Hey there everyone!

This story here is a crossover between FF VII and FF VIII, since I fell in love with Aeris x Leon (aka Squall) in Kingdom Hearts. I made a big crossover project, called Black Faction where this pairing was coming often, but since there's no section over for multi crossover fic, (I mixed FF VII, VIII, X, XIII and Versus, so it was a bit too much) I've decided to fracture the story with the bits of the different couple. I want you all Rinoa x Squall fans to know that I love this couple, but that I wanted to try to make Aeris X Squall work.

First things first, if you don't love Squall, get out, because this will be resolving mostly over him. Lightning from FFXIII will be showing up, since she's Squall only support in this, and I can't see him getting any support from Selphie or Quistis. The FFVII part of the story will be kept to a minimum, Aeris should be the only one appearing in this... except from Sephiroth and maybe Cloud. I hope you won't mind.

This is taking place in an alternate universe (mostly Boston since I like this city...) where Squall is a secret agent for the Black Faction, an organization doing all kind of secret operations to protect the Earth, but mostly save their own interest...

Sweet as a lion – Chapter 1 – Break up

Squall stood still as Rinoa cried before him, trying to explain herself. They'd been together for three or four years, but it was all over now. He hadn't seen it coming. He wanted to yell at her, but he was scared that she'd cried even more. He was sitting in his living room, on the largest futon ever seen and Rinoa was standing right before him, with the strong moonlight behind her, tearing her shape in shadows and light rays that were hurting Squall's eyes.

"Seifer?" he repeated.

He couldn't believe her. There was something malfunctioning in his brain, this must be a bad dream. Rinoa was sad, she was sorry, but she had made her choice. She needed someone that could depend on her, that would rely on her and that would care about a future with her! As she said all that, the only fact going on in Squall's mind was that she had been going out with Seifer during the last five months. They were still together at that time and he still slept with her most nights, thinking that he loved her and that she loved him back. But he wasn't enough.

"I… I'm really sorry Squall, but with all your missions, you were always out, and… Every time that I would talk about children, you would back away, even if you know that I want a family of my own. We've been together for years, but nothing ever changed between us. We're not even living together, because you don't want me to move in your place, or… When we're at work, you always seems to forget that I exist, it's just as if… as if you don't care about me at all!"

"But… We're not supposed to be together, since we're working in the same team, Rinoa! It's just pretending I don't…"

"Well, you won't have to pretend anymore, because we're not together anymore! I've had enough of your cold stares and you getting lost in your mind! I need more attention than a dog!"

"I never treated you as a dog!"

"No, that's right, and I can't say that you weren't nice, as long as no one could see us together. You were always calculating everything and I can't stand it anymore. I'm not an equation, I'm a woman!"

He looked away, unable to stand the tears rolling down her cheeks and the fury in her eyes. It was the light that hurt his eyes, he wasn't going to cry. But his chest was painful and there was a lump in his throat.

"Look at you, even now! I know I'm hurting you, but you won't let it show at all. It's okay to be weak, alright? It's okay to need comfort and tenderness every now and then, and it's not because you don't want to need it that I do too!"

She was attacking every spots that she could. Every sides of him that she knew was a target and she had always been good with a gun. Was it really only his fault? He hadn't many people that cared for him in his life. He wasn't very sure of himself with love. He was scared of being hurt like in the past and he thought she knew that. But she wanted him to get over it and he couldn't, even for her sake.

"I'm sorry to do this, but I can't go on like that, Squall. You don't seem to love me, you just like the fact that you have someone to prevent you from being entirely alone."

He tried to think an answer, but his mind was going blank. All the thoughts were running wild. He wanted to shut her up, he wanted to wake up from this nightmare. If only this could only be a nightmare… He wanted to hold her in his arms and tell her that this was all wrong. But he hated her for going out with Seifer. And he knew she had had sex with him. She had lied to him. She hadn't been fair. She asked sometimes for more than he could give, but she never told him all that. And now, she was blowing up, when he wasn't ready to take the shot. And it hurt. Even more than that time when Ellone had gone away. It was his fault again, wasn't it? He had blown his chance.

His heart was beating fast and he wanted to get up and defend himself, but he couldn't move. If he'd get any closer to her, he would maybe sense Seifer's smell on her. He would break apart and he wouldn't give her that satisfaction. Maybe because that was the very reason why she was rejecting him now… Squall had never been able to open up as much as she wanted him to. But it was so hard to let go all his defenses.

"So you're leaving?" he asked coldly.

Rinoa's tears were doubled by his reaction.

"How can you say that? Did you even care when you said you loved me?"

Even if I did, it didn't prevent you from cheating on me, he thought.

"It seems to me that your mind's set. You want me to implore you or something? You want me to spill my guts and open now that it's too late? I'm not playing your game, Rinoa. I'm not a toy or a fool, even if you treated me as one lately."

She seemed to feel guilty as he said that and took a step backward.

"All that I wanted…" she began.

But he had heard enough of what she wanted. More than enough!

"I think I got your point. This is my apartment, so you can go back to your Seifer and your life. I think you know where to find the exit." he snapped at her.

Rinoa stood still for a minute, not believing it. But Squall had a right to be angry after all. She quickly gathered her things and came back to the living room to see that Squall hadn't move and was now looking at her with his coldest eyes. The scar on his face was dark and the moonlight was tainting his skin with blue shades. Since the earth was slowly burning and the moon was covered with colonies and cities of light, there was no more dark night on Earth. But it was even creepier to walk outside late at night with the strong moonlight in the sky.

"You know, Squall, we can still be friends…" she tried to say.

She was sincere, but she had been sincere in all the other things that she said before and Squall hated her for being nice now, when he wanted her to be harsh so that he would have a right to hate her for real.

"It's all over, you said it yourself." he replied.

She jumped a little. His voice was hoarse and growing dark. He was going to break down and he wanted her gone before that it happened. And she felt bad, but at the same time, disgusted because she still hadn't the right to see him breaking down. He didn't trust her enough for that. He didn't trust anyone.

"That's right." she whispered. And there was venom in her voice as she held back her meanest words. "It's all over."

She walked out and shut the door of the apartment with all her strength given to the loud noise that made him jump with surprise. It was as if everything sank in with that. She was really gone. He had chased her away. She had left him. As his mother had and as Ellone… As everyone else that ever was worth loving and suffering for.

He looked at the hall next to the living room, his eyes widening as he felt the pain growing inside of him. She didn't love him anymore. Maybe she never was able to, since he was so frustrating all the time. She was gone. She was still crying, still because of him. She had left him. He stared down at his hands, still sitting in this stupid futon. He breathed out. Breathed in. She was gone, and he was alone now. As he always had before to know her. As he never wanted to be again. He was angry with Rinoa, but mostly with himself. To believe that him, Squall Leonheart, one of the greatest spy in all the American branch of the Black Faction, would miss all the facts showing him that his girlfriend had been cheating on him!

To think that he was the one to drive her away in the end! His hands started to shake. His mind was going over all that she'd said. About him and how he had treated her. I'm not a dog! I need someone I can rely on and someone that will depend of me. You never seem to care. With Seifer, I…

He yelled as he tried to keep her voice down in his head, not to hear her talking about Seifer again. He had always hated that guy. He was his rival in everything. And now, he had to go and steal his girlfriend from him? Just because he wasn't as scared as him about getting really engaged to someone?

"I tried, Rinoa, I tried…"

But she was gone. And his heart was gone with her, leaving a large and bleeding void in his chest. It was still there somewhere, pounding with every breath that he took, but she was really gone. She hated him. And he wanted to cry so much, to let the pain take over him and to hide. If she could saw him now, she would know just how weak and vulnerable he really was and would take back all of her words. But he didn't want her back knowing that she'd been with Seifer. It hurt just as much as the fact she was gone.

He put his hands on his knees to stop them from shaking. He wouldn't crack down like that. He wouldn't, not now, not if it was what had taken Rinoa away from him. He tried to remember how he thought before her. How he kept everyone far enough from him, how he never got attached to anyone… How he felt lonely when he got to bed every night at that time. How he'd met with girls he didn't know to get a vague impression of being warm. Or being whole. He felt so empty now. He couldn't touch a woman without feeling something, even if he wanted to be harsh and cold and nothing else. He had desires, he had needs, he had a heart deep inside! But it had been broken so many times.

I wanted kids, I wanted you to be the father of my child, I wanted to marry you and we could have live together forever, Squall. All that I wanted was to feel protected by your love, just by looking at you, whenever and wherever I did. Was it really too much?

How could she ask for all that? How could he be a father when he hadn't had one? How could he marry her when he had already given her everything he had? He was just a poor man, with only his job and one stupid silver necklace that once belonged to his mother. He wanted to love her, but he was so scared to see her going away, to see people mocking him, to be judged for being jealous or overprotecting with her, that all he could do was pretending that he didn't care.

We can still be friends… But no, it's all over.

Squall breathed hard as he remembered her face at that moment. He slowly got up. He had to get her out of his mind. But her scent was all over the place. As he walk in his room and let himself fall on his bed, he found one of her hair on the pillow. She was everywhere. And at the same time, she was gone. He looked at the clock on the wall. It was three and a half in the morning. Would he be able to sleep in his state of mind? Wouldn't Rinoa come and hunt him in his dreams? His mouth was dry and his heart was still beating way too fast. He felt a shiver running over all his back and let a strangled moan get out of his throat. He turned on his back and looked at the ceiling.

It's okay to need comfort and tenderness every now and then, and it's not because you don't want to need it…

"What do you think I want now, Rinoa?" he sighed.

His voice was faint and his hands started shaking again. He put an arm over his eyes, trying to erase all the feelings and the pain. Not to feel. He wished he could achieve something like that. Then, for a minute, he thought about calling Lightning. They had a mission together tomorrow and he sure didn't feel that he would be up to it. But a tear ran over his cheek, under his arm and he decided that he would stay like this a little longer and wouldn't call anyone. Lightning was maybe his best friend, but she wouldn't know in what state he was in. He still had his pride. He cried just a little, silently, as a man would. And it was way more heartbreaking than any sobs or any teary woman. But there was no one there to see or heard it and maybe was it why he cried in the first place.

To be continued...

I know the beginning is harsh, but this is pretty much setting the pace of the whole story. I'm really into romance drama. For now the rating will be T, since I never crossed the line with Squall. Except for violence, but what else would you except? After all, those games are rated T. XD

Please, feedback would be really welcome over this. If you feel there's something missing in the story, feel free to tell me.