Walzing in the Rain

Twin-Lance

Chapter 10: Harsh Realities

Much to Squall's annoyance, the Presidential Guards whisked the General away in their own vehicle and left him with Irvine and Zell outside of the club. Despite leaving shortly after the guards, Irvine had lost track of their car in the network of narrow streets and tunnels that connected the ground-level city grid with the higher-level roadways. Then, as if losing track of the guards that were escorting his angry future father-in-law wasn't bad enough, Irvine managed to get turned around and couldn't figure out how to actually get back to the palace. They could all see the palace, but trying to direct Irvine in how to steer the car in the right direction was proving troublesome. Squall stared out at the colorful city lights all around them. This night was turning into a nightmare and there wasn't anything he could do to make things better aside from offering Rinoa a simple warning.

I'm sorry.

He felt her emotional response almost immediately. Sorry for what? What's going on? You got so defensive I just knew you were going to get into a fight with someone and now you're just…really jumbled. Frustrated and anxious?

He massaged his temple. You don't have much time. But we ran into your father outside of a club. He's looking for you and he's not happy.

A momentary sense of dread washed over him with enough force to almost render him ill. Then, as quickly as it came, it went away as Rinoa composed herself and organized her emotions. Is he on his way to the palace?

Some Presidential Guards showed up trying to protect me. They took him into custody and are taking him to see Laguna. He's going to try to get to you. We'd already be there but Irvine managed to get us lost.

Rinoa felt oddly calm despite her initial emotional flare-up. Don't worry about me. I can hold my own. Just get back here as soon as you can.

Her calmness was a bit of a relief. I will, he promised.

Good, she communicated with confidence. And Squall? I love you.

I love you too, Rin. Considering the current situation, he couldn't help but grin just a little. The shit was flying towards the fan and was going to make contact at any moment. Her reassurance that she loved him acted as both a calming presence before the storm, and as proof that he'd managed to shield her from his thoughts while they were outside the strip club. Just that little bit of control over their bond made him feel a lot better about things. He liked feeling in control—feeling helpless was absolutely awful.

"Um, Squall?" Irvine interrupted their communication. "I've been around you long enough to know that that little grin means you're talking to your lovely lady friend, but I could really use a bit of assistance getting this thing on. User friendly for the average Estharian and user friendly for a backwoods Galbadian boy are two totally different things. I have no shame, I'll admit when I'm beat." Turning to face him, Squall looked down to see what Irvine was trying to do with the glowing computer screen just above the radio controls.

Growing tired of watching Irvine fumble with the computer guidance system on the console, Zell leaned over the front seat and began inputting commands himself. Squall watched silently as Zell's fingers slid across the touch screen panel and a charted route popped up. An eloquently spoken male voice came online and began trying to coach Irvine out of the parking complex he'd pulled over in. Squall spared Zell a glance as he plopped back onto the back seat.

"It pays to be a fast learner," Zell shrugged it off with a smile.

"Alright Irvine, we've got to get to the palace. Make a right turn here and then merge over at that light," Squall said, not needing the voice to tell him how to read the map. They had to get back.

Meanwhile at the Presidential Palace, the guards walked briskly, their boots echoing in unison against the marble floor. Their dress robes hid almost all evidence that they were security officers.

Almost.

Both men bore shoulder patches that gave away their occupations, with the Presidential Seal on one arm and the Loire Family Crest on the other. It was Estharian tradition that every President be awarded a crest upon starting their presidency, and while Presidents of old had chosen everything from monsters to stars, and even the Esthar City silhouette, Laguna had chosen two Moombas. Two dancing Moombas, to be precise.

Why Moombas would be on such an important crest disturbed Fury. It wasn't like Laguna had chosen a pair of Toramas holding a shield—he'd chosen a pair of goofy looking Moombas, which everyone knew were fairy tale creatures. Fury had always known Laguna to be an idiot, but this might prove him to be insane.

Or brilliant.

If they were meant to be a distraction they were definitely doing their jobs. The happy Moombas were disturbing him a lot, and he wasn't a man easily bothered. He forced himself to stop focusing on the security patches and focused on why he was there. Fury hadn't come to Esthar expecting to find Rinoa so easily but Laguna's guards were certainly helping him out. Ignorance aside, Laguna was a man of passion; if he could get an audience with Laguna, he knew he'd be able to see Rinoa. He just hoped Laguna wouldn't hold a grudge over the small matter of Squall's black eye. To be fair, it wasn't really that discolored—just a little purple and yellow. It could've been much worse. If he was lucky, Laguna wouldn't even know he'd been the one to put it there. Fury was leaning heavily on the hope that Squall wasn't really all that close to daddy.

The guards stopped and waited silently outside a closed door. After a moment, it hissed open and a tall, thin man stood waiting on the other side. He recognized Kiros immediately and offered a nod. He'd never understood why a man as intelligent as Seagill had shadowed an idiot like Laguna so closely. He'd always assumed it was to offer some level of protection—maybe Kiros was afraid Laguna would hurt himself if left unsupervised. Accepting that assumption as fact, he nodded once more in acknowledgement of Kiros's presence. Following Laguna had at least paid off for him, it was just a shame that it was Laguna that was made President and not Kiros. Fury had no doubt in his mind that Kiros would be a force to be reckoned with if he ever held the President's office.

"This way, General," Kiros said simply, turning on his heel and leading the other man across an empty lobby. Fury followed, noticing that not only was Kiros dressed much like the guards were in those ridiculously ornate robes, but that the guards weren't following them. He pondered whether or not that was a major security concern as the next door hissed open and he caught his first glimpse of Laguna sitting at his desk, scribbling something down on a piece of paper. A grin tugged at his lips. Here Laguna was in the most technologically advanced country in the world and he was jotting down chicken scratch on what looked like the back of an old envelope.

That was the Laguna he expected to find here.

Upon seeing Caraway come in, Laguna quickly wrapped up his phone call and hung up. Scribbling down one more note, he dropped his pen on the desk and stood up. "So uh, what brings you to Esthar, General?"

Fury stared at him a bit quizzically. That wasn't the introduction he'd been expecting, and he was fairly certain he'd seen Kiros face-palm out of the corner of his eye, but he'd go with it. "I'm here to see my daughter," he stated plainly.

There was a moment of silence in which Laguna and Kiros exchanged glances. Fury considered the possibility that just maybe Kiros was running the country by controlling the Presdient. Laguna was ridiculously goofy and very non-threatening. Perhaps it was Kiros who was brilliant.

"Then why were you following Squall and his friends in my city?" Laguna asked in a much firmer voice than Fury was expecting.

"Because I know they're hiding her," Fury replied flatly. "I've been trying to get in contact with her since she ran away during the war."

Laguna made a face and tucked his hair behind his ear. "I'm no expert on children, but if they run away, I'm pretty sure that's a good indication that they don't want to have to deal with you."

Fury clenched his jaw, trying to remain composed. "No, you are no expert on children," he agreed with him. "As far as I'm aware you've never raised one. The circumstances surrounding my relationship with my daughter are very complicated. I wouldn't expect you to understand. I'm just requesting that you let me speak to her."

Laguna carefully stepped around the side of his desk and sat on the edge of it. He crossed his arms loosely and seemed to look him over. Fury frowned and returned the gesture. Laguna looked away, unable to win that staring contest. After composing himself, Laguna looked back at him. "Why should I?" he asked. "From what I've figured, she ran away twice. That's got to say something about you."

He immediately scowled and Laguna immediately started massaging his leg. Fury found it odd but dismissed it as a nervous gesture or old war injury. "It says that I've made some mistakes," he stated. "But it wasn't because I wasn't trying. I want to speak with her."

"Well, I don't think she wants to speak with you," Laguna said. He wet his lips and looked over at Kiros for validation. "And to be honest, I don't know that I blame her. Not after you hit Squall."

Fury crossed his arms. So much for Squall and Laguna not talking… "I was frustrated," he growled through gritted teeth. "She was just a teenage girl and he was hiding her out at his Garden. I can't prove it but you and I both know it's true. If you'd ever tried to raise a child you might understand how frustrating it is to deal with a situation like this."

It was Laguna's turn to scowl. Well, if the man could scowl. The expression on his face kind of resembled a distressed frown. "What happened between me and Squall wasn't …entirely my fault," he defended himself.

"And frankly it doesn't matter," Kiros stepped in. "What matters is that the General of the Galbadian Army was captured by Presidential Guards stalking the Commander of Balamb Garden well within Esthar's territory. Inside Esthar's capital city if you want to be technical. How do you think that makes you look right now?"

Fury didn't even acknowledge Kiros by looking at him. He kept his focus on Laguna. "I know exactly how it looks," he stated dismissively. "Just consider it a father's desperation. I've been trying to get her back since the day she took off. She's never considered the consequences her actions have had on other people. She just runs and does as she pleases and then claims that anyone who tells her no is just being unfair. I've been trying to bring her home for years, and just when I get close, she shacks up with the Commander of another military force. How do you think that makes her look?" he asked. "How do you think that makes me look?"

Laguna didn't say anything as he processed what Caraway had said. It brought back memories of him trying to find Ellone, but the difference was, Ellone had never been running away from him.

"I hit Squall because he deserved it," Fury continued. "He showed up at my house assuming that I would be more than happy to consent to the lifestyle Rinoa had with him."

Kiros gave Laguna a look. He knew Laguna had been on the phone making various wedding arrangements since Rinoa and Selphie had left. This would be interesting.

"Squall cares about her," Laguna defended Squall.

"Squall is nothing but a military dog. You know the type. He's got his weapon and his war stories and a penchant for using them to hit on and pick up women," Fury dismissed him.

"Squall isn't like that," Laguna frowned, sliding off the edge of the desk and standing up in front of Caraway. "Squall is well, Squall. He has trust and attachment issues from me well, being a lousy husband to his mother, trying to get him to open up to me is like trying to get blood out of a turnip. He's made the attempt to reconcile a little but it doesn't come easy to him. But if there's one thing I do know about him, it's that he'd do anything for your daughter so you'd better just…. stop with that military dog stuff. He isn't like a lot of the guys back in the G-Army. He isn't using her. If he was he would've walked away from her already. Believe me, he's an expert at finding exits from social and emotional situations."

There was a long and unnerving silence before Fury sighed loudly. It was clear that Laguna was going to argue the subject if he pressed on with his opinion of Squall, and no progress would come from upsetting the President and getting thrown out of the country. "I just want to see her," he said simply.

Laguna exchanged another glance with Kiros before offering a nod. "I'll call down to her room. She might be sleeping though, if she is, you're just out of luck."

Fury nodded, relaxing his posture for the first time since he'd come into Laguna's office. "Thank you."

Laguna's hand rested on his phone as he watched him. "Just …as a warning. If you upset her, you will be taken into custody and I'll let Kiros instruct his guys to do whatever they want with you. I doubt the new President of Galbadia will be in any position to really challenge Esthar giving the current situation."

Fury glanced over at Kiros. So that was Kiros's master plot. He was the head of all things Estharian security. He had access to everything surrounding Laguna and Esthar's highest office. "I won't intentionally provoke her," he assured Laguna.

"….I mean it," Laguna warned him. "Kiros and his guys are a creative lot."

Fury looked back over at Kiros as Kiros looked right back at him. He believed Laguna.

To be completely honest, Fury hadn't expected to get to see Rinoa. He'd assumed she would be conveniently asleep or would just flat out refuse to speak to him. He couldn't have been more wrong. Within minutes of Laguna placing a phone call, his office door hissed open and Rinoa barged inside wearing little more than a pair of shorts and an oversized Garden t-shirt. He stared at her silently. Her hair had gotten much longer since he'd last seen her and it hung halfway down her back. A few strands fell into her face and she brushed them away before crossing her arms across her chest.

"Caraway," she stated simply. She was stubborn. She got that from him.

He stared at her for a long moment, taking the casualty of her appearance in. They were having an awkward reunion in the Estharian President's office and she was standing barefoot in her pajamas like she owned the place. She also didn't look happy to see him, at all. Laguna and Kiros weren't really helping the situation, neither man had volunteered to leave the room. "I wish, just once, that you would call me Dad again."

Rinoa shrugged it off as she shifted her weight. "I guess you should've thought about that when I was just a little girl."

Fury started to speak but didn't. He glanced over at Kiros and Laguna. "Could we have a little privacy?"

"No," Kiros stated.

"Only if she wants it," Laguna responded. All of their gazes went to Rinoa. She hesitated a moment before nodding.

"Fine then," Kiros conceded. "We'll give you a few minutes but if we overhear any fighting it's over."

"I understand," Fury frowned, watching them as they stepped out of the office and crossed the lobby. They left the door wide open and it irritated him, but he suspected that it was intentional. After how he'd gotten here, he was getting to speak with Rinoa so he knew he couldn't be too demanding.

A very long and very awkward silence filled the room. Fury crossed his arms over his chest and Rinoa followed suite and crossed her arms as well. He watched her quietly, appreciating how much she looked like her mother. Rinoa's eyes found his and she stared up at him, unfazed by the cold grey stare that usually sent other people cowering.

"So is this the plan?" Rinoa pierced the silence with her softly spoken question. "Assault my boyfriend and then follow us all the way to Esthar City? You wanted to talk to me and I'm here. Talk."

"You've grown up to be such a beautiful young woman," he told her. "…Just like your mother."

Rinoa looked down but only momentarily. "Yeah. I know," she replied. "I see her every morning when I look in the mirror. It's why I don't wear red. It was her favorite color. I look too much like her when I do." He frowned and relaxed his stance a little more. "Why are you here?"

"For you," he answered. "Since the day you first took off I've had men on the lookout for you."

"Yeah I know. A few of them tried to grab me in Timber. They failed," she added.

"I'm aware," he frowned.

"I'm not a little girl anymore," she stated. "You can't drag me home and lock me in my bedroom like you used to."

He sighed and made a face. "When you say it, it sounds so-"

"So mean?" she asked. "So controlling? So borderline child abuse?" asked, feeling emboldened by the fact that she knew he was out of his element and at the mercy of Kiros and Laguna if she yelled for help.

"It was never like that," he frowned.

"You locked me in my room!" she charged him.

"There was never any abuse," he defended himself.

"That mansion was my prison!"

"I couldn't control you!"

"I didn't want to be controlled!"

"You needed to be, you were wild!"

"I was scared and trapped and all alone!"

Squall jogged down the corridor that led to Laguna's office. Rinoa was giving him a very vivid and emotionally charged inside view of the conversation with her father and he suspected it was because she was so upset and not in control of her abilities. He was intercepted by the guards and started to shove his way past them but Laguna and Kiros were there to stop him.

"Things are under control," Kiros assured him. "They're being monitored from my office."

Squall frowned. "She doesn't want to see him," he disputed his claim.

"If she didn't want to, she wouldn't be in there," Kiros reasoned. "She came to the office on her own. You have to let her work things out." Squall didn't like what he was saying but he stopped resisting against the hold Kiros had on his arm.

"Fine," he said, annoyance and frustration evident in his voice.

Laguna waved him towards Kiros's office. "Come on," he whispered. Squall nodded and did as he was told.

"So you're monitoring the situation?" he asked once he was inside.

"There isn't a room in this palace that I don't have bugs in," Kiros stated as he took a seat in a corner chair. "Aside from the apartments of course. But the doors and corridors outside are under constant surveillance."

Squall sat. That wasn't creepy at all…

"Are you sure cutting him out of the wedding was such a good idea?" Laguna asked as he sat. "He seems pretty upset."

Squall shrugged it off as Irvine and Zell came into the room. Kiros reached over and hit the control to shut the door.

Laguna didn't even bother trying to reason with him. Doing so would take too much time and attention away from what was unfolding in his own office a few doors down. Adjusting the volume on Kiros's computer, Laguna leaned back in his seat as they listened.

In Laguna's office, Fury was quiet, watching as the tears welled up but she refused to let them fall. He wet his lips as he watched her. "Lavender would be heartbroken to hear that you said that."

"I don't care how Lavender might feel," she told him. "She's the maid not my mother."

"She cared for you like you were her own daughter," he reminded her. "After the accident…"

Rinoa crossed her arms across her chest, a clear and obvious defensive gesture. He was striking a nerve. "I didn't need another mother, I needed my father."

"You had me," he told her.

"I had a prison warden."

Fury didn't say anything, listening for any approaching footsteps that would signify Kiros was sending the guards in after him. After a few moments of silence, he focused his attention back on her. "I was scared and trapped as well," he informed her.

She narrowed her eyes, causing a tear or two to slip. He could tell she didn't believe a thing he said judging by her rigid and defensive posture. She was still ready to fight.

"I know things were bad between your mother and I, but the night I lost her—"

"You lost her a long time before that accident," Rinoa interrupted him.

He glared at her. "The night I lost her rattled me to the core. Deling City loved her. She was their darling. She could do no wrong and they loved you because you were hers. I never mattered, I was just the General in the background. But because of them, she was safe. You both were safe. The night she died, we'd had a fight and she'd rushed out with you. I was angry but I wasn't worried about either of you. She had enough friends and contacts, she had many places she could go to cool down.

"But that night, there was someone else waiting that had a vendetta against me. The two of us together made me too powerful. Your mother had to be removed from the picture so that I wouldn't have so much public support."

Rinoa shook her head. "You are so full of yourself. I can't believe you're actually trying to use her to build yourself up. How do you not choke on your ego?"

"I'm telling the truth," he stated. "Losing her shattered my world. I was forced to admit that Deling City wasn't as safe as I'd allowed myself to believe. I'm sorry if you had an unhappy childhood but I was doing what I had to, to keep you safe."

"It was a car accident!" Rinoa countered. "It was wet, and raining, and dark. She was afraid you were going to come after us so she was heading out of town for a friend's house."

"I know exactly where she was going. Lyle was one of her best friends."

"No he wasn't," Rinoa argued. "Valerie was her best friend, Lyle was just her biggest friend. Believe it or not, she was leaving you! She was miserable and unhappy. You were suffocating and she wanted out. She'd sent clothes ahead to his house so that all she had to do was put me in the car and drive away. She was going to Lyle's in case you tried to go after her."

Fury had no immediate response to that. Rinoa watched as he appeared to be at a loss for words. "Things were a bit bad between us, but they were never that bad," he whispered.

Rinoa watched him, feeling a little bad. She'd never seen that lost expression on his face. "She sent a bag of our clothes ahead with an aide. She told me we were going to stay with him for a while. I assumed you knew."

He shook his head, having difficulty digesting that information. "No. She was my Queen. We had our problems but they were because of the war. You would've been gone a few days and I would've come for you. She would've brought you back home."

Rinoa frowned, no longer wanting to pursue this line of conversation. "It was dark and wet and, it was just an accident," she told him. It was a lame attempt to make him feel better but she felt like she had to say something.

"It was murder!" he snapped, his deep voice startling her and causing her to jump.

She watched him, trying not to look visibly shaken. "You're being paranoid and delusional."

"It was Deling," he stated, ignoring her. "Your mother was the Darling of Deling City and I'd climbed up the ranks far too quickly. Deling had been President, and I use that title very loosely, for far too long. I didn't realize it then, but I was a threat to him. Well, your mother and I were a threat to him. If either of us had challenged him he could've been removed from power. I was young and foolish and didn't realize the danger."

It was Rinoa's turn to be silent. Staring off at a potted plant on the office floor, her mind raced. Her mother had thought that her father was following them. She remembered being cut out of the car by rescue workers and being angry that her father had taken so long to show up if he was right behind them. If what he said was true, everything made a little more sense. At least what she could remember of it made sense.

"Your mother was upset while she was driving. She was speeding and covering more ground than the murderer was expecting. They couldn't have known we'd just had a fight and she was leaving town as fast as she could. The wreck occurred too close to a firehouse. Firemen arrived on the scene before they could make certain you both were killed. That fight saved your life. Although one could argue that it also got her killed. But if it hadn't happened that night, you can rest assured that they would've come after the two of you on another night. It was not a question of if but when," he added quietly. Rinoa remained silent, taking everything in. "I kept quiet. The climate in the city was so toxic and the war was barely over. I didn't have enough conclusive proof to prove Deling was responsible in court, not that there was a court that would've convicted him, and I knew throwing out accusations would potentially start a civil war. I know he was a dictator but so many Galbadian families were shattered because of all of the fighting. They deserved time to heal from their losses. They deserved peace. Your mother would've agreed."

Despite Selphie and Quistis joining the guys in Kiros's office, the small room sat submerged in a thick silence. Everyone exchanged glances but no one seemed quite ready to disrupt the quiet that was being transferred over from Laguna's office. Kiros rubbed his face, clearly lost in a deep thought. Laguna sat silently at the desk chair, looking as if he were about to cry. He covered his mouth as he stared a hole into the speakers that only occasionally transmitted static.

Irvine opened his mouth to say something but he closed it and settled for clearing his throat and crossing his arms across his chest. Selphie took a seat on his lap and loosely clasped her hands in front of her. Zell and Quistis had a silent exchange before soft sobbing started coming across the speakers. They both looked over at Squall but he appeared to be lost in his connection with Rinoa. It was sometimes difficult to decipher between the distant stare he got from the war and his deep focus on whatever was going on in their bond.

Some inaudible whispering could be heard through the speakers before the sobbing stopped. Then everything grew quiet and Squall frowned.

"She's blocked me out," he complained, looking over at the speaker and willing it to reveal what Rinoa didn't want him overhearing.

"That can't be good," Zell frowned.

"Or maybe it can," Quistis countered. "She could've blocked him at any point but she waited this long. She might be feeling safe enough to confide in Caraway without Squall backing her up. This could be a huge step for them."

Kiros came around the desk and knelt down beside the chair Laguna was sitting in. He reached over and tapped a few commands on his computer screen, bringing up a video of the office and showing Rinoa and Caraway. Laguna looked over at him.

"Really man? That's kind of creepy," Laguna stated.

Kiros smiled. "Trust me I don't watch you any more than I have to. It's painful."

Laguna let out an awkward chuckle. "Fair enough."

"I'm sorry," Rinoa's voice came across the speakers. "The rumors are true." There was another long and uncomfortable silence. "It wasn't any of the other girls that were there it was me. Her powers went to me."

Everyone looked over at Squall immediately. Squall remained silent but the expression on his face suggested he was fighting to keep his composure. The very delicate balance he'd worked out with Garden and the world to try to hide Rinoa's powers had been thrown out the window with a single confession. Caraway now knew Rinoa's secret.

"We've been trying to keep it quiet. We didn't want the world knowing. I mean I'm sure everyone is going to know eventually but I just… I'm scared for them to know. Sorceresses have been the root of a lot of wars here recently and I'm afraid of how people will react. I want to be safe and I want to be happy. I want to be able to have a family."

"And Squall is your knight." Caraway's words were more of an accusation than anything but his tone did soften. "I suspected it was either you or Trepe that ended up with the powers. Trying to track down where Edea's powers went became a top priority of mine."

"It was me," she whispered. "The powers transferred to me when she was near death and then the Sorceress Ultimacia possessed me and forced me into a comatose state. It's kind of complicated…" she trailed off.

"Esthar knows?"

"Yes," she said quietly.

"And they're okay with that? That hardly seems possible."

"Well, originally they were going to seal me away in a chamber to prevent me from using my powers. But Squall was there to protect me. They were just scared. It's understandable," her voice shrank back down into a whisper.

Everyone in the room waited silently for Rinoa to continue talking.

"So you and Squall are… There's no chance I'm going to be able to split the two of you up?"

Rinoa let out a slightly strangled chuckle. "No. We're pretty bonded at this point."

"So the old sorceress lore is true. Is it a shared emotional bond or can you control him?"

Squall frowned at the computer. He didn't like where this conversation was going. Rinoa didn't immediately answer.

"I suppose I could if I had to. But I haven't really considered it. Not that I would," Rinoa answered.

Squall shifted uncomfortably. So far she wasn't saying anything to help ease the nausea swirling around in his gut. She'd just spilled everything to Caraway. Was she crazy?! She didn't even speak to him unless she had to. Squall brought a hand up to massage his temple.

"I know you're not happy with me or him right now. But we're going to be together for the rest of our lives. It's more than just us. The peace of the world depends on it. I don't know how many other sorceresses there are out there, but as long as I have him and I don't let myself get corrupted, I can at least guarantee that neither Edea nor Adel's powers will be used to start another war. The world has suffered enough I think."

"You've got Sorceress Adel's powers too?" Caraway's voice crackled a bit over the speaker.

"Shh," Rinoa stopped him. "I've got Squall blocked but yet he's still freaking out a bit. The room must be wired or something."

"I'm not surprised," Caraway grumbled.

"Shit," Kiros frowned.

"I am not freaking out," Squall said under his breath.

"Are you sure?" Irvine asked. "You are looking really pale."

"I'm a little anxious but I'm definitely not freaking out," Squall stated.

"I should've known better than to trust those two," Caraway's voice interrupted them. "Let's attempt to go somewhere that's a little more private."

Kiros and Laguna watched as the two of them abruptly left Laguna's office. "Good luck," Kiros said, forcing Laguna to get up and then sitting down in his seat. He tapped his computer screen a few times and switched between various cameras.

"You really do have this whole place wired," Laguna commented.

"Even the basement," Kiros dismissed him as he switched to a camera near the rooftop exit. "And that's saying something because the last President was apparently a little insane and booby trapped the place." Laguna looked over at him in surprise but Kiros didn't elaborate any further.

Unable to stay in Kiros's office any longer, Squall took off and went to the nearest elevator. Naturally the others all followed suite, but Quistis took her time. She grabbed Zell's arm because he was the closest, and slowed him down.

"What are you doing?" he asked. "If Squall goes up there alone Caraway will—"

"Caraway won't do anything to him. Especially not here," she assured him as the elevator door closed and started going up without them. She casually pressed the button on the wall and waited for it to come back down.

"Yeah but he was pretty mad at Squall. He had people watching him. He came here looking for him," Zell argued.

"He came here looking for Rinoa," Quistis stated. "Don't you know her at all? She's going to be upset over the eavesdropping. The less people that are there to witness her telling Squall she's upset the better."

"But you're still going up," Zell pointed out.

"Of course I am. When people are as upset as Rinoa and Caraway, it's important to have a level-headed mediator. " Zell huffed as he crossed his arms and tapped his foot against the floor. He was about to start tossing a few practice punches but Quistis stole his steam. "You of all people could take a lesson or two in learning how to be more level-headed," she admitted.

"Excuse me? I am the epitome of level-headedness," he defended himself as he thrust a thumb to his chest.

She chuckled and rolled her eyes. "Whatever. …Chicken-wuss," she grinned slyly as she stepped onto the elevator.

"What did you call me!? I think you've been hanging around Seifer for too long! He's corrupted you. He's a very bad influence," he stated as he stepped in with her.

"Level-headedness at it's finest," she smiled as the doors closed.

Author's Notes: This chapter turned out to be a teensy bit longer than I had intended. I want to thank my editor and muse for proofing it for me and letting me know that I didn't butcher too many commas this time. Yay me! Well, she didn't actually say that but she didn't tease me about it so I assume I'm making progress. For those of you still reading, I hope you're still enjoying the story. For those of you reviewing, I love you. :) Don't judge me, after editing a 6k word chapter with a fussing baby beside me, I'm allowed to amuse myself in the note section. It's my special way of trying to play off the headache this chapter has given me. lol

If everything works out like I've got it outlined in the notes, there should only be two chapters left before this story is complete. I'm very excited by this. Finishing this story will allow me to focus on the other two works I've got brewing on the back burners. :)