The hilltop was silent and deserted as the wind swept over it. The woman standing at the bottom shivered in response and was pulled into a hug by the man standing beside her. With a heavy sigh, Rinoa began her walk up towards the gravestone that rested at the top of the hill. Close behind her came Squall. He didn't want to interfere with her memories but wanted to stay close if she needed him.
'Julia Heartily-Caraway
Loving wife and mother
July 29, 2452 – May 22, 2500'
The gravestone was simple, just the inscription and a carved rendition of music notes adorned the white marble. Rinoa found tears welling up in her eyes as she looked down at the stone. It had been too long since she had visited.
The grave was in Deling City and since she had moved to Balamb she hadn't found time to make the trip to see her mother's grave. When she had lived in Deling she had gone every other week or so to change the flowers and make sure the stone stayed clean. On the anniversary of her mother's death she found a trip back to the grave was worth the journey.
Squall was trying to be helpful, knowing how much this day meant to Rinoa. He had never known his real mother but he knew that if he had, he would want to spend as much time as he could with her. Rinoa's time with her mother had been cut short. He could understand her feelings.
He had offered to go with her to the grave, unsure of what to do to help her but wanting to be a comfort to her. He was still nervous about their new relationship but he was determined to make it work. If it involved standing with her at her mother's grave he would do it.
As the couple stood on the hill gazing at the marker, Squall noticed an older man wearing an army uniform making his way up the hill behind them. Two more uniformed men remained at the base of the hill, apparently waiting on the man to come back down.
Noticing Squall's stare, Rinoa turned around to see what was behind them.
"Shit," she whispered, glaring at the older man that was walking towards them. Squall heard her curse and stepped closer to her side. Her fingers wove their way through his, holding on tightly to his hand.
The uniformed man stopped in front of the couple, inclining his head slightly at Rinoa while pointedly ignoring Squall.
"Caraway," Rinoa said in acknowledgement, her face emotionless. Squall was watching the exchange wordlessly, keeping a cautious eye on Rinoa. He didn't know who this old man was but he could see that Rinoa didn't like him much.
Pulling Squall around with her, the distressed brunette turned away from the newcomer to face the gravestone again. The old man immediately put his hand on Rinoa's shoulder, jerking her back around to face him.
"Never turn away from me," the old soldier ordered, his voice low and demanding. Squall instantly grabbed the man's wrist, forcing his hand off Rinoa's shoulder.
"You don't touch her," Squall commanded, moving in front of his girlfriend.
"And who are you to stop me?" his opponent asked angrily.
Rinoa's hands went to Squall's shoulders, stopping him from replying. Her hand went into his again as she moved to stand at his side. Squall remained tense, watching the old man cautiously.
"He's my boyfriend," Rinoa declared in answer to the question. The man's jaw dropped in surprise.
"Rinoa…what…when…?" Stuttering was new to this confident man Squall could see. Gathering his composure, the soldier stepped closer to the angry young woman. "Rinoa, I forbid you to date this boy. I don't even know him."
"You haven't known any of the guys I've dated in the last two years, dad," Rinoa retorted sarcastically. Turning away, she stomped off down the hill. Squall was staring fearfully at Rinoa's father, surprised. Whipping around suddenly, Rinoa came back up the hill, snatched Squall's wrist and pulled him along behind her.
"His name is Squall," she shouted as she walked quickly down the hill, not looking back. With a huff, Caraway marched down the other side, away from his daughter.
A quiet hotel bar proved to be their destination. The visibly upset Rinoa was still able to lead the way, cutting through alleys and navigating the bus system like a professional.
The doorman looked momentarily surprised to see the dark haired teenager but was quick to open the door for her. The receptionist waved and greeted the girl, obviously familiar with who she was. There were no objections as Rinoa led Squall down the stairs into the darkened bar that resided below the lobby.
After seating themselves in a booth, Squall waved off the waiter, waiting for Rinoa to respond to what had happened on the hillside. A moment after the couple sat down a short blonde woman walked onto the stage and seated herself at the piano. A familiar melody began to play and tears welled up in Rinoa's eyes.
"What's wrong?" Squall wondered aloud, holding her hand under the table.
Rinoa sniffled before she answered, "This song. My mother wrote it."
Squall nodded in understanding. "I remember it came on the radio a lot. Was that her singing it?"
Rinoa nodded and several tears leaked from her brown eyes. Squall's fingers gently wiped them away.
"They play it here on the day she died in memory of her. She used to play here every night up until she got too sick to perform," Rinoa explained in a quiet voice, "I've been coming in here since I was eight years old to hear her play."
"So that's why every one who works here knows you," Squall said with a gentle smile. She nodded again and smiled a little.
"They are always trying to get me to sing whenever they play one of my mom's songs," she told him, smiling up at him.
"Will you sing for me sometime?" he asked quietly. She looked at him in surprise and he blushed. "Um…that is…only if you want to…" he added quickly, embarrassed. She kissed him gently on the cheek and leaned her head against his shoulder, nodding.
He leaned back against the seat and she moved with him, her head lying on his chest as she listened to the music surround them. His arms moved around her waist, settling her into his embrace.
The train was almost empty as Squall and Rinoa boarded the last train of the night back to Balamb. They took their seats and waited for the locomotive to start moving. They pulled out of the station on time and began the trip back to the island they both called home.
"Was that guy in the uniform really your dad?" Squall asked suddenly, trying to get to know his girlfriend a little better.
Rinoa sighed and nodded. "Yeah, General Caraway is my father. Unfortunately."
Squall rolled his eyes, "It couldn't be that bad. At least your father isn't an idiot like my step-father."
"Aww, Squall. Your step-father is a nice man. Not like Caraway the dictator," Rinoa objected.
"What's so bad about him?" Squall asked.
"When I was growing up he was never there. He was always gone to diplomatic functions or something that 'young girls wouldn't understand.' And then when my mother died he comes back into my life and expects me to know what he's thinking and what he wants and act how he expects me to act. I just couldn't take it anymore and I left."
"That's not so bad. If he's such a jerk maybe it was better that he wasn't around. I'm glad Laguna stayed away. If he'd been around the house more than he was I would've gone insane," Squall declared solemnly. Rinoa's face looked doubtful, unsure if he was serious or not.
"And what about all these other guys you mentioned?" he asked teasingly, changing the subject. She looked confused and he clarified, "Those other guys you said you dated since you we're seventeen."
Her face was instantly blushing in embarrassment. "I didn't mean it. I just said it to get under his skin."
"How many guys have you dated?" he asked, hoping he wasn't crossing an unknown line or something.
"Counting you, three," she said after a moment, looking up at him uncertainly.
Squall nudged her with his shoulder, "Rinoa, I was teasing. I didn't mean anything by it." She smiled up at him, laughing.
"Oh no Squall, you don't get off that easy. Now I get to ask you a question," she said, not wanting to ask about past girlfriends and bring up his ex again.
"What's your favorite color?" she asked, wanting to stay in a safe topic.
"Green," he replied immediately, looking confused. Shrugging it off he asked, "What about you? What's your favorite color?"
Before she could answer, however, he hit himself on the forehead.
"That was a dumb question," he said with a smile. "Ever since I've met you, all you wear is blue."
"Nuh-uh," she objected automatically, without thinking. As his smiled widened she thought back over the time they had known each other. "Oh my goodness, you're right."
They both started laughing, causing the others in the car to wonder what was going on that was so funny.
AN: Sorry about the long wait and the shortness of the chapter. I was having really bad writer's block and this is the only thing I could think to write about. There will be more Caraway/Rinoa/Squall interactions in future chapters. Please review. Thanks!