Watching You
Chapter Fourteen: Daddy's Little Girl
By PasifikStar

Author's Note: Have I told you how much I love all my reviewers? You guys are absolute sweethearts and I haven't thanked you yet! So thanks a bunch! This is mostly a very descriptive chapter.

* All standard disclaimers apply: I do not own Final Fantasy or it's characters.


"Rinoa!" Seifer shouted. He turned the corner and barely caught the fleeting glimpse of the young brunette running towards the foyer. "Rinoa, wait a second!"

She didn't stop. She nearly threw open the door, almost knocking down one of the maids as she passed. Seifer tore down the hall way after her. He was running towards the doors when a large man stood in his way. Seifer nearly skidded to a stop as he narrowed his eyes and glared at the man standing in his way.

"Can I help you?" Auron asked.

"Not now!" Seifer snarled. He attempted to run past the body guard, but was held back by a firm grip on his shoulder. The blond whirled around and was about to yell when Irvine ran out from the hall way. He stopped in his tracks as he saw Seifer standing there.

"Where's Rinoa!?" he gasped.

"She ran out the door and he won't let me through!" Seifer shouted.

Irvine looked at Auron. "Auron, we don't have time for this!" He exclaimed. "Get out of our way! We need to catch up with her!"

"I'm afraid I can't do that," Auron said. "You're forgetting that I am to protect Rinoa."

"We KNOW your job!" Irvine gasped. "But we're not going to hurt her, we just need to talk to her!"

"She doesn't feel like talking." Auron stated simply.

"I don't have time for this!" Irvine said, frustrated. He began to rush past the man, when Auron's other hand clamped down on his shoulder. Irvine frowned. "Let me go, Auron."

"I said she doesn't feel like talking."

"How would you know how she feels!?" Seifer shouted. "We've known her longer than you!"

"She ran out of here crying. You called out to her to stop and she didn't," he told them casually. "Therefore, she doesn't want to talk to you."

"She'll talk to me." Irvine insisted.

"You really think so?" Auron asked.

"Of course I do!" Irvine shouted.

The man, who was still wearing sun glasses, merely shrugged and lifted his hands off their shoulders. Irvine ran out the door as Seifer sent him one last glare before following behind Irvine. They ran down the steps and stood before the drive way. Irvine looked around in the dark. "Where is she?"

To answer his question, screeching tires were heard. Seifer lifted up his head and frowned. "You've got to be kidding me..."

"You gave her your KEYS!?" Irvine shouted into the foyer of the Caraway Mansion. Auron stood there, looking stoic as ever. "ARE YOU INSANE!?"

Seifer watched in shock as the black car with the tinted windows sped out of the drive way and nearly crashed through the iron gates while they were opening. The blond turned to Irvine. "Forget that! Let's go after her!"

"Right!" Irvine agreed. They rushed down the drive way to where Irvine's car was parked. They got into the car and Irvine's eyes went wide. "Where the hell are my KEYS!?" He patted his jacket as he sat on the driver's seat.

"What the hell do you mean where are they!?" Seifer snapped. "Did you drop them!?"

"No!" Irvine said. He looked in his breast pocket and frowned. Swearing, he got out of the car and began to look around the ground next to the car. "Don't just sit there!" He told the blond sitting in the passenger's seat. "Help me find the keys!"

Seifer grumbled as he got out of the car and began to search as well. Auron smirked as he reached into the pocket of his coat and slipped a pair of keys with a model Exeter key chain into it. He turned around and stopped. General Caraway was walking out of the hall way, a lost look on his face.

"Sir, Rinoa stole my car-" he began. He had run into the young female as she rushed out. He was coming up the stairs, having had forgotten something, when she rushed down and jumped into his running car. She had looked up at him with tearful eyes and apologized. Then she closed the door.

"That's fine..." Caraway mumbled numbly.

Auron raised an eyebrow. "Sir, I cannot return home-"

"Stay for the night." the man mumbled. He slowly began to drag himself up to his room. His head was lowered and his eyes were dulled down. Suddenly, the foreboding military general looked like a weary old man.

The body guard merely nodded. He turned and looked back out the door to the two men frantically searching for Irvine's car keys. Slowly, his eyes drifted back to the now closed gates.


Tears were running down her face and rimming her eyes. Her vision was partially blurred as she drove down the streets of Deling City in a near mad rampage. She had nearly run three red lights in her blind driving. She sniffled for the billionth time as her usually cheerful lips were cursed with a miserable frown. Her hands gripped the steering wheel tightly.

Her fists had long since turned white from the way she clamped them on to the dark steering wheel. She glanced down at the odometer. She was nearing 100 mph. She then looked over at the radio. It was seven forty-six. Tearfully, she stepped on the gas and sped out of the Deling City limits.

Before long, she had reached a long dark road leading out to the beach where Irvine had taken her that night she had first talked to Squall on his cellular phone. For miles around, there was nothing but the dark oblivion of the night. Occasionally there were specks of yellow in the distance signaling a house.

The road wasn't lit at all. There were no lights and she had to rely on the car's head lights. Luckily the road was fairly flat and straight. She turned on the radio, hoping to help silence her mind with another noise. It turned on and it was a classical music station. She took a deep breath and tried to get swept away in the music, but failed.

All she could think about was her father and Squall. *How could they?* she asked herself as she drove. She began to lessen her speed. *Squall...how could you say that? How could use me as a bargaining chip? How could call me and tell me you love me? How could you hold me in your arms and show me how much love me after that? You bastard!*

Then there was her father. She couldn't stand to be in the same city as him at that moment, let alone the same house. She had to get out of there as soon as could or else she would've gone insane. What Squall had done hurt her, but what her father done hurt her more. Why had he hid it? It involved her and she had a right to know! And then rather than tell her, he sends Irvine, not just any random sharp shooter, but IRVINE, her life long friend, to kill the man she loves.

Or was it thought she LOVED him? Her heart clenched in her chest. Squall had used her. She gave him her heart and soul, her body and mind and he had used her. He had held her in his strong arms until the dawn broke through the window, KNOWING that he had used her to gain leverage with her father. How could he?

While it hurt to know that he had used her like that, part of her couldn't believe that he would turn her in. As a matter of fact, she felt absolutely sure that he wouldn't. Yet, he had threatened to. She would've defied the world for him.

She swallowed hard and took a deep breath. Slowly, Irvine and Seifer's words echoed in her mind. They replaced Squall and her father's actions with the bet that they made.

If Squall came in first, Rinoa could be free to return to the Garden and be with any one she wanted. If Squall lost, he would never bother her again. But if he won...Rinoa's breathing was shallow. She breaked suddenly and the car skidded forward. The sound of screeching tires echoed in her ears as she put the car into park. She removed the keys from the ignition and got out of the car.

A cool breeze swept over her body as she closed her eyes and inhaled the salty sea air. She let out a shaky breath as she closed the door of the car and stepped out into the sand before the side of the road. She opened her eyes and saw the wide expanse of sandy shore ahead of her and beyond it, the storming ocean.

This ocean goes all the way around the world, Rin...the same water you're touching, I'm touching.

His words echoed in her ears as she stopped right at the water's edge. Her sandal clad feet were invaded with icy water. Drops of salty tears fell and joined the sea as she fell to her knees. She began to cry as she sat there. The waves lapped against her legs as they rose up the shore. Her body crouched forward as her shoulders heaved with each sob that wracked her body.

Moments passed and she remained in that position. Her legs grew numb from the cold waves. Tears continued to fall down her face and into the ocean. Rinoa tilted her head back and looked up at the endless darkness above her.

"You say you love me!!" Rinoa screamed into the night sky. "Then WHY are you hurting me!?"


Squall looked down the grassy hill at the motorcycle camp. He had arrived first again that night. After he ate, he told Tifa he would take a walk. She was hesitant to let him go, afraid that Sephiroth would send a hit man after him or something. But Squall said he would be fine. He even brought along Lionheart, which he had the others carry for him while he rode.

On the sloped hill he looked down at the lights below and smiled to himself. His time was excellent so far and if he continued that pace, he would surely come in first. Then he and Rinoa could be together and her father couldn't say anything. He looked down at his gloved hands.

His phone was being rolled back and forth between his hands and he stopped. He flipped it open and dialed the first number listed - Selphie's. Squall silently prayed that Rinoa was with them yet again so that he could hear her sweet voice. Just the sound of her and he could feel the stress of the race leave his body. His name slipping from her lips elated him to a nirvana. It encouraged him. Gave him hope.

It reminded him what he was racing for in the first place. *Funny how priorities change...* he thought to himself as he waited patiently on the phone. He had his whole life planned out. He would be the diligent SeeD. On the side, he would race motorcycles. He wanted to win the G-14 and gain international acclaim not just as a SeeD or as President Loire's son, but as an excellent racer.

Then he would settle down at the Garden and work there the rest of his life. It was kind of ironic how his life was changed from it's motorcycle and SeeD oriented life when he was ON his motorcycle on his way BACK to the Garden. The night he nearly ran into one Miss Rinoa Heartilly was the night he knew he'd never look at life the same way again.

While he was sorry for nearly running her over, he found that he didn't regret nearly doing so. First of all, he hadn't actually hit her. And second, it was how they met. He looked up at the sky. It had been dark that night. The sky was clear and sparkling with stars. No star had out shone her...

Squall mentally hit himself. *Since when did I think like that?* he asked, partially amused. He shook his head and concentrated on the phone.

"You've reached Selphie! I can't answer right now, so please leave a message after the beep! BEEP! Hehehe...just kidding. The real one's coming up!" Squall rolled his eyes at the start of her voice mail. The real beep sounded.

"Selphie, it's Squall," he said as he stood up and dusted off his clothes. "I called to see if you could relay a message to Rin for me. I came in first. I'll see you guys when I get there. Bye." He flipped the phone closed and put it back into his jacket pocket.

"Dude!" a voice shouted behind him. Squall immediately recognized it and frowned. He turned around and saw two blond heads peeking up from behind the hill. "You don't even say 'I love you' or something flowery like that?"

"Well, maybe he doesn't have to," Zidane said, rolling his eyes. He turned to Tidus. "Besides, I bet Rinoa doesn't keep him on as tight a leash as Yuna has you."

"Shut up!" Tidus snapped. "Well, Dagger's got you in check, too!"

"Shut up, lap dog."

"You're Dagger's trained monkey!"

"I'm going to kick your ass!" Zidane growled.

"I'm going to kick your tail!" Tidus retorted.

They heard a click and froze. Their eyes slowly turned towards where Squall was standing and found themselves face to face with a gun blade. "Tifa sent you, didn't she?" Squall asked.

Tidus swallowed and nodded. Zidane grinned sheepishly. "She's our boss...and do you KNOW how hard she hits?"

"Get up," Squall ordered. Tidus and Zidane immediately stood up. No wonder Squall was a commander. "Get back there and leave me alone."

"But Tifa-" Tidus exclaimed.

"I'll take care of it," he ordered. The two grumbled and headed back down the hill. Half way there, Zidane shoved Tidus. Tidus stumbled forward and started yelling as he tumbled down the hill. Squall narrowed his eyes. *And Cloud says he sees POTENTIAL in them...*


The sun was rising and Irvine lifted his tired head. He and Seifer were leaning against the driver's side of his car. They were seated on the ground, Irvine near the front tire, Seifer by the back. "What time is it...?" Irvine asked.

Seifer lifted his arm and looked at his sleeve. "Almost six thirty..."

"Damn..." Irvine grumbled. He rubbed his tired eyes. "Where are my keys...?"

"If I knew, we wouldn't be here would me?" Seifer asked. After a night of frantically searching for the proverbial 'needle in the haystack', they had finally collapsed by the car. Seifer's usual edge was all but gone.

"Where do you think she is...?" Irvine mumbled tiredly.

"I don't know..." Seifer grumbled. "I almost don't care..."

"You know...I'm starting to wonder if my keys are even outside..." Irvine mumbled.

"They could be inside."

"Dammit."

Seifer tilted his head back against the car and winced as the blinding morning sun hit his eyes. He squinted at something in the distance. "I think I need to get some sleep."

"No kidding..." Irvine mumbled with a tired yawn.

"No," Seifer said. He scrambled up to his feet and took a step forward. "I'm seeing things..."

"What?" Irvine grumbled and stood up next to the blond. He squinted as well and his eyes grew large.

The gates to the mansion had been opened and slowly a black sedan rolled up the drive way. They held their breaths as the heavy black car approached them. It stopped in front of them, right before the steps to the mansion. It turned off and the driver's side door opened.

"Rinoa!" Seifer shouted. A frail looking young woman dressed in a denim sun dress under a dark blue sweater stepped out of the car. She slowly closed the door and leaned against the car.

Swearing, Irvine rushed forward to catch her as she slipped from the side of the car. He caught her in his arms as she fell to her right. Her face was paler than usual and taunt with slight bags under her usually lively eyes. "Rinoa!?" Irvine gasped. "Rinoa, are you awake!?"

"I still love him..." Rinoa whispered quietly. Her eyes were closed and she was breathing deeply. "I thought about it all night, Irvy..."

"And you still love him?" Irvine asked questioning, not sure who exactly 'he' was. He looked over at Seifer. "Get the door open, I'll carry her in."

Seifer nodded and stood up. He rushed up the steps of the mansion and began to pound on the door. "Hey! Open up! Rinoa's back!"

It didn't take long before the doors opened. Several maids rushed out and Auron came out swiftly. Irvine had Rinoa in his arms and was cradling her against him as he carried her up the steps.

"Give her to me." Auron said.

Possessively, Irvine shook his head and pulled Rinoa closer to him. "I'll take her to her room myself." he snapped.

Seifer was ordering the maids to get her something to eat and some medication. Irvine slowly went up the stairs, carrying his best friend back to her room. Seifer rushed ahead of him so he could open the door for them. He frowned as he looked down at her when she passed him. She looked so tired.

Irvine laid her out on the bed and the maids came in. They ushered the two men out so that they could help the tired mistress of the house get dressed. Tiredly, the two men stood outside her room. They leaned against the wall on either side of the door. Heavy footsteps approached them and they turned to their left.

Auron was heading towards Rinoa's room. "Look what you did!" Seifer shouted immediately. He straightened himself and stood in front of Auron, blocking him from heading into Rinoa's room. "You let her run out on her own and look what happened!"

"What if she had gotten into a car accident or something!?" Irvine added, obviously furious with the older man. "She might not have come back at all!"

"Some body guard you are!" Seifer yelled. "You let your charge nearly go out and kill herself!"

"We don't know where the hell she was. What if something happened to her?" Irvine continued.

Auron merely stood there. "Are you two done?" he asked coolly.

"What do you mean are we done!?" Seifer growled. "You are the worst body guard in the world-"

"I let Rinoa leave so she could have time to think this through. If you two had gone with her, she wouldn't have able to sort out her thoughts and emotions on her on. She would've been influenced by you and then she'd spend the rest of her life wondering if her decisions were truly hers. She would grow to resent herself. In order to avoid that, I felt that she had to see this through on her own. Make her own decisions, listen to her own heart. Follow her own path. Even if it meant letting her fall into harm's way." Auron told them.

"So you'd put her harm's way just so she could think for herself!?" Seifer asked with resentment.

"It's better than not letting her think at all."

Irvine's anger quickly diminished as Seifer's fist hit the wall in anger. The cowboy removed his hat and ran his hand down his face tiredly. "I see what you're saying..." he mumbled. "We can't control her life."

"No one should but her." Auron replied.

Seifer snorted. "Since when did you get so wise?" he sneered.

"She's not my first charge whose life she needed to get in control of," Auron told them casually. He put his hand in his pocket and pulled out something metal. He tossed them at Irvine. "Here are your keys."

Irvine's eyes went wide and Seifer turned to glare at Auron. "You had them the whole time, you bastard!?" Seifer growled. Auron merely smirked.

"I wasn't the one stupid enough to look around the car for the key the whole night."

"I-" Seifer began and took a step forward. Rinoa's door opened and the maids came out. Seifer narrowed his eyes at Auron once more before following Irvine into Rinoa's room. He slammed the door in the body guard's face and smiled satisfied.

He turned around and looked over at the bed. Rinoa was laying down, her eyes closed, but a smile on her face. She was wearing some warm short sleeve pajamas. "Rin...?" Irvine asked quietly.

"Yeah...?" she whispered.

"Are you okay?" Irvine asked carefully.

"Yeah," she said. Her smile widened a bit. "I thought it through the whole night..." she said, amusement in her voice. "And I still love Squall."

"Even after what he said to get in the race?" Seifer asked with disdain.

"I thought about that," Rinoa admitted. "I thought about it a lot. And I don't think he would've actually told his father my secret," Her brown eyes slowly opened and she blinked lightly. "Before he left, I got to see him...did you know?"

"You got to see him?" Irvine asked with a frown. He narrowed his eyes. "You sneaked off to the Deling City Hotel-"

"We had a talk," Rinoa cut him off. Irvine couldn't help but be annoyed that his warnings were not taken into consideration. "And he said that no matter what I heard, I should remember that he loves me...and that he would do anything to protect me..." Her eyes swelled up with tears she thought she had cried all out of. She let out a slight chuckle. "After this...I kind of know what he means by doing anything to protect me."

"Rin," Irvine said as he took a deep breath. "I'm sorry...I was contracted to-"

"Kill him," Rinoa nodded slowly. "I heard. Irvine, don't be sorry," she turned her head to look up at him. A warm, familiar smile graced her face. "If you hadn't gone, he'd be lost for sure. As far as I'm concerned, you saved his life."

"Told you." Seifer coughed behind Irvine. The red head rolled his eyes and stood up.

"We got to talk to him," Irvine said. "And the guy said the same thing...it's like you two are perfect for each other."

Rinoa laughed quietly, but obviously tiredly as well. "I hope so," she said softly. "Guys...I'm going to get some sleep. Thanks..."

"For what?" Seifer sighed. "Making you rush out of here in tears, steal a car, and drive off?"

"For telling me the truth," Rinoa said. "Now, I'll make it even, but you can't say that I anything."

Seifer raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"We were playing truth or dare and Quistis choose truth," Rinoa told him. "She said that she thought you were cute enough to date."

Seifer blushed but scoffed arrogantly as he crossed his arms and turned his head away. "Pssh...That's no secret."

"What about Selphie!?" Irvine asked energetically. "Did she say anything about me?"

"Yeah," Rinoa said. "She said that next time, she's going to feel your head to see if it's really lumpy."

"You TOLD HER!?" Irvine asked, horrified. Rinoa nodded and grinned as she closed her eyes.

"Yeah," she breathed. "Good night, guys..." Her voice trailed away and she drifted off to sleep.

Irvine stood there with his mouth gaping open. His most trusted friend had told the girl he liked that he had a lumpy head. *And she thought SHE was betrayed...*

Before he could react, someone grabbed the back of the collar of his shirt. He turned around and saw Auron dragging both him and Seifer out of the room. "What the hell are you doing!?" Seifer growled.

"My job," Auron practically dragged them down the hall, down the stairs, and to the front door. A maid who was passing opened the door for him and he tossed the two men out. "Have a good day."

The door slammed in their faces and as Seifer adjusted the collar of his white coat, Irvine frowned. "You know, for an old guy, he's pretty strong."


He was a whole day ahead of schedule and he smiled. He'd see Rinoa on the thirteenth day of the G-14 if he continued. Squall couldn't believe his luck. All that time he had gained was going to pay off. As happy as he was, he still couldn't help but wonder if Rinoa would actually be at the finish line or not. What if her father didn't let her?

Squall didn't allow himself to dwell on the thought. He had a race to win and he was a mere half way through that day's ride. He'd think about it some other time. At the present, he needed to concentrate on the road. His gloved hands were gripping the handles as he followed the path deep within the thick forests of the area.

He had to be careful not to get side tracked and hit a tree or something stupid like that. It had happened before and he was told that even Cloud once didn't see a fallen log and was launched forward ten feet. Luckily, he had time to get back on the bike and get going again. Cloud didn't really appreciate that bit of information being told by Tifa.

But it served as a good warning. As far as Squall knew, his main competition, the homicidal white haired man, was at least a minute or two behind him. He just had to continue his pace, but his instincts told him to be aware just in case.

To his left side of the path was the downward slowing hill side covered with thick forest. To his right was the rest of the hill. At some parts, the hill just ended abruptly into a cliff. It wasn't enough to kill a man, but his bike would be seriously damaged it if hit the trees and stones on the way down. Then again, so could he.

If he so much as made one minor mistake and slipped, he would definitely plummet. To be a mere three days away from the finish line and loose all the time he had gained would be a humiliation. To make things worse, it had rained the night before and parts of the dirt path were muddy.

As a result, he began to slow down just enough to take the corners without flying off the edge and into dozens of trees. He knew not to over think the situation. It would be best for him to just go with his gut feeling. It hadn't steered him wrong so far.

However, his decrease in speed caused him to fall behind his usual time. Right behind, he began to hear the sounds of another motorcycle approaching. He narrowed his eyes and swore. Sephiroth was catching up to him.

Green mako eyes stared at him with a devious smirk. *Slowing down to be careful? What a good idea!* He gripped his handles and his bike sped forward. *I've seen men fall from these path ways and never rejoin the race. All because of one stupid mistake...*

The roaring of another motorcycle was close behind him. Too close for comfort. Squall began to speed up. According to the map, there were more corners coming as the hill sloped downward. It would be best for him not to speed up too much otherwise he could loose control.

Mud was hitting the shins of his legs as he cruised down the damp earthen pavement. The pressure was heating up behind him. Sephiroth was almost at his back tire and Squall's heart began to race faster with anticipation. The sheer presence of that man was making him tense.

His muscles began to get stiff as he grew agitated with the competition. He resisted the urge to look behind him and see just how far Sephiroth was. The white haired man seemed to be charging behind him.

There were many things that humans did when they were under such pressure. Sometimes, even the best of the best would make a simple mistake. Had there not been that much pressure and had they not been thinking so much about it, the mistake wouldn't have happened. But unfortunately for Squall, he was over thinking it.

For a split second, his body didn't react. He gripped the handles and turned his body too late as they rounded a corner. His eyes went wide as he felt the machine that he considered to be part of him, suddenly fall out from under him. His body was falling to his left side and as he looked up, he saw the back lights and white hair of his opponent flying ahead of him.

His body felt numb as he was suspended in air for nothing longer than a nano second. He heard his bike crashing below him as his body slammed against something hard. He bounced forward and hit the mud and fallen dead leaves on the forest floor. Below him, he could hear his bike stutter as metal hit live wood.

Squall had fallen off the race course. His bike had slipped from under him and tumbled down a hill, mutilating itself as it slammed into tree after tree and rock after rock. Tiredly, he crawled over on to his side from where he had ended up on his stomach.

He pulled off his helmet with one bruised hand and winced as pain shot through his body. He tore off the heavy head protector and looked down. "Shit..."

His bike was upside down, it's front wheel smashed in. Assorted parts littered the ground in a trail to the bike. It was pinned against a tree and a branch which had fallen on it. He tilted his head back and closed his eyes. It was over for him. With his bike out of service, there was no way he could catch up with Sephiroth now, let alone get to camp on time.

Swearing, he slammed his fist against the dirt that was at his side. *Rinoa...* he closed his eyes tightly. *Rinoa, I'm sorry...*

His head was starting to pound and he merely laid there. He didn't know how many minutes passed, but slowly he stood himself up. He pushed himself off the ground, wincing the entire time. Pain shot through his legs as well as the rest of his body as he looked back up at the path. He took a deep breath and looked down at the hill.

Through the thick foliage, he could see the dirt race course opening into a clearing at the bottom of the hill. In a few minutes, Sephiroth would emerge into that clearing and shoot forward. Squall looked back at his bike and slowly began to stumble forward.

His dark hair was filled with fallen leaves and dirt as he reached the distorted vehicle. He let out a heavy breath as he stood next to it. Squall swallowed hard and reached forward. He pulled it up and turned it right side up. He shook his head as he could easily see that the front tire was completely messed up. The head light was also busted and parts of it had been concaved inward due to the impact against the trees.

Squall stood there, now unsure of what to do. He tried to start the bike and heard it stutter. He tried it again and listened as it died. He tired it once more and he heard a faint sound of a motor. He narrowed his eyes and listened again.

His head perked up and turned around. It wasn't HIS bike that was making that sound. He looked up towards the path way, but the sound wasn't coming from there. It was getting louder and louder. Squall looked around him, confused. Then he saw it. Several moto-crossers were heading towards him and Squall's eyes went wide. They were cutting through the forest with ease.

Except one of them was riding a regular motorcycle. Squall stood there, rooted in his place as they reached him. The sounds of their machines echoed in his ears, almost mocking him, as the four riders circled him. Squall was clutching his bleeding arm as he turned from side to side wearily.

One of them stopped and Squall realized that it was a woman wearing all black leather. She was the one riding the motorcycle. With smooth elegance, she lifted her helmet over her head and revealed a pale face with red eyes and gray-silver hair slicked back. Her red eyes rested on Squall. "Leonhart?" she asked.

Squall narrowed his eyes suspiciously, but nodded. "Who are you?"

She didn't answer. She got off her bike and signaled for the others to follow her lead. She began to speak in another language to the other riders, all men. Squall eyed them with doubt. Suddenly, the male with the short blond hair attempted to get his bike. Squall immediately got in his way.

"Let him at it," the woman stated. "Otherwise you won't be able to catch up."

"Catch up...?" Squall asked. Before he knew it, his bike was pulled away from him and the three men were working on it. He noticed their tools that were carried in back packs and watched as one of them took the front tire off the woman's bike and quickly replaced it when his. "Who the hell are you people!?"

"We work for a friend." the woman said casually.

"Who?"

"We're not allowed to say," the woman replied. She stood over the three men as they worked on Squall's bike with such vigor and quickness, Squall wondered if they really knew what they were doing. She looked at her watch. "Thirty minutes. That's enough! He's wasted enough time as it is!"

The men scampered away from the bike. The one with the short blond hair tossed the keys to Squall. He motioned to the bike and seemed to be telling him to start it. Squall took his keys and started the bike. It started up immediately and the men congratulated themselves on a job well done.

"How-" Squall began, but the woman cut him off. The men were getting back on their bikes and she went to sit behind one of them since her bike was no longer usable.

"Don't ask questions," she said. "Cut straight down the hill. Don't bother with the path. You need to catch up."

"Who are you people?" Squall asked. The woman merely smirked and tossed him his helmet, which had been retrieved earlier by one of the men.

"I'd get going if I were you," the woman said. Just as she said that, Squall began to hear the sounds of more motorcycles approaching. "They're catching up."

Squall nodded and put his helmet back on. He quickly got on his bike and revved it. Within a second, he was practically cutting through the mountain. *I don't know who they are or why they did that, but I don't have time to think about it...*

With that in mind, Squall tightened his hold on the handles and leaned forward as he twisted himself and his bike around trees, shrubs, and stones. He could see the end of the hill side path ahead and smirked.

He disappeared from their sight the red eyed woman took a phone out of her black leather clothes and opened it up. She quickly dialed in a number and waited. "Hello...? This is Agent Paine, sir," she said formally. "We've arrived this morning to the designated spot sir."

"And Leonhart?" a deep, slightly nervous voice asked.

"We've just helped him recover from mistake, General," Paine said as she grabbed her helmet. "Shall we continue?"

"Yes, keep an eye on him and report back to me. Good job, agent."

"Thank you, sir," she paused. "Sir...permission to ask one question?"

"Permission granted, agent."

"Why the change in operation? You told us not to get involved and just to report to you," Paine said hesitantly. "Why the sudden change to assistance and service from recon?"

The man who was miles away, sitting behind a desk, turned around on his big leather chair. He looked down at a wooden frame on his oak desk. A little girl with dark hair in pig tails with one missing tooth smiled back at him happily. "His guardian angel needed help. That is all."


"Where is he?" Tifa frowned as she looked at her watch for the billionth time in a minute. She was pacing the front of the tent nervously.

Cloud was sitting down next to a large tool box, nervously playing with legs of his pants. Behind him, Zidane was looking over at the now cold food on the table. Tidus was nervously chewing on his gum.

"He should be here already..." Cloud mumbled. "He's never been this far behind Sephiroth before..."

The blonde's blue eyes lifted to look across the camp. Sephiroth had arrived forty five minutes earlier and no one was at his end. This was the first time that Squall wasn't less than a minute behind him.

"I'm seriously worried," Tifa said in a concerned voice. "What if something happened to him?"

"Calm down, Tifa," Cloud assured her as he looked up at the pacing, nervous woman. "Squall is a survivor. He'll be fine."

"Where is he!?" she exclaimed, not listening to Squall.

She looked at her watch once more and Zidane looked at the official time clock that was that the start of the camp. He mentally swore. "If he's not here in five minutes, I'm going after him!"

"I'll go with you!" Tidus agreed.

"You're not going anywhere," Cloud said as he stood up. "Team members aren't allowed to go after a teammate until all the other riders have arrived."

"No way!" Zidane said stubbornly. "What if he's out there lying in a ditch!?"

"He could be bleeding or unconscious or something!" Tidus added. "We can't just leave him there!"

"If we go after him, that'll automatically disqualify him!" Cloud retorted loudly. "What if he comes just after you left? Then what? He's disqualified!"

The two younger blondes looked down and Tifa ran her hand down her face. "I know you're worried," Tifa whispered. "I'M terrified that he could be out there hurt, but we can't. It's the rules."

"But we can't just sit here-" Tidus began. Suddenly, someone outside started shouting.

Cloud stepped out of the tent and narrowed his eyes. "Someone's coming!" he shouted.

"Is it him!?" Tidus gasped.

"It's dark, stupid, how the hell would he know!?" Zidane snapped.

"It is him," Squall said. Tidus gave Zidane the 'I told you so' look. "I recognize the engine...but...it sounds different..."

"Forget different!" Tifa shouted. "Get ready!" Cloud waited at the side as Tidus and Zidane stepped back. The black and blue motorcycle approached them and seemed to wobble.

"Shit!" Cloud shouted loudly. Squall stopped the bike, kicked up the kick stand, and after removed his helmet to reveal a dirt matted face, slowly slipped from his seat and fell off the bike.


It was dinner and Rinoa finally emerged from her room. Without a though, she walked down the stairs and headed to the dining room. One of the double doors were open and she walked through.

"Good evening Miss Caraway, what would you like for dinner?" a maid immediately greeted her.

"Whatever is ready is fine." Rinoa answered. She took her seat at the dinner table as she was being served.

It was then that she noticed someone standing by the window, a wine glass in hand. She immediately looked away. "I need to speak to you."

Her father. She really didn't want to see him right then and there. *I don't want to talk to you...* She didn't answer him.

Caraway turned and looked over at his daughter. Her head was turned away, but pride wouldn't allow her to leave the room just because of him. She was stubborn. Just like he was.

"If you don't want to talk to me, that's fine," Caraway told her. He walked over to her and pulled a chair out for him. Rinoa kept her face turned away from him and focused on the food that the maids placed in front of her. "Just listen."

*Like I have a choice...* she thought to herself.

"I know that I might seem like I'm over protective..."

*You were going to have someone killed. That's not a 'seems like'.*

"But you are my daughter," he told her sternly. He put his wine glass down. "I don't want to see you hurt."

Rinoa closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She looked up and glared at him. "You have told me that a million times, FATHER, but you don't seem to understand that you're hurting me as well." she told him bitterly.

Pain shot across the man's eyes and he turned them away. "I'm sorry about trying to kill Squall..." he whispered.

"Don't tell ME you're sorry," Rinoa snapped. "You apologize to Squall. And to Irvine for sending him to kill Squall. How could you? You keep telling me over and over that you don't want me hurt, yet you're consistently hurting me by doing all of this!"

"I don't know how else to protect you!" Caraway shouted. Rinoa jerked her head back. "You have no idea how much you mean to me. You are the ONE thing I have left of Julia. You represent all the love I ever had and when your mother died, I swore to myself that I would never let you get hurt."

"Well, you're doing a fine job of that, aren't you father!?" Rinoa said. "You tear me away from Squall...what do you have against him!? His father!? Is that it? Is is Esthar's President that you hate!?"

"No! What I hate is how a Loire might take you away!" Rinoa's eyes went wide. She hadn't expected him to say that. "Your mother was in love with Laguna Loire before I met her. And even though she said she loved me, I couldn't help but feel jealous of him. He was a shadow that I couldn't compete with. When we had you, your mother grabbed my hand. She was tears and she said 'don't leave me'. To ME. When you were born, you were the most beautiful child in the world. And you represented how much your mother and I cared for each other. I had to hide the fact that you were a sorceress..."

Her father stood up and ran his hand down his face. Rinoa watched him, unsure of what else to do. "Are you ashamed of me?"

His eyes went wide and rose to meet hers. "NO!" he nearly yelled. "Rinoa, you are my pride and joy. I don't care WHAT you are, you are my daughter and I love you. I just want you to be safe. I'm not keeping your secret because I'm ashamed of you. I'm keeping it because I want to protect you."

"And what about Squall and his father?"

"Laguna Loire defeated and sealed away the last sorceress," her father told her. "Do you understand why I wouldn't let you go to Esthar now? Or why I didn't want you around his son? I don't want him to do the same to you. I don't want him to find out and seal you away."

"But Squall..." Rinoa murmured. "He'd never..."

"I don't care," Caraway insisted. "I was always afraid that Loire would come and take the one thing I cared the most about away from me. I was afraid that one day he would show up and take Julia away. And then I find out his son is the commander at Balamb Garden...and I'm afraid that he'll take YOU away," he looked at his daughter. "I don't want to lose you, Rinoa. I just want you safe."

"Father," Rinoa whispered in a shaky voice. "You can't protect me forever."

He looked so sad and Rinoa realized that he knew he had lost. The look was foreign to her father's face, but the instant she saw it, she knew what it mean. He closed his eyes. "But you'll always be my little girl."