Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy Eight.

Next chapter's the last . . .

Chapter 14 - Guilty

He still feels guilty, but why?

At this point, I was confused. Very, very confused. Squall didn't push me away, he didn't ask for Quistis either, he just stared at the ceiling, eyes full of regret.

"Are you alright?" He looked at me, and I grasped his hand.

"Of course I am."

"Been thinking?"

"Yes."

"We should go see the doctor." He gave me a funny look.

"I don't like the doctor. Do I have to?"

"Soon." We sat there, again in the silence that was becoming more familiar to me - Like the silence we had the night on the motorcycle, words may have been absent but our cares for each other aren't. I was still, however, pressing him for information on Quistis.

"Have you thought about her?" I asked him, hoping for a good answer.

"I only think about you. I just don't know how to tell her we're through." He was once again fitting into his romantic rythym I was so familiar with. He may be the quiet type in public, but around me, he was a whole different person. "I should be angry, shouldn't I?"

"I guess. She did take advantage."

"You should be angry too." I knew he was running around his guilt trips again.

"Why?"

"Because I couldn't remember you." I smiled at him.

"I told you, it's not your fault. It was just an . . . obstacle."

"We've been thrown a lot of them." I nodded, and still smiled. I couldn't help but be ecstatic since he'd been awake. I didn't realize how lonely I'd become for the months he didn't remember. "I owe you."

"How?" I laughed. He wouldn't let himself off the hook.

"I promise I'll take you somewhere - anywhere. Even dancing." He said, emphasizing with disgust on the word dancing. We'd met that way, but it wasn't his most enjoyed activities. "You know what I'm most sorry about?"

"And what is that?"

"I told you I didn't know if we'd be together again. When you asked if we had a chance." He was still gripped onto my hand, like he had been for the past two days.

"You remember now, that's all that matters. You still want to be with me, right?" Even I was surprised by the unsureness in my voice.

"Of course. I don't doubt it for a minute." I smiled, and wiggled my hand free of his grip for a moment, just as Quistis entered the room. The look on her face was sad, her eyes melancholy and distracted.

"What's wrong, Quisty?"

"I have to talk to Squall, for a minute, okay?" I nodded my head, knowing their moment would come sooner or later. But the way she said it, was as if she wanted to talk to him, not the other way around. Despite my curiosity, I pushed away the temptation of eavesdropping and occupied myself in the kitchen. Minutes later, Squall walked in with a confused look on his face.

"What happened?" I said a little to excitedly.

"She has a crush." My face fell. She still had feelings for him? Things were going to be tough.

"Are you kidding me?"

"No, and she wants me to convince you, to set up a date for her and Seifer." A let out a sigh of relief, and hit him softly for scaring me like that. Now that it was mentioned, she was getting pretty cozy with him.

"I'll fix them up somehow." He gave me a rare, Squall smile that made me melt.

"You always fix everything, don't you?" Even he felt the same thing I felt - complete happiness and ease. There wasn't anything else to worry about, for now anyways. It wouldn't be too long before someone threw me something else, but I decided to hold onto the moment and be content. If we spent all our time worrying about what would happen next, we wouldn't enjoy the time we'd have after conquering the things that stand in the way of what we want. And all I wanted to do was spend time with Squall.

"I didn't know that she got over you so quickly . . . I know I wouldn't." I let out a small laugh.

"Quite a quick rebound . . . and I thought I'd do the dumping . . ." I admired everyone of Squall's jokes, which were few, and much more appreciated now.

"Walk with me?" He nodded, and outside to walk on the beach, that I was so glad were outside of my house. I loved the beach, and Selphie would be extremely pleased and come to visit me often now that it was so close. That just reminded me that I still lived so far away from everyone, and how much I missed them . . .

"So what happened when I was . . . gone?"

"Well, first, I had to go home to my dad."

" . . .Ouch."

"It was, and apparently I'm not allowed in his presence again. Then Seifer came to Deling, and offered me to stay at his house, in exchange for . . . a date." Squall's face showed a little . . . no wait, a lot of anger.

"You went on a date with him? AND moved in with him?" I meekly nodded my head, but gained a little confidence when I remembered his own faults.

"Ehem, Quistis?" He shut up and stared at the ground at the pulling of the guilt card. "I guess we're even."

I frowned. "You're still taking me out dancing, right?"

"Don't count on it." I huffed and continued walking alongside him, trying to keep up with his long, quick strides, which was quite a hard task. "What was it like?"

He paused and looked at me.

"What was what like?"

"Remembering everything all at once." He thought for a moment, and looked back with me.

"Something I don't want to do again."

"What did it feel like?"

"Like a thousand things being shoved into my mind at once."

"I don't see why you keep apologizing." I said quietly, putting my hands behind my back.

"Because I put you through everything."

" . . . It could've been me." He looked at me with his icy blue stare, making me turn my gaze to the sandy ground. Our slow pause had become a full stop, and I still felt his stare.

"What do you mean?"

"If it weren't for you, I probably would've felt what you felt."

"Rinoa, what are you talking about?"

"If you weren't so insistent, and wore your own helmet instead . . . I might be in your spot, or worse. . . You saved me." He was silent, and looked up to the sky, deep in thought again, before starting to walk again. Instantly, I was trying to catch up in his footsteps.

"I wasn't sure if I wanted to tell you," His voice cut clear through the silence, interrupted only by the waves hitting the shore. "That night of the crash, I was taking you somewhere. . ."

"Where?"

"Cid and I had it all set up . . . I was going to take you back to the Garden . . "

"Why?"

"It was a very special day."

"I know. Our two year anniversary."

"I thought I could be the knight in shining armor, but I was in a rush."

"I don't get it."

"Rinoa, I was going to propose to you that night." Once again, I stopped walking on the beach and stared at him, as if he were a man I had never seen before. I could've never guessed . . .

"Is that why you feel so guilty?"

" . . . Not only did I forget that, one of the most important days of my life, I forgot you. Things weren't supposed to end up like this . . . I put you in danger. I hurt you."

"You're wrong. You saved me. If you didn't give me your helmet, I could've died!" I exclaimed. He didn't understand how much even those tiny words meant to me.

"Don't talk like that. You mean everything to me." I threw my arms around his neck and buried my face in his shoulder. I was crying, but not because I was sad or hurt anymore - I was so happy. So happy to have him back again . . . The crash didn't matter, Quistis didn't matter, I simply didn't care anymore. I didn't feel like he had left me, or that I was alone, in fact, I felt better then before. We had a lot of drama thrown are way, but somehow, we had survived.

"I love you." I told him, finally releasing him. This time, it wasn't like on the motorcycle. He said it back, and that just made things even more great. When we got back to the house, I barely noticed Quistis and Seifer, I was just happy to be holding Squall's hand, and to know it was mine again.

Quistis and Seifer didn't look envious, in fact, they too seemed uneffected by us. I knew that I wouldn't need to take part in the matchmaking, and that they'd do pretty well on their own. Everyone in this room, had helped me out in their own way, to where I was now. Seifer had provided a home, and helped me get around and very much survive. Quistis had made me realized that there was a chance to lose Squall, and I needed to appreciate him every moment I could. Even though Selphie wasn't there, she too helped me by providing endless comfort, and being right by my side, whether it was yelling at my dad or crying in my sleep.

Just because we had recovered one of the hardest things we've ever had to go through, it didn't mean that the bad times would stop, but I'd still work my way through them. As long as Squall was by my side.

Aww, how cute. The next chapter, is the last chapter, I'm sorry to say. I promise you, that it will be long, it will be romantic, and although not edible, delicious.

Thank you to my reviewers . . .

Genesis - Yes, I tried to make his feelings a little more clear in this chapter. Thank you for the advice!

RealityTrance - Yay! Doesn't matter, I love all your reviews. Even your crappy ones, lol!

Cerulean Crystal - Yes, it hurts to see it end, but if I throw anymore tragedy their way, Rinoa might sink into depression. Thank you for being such a great reviewer since the beginning.

Angel Wings-008 - I'm glad your happy! lol, Quistis won't be a problem. It seems she has a crush on Seifer. I would beat her up so I could have him to myself, but I can't be a possesive fan girl on so many people. . .

SavannahX - Heh, yeah, Seifer got the short end of the deal there. That's why I'm making an alternate story for a RinoaXSeifer pairing.