Chapter 6

[P.S. Quistis dyed her hair. Also I've tried to make this chapter a little longer. - Ina mad brummy.]

Quistis led Rinoa into her room. They hadn't seen each other for these past 7 months, so there would be a lot to tell each other. After their adventure had finished, they had all drifted apart, only Rinoa and Squall staying close. Selphie had gone back to Trabia, to try and raise the funds they needed to rebuild it. With her at the helm, their campaign had been extremely successful, and most of the garden had been rebuilt, but they still needed to get their computer system back up. Irvine had also gone back to his original garden, Galbadia, and was now one of the best SeeD's there, due to his travels. Zell had travelled to Deling City, and that was the last anyone heard of him.

"Rinoa, what's happened to you? To me you seem…different."

Rinoa didn't answer her question.

"Rinoa?"

She continued staring off into to space, and then she finally spoke. "Squall…" she muttered, "I'm looking for him."

"He left you?"

She nodded silently. Rinoa decided to change the course of the conversation, she didn't want Quistis to know why and how he had left her.

"Why have all the SeeD's changed so much?" she questioned.

"Well, Cid and Edea left the garden, they didn't tell us why. And then some of the SeeD's took over, and this is how it turned out. But they spent all our funds, so of course we have no money. So we're trying to raise funds in any way possible, even if it means stealing money and threatening people."

"And what do they mean by their "plan"?", Rinoa said, curious.

"What? Oh, that. That's just the term used by us for our means of making money."

"But they said their plan would fail because of the lack of money, not that the lack of money was the plan."

"They must be talking about the Great Deling Plot, then."

"But what's that?"

"Oh-it's…", Quistis struggled to try and think of another lie to deceive her friend. "They're going to shut it down, and make into a military base. That's all. Because of its connections with the military, and Caraway."

Only part of what Quistis had said was true. They didn't mean to do this to Deling City, but to Rinoa's home, Timber. After all, it had good train lines, and an easily penetrated defence. Rinoa believed Quistis' words, after all they were old friends.

Some sort of bell was rung, and Quistis had to leave.

Rinoa sat down on Quistis' bed, pondering her thoughts. She was worried about what was going to happen, she didn't want to drag Quistis into this with her. Then she felt a vibration; the garden was taking off. She had forgotten. They had stayed there an extra couple of hours, as some SeeD's had been late back, namely the ones Rinoa had shot. They had had to search for them and confirm their deaths.

Rinoa decided to walk a little, and went to the balcony where she had shared that first kiss with him, so perfect and wonderful, she had felt that nothing could spoil that moment. She stared off into the dark sky, the stars shining brightly. Just like the night they had first been together, alone. The first person she felt she had ever truly loved. Seifer, she liked him, but she knew that it wasn't going to last. But Squall…she thought that they would be together forever, and that they would love each other for eternity.

Instead, a torn love letter, their argument, Rinoa's cries of "Squall!", the sound of his hand as he slapped her face, tears, agony, heart wrenching pain, and the sound of his footsteps walking out of her apartment.

"Soon," she muttered, "soon we will be together again. I swear it."

*