Squall was never one to share his feelings. None the less, he only opened himself to Rinoa on rare occasions. A year after the time travel, he remained more reticent than before.
His brooding face was lost in pensive and he dismissed people from his company.
Rinoa pinched his arm softly in the cafeteria. He narrowed his stern blue eyes. A curdled growl escaped from the back of his throat.
The young woman pursed her lips angrily. The place was full at this time of the day.
"Squall, something is wrong. Tell me" she coaxed as she twirled a strand of his thick brown hair with her slim finger.
He pushed her hand aside and avoided eye contact.
There was silence.
"Squall! You big meanie, you never even said happy birthday."
Rinoa moved her chair closer and pinched the commander again.
"What?" the latter grunted.
"I'm eighteen! Remember?" she exaggerated the last word and tried not to whimper.
White light fell through the glass ceiling. Noises of cutlery rattled loudly. Squall took a bite of his sandwich.
"Oh yeah, happy birthday Sorceress Rinoa" he mumbled.
A tormented gasp escaped Rinoa's small, cherry lips. She felt as if the man next to her was a complete stranger.
He stood up, the chair creaking with his movement. The man pushed a feather into Rinoa's hand.
"Your gift."
He left.
Rinoa pushed her plate away. Her nervous body shivered as she twitched her nose. She ran after the SeeD member.
"What is wrong with you? You're supposed to be my knight" she stood opposite him.
He smacked his palm on his forehead and folded his strong, muscular arms.
"Whatever."
"Say anything but that."
"...Leave me alone."
Rinoa had had enough. She kicked his shin stubbornly and when he hopped on one foot while holding his injured one, she felt satisfied.
"Rinoa, you're the problem! You want to destroy us all, don't you, Ultemecia?"
His hand clasped his moth as he watched the two large black orbs stare hurtfully at him but the damage had been done.
"Rinoa...I'm...."
She was gone like a butterfly from a chrysalis.
The woman ran as fast as her legs could carry her, her woollen blue coat caught in the wind. Tears fell like drops of moonlight down her face. She did not take notice of the monsters around her as she fled across the green plains.
"Is that why he is not talking? Because I have the potential to be Ultemecia?" she sobbed to herself.
Her ribcage was throbbing from her harsh cries. The sorceress entered the cave where Squall had obtained Ifrit and sat in a dark corner against a few stalagmites. The cave had a fiery red glow. Molten lava spewed ferociously from holes in the earth.
The heat did not bother Rinoa. She felt so cold and broken as she lied on the sooty ground and curled herself into a ball.
"Please Squall, I need you" she choked through her tears.
Her sobs echoed against the hollow walls of the cave.
"Squall..."
She cuddled her arms around her legs. Her head felt heavier than the rest of her body. Her brain was sore beneath her temples.
"I'm not Ultemecia" she whispered as her fingers tangled themselves with the silver rings on her necklace.
She heard a strange sound, like many people sighing. It was eerie, comforting and at the same time, haunting.
Rinoa shut her eyes and gulped as much oxygen as she can. Her skin was damp from the heat. The sound continued and it was getting louder. Something was getting closer.
The blue-clad woman covered her ears. She wasted her energy from crying too much. Now she had none to spare for protecting herself.
A hand slipped around her waist and another beneath her legs.
She was now being carried by someone out of the cave. The outside air sent a chill through her fragile body but Rinoa had her face hidden beneath the person's jaw.
"Squall?" she asked tiredly.
"Just a visitor" a male voice replied.
If she was not so weak now, she would have leaped away from the stranger's arms and punished him for the physical contact but she remained still.
"Who are you?"
"I told you, a visitor" the man laughed. He smelt like sea-water and fresh clay but also of death.
The sorceress cried quietly, her tears causing the skin of his throat to get wet. He did not mind and headed towards Balamb Inn. He held Rinoa close as if they were a couple.
"You're my dream, right?" the girl in his arms asked hopefully.
"You can say that if you want but no quite."
"No, you're my fading dream..."
And she fell asleep in the realms of his arms.
"A fading dream...But no yours....Yuna's fading dream."
She never heard those words.
"Spend all your time waiting
For that second chance
For the break that would make it okay.
There's always some reason to
Feel not good enough
And it's hard at the end of the day.
I need some distraction or beautiful release.
Memories seep through my veins.
Let me be empty and weightless and maybe,
Find some peace tonight.
In the arms of the Angel,
Fly away from here
From this dark cold hotel room
And the endlessness that you feel
You are pulled from a wreckage
Of your silent reverie.
You're in the arms of the Angel,
May you find
Some comfort here...."
-Angel by Sarah McLachlan.