Disclaimer: I don't own FF8...

Author's Note: Thanks for sticking with me guys! All of your reviews are greatly appreciated. I'm sorry that it took me a while to get this chapter out, but I really needed a quick break from writing to sort this story out. Add to that the TONS of homework my school seems to think it is necessary to give, and I haven't had much time to write. Well, here it is, finally. Sorry if it's kinda on the short side.

Rhapsody

Chapter 7- Meeting Again

Birds chirped, the sun shined, children laughed and played. It was Saturday, and the park was very crowded. In the midst of it all, sitting on a bench, was Rinoa. She was trying to take in everything that had been going on in the past month. Her break-up with Seifer, her singing career, meeting Squall, and her father's heart attack. Her life seemed to be anything but normal.

Taking in her surroundings, she noticed a young couple hand in hand, the woman pushing a baby carriage. They were smiling and laughing, and Rinoa felt an ache deep inside of her. They look so happy together. Will I ever find that kind of love?

Someone sat down beside her, and she looked up. When she saw who it was, her eyes widened in surprise. "Squall!" She exclaimed, as she wrapped him in a tight hug. "You're back!"

Squall nodded. "Just got back this morning."

"How did you find me here?" Rinoa asked, puzzled.

"Well, I went to the club, but you weren't there. Selphie told me that you had gone for a walk, and that you come here a lot." He smiled slightly. "And here I am."

"Did you miss me?" She asked. "Because I really missed you."

"Well, I...uh...yeah...yeah, I really missed you, Rinoa." He said softly. "Sometimes..." He trailed off.

"Sometimes, what, Squall?" She questioned.

"Sometimes you were the only image in my mind. The only reason why I kept on fighting."

Rinoa was touched by his sudden show of emotions. "Do you really mean that, Squall?"

He nodded. "Yeah...I do."

Rinoa smiled then. A huge, warm, smile. "Thank you, Squall. You don't know how happy it makes me to hear you say that!"
Squall grinned. "I really missed that smile."

"Oh really?" She teased. "What else did you miss, Squall?"

"This." He said, as he leaned towards her and kissed her softly.

The whole world seemed to stop in that moment, and it felt like no one else existed except for the two of them...and that kiss. They broke the kiss suddenly, as a football crashed into them. They looked up, startled, to see a young boy running up to them.

"Sorry." The boy said. "I didn't mean to hit ya."

Rinoa smiled and handed the boy his football. "Don't worry about it." She told him.

A woman came running towards them and stopped next to the boy. "Jimmy, did you apologize to these people for hitting them with that football?" The woman questioned.

"Yes, Mom." Jimmy said impatiently. "Can I go back and play football now?"

"Alright, Jimmy, but don't be too long. We're going to be leaving soon." The woman told him, as he ran off. "I'm very sorry about that." The woman said to Squall and Rinoa. "My son can be very inconsiderate sometimes."

Rinoa shook her head. "Don't worry about it at all. Your son was very polite. Besides, it really is no big deal."

The woman smiled. "Well, I know that if my husband and I had been in your position, we wouldn't have been too happy to get interrupted like that."

Rinoa blushed. "Really, it wasn't a problem."

The woman just smiled knowingly. "You look familiar..." She said to Rinoa. "Where have I seen you before?"

"You might have seen me on TV, or maybe at a club? My name is Rinoa Heartilly." She told her.

"A-ha! I knew you looked familiar! You're General Caraway's daughter...the singer." She stated. "My name's Diane. I heard about your father and I'm very sorry." Diane said.

"Thank you." Rinoa said genuinely. "My father is actually doing a lot better now."

Diane nodded. "Well, that's nice to hear." She looked at her watch. "Oh my, I hadn't realized it was getting so late! I must be going, but it was very nice meeting you, Rinoa, and your silent boyfriend." She smiled and walked away.

Rinoa laughed. "Squall, you didn't say a word!"

He shrugged. "There was nothing to say."

"Aww, you're just shy." She said playfully.

"Rinoa, can I ask you something?"

"Shoot." She said.

"What was the woman talking about? About your father, I mean." Squall said.

"Oh..." Rinoa said softly. "My father is General Caraway, but you probably already knew that. He had a heart attack a few days ago. Our relationship was never really...well, we never really had a relationship. I felt like I had no reason to call him my father." She paused to look at him. "I always blamed him for being overly protective of me after my mother's death. He would barely even speak to me, but he issued orders through my nanny." She sighed. "I've come to realize that it wasn't his fault. He was trying to protect me from the fate that had claimed my mother. We've agreed to start over...I just hope that we can..."

Squall held her close. "I'm sorry, Rinoa. I'm sure you'll be able to work things out."

"Do you really think so?" She asked.

"With all my heart." He told her.

"Thanks Squall!" Rinoa grinned. "But you know, that woman was right, it is getting late. Wanna walk me home?" Her eyes pleaded with him.

He smiled slightly. "Sure."

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Selphie sat at the bar in the Star Club. Quistis had gone out to run some errands, and Rinoa was probably somewhere with Squall. Thus leaving her all alone. A man walking into the club caught her attention. He had brown eyes and long brown hair, which was in a pony-tail. The man was also dressed like a cowboy, from his hat to his boots. Selphie couldn't put her finger on it, but she could have sworn that she has seen him before. The man looked around, apparently searching for someone. Not seeming to find what he was looking for, he approached Selphie.

"Hey there, Selphie. How are ya doin?" He asked.

Selphie was very confused. "Sorry, but do I know you?"

He smiled sheepishly. "I'm sorry. Let me introduce myself. The name's Irvine Kinneas. I'm a friend of Squall's." He told her.

Selphie shook his hand. "Pleased to meet you, Irvine. I knew you looked familiar."

"Well, I come here with Squall and my other friend, Zell, to watch ya play." He smiled. "You really kick ass on those drums."

She blushed. "You don't really mean that."

"Yes, I do. My eyes were on you the whole time."

"Well, thank you, Irvine!" She said. "So, what brings ya here?"

"Can't a guy come see a pretty lady?" He asked.

"Well, he could, except that I saw you looking for someone when you walked in." She told him.

Irvine raised his hands in defeat. "You got me. I came here to look for Squall, but he obviously isn't here. Unless him and Rinoa are, uh, busy, upstairs." He grinned.

"Irvine!" Selphie exclaimed, laughing. "Squall stopped by earlier. He was looking for Rinoa, and I told him she was at the park. They're probably there right now."

"I see. Well, I guess in the meantime I'll just hang out here. Would that be alright?" He asked.

Selphie grinned. "I think that would be just fine."

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The cell was dank and musty. It was hardly the place that anyone would want to be living in. However, this particular cell was Seifer's new residence, and would be for the next eighteen years. He had been found guilty of several crimes, including attempted rape. As you can imagine, he was furious.

That damn bastard Squall! He thinks he's some big hotshot for reporting me? Then, the bastard steals my girlfriend. Seifer smashed his fist into the wall in frustration. They're both gonna pay. Rinoa was always a slut anyway. I'll show them not to mess with me! He smirked. Yeah, those assholes will never see what's coming. Let Squall play the hero...Rinoa's the one who's gonna pay for it... That thought fresh in his mind, he threw his head back and laughed.

Author's Note: Thanks for reading everyone. Don't forget to drop me a review ^-^