Ooh, shit… thought Amber. Cassy stood there in shock. Ooh-kay, how am I gonna get them out of this too? she thought. As if reading her mind, Cassy watched as Amber jumped in.
"Oh, um." Started Amber. "Selphie, Irvine, I've told you about this before." She said sternly. She walked up to them. "Just play along." She whispered. Amber turned back to the security guard.
"I'm so sorry this happened, Officer." She said, trying to apologize. "It's just that um…"
"They wanted our opinion before buying these things." Said Cassy, jumping in.
"Yeah, they're always like that. They keep forgetting about the security stands and stuff." Added Amber. "Right guys?" she turned to Selphie and Irvine.
"Oh yes, we're like that." They said nodding. "We're sorry, Officer."
The security guard scrutinized them as if he was deciding whether or not to believe them.
"Okay." he said, finally. "But if this happens again -"
"It won't happen again." Interrupted Amber. "I promise you."
"Very well. I'll have your word. Good day to you." And with that, the guard walked away.
"WHAT WERE YOU GUYS THINKING?!" cried Cassy. The others jumped back in shock.
"Well, we didn't know." Selphie began to explain. "And umm, we thought that, umm…"
"We could… uhh…" Irvine wasn't any better.
"Well, I hope it doesn't happen again." Said Amber. "Really, guys. You're in a foreign world. It's not good to walk around without us." She looked to Squall. "You could get hurt."
Cassy noticed Amber's gaze at Squall and smiled to herself. Baaad Amber. Spank, spank She cleared her throat and looked toward the group.
"Okay." she began. "NOW, I think we ought to get back." Amber nodded.
"Reasons why." Began Amber. "One. We don't want you causing any trouble."
"But we weren't -" started Zell, but Cassy cut him off.
"Two. We don't want you getting lost in a foreign world."
"Three. We don't want you getting hurt." Said Amber.
"And four. It's getting dark." Finished Cassy, indicating the darkening skies around them.
"Great, so we're going back to your place, right?" asked Rinoa.
"Where else?" replied Cassy.
"Come along people. Must go now. BUS!!" shrieked Amber, running toward the bus stop. Cassy watched as the bus bounded for her home rolled away.
"DAMN." She cursed. Amber stood at the bus stop observing the timetable.
"GOD, there's not gonna be another one until 6.15." she said. Amber looked at her watch. "We got an hour, people."
"Great." Said Quistis, slumping into the old bench. Squall sighed and sat beside her, Rinoa sitting beside him.
"So, what are we gonna do while we wait?" Seifer asked Cassy.
"Dunno." She answered, looking at him. "What do you wanna do?"
"EAT." Answered Zell. "I just realized. I'm sooooo hungry."
"Idiot." Retorted Seifer.
"WHAT'D YOU JUST CALL ME??" said Zell, standing up and pumping his fists.
"Down boy." Said Amber. "Stay." She pushed Zell back into his seat and looked at him.
"NOW you're causing trouble." She said. "Bad, BAD Zell." Amber shook a finger at him. Zell's face fell.
"I don't think that was necessary." Said Cassy.
"Yeah, I reckon." Added Irvine. Amber looked at the both of them and shrugged.
"I'm hungry too." Said Selphie. Cassy sighed and looked up at the sky.
"Great. We got hungry people." Said Cassy. "Amber?" she looked at her friend.
"What? I have to get food?" she exclaimed.
"If you could…?" pleaded Cassy. Amber sighed, giving in.
"Okay." she said.
"YES!! Thank you!" cried Cassy, hugging her friend.
"Yes, yes. Now you owe me." Said Amber, as her friend withdrew from the hug.
"Yes, I know." Said Cassy. Amber smiled.
"Squall, come. We're going to get pizza." She took Squall's hand and quickly led him across the road. They continued down the side of the other street and turned a corner.
"What, huh?" Squall barely had time to register what was happening.
"Pizza." Amber answered simply. "I reckon we're gonna need about three to four large."
"Large?" repeated Squall. It was obvious that he was completely lost.
"You'll figure it out." She said as she continued to lead him through the streets.

"What? Where'd Squall go?" Rinoa opened her eyes wide in surprise.
"Amber took him." Said Cassy. "No need to worry."
"You reckon she'll jump him?" Added Irvine.
"IRRR-VINE!!" scowled Selphie, nudging him in the ribs.
"WHAT? It's a thought."
"Not a very nice one." Said Quistis.
"Nice for me!" said Irvine, sitting back into the bench and letting his mind work.
"You're crazy, Amber wouldn't do a thing like that." Said Cassy.
"After all, she does, or she SHOULD know that Squall and I are…" began Rinoa.
"Dating." Cassy finished for her.
Rinoa looked at her inquisitively. "You have to tell me how you know all this as soon as we get back to your place." She said, sternly.
"Yes, yes. I promise." Replied Cassy. "That's if I don't drop to sleep as soon as we get home." She said under her breath.
"Where's Amber? Where's Squall? Neeeeed food." Groaned Zell, rubbing his stomach.
"Stop." Said Selphie. "You're making me hungry."
"Sorry." Apologized Zell. "But I'm still soooo hungry."
Cassy rolled her eyes. She looked up at the sky and saw that it was getting very dark. She glanced at her watch. It was nearly 6 o' clock. Where was Amber?
"Okay, Amber's taking a long time." Said Quistis.
"Well, then." Said Cassy, stepping on top of the bus bench. "While we're waiting, I'll…"
"You'll what, babe?" pressed Seifer as he looked up at her.
"Stars! Moon!! Sun!!" she cried, throwing her hands in the air.
Irvine opened his eyes wide in surprise. "Holy shit." he said.
"What's so shitty?" asked Cassy, eyeing him.
"Nothing." He said, quickly, choosing to avoid the possibility of getting hammered by Cassy.
"Anyway…" continued Cassy, clearing her throat. Her face took on an expression that told everyone that she was deep in thought. After a few moments of silence, Cassy opened her mouth and bellowed out a song.
"STRUMMING MY PAIN WITH HIS FINGERS… SINGING MY LIFE WITH HIS WORDS…" she sang. Every one of the FF crowd looked at her with utter shock and amusement on their faces. Seifer smiled and snickered into his hand.
"KILLING ME SOFTLY WITH HIS SONG… KILLING ME SOFTLY…" Cassy sang.
"Erm, Cassy, babe? What are you singing?" asked Seifer, curiously.
"A sick song. I love it!" she replied.
"What's it supposed to mean?" asked Rinoa.
Cassy stopped singing. She looked at Rinoa and tilted her head as if trying to work out its meaning.
"I DON'T know…" she said finally. She shrugged. "But it's cool song anyway." And with that she began singing again.
"I HEARD HE SANG A GOOD SONG… I HEARD HE HAD A STYLE… AND SO I CAME TO SEE HIM… AND LISTEN FOR A WHILE…."

Amber stopped, pizza in her hand as she heard a loud singing voice coming from somewhere.
"What the hell is that?" asked Squall, bewildered. Amber looked at him and giggled.
"What, what's so funny?" he asked, suspiciously. Amber continued to giggle as her mind was thinking about the story she and Cassy wrote about Squall getting drunk and singing.
"Nothing. Nothing." She said, trying to stop her giggles.
Squall looked at her warily, but didn't say anything. They rounded a corner and found themselves in a dark alleyway.
"I think we took a wrong turn." Said Amber, looking around.
"I thought you knew these streets." Said Squall. "Don't tell me we're lost."
"No, we're not lost." Amber reassured him. "But lemme sit and think." She walked out of the alley and sat down at the corner. Squall sat down beside her.
"Well?" he asked.
"Shh, I'm thinking." She said. Amber put her head in her hands and pretended to be deep in thought. She was thankful that he couldn't read her thoughts. Kiss Squall. Kiss Squall commanded a voice in her head. KISS. SQUALL. KISS. SQUALL She glanced at him and saw that he was looking out to the street, patiently waiting for her to finish thinking. Good idea she thought. Kiss Squall Amber lifted her head back up and looked at Squall.
"So, what -" but Squall didn't get to finish his sentence. Amber had leant over and pressed her lips to his. A voice in his head told him this was wrong because he was in a relationship with Rinoa, but another voice told him not to worry. What she doesn't know won't kill her Amber's lips lingered on his for a few moments before pulling away.
"Okay, NOW I know where we're supposed to go now." She said, standing up as though nothing happened. "Come on." Amber led Squall down a few more streets and it wasn't long before they approached the group. Cassy was standing on the bus bench singing "Don't Call Me Baby" at the top of her lungs, the rest of the group looking at her in bewilderment and amusement.
"Cool," said Amber. "Hold this." She said, dropping the three pizzas into Squall's arms. She rushed up to the bench and jumped on top of it. Everyone looked at her as she joined in with Cassy, singing at the top of her lungs. Squall had approached the group by now and was looking at the two girls standing and dancing on top of the bench.
"Uh… what?" he said, in puzzlement.
"Don't ask me." Said Quistis as she dug into the pizza.
"DON'T CALL ME BABY, YOU GOT SOME NERVE AND BABY THAT'LL NEVER DO, YOU KNOW I DON'T BELONG TO YOU, IT'S TIME YOU KNEW I'M NOT YOU'RE BABY. I BELONG TO BE SO DON'T CALL ME BABY!!" Cassy and Amber had bellowed out the last line and were laughing as they began the next verse.
"They are completely paranoid." Said Zell, his mouth full of pizza.
"They're almost as bad as Selphie on her high days." Commented Seifer.
"Thought she was high everyday." Said Irvine.
"What was that Irvy?" asked Selphie, sweetly.
"Nothing." He said quickly and shoving a slice into his mouth.
"DON'T THINK I'M NOT STRONG. I'M THE ONE TO TAKE YOU ON, DON'T UNDERESTIMATE ME, BOY, I'LL MAKE YOU SORRY YOU WERE BORN…" Amber glanced up toward the road and shouted.
"BUS IS HERE!!" Amber took Cassy's hand and jumped off the bench.
"Close the boxes and hold them. We're not allowed to eat on buses." Said Cassy. The bus came rolling toward them and Cassy, again, paid the fare. The group silently piled into the back of the bus, still in shock of the performance and sat down.
"Okay!" Cassy called down to the bus driver and he closed the doors. Soon, they were traveling toward Cassy's house.