Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Cross Sword x Lion ❯ Chapter 1

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

---

Squall looked up at the doorway when he heard it open and then frowned softly when Rinoa stepped inside. ".....yes Rinoa?"

Sighing, she walked forward towards his desk placing her hands on it. "You need a break Squall, and I need to see my husband besides when we pass each other in the halls." Squall sighed and waited silently for her idea of what they should do for this break.

He didn't have to wait long.

"There's this band in Balamb...I thought maybe we could go out and maybe have some dinner 'together' for once and maybe go and see them. Alright?"

Closing his eyes, he stood slowly. "Rinoa......" He sighed once again and then looked at her. "I can't......" He watched her face fall and then sat back down in his chair. "I have to speak with someone later...." Straightening up, she sighed holding onto one of her arms with one hand. "......I'm sorry Rinoa, ..but you know.."

She sighed once more and then looked down slightly. "Yes....SeeD business comes first.." He nodded once and then looked down at the paper work hoping she took the hint of the dismissal and would leave. After a moment of watching him she turned and walked back towards the door. "If you change your mind I'll be in *our* rooms.." then she was gone.

'Finally...Has it really been two years since we met? Why the hell did I....' He shook his head and stood up pacing slightly behind his desk. 'Of course...two years ago I thought I loved her....one year ago...he came back...showed me it wasn't really love any more...just a mask...' he pinched the bridge of his nose with two fingers and then heard the door open again. He turned his back towards it, just in case it was someone he didn't want to deal with at the moment and was slightly surprised when a pair of strong hands began rubbing his shoulders and neck.

Unbidden a small slight smile came and he heard a soft voice whisper. "Rinoa again?" He nodded once and then leaned back into the hands.

"Thank you..." he heard the small laugh and then the arms came around him and pulled him backwards into a warm, strong embrace.

"Always my pleasure...my lion..."

Squall turned around within Seifer's arms and looked up at him. "Always your lion..." he whispered before their lips met and their tongues fought. He felt the blonde's hand travel up beneath his jacket and the broke the kiss slowly while he slipped his arms from the leather sleeves. "The elevator?" he asked quietly allowing the jacket to fall to the floor after drawing out his other arm.

"Secured....no one can get up to this floor now without permission." Seifer said then began to help Squall out of his white tank top. Squall smiled slightly again and leaned back when Seifer kissed his neck slowly working his way down towards his chest. His own hands worked at Seifer's vest and finally pushed it off his shoulders and Seifer pulled back long enough to pull his arms from it and let it fall to the floor to join the other clothes already there. They kissed again and Squall felt the belts leave his waist and seconds later heard them hit the floor.

Minutes later they were laying on the white coat Seifer always wore, the blond leaning over him once again kissing his neck. He wrapped a leg around Seifer's hip pulling him closer as he leaned his head back to bare more of his throat to the blond SeeD. A small moan managed to escape him when Seifer's lips traveled down from his throat to his chest and begun to tease one of the nipples there.

One of Seifer's hands slipped into one of the coats pockets and came back out with a small vial. Sitting up, he sat astride the smaller man's hips grinding their arousals together and gaining a small gasp of pleasure from the darker haired man beneath him. "Se...ifer...please.." came the small plea from beneath him as he opened the small vial slowly.

Coating the necessary fingers, he leaned over to claim his lion's lips again as one finger slowly entered the small ring of muscle. Swallowing the small moan that came in response to the action, Seifer used his weight to keep Squall's hips in place. Slowly he slipped the second and then finally the last finger inside him and hit that certain spot and hissed softly as Squall's nails dug into his shoulders. Withdrawing his fingers, he heard the small growl that came from his lover's throat in response to their absence.

"shh...lion..." Seifer whispered softly as he moved himself down and began to press his erection against that small tight opening. He moved his hands to hold Squall's hips as he entered the other man and both moaned softly as the blond sheathed himself fully within the darker haired man.

Squall once again wrapped a leg around Seifer's hip and lifted himself slightly with his other leg. "God...how...I need.." his plea was cut off by another kiss and his partner began to slowly move, thrusting slowly for the first few minutes until they both were ready for more.

Seifer ended the kiss and placed both arms to either side of Squall's head as he began to quicken the pace of his thrusts into the other. He felt Squall arch into him and groaned slightly in response. He felt the commander hold onto his shoulders tightly his nails digging into his shoulders. "so...tight ...my lion.." he gasped softly as he drew close to that high peak of pleasure. Sitting up he wrapped one hand around his lover's erection and began to pump it in time to his increasing thrusts.

It wasn't to long before he heard the smaller man cry out and empty himself over his hand. Seifer released closely afterwards inside his lover as the tightening around his member was to much for him and he leaned down covering Squall with his body after they were both spent. "Sleep for a minute or two...then we can clean up and you can get back to work..." the blond SeeD said softly as he pulled the other into his arms.

Squall leaned back into Seifer's embrace and nodded slightly already falling asleep. "sounds....good.."

Seifer smiled into the dark hair and closed his eyes and fell asleep shortly after him.

Selphie laughed and waved at one of the junior classmen as she wove through the small crowd of teenagers gathered in the hallway. Normally she would have stopped to chat or play a hand or two of cards but she was a little too busy to bother with it today. Besides, she wanted to catch up with Squall and Rinoa before she left for Trabia in the morning to visit one of her friends.

She smiled and shifted impatiently, waiting for the elevator so she could try to catch Squall. She'd been all over the garden looking for him but she should have realized he'd be bogged down with work. Squall was Squall and while he was her friend, she doubted he'd ever learn to relax and just have fun. She stepped in and pressed the button for the command deck on the third floor, startling slightly as a soft mechanized voice reported that access to that floor had been temporarily denied without the permission of the commander.

"Heeeeeey!" Annoyed she pressed the button again and then put both hands on her hips as she made a face, mimicking the recorded alert in a nasal voice. A voice that she and Irvine playfully referred to as the Rinoa voice. "Access to the third floor has now been denied until further notice...whoopty doo!"

Sighing in disgust, she rolled her eyes as she pressed the button for the first floor. If she couldn't get hold of Squall she could go listen to Rinoa whine for a bit and maybe try to draw her into another card game before telling her about her plans for this years festival. "Sorry Squally, your loss." She grinned and bounded out of the elevator as soon as the doors opened, rushing towards the dormitories.

Rinoa flopped onto the bed...her all too empty bed...and grabbed Squall's pillow, clutching it to her chest and inhaling the faint scent of her husband's hair as she fought her tears.

Squall was never one to show his emotions or true feelings in public, but recently even their private lives were marked by a decided chill. The more she tried to reach out to him and reclaim what they had once shared, the faster he seemed to drift away from her. "Squall...I love you..."

She curled onto her side, hugging his pillow and wishing it were the man only to flinch at a loud pounding.

" Heeeey Rinoooa!"

'Oh no... I don't think I have the strength...' She pressed her face deeper into the pillow and tried desperately to ignore the annoying, rhythmic knocking and Selphie's overly-cheerful voice.

" C'mon Rinoa, I know you're in there! I have witnesses!" Selphie grinned and began knocking on the door with the grip of her morning star, unconsciously playing out the bass line of the song she was working on for the festival. "Yooohoooo, c'mon 'Noa...I don't have alllllll daaaaaay."

Rinoa groaned at the cheerful sing song voice and rolled from the bed, moving to the door and flinging it open to glare at the hyper pest. "Selphie. Its late, people are trying to sleep."

" Tough" Selphie grinned and ducked around Rinoa into the suite, whistling in appreciation. "First time I've seen the Leonheart quarters...boy did I get jipped on the room assignments." She giggled and winked at Rinoa, "guess marrying rank has its perks, huh?"

Rinoa was getting a headache from watching Selphie bounce around the suite...that or it was the lemon-yellow jumper she still favored. Ye gods the girl had an...interesting...fashion sense. "Selphie...what are you doing here? Squall is working late again and I was really wanting to get some sleep."

" Whatcha need sleep for, 'Noa...you sure have gotten boring lately." Selphie rolled her eyes and flipped back a bang, 'not that you ever do enough around here to *be* tired. Talk about your dead weights' "Ummm so Squall's workin' again huh? I wanted to ask if he'd had a chance to approve the plans submitted by the festival committee but he has the elevators sealed."

Rinoa groaned at the word festival. "Selphie...you *are* the festival committee...and what do you mean the command floor is sealed? He's just catching up on some paperwork..."

Selphie shrugged, "Well it is...maybe he and Seifer are working on plans or something for the next campaign. Ran into Xu on the way over and she saw him heading up an hour or so ago but hadn't seen him since."

Rinoa frowned softly and tried to ignore Selphie as she droned on about the festival plans. If Squall and Seifer were working on the details of a campaign, she should be there helping them not moping in her room. A quick glance at Selphie showed that her attention was riveted on the wedding photos on a bookshelf so Rinoa slipped from the room. Selphie's voice floating after her, detailing her plans for the festival and completely unaware that her victim had escaped.

Rinoa strolled through the main hall of the Garden and forced a pleasant smile or a friendly greeting as she passed by friends or students. In truth she would have just assumed them all to clear the hell out of the Garden since some part of her held them all responsible for the recent and subtle strain that was building between her and Squall. If only he was not the Commander...all of his responsibilities were strain enough for a single man much less one with a family.

Sometimes she wondered how he managed to juggle both their marriage and his duties...but then she came to the depressing realization that while the Garden was thriving under his command, their marriage was slowly withering. It was like a rose...beautiful and fresh but slowly beginning to fade...and soon it would be lost forever if she couldn't figure out a way to save it. She loved him with all of her heart and knew if given a chance, she could break down the strange wall that was slowly forming between them....he was her soul...her very life...and she be damned if she'd just sit by and let him slip away from her.

The thought caused her to unconsciously draw herself up to her full height and put a new bounce into her step as she neared the elevator entrance. Squall had taught her what it really meant to fight for something you believed in and in her mind there was nothing more worthy to protect or fight for then their love. That meant her place was by his side, showing him her complete support and devotion and helping to bear any burden that would lighten his load. Including being of more help to him in running the Garden and planning the missions for the SeeDs under his command.

She smiled and entered the elevator, pushing the button for the command floor and sighing when it stopped on the second. She pressed the third floor again and interrupted the alert, "Leonheart, Rinoa...identification number 2-0-4-3-2...requesting clearance." She knew since the voice recognition security system had been installed that there had been some glitches so she wasn't really surprised when it still denied her access.

"Leonheart, Rinoa...identification number 2-0-4-3-2...requesting clearance for the command floor, security override number 3331-A." Squall would probably be annoyed that she was using her emergency override code for such a 'trivial' reason but she hardly thought that needing to be with her husband was trivial.

Her mouth dropped open in amazement when the alert sounded again, still denying her access to the command floor and stating that her security clearance was invalid. In a daze, she finally left the elevator, stepping out onto the second floor. 'Why?' She passed by students and their instructors, heading for the observation deck as she struggled against her tears and growing confusion.

The brisk wind and warm sunlight helped to calm her somewhat but even so, a tear still tracked down her cheek as she stared out over the horizon. 'Why would he have locked my security code? He would have known it was me...has it gone so far already that he is avoiding me? I've got to find some way to save this...to save us! I just can't loose him...'

Seifer sighed as the electronic voice lapsed into silence once again and turned again to gaze into Squall's eyes, frowning softly to see his lover's emotions churning behind his normally calm, stoic gaze. After the security system finished alerting them that someone had just tried to use a security override with a locked code in an attempt to reach the sealed floor, Squall had tensed within his arms.

Then when the computer had repeated the recording of Rinoa's voice giving her personal identification number and then using the blocked security code, Squall's eyes had darkened and now Seifer could almost see his beloved warring with himself and withdrawing into himself. It was like watching someone pull a curtain over a stained glass window, hiding both the light and the beauty from his gaze. It was nearly a sacrilege.

In that instant, he would have cheerfully strangled the annoying whiny bitch for causing Squall one instant of heartache. 'Fucking cow...I know she has your name, but you are mine Squall...just as I am yours...' He felt Squall slowly relaxing against him and refused to do or say anything that would break this moment of peace between them. ' Damn Rinoa anyway, she's not worthy of you Squall...but then, neither am I. ' A faint, wry smile touched his lips before he lowered them and gently brushed them against his dark haired lover. "My beautiful lion...how I love you..."