Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy VIII...

Author's Note: Once again, thanks so much for your reviews! As of right now, this fic has gotten 283 hits, which has me so excited. So thank you all for even bothering to read this, whether you review or not.

Midnight Song

Chapter Two

"Oh, and twisted thoughts that spin round my head
I'm spinning, oh, I'm spinning
How quick the sun can, drop away
And now my bitter hands cradle broken glass
Of what was everything..."

-"Black" Pearl Jam

THE minute the door closed, Rinoa spun around to face her new tutor. With her father in the room, her main concern had been letting her anger be known to him, but now that he was gone, her new tutor...Mr. Leonhart, was the only one available to face her wrath. With that thought, she sighed. Mr. Leonhart had nothing to do with the quarrel between her and her father. There was nothing she could do but try and make the best of the situation, Although she had just met him, she didn't exactly get the feeling that her new tutor was about to break the silence. Therefore, she decided to take matters into her own hands.

With a deep breath, she put on her politest smile and said, "I'm sorry for being rude earlier. It's not you that I'm mad at, and if it came across that way, I apologize."

Squall simply nodded. Rinoa was already getting the feeling that he would be a tough nut to crack.

"So..." Rinoa began again, still feeling like she needed to make the peace, "Maybe we should try this again. I'm Rinoa Heartilly, and you are?"

Squall was surprised that she had introduced herself as something other than a Caraway. He would have thought that the General would have insisted upon her taking his name. Regardless, it was really none of his business, so he let it drop.

"Um, you do have a name, right?" Rinoa broke in upon witnessing his silence.

"Why ask questions that you already know the answer to?" Squall asked coolly.

It was Rinoa's turn to be surprised. She hadn't taken him for one so rude. "I told you, I was trying to get off to a better start. Besides, I didn't ask a question I know the answer to, unless I've been mistaken in assuming that you have a first name."

"I think you've been mistaken in a lot of things, Miss Heartilly. My first name is of no concern to you, and from this moment on, you will kindly refer to me as Mr. Leonhart. I don't know what your relationship with your former tutor was, but I am not here to be your friend. I am here to provide you with a proper education, so if you would be so kind as to sit down, we may begin the lesson."

Rinoa was stunned. She certainly hadn't expected that from him! "How old are you, Mr. Leonhart?"

Squall frowned. "I don't see how that's any of your business."

"I'm just curious. You don't seem much older than me, yet you speak like someone my father's age."

"Please sit down, Miss Heartilly," Squall said, completely ignoring her comment.

"If I sit down, will you tell me how old you are?"

Squall sighed. Anything to shut her up. "Fine."

"Great!" Rinoa exclaimed, clapping her hands together in satisfaction. She walked over to the sofa and took a seat. "Okay, tell me."

"I'm twenty-one," he said reluctantly.

The same age as Seifer... "So I was right," Rinoa said cheerfully, "You aren't much older than me. I'll be eighteen in three weeks."

"Again, our ages are completely irrelevant." He ran a hand through his shaggy brown hair. "Are you ready to start now?"

Rinoa nodded. "Sure, but only if you stop calling me 'Miss Heartilly'. It makes me sound too old."

Squall shook his head. "I don't think your father would be too happy if I did."

Rinoa rolled her eyes. "Are you blind? If you haven't noticed, my father and I don't exactly get along. Therefore, what makes him happy or unhappy is none of my concern."

"Well, I don't have such a privilege. Your father is my employer, so what he says goes."

"So what you're saying is that you're just going to let him control you?"

"Nobody controls me," Squall said angrily.

"That's not what it looks like to me," Rinoa said quietly.

Squall's eyes flashed in anger. "If I had wanted an analysis of my motives for taking this job, then I would have asked for one."

Rinoa smiled wryly. "What exactly are your motives, Mr. Leonhart? You don't exactly seem happy to be here."

"It's a job that pays well," Squall said simply, "Nothing more."

Rinoa's eyes narrowed. "So you're just in this for the money."

"That's what I just said. If you're done interrogating me now, we can begin. How much do you know about junctioning magic?"

Rinoa clenched her teeth irritably. She did not like this man's attitude at all. He seemed much too sure of himself, not to mention that he was acting like a real jerk. What had her father been thinking upon hiring him?

"I don't know very much about junctioning magic," Rinoa admitted.

Squall nodded. "Just as I thought."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means," Squall said, "That you have your work cut out for you."

"Oh, great," Rinoa said sarcastically. "That sounds like loads of fun coming from you."

"We're not here to have fun," Squall reminded her.

"Of course. How stupid of me to forget." She plastered on a fake smile. "Alright then. Let's hear about that junctioning!"

Squall inwardly groaned. This was going to be a very long day.

A few hours later, Squall was gone, leaving Rinoa to mope around the house in misery. Even with a quick break for lunch, the lesson had dragged on. Rinoa couldn't remember a time when she had felt more bored. The junctioning of magic wasn't the most exciting of topics to begin with, but with her new tutor's monotone explanations, it became a thousand times worse. She knew her father wanted to project a good image to the public, but wasn't this a bit much? She wasn't a machine, although Mr. Leonhart seemed to think so.

Rinoa sighed as she vacantly stared out of her bedroom window. She just didn't understand Mr. Leonhart at all, and that greatly frustrated her. Rinoa had always had a talent for being able to read people like an open book. In this case, however, it seemed like she would be in for quite a challenge. Good, she thought to herself triumphantly. I love a challenge. Stubborn as she was, she was willing to do anything to make him crack. She completely refused to spend each day holed up in her father's study with that horrible man. Granted, he was a very attractive man, but a horrible one nonetheless. Just witnessing his behavior that day was enough to convince her of that.

"Miss Rinoa?" Rinoa looked up to see Nancy standing in the doorway. "I'm sorry to interrupt you, but your friends are here to see you."

"Friends?" Rinoa asked in surprise. She hadn't expected anyone today.

"Yes, your friends; Miss Selphie, Mr. Irvine, and Mr. Seifer."

"Oh!" Rinoa exclaimed, her eyes widening. "Are they downstairs?" Nancy nodded. "God, I must look a mess. I can't see Seif, er, them like this."

Nancy smiled knowingly. "You look fine to me. Why don't you go down to the living room and greet them. I'll send in some refreshments later."

Rinoa nodded and hurried out of the room, running her hands through her hair quickly. She felt a mess, but she trusted Nancy and assumed she had been telling the truth. Still, she couldn't help feeling excited at the prospect of seeing her friends, especially Seifer. She couldn't wait to tell him all about her insufferable tutor. If anyone would understand her plight, he would.

"Rinoa!" Selphie exclaimed upon first seeing her friend. The petite brown haired girl never seemed to cease energy and this meeting proved to be no exception. "We heard about Clarissa. How is she?"

"Not so good. The doctors say that the next twenty-four hours are crucial to her recovery. They're going to be monitoring her condition closely so that they can get a better idea about what what's wrong and how serious it is," Rinoa told her.

"And how are you doing?" Selphie asked. "We heard that you already have a new tutor."

"Selphie, give the girl a chance to breathe," Irvine piped up from beside her. "Sorry, Rin, you know how she gets." He flashed her an apologetic smile.

"Don't worry about it," Rinoa told him, returning his smile.

With his long auburn hair, trademark cowboy hat, and reputation as a ladies man, Irvine was the object of many a girl's affection. Despite such a reputation, most everyone knew that his heart was tied to Selphie and always would be. The two had been friends since childhood, so their parents were more than happy with the match. Rinoa wished the same could be said for her relationship with Seifer, but if the General ever found out that she was seeing Seifer behind his back, he would probably disown her. Her father was extremely old fashioned.

With those thoughts on her mind, Rinoa risked a glance at Seifer. He was staring at her with a slight smirk on his face. Rinoa blushed under his gaze. "Hey, Seifer."

"Hey," Seifer said, still wearing that smirk.

"So, Rinoa, are you gonna fill us in on this new tutor of yours?" Selphie persisted, breaking the momentary trance.

Rinoa made a face. "He's horrible! We spent hours going over how to junction the four basic magic spells. All the while, he was talking in this horrible monotonous voice. You wouldn't believe what I had to go through to keep myself awake."

"Your new tutor's a guy?" Seifer asked suspiciously, his eyes narrowing.

"Ooh, do I sense some jealousy?" Selphie teased.

"What's his name?" Seifer demanded, ignoring Selphie's comment.

"Mr. Leonhart," Rinoa told him, grimacing with distaste. "What an oxymoron considering that he has no heart."

"Leonhart?" Seifer repeated. "Squall Leonhart?"

"I don't know his first name. He was too stubborn to tell me. Seifer, are you okay?"

"Describe him to me," Seifer ordered. "What does he look like?"

Rinoa frowned. "Why does it matter? Do you know him?"

Seifer shook his head impatiently. "Just tell me."

"Well, he's about your height...maybe a little shorter. Um, he has brown hair, blue-gray eyes, and this scar that goes between his nose and forehead. Actually, it's the exact opposite of yours, Seifer."

"Wow, Rin, for someone who doesn't like the guy, you sure paid a lot of attention to his appearance," Irvine commented.

Rinoa blushed. "I couldn't help noticing what he looked like. Besides, I didn't exactly have any other options when he was going on about the junctioning of magic. I mean-"

"Goddammit!" Seifer shouted, scowling angrily. "Of all the tutors in this damn city, you had to get him?"

"Seifer, calm down," Rinoa told him. "What is going on with you?"

"I know Leonhart," Seifer snapped, "And I don't like the idea of you being around him."

"That's right...you're both the same age. How do you know him?"

"How do you know we're the same age?" Seifer asked suspiciously.

"I, um, asked him," Rinoa admitted hesitantly.

Seifer shook his head. "I don't believe this."

"Seifer, why are you making such a big deal out of this? I just wanted to get him to loosen up a bit."

"You wanted to get him to loosen up?" Seifer spat. "Well, excuse me for interrupting you, then. I guess I'll be on my way." He stood up angrily and stormed out of the room.

"Seifer, wait!" Rinoa called as she ran out after him. "You're completely overreacting!"

Seifer completely ignored her and only stopped to shoot her one more dirty look before exiting out the front door. Rinoa watched him go, frustrated tears gathering in her eyes with every step he took. He had always been known to be the jealous type, but this was absolutely ridiculous. Mr. Leonhart was her tutor, for God's sake, not to mention the fact that she couldn't stand him. Why was Seifer making such a big deal out of everything?

The sound of heavy footsteps pounding down the hall caused Rinoa to quietly snap out of her daze. She turned around to meet the imposing gaze of her father.

"Rinoa, what is all this commotion?"

Rinoa sniffled, desperately trying to think of an excuse for the noise, as well as for the tears in her eyes. "That was Seifer," she began cautiously, trying to hide the quiver in her voice. "His friend got into an accident, so he had to leave."

Caraway frowned. "What were you doing with Mr. Almasy alone in this house? You know my policy on having boys over here while unattended."

"I wasn't alone with him. Selphie and Irvine are also here. They just stopped by to see how Clarissa was doing."

"That doesn't explain why you look so upset," Caraway commented, suspicion evident in his tone.

Rinoa sighed. "It's been a trying day, Father. Excuse me if I'm not allowed to show emotion."

Caraway shook his head, but did not say anything but, "Very well," before turning and walking away.

The moment he was out of sight, Rinoa released a long sigh of relief. Her relief was short lived, however, as the events of the past few minutes came rushing back to her. Sure, Seifer was known to have a temper, but she had never before seen him get so angry. Perhaps her other friends would be able to shed some light on the situation. With those thoughts in mind, she headed back into the living room.

"What was that all about?" Selphie immediately asked. "I mean, talk about an overreaction!"

Irvine nodded in agreement. "I don't get it. What was it about Rinoa's tutor that made him go off like that?"

"I was going to ask you guys if you knew anything about Seifer's relationship with Mr. Leonhart, but judging by your reactions, I take it that you don't?"

They both shook their heads. "You said you didn't like the guy, but could this new tutor of yours have really done something to Seifer to make him react in such a way?" Selphie questioned.

Rinoa shrugged. "I have no idea. I mean, I just met the guy."

"I don't know," Irvine said. "Whatever Seifer's history with your new tutor is, it seemed to me like the main motive for his outburst was jealousy."

"Jealousy?" Rinoa repeated. "That's crazy!"

"Not so crazy to Seifer," Irvine reminded her. "You know how he gets."

Rinoa shook her head. "That wasn't just jealousy. The minute I mentioned Mr. Leonhart's name, Seifer wasn't himself. Something is definitely up."

"Why do I get the feeling that you're going to make it your business to find out?" Selphie asked.

"Probably because I am," Rinoa said, flashing a smile.

"And just how are you going to do that?" Irvine questioned.

"Well, I'll just have to ask Mr. Leonhart all about it tomorrow," Rinoa told him, her smile widening.

SQUALL Leonhart collapsed onto the couch in the living room of his small apartment. Although the lesson with his new pupil hadn't lasted any longer than ones he was normally accustomed to, he found that he was utterly exhausted. That girl...Rinoa, had been completely draining. He honestly couldn't remember the last time he had encountered someone so stubborn. Her relentless barrage of questions had been highly annoying, not to mention completely lacking of respect. No matter the small difference in their ages, he was still her tutor, and as such, she needed to respect him. Rinoa had given up her questioning to listen to his lesson on the junctioning of magic, but it didn't take a genius to figure out that she had been anything but happy in doing so.

Squall sighed as he rubbed the bridge of his forehead wearily. It was really none of his business, anyway. With the money her father was paying him, he would have to put up with her. He hadn't been hired to become her friend or even be friendly, for that matter. His job was to teach her and protect her. No matter how boring she found him or his teaching style, she was just going to have to deal with it. He changed for no one.

A sharp pounding on the front door forced Squall to get up once again. He didn't know who would waste their time knocking on his door. He had few acquaintances, and even fewer friends. As he made his way over to the door, the pounding become more insistent.

"Yeah, yeah," he mumbled, "Calm the hell down."

Squall grabbed the doorknob and roughly pulled the door open. Few things in the world were capable of having surprised Squall in his lifetime, but this situation would have to be added to that list. Standing in front of him was a man he hadn't seen in four years, something he had hoped to keep that way.

"Seifer," Squall said with disgust. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"I think I'm the one who should be asking you that question," Seifer spat back angrily. "You show up here after four years and start tutoring Rinoa on the spot? You must really be trying to piss me off."

Squall rolled his eyes. "So you tracked me down to bitch at me because I'm tutoring Caraway's daughter?"

"Caraway's daughter?" Seifer repeated. "Don't play dumb with me, Squall. Just admit that the reason you came to Deling City is to come between Rinoa and me."

"You know what, Seifer? I don't know what the hell you're going on about. I came to Deling City for my own reasons, none of which concern you."

Seifer shook his head. "I don't believe you. It's just too much of a damn coincidence."

Squall sighed. "It's been a long day, and I don't particularly feel like listening to you. If you think that I'm trying to come between whatever relationship you and Rinoa have, then that's bullshit. If you think I'm lying, why don't you ask your girlfriend what she thinks about me?"

"She already told me what she thinks of you, and I can't say that it was reassuring. That's why I'm warning you to stay away from her."

Seifer's admission surprised Squall, but he refused to let him know that. Still, after their lesson earlier, Squall had been certain that Rinoa hated his guts. Could she have been putting on an act for Squall, or had the act been for Seifer? If either scenario was true, then the question was, why? What could Rinoa possibly gain by lying to either one of them?

"Sorry, Seifer, but you probably just misunderstood her."

"I wouldn't have said anything if I had," Seifer shot back impatiently. "Caraway hired you to be her tutor? Fine, but that's where you draw the line. Even that's too far in my book, but I'm in no position to argue with Caraway. The man hates my guts."

"Whatever, Seifer. We can stand here all day and argue, but obviously nothing I say is going to get through to you. You can think whatever the hell you want. Just leave me the hell alone." Squall began to close the door.

"I'm not dropping this," Seifer insisted before the door had fully shut. "I know where you live, Squall, Don't think you've seen the last of me."

Squall just shook his head at Seifer's antics. He had always had a knack for being melodramatic. Honestly, though, if he had known how much trouble this Rinoa girl was going to be, he would have thought twice about taking the job. Poor Squall...he didn't even know the half of it.