Sweet Music
Chapter Seven: Let's Play Pretend
By PasifiKStaR

All Standard Disclaimers Apply: I do not own Final Fantasy or anything associated with it.

Quistis rubbed the bridge of her nose tiredly as Rinoa read through the article in the paper. "You know what this means?" Quistis asked tiredly as Rinoa dropped the paper on the table as if it had burnt her. "Your relationship with Squall is slapped across the front page of every entertainment related media outlet in Esthar."

"Oh Hyne..." Rinoa's mouth began to tremble as she pushed back on her chair. "I have to call Squall-"

She shot out of her chair just as the phone began to ring. Her brown eyes widened as she paled. Quistis watched as her hand gripped the edge of the glass table tightly. Without a second thought, the tall blond stood up and strode across the dining room to the phone.

Quistis glanced over at Rinoa as she picked up the receiver and held it up to her ear. "Hello?"

"Honey, it's me!" A male voice rushed. Rinoa watched as Quistis closed her eyes and released a breath she had been holding it.

"I can't talk right now-" she began, but was quickly cut off by an insistent voice.

"Quisty, you better turn on the television," Seifer said seriously. From where he was sitting on the breakfast bar of his apartment, drinking some orange juice, he kept his green eyes on the large television screen across the room. "You should see this."

"Rinoa, turn on the television," Quistis instructed as she held her hand over the mouth piece. The brunette shook her head and ran into the living room. Quistis followed, still holding the cordless phone. "What channel?"

"Early morning news, channel 5." Seifer replied.

"Put it on channel 5," Quistis said. Rinoa fumbled with the remote with shaking hands. Half a dozen images swept through the screen before one particular image caught their eyes and froze them in their places. "Oh my..."

Rinoa dropped the remote.

"Quistis?" Seifer asked as he held the phone up against his ear. His eyebrows furrowed. "Quisty? Honey? Honey, can you hear me?"

A door closed heavily behind him and Seifer mentally swore. He jumped off his bar stool and looking for the remote. The sound of footsteps echoed in the hall way. Seifer reached for the remote that he had tossed over the side of the couch just as Squall emerged from the hall, his eyes immediately landing on the big screen television.

Seifer stood hovering over the couch, one hand extended, just inches above the black remote control. He could feel Squall's heated glare behind him as a deep, malicious voice echoed in the large, open room. "What the hell is that."

For a brief moment, Seifer wondered if he was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Why couldn't it have been Kinneas who had decided to be out in the main room at this time and thus be caught between Squall and Squall's newest enemy - the flat screen? Why did he have to be the one Squall seemingly wanted to kill at the moment?

"Hon? Hon, are you there?" Quistis' faint voice could be heard coming from the phone and Seifer's eyes darted to where the cordless laid on the counter top.

Squall's eyes flickered across the room and narrowed as he landed on the phone. Before Seifer could jump up and grab it, Squall leaned over and snatched it off the counter. Seifer swore as Squall brought the phone to his lips. "He'll call you later-"

"Squall?" Quistis gasped. "Good! Hold on a second! Rinoa! Rinoa, it's Squall!"

Squall's icy blue eyes moved back Seifer, as if to ask why he was on the phone with Rinoa's roommate. "Squall? Squall, are you there?"

"I'm here," he said in a low voice. He heard Rinoa's sharp breath and frowned. "I'm sorry," he said in a softer voice. "I...I just saw the news..."

Once again, a hardened glare settled on Seifer, as if it were all his fault. The blond lead singer merely rolled his eyes and turned back to the news. He stood behind the leather couch and listened as the news reporter cheerfully recounted the details of the sighting.

"Squall Leonhart's mystery woman has finally been identified as one of Esthar University's tutors. The young woman, who has been identified as Rinoa Heartilly, is working with one of the University's programs tutoring students in the city. They happy couple was spotted here at Loire Central Park Saturday afternoon during one of the program's picnics..."

"HIS mystery woman?" Rinoa was nearly shrieking as on the other line as she glared hatefully at the television. "I am NO ONE's property! How DARE they? Quistis! Can I sue them?"

"Rinoa, calm down..." Squall heard Quistis' voice in the background, trying to sooth the insulted tutor.

"You're not very good at this secret relationship thing, are you, Leonhart?" Seifer asked from the couch. He cringed as he could almost feel Squall's anger rising.

"Rinoa, I think we need to talk about this," Squall said as calmly as he could. The news reporter was now describing the weather and he turned his attention away from the television and to the person on the other line. "Bring Quistis, maybe she can help with any legal action."

"Okay..." Rinoa whimpered. "Squall, I'm sorry," she choked out. Squall's face softened as he heard her muffle back a sob. "I didn't mean to...I didn't even realize that they'd follow us...I wasn't thinking and now-"

"Rinoa, it's okay," Squall told her reassuringly. "It's all right. They would've found out sooner or later..."

"I'm sorry, Squall...I messed up-"

"Rinoa," Squall's voice was smooth and assuring as Rinoa slumped in one of the arm chairs and curled up into a ball. "This isn't your fault. They could've easily followed us on the train or when we were out in the desert."

"The desert?" Seifer snorted. Squall resisted the urge to glare at him. "What the hell were you doing? Riding camels?"

Squall ignored the blond. "Is there a place we can meet? Privately?"

"I...umm..." Rinoa bit her lower lip and looked at Quistis desperately. "Quistis?"

"What is it?" Quistis asked as she kept her eyes on the television screen.

"We want to talk, but we need a private place. We can't have it here...someone might follow him..." Rinoa told her. The elegant blond woman merely narrowed her eyes and walked over to her purse on the counter. She lifted the leather flap and pulled out a cellular phone. With practiced ease, she scrolled through her phone book and finally pulled up a number. Ten seconds later, she was talking on the phone.

"Hello? This is Mrs. Almasy, I need to make another reservation," Quistis spoke in low, refined tones and Rinoa studied her. It obviously wasn't the first time she had called. "Same room. Yes. Two keys, one for myself and my husband. We'll pick them up separately at the front desk. Thank you, Mr. Kuja. I do appreciate it, especially on such short notice."

She snapped the phone closed, making Rinoa jumped. Blue eyes met hopeful brown ones. "Well?"

"Room 3201, at the Spade. It'll be read in a few minutes. We can meet them there." Quistis told her. Rinoa nodded and turned back to the phone.

"She said go to the Spade, room 3201," Rinoa said. "We'll met you guys there..." her voice trailed off and she looked over at Quistis, confusion written across her already troubled face. "Quisty...what do you mean by 'them'?"

"You're still with her?" Squall asked tonelessly. Seifer was driving a dark colored sports car into the garage of the Spade Hotel. The Spade was probably the most expensive Hotel in Esthar City and run by someone Seifer had described as an 'uptight cross-dressing megalomaniac'.

"I never said I broke up with her," Seifer said calmly as he parked in a space close to the elevators. "Just because I stopped talking about her, doesn't mean we broke up."

"Why didn't you tell us?" Squall mumbled. Seifer shrugged as he unlocked the car and the two of them stepped out.

"If you want to keep it a secret, you better keep it a secret," Seifer said as they slammed the door to his car and he locked it with the key remote. "Especially in this business." He added with a smirk.

Squall merely glared at him as they rode the elevator up to the lobby. The doors opened up to a beautiful entryway with a central garden, complete with koi pond within the center of the lobby. Along the sides were the check in areas and Squall followed Seifer there.

The tall blond walked over to the counter, as he had done some many times before. "Trepe," he said calmly. "The reservation was made by my wife, Casey Almasy."

"Oh of course," the young girl at the counter said. She nodded and quickly pulled up his reservation before handing him a key. "Have a good stay, Mr. Trepe."

Seifer gave her a nod and then looked over at Squall and jerked his head to the side. Squall, who was wearing Irvine's jacket and clear glasses from one of Seifer's Halloween parties a few years back, followed. In the elevator, they kept receiving looks from the people they were stuck with. The two were at the very back of the elevator, crushed against each other and pretending the other wasn't there. At each floor, a few people disembarked and slowly, they tried to get away from each other.

"We're not gay." Seifer stated again as the last three passengers got off the elevator, leaving just them inside. He and Squall, immediately went to opposite sides of the elevator and avoided eye contact.

Finally, they reached the top floor and the two of them stepped off. Seifer held a key in his hand and went to a familiar door.

"It took you long enough." an annoyed female voice said as soon as the door opened.

"Quisty! Are you implying that I would purposely spend time away from you? I would never do that!" Seifer gushed as he walked into the suite and wrapped his arms around the slim waist of a tall blond lawyer. She didn't hesitate in kissing him quickly on the lips as Rinoa sat on the couch, gawking at them.

"This whole time?" Rinoa yelled, obviously annoyed.

"All the way through law school," Quistis explained as she lead Seifer to the couch opposite Rinoa. "We didn't want to make it public."

"But...but you've dated other men!" Rinoa gasped.

"Purely for show," Quistis assured her. Rinoa's mouth was still open wide as Squall sat down next to her. "But this isn't about my and Seifer's relationship-"

"I love the way you talk..." Seifer smiled slyly.

Quistis rolled her eyes and pushed him away from her. "This is about yours and Squall's. Do you want a few minutes alone to talk about it?"

"Squall?" Rinoa asked as she looked over at him. Squall was still glare at Seifer, even though he had reached out and took Rinoa's hand.

"How did you manage to keep it secret for years and after one day out with Rinoa, the entire continent knows that we're going out?" Squall demanded in a slightly bitter voice. Rinoa thought over it for a moment and nodded in agreement.

"Quistis can keep a secret...but Seifer doesn't seem the type to...um...not brag." Rinoa said hesitantly. Quistis raised an eyebrow and Seifer frowned.

"Just because I don't go around bragging about every female conquest I've ever had doesn't mean that I don't have someone I love," Seifer growled. "For your information, Quistis and I worked this whole scenario out when she found out I was in Scars."

"I've heard his music," Quistis nodded. "I knew he...all of them, would succeed. And I knew that if that happened, I wouldn't be his girlfriend any more."

Suddenly, Seifer snorted. "Like I would let you go. Have some faith in me, woman." he grumbled. Quistis smiled slightly and patted his leg.

"We decided that when he did become this big, famous rock star and wanted this to work, we has to keep it secret. We would go out with other people, if only to keep up appearances. We would never be seen together out in public. We never told our family or our friends...I've never even been to any of his concerts." Quistis told them.

"How were you able to stand it?" Rinoa asked, her eyes wide and hopeful, as if she were watching a romance movie and was praying for the characters to stay together in the end. Beside her, Squall was slightly amused at her expression.

"We call each other ever day," Quistis shrugged. "Or at least whenever we can. We have emails. We spend weekends together-"

"Conferences...right..." Rinoa rolled her eyes. She looked at the blonde male. "What excuse did you give the guys?"

Seifer looked at her as if she were crazy. "Excuse?" he snorted. "I just left."

"He said that if we ever bothered him on certain weekends, he'd leave the band." Squall explained. Rinoa made a little 'o' with her mouth as Quistis sighed.

"At any rate, the point is that you two have to figure out how to deal with this. Isn't your manager, Nida, going to talk to you about this, Squall?" Quistis asked.

At the sound of their manager's name, Squall scowled. "So what are you two going to do?" Seifer asked.

Next to him, Rinoa slumped down against the cushions. "I don't know..." she mumbled. "Quistis, I really don't know what to do! I didn't think that someone would actually follow us to the park. I mean...it was for tutors for crying out loud!"

"Calm down, Rinoa," Quistis told her softly. "Getting hysterical won't solve this any," She looked over at Squall. "I think the main objective right now is to figure out how you two will address the publicity that your relationship is attracting...you two DO have a relationship, right?"

Rinoa opened her mouth, but nothing came out. She bit her lower lip nervously and looked over at Squall. The stoic guitarist looked at her and nodded his head reassuringly. Rinoa smiled weakly and looked back at Quistis. "Yes...yes we do."

"Good, now Squall, what did Nida say when he first saw you in the papers with Rinoa?" Quistis asked.

"He wanted me to go with the story. A publicity stunt to boost my 'human' side to the populace." Squall's eyes narrowed as he talked and Rinoa looked down at her feet.

"And I believe you said no?" Quistis asked. Squall nodded. "I see..." She leaned back against the couch, her eyes narrowed slightly behind her glasses as she thought. Several minutes of silence drifted through the room. Rinoa was growing antsy, but knew better than to disturb Quistis with the lawyer was trying to come up with a solution.

Seifer merely laid back against the couch, eyes closed as he leaned his head over the edge. Squall was tensely waiting for Quistis to speak up again. The minutes were passing by and he leaned forward. "Quistis-"

"Shh!" Rinoa snapped at him immediately, making the guitarist jerk his head back in surprise. Wide blue eyes stared up at Rinoa's nervous brown ones. "Not while she's thinking!"

"It's all right," Quistis breathed tiredly. "Okay...I have an idea," She sat up straight and looked at the two across from her. "I think that you should go with Nida's idea and publicly date."

"What?" Squall growled. "Anyone could've come up with that idea-" He was cut off by Quistis' stern look and a squeeze from Rinoa's hand.

"Let me finish," Quistis said in a low voice. Squall nodded slightly, ignoring the look of amusement on Seifer's face. "Publicly date. Go out and be seen having dinner together, dancing. Rinoa can go to a few concerts and then go with you to some after parties. I suggest keeping any public displaces of affection other than hugging and hand holding to a minimum, so as to keep the level of seriousness in the relationship less obvious."

"But-" Rinoa began and Quistis shot her another stern, silencing look. Rinoa sighed. "Go on..."

"In three months, break up publicly." Quistis ended.

"You want us to break up?" Rinoa gasped, shocked. "Quistis, what kind of a plan is that!"

"It's called playing pretend," Seifer explained with a tired sigh. He looked over at Quistis. "Is she always this dense?" he asked.

"Hey..." Rinoa frowned.

"No, Rinoa...Seifer's on the right track," Quistis said. "Privately, you two can keep up your relationship and let it last however long it lasts. But in three months, break up in public. Squall, you are to announce that you are no longer going out with Rinoa. Rinoa, you start telling everyone that you broke up with Squall because you couldn't live his lifestyle. But even after you break up publicly, you two can see each other privately. Like Seifer and I do."

"So it is basically a publicity stunt," Squall grumbled. "I don't like it."

"Squall, you have to look at it like this - either you lead the media on for a few months or you let them follow you two around for Hyne knows how long, taking note of every single action in your relationship," Quistis told him. "It's not fake, Squall...you two can date openly for a few months and then stop and date privately for the rest of the time."

"It still feels like I'm faking something," Rinoa told Quistis, unsurely. "I don't want to do something fake, Quistis. You know that. I'm not like that."

"I know, Rin, I know," Quistis said. "But the only thing I'm really asking you to fake is the break up. Everything else will be real. You two can enjoy your time out in public for a while...and then settle down into a more private relationship when the attention dies down."

The two brunettes sitting on the couch looked pensive, as if going through all the possible options and scenarios in their mind.

"It's going to be difficult," Seifer told them seriously. "Especially for Squall. Being in the public eye is never easy. Keeping a relationship up or hidden from the public is going to be hard."

"This will require a lot of work on your part. Your dates will have to be planned. You can still take off whenever you want for private moments, but you will have to make public appearances together," Quistis told them. "And after wards, you'll have to get used to hiding from the spot light."

"I don't want to sneak around like I'm ashamed of being with him," Rinoa frowned. "That's going to be the hard part for me, Quistis. I can't do what you and Seifer do."

"Squall, what do you think?" Quistis asked. The guitarist has been quiet for quite some time, lost in his thoughts.

Rinoa looked over at him curiously and found him staring down at his free hand. "Squall?"

"You don't know how it's liked to be followed everywhere you go...to be watched all the time, Rin," he whispered. "I don't want you to go through that because of me..." he looked up at her. "It's worth a try."

Rinoa stared at him for a few moments and then finally nodded. "Okay, then," she agreed. "Three months and then a break up..." she turned to Quistis. "But I'm not going to open date other people to throw off the media while I'm still with Squall!"

Quistis smiled and nodded. "I know," she smirked and gave Squall a once over with her eyes. "I don't blame you."

Seifer sat up quickly. "Hey!"

"No, sir, we didn't know about it," Zell was sitting at the kitchen table with Selphie across from him. She looked nervous as she bit her finger nails. "I see...I understand, sir. No, sir, that won't be necessary...Oh... they're already here..." He shot Selphie a fearful look.

"What?" Selphie mouthed across from him.

"Turks!" Zell mouthed back. Selphie's eyes widened. "Two? Okay...Yes, sir...I will be sure to inform her. I'm sorry, sir-" The phone died and Zell looked at the cordless phone.

"What did he say?" Selphie asked, her voice shaking.

Zell took a deep breath. "He saw them in the newspaper back in Deling City," Zell explained. "And guess what I found out about Squall."

"What?" Selphie gasped as she nearly leapt across the table.

"He's the son of Laguna Loire," Zell said. Selphie gave him a 'so what' look and Zell elaborated. "Laguna Desperado Loire..." Selphie's big green eyes nearly fell out of her head as she heard the news.

"THAT Laguna Loire?" Selphie gasped. "But...but no way! Squall couldn't be that guy's kid!"

"Squall doesn't like to brag about that..." a voice said behind them. Selphie whirled around and Zell looked up. A sleepy looking Irvine walked into the room, wearing a white tank top over his flannel pajama bottoms. His hair wasn't tied and it fell around his face.

"Irvine, why didn't you tell us?" Zell gasped. "Do you know who Laguna Loire is?"

"Yeah, he's the President of Esthar," Irvine yawned. He grabbed himself a mug from the cabinet and poured some coffee into it. "Squall changed his last name just so no one would associate him with his father, but that didn't really work. Laguna's really proud of Squall..."

"But...I thought it was a different Laguna Loire...I mean...how many can there be?" Selphie asked pitifully. "I didn't think that he would be THE Laguna Loire."

"Squall just doesn't want the media to see him as President Loire's son," Irvine replied. He sat down beside her. "So what's this Desperado Loire stuff?"

Selphie and Zell looked at each other from across the table. "Oh...it's an old nickname he got from the military..." Selphie stammered.

"Yeah, I think he was in the Galbadian military, right, Selphie?" Zell asked. The girl nodded vigorously.

Irvine raised an eyebrow, but didn't continue asking the questions. "How come you guys were talking about Squall?"

Zell slid the newspaper across the table to Irvine. The long haired cowboy drummer frowned and stopped in mid drink. "Looks like they've been discovered..." Selphie sighed. "I guess since Squall hasn't ever been seen with a girl before, this is really big news."

"I'll say..." Irvine mumbled. "I wonder if they already know."

The sound of a door slamming in the front of the apartment sounded signaling the return of the two other roommates. "I will talk to her as soon as she gets back from work, sir," Quistis was saying. "Of course. I will inform her immediately...I don't believe there is anything I can do at this point. Asking the papers with withdraw the statement would be most suspicious. I wouldn't doubt that it would only further any intrigue."

Rinoa and Quistis entered the kitchen area and exchanged quiet greetings with the three already there. Selphie got up and poured some coffee for her friends as Rinoa slumped down on a chair beside Zell. Quistis stood by her usual seat and shrilly ended the call before snapping her phone closed.

The group watched her as she grit her teeth together and closed her eyes tightly. "Quistis?"

"Turks, Rinoa...he's sending two fucking Turks."

"What?" Rinoa nearly shot out of her seat as Quistis turned to look at her.

"Reno is being sent. So is Rufus. Your father is sending them to watch you."

"But why?" Rinoa gasped.

"You know why!" Quistis nearly shouted. Rinoa snapped her mouth shut and Quistis lowered her eyes. "I'm sorry...I'm just..." She took a deep breath. "Your father heard about your little outing with Squall. And your father knows who Squall is...or rather who he's the son of."

"Squall's President Loire's son," Rinoa nodded. "Yeah, everyone knows that."

"No, Rinoa," Quistis sighed. "He's Desperado Loire's son." At that name, Rinoa's head shot up and she paled.

Trembling lips parted. "What?" she whispered out. Zell went to put his arm around her to give her a friendly hug, but Rinoa shrugged him off. "What do you mean he's Desperado Loire's son?"

"Who is Desperado Loire?" Irvine's voice drew them all out of the conversation as they focused on him. They had practically forgotten that Irvine was sitting there, drinking coffee with them. His eyes looked around the table, giving them all questioning looks. "I don't get it...is he the same guy as Laguna?"

Zell, Selphie, and Rinoa all turned to Quistis, who was the eldest and has always been their authority figure. The tall blond looked at Irvine and took a deep breath. "What you hear in this room, will never leave this room, do you understand me, Irvine?"

The drummer nodded numbly, still not understanding the situation. "Sure, Quisty-"

"I'm serious Irvine," Quistis told him. "If you let it spill...you could die. So let me give you the option of leaving now."

Irvine looked around the table once more, noticing the down cast looks of his friends who refused to meet his gaze. He narrowed his eye own eyes and looked back at Quistis. "What's going on?"

"What is your choice?" Quistis asked. Irvine looked around again, this time his sight settling on Selphie. The hyper little brunette was unnaturally silent and he reached out and took her hand.

"If I tell anyone...I'll face the consequences," Irvine told them seriously. Selphie looked up at him and smiled warmly as she squeezed his hand back. Irvine smiled at her and lifted her tiny hand to his lips before turned back to Quistis. "So what's going on?"

"In two words," Quistis said as she sat down at the head of the table. "Organized crime."

Squall had been summoned and because of it, he was angry. He stood at the front door of one of the largest houses in Esthar City, his hand poised over the doorbell. Part of him, a large part, wanted to turn back and return to the sanctity of his bedroom in his pent house...all the way across town. But his beloved sister had asked him to come. He could only guess why.

Shoving down all thoughts of fleeing while he had the chance, he lowered his finger on to the little button and quickly drew it back. He heard the echo of the bell sound within the palace and he prepared himself for the onslaught.

Almost immediately, the door swung open and an excited, long haired President of a Nation greeted him cheerfully. "Squall! You made it! It was getting late, I didn't think you would come!"

Squall felt the corner of his eye twitch. "I'm five minutes early." he stated simply.

"I know...but I just couldn't wait!" Laguna beamed. "Come in! Come in!"

Squall silently asked himself why he was putting himself through such a daunting task. His father ushered him into the massive foyer and suddenly he felt arms around him.

"There you are! I saw your concert on cable the other day," Ellone was saying as she hugged her 'brother' tightly. "I'm glad I caught you before you started a tour!"

Squall smiled warmly at her. They had always been very close and Ellone had acted as both a sister and mother to him after his mother passed away. "The tour doesn't start for another week," he told her calmly. "So why did you call me over?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Laguna laughed behind him. "You're dating Rinoa Heartilly!"

"Hyne, you heard about that?" Squall grumbled.

"Heard about it? Squall, it's all over the media!" Ellone sighed. "Come on, lunch is prepared. You can tell us all about her." She looped her arm around his and dragged him forward like a pushy older sibling should. She seated him across from his father and sat down on the side of a long table built for at least a dozen people.

Squall was frowning as he was served his meal. "So...?" Laguna said, still smiling like a teenage girl about to get some juicy gossip. "You met her on the train?"

"Yes."

"When did you to start dating?"

Squall rolled his eyes as he poked at his salad. "We went out...twi..." he paused and stabbed some lettuce. "Once. Saturday."

"Oh...is it serious?" Laguna asked carefully.

"Uncle, they've only gone out once," Ellone sighed. "It's not that serious yet, right Squall?"

"I guess."

"Are you going to see her again?" Ellone asked curiously.

Squall momentarily paused as he chewed on some salad and swallowed. He nodded. "If she wants..." In truth, Quistis had suggested they go out to dinner at a fancy Galbadian style restaurant that coming Friday, just to be seen.

"She seems like a very nice person," Ellone smiled, trying to prolong the conversation. "Heartilly...that's a Galbadian last name all right..."

Squall merely nodded. He was born in Galbadia. His sister was born there. His parents. They just moved to Esthar when he as younger. Because of his father's 'job'.

"Yes, of course it is," Laguna chuckled. "She looks just like her mother, you know. Very beautiful young woman. I wonder if she likes photography, too."

"You knew her mother, Uncle?" Ellone asked, surprised. Laguna nodded happily.

"It was a long time ago, in Deling City..." His smile faded slightly and a look of sadness crossed his face. "She was...killed in a car accident just outside her home..."

"Oh..." Ellone looked back at Squall, shocked.

Squall continued to eat his salad silently. He hadn't known that. He hadn't asked Rinoa anything about her family. He didn't really ask about her friends either, but she talked about them often enough.

"I wonder when Rinoa changed her last name..." Laguna mumbled thoughtfully.

This got Squall's attention. He lifted up his head and narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean?"

"Rinoa's last name," Laguna said casually, not noticing Squall's sudden suspicion. "Her mother's maiden name was Heartilly. Rinoa's a Caraway. Her father is General Caraway."

Squall dropped his fork as wide blue eyes stared at his father's clueless face. "General Caraway?" Squall asked in a low voice. "Of the Caraway Organization?"

"Yes," Laguna nodded. "Didn't you know?" He asked cheekily. "Rinoa's a regular little Mafia Princess."

Irvine stared at Rinoa dumbly. Sweet, funny Rinoa was the daughter of a ruthless crime boss? The daughter of the head of Galbadia's largest underground crime ring? Rinoa was a Caraway...daughter of General Caraway. A real live Mafia Princess complete with personal assistant, lawyer, body guard, and of course a little black Galbadian Express card.

And there she was, sitting across from him, eating a grilled cheese sandwich.

Ever since Quistis had told him what their 'rolls' were to Rinoa and who Rinoa was, Irvine was dumbfounded. And worse yet, one of his best friends was the son of one of Esthar's leading crime lords. It was too much for him.

"Irvine," Rinoa said as she began to cut off the crusts of the other half of her sandwich. "I'm not going to kill you, so relax."

"This...this is a lot..." Irvine mumbled. Selphie set a ham sandwich in front of him as she sat down next to him with a foot long sub.

"Rinoa came here to get away from her father's influence," Selphie said. "Besides, Rin's not interested in that sort of thing."

"My mom never wanted me to get into the syndicate," Rinoa said as she bit not her sandwich. "Made my dad promise never to involve me. So far so good."

"Still, you never know with General Caraway," Quistis said. She finished spreading some spread on her baguette and joined them at the table. Zell was still grilling some hotdogs out on the balcony. "But so far, he's supported Rinoa's decision to become a teacher. Even paid for her tuition."

"He was really hesitant to let me go to Esthar though," Rinoa admitted. "I mean, I knew this was Desperado's territory, but my name was changed and...well...I just don't feel that I'm in any danger here..."

"Esthar is a pretty safe city..." Irvine found himself saying dumbly.

"No, it's not that," Rinoa said. "My dad doesn't like Desperado...but Desperado never encroached on our territory in Galbadia. He's just been defensive of anything that we start here. He used to work for my dad, you know... but something happened. I don't think Desperado hates my dad...my dad just hates him."

"And you don't know why?" Irvine asked. Rinoa shook her head.

"Not a clue," Rinoa shrugged. "But I've been here for a few months. Nothing bad has happened yet. I not followed or anything."

"But I wouldn't put it past Desperado to not know that you are here," Quistis reminded her. "He's still a crime lord, Rinoa."

"Minor," Rinoa shrugged. "He specializes in minor racketeering. That's pocket change compared to what my dad does."

"What does your dad do?" Irvine asked. Rinoa paused in mid bite and raised an eyebrow.

"You don't want to know."

Quistis and Selphie nodded in agreement as Zell walked in with a plate of hot dogs in hand. Irvine was about to reach for one when Zell slapped his hand away. "What are you doing? This is my lunch!"

"There are six hot dogs, man. Share!" Irvine insisted and tried to get one.

Zell growled and Irvine quickly withdrew his hand. Rinoa laughed. "Never mess with a man and his hot dogs, Irvine."

"Yeah...yeah..." Irvine mumbled. "So you and Squall ever going out again?"

"Schedule a date for this Friday," Rinoa beamed a happy smile. "Quistis set it all up so the public can see us going out. I'm kind of excited."

"Let's just give the public what they want before they start looking for it," Quistis said as she lifted her baguette. "Else they'll dig up things we don't want them to know."

Winhill. It was a two story restaurant located in a posh district of downtown Esthar City. Within it's modest looking exterior was an elegant dining area. It was dimly lit by candles at each table and a glowing chandelier in the center of the room. Waiters dressed in neatly pressed uniforms scurried around the neatly aligned tables.

Rinoa was sitting on the second floor, on the balcony area that over looked the first floor and it's small indoor stream that cut through the main floor. The booth was in a secluded corner, but she had an excellent view.

"I'm sorry, am I late?" a deep voice asked nervously. Rinoa immediately sat up straight and smiled warmly as Squall took his seat across from her in the plush leather booth.

"No, you're on time. I just got here early," she assured him. Squall gave her back a small smile. "You look nice." Nice? Nice was an understatement. Sure, he looked great in tight leather pants, but a well pressed suit... Quistis was right, men looked great in suits.

The black pants and coat adorned his body as a dark blue shirt peeked it's collar out. A silver tie graced his neck and was tucked in neatly. His hair was combed, but not slicked back or anything. He had probably fought off Irvine and Seifer's attempts at plastering his head with hair gel.

"You look amazing." Squall replied. Rinoa raised an eyebrow and laughed lightly.

"Squall, you haven't even see the dress," Rinoa said. She stood up and Squall immediately did as well. Rinoa took a step outside the booth and turned around to show him the cream colored dress that graced her body. Squall resisted the urge to bit his lip and look completely pathetic as she stopped. "What do you think?"

'What I'm thinking belongs in the gutter...' he thought to himself. Instead, he blushed slightly and smiled. "You look beautiful...The dress looks...great on you..." 'That sounded so lame...'

Rinoa blushed happily and returned to her seat, scooting closer to where Squall was sitting. "So how was your week? Did you get enough relaxation? You're leaving Monday for that tour..."

Squall sighed and shook his head. "Nida's been on my case all week about...you know...everything," he admitted. "And then my sister made me come to the palace to visit my father-"

"Your father?" Rinoa's voice was weak as her face fell. Irvine had told them that Squall didn't like talking about his father, so she never thought that he would bring it up. "The...The President right?"

Squall groaned. "Unfortunately..." he mumbled. "He heard about us."

"Did he?" Rinoa swallowed nervously and reached for her glass of water. "What...what did he say?"

Squall glanced over at her. Rinoa was obviously nervous about the topic and he knew why. She must've known about who he was and who his father was. And what his father did. After all, she was a Caraway.

"He'd like to meet you," Squall said. "He says you look like your mother."

Rinoa nodded aimlessly. Her father would just die if heard that invitation. "Well...maybe one day..." Her eyes refused to meet his and Squall finally let out a heavy breath.

He reached out and took her hands in his. She was shaking slightly and he frowned. "Rinoa, are you all right?"

"Do you know?" Rinoa asked suddenly. Her head whipped around to look directly into his eyes. "About my..." She trailed off as Squall stiffened in his seat. She bit her lip and looked down.

"I know."

"I didn't know that you were his son..." Rinoa murmured. "You never talked about your family."

"You didn't either."

"Did he tell you about me?"

Squall gently stroked her hand with his free one. "Just who your father was..."

"I'm sorry..." Rinoa closed her eyes. "I had no idea-"

"I don't care," Squall stated. Rinoa's eyes opened and she turned to look at him. Squall looked determined. "I've never cared about what my father does. To my knowledge, you don't either...you're trying to become a teacher."

Rinoa nodded, her eyes wide. "So...you're okay with it?"

"I'm seeing you," Squall told her. "Not your father."

Rinoa's smile was full of relief as she grasped his hands in hers and squeezed them tightly. "Oh, Squall, tha-"

"There you are, Miss Heartilly." a male voice said beside her. Rinoa looked up and paled as a cheerful face looked down at her. Two men towered by the side of their table. The tall red head was dressed in a dark colored suit with a white shirt as the blond languidly smirked behind him, in an all white suit.

Rinoa frowned a she narrowed her eyes. "Reno...Rufus..." she said in an annoyed voice. Squall felt her grip on his tighten.

He frowned more so and looked over at her. "Rinoa?" The young woman at his side looked furious as she glared at the two new comers.

The two men merely smiled down at her. "Good to see you again. Your father sends his regards."

A.N. - Thanks everyone! Dark Raion, good to hear from you! I'll change that Turk thing. :) Thanks for telling me. Lady Rin, the lyrics this is, I think, in the Terms of Agreement. I'm pretty sure everyone is thinking the same thing right now about that. O.o I hope everyone is doing okay! Thanks again for the patience everyone!