any grammer/spelling mistakes that may or may not be here, that you find this enjoyable. This chapter is a bit of fluff cause that seems to be what i am best at :-). Have fun reading and please review.

Night soon shrouded the newborn Garden, dispersed only by the bright lights from the dance going on inside. Squall Leonhart was leaning against a pillar, drink in hand, his mere presence a lesson that he should avoid Selphie whenever she got that certain look in her eye.

'Just a few drinks and then I'm leaving. I came, I participated, I did what needed to be done.' He was indistinguishable from the countless other men roaming the dance hall, all wearing the same SeeD uniform. He kept glancing down upon the floor, almost in expectation that his boots were about to do something which required his undivided attention.

Nearby Rinoa wandered alone looking for someone, getting more disappointed with each passing moment. Her cream colored dress was cut off short revealing the silky smooth skin upon her legs, along with spaghetti straps that teased the mind. 'He will be here right? Yes he will. Well he didn't exactly look like someone who enjoyed dancing. How would I know though? Wait, why am I arguing with myself again? Never used to do this before…' Her thoughts stopped when she noticed a lone figure looking quite annoyed as he leaned against a tall pillar. 'That unruly brown hair...could it be? Come on...look up. Look up!'

As if sensing her wish Squall looked up and quickly glanced around to see if he recognized anyone. He would have move to a different spot if he did. Satisfied he continued to gaze upon the floor when he was interrupted with an oddly familiar voice.

"Dance with me?"

He looked up at the girl bold enough to face his scowl and then immediately returned to looking at the floor, but Rinoa Heartily was not anything if not stubborn.

"Oh I see, you only dance with girls you like." Her voice was drenched with smugness

She bent her knees just a little so she could peer up into his steel blue eyes and wave her hands as if casting a spell. "You will like me. You will like me. Did it work?" Not even Squall could resist the smile that followed for too long as she tilted her head to one side with a questioning look.

"I can't dance." He replied, his voice deep and yet concise.

"Sure you can. Watch!" She dragged the hesitating man to the dance floor and put his hand around her waist, holding the other within her hand. It didn't matter that he made several mistakes and tried to walk away, or that he hated being on the dance floor, or that he truly never had actually danced before, because when two people are right for each other, they fall right into rhythm.

Rinoa couldn't think of a place she would rather be right now, not sure just what part of this man had intrigued her so. Squall only offered the same stone cold expression he always had, though his face was a bit redder than normal.

The music slowed allowing the two to gain a tighter grip upon one another. Finding boldness she never knew she had she started to lean in very close to the confused fighter who held her, who was saved by the shooting stars that went on overhead. Her hair brushed against his face as she whipped her head around to catch sight of the marvels taking place in the sky, which were soon accompanied by fireworks.

She returned her looks back to the man in her arms only to notice he was still watched the spectacle in the sky, but unbeknownst to her he didn't care about the fireworks, it was the shooting star that caught his attention. Realizing his attention was now lost she saw a large crowd of people forming off in the distance. 'Could that be the commander? Oh I got to at least catch a glimpse of him just once at this dance. I will make the commander help me. I just have to.'

She signaled for the man in her arms to wait just a second while she checked out what all the fuss was about, but Squall couldn't have cared less. He had spent more time at the dance than he originally intended, even though it wasn't a total waste of his time. He slipped his way out making sure not to draw any attention to himself as he made his way back to his dorm, with one quick detour in mind.

There was however, a group of students and faculty searching for the Commander who had given his word he would be here. No one thought to look on the dance floor. The staff had known him too well to do that, and because of that no one saw him slip out. Rinoa returned but to her dismay she could not find any sign of her mysterious stranger.

It turned out all the commotion was over a blond tattooed instructor who chocked on a hotdog. Feeling slightly crushed she made her way out of the party and went back to her room, her only goal for the night half-accomplished.

She walked back towards her room feeling disappointed but eased by the many memories she would keep from this night. Not only had she failed to even make herself noticed by the commander, but her stranger friend also escaped her. Tomorrow offered another chance.

She heard some noise down the hallway as someone struggled to open their door. Curious as to who else would be out here instead of having fun at the dance she saw a tall handsome figure trying to balance some food in one hand and his key in another. 'No…it couldn't be…It is!'

She approached her mysterious stranger and asked in a very coy voice, already suspecting what his answer would be. "Need any help?" It was obvious she had no intention in leaving this man alone.

Rinoa came from privileged upbringings. It wasn't uncommon for her to get everything she asked for along with many items she hadn't even thought to request. It was the 'unfortunate' result of having an overly guilty father. Yes Rinoa was used to getting everything she wanted. Except other people's attention and often respect. That was just one of the minor reasons she had joined a Garden. The main one overshadowed all such superficial objectives.

Her politeness was responded with a gruff voice "No." while he continued to ignore her presence as best he could, though his eyes were caught darting in her direction a few times.

She snatched the key from his hand while he was readjusting some items he had with him. "Here, let me. You really should learn to ask for help every once in a while." She said as she opened the door without a problem. What she did next surprised them both as she simply walked in uninvited and took a seat at the table setup nearby. "Wow, you must be really good to get a place like this. It's amazing!"

The young man only put the food down upon the table and ran his hands through his hair. "Whatever."

His response aroused a giggle from her, the smile never leaving her face. "I'm Rinoa by the way. It's nice to meet you. You danced very well." She was determined to get his attention. One word answers alone would not suffice.

"Squall"

Mission accomplished. She got his name. She crossed her legs and let her elbows rest upon the table, the sides of her face dressed by her hands. "That's a nice name, Squall. Makes you sound kind of tough." It was time for this cat to tease the mouse as she spoke in an almost taunting way.

"Whatever" he preceded to open up the packaged food he brought back with him. A few slices of pizza along with a container of cola, and last but not least a double order of dessert.

She eyed the food while taken aback by his comments. "You don't say much do you?"

"Only what needs to be said" that earned him another giggle from his new dining companion. Even Squall knew when something was considered rude, and eating in front of company was defiantly one of those things. "Hungry?" he stood up to get a set of plates and place them before them.

"Oh, no, not at all. You go ahead and enjoy. The cafeteria food is good but kind of expensive for students." It was then her stomach decided to betray her thoughts with a little growl. She offered a sheepish smile and a little shrug as an apology but neither was needed.

"Eat"

Together they ate in silence, and somehow managed to avoid feeling awkward about it. Rinoa was fascinated by that calm cold demeanor this Squall had built. Yes even Squall found himself watching Rinoa, noticing she prefers to nibble on her food like a bunny versus the large predator like bites he took. Bunny? He didn't really think that did he? No, it must have been a delusion.

They ended up sharing a glass of soda, since Squall only had one cup. There was never a need for anymore. The can had been damaged while Squall fought opening it, never being able to figure out those stupid aluminum contraptions. Having finished dessert, Rinoa dropped the fork back down upon her plate and sighed feeling rather elated.

"You must have been rather hungry if you planned on eating that all yourself." Rinoa was going to make this guy talk to her if it killed her!

"Not really" He lied. He still hadn't learned to keep food in his own apartment even though he didn't want to get caught outside of his room getting food lest someone recognize him. Truth be told not many people outside of the staff knew what he looked like. The President, upon his son's request, was able to keep Squall's name and picture out of the media, knowing fully well his son would have hated the attention. Anyways, he would have to settle for the remains of a meal replacement bar he had in his bedroom. That should satisfy the rest of his hunger.

"Well, its getting late, I guess I better get going." She announced. Maybe she was being too extreme. There would be other opportunities to get him to talk. If she could befriend him, maybe he could help her with her plea to the commander.

"Whatever" they both managed to say at the same time leaving Squall annoyed and Rinoa rather pleased with herself. He shook his head and accompanied the young lady to the door where they would part ways for the night. Manners were a very important part to SeeD training. It was something that would never let that guy become one.

Rinoa dwelled just outside his door while Squall stood just inside waiting for her to leave making it look like her continued presence was a bother. It didn't take the raven-haired beauty long to realize it would be up to her to break the silence.

"Wow, dinner, dancing. You really know how to treat a girl. I can't wait until our next date Squall." She quickly ran up to him and gave him a soft kiss on the cheek and flew out the door towards her room. As she ran out, the door to Squall's room closed with a soft hiss while the warrior just stood there feeling dazed with a slight tingling on his cheek where her silky soft lips kissed him. After a few seconds he snapped back into reality, and her words sunk into his mind.

'Wait, date? Next time?' But by the time our young hero made it out of the door and checked the hallways, there was no one to be seen. A low murmur of noise could still be heard for the ongoing celebration. Confused he entered his domicile once more and prepared for sleep. He lay back down onto his unmade bed as the events of the night paraded around in his mind. Just before sleep welcomed him once more to usher him into the new day, one word escaped his lips but was just beginning to settle into his heart. "Rinoa…."

I would, as always, like to hear your thoughts on this chapter and this fic as a whole. Any ideas on areas that can be improved? Any major critiques outside of grammer/spelling? Or maybe you just want to give me your two cents on the whole matter? Whatever it is, I would enjoy recieving a review. Hope i didnt disapoint anyone, and if i did, i hope i did not disapoint them too much. Have fun and night everyone:-)