FicWad

Sometimes Squall heard Rinoa as if she were really there, could almost feel the soft press of her arm against his.

The were sitting on the dock in Balamb. Rinoa swung her legs and Squall stared out at the water.

~*~

"Would you mind if I told you something really cliched?" she asked, eyeing him intently.

It was a game they had played. She stared and he pretended not to notice. On this particular occasion, she had been looking at him that way for the better part of a half hour.

He looked up at her, an eyebrow raised in question.

She blushed. It was cute. Pretty, even. Squall turned his eyes once again to the water.

Rinoa scooted over until their sides pressed together and whispered, "You have eyes like a storm."

He could think of nothing to say to that, so he didn't say anything at all.

"I remember when I was little, seven I think, and daddy took me boating," she went on. "It was really scary, you know? Because we were so far away from Dollet and the shore... there was nothing around us but water. I remember thinking that we could be there forever and no one would find us."

She paused, seemingly lost in memory and Squall thought for a second that he'd missed his cue to say something. Everyday with Rinoa was a lesson on interpersonal relationships, and this conversation felt like a quiz.

She leaned into him slightly, and he sighed.

"So anyway, we were there all day. Fishing and playing games. Well, daddy fished. I played games with the captain and he taught me all of the right names for different parts of the boat. It was fun, though I don't think I saw daddy much... But then there was this storm. One minute nothing, and then the next there were all these clouds and it was raining. Pouring down with rain. I danced with daddy in the rain before the crew rushed us into the cabin. I think... I was really happy then. Sorta like... Well, your eyes remind me of that..."

~*~

Her voice was like an echo now. He could almost hear her laugh carried away by the breeze, and he missed her. Missed the familiarity of her.

She had said that her leaving was his fault. That they were better off away from one another.

Sometimes he wished she wasn't right.