Disclaimer: I own nothing in association to Final Fantasy VIII and/or the company of Squaresoft:the makers of FF8.

Thank you to my reviewers. They're really appreciated!

FFgal- you would... really put me on your list? Oh wow.... You think it's a good topic? Thanks so much!

Blank ( they had no name)- Thanks a lot for your review! Sorry for not updating so soon ^_^.

tinu-viel- I'm glad that you like it so much. You think it was very well executed? Thanks a bunch!

poko nyan- Yeah! Squall's not a jerk! Sorry for making you sit so long to wait for me to update, lol. Thanks for your review!

Mariko- there you are, Mariko! You're so nice to me! I updated my other story, by the way, just in case you didn't know ^_~. Thanks for your continual support!

Hiasha- What, what? HIASHA reviewed ME? *drools at the review for a moment* O-of course there's going to be a good ending! (Anything for you not to kill me in your story! lol) Thanks so much for your review!

Monny-chan- I agree! Squall is incredibly hot! Thanks bunches for the review!

Anonymous- It's the same anonymous! So, you think it's cute, too? Yesh, it's quite romantic. Thanks for your review!

That's it, so here you go! Enjoy!

Chapter Three:

Miscommunication

Bianka-chan.

Rinoa's POV

It had been cold that day; yes, very cold. What was strange is that it was previously forecasted to be such a beautiful day, or so the servants raved.... Perhaps it was the winds of change that made it so chilly, its breeze tickling my spine in such an awkward way. Indeed... the winds of change that marked the beginning of a terrible, twisted adventure....

But I'm getting ahead of myself. I think I'll start a week after my relationship with Squall began.

I was sporadically excited that day as I hurried down the hallways to Squall's room, the only part of the house that I had memorized, really. The reason for my enthusiasm was because Squall had promised to take me out to a carnival that day. Although it had been the third time that he promised, something made me believe that this time would be it. Stupid optimism always made it hurt more....

Yet again, Squall blew me off. Before I could even say a word he had already told me that he was busy and he would take me out some other day. Yeah, sure, some other day. As Squall himself would have said....

" Whatever...." I murmured.

I could hear the bones in his neck pop as I assumed that he snapped up from his work to glare at me. Although I wouldn't hear his stern reprimands for I had already stormed out of the room, all too aware that I didn't know my way around and would eventually fall down the steps or something.

As expected, I found the steps. Luckily, I didn't fall, but stumbled clumsily downward until I finally reached level ground. But I didn't even give myself time to catch my breath as I groped for the door and swung it open so hard that it hit the wall and bounced right back to send me sprawling onto the moist, dewy grass. I gritted my teeth and stood back up slowly, only to trip and fall over a rock.

Feeling frustrated and alone, I hugged my arms to my body to try and keep warmth. I rolled over. " What was that tantrum about? So what if he's been completely disregarding me this past week? Do I really care that much about Squall? I'm really only doing it for the money-right? I'm using him.... No, that can't be true... or is it? I don't know. I wish that I could say that I didn't care, but I just can't. Squall...."

My nose perked up. I may have been blind, but for that reason I had such a keen sense of smell. It smelt just like....

" Squall? Squall, is that you?"

Seifer's POV

So this is the girl that Squall was at the plaza with last week. I'd kept my eye on her since then, slowly plotting my scheme. She was so beautiful... yet her face was scrunched up in dissatisfaction and aggravation. I remained staring at her, knowing that she couldn't even notice. Yes, I knew her little secret. You'd have to be deaf not to overhear their little conversation in Balamb. And now that I knew about her dispute with Squall from listening to her little 'conversation' with herself, it made it almost too easy.

Suddenly, the blind woman rose and darted her head back and forth, asking for the name of my money rival, Squall. After doing so, she unexpectedly stopped right in front of my face and sniffed candidly.

" You won't sneak up on me this time, Squall. Now," she folded her arms impatiently, " What do you want?"

I smirked. This is going even better than I had planned. She thinks I'm Squall. Feeling confident, I wrapped my arms around around her tiny waist and spoke in my best 'Squall' voice. Pshh... like everyone didn't already mock it. " I'm sorry for neglecting you these past several days.... I promise that I'll make it up to you. Here, let me help you back into the house."

She let me lead her back to my mansion. After a few moments she abruptly stopped and snapped, " Squall... we're not headed the right way. Where are you taking me to?"

I held tighter onto her body and spoke icily, " We are headed the right way."

The girl winced and kicked my shin, freeing herself of my grip. " No, we're not! And you're not Squall! Get away from me!"

She was so stupid. How brave can I blind woman be? For all she knew she could have been staring Death in the face.... How ironic it was. Death... I'm sure that she would have preferred that. " You're right, you stupid girl. My name isn't Squall; it's Seifer and you'd better not forget it."

Growing annoyed with her defiance, I seized her arms and shoved her to the concrete ground. She yelled in pain as I picked her back up by her hair. Knowing that there was nothing else to keep her from kicking at me, I pulled her body intensely close to mine and locked my mouth onto hers.

Squall's POV

She lost her temper, did she? I wish she hadn't run out.... She really doesn't know her way around. That's just what you get when you try to plan a surprise for your girlfriend: they get impatient and run out on you. I figured that I'd better go out and find her before she got hit by a car or something.

I hurried down the steps, and began opening the door when I heard Angelo barking. " What? Why would Rinoa leave you here?" I asked as I petted Angelo. Closing my eyes, I sighed and opened the door, " I guess she's that pissed...."

If only I hadn't opened my eyes; if only I had also been blind. I found Rinoa kissing Seifer so jubilantly. After lifelessly staring at them for a moment I found that I couldn't contain my anger anymore and ran to the scene of their crime.

" What the hell are you doing, Rinoa?"

As I spoke, her eyes shot painfully open and Seifer jostled Rinoa forward and away from him. He grinned broadly, " What a faithful girlfriend you have, Squall. She threw herself at me before I could even speak."

Rinoa's mouth shot open and her eyes teared. But I wouldn't even let her talk.... What had I done to deserve her disloyalty? I walked to Rinoa, clutched her wrist, and led her roughly inside the house.

The last thing I heard before I closed the door was Seifer's resonating laughter....

Rinoa's POV

He didn't ease his grip one bit as we approached my room. Squall thrust open the door and hurled me onto my bed. I immediately got up from my side and sat up straight on the edge of the matress. There was no mistaking it... Squall was gathering all of my things and stuffing them into some suitcase. How could he do this? He didn't even know what really happened.

" Squall... please don't."

" Shut up," he snapped.

" Just let me talk."

I heard Squall snicker. " Yeah? You mean 'talk' like you did with Seifer?"

I could feel my eyes burn. " Just listen! How can you believe Seifer? Do you really think that I threw myself at him? I can't throw myself at him! Have you forgotten? I'm blind!"

Squall scoffed indifferently. " I really don't know if you're blind at all. You're probably lying."

" 'Probably lying'!? Don't be stupid, Squall! You have no idea how much I'd like to see you right now! I want to see you, the world, and me!"

" ...Whatever."

With that word, Squall clenched my arm and led me out of the house. He stayed right behind me the whole time, making sure that he'd make my last walk inside his house as painful as possible as he pushed me forward.

Squall walked out of his yard and growled, " Just to show you that I'm not completely heartless, I'm going to take you to Seifer. I'm sure that he'll give you the money, though you'll have to work for it. But I doubt that you'll mind the work that he wants you to do."

What the hell? He was calling me a prostitute! But that was the least of my worries.... Squall was sending me to Seifer. I'd much rather die.

As Squall knocked on Seifer door, I tried to dissuade him again. " Please, Squall... don't do this. I don't want to be with Seifer; I want to be with you."

Squall knocked even harder on the door. " Don't lie to me. I know that you want to be with Seifer."

I wriggled in his armhold frustratedly, " No, you *don't* know! I want to be with you!"

To my despair, I heard Seifer open his door. Before throwing me in, Squall spoke his last words to me. " Well, deal with it." He threw me viciously to the floor and paused, leaving me to assume that he was glaring at Seifer, " I'm leaving her with you. She needs a job to pay for her operation to get her *eyesight* back."

I gasped and looked up from the floor, wishing that I could see his reaction to the malice on my face that I attempted to portray. He gave me up! How... how could he? But does that mean that he believed me when I said that I was blind? ...It doesn't matter now.

I heard Squall's retreating footsteps. He then spoke to no one in general, " Take care."

Infuriated, I scrunched up my nose. How can he say that? 'Take care'!? He just sent me into the fire to burn!

It was then that I fully realized where I was. Seifer's house was where I would live from now on... if you could call it living, really. I could hear Seifer cracking his knuckles and advancing toward me.

" So... when do we start?"

I backed away until I hit the door. Squall... how could you do this to me? The upheld tears in my eyes began to pour down my face. Now how will you know how I really felt about you? How will you know now that you were the only reason why I woke up every morning...?

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A/N: Sorry about all that angst and such. And I'm REALLY SORRY for the EXTREMELY long wait. Don't worry you guys, there's still going to be a good ending. Thanks so much for reading. Please, por favor, onegai, s'il vous plait review! Hey... that was please in four languages! Hehe, Ja ne! ~Bianka-chan. 4/26/03