~ Every night, she went outside, gazing up at the sky and the many stars, almost as though she was trying to count them. He would always watch her from a safe distance (so he wouldn't notice him), with his arms crossed, wondering for the umpteenth time what she could possibly be wishing for when he saw a falling star. ~

G. - Gazing

Squall walked toward the big field, knowing that he would find Rinoa there, too, since she was there every night, doing exactly the same thing as the previous night. When he reached the field, he just stood there, motionless like a statue. The wind gently caressed his silky smooth, yet unruly hair.

Every night, she went outside, gazing up at the sky and the many stars, almost as though she was trying to count them. He would always watch her from a safe distance (so he wouldn't notice him), with his arms crossed, wondering for the umpteenth time what she could possibly be wishing for when he saw a falling star.

Didn't a girl like her already have everything an average girl could possibly wish, or even want to die for? Money, parents, fame, angelic features, beautiful eyes, probably the softest lips that looked much like rose petals...

No, no, no! Stop that, he berated himself, before he could think any further.

Rinoa didn't have beautiful eyes... maybe. And her lips certainly didn't look like... that. To be honest, he didn't know why he even thought about that, or wondered how those lips would feel like on his. He had never had these thoughts around other girls, so what made her special from the others, like Selphie, or even Quistis?

As if you don't know that already... a little voice inside his head said, but Squall chose to ignore that annoying voice, for now.

She looked so small, sitting there all alone and thinking a thousand-and-something thoughts without sharing them with anyone. He wondered if she had ever noticed his presence. If she did, she never acknowledged it, for her back was always turned to him.

It bothered him, though. Was she ignoring him? Was this a trick to get his attention? Or maybe he was looking too much in it. Maybe she really hadn't seen him.

"Whatever. I don't care," he muttered, annoyed with himself.

This caused her to gasp. She turned around and her eyes widened in surprise, only now noticing that she had company. Well, that pretty much answered his question.

"Squall!"

He merely grunted. Rinoa got up from her spot on the grass and walked over to him. Somehow, and he had honestly no idea why, he started to panick. Squall became more nervous than ever, wondering what in Hyne's name was wrong with him.

"You're here, too?" she asked, her dark, dark eyes shimmering brightly in the dim moonlight.

Squall nodded briefly, because he didn't trust his voice. Just then he saw that she was shivering slightly. Well, that wasn't too strange, since her clothes didn't even have sleeves. One would think that she wasn't smart enough to put on something warmer.

"Cold?" he asked.

"Kinda," she replied, still smiling at him.

Squall hesitated for a moment, but then took his jacket off and draped it over her shoulders.

"What? N-no, you don't have to-" she started, but the male teen swiftly interrupted her, before he would change his mind.

"I insist."

After that, she accepted the jacket and they continued looking at the stars. Even though he was silent, she had to admit that she enjoyed his company. It was something that made her feel calm, at ease, as if nothing could go wrong when this brunet was with her. She knew that her thoughts made no sense, but it was nice to feel that way for a change.

"The stars look beautiful tonight," Rinoa remarked.

Squall only made a non-commital noise, while giving her a long side look. Stars couldn't be beautiful for one night. It just took her too long to figure out that stars always looked the same. But why bother and tell her, he thought. It wasn't his bussiness.

"Why are you looking at them every night?" he heard himself ask, before he could stop himself.

It took a couple of seconds for her to formulate a reply, but then she said, "I'm looking for someone."

Squall wanted to ask who she was looking for, but she continued speaking.

"My mother died when I was very little. I grew up with my father. Mom had told me once that whenever someone died, they would become a star and look out for the ones they loved the most. I'm looking for that star now. It's got to be the bright one overthere, because mom had the most amazing voice. She was beautiful and stood out against everyone else, just like this star is doing now. Wish I had her beauty."

Any other guy would've said now that Rinoa was beautiful, but Squall wasn't "any other guy."

And sometimes... that hurt.

"Do you miss her?" Squall asked, before he bit his tongue at the stupidity of his question.

Of course she did and it probably hurt much more to lose your mother when you knew her, than when she died giving birth to you.

To be honest, he was surprised to hear that Rinoa's mother was no more. Maybe they were more alike than he realized now.

"Yeah, a lot," was all she said.

"What's it like to have a mother?" Squall wondered.

This time, it was Rinoa's turn to give him a surprised look, her eyes widened. "You mean..."

"My mother died giving birth to me," Squall explained, swiftly looking away.

Rinoa didn't know why, but she felt much like crying now. Poor Squall, was all she could think. Before she knew what exactly she was doing, she found herself in Squall's arms, giving him a firm hug.

"That's so sad," she whispered, closing her eyes.

"But life goes on," Squall replied, albeit slightly awkwardly, since he wasn't used to get this kind of attention.

...It felt kind of nice, though. As if she really cared about him. (But why should she?)

A/N: I hope you like it. Happy holidays! Reviews are more than appreciated!