Yuna: Ahehehe...a two-in-one for me. Just for a reference point...Ari and Rufus have a rather...weird relationship. Okay, I'm gonna go hide now.

Ari's POV

"This is it." Squall motioned to the three story expanse of space, filled with books and desks and computers. I immediately loved it. Everything was a dark polished wood, giving it a sophisticated feel.

"...It's amazing." I said, staring up at the towering shelves of books and the decorative ceiling. "And so quiet."

"That's what I like about it," Squall replied. When I glanced over at him, I noticed that the bored expression that he always seemed to wear had disappeared.

I tugged on his arm lightly. "Come on...show me around. I want to see everything!"

"Uh, sure..." He looked distinctly uncomfortable, but led me down a hallway to the left to a set of bookshelves. We gradually made our way up to the third floor, reviewing all the sections of the floors.

But the third floor was the best. A couple lounge areas were scattered around, and some small niches proved to be good for private reading. A large balcony in the back overlooked the sprawling back lawns of the campus. I wandered off slightly, and came across an area hidden very well by bookshelves and walls. I was about to step inside when someone grabbed my arm, and I turned to see Squall frowning deeply at mel. "Don't go in there."

"...Why?"

"They like to meet up there." The disgust Squall managed to put into that one word told me exactly who he was referring to.

"They're not here...it's not like it matters." I replied, putting my foot down in the area. No alarms. "See? Nothing to be worried about."

"Think twice on that, darling," a female voice purred from behind us. Squall cursed under his breath and seemingly forced himself to turn around. "Piss off, Ultimecia."

"Don't be like that, darling." She let go of the arm of a silver-haired guy that she had been holding and walked over to Squall, running her long nails along his cheek. "I find that demeanor quite endearing."

"I said, piss off." He swatted her hand away, glaring at her.

"We were here long before you were, honey. You're the ones who should piss off." Ultimecia's sugary tone was slowly turning icy.

"Quick question," I said, stepping in. "Are all of your friends like that, or is it just you?"

Ultimecia turned to me and smiled cruelly. "You tell me, Miss Unpopular. Hanging out with the dorks...way to start your school year."

"Way to start making crappy comebacks and names for me." I replied in a overly sweet tone. "I do appreciate that you use your only brain cell on me."

Ultimecia's expression turned stormy in a matter of milliseconds. She opened her mouth to retort, but the tall silver-haired boy stopped her. "Ignore her, Ultimecia," he said flatly. "She's just a loudmouthed newbie."

"I appreciate being welcomed so warmly by you," I said sarcastically to the guy, stepping towards him. "Let me guess...you're the jock boyfriend. Am I right?"

"If by jock you mean team captain of every sports team this school has to offer, then yes, you are correct," he replied arrogantly.

"You mean captain of all the girls' teams, right?" I questioned, smirking.

The boy didn't flinch. "It sounds as if you're poking fun at your own gender."

"Oh, so you do suck at sports." I raised my eyebrows. "Well...for the ego that you have, that sure took a lot to admit it."

"I'm curious as to how you drew that conclusion from my previous statement," he said in a deadpan tone.

"Don't want you to have less brain cells than your girlfriend. Sorry." I smirked at them one last time before turning around and marching off. Squall was close on my heels, and he muttered to me, "You're an idiot, you know that?"

"Considering that they're stupid, it's really no big deal to me. I didn't want to come here in the first place, truthfully." I said, continuing to stride across the lawns of the quad.

"I don't know about his girlfriend, but Sephiroth is a genius. You'd do well not to mess with him," Squall said flatly. "Especially if they find out you didn't want to come...they'll go even more out of their way to screw up your life good."

"Thank you for those kind words of wisdom." I replied as we reached the dorms. "I appreciate you taking me to see the library...I just want to quickly take a walk. I'll see you later."

"Yeah," he said coolly. "I will." With that, he disappeared up the steps, and I stepped out into the quad again.

Finding a small archway, I discovered that it led to the back of the school. It was starting to get dark, but the sun was still present. I had some time. Heading down a gravel path, I slowly walked along the small road, breathing in the fall air. Finally, after a hectic day I could relax a little.
I suddenly heard the jingling of dog tags, and turned to see a rather large black dog bounding toward me. Stopping in front of me, it's tail was wagging a mile a minute, and it had a stick in its mouth. Kneeling down, I let the dog sniff my hand before reaching out and stroking its head. I glanced at the dog tags for some sort of identification. "...Your name's Dark Nation..." I said, smiling at the black dog. "...It fits...but why are you here? I thought pets weren't allowed...otherwise I would have brought Angelo." I glanced at her. "...Where's your owner, girl?" I muttered, scratching her ears.

"That would be me." I jumped up, startled, to see a tall blonde boy with icy blue eyes walking towards the dog. He whistled, and the dog immediately snapped up and bounded to his side. Giving me an appraising glance, he said, "I don't believe I've seen you around, Miss...?"

"Ariana Kidman." I replied. "...I just transferred here with one of my friends. It's nice to find a friendly face for once. And you are?"

"Rufus Shinra, pleased to make your acquaintance." He held out his hand for me to shake. I took it, then stiffened slightly as I recognized the name. "You don't happen to be related to President Shinra...do you?"

The small smile on Rufus's face faded slightly. "Yes, he's my father."

"Oh...I didn't mean to pry." I said, feeling slightly flustered. "I mean, I totally understand about the whole relating to famous people thing-oh, why did I just say that?" I sighed, running a hand through my hair. "...Uh...forget I said that?"

"Oh, but now I'm curious." Rufus laughed softly and leaned slightly closer to me. "Who are you related to, Miss Kidman?"

"Promise not to tell anyone?" I asked, and at his nod, continued. "...My mom is Julia Kidman...and my dad...well..." I paused, shaking my head. "No...I can't tell anyone."

"Why not?" he asked curiously.

"...I would be judged." I said flatly, turning away. "...My father's General Fury Caraway."

Rufus stared at me disbelievingly, then suddenly laughed. "I'm sure you're as brilliant as he is, hm?"

I shrugged. "...I dunno...maybe..."

"I'm sure I'll see you in many of my classes," Rufus said smoothly with a small bow to me. "You're one of the advanced students, hm?"

"Yeah," I replied, nodding and smiling slightly. "...It's nice to know that you're going to be there."

"The same can be said for me...Ariana. Could I see your schedule, if you don't mind?"

"Um...yeah, lemme find it." I fished around in my bag for a moment before procuring it and handing the piece of paper to him. "I don't understand one bit of it."

"You should have been there freshman year," he said darkly, examining my schedule closely. "It was a nightmare. Interesting...I've got economics, math, and computer science with you. Also theater and dance."

"...We have dance?" I said, feeling slightly alarmed. "...But I'm horrid at that."

Rufus laughed softly and handed me back my schedule. "It's mandatory, don't worry. You won't be the only one there who hates it."

"I'm doomed." I put my head in my hands. "...I don't mind the theater...but dance? That for me is like a bull in a china shop."

"It's not as bad as you think," Rufus said lightly. "...I could be your partner and teach you, if you wanted."

"...Rufus, I'll probably skip." I said, shrugging. "I can't accept that offer. Not unless you want to keep your feet."

"No, no, I insist," he said with a small smile. "I'm not great either...perhaps we could learn together."

"Okay...it's a deal." I said, glancing at him shyly, then felt myself blush slightly. Grinning, I said quietly, "...Thanks."

"The pleasure's all mine." Rufus's eyes flicked over my face and he laughed. "No need to be so embarrassed, you know."

His comment made my cheeks grow warmer. "...What makes you...ah, dammit."

"Anybody would have noticed. It's alright, you don't have to hide it." Rufus said, smiling as my blush deepened.

"You seem used to it." I replied, trying to change the subject slightly.

"I can't deny I've had practice," Rufus said, chuckling to himself and scratching his dog behind the ears.

"Aren't we not allowed to have pets?" I questioned, kneeling down and stroking Dark Nation's muzzle gently.

"Who said that? Even I can't twist rules like that here." Dark Nation woofed softly and stuck her face into mine.

"At my old school, we weren't allowed to." I replied, almost falling over as Dark Nation nudged me. "I would love to bring my dog."

"You should...this is a good place for animals." Rufus laughed as Dark Nation bowled me over and planted her paws on my chest. "She likes you...that's quite an honor."

I laughed slightly. "...I guess so. It's a good thing I'm a big dog person." I scratched the dog's ears affectionately. "...How long have you had her?"

"Since I was a boy; I got her as a puppy." Rufus knelt down next to me and rubbed Dark Nation's flank. "How about your dog?"

"Ever since my mother died." I said quietly. "My father gave him to me as a companion. But I had to leave him with my dad when I went off to boarding school."

"Oh." Rufus's tone turned slightly somber. "I'm sorry to hear about your mother..." A shadow seemed to pass over his face, and he turned away from me.

"It's alright...hey, is something wrong?" I asked softly, reaching out and taking his hand gently.

"We have rather similar life stories. It's rather ironic." Rufus didn't pull his hand away. "...Your hands are cold," he said softly, gently rubbing my hands to get some warmth back into them.

"...They're always cold." I replied, feeling a slight tingling in my hands as his made contact with mine. I willed myself not to blush as I felt my heart thumping in my ears. "...Don't worry about it."

"Too late. We should be getting inside anyways...the sun's setting." Rufus gently pulled me to my feet. "They're quite strict about curfew here."

I just realized how cold it had gotten, and shivered slightly. "...Alright, let's go."

Rufus walked with me to the door, keeping a light grip on my hand. "...I believe I have business to attend to, so I shall see you tomorrow."

Before I had any time to react, he bent down and kissed me on the cheek. "It was nice meeting you," he whispered, letting go of my hand and giving me a small smile before disappearing into the shadows of the dark hallway.