Friends Reunited and a Rain Shower
"Squall, before you say anything, did you have a strange dream? Like when we were kids?" Rinoa asked hoping that her plan worked.
"How did you know about that?" Squall asked curious as to hear her answer about his dream.
"Well, there is something that I never told you and I think that I should tell you now" Rinoa took a deep breath before continuing. "I'm... I'm a sorceress" Rinoa said hoping that word didn't scare him off. She has always been scared to admit to people about what she was. Rinoa looked up to see his face and was stunned that he was looking at her with kind and gentle eyes.
Squall thought for a couple of minutes about the information he had just received. Yes, he was shocked, but that really wouldn't change his opinion he had of her. He liked her; a lot. He could hardly believe that the Rinoa sitting across from him is the same Rinoa that he used to play with when he was 8 years old. Squall, deep inside, was hoping that one day he would see his best friend again. 'She looks so beautiful now, not that she didn't when she was little. I... I think I love her' Squall thought to himself as a blush crept to his face. He turned his head immediately so that she wouldn't see it.
'Oh no, this can't be good, he's taking way too long to answer... I should just leave and get out of his life. He probably thinks I'm a freak now, now that he knows what I am' Rinoa thought to herself and a saddened face appeared on her features. She started to get up and walk away when a hand grabbed her wrist and pulled her back down on to the seat they were sharing.
"Rinoa, even though you are a sorceress, I will still be with you. It doesn't matter to me what you are. In some ways, you still are that 7-year-old that I used to play with. I will always lo... like you" Squall said in hopes that she didn't catch what he was about to say.
Rinoa took a minute to let the words sink in then she jumped over to Squall and hugged him so hard he could barely breathe, but he didn't care. He has his best friend back, and that was the best gift he could ever ask for.
After an hour or two of just sitting and talking about what happened since they were 8-years-old, Squall thought it was best that he head back to his room. Although, Rinoa had one more question for him.
"Where did you get that scar on your face, I have been meaning to ask you that" Rinoa asked curious as to how he had received it.
"Seifer... I don't know if you know him or no..." Squall was cut off when he saw Rinoa's face when he said Seifer's name. "Is something wrong Rinoa?" Squall asked.
"What? Oh, nothing, sorry keep going" Rinoa did not feel like explaining to Squall that she and Seifer went out together. She anxiously waited to hear the rest of the story.
"Are you sure?" he asked. When she nodded, he continued. "Well it was just a couple of months back when Seifer was still in Garden" he began to tell the story.
Flashback
"So puberty boy, you want to duel each other?" Seifer asked with a grin on his face. Seifer had always been jealous of Squall because he was getting higher marks in his classes and was a SeeD before him. Seifer had failed his final exam and didn't become what he wanted. Although, he would never admit to Squall that he was happy for him.
"Let's go" Squall replied and they both walked out to the area where there would soon be some serious damage.
When they got to the area, they both took their stances and prepared for battle. Squall looked over Seifer and Seifer did the same. Seifer began to charge at Squall and try to attack him, but Squall easily dodged his attack. Squall countered with a swing of his gunblade over his shoulder but it was deflected by Seifer. When Squall was preparing another blow, Seifer punched him in the face and knocked him to his feet. Squall tried to retain his composure and stand up but Seifer had swung and hit his target. Squall noticed that something was dripping down his face and touched his wound; his own blood was dripping from the middle of his eyes. He was so angered that this happened because whenever these two fought each other, they never made it so that they would be bleeding. Squall stood up and swung his gunblade at Seifer and left the same marking that Seifer had done to him. Seifer, feeling lightheaded fell to the ground and lay unconscious. Squall, feeling about the same also collapsed on the ground. There, a SeeD cadet would find them and bring them to the Infirmary. Squall and Seifer would forever hold those scars.
End Flashback
"And that's pretty much what happened" Squall said.
Rinoa reached up and lightly traced her fingers along the scar. "I'm so sorry he did this to you" Rinoa said sympathetically.
"It's alright, nothing good ever came out of Seifer anyway" Squall said as he shrugged off the memory. 'And I don't think anything ever will' He thought to himself.
Rinoa watched as multiple facial expressions crossed over Squall's face. She was intrigued by that, it fascinated her. She found herself staring at him then quickly looked away to hide her blush. 'He's grown so much. He's even more handsome then I remember. I... I think I love you Squall' Rinoa thought to herself then blushed even more. She failed in hiding it when Squall looked at her and saw it. He smirked.
"So Mrs. Heartilly, what shall we do now?" Squall asked but also curious as to why she blushed.
Rinoa looked at him with her face still a faint red. Then she got an idea; her face was then plastered with a mischievous grin. She stood up and got closer to Squall. She got right up to his face then kissed him lightly right on the lips. Squall being too shocked to move, stared at her afterward with a rather large blush on his face. 'Perfect' Rinoa thought to herself. Then, she walked towards her bedroom. Squall still being too shocked to move just sat there wondering what the hell just happened.
'Did... did she just kiss me? Does that mean she likes me or was it just a friendly kiss?' he thought to himself. He got up off of her couch and walked towards the door to leave. When he let himself out, he sighed rather loudly. 'Shit, I gotta get out of here. I need some time to think. Eventually I am going to have to tell her that I... I love her' Squall thought. He walked down the hall to his room and closed the door and went to sleep.
'Wow! I can't believe I just did that. I was hoping to get that reaction from him. Oh gosh, I love him so much, I just... I can't tell him. I don't know why I can't. Well, he is my best friend for one thing. I don't want to wreck what we have. Although, it would be nice to be Squall's girlfriend' Rinoa thought as she got butterflies in her stomach. 'I gotta tell him. Maybe tomorrow' With that thought in mind, she got into her pajamas and went to bed.
The Next Day
As the students piled into the classroom, Squall and Rinoa were still asleep in each other's rooms. They didn't even hear their alarms go off. Both of them cursed when they woke up 5 hours later. They had both just missed their classes; but they didn't care. Although, both of them didn't realize was that they would bump into each other in the hall and something magical would happen.
As Squall rounded the corner to go to the Cafeteria, he saw Rinoa walking down the hall in the opposite direction walking out the door. Should he tell her how he feels? His head was reeling with questions waiting to be answered. He turned the rest of the corner and his pace began to pick up. He found himself running down the hall towards the raven-haired woman that he saw just a few minutes ago. As he opened the door to the outside, he saw that she was sitting alone underneath a cherry blossom tree reading. She looked absolutely gorgeous even though she was just sitting there reading her book. He thought that now was the time that he should tell her how he feels. Squall began walking towards the tree.
Rinoa was just sitting there reading her book peacefully, when she felt as if someone's eyes were on her. She looked up and saw Squall walking towards her. 'Squall...' She thought to herself as she continued to sit there staring at him as he made his way towards her.
Squall made it to his destination and he sat next to the woman that he had grown to love. He averted his eyes for a couple minutes wondering how he would say it. He remembered back when he was going to ask Quisitis out he was nervous; look how that relationship turned out. Rinoa was different, he knew her. Sure, not very well, but he felt that he could trust her more than he could Quisitis. As he was about to tell her he saw his worst nightmare come out the door looking for him. 'Quisitis...damnit!' Squall thought to himself. He was just about to tell the woman he loves how he feels when his ex waltzes out the door and spoils the moment. Quisitis walked over to them and greeted them.
"Mr. Leonhart... Mrs. Heartilly" she almost spat out. "Care to explain why you weren't in class today" Quisitis said with anger in her voice. 'I pray he's not dating anyone, because I intend on getting him back with a fight' Quisitis thought to herself. Now, she awaited the answer from the two teens sitting underneath the tree.
"Well, I think we both kind of overslept, and since I had missed my classes, I thought it would be nice to come outside to read. I hope that's not a problem Mrs. Trepe" Rinoa said hoping that maybe she would go away soon. She never really liked Quisitis because she was always giving her the evil eye ever since that first day when she walked in with Squall.
Quisitis wanted to yell at her for being so irresponsible for not telling her teachers where she was, but she decided since she didn't want her license taken away, she maintained her composure. "No, not at all Mrs. Heartilly, it would be nice next time that you inform your teacher (s) that you missed your class" Quisitis practically spat out. "Squall how about you?" She asked nervously. She knew they were over, but she never expected him to be dating already. She was still single and hoping to get him back because she feels she made a terrible mistake.
"Same, except I just got out here and saw Rinoa sitting underneath the tree alone, so I thought I would join her" He smiled when he looked back to Rinoa. She blushed and turned her attention back to Quisitis. Quisitis was getting angrier by the second, but didn't show it. Squall noticed that Quisitis's hands were clenched and only came to one conclusion: 'She's jealous' Squall thought; with that he smirked. 'Maybe I could get her to go away if she thinks that Rinoa is my girlfriend' Squall thought to himself. With that thought, he casually put an arm around Rinoa's shoulders and pulled her closer to him. Rinoa, having no idea what was going on played along. She nuzzled herself right up to Squall.
'Why does this feel right? I feel so safe in his arms. Maybe now, Quisitis will go away' Rinoa thought to herself. She cuddled closer to Squall and blushed.
Squall got that Rinoa caught on. He looked up at Quisitis and saw that her face had changed and now she was clearly pissed. She stomped off and entered the building. Rinoa and Squall laughed once she was in the building.
"I thought she would never go away" Rinoa said. "I never really liked her anyway. She always seems like she's got a stick up her ass" Rinoa laughed.
"Yeah, I know. Listen, Rinoa, there has been something I have been meaning to tell you" Squall said. 'Gosh, she's so gorgeous. I hope no one else comes out to ruin this moment' He thought to himself. Squall took a deep breath and continued. "Rinoa, would you do me the honor of being my girlfriend?" Squall said in a shaky voice. His hands were clammy again and his face was beet red. He had hoped that she would say yes.
Rinoa was speechless. She didn't know what to say. 'Well duh of course you want to be his girlfriend' She thought to herself. 'This is what you have been dreaming about since you first came here. Say "yes" silly' Rinoa thought as Squall noticed her changing facial expressions.
"Yes" she said in a whisper. "Yes, of course I will be your girlfriend" Rinoa then said in her normal tone. She was so happy. She hugged Squall tightly and snuggled up close to him.
Squall knew now, this was the happiest day of his life. If Rinoa thinks that for one second he's giving up on them, she's very wrong. He knows that Rinoa is the one; and hopefully one day, he will get the courage to ask her to marry him. The rest of the day was filled with the two talking and lightly kissing each other every now and then. When the sun set, the two walked back to their rooms. Squall finally had the courage to tell her the three words he had wanted her to hear since she became his girlfriend.
When the couple reached Rinoa's door, Squall hesitated to tell her; but he shook it off and told her.
"I love you, Rinoa Heartilly" Squall said as he blushed.
Her heart soared. She thought this day couldn't get any better, but he just said the three words she has been longing to hear.
"I love you too, Squall Leonhart" She replied and kissed him deeply on the lips. They said their goodnights and both dreamt of each other as they slept.
The Next Day
Rinoa's heart still soared since yesterday. She was Squall Leonhart's girlfriend. Her best friend she hasn't seen in 10 years is now her boyfriend. She couldn't get any happier, that was until he showed up.
"Rin, can we talk?" he asked as he approached her in the hall. He was hoping to talk to her; hoping that he could get a second chance with her.
"No Seifer, we will not talk. I thought you dumped me because I wouldn't sleep with you. Let me guess, you want a second chance?" Rinoa replied with anger in her voice. She wanted to get rid of him. Be free from the world of Seifer Almasy; but he didn't leave her alone. Little did he know he would find out an answer that would tear his heart apart.
"Please Rin?" he begged, hoping that he could talk with her just for a few minutes. Sure, he made a mistake, but now he has changed. He wanted her to see that, but she wouldn't give him a chance.
"Do NOT ever call me Rin again, you made your decision Seifer, we're through; I found someone; someone who cares about me, someone who will love me and not be with me just because he wants to get in to my pants. Now, good day Seifer" Rinoa replied and walked away from Seifer heading towards the cafeteria where her love would be waiting. She was hoping that Squall would never find out about Seifer and her dating; it would just tear him apart.
Squall was waiting with his group of friends for Rinoa to show up, when she appeared in the doorway looking for him. He stood up and waved her over to the table. She saw him and made her way over to him, unfortunately she was stopped by her number one hated person; Seifer.
"Rinoa, I will never give up on you, you know that right? I will still love you even though we broke up a long time ago" Seifer said then let go of her arm. Squall heard this loud and clear and stood up and left the room out the back door.
Rinoa ran as fast as she could to catch up to Squall but he was just too fast. She cried and cursed Seifer for ruining the one thing that has made her very happy since their break-up. She saw Squall get into his car and drive off. She collapsed to her knees and cried into her hands. She was hoping he would never find out about him. She never wanted to see Seifer's face ever again. She vowed from that day, she would try her hardest to make it up to Squall; hoping that he would forgive her.
Squall drove as fast as he could, he didn't care if he got caught. He just needed some space to think. Sure, it was a little immature for him to run off, but he never expected his current love to not tell him about dating his worst enemy. He drove faster and faster, and somehow he ended up at his father's house. He got out of the car and entered the place where maybe he could get some advice. He didn't even notice that he had been crying.
"Dad, are you home?" Squall yelled as he entered the house. 'He's probably doing some business. I should leave' he thought. Just as he was about to leave, Laguna appeared from upstairs.
Laguna noticed that Squall's face was a little red from what looked like crying. "Squall, are you alright?" Laguna asked in a concerned tone. He never ever saw his son this upset. He hoped he could help him through whatever was troubling him.
"Yeah, I just need some advice if it's not too much" Squall asked hoping his father would at least help him through this. "I hope that I am not taking up too much of your time" Squall said.
"Of course not, I always will have time for my son, please, come sit down and tell me about whatever is troubling you" Laguna said gesturing to the couch in the living room.
Squall sat down and took a deep breath. "Ok, well I am kind of dating a girl, and she didn't tell me that she dated one of my worst enemies; so I took off. I know it sounds kind of stupid, but what should I do? I'm so confused" Squall said as one tear escaped his eye, but quickly wiped it away.
"Well, I would say, that you should get your butt back to her and have her explain herself. You shouldn't take off when something this petty comes up. Squall if you love her then go back to her" Laguna said hoping that his advice helped. When he looked back up, Squall was out the door and back in his car. Laguna smiled knowing that whoever this girl was, made his son very happy. The happiest he has seen him in a very long time.
Squall raced back to garden hoping that Rinoa would still be there. 'Dad was right, I shouldn't take off just because Rinoa didn't tell me about Seifer. God, I was so stupid' Squall cursed himself.
As he pulled up, he noticed that Rinoa was just getting into her car, her face beat red and swollen from what looked like crying.
'Oh man, what did I do? I shouldn't have taken off' Squall thought to himself. He exited his car and ran over to hers. She was about to close the door when a hand stopped her from shutting it. She looked up to see Squall face to face with her. She tried to shut the door again, but once more, he wouldn't let her. He took her hand and pulled her out of the car; it had started to rain; but they didn't care.
Squall led her away from her car into the middle of the parking lot. He took a deep breath and began speaking.
"Rinoa, I made a big mistake by taking off. I should have given you time to explain what went on back in the cafeteria. I just hope that you find it in your heart to forgive me. I love you Rinoa Heartilly, and I always will" Squall said nervously. He had hoped that she would forgive him. He anxiously waited to hear what she had to say.
"I'm sorry; I should have told you about Seifer. I never should have kept it from you. I just couldn't tell you, because after you told me how you got the scar, I knew I couldn't because it would hurt you too much. I never expected him to show up. I never wanted to see his face ever again, but he must have tracked me down, and now he wants to be together again, but I don't want that. I want to be with you Squall Leonhart. Oops, sorry, Commander Squall Leonhart" she giggled as she said the last part. Rinoa was so happy that he came back. She would love him forever, if he would have her. Rinoa threw her arms around him and hugged him. The couple were soaked beyond comprehension, but they didn't care; they had each other. The pair kissed and kissed to their hearts content as the rain poured down on their bodies. They were so happy that they were together, because neither wanted to leave.
'I will love you forever, Squall Leonhart; forever' Rinoa thought to herself. With that, the pair walked hand in hand in the rain back to Balamb Garden.
A/N: Awww! Such a cute chapter if I do say so myself. I was almost crying while I wrote this one. But anyway, you know the drill, R&R and you will see more romantic fluff like that. Also, read "The New Kid" and IY/KAG fic. I need more reviews on that one before I continue. I will say I want at least 5 more reviews before I continue.Peace guys!
Kat