Sweet Music
Chapter Nine: Change of
Plans
By PasifiKStaR
All Standard Disclaimers Apply: I do not own Final Fantasy or anything associated with it.
"What are you doing here?" Squall was standing up straight, a frown set across his lips as he narrowed his eyes at the happy looking man who walked into his pent house. Irvine was glancing nervously between the two men.
"Well, I was in the neighborhood and-"
"Don't give me that 'I was in the neighborhood' excuse," Squall said behind gritted teeth. "Why are you here?"
"I wanted to visit you."
"You couldn't have called?" Squall asked, still frowning. Laguna lifted his hand to the back of his head and scratched his neck.
"It's weird, though...every time I call you, you're either not home or in the shower. And every time I try to schedule a time for lunch, you're always busy with your singing," Laguna said, obviously disappointed. He quickly beamed him a smile. "But I figured I'd try my luck dropping by. Looks like I have good luck, huh?"
Squall was inches from screaming. "Yeah."
"We tried to stop him," Kiros sighed from where he stood by the breakfast bar. "Really, but he was quite insistent on coming, Squall."
Ward, Laguna's old friend and body guard, like Kiros, was standing by the hall to the door, his large figure almost blocking it out. Laguna looked around Squall's pent house.
"So...this is where you guys live, huh?"
"Obviously," Squall frowned. "Listen, now is a bad time. If you just call, we can set up a time to have -"
"But I'm already here," Laguna pouted. "Come on, Squall. Just come have dinner with your dad before you leave for your tour."
Squall sighed and shook his head. "I've already made plans."
"To do what?" Laguna asked with a frown. "I hardly see you as it is. All I ask is for ONE dinner-"
"I'm already going to dinner." Squall stressed.
Laguna's eyes widened. "With a girl?" he asked. He let out a shocked gasp and then smiled widely. "Rinoa?"
"No!" Squall exclaimed. "I'm going with-"
"Whoever owns this phone?" Kiros asked, suddenly. The blue eyed brunette looked over his father's shoulders and mentally swore a thousand times over as the dark skinned man pointed to a small phone. It was a girl's phone judging from the several little hanging phone charms on them. There was a little angel, a lion, and the obligatory Hello Kitty in baby blue.
Laguna raised an eyebrow and looked over at Squall. "Is there a girl here?"
Rinoa was crouched down on the other side of Seifer's bed, with Selphie next to her. Quistis was standing by the door with Seifer, with their ears pressed against it. Seifer's room was tastefully decorated with a solid black iron framed bed. There was a corner oak desk that was stacked neatly with music sheets.
His dresser and bedside tables all matched in black. His sheets added the final accent of color in a deep, rich red. There was a silver heart shaped picture frame on one of the bedside tables with Quistis. That wasn't the only picture of her. There was a larger framed one of the two of them on a beach taken a few years ago on his desk.
"Oh no!" Rinoa gasped as she patted herself down. Her eyes shot up to meet Selphie's. "MY PHONE!" she gasped in a low voice.
"Where is it?" Selphie asked quietly, already glancing around the room for her friend's phone.
"I think I left it outside!" Selphie's eyes widened and she looked over the bed.
"Quistis! Rinoa's phone is outside!" Selphie whispered in as low a voice as she could. Quistis paled and pressed her ear closer to the door.
She silently prayed that no one would find it. And if someone did find it, it would be Irvine. Instead, she heard Laguna ask after another man asked about a phone. "Is there a girl here?"
Quistis swore and looked at Seifer beseechingly. The blonde male took a deep breath and nodded. "The things I do for you..." he mumbled. Gently moving Quistis aside, he unlocked and opened his door.
"Why do you ask if there's a girl here?" Irvine asked, as casually as he could. He eyed the phone, knowing full well it belonged to Rinoa.
"I mean, look at the phone," Laguna chuckled as he walked over to the breakfast bar and lifted it up. "I haven't see many guys who like Hello Kitty."
Just then, Seifer strode out of his room. "Hello, Mr. President," he said in a serious voice as he glanced around the room. He locked eyes with Squall. "Hey, have you guys seen my phone?"
Irvine jumped on the bait. He turned to Laguna and smiled weakly. "Sir, you're holding Seifer's phone."
"Eh?" Laguna looked down at the small device in his hand. And then he looked back up at the six foot tall, usually scowling blonde man. "Seifer, this is YOURS?"
Kiros slapped his forehead and ran it down his face behind Laguna as Seifer nodded. "Who did you think owns it?" Seifer shrugged. He took the phone from Laguna's shocked limp hand and flipped it open. "Great...I missed a phone call."
Irvine bit his lip to keep from laughing as Seifer shook his head and frowned. "I...I assumed it was a girl's," Laguna stammered. "I mean...Hello Kitty?" He chuckled weakly.
Seifer frowned. "Sir, just because I like an overly cute white cat with no mouth doesn't make me any less of a man. I happen to think that it's cute. I'm sick of society always placing everything in gender specific categories that force anyone who likes otherwise to be deemed 'different' or 'strange' or Hyne forbid 'perverse'. Frankly, it sickens me."
Irvine let out a little snort and quickly turned around to keep his from laughing. Squall was standing by the couch, shaking his head as his hand rested over his eyes. As Seifer finished up his little speech, Laguna was blushing and blubbering out apologies. "I'm sorry, Seifer...I never thought about it that way."
Seifer shrugged. "Just keep that in mind next time," Seifer shrugged. With that, he headed back into his room and closed the door behind him. As soon as it closed, he was met with muffled snickering. Quistis was sitting on the bed, desperately trying to keep from laughing at him as Selphie and Rinoa muffled their laughter with a pillow. "A simple thank you would be nice." He snorted as he tossed the phone on the bed.
Rinoa reached forward and picked it up. "Thanks, Seifer. I owe you." Rinoa giggled.
"We'll buy you a Hello Kitty stuffed animal since you like her so much." Selphie snickered.
"That is the LAST time I am helping you." he fumed. Quistis chuckled and stood up. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him quickly on the cheek.
"Thank you, honey. You were great." she assured him. Seifer grinned a cocky smile as Selphie made gagging motions.
Rinoa giggled and flipped her phone open. Seifer hadn't been lying. She had missed some phone calls. She scrolled down to the list and her eyes went wide. "Oh no..." she murmured. She listened to her voice mail and paled several shades.
"Rin?" Selphie asked, her smile slowly fading as she noticed Rinoa's face loose it's color. "Rin, are you okay?"
Rinoa's mouth dropped slightly as she slowly lowered the phone from her lap. "Oh no..."
"Rinoa?" Quistis asked. She pushed Seifer away from her and walked around the bed. She knelt down on the floor next to her friend. "What's wrong?"
"Reno just left a message...they know Squall's father is HERE!"
"They wouldn't do anything brash would they?" Quistis asked. "I mean...they wouldn't barge in here and-"
"WHAT WAS THAT?" someone screamed from the main room. Rinoa groaned.
"Does THAT answer your question?" Rinoa exclaimed. She jumped up to her feet and Selphie grabbed her shoulder.
"Rinoa, what are you doing?" Selphie said as she stood up with a frown. "You can't go out there if the Turks are out there."
"Ugh! You don't understand, Reno and Rufus won't stop until they find me! They'll fight off everyone there until they find me. They KNOW I'm in here!" Rinoa explained. Quistis shook her head.
"We'll go out there first-" she began, but Rinoa was already to the door. "Rinoa! Rinoa wait!" The dark haired girl grabbed the door knob and pulled.
Five Minutes Earlier, Across the Street
"She's not answering her phone!" Reno snapped his phone closed and let out a low growl. "We have to save her!"
"Calm down, Reno-"
"What do you mean, calm down? Our cousin is going to be kidnapped and taken hostage by Desperado Loire! He'll probably threaten her father and make him give up turf in Galbadia. Or WORSE," Reno paused for dramatic affect. Rufus raised an eyebrow. "RUDE will find out."
Rufus rolled his eyes and ran his hand down his face. "We'll just try to call her again and-" Before he could finish, a door slammed and he looked up. Reno was already sneaking across the street. "Damn it..." Grumbling, he slipped his gun in his holster and got out of the car. "RENO!"
"We'll sneak up the stairs and take them by surprise," Reno said in a low voice as he straightened his jacket. They had to pass the several body guards at the door way. "Maybe we should take the stairs. The elevator is probably guarded, too."
Rufus rolled his eyes. "I'm not going to climb up all those stairs to the top floor."
Reno snorted. "We have to! It's the only way to save Rin!"
"Reno-"
"Shh! The guards!" Reno snapped. They approached the front of the building and were stopped. Before Reno could bust out the baton and knock them out, Rufus spoke.
"We live in the building," Rufus told them calmly. "Is there something going on inside?"
The guards looked at each other and shrugged. They let them go through and Reno rolled his eyes. "Sure...take the easy way out..." Rufus headed for the elevator and Reno grabbed his arm. "Where are you going?"
Rufus pulled his arm away and frowned. He casually pressed the up button. "If YOU want to climb several dozen flights of stairs, be my guest. I'm taking the elevator."
"But the guards-" Reno began, but the elevator doors open and Rufus stepped inside. The blond man grinned and gave a little wave as the doors closed. Reno gritted his teeth. "Fine!" He made a mad dash to the stair well.
Meanwhile, Rufus hummed along with the relaxing elevator music. Within moments, he reached the top floor and stepped out. He could see the two body guards framing a particular door and narrowed his eyes. That must be the pent house Rinoa went to. The guards eyed him suspiciously and Rufus walked past them towards the stair well to wait for Reno.
A few minutes later, an out of breath red head finally appeared. He had a stupid grin on his face, as if to say that he conquered the stairs. "I see you made it."
Reno nodded and wiped the sweat off his forehead before reaching into his jacket and pulling out a metal baton. "Let's rock."
Rufus sighed. "This is a bad idea."
"Are you with me or not?" the red head said. He pushed the door open and walked outside confidently. Rufus shook his head and followed. By the time he reached the hall, he heard a thud and winced.
"So much for the element of surprise..." he mumbled. Reno slammed his baton against the head of the last guard, sending the man falling to the ground, unconscious.
Rufus reached into his jacket and pulled out his gun. Reno grabbed the door handle and found it open. He twisted it and turned around. "RINOA!"
She heard her name being screamed out and groaned. "Hyne, he is so dramatic..." she mumbled. She threw Seifer's door opened just as Reno burst through the door. "RENO! What are you doing?" she screamed.
"Rinoa!" The red head gasped. "You're okay!"
"Ah-hah! There IS a girl here!" Laguna exclaimed loudly. Ignoring everyone around him, he made a beeline to Rinoa, his hand extended. "Hello, I'm Laguna Loire, Squall's father and you-"
"Get away from Rinoa!" Reno shouted.
"Oh, Hyne." Rinoa slapped her hand against her forehead as Reno jumped into the air, baton extended.
"Reno! No!" Selphie shouted as she darted out of Seifer's room.
"Wait!" Quistis gasped.
Reno was ready to pounce on the middle aged man when suddenly, someone grabbed the back of his neatly pressed suit and stopped in him in mid air. Reno's arms dropped to his sides as he looked around. His feet were dangling off the ground. "Hey...what gives?"
"Rinoa, what is going on here?" Rufus demanded.
Ward was standing behind Laguna, his hand holding Reno's collar as he hung there. "You two, get OUT!" Rinoa hissed. She walked past Laguna and stood in front of Rufus. "What are you two doing here?"
"What do you think? We're protecting you!" Reno shouted from where he was hanging.
"Oh, fine job YOU did!" Rinoa snorted. "Rufus, Reno! Get out of here!"
"Not without you, we're not," Rufus frowned. He reached out and grabbed Rinoa's wrist. "We're going home."
"No!" Rinoa growled. She twisted her arm away and fell back. Squall caught her in his arms and held her steady. She glanced up at him, embarrassed. "Squall, I'm so sorry."
"No, it's my fault," he frowned. He turned and glared at Laguna. "I didn't know he was coming."
"Can someone PLEASE let me down?" Reno sighed. He was still hanging two feet off the ground. Ward looked at Laguna, who nodded. The red head was dumped unceremoniously on the ground. Reno rushed back to his cousin. "Are you okay? Did they hurt you?"
"No, but YOU humiliated me!" Rinoa growled. "Do you have any idea how embarrassing this is?"
"I don't care if it's embarrassing," Rufus told her with a stern frown. "You're going home NOW!"
"Don't boss me around!" Rinoa snapped back.
"Stop being stubborn!"
"Tell that to my father! I get it from him!" Rinoa retorted angrily.
"Can someone explain to me what's going on here?" Laguna asked as he looked around the room. Quistis was rubbing the bridge of her nose as Selphie eyed them warily.
"Listen, now is a bad time," Squall told his father as he moved and stood in front of Rinoa. "I think you should leave."
"But what about dinner-"
"We're not going to dinner!" Squall growled. "I have plans with Rinoa!"
"Like hell you do!" Reno said. "She's not going any where with you, buddy! She's coming straight home to Galbadia!"
"I am NOT going back to Galbadia!" Rinoa nearly screamed. She looked around and grabbed Squall's hand. They exchanged looks and nodded. Rinoa glanced at Selphie and Quistis. "I'll be home later!"
Then, without a second thought, Squall and Rinoa ran out of the room. Squall pulled Rinoa out with him, his father's guards not touching them for a second. Rinoa shoved Rufus on to Reno as she ran past them. "Wait!" Rufus turned, about to run after them, when two guards who were standing outside the door stood up. "Uh-oh..."
"Forget the elevator!" Squall said as Rinoa pressed the button. "We're taking the stairs!" Rinoa nodded and the two of them opened the stairwell door and raced down the flights of stairs. By the time they reached the car garage at the bottom, they were out of breath. Rinoa was panting as Squall unlocked his car and jumped in.
Rinoa fastened her seat belt and half a second later, they were speeding out of the car garage. On the top floor, Irvine and Selphie were looking out the window . "There they go..." Irvine said. "I hope he gets back by tomorrow."
"What time do you leave?" Selphie asked.
"Before dawn..." Irvine sighed. He shrugged and lead Selphie back to the kitchen, where Laguna had seated himself and began eating the food Selphie and Rinoa brought. Ward and Kiros stood on either side of him as two body guards held Reno and Rufus.
"Um...Mr. President-" Quistis began.
"Oh, please, call me Laguna. Laguna is fine," he told her cheerfully. "And you are Rinoa's friend?" He asked as he smiled.
"I'm Seifer's girlfriend," she said. "May I ask what you were doing here?"
"Oh, I wanted to see if Squall was free to have dinner with me since he's going on tour tomorrow," he paused thoughtfully. "Guess he had plans...a shame, I didn't even get to talk to Rinoa."
Quistis narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously. "What exactly did you want to talk to her about?" Irvine and Selphie took a seat on the other side of the table and began to pile food on their plates.
"See what her plans are, invite her to play a round of paint ball with me, how long she's been dating Squall, that sort of thing," Laguna told her casually. "You know, I'm surprised that she's dating Squall."
"Hard to believe that someone that whiny is with your son?" Seifer said. Quistis elbowed him and shot him a glare.
"No...I mean, I thought that she was engaged to some mob boss in Centra." Laguna said. Selphie and Quistis froze. The petite, green eyed brunette shot her head up and looked at Laguna.
"Engaged?" she asked.
"Wait a second...where did you hear this?" Quistis demanded.
Laguna swallowed his food and looked at her. "My sources in Galbadia said that her father has engaged her to single mafia boss in Centra. He's not as young, but he's not old either. I don't know who he is."
Quistis and Selphie turned their gazes to the two apprehended Turks. Slowly, Quistis stalked over, blue eyes glazed over with fury. "Is this true?"
"Sorry, we're not allowed to share at information-"
"Seifer! Get me my whip!" Quistis growled, without once taking her eyes off of them. Reno paled, but Rufus held his ground.
"Beating us won't solve anything, Trepe," Rufus told her. "We won't tell you."
"So she is engaged..." Quistis frowned. Rufus frowned.
"I said we wouldn't tell you and we didn't! How the hell can you be sure she's engaged?" Rufus demanded.
Quistis stepped back and rubbed her chin. "You didn't deny it..."
"That means nothing."
"So you do deny it?" Quistis asked turning around.
"Yes! Yes, we deny it!" Reno said loudly. Quistis narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest.
"She's engaged."
Reno's jaw dropped and Rufus groaned. "She's not engaged."
"It's too late now, you're too late in denying it," Quistis said. "Rinoa's engaged..." She narrowed her eyes and looked at the two of them. "To WHOM?" she asked in a dangerous voice.
"We don't know!" Reno exclaimed.
Immediately, Rufus rolled his eyes. Quistis smiled and nodded . "I believe you..." she said. She turned around and looked at Selphie. "So Rinoa really is engaged, but no one is sure who the man is, huh? I'm assuming her father planned all of this."
"It makes for a good political marriage," Selphie agreed. She poured some hot sauce over her food. "I wonder who he engaged her to."
"I can found out," Laguna offered. "I have some men in Centra right now. I can see if they can find out for me."
"Wait a second...why would you do this for them?" Irvine asked, confused. "I thought you were enemies."
"I have nothing against General Caraway...he doesn't like him," Laguna sighed and quieted down some. "It...um...was a thing with Rinoa's mother." he explained hesitantly.
Everyone seemed to understand what meant. Except for Reno. "What? I don't get it? Aunt Julia? What about her? Rufus, what's going on?"
The blonde, who was still apprehended, sighed. "Shut up, Reno."
"Regardless, you'll understand if we don't trust you on this," Quistis said in a low voice. Laguna nodded. "But what's in it for you?"
"What do you mean?" Laguna asked.
"You have to have a motive other wise you wouldn't spend time, money, and man power sending people to gather information." Quistis stated simply.
"You know your mafia." Kiros observed.
"I know people." Quistis replied calmly.
"She's a lawyer." Seifer bragged. Quistis resisted the urge to roll her eyes at him.
"At any rate, why are you willing to send them out for us? For all you know, this is a set up." Quistis said.
"I like to go with my gut feelings," Laguna beamed a smile. "And Rinoa seems like a nice girl Squall really likes her, you know. I wonder if he remembers..." he mused to himself.
"Remembers what?" Selphie asked.
"Well...when Squall was a boy, he played soccer. One time in Galbadia, he kicked a ball and it went out of bounds. And hit a little girl..." Laguna cringed at the memory. Seifer's eyes widened and then he started laughing.
"Rinoa? That little girl was RINOA?" he laughed. "OhmiHyne! I wonder if Squall's told her yet? Man, I'd love to see her face when she remembers that!"
"Seifer," Quistis scolded. "Now is not the time," She looked back and Reno and Rufus. "What should we do with those two?"
"Let them go, boys," Laguna said, without any malice. The two body guards looked at each other and then at him, unsure. "It's okay. Just let them go. They won't do any damage."
Hesitantly, the two body guards dropped the two Turks and Reno and Rufus immediately prepared themselves to fight. Nothing happened. Quistis sighed and rubbed her temples.
"Shouldn't you two be following Rinoa or something?" Quistis asked.
"Which way did they go?" Rufus asked as he rubbed his wrists. He looked at Selphie.
"They went west." she shrugged. Reno and Rufus nodded at each other.
"East." the chorused.
"By the way," Quistis said as she narrowed her eyes once more. "If you tell General Caraway anything about this meeting, I'll have my own boys come down so hard on you two, Reno's hair will turn blond." The red head let out a little yelp and reached for his prized red hair.
"Your boys?" Rufus snorted.
"I'm Quistis Trepe, remember?" she reminded them with a superior grin. "My adopted father is Cid Kramer."
"SeeDs..." Rufus frowned. "Fine! But we're watching you as well."
"I count on it," Quistis nodded. The two left the pent house and Quistis looked over at Selphie. "Did they go east?"
"Nope, they went west." Selphie grinned. Irvine looked at Quistis questioningly.
"Quisty...you're a mafia princess, too?" he asked. Was he the ONLY not involved with the mob?
"The Kramers practically own Balamb and part of Centra and a bunch of companies," Selphie nodded. "They're nice people."
"I think I have a headache..." Rinoa groaned. She was laying on her bed, with Squall next to her flipping through the channels. Her head was resting against his lap.
"I have some aspirin in the car." Squall offered. Rinoa shook her head.
"Nah...I'll just get some from the bathroom," she sighed as she pushed herself off of him and headed to the bathroom. "Don't go outside...THEY might be watching." Squall smiled to himself.
They had driven around in a circle for half an hour before they finally decided to go to Rinoa's apartment and hide out. Zell had been there to let them on, but was on his way out on a date. They were left with ordering pizza and bumming around.
A pizza and a half later, they were sprawled across her bed, watching television. "You want to order a movie?"
"Sure," Rinoa's voice echoed from the bathroom. She walked out and sat on the bed next to him. Squall's leather jacket, which they had miraculously grabbed on the way out, was the only thing he had been wearing on his upper body. Zell had loaned him a clean shirt to wear. "What do you feel like watching?"
"Whatever."
"You sure?" Rinoa asked, raising an eyebrow. Squall shrugged. She grinned. "Okay...you know, I haven't watched The Notebook in a few weeks..."
She watched as Squall tried to hide the cringe. "That sounds...good." he struggled to say. Rinoa giggled and kissed his cheek.
"There's a comedy movie on this channel...let's just watch that." she sighed. She leaned against him as the movie started. His arm went around her shoulders and he kissed the top of her.
"I'm...going to miss you..." he said in a quiet voice. He sounded almost shy about it. Rinoa kept her eyes straight ahead of her and smiled.
"I'm going to miss you, too, Squall..." she agreed. "Wish I could come visit you, but you know... work."
"Do you want anything? I'll bring you back something from the cities we hit." he told her. Rinoa thought for a moment and shook her head.
"You...just bring me back you, and I'll be happy." she smiled.
Rinoa rolled over on her bed and didn't realize that Squall should've been there, untilshe felt nothing. Her eyes opened and she stiffened in bed. 'Oh yeah...he had to leave for the tour...' She sighed heavily and buried her head in his pillow. It still smelled like his shampoo.
There was a light knock on her door. "Rin?" It was Selphie. "Rin, are you awake?"
"No..." came Rinoa's muffled reply. She buried her head deeper into the pillow.
"Rin...it's almost noon..."
"Noon?" She slowly turned her head towards the night stand by her bed and saw the flashing numbers of 11:52 AM. She groaned. 'At least it's a weekend...'
"Rinoa, we need to talk to you," Quistis was there as well. The brunette sprawled across her bed let out a tired sigh and pushed herself up. She walked over to her door, barefoot, and opened it. Quistis and Selphie were both standing there. "I'm going away for a while."
Rinoa's eyes went wide. "What? With Seifer?" Quistis shook her head.
"No, he's off on tour and too busy for me to hang around him. And frankly, I have better things to do," Quistis told her. "I'm going to Centra."
"Centra? Is your family's business?"
"Something like tha that...yes..."
"Why?" Rinoa asked worriedly. "Is something wrong? Is your dad okay?" It was no secret amongst them that Cid Kramer was aging and in truth, Quistis had been worried about him since she left her family's home to be Rinoa's lawyer in Esthar City.
Quistis shook her head. She sighed and glanced over at Selphie before looking back at Rinoa. "Just take a shower and get dressed. I'll make you some breakfast and we can talk about it."
"Quistis, wait," Rinoa said as her arm reached out and grabbed the sleeve of the other woman. "Is every thing all right?"
"For now, yes." Quistis nodded. Rinoa let go and watched as her two friends walked down the hall. Rinoa's eyebrow furrowed and her face was twisted with concern as she dashed back into her room and grabbed some jeans and a sweater. She took a quick shower and barely ran a comb through her hair before tying it up and running out into the apartment.
Quistis was putting some eggs on a plate and Selphie was pouring coffee for them. Zell was also at the table, still in his pajamas and looking sleepy. He had probably been dragged out as he was notorious for sleeping in through a hurricane when left to his own devices.
"What's going on?" Rinoa asked as she took her seat across from Quistis. "Why is everyone so quiet? Quistis?"
The tall blond chuckled and gave Rinoa a smile. "Don't get so worked up," Quistis assured her. "This is a personal matter and I'll be gone for who knows how long. If you need me, you have my personal phone number."
"What are you going down there for?" Rinoa asked as Quistis put a plate of food in front of her.
"Business matters to settle within the family," Quistis sighed. "I have some personal work to do as well and my father is giving me a chance to. It's risky, but he's given his full support."
"Is this another business venture?" Zell asked. Quistis nodded. Rinoa and Zell didn't know about Quistis' family. All they knew was that Quistis was wealthy and that her biological mother's sister and brother-in-law adopted Quistis when she and Quistis' biological father died in a car accident. Since she was five, Quistis had looked towards the Kramers as her parents and they had even made her heir to the Garden.
The Garden was the name of the multi-national corporate juggernaut Cid and Edea Kramer had built. One day, Quistis with inherit the business which had branches in everything from pharmaceuticals to entertainment to education. What they didn't know was that the Kramers were also the most powerful organized crime family in Balamb and had part of Centra in their grasp.
"Yes," Quistis nodded. "It's an important business venture. I need to do some research on...competition."
"Oh...so you don't know when you'll be back?" Rinoa asked. "What about Seifer?"
"Don't worry about us," Quistis smiled. "We always manage to meet up some how."
"Until Quistis gets back, Zell and I'll pull double shifts as your body guards," Selphie said. "After what happened yesterday with the Turks and Mr. Laguna's people, we can expect your dad to be cracking down."
Rinoa winced. She didn't want to think about General Caraway or the Turks or Desperado Loire right now. "Okay, fine..." she sighed. "I'll be more careful. But Squall's on tour right now, shouldn't they ease up a bit?"
"Always expect the unexpected," Quistis said as she sat down and reached for her drink. "In our world, Rinoa, anything that is expected is usually turned upside down."
Irvine was snoring. Even the sound of the engine of the tour bus could not drown out the sound of a tired Irvine knocked out. He was in his bunk in the bedroom. Seifer was drinking coffee and reading the news on his laptop from the dining area while Squall laid across the couch, watching Saturday morning cartoons for lack of anything better to do.
"How long did my father stay?" Squall said suddenly.
Seifer's eyes never left his screen. "Until most of the food was gone. He stayed and had dinner with us."
From the couch, Squall groaned. "Why?" Seifer took a drink of his coffee and began to check his email. Quistis should've send him one already.
"He was rambling on about why Rinoa's father doesn't like him and how he'd like to spend some time with you two...something about paint balling," Seifer replied coolly. "You have to start spending some time with the man or else he's going to start stalking you for attention."
Squall scowled. Just what he needed, a stalker who happened to be his father. "You're starting to sound as reasonable as Quistis."
"What can I say, she rubs off on me," he smiled, reading Quistis' email. "Hmmm...she's leaving for Centra for a few days..."
At that, Squall sat up and looked over at the blond. "Then who'll be staying with Rinoa?" Somehow knowing that Quistis, the mother figure of the group, being absent worried him. Probably because she could take care of Rinoa when he wasn't there. "Selphie and Zell?"
"Who else?" Seifer snorted.
Squall didn't know how to react. Rinoa would've been fine before he met her, before they started their little relationship, before yesterday's events. However after all of that, there were things to think about - the press, the connections of their families, the Turks, Rinoa stressing out and growing worried. Quistis had been able to curb all of that.
"She'll be in contact with them," Seifer said, as if reading his worries. "If they need anything, they can get her."
"Why does she have to go?"
"Family business," Seifer said. He drank the rest of his coffee and closed his lap top. Green eyes met with blue ones. "Quistis' adopted parents are Cid and Edea Kramer."
Squall narrowed his eyes. The name was familiar. Very familiar, but he couldn't remember. "Are they famous?"
"They own the Garden Corporation," Seifer said. He grinned. "Quisty is a lawyer AND an heiress... it surprises me how lucky I am sometimes..." He stretched out on the booth shaped seat and rested his head on his arms behind his head.
"The Garden Corporation?" Squall stiffened in his seat and narrowed his eyes. "The Kramer Syndicate of Balamb..."
"AND the daughter of a mob boss...she's just one impressive woman, isn't she?" Seifer grinned. "How'd you know anyway? I thought you didn't keep track of that stuff."
"I'm not stupid," Squall said, silencing Seifer's snort with a death glare. "I know the big crime families."
"Yeah, but apparently not their heirs," Seifer chuckled. "Don't worry about Rin, though...Selphie and Zell are going to pull double shifts. Although they are concerned about the Turks and what they've told General Caraway so far."
Squall frowned and ran his hand down his head. "Did he let those two go?"
"They tried to go after you guys, but went the wrong way," Seifer answered. He shook his head. "You can sure pick them."
"Shut up, Seifer..."
Nida walked up into the main area and looked around. He had been speaking with the driver. "There's a road block up ahead. We're going to have to take an alternate route."
"What?" Seifer grumbled. He looked out the window and sure enough, traffic was being directed to the side roads. "What happened? A car accident?"
"Don't know, but we've tacked on about two hours...we're lucky we filled up on gas," Nida sighed. "Better settle in for a longer drive."
"Yeah, yeah..." Seifer mumbled. He frowned and opened his laptop again. "Maybe this can tell us what's going on..."
Squall laid back down on the couch. After about fifteen minutes, Seifer swore. He looked out the window once more and Squall looked up. "What?"
"There aren't any problems along this high way," Seifer told him. "The road opened up just a second after we passed...no reports of an accident or road crews or construction."
Squall sat up and narrowed his eyes. "Then why the hell were we redirected?"
"Thanks..." Rinoa snapped the phone closed and slumped back on the couch. Selphie looked up at her. Quistis had taken a taxi to the airport and Zell was sitting on the seat by the couch.
"Well?" the green eyed brunette asked. Rinoa took a deep breath.
"I called Rude," she reiterated. "And he said that Rufus called last night, but he hasn't heard anything new. He hasn't seen my father or any of the other Turks all day. He's by himself at the house."
"Damn," Zell frowned. "General Caraway definitely knows now..."
"Yeah, but we don't know what he's planning," Selphie added. She looked at Rinoa. "What about your cousins? Have you tried calling them?"
Rinoa nodded. "No answer...I didn't even want to call them." Selphie was frowning.
"I don't like this..."
"I don't think any of us do..." Zell agreed. "I'm all out of ideas guys..."
Rinoa stared down at the phone and narrowed her eyes. "I hate to do this..." she said as she opened it up and dialed a number. "But I have no choice..."
"Who are you calling?" Selphie asked. Rinoa held her finger to her lips to quiet her two friends. On the phone she heard ringing, but at the same time, she heard ringing in the area. Her eyes narrowed.
Zell and Selphie looked at each other. "Do you hear that?" Zell mouthed. Selphie nodded. Rinoa stared at her phone and then turned her head to the door.
"No..." she whispered. Zell and Selphie followed her gaze and shot up from their chairs. Rinoa shook her head and tugged on Selphie to sit back down. "Stay here."
"Rin-"
"Stay," Rinoa told her sternly. 'They won't hurt me, but I can't be sure about what they'll do to you two...' Rinoa stood up and swallowed nervously. Her heart was thumping against her chest even though her blood had gone cold. Slowly, the ringing continued in her hear as she held the phone against her head.
As she approached the door, the fainting ringing grew louder. Part of her prayed it was someone else; the mail man, their neighbor, anyone else. But she already knew. She unlocked the door and pulled it open.
"Hello, Rinoa." A man stood in front of her, dressed in an impeccable sharp, dark colored suit. He was flanked by one dark haired Turk to act as his body guard.
Rinoa snapped the phone closed and narrowed her eyes. "Hello, dad."
"What in the world is going on here?" Nida screeched. He was pacing the length of the bus, nearly pulling his hair out. They had been stuck in traffic for two hours now and they still hadn't gotten back on the freeway. "It doesn't take two hours to make a simple detour!"
As he was ranting, Seifer sat where he had been sitting, his mouth in a tight line. Something was wrong and he knew it. Squall was sitting across from him, his eyes narrowed as he looked out the window. Irvine had just stumbled out, his hair a complete mess, and dressed only in boxers and a white T-shirt.
The cowboy sans his hat was pouring some cereal into a plate. He needn't worry about the movement of the bus, as they had come to a complete stand still. "So what's the big hold up? Why haven't we moved yet?"
"They closed off the road," Nida told him. "We had to take an alternate way."
"Nida!" a voice shouted from below. It was their driver. "Nida, the bus is too heavy to go the rest of the way, we've been detoured to a sturdier road."
"Are you serious?" Nida shrieked with disbelief. "You have got to be kidding me! Who ordered THAT?"
"I did." a woman's voice said. Four men turned their heads towards the stairs that lead down to where the driver and the exit were. Two blond heads were walking up the stairs, one a familiar male, and the other a female. And she sure as hell wasn't Quistis.
Nida narrowed his eyes. "Who are you guys?" he demanded. The man glanced at his partner and she nodded her head. The blond female stepped forward and grabbed Nida. "Hey! HEY!" A cloth was pressed against his face and almost immediately, the manager fell limp in her arms. She dropped him unceremoniously on the floor.
"Rufus," Squall said in a low voice as his ice blue eyes locked on to the blond male. "Nice to see you again."
"Didn't know you were a fan." Seifer added.
"Hello..." Irvine said, giving the woman his most charming smile. "I'm Irvine-"
"I don't care," the woman said. She whipped out a gun and aimed it in the general area of the three band members. "Now, all three of you, stand up and put your arms in the air!"
"Elena!" a familiar voice shouted from down stairs. "Lighten up! It's going to be a long ride!" The woman blushed after being chastised as Rufus rolled his eyes and plucked the gun from her hand.
"Hey!" she frowned.
"No killing." Rufus said.
"Where are you taking us?" Squall demanded. Their bus began to speed up and he assumed that Reno had taken the wheel downstairs.
"Just out of the way for a little bit," Rufus assured them. "Until General Caraway's plans for Rinoa go through."
"Plans?" Squall asked with narrowed eyes. Seifer spoke up, knowing that the Turks wouldn't answer him.
"Marriage," Seifer said. "He wants to marry Rinoa off to a Centran mob boss."
A.N. - And here we have chapter 9! Thank you all for waiting and being very (VERY) patient with me! What will happen to Rinoa? What will happen to Squall? When will Quistis get back? And most importantly, who is Rinoa supposed to marry? Any ideas? Actually, at this point, I don't know who she's engaged to... :) Thanks again for reading and being patient!