Disclaimer: I do know own Final Fantasy or any part of the series.

Author's Note: Well, here it is! Sorry for the delay, many things held me up. Especially the Christmas rushed shopping. *sighs*. I know there may be some of you guys who did not enjoy the previous chapter, but I do hope you'll enjoy this one. I'm ESPECIALLY looking forward to write the next chapter, a Christmas special. :3

Thank you for those who reviewed and and read my story. You guys help me carry on. ^^

But I especially want to acknowledge MonMonCandie for continuously giving me her support. Thanks buddy. :3

It was the twenty-second of December, three days before the whole world celebrates the most anticipated day of the year; Christmas.

And Rinoa was running out of time.

She groaned as she looked on her Christmas list, which reminded her that there are still alot of people she had not bought presents to yet. Even worse, she didn't know what to get for them. It would undoubtedly be easier for her if she had at least something in mind for each. Like Seifer for example. She had no idea what to get him. She thought of a shirt, or maybe a hat, since they are the default gifts. Only problem was, she didn't know his size nor his type. And the same went for the rest of the list. She barely knew what they wanted or preferences.

She inhaled deeply. "It's the thought that counts." She reminded herself calmly. "Anything should do, as long as they know I remembered them on Christmas day."

The nearby marketplace, where bazaars were placed especially for the season, could hold all the answers to her problems. From her tall window, Rinoa could clearly see it, though to her dismay, it was filled with people who were also undergoing their last minute of Christmas rush. The place was practically in chaos, and she was going to get herslef into it.

Quickly, the raven haired Caraway grabbed her list and placed it inside her small, blue sling bag. Then, she put on her black boots and headed outside her room.

From the hallway, she could hear her father's voice enganged in a casual conversation with someone else, who Rinoa wondered if they had a guest for that morning,and felt ashamed that she had to leave so soon too. Slowly and carefully, the took steps down the staircase, and through the railings, she spotted someone's head with a long, dark brown hair, tied in a ponytail. He was definitely not her father, though he seemed familiar to her. She took more steps down until she reached the floor. As soon as she did, General Caraway turned to his daughter and greeted her with a smile.

"Rinoa! Come greet your Uncle Laguna here!" The General waved at her.

His guest, the President of Esthar, turned around as well and gave Rinoa a wide smile. "Hey hey Rinoa!" Laguna quickly walked to the Caraway mistress and took her hand in greeting. "Really nice to meet you again!"

"It's so nice to meet you again too, Uncle Laguna." Rinoa returned a shy smile. Then, she noticed how the eyes of the man before her shifted to the sling bag she was carrying.

"You're going somewhere?" He nodded at her bag.

"Uh..." Rinoa replied dumbly. She WAS going somewhere, but it would be rude now that her father had a guest.

"It would be great if you stay, Honey." There was that underlying tone in General Caraway's statement, as if he was actually commanding his daughter to stay, rather than pleading.

"Not to worry my dear!" Laguna cheerfully shook his head, assuring her that he understood. The General looked at him disbelievingly. "Go on ahead! I even have an escort for you!"

And escort? Rinoa thought.

"Where are you going?" Laguna asked her in a suddenly intent tone.

"Uhm, the marketplace. I'm going Christmas sho-"

"Then the marketplace it is!" He's suddenly back to his cheerful self. Rinoa chuckled a bit at the man's unseriousness. "How to you want to go there? Flying? Or by Squall's car?"

... Squall's car?

"What about my car?"

A familiar, tall brunette suddenly appeared from the lobby of the Caraway mansion. The calm and kind expression on his face hid the genuine and unwilling intention of his tone. Rinoa scowled at his usual foul attitude.

"I'll just walk, Uncle, thank you." Rinoa bowed her head slightly, rejecting the President's offer and proving herself independent from his son's help all in all. Besides, she missed her Christmas walks back when she lived in Winhill.

"Hey, I said no bowing!" Laguna said playfully, though Rinoa thought she was being scolded.

"I'm sorry..." She bowed again.

Laguna suddenly laughed. Rinoa could honestly swear she didn't understand the man at all, but she sure didn't mind him anyway. She simply giggled with him.

The General, who felt like he was took on by two people against a single him, was not able to do anything more to stop his daughter from going.

"Very well." He finally nodded approvingly to his daughter.

"OH! And Uh... before you go..." Laguna began looking around as if searching for someone.

"Yes Uncle?"

"Squall." He called, tilting his head to his son's direction. "Go with her."

Squall sighed deeply. I knew he'd say that, he thought.

"Laguna, he didn't need to go with Rinoa. He can stay here if he wishes to. I'm sure Rinoa can take care of herself." General Caraway shook the matter off with his hand. Rinoa nodded in agreement.

"Nah, General. Let my boy here at least make up for the hospitality you have for us." Laguna turned his head to his son and raised his eyebrows to confirm his order.

Squall restrained himself from saying "Why don't you do it?" in respect for their host. Instead, he tried his best to put an obedient smile and walked by Rinoa's side.

"Alright."

There was an awkward silence between the two, as they strolled along the streets of Deling City. They were not even walking side by side, with Rinoa being left behind Squall, who walked faster than she did. But the raven haired didn't mind, she was in no mood to talk to him, especially that she was supposed to be walking alone in the first place. Still, she couldn't say "no" to the nice and charming Laguna.

Rinoa had not seen Squall or heard anything about him since five days ago when she last encountered him at Watt's. He was sweet, though still a bit mean that afternoon, but nevertheless... sweet. She quite enjoyed his company and the ice cream they had together that day. But now, with the impatient mood he was wearing, Squall was being such a big irritation walking with her to the marketplace.

"Can't you walk any faster?" Squall asked, without looking at Rinoa. It was more of a command than a question, but as much as she wanted to ignore it, she couldn't help herself but to counter him.

"I'm supposed to walk alone, you know. If it wasn't for Uncle Laguna, I would've insisted to go alone without you. Besides, it's not like you're my bodyguard." She replied irritably.

Squall stopped, and turned around to face her. "Good point. Why don't you have a bodyguard?" He asked plainly, though Rinoa could detect the sarcasm in his voice, as if saying that if she had a bodyguard, then he should not be doing the work of escorting her to her Christmas shopping.

"Because Deling City is a perfectly safe place, for your information." Rinoa crossed her arms against her chest, pressing her point. "Besides, why don't YOU have a bodyguard?"

"Same reason as yours." He said coldly. "I don't need bodyguards."

Rinoa eyed him curiously. "You? The son of Esthar's President? Even Uncle Laguna has those men... what are their names? Kiros and Ward?"

"I'm not the President of Esthar."

"Yeah, but, compared to mine, your life is far more valuable." Rinoa shrugged.

Squall's eyes narrowed as he stared at her amusingly, she was looking right back at him stubbornly. The brunette let out a low "hmm" before turning around and carried on walking. His female company folowed shortly.

"I can take care of myself." Squall murmured, in a voice only Rinoa can hear. "I think these people should be more afraid of me when I'm around." He grinned.

The raven haired rolled her eyes. Such a vain answer.

They have reached the marketplace, a few minutes later, and true enough, it was crowded with people. However, Squall did not leave her side. Firmly, he took Rinoa's hand and pulled her with him as they fought their way into the crowd. Rinoa felt embarrassed at first, she thought he shouldn't be bothering helping her like that, though his gesture was a bit unexpected.

As they forced their way in, they passed by a few stalls, and Rinoa took advantage of their slow pace to check some stuffs being sold. They kept walking until a stall, one that sold small treasures and trinkets, caught her attention.

"Squall!" Rinoa shouted through the crowd. "Squall, stop!"

It took a while before Squall realized that Rinoa was calling to him. He turned around to look at her and saw his companion eyeing on a stall nearby. He released his grip from Rinoa, allowing her to do whatever business she had for it.

That was how her shopping began.

And it ended wih Squall carrying all the shopping bags for Rinoa.

He was surprisingly not complaining the whole time they were at the bazaar, though Rinoa could tell he was already tired. She checked her watch and realized that they (or rather she) had been shopping for almost two hours. And even the raven haired girl needed some air to at least refresh herself and her friend.

She approached Squall. "Let's get out of here." The brunette nodded before Rinoa took his hand and pulled him out of the place.

They spotted a bench and decided to rest there for a while. Quietly, Squall handed all the bags to Rinoa, who put them all beside her. She took out her list and checked almost everyone she bought gifts for. There were only two people whom she was yet to find gifs to...

Cloud and Squall.

Shyly, she kept her list back into her bag, careful that Squall might notice it.

She glanced at him to check, only to see him staring directly at a far distance. He was wearing that frown again, and Rinoa instantly knew he was thinking of something. She just hoped it wasn't unpleasant. It didn't fit his peaceful blue eyes...

Rinoa stared at the same direction he was looking at and watched the snow fall charmingly. For some reason, maybe out of exhaustion or the warmth the Christmas Spirit brought her, Rinoa felt nostalgic. Every Christmas she had with her mother back in her hometown have all been memorable. Even if she was ready to welcome all the new things being in Deling City brings to her, it didn't mean she should completely forget what she had in Winhill. After all, she was still a new resident to the place, and she was yet to know how the whole system goes in the City.

She took a deep sigh as she let herself get lost in her thoughts. Then, almost unconsciously she suddenly opened her mouth and let words escaped it.

"I miss Winhill."

She almost forgot that he was just beside her, but she didn't mind him. She carried on.

"I miss the snow there, the special events that we had every Christmas season..." A smile suddenly crossed her cheek. "the dances we had, the foods and treats, the giant Christmas trees, the snowmen we built..." Now that she said the last two, she couldn't see a decorated Christmas tree or a single snowman around. Everyone was too busy to even bother with that at least. It made her even more sad.

Rinoa sighed, taking in all what was was left of Christmas spirit in the air. "I wonder... when will I have those again?"

For the first time in a while, Squall responded.

"You're lucky." He said, in his low, shy voice.

Rinoa glanced at him curiously. "Hmm?"

"You're lucky you experienced them much longer than I did." He blinked quickly, about twice as he remained staring at the far distance.

"What do you mean?" Rinoa was confused now.

The brunette closed his eyes painfully. "I used to live in Winhill too."

The eyes of the raven haired widened in surprise, though in a pleasant and shocking way. "Really?"

"Yeah." He nodded. "It was during those times, when Esthar was still in this big war with Dollet. It was a mess."

Squall looked at Rinoa, and saw her eyes on him, asking to continue with the story he started. And he obliged.

"My mom and I used to transfer from places to place. We tried to hide from the Dollet superiors who were against my father, those who wanted to kill us, while he stayed in Esthar to try and sort things out. One of the places we stayed for a considerable length of time was Winhill. I was six then.

"It was one of the memorable places I've been to during our runaway episodes." He bashfully admitted. "I remember knowing this girl there, about my age. I was sitting on the bridge when she appoached me. I don't remember anything else about her, except her long, black hair and cheerful smile. She asked me to play with her, and I refused at first. But she was being so persistent that I eventually gave in." He chuckled at the memory of his child self. "We played 'Who Gets the Most Wildberries', and I won. I had fun, and I even promised the girl to meet her the next day so we could play again. But we never did. That night, we had to leave and transfer to another town... again."

There was a long pause. Squall began to muse on what happened to that girl, as Rinoa waited for him to carry on with his story. But it would seem like she had to trigger him again. "Where did you go then?"

Squall looked down to his lap. "We went to Trabia, thinking that it was the safest place. The General there swore to my dad that he will surround us with his best soldiers, and he had been true to his word. But not long after, the Dollet soldiers found us. My mom..." He paused. Rinoa figured it was a bad and sad memory and she was a bit worried if making him continue was actually a good idea. But he proceeded with it in the end. "she hid me to a secret place at the ceiling. And when I heard those bastards barge in, I peeked through a small hole and..." His hands formed into fists. "I saw how they mercilessly showered my mother's body with bullets."

Rinoa gasped. She didn't know if she should tell him she was sorry, but it would never be sufficient. She understood that it was a horrible experience for him and she honestly didn't know what to say.

And then, came the uneasy silence. She wished she could do something, anything to ease his pain. Yes, he should let go, but losing someone as special as your mother takes centuries to get over with. She understood, completely. She lost her mother too.

"You know," She began, empathizing with the emotions her friend was currently dealing with. "when my mom died, sure, I cried." Rinoa could clearly remember how she cried her eyes out as she looked down on her mother's coffin at her funeral. "I wished I had dad there, if only he was not rejected by my mother's relatives. And even if there were alot of them who sympathized with me, I felt alone. For most of my life, it had always been me and my mother. And now, she was gone..." She choked on her last words, trying to hold back the sob that was coming out. "But, I just kept thinking that, at least she died without nothing to regret. I knew, in everyday that I saw her smile, she was living every minute of her life as if it was her last. And when I asked her how she did it, she replied that her secret was me. Being her daughter was the best thing that happened to her, and she would do anything for me." With slightly wet eyes, Rinoa turned to Squall. "Your mom, she died trying to protect you. Because you were the best thing that happened in her life. I don't know your mother, except that she had spent many years of her life into hiding, but I'm sure that she was just as wonderfu as mine, and she did those willingly for you. She may be gone now, but she sure did everything she could do in her life. She swore to fulfill them all the moment she had you. And I'm sure she was able to do them."

Rinoa did not have the confidence to her statement, though she hoped it somehow gave Squall a bit of comfort. The brunette did not show any sign that the words Rinoa said had affected him, but they made him miss his mother terribly. He was sure about one good thing about his mother; she should be happy looking over him from wherever she was.

He shook his head out of his thoughts. "We should get going now. I'm kinda hungry."

Rinoa nodded. "Okay."

Both stood up, almost in unison, and Rinoa reached for her bags. But Squall beat her to it and took them from the bench. She didn't protest anymore and let him do whatever he wanted. So, to make herself useful, she looked around in search for a good place to eat, and spotted a restaurant a few meters from where they were standing.

Rinoa raised her hand and pointed at it. "Does that look good to you?"

Squall shrugged. "Yeah, whatever's fine with me."

The cold of the winter was taking effect on Rinoa, and she involuntarily rubbed her hands against each other for warmth. The brunette seemed to notice.

"Wait." He placed the bags down back to the bench and removed his black, leather gloves. "Here." Squall handed them to Rinoa, who hesitantly took them.

"Thanks." She replied and wore the warmers. They were kind of big on her, but they were warm enough, especially after being worn by someone else's hands.

It didn't take them long to reach the nearby restaurant, though before they entered, Rinoa noticed a jewelry shop located right next to it. Through the large glass window, she could see diamond studded necklaces, bracelets and earrings, but only one caught her attention. At the sidemost corner sat a plain, silver ring. Squall saw her staring at it, and even thought she would buy it when he saw her enter the shop. Unexpectedly, he followed her inside.

There were long, glass boxes rested on black tables, which secured even more jewelries. Rinoa did not ask for assistance, but she continues glancing around, examining every treasure present. Suddenly, she stopped at the section with jewelries especially made for men. Squall watched her talk to a clerk, who gave her a large ring, fit only for a man's finger. Not long after, Rinoa nodded at the person she was negotiating with, and held out what seemed like the payment for the ring.

The brunette assumed that it was a gift for her father, General Caraway. But he wondered why Rinoa did not buy the ring she wanted in the first place.

"Where's the plain ring you've been eyeing on a while ago?" Squall asked when the raven haired finally approached him.

"Well, I didn't buy it." Rinoa saw the brunette's confusing look at her. "As part of my sacrifice."

"Sacrifice?"

She held out the small box where the ring was kept. She opened it and it revealed a ring with a lion engraved on it. Squall silently admitted to himself that the girl got good taste.

"This ring, I plan to give this to the person meant for me." She carefully brushed her finger against the engraving. "As part of my sacrifice for him, I bought this instead of that ring I wanted."

Squall didn't care, but he had the sudden urge to know. So he asked. "Why do you have to do this now? You haven't even met him. I think."

Rinoa giggled and shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe it's out of my loneliness."

Loneliness?

"I mean, look at my friends, Yuna and Tidus. Just thinking how they will spend the Christmas together makes me... well... jealous. And look at Irvine and Selphie. I can imagine a very wonderful and happy Christmas for them. And I wanted that same thing too, you know."

Rinoa timidly turned to Squall and smiled as she closed the box and returned it to her pocket. "Maybe I'm just being too excited. But, well, who knows when he'll come."

"Don't you think you're just being a bit too... dramatic? You don't even know if it will work out. Hell, you don't even have an idea who he is, yet you're saying things like sacrificing, when in the end, you'll just be all alone again. And hurt."

"But that's all part of being in love." Rinoa paused for a moment and though about what she said, slightly embarrassed for talking about something that personal to someone like Squall. "Or at least that's what I heard. Either way, it's all part of the risk of loving someone. Still, I think it will all be worth it, because almost everyone told me that being in love is the best thing in the world."

"Yeah, whatever." Squall shook the matter off.

Rinoa sighed. "Okay, how about this." She reached of of the bags from Squall's left hand and rummaged it. She then took out a small bottle, with a tiny piece of paper rolled inside. "I initially bought this for that guy. I plan to write my confession on the paper and then give it to him when I meet him. But since you're such a doubter of love, I'll make a deal with you." Rinoa placed the bottle inside the pocket on Squall's black trousers. "I'll give it to you, as part of my present. Don't worry, it's blank." Squall's eyes rolled. "Give it to a girl, any girl you like. Could be that little girl you told me about you played with in Winhill, or... just, any girl."

"Then?" He asked, in a tone that Rinoa didn't quite understand. It was either purely questioning, irritated or confused.

"Then, you tell me what happens. Prove to me why I'm being so 'dramatic' right now to you. Honestly, I do think you're quite lonely yourself."

"You don't know me to say something like that."

"Maybe I don't. Or maybe, somehow I do."

"Whatever." Both said in chorus, with Rinoa imitating Squall. She giggled as he groaned.

"Let's go get something to eat."

The venue where they planned to eat their lunch was fortunately not as filled with people. At the farther part of the place, they located a small table between two couches and agreed to sit there. Almost immediately, they were given two menus by a waitress, whom Rinoa caught winked at Squall. The raven haired found herself smiling when Squall did not even look at their server.

"Are you ready to order now Sir? Ma'am?"

Rinoa browsed over the menu and spotted her all time favorite.

"I'll have a Chicken Marsala please. And a glass of raspberry iced tea."

The waitress nodded as she jotted down Rinoa's choices on a small piece of paper in her hand.

"How about you, Sir?" He wore an even wider grin when she glanced at Squall.

"I'll have Pork ala Orange, some potato salad, a hamburger and one of your sodas please."

Rinoa's eyes widened in disbelief. This guy IS hungry.

After the waitress wrote all Squall's orders and left, Rinoa noticed the restaurant's pastry bar far behind the brunette.

"I'll be right back." She winked at Squall and stood up. He nodded.

All the pastries, the creampuffs, the cupcakes, and brownies, were all arranged beautifully behind the glass window by the counter. Rinoa browsed in awe, drooling inwardly. She made a mental note to buy some before leaving.

"How much are these?" a voice nearby asked the cashier. It was familiar... too familiar.

Rinoa turned to the direction of the voice. And gasped.

A few feet from her, he stood in his dark, blue sweater and black pants with those black shades that contrasted with his pale skin and blonde, spikey hair.

"Cloud?"

The guy turned to Rinoa, his eyes furrowed at her. "Rinoa?"

"Cloud!" The black haired one turned her body to him and put on an excited smile. She had not seen him for quite a while, and their parting at school wasn't a very pleasant one. "What are you doing here?"

"Uh..." Cloud removed his shades, revealing his relieved sky-blue eyes. Clearly, he was pleased to see her as well. "I was buying some food for a friend of mine." He returned her smile with a small, shy one. "What are you doing here? Are you by yourself?"

"No, I'm..." Rinoa suddenly remembered that she was with that person's enemy. She thought about lying, but Cloud never lied to her. Not that she knew of anyway. She knew he'll discover in the end anyway, and Rinoa hoped there won't be any fight this time.

"I'm with Squall." She finally admitted.

Cloud's smile suddenly faded, and a frown began to replace it. "Oh."

"Would you like to join us?" Rinoa nodded at him encouragingly.

"Oh, no. It's fine, I have to go back now anyway." Cloud grabbed his paper bag and turned to leave the restaurant. Then, almost immediately, he went around and faced Rinoa again. "Actually, I'll come with you."

There was a glaring contest again, right across the table. Squall has not touched his meal yet, Cloud, who was sitting right beside his black haired classmate did not order from the waitress, and Rinoa was carefully nibbling on her chicken, slowly regretting ever inviting Cloud with her. She was just being polite when she asked him to join her and Squall. Rinoa was quite relieved when he was about to leave at first, but she couldn't turn him away either when he suddenly changed his mind. After all, shouldn't it be an enough reason for him not to come with her when she told him that she was with Squall?

"Uhm, Squall, you can eat now." Rinoa gently reminded the brunette, whose frown, directly focused on his rival, could scare a T-Rex away.

Squall slowly grabbed his knife and gripped it tightly, as if he was about to kill the blonde with it. Then, with his free hand, he took his fork, began slicing his pork and ate it, while still looking daggers with the guy beside Rinoa.

Cloud took advantage of the moment while Squall was busy eating and he wanted to play with him a bit. Carefully, he raised his arm and place it on top of the couch's rest behind Rinoa, making it look like to the brunette sitting across the table that his arm were around his raven haired company, though she was unaware of it. And even without the blonde's taunting smirk, Squall was boiling with anger and annoyance inside, but he did his best to remain composed.

Another moment has passed, and their table was silent. Nobody was talking, and it was making Rinoa extremely uncomfortable. She honestly felt sorry for each of them. After she had finished with her Chicken Marsala, she decided to break the silence.

"What are you guys planning for Christmas?" she asked as lively as she can to bring their spirits up.

It was Cloud who first responded to her question. "Nothing, really." He glanced at Rinoa, who looked back at him. "If you want to come over at my place, then you can. It will be more interesting."

Squall gritted the pork between his teeth.

"Oh, I would love to! But, I think my dad has other plans on that day for us." Rinoa responded, actually glad that Cloud helped to lift the mood up. At least he did to her anyway. "But thank you anyway."

The brunette stopped himself from smirking at her reply. That's right, you moron.

"So, what have you been doing lately?" Cloud asked Rinoa plainly, though it was his casual tone.

"I've been Christmas shopping... with Squall." Rinoa smiled and nudged at Squall, who was starting with his hamburger. "I bought gifts for almost everyone on my list."

"I see." Cloud nodded. "Did you buy anything for me?" He grinned playfully.

"Ah. Good question." Rinoa raised her index finger at him. "I don't exactly know what to get you. I don't have ANY idea what you want!"

Cloud chuckled. "That's okay. Anything that comes from you should be good to me." He stared at her intently with smiling, aquamarine eyes. Rinoa looked away, giggling as she blushed.

Squall couldn't take the sight of them together anymore. He was ready to puke, not in disgust, but in overwhelming anger that boiled up inside his system. His brain died for a second after he saw how the two acted, as if they were a couple. He reflexively stood up, took out a thousand gil and left it on the table, then walked out of the place.

"Squall?" Rinoa was perplexed with how Squall suddenly stormed off from their table. After excusing herself from the blonde, she stood up and followed Squall. But the moment she stepped outside, she couldn't seem to find him anywhere. What made it even more difficult to spot him was the drastic increase of number of people walking around the streets of the city.

"Squall?" Rinoa cried out again, a bit louder this time. With much effort, she tried to search for his brown, shaggy hair from the throng. She began to walk and passed by a few stores where she looked for Squall, but found no sign of him. Rinoa walked further, and wasn't sure how far she already was from the restaurant, where she left Cloud and all the things she bought from the bazaar. But somehow, she just had to find Squall, she felt responsible for what happened, for why he walked away. After all, it was she who invited Cloud over, even if she knew it was definitely a bad idea.

Finally, she reached an isolated and quiet place, where not a single person could be found. Though strangely enough, there was a big, round fountain standing right at the middle, where people should be hanging around at, especially those lovers.

Rinoa knew Squall liked quiet places where people don't usually go to, she noticed that everytime she encountered him at the library, where he stayed between a row of bookshelves where people barely visit. She turned at every corner of the place, and still couldn't see anything of him.

Tired, from all the shopping, the awkwardness at lunch, and for searching, Rinoa sat at the ledge of the fountain. It was cold sitting beside water, obviously, especially during winter. She leaned forward and rested her head in her hands.

"Damn Squall, where are you?" She whispered, in a tone only she could here.

"Remember what I told you the other day?"

Rinoa looked up at the owner of the squeaky voice she recognized, who suddenly appeared out of nowhere. It was Leblanc, standing right in front of her and before Rinoa could react, she felt the strong force from the bully's hands push her chest, and the next thing she knew, thousands of ice-cold knives pierced through her entire body.

And that she was drowning.

Squall found the perfect spot where he wanted to be alone at a hidden alley near the big fountain. He sat on the ground, folded his one knee and rested his head on it. He was rushed with irrational emotions that quickly took over him. Cloud had always done those kind of things to him, but never did he go through them as affected as he was right now. He felt fuming at his rival for ruining his day... his time with her. It was going well, though not as genial as she had wanted it, but still good. Until Cloud arrived at their table. He may have forgiven his mere presence, but the way he looked at Rinoa, and the way she responded favorably, they were what made Squall fume. He would like to think that it was all because they were good friends, but it wasn't what they showed today.

He didn't want to think that he was jealous, at least he was trying to convince himself that he wasn't. Watching them somehow upset him, especially when Cloud started by extending his arm behind Rinoa, as if telling the brunette that she was off-limits.

The nerve.

Then, he realized that she must have thought that he was, indeed, jealous of Cloud. But he didn't want her to think like that. Squall had always shielded himself and his emotions away from the world, allowing no one to touch them except himself, though even he wanted to keep himself from cradling his emotions. He didn't want to experience the pain of being ripped off with a big part of him by a loss of someone.

Should I go back?, he asked himself.

But if he comes back, it would mean giving up his pride and making himself a fool in front of his enemy.

Suddenly, from his peripheral vision, he saw someone swiftly pass by. He took in the person's black hair and small figure. If he wasn't wrong, it should be Rinoa. She must be looking for him.

He thought for a moment if he should show himself to her, but he wanted some time alone too. In the end, he stood up anyway and began walking out of the alley to her direction. But she wasn't alone anymore.

She was sitting on the end of the fountain, and in front of her was his favorite stalker, Leblanc. She seemed to be talking to Rinoa, though Squall knew it was bad news. Leblanc had never been the friendly one to any other girl Squall interacted with, except Quistis and Selphie.

He began walking cooly to their direction with a plan to interrupt whatever they were conversing about. Until the blonde girl pushed Rinoa into the cold, freezing water of the fountain.

"Rinoa!" Squall began running as fast as he could as he slid his coat off him. He threw it aside and jumped in. It only took him seconds to find Rinoa and wasted none from taking himself and the poor girl out of the painfully freezing water. Gently, with shaking arms caused by the cold water, he place the trembling Rinoa on the ledge of the cascade where she was last sitting before climbing himself out. Quickly, he took his coat, wrapped Rinoa in it and carried her in his arms.

"Squall, I-" Leblanc stummered. "I'm sorry- it wasn't my fault- she-"

"Don't you ever dare..." Squall shot her a deadly look, a glare that her hoped she'll never forget for the rest of her life. A deadly stare that sent her a message. "show your face to me again."

With that, he left the startled Leblanc and ran his way to the Caraway's mansion.

The brunette rushed to the nearest bathroom as soon as he got inside the mansion, though he didn't come unnoticed. Dripping wet, covered in white frosts and with the unconscious Rinoa in his arms, the two adult men instantly sensed trouble.

"Squall!" Laguna, who was sitting on a dining chair across the General, quickly stood up and walked to Squall. Rinoa's father followed.

"What happened?"

Squall did not reply. The moment he reached the bathroom, he landed Rinoa in the bathtub with him and turned the knob of the shower to "hot". The warm water eased the cold inside their bodies, as if immediately melting the ice they felt beneath their skins.

"Rinoa!" Squall called and held her face between his hands. Panickly, he brushed her hair as well, attempting to extract every bit of consciousness from her.

"Rinoa!" He distressly yelled again. He rubbed Rinoa's chest rapidly, helping her lungs breathe again.

Finally, Rinoa desperately gasped for air, and choked in the process. She coughed on Squall's chest, and half opened her eyes as she continued to fight for air. The brunette unforeseenly embraced her in great relief, glad that he was at least not too late from saving her. "Rinoa..." he whispered through her hair as he safely rocked her back and forth in his arms.

Squall and Rinoa were brought to the mansion's fireplace room after the warm shower they took to save themselves from hypothermia. General Caraway lent some of his clothings to Squall so he could change his wet ones, while Rinoa was assisted by some of the maids to get changed as well.

Both were given a thick blanket each as they sat on a couch in front of the flames, prepared for them to warm up with. Rinoa extended her arms towards the fire, giving her cold hands some hot treatment, while Squall carried on focusing his blue eyes on the dancing blaze before him.

"How long has she been bullying you?" With a low voice, he asked.

Rinoa turned to him warily. She didn't want him or Cloud to know anything about that. It was nothing she considered to be important to them.

"Not... long." She replied awkwardly.

"How long?" He repeated, though he didn't change his plain tone.

Rinoa felt suddenly obliged to answer him. She turned back to the fire. "Seven days."

"How can you be so reckless?" The brunette loured at her. "How can you walk on your own with someone like Leblanc luring at you with all those intentions in mind?"

"Well, it would not have happened if you did not run away." Rinoa refuted at him.

"That's not the point, Rinoa." Squall frowned at began massaging the bridge of his nose. "Why do you let Leblanc bully you?"

"That's not your problem." Rinoa crossed her arms.

"It IS my problem!" He raised his voice a bit, careful not to overdo it. "I know, without a doubt, that the reason she had been bullying you was because of me and Cloud!" Squall waved his arm upward to stress his point.

"But I wasn't thinking about that, was I?" Rinoa turned to Squall and raised an eyebrow. "I was worried about you because you suddenly walked out on me, just like that. Without a word."

Squall knew they weren't going anywhere with their conversation... again. So he decided to stop answering back. Rinoa, annoyed with everything that happened to her for the day, turned her eyes back to the flames and grabbed on her blanket tightly.

"I'm sorry..." Squall apologetically said to the one beside him. "for leaving you like that."

"Where were you?" The brunette hoped Rinoa wouldn't ask him that question, but she still did.

"None of your-"

"business?" Rinoa cut him. He didn't react.

"Squall..." she put her hand on his back and rubbed it slightly. "please understand that Cloud is my friend." The brunette's frown deepened. "I couldn't just push him away. He appeared at the restaurant." Squall let out a small sarcastic laugh. "No, he wasn't stalking me, he was buying something for his friend." This time, he raised his eyebrows. "I invited him to join us for lunch, that's why he suddenly appeared at our table."

There was a long pause. Rinoa waited for Squall's answer, but he did not even look at her.

"Whatever you say." Was his only reply. She noticed that he was not angry anymore. His relaxed expression told her that he was somehow relieved that everything's alright in the end, although she wasn't sure. It was unusual of Squall to think that way. Normally he wouldn't care, even if she froze to death. But him, freezing with her, warming himself like she did, it was compelling, if not touching.

She let her head rest on his shoulder, and was glad that he did not shove her away. It felt warmer for her that way, sharing the same moment with someone she cared about.

"Squall," She snuggled closer, and she felt him move slightly to make her more comfortable. "thank you... for being there."

"Rinoa..." He murmured mildy. "please don't do anything careless again."

Rinoa grinned. "I'll try."

There was another long pause. Silence filled the room, and both could only hear the burning sound of the flames against the logs. By some means, Rinoa felt uneasy with their position. It felt too... intimate.

"Squall," Rinoa raised her head and sat straight. "do you still have that bottle?"

Squall did not turn to her, but he nodded. "Yeah."

"Do you have anyone in mind?" Her question almost got caught in her throat.

The brunette's eyes narrowed. "Maybe."

Rinoa got even more curious. Could it be Quistis? Or maybe Leblanc? Or some other girl from 3-A that I don't know of? Or maybe even Paine... Whoever it was, she felt her chest tighten that it almost gave out a sob. For some reason, she wanted to get that bottle from him, but she was utterly sure that it will never be possible, and her Christmas-longing syndrome was not helping her. Rinoa swallowed and acted like his answer did not affect her. She asked him again.

"When are you gonna give it to her?" She was hoping that he'd say "never" or "no way am I going to give it to her".

"I don't know..." Squall shook his head. It wasn't the answer Rinoa expected or anticipated.

"Oh." She pretended that she understood him.

"She..." Squall trailed off. "has someone else."

It was definitely not her.

Cloud left the restaurant, carrying all of Rinoa's shopping bags in his two hands. He felt worried and irritated for being left alone so rashly in the restaurant. After half an hour of searching in vain, he decided to head to Rinoa's house and drop all her stuffs there.

He knocked on the door a few times, and it was the master of the house who answered. Cloud wanted to take off his black shades to show his respect, but both his hands were occupied. He smiled in the most reverent way possible.

"Yes?" The General asked politely.

"Good afternoon Sir, my name is Cloud Strife. A classmate of Rinoa's." He slightly bowed his head down. "I came over to drop her things here. She left them at the restaurant while we were eating lunch."

"Ah, yes." General Caraway took he bags from Cloud's hands. "Thank you."

"You're welcome, Sir."

Cloud was about to turn around and leave when the General spoke again. "Uh... Cloud, was it?"

Cloud removed his shades. "Yes Sir."

"Rinoa was at the fireplace. She was pushed or something to a fountain, and Squall saved her, I dunno... the way he told us about it was kind of vague." Cloud's brows creased at the news and the General laughed nervously. "Kids today, never good at explaining things. Rinoa just went out shopping with his schoolmate and the next thing we knew, Squall was carrying her and went straight to the bathroom to take some hot shower." The blonde's eyes widened, and the General realized he chose the wrong words. "No, no, it was nothing like... you know... that. But they were freezing and dripping wet. The warm shower was like, their first aid to save themselves from Hyne knows what."

"Oh..." Cloud nodded. "Is Rinoa alright now?"

"Why yes, she's okay now. Thank you for asking." The General smiled kindly. "Would you like to come inside and see her?"

"If I may."

"Sure! By all means!"

General Caraway stepped aside and let Cloud in. After thanking Rinoa's father who gave him the directions to the fireplace, he began to walk, retaining his relaxed self. After reaching the room, he found the door opened and decided to just quietly peek in and check if Rinoa was still breathing. And he did. And she was still breathing very much, even if he only saw the back of her shoulders moving rhythmically. Only that, her head was leaning on a certain brunette's shoulder rather sweetly.

Cloud wanted to come inside and greet them to annoy Squall, but he hesitated. As much as he wanted to ruin the moment, he knew he shouldn't, for Rinoa's sake. He didn't like the sight, but there was nothing he could do. Not anymore.

Slowly and silently, he turned around and walked to the exit. You won, Squall. I admit it, you won this time.