Ronin Warriors, Sailor Moon, and Final Fantasy VIII do not belong to me. They belong to Sunrise Inc., Toei Animation, and Squaresoft respectively. PLEASE DON'T SUE ME!!!!!!!! Only the plot of the story and any new characters belong to me.

"Wishing Upon a Twinkling Star: Amy and Rowen"

Chapter Sixteen

Quadrangular (Quad) Area:

Amy sat on the bench, making a few modifications in the communication device resting on her lap. Rowen sat on the other end of the six-foot bench, testing the frequencies, visuals, and functions of the other device. They were the only individuals sitting in the Quad.

"How are the modifications comin' along?" Rowen queried as he flipped one of the switches to double-check the visuals.

Amy sighed wearily as she used the back of her hand to wipe a light sheen of sweat from her forehead. "I'm almost done, but I'm receiving an error message saying one of the commands in the main configuration won't compile at all," she answered tiredly. "I should have been finished ten minutes ago."

Rowen stood up and walked over to the blue-haired female. He sat down next to Amy and looked at the screen. He spotted the problem and pointed directly to a command line. "You forgot to place a semicolon at the end of the line," he stated softly, before looking at the female's flushed face.

The cerulean-eyed female quickly turned her gaze from counterpart and looked at the screen. "I think that might be the problem," she murmured as she typed the punctuation mark at the designated line. She typed a command to compile the program. "I hope that the configurations will work properly," she whispered.

Rowen nodded in agreement as they waited a few moments for the compilation process to end. Once they saw a confirmation line stating the configurations were fully operational, both individuals smiled in relief.

"I guess we could take a break for now," Rowen suggested as he stood from the bench. "We could finish the diagnostic testing on these devices sometime today or tomorrow." He watched Amy place the two communication devices in a small gym bag before she stood up and stretched. "You really did a fantastic job designing them," he commended earnestly.

Amy murmured her thanks as she and her blue-haired companion walked out the Quad. She glanced briefly at her watch-bracelet and sighed at the time. "It's just 6:42 p.m. Hyne, I haven't eaten anything since breakfast," she asserted timidly.

"We probably can grab something to eat on our way to Balamb City," her companion remarked as they passed the Cafeteria and approached the Dormitory.

As soon as they walked through the entrance, they spotted a familiar individual leaving the Dormitory.

"Hey Serena!" Amy and Rowen greeted.

"Hey guys! Bye guys!" Serena blurted out as she continued a light jog to her destination.

"I wonder where she was heading?" Amy pondered lightly as she and Rowen continued down the hall.

"She probably had some plans," Rowen guessed. "I think I saw Cai standing near the Parking Lot Entrance and Serena was just heading in that direction."

She fished in her pocket for her key card as she approached her room. She swiped her car and opened her door. "I better go and freshen up."

"I better do the same," he murmured as he reached in his back pocket for his key card. "I'll come by your room and we can head straight to Balamb City for some food."

Amy and Rowen said their goodbyes and continued on with their activities. Amy walked to her closet and picked out a khaki miniskirt and a ¾ sleeve, white blouse. She then disrobed and took a hot shower.

Twenty minutes later, the blue-haired female emerged from the steamed bathroom. She grabbed a Kleenex from her desk and wiped off the remaining toothpaste suds from around her mouth. She sighed quietly as she wrapped the tan towel around her frame and slipped on her undergarments. She then decided to lotion her appendages before putting on her clothes.

A knock interrupted her task of placing on small silver hoops in her ears. She walked over to the door, opened it, and spotted Raye smiling at her.

"Hey Raye," Amy welcomed as she allowed her visitor inside.

"Hey Amy." She studied her friend's attire. "So what's the occasion?" she asked mischievously.

"I'm just hanging out with Rowen," the cerulean-eyed female responded as she reached in her closet for a pair of brown Mary Jane shoes.

Raye looked to the other side of the room. "Where's Serena?"

"Rowen and I saw her briefly before coming to our rooms." She walked over to her dresser and reached for her brush. "She was rushing to the Parking Lot. I think she's going somewhere with Cai."

"I think she needed the outing," Raye commented softly. Amy fastened the brown barrette to her low ponytail and glanced at her friend through the mirror. The raven-haired female sighed lightly. "I think she was the only one who really took Pluto's bad news really hard."

Amy grabbed her watch-bracelet and placed it on her left wrist. "I know what you mean," she whispered quietly as she combed her bangs.

"Well, I better let you finish getting ready for your 'date,'" Raye teased lightly. "I better go and get ready myself. Ryo wants to spend time with me."

The cerulean-eyed intellectual grabbed her small, brown purse. "Just remember to enjoy your time with Ryo," Amy advised as she dabbed a small amount of vanilla scented perfume on her wrists and behind her ears.

Raye opened the door and was about to step across the threshold when she spotted Rowen in the doorway. He already had his knuckles ready to rap against the door.

"Hey Raye," Rowen greeted as she stepped out the doorway and into the hall.

"Hey Rowen," she returned before glancing at the blue-haired female. "I'll see you later Amy."

Amy murmured a response before she reached for her key card and purse. She glanced up at her blue-haired friend and smiled. "So where are we going?" she asked curiously as they walked down the hall.

Rowen shrugged his shoulders. "I really don't know where we could get something to eat," he remarked as they headed towards the Parking Lot. He glanced at the petite female next to him. "Any suggestions?"

Amy opened the passenger door to his silvery-blue BMW 325. She held her left elbow in her right hand. "I guess we can try Fatz Café," she suggested, tapping her index finger on her chin while thinking. She sat in the car and buckled the seat belt. "I heard their food was pretty good."

Rowen revved up the engine, manually shifted the car into reverse, and backed out the parking space. "Fatz Café it is then," he confirmed as he shifted the gear into first.

The two individuals left the Garden and headed towards Balamb City. They listened to music and made small conversation along the way. The topics of small talk ranged from their favorite pastimes to one another's high school years.

Twenty minutes later, they finally arrived to Balamb City. They cruised around the city for five minutes and spotted the restaurant. Rowen pulled up into Fatz Café's parking lot and parked his vehicle. They entered the restaurant and a waiter led them to a private booth.

"I'll return with your drinks. You can place your orders once I get back," the waiter remarked as he scribbled down the two individuals' requests on his notepad.

Amy glanced at the waiter's retreating figure before glancing back at Rowen. "You were telling about an Archery Competition that happened during your senior year," she reminded softly as she picked up the menu.

"Basically, I came in first place in the competition," Rowen supplied as he browsed the appetizers in the menu. "My friends came out to support me and I really owe them for that. I couldn't have done it without them."

Amy glanced out the window at the sky, lit with hues of red, pink, and orange. "I see."

"Didn't you tell me that you were on the swim team?"

Amy's gaze shifted from the window to her companion. "Yes, I was. I really enjoyed being on the team and doing competitions," she murmured softly as she saw the sun slowly set behind the small mountains.

Rowen raised an eyebrow and glanced over the menu at Amy. He reached across the table and placed a hand over hers. Amy jumped slightly from the contact, then glanced at him. "Is everything okay?"

Before she could respond, the waiter returned with their drinks and a small basket of rolls. Amy discreetly pulled her hand away from Rowen's warm touch. "Are you guys ready to place your orders?" the waiter Thomas asked warmly. He pulled out the notepad from his apron and waited for the orders.

"I'll take the Calabash Combo," Rowen replied as he handed Thomas the menu.

The waiter jotted down Rowen's order, then glanced at Amy. "And what will you have?"

"I'll take the Club sandwich with fries as my side order," the blue-haired female answered as she handed him her menu. The waiter wrote down her order, then left the table.

Rowen grabbed a roll from the basket and began spreading the honey and cinnamon butter on top. "Are you okay?" he asked his companion quietly.

The cerulean-eyed female glanced briefly at the male before her. In those few seconds, Rowen saw a flash of loneliness and sadness in her eyes. "I'm fine," she murmured softly as she continued staring at the sky.

Rowen decided to accept the comment for now. He knew he needed her to speak about whatever that had her breaking down inside. He polished off the remainder of his roll and sighed quietly. A few moments passed by slowly. "So when would be a good time to run the diagnostic tests on the communication devices?" he asked, changing the subject.

Amy thanked Hyne silently for the change of topic before responding to the statement. "We could probably run the test either later today or tomorrow," she replied before taking a sip of her iced tea.

Rowen leaned forward and placed his elbows on the table. "So the devices can be used to contact each other, despite the fact we will be in different areas or even different dimensions," he whispered.

"They should be able to. The configurations programmed in the devices should allow it," Amy affirmed as she squeezed the lemon slice in her tea.

Both blue-headed individuals looked up and saw the waiter carry a tray with their meals. Thomas sat each person's respective dishes before them. He asked if anyone needed a refill and both shook their heads. The waiter informed them that he would be back to check on them later.

Rowen and Amy ate in comfortable silence. Every few moments, one of the individuals would secretly glance at the other or peer out the window at the clear, moonlit sky. Rowen paid the bill for the meals and Amy left a tip for the waiter.

The two individuals walked beside each other as they headed to Rowen's parked car.

"I just remembered something," Rowen said as he snapped his fingers. He opened the door for Amy.

"And that would be?"

Rowen walked over to the driver side, sat in the seat, and revved the engine. He then turned to his passenger as he shifted in reverse. "It's a surprise," he answered, donning a charming smile.

Amy gave the driver a questioning look. "A surprise? Should I be afraid?"

"It's nothing dangerous," he murmured as he made a left at the Grand Balamb Suites. A few moments of silence passed by. "I take it that you didn't have many good experiences from surprises." He glanced at her from the corner of his eye.

"I guess you could say so," she sighed as she looked at her hands resting on her lap.

Rowen reached over and clasped her hand. "I promise that you'll love this," he assured as he maneuvered through the traffic.

A few minutes of silence passed by before Rowen parked his car at Yellow Titan Park. He turned off the engine and looked at his passenger. "So are you ready?" His passenger murmured her response and he walked over to the other side to open her door. "The only thing I ask that you do is just close your eyes. "

She stood next to him and gave him a skeptical look before she sighed in concession. "All right then," Amy whispered as she placed her right hand over her eyes. "So where will you be taking me?"

He stood behind her and placed his hands on her small waist. Amy jumped slightly at the sudden contact and expelled the breath that she was holding. He chuckled softly. "It's a surprise," he softly reminded her. "You know that I will never place you in any hurt, harm, or danger. Do you trust me?"

She nodded her head. "I do."

He smiled then gently steered her in direction of the park. "Well then, let's go."

The couple slowly made their way into the park. They felt the crisp, night breeze blow across their bodies as they ventured further into the park. Amy kept a firm grip of Rowen's left hand on her waist as they continued walking.

"How far do we have to walk?" she whispered as she blindly took steps.

"We're almost there," he answered as he led her to the designated area. He smiled when he spotted the beautiful water fountain located in the middle of the park. He placed his hands on her shoulders and gave her a slight squeeze. "You can open your eyes now."

Amy removed her hand from her eyes and looked at the surroundings. She smiled at the moonlit area of the park, then walked over to the water fountain, and sat on a nearby bench. "So this is what you wanted to show me?" she asked as she waved her hand, indicating the moonlit area.

Rowen approached her and sat next to her on the bench. "Not quite," he answered as he shifted closer to her. He pointed to a pale bluish entity located to the left of a constellation in the sky. "Besides the fact that the Little Dipper and Ursa Minor are out tonight, I thought you would love to see this."

Amy glanced in the area where Rowen pointed at and gasped at her discovery. "That's the planet Mercury," she whispered. 'My home in my past life,'she thought sadly to herself.

Rowen smiled as he continued looking at the twinkling sky. "So you like it?"

"I do Rowen. It's just that..."

Rowen looked at her and held her small hands. "Amy, what's wrong?" She shook her head and cast her teary gaze anywhere but his face. "You haven't been like your usual self at dinner." He reached up and turned her face to his. "Something is really bothering you. I love you too much to see you fall apart like this. I want to help you," he whispered softly, looking into her sad, cerulean eyes.

"I…I didn't want to leave everything I love: my home, my friends, and…" she choked out before a few crystal tears streamed down her face.

Rowen wrapped both arms around her frame and held her as she cried. He kissed her forehead tenderly, murmuring soothing words to calm her. "And?" he prompted quietly.

"…I didn't want to leave you," she confessed, wiping away her tears like a little four-year old.

His heart leapt at her confession about her love for him. He kept her words close to his heart as he tucked a few strands of hair behind her ear. "Now I understand why you were upset tonight." He sighed gently as he held her closer to his frame. "I know I can't do anything about you leaving Earth, but I know that this process of restoring the Moon Kingdom can't last forever," he explained as he looked at the twinkling sky. A thought entered his mind and he smiled at the idea. "How about we make a wish?"

Amy smiled slightly as she regarded his side profile. He turned to look at her and gave her a warm smile. "I guess we could," she said shyly, looking flushed in the face.

Both individuals held hands and closed their eyes. They recited their wishes in their minds and hope that their wish would come true. Unbeknownst to the blue-haired couple, they both wished for the same thing.

'Hyne, I love him/her very deeply. Please don't let the restoration of the kingdom keep us apart for long.'

Author's Note:

*sighs* Another chapter done!! I am almost done with this series. I have four remaining chapters to brainstorm on and write. I know that since there isn't going to be much/any action in the final chapters, it may sound kind of sentimental. Please be honest with me and tell me what you've thought of the chapter, as well as the story so far. I really would appreciate it!