Knights & Lovers

By Vick330

Disclaimer: Final Fantasy VIII and its characters are property of Squaresoft. Nights In White Satin is by The Moody Blues. No patent and/or copyright infringement is intended.

Foreword: The following contains erotica scenes, and is meant for mature readers. Please use discretion, and if sexually explicit material offends you do not read any further.

Oh, thinkin' about all our younger years

There was only you and me

We were young and wild and free

Now nothin' can take you away from me

(Bryan Adams - Heaven)

VI – Knight In White Satin

I was young, as one perceives youth before realizing that it's, for the most, a question of attitude. I went from childhood to adulthood without transition, not that I remember much of the former. Trained to fight, follow orders and put duty above all, I was never wild, and as for being free...

Freedom, what is it really? It's to be able to choose your bonds. You probably have another definition, maybe even one that makes more sense, but that one works for me. For a while I managed to make as little of those bonds as the circumstances allowed me, yet I knew that there was something missing. I was like a tree without roots, strong looking but ready to topple at the first storm.

Rinoa, she was the first to show me that I was, in fact, a prisoner of my fears. She was the first anchor I allowed in my life, and thus I now am truly free. It has been sixteen years since I kissed her on one of Garden's balconies, in a spontaneous gesture so unlike what I was back then. Much has happened since. We have now an adoptive son, and a modified version of an Odine Bracelet allowed Rinoa to give birth to our daughter.

The great wilderness of Esthar tends to put me in these thoughtful moods, especially when the scenery is but a blur at the speed we're going. Not many can borrow the Ragnarok IV on a whim; being Supreme Commander of all Gardens has its advantages, and after all it is our anniversary.

The onboard radio is set to a station from Timber, and they play mostly PSE (Pre-Sorceress Era) music. The genre became popular when old recording devices were discovered in Centra, and in an amazingly well conserved state. Those people might not have used magic, had a primitive technology and managed to blow themselves up by all accounts, but at least they had a rich and varied culture.

Nights in white satin

Never reaching the end

Letters I've written

Never meaning to send

I like this particular piece, as I can relate to some of the verses. That part about unsent letters is a good example, as it makes me think of how difficult it still is for me to put my feelings into words. Sometimes I've wished that my nights with Rinoa beside me would never end, that we could just remain in each other's arms and not have to face our numerous responsibilities.

Beauty I'd always seen

With these eyes before;

Just what the truth is

I can't say anymore…

Truth, now there's a word as difficult to define as Freedom.

What is Truth anyway? If you believe half the tabloids, Rinoa and I are living a magical fairytale, one where each day is filled with inexhaustible passion. Of course, if you believe the other half, we have innumerable lovers, can barely stand each other, and put on a show for the populace. They are all wrong, but I guess that the simple reality of our day-to-day life wouldn't sell as well as those preposterous claims. It all comes with the territory after all, and we've stopped worrying about it a long time ago.

"Squall? We're here!"

Right, I was so lost in thought that I didn't even notice we've landed. Time to get our gear out and make camp before nightfall. I once asked why we couldn't simply stay in the ship on these outings, which would be a lot simpler. Rinoa patiently explained how 'unromantic' it would be, and I've never brought it up again.

I guess I'll never be the romantic type. Whatever…

Two hours later we're settled and have shared a light meal. At this time of year it's warm in this part of the world, and so we'll probably forgo the tent and sleep under the stars. The grass is lush and thick under the cover on which we're resting, making it feel like a firm mattress while we gaze at the darkening sky.

Rinoa discarded the top part of her outfit soon after we arrived, letting her wings stretch freely. It was something that we didn't think about at first, even though we should have expected it. At first they appeared only when she used magic, but one day little bumps appeared on her back, baffling Esthar's best scientists. Those bumps became stumps on which feathers grew, and they now reach a span of over ten feet.

She looks like an angel in the moonlight, but the smile she's giving me promises things of which angels never taste. With calculated movements she undoes the buttons of her shorts, pushing then down her hips, and then she rises in one liquid motion, freed of all garments.

After all these years my eyes still revel in her beauty, from her small feet, continuing with her shapely legs, to dark escutcheon guarding her womanhood, to the curve of her hips, to firm breasts with dark aureoles. Her face has retained a childlike quality, and not entirely due to the effect of her powers, as it has more to do with that inner joy she has always possessed.

I rise to join her, but she gives me a falsely stern look, pointing to my pants. I discard them with as much grace as I can muster, which is difficult when you're hopping on one leg, especially when your foot won't come free. My antics makes her laugh, and the sound of her mirth is like the sound clear crystal bells, rising into the moonlit night.

I love that sound, as it is another of those things that gives me something to hold on to in this life.

'Squall, do you remember our first night together?' she asks softly, with a dreamy look in her brown eyes.

I know that she is not expecting an answer, and that triggering those memories in me is all she wants. I do remember. Nothing will ever make me forget the wonder I felt at touching her naked skin for the first time. Nothing will ever take away the joy I still feel when I think about those moments, for they were but the beginning of our journey, which still has a long way to carry us.

We just stand there for a long moment, close to each other, her hands in mine. There is peacefulness in this instant, with the warm breeze caressing our bare bodies, and she now closes the distance separating us to claim my lips. As we embrace, I gently bring us to lay on the covers, with her atop me.

For a long while we exchange kisses, and rejoice in our shared touch. This night is ours to enjoy, and as my hands explore her body, I feel my chest filled with tenderness for this woman, this angel, who makes me complete.

Slowly, we move as one. It is a dance our own solely. Here in her embrace, all things outside us fade in the distance, leaving our two beings to the sharing of our pleasure that blossoms in pure joy.

Events made us knights, heroes, leaders, and fame has made us larger than life. Tomorrow we will go back to being those things, and also son, daughter, aunt, uncle, friends, father, mother…

But for now, we are simply Rinoa and Squall, two souls who in this big and crazy world chanced on each other, and joined their destinies. For a short time we are just a man and a woman, just two lovers under the star-strewn canopy of the night-sky.

I feel her gentle kisses still exploring the region between my shoulder and neck, the sound of her breathing clear in the stillness of our surroundings. Her satin-soft wings slowly fold around us, covering me in feathery whiteness.

There was a time when I couldn't express my feelings to her, but over the years I have learned, even though it still doesn't come easily. Right now though, I can't contain what my heart and soul demand to express, and her embrace tightens as the words leave my lips of their own volition.

I love you, Rinoa

Yes, I love you…

Oh, how I love you…

THE END

Author's notes: I gave up on completing this collection of short stories due to ban on mature stories a while back. I finally decided to finish it, as I hate uncompleted work – better late than never, right? Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoyed them.

Vick330 June 2006