Before either of them knew it, it was already four in the morning. Squall had half a mind to just say fuck it and just stay up with Rinoa until it was time to hit the road after breakfast, but he knew that he had to get some sleep. He turned his head and looked over to Rinoa, who still sat in his lap, and smiled as he watched her head slowly tilt downwards as sleep tried to claim her.

He knew it was time to go. It would be his last night in an actual bed for a while, he had to take advantage of it. Personally, he would rather be in a bed with Rinoa, but he knew that if he crawled beneath the covers with her he would never come back out. He would keep her hostage there, driving into her over and over again just to taste the moans upon her tongue.

He caressed the round curve of her jaw with the back of his fingers, causing her eyelids to flutter and her face to turn towards his. A sleepy moan rumbled within her throat and it was enough to quicken his heart beat. His eyes dropped down to the slow smile that formed on her lips.

"Is it time to go?" she asked through a yawn.

Reluctantly he nodded.

Hardly able to keep her eyes open, she turned away and climbed out of his lap and back into the passenger seat.

While she strapped herself in, Squall couldn't help but notice the immediate drop in temperature against his body and resisted the urge to grab her back into his clutch. The words that Irvine had venomously shot at Squall earlier that day itched within his skull: You sure you're going to be able to handle not seeing her every day?

Squall turned the ignition and reversed away from the ledge.


He walked her to her door and watched her unlock her apartment. She turned around and faced him, her lips pressing together almost nervously. His hand cupped the back of her neck and brought those lips up to meet his.

"Did you want to come in?" she asked softly when he pulled away.

It was tempting. So very, very, tempting. Vivid flashes of her sprawled across that damned panda-printed blanket with her neck arched as she screamed, her fingers tangled within his hair as he had his head between her legs, flashed through his mind. "I probably shouldn't," he sighed. "If I did then you wouldn't get any sleep and I'd never leave."

Rinoa laughed and gently ran her fingers over his chest. The threat sounded almost divine. Already she felt the need to have him again. "Even if I promised I'd kick you out of bed in time?" she teased.

Squall grinned and took her hand in his, his thumb stroking over her knuckles. "You could try," he said. He lifted his eyes so they locked with hers and his breath caught in his throat. "Besides…you'll see me at breakfast."

"True, but we'll have company and I will have to behave myself in front of them," Rinoa said quietly, her nails raking over his undershirt before gently pinching at the hoop threaded through his right nipple.

"You won't be alone in that," he countered, tugging her closer so that her breasts flattened against his chest, trapping her hand between their still burning bodies. "I'll only be gone a few months," he said, almost more so to himself rather than to her.

"Like I said, I'll be here when you get back." Rinoa wriggled her hands free and draped her arms around his neck, standing on tip toe so that her lips reached his. She meant it to be final, to be brief and sweet so that he could go back to his place and get some rest before his long drive, but the moment their lips met it sparked the still simmering desire between them and soon her tongue slipped out, running over his mouth to taste him.

With a struggled groan he pinned her against the door. He could feel his dick start to swell in preparation. Perhaps there is time for one more round, he thought.

An apartment door from the building across from them slammed, jarring them alert from their thick cloud of desire. Rinoa pulled away, her fingers shyly brushing her lips as she tried not to laugh. Squall's lips were twisted in annoyance and he glanced over his shoulder to glare at the unaware intruder, a woman in a jogging suit and a high ponytail with a water bottle in hand.

"Who the fuck goes running at five in the goddamn morning?" Squall muttered through his clenched teeth.

Rinoa let out a giggle and rested her forehead against Squall's collar. "Apparently she does," she said. Reluctantly she retracted her arms from around his neck and placed a hand on the doorknob. "I'll see you at breakfast."

Squall nodded, his fingers grasping her free hand for a quick moment. "Do you mind keeping…all this…between us for now?" he asked. "I mean, not that I want to hide what we've done but..."

"Not at all," Rinoa said, gently raking her nails over his palm to show she understood what he had meant. "I'd rather us figure it all out before we tell anyone else."

A small grin formed on Squall's lips and he gave her hand a swift kiss. "I just want to keep you all to myself for a while. It's not their business what you and I do." He released her hand and turned away. "Goodnight, Rinoa," he called as he descended the stairs.

"Goodnight."

Once behind closed doors, Rinoa's fingers immediately came up and rested along her clavicle, her palm over the hollow of her throat as she breathed in and out deeply. "Holy shit…" she whispered, her mind flashing back to the heated session in his Jeep. She had told him that tonight would have to hold her over until the next time they met, but now, barely even a few hours later, she could already feel her body going through withdrawals.

Her fingers walked up the slope of her neck, softly caressing her lips that were still slightly swollen from his ferocious kisses. "Only a few months," she whispered to herself. "July twenty-seventh." When they rested in the car he told her the date of their last show of the tour. It would end on a Friday in Esthar, and then after a three day drive back to Deling, he would be home.

Rinoa closed her eyes and softly chuckled to herself. "Only a few months," she repeated, opening her eyes and making her way to room. As she pushed open her bedroom door she realized she still wore his shirt…and that her cardigan was still in his backseat where he had tossed it. She peeled the shirt from her and brought it to her nose, inhaling deeply.

"Oh, fuck," she muttered, realizing how hard and fast she was falling.


Back at his apartment, Squall tossed his keys onto the kitchen center island. While his eyes were slowly closing, he reached into his pocket to yank out his phone and cigarettes. With a cigarette between his lips he made his way out to the patio, his thumb slowly scrolling over the smooth surface of his phone.

Keeping his patio lamp off, he lighted his cigarette and watched the smoke rise into the sky that had melted from that midnight black to a deep and royal blue. From how his apartment was positioned, he could not see the orange and pinks that accompanied a glorious sunrise. His brows furrowed as he noticed that the stars were hardly visible anymore.

"One of these days," he muttered to himself, the cigarette bouncing between his lips with each word. "When I'm old and retired, I'm building a cabin in the mountains…away from these damn city lights." He blew out the smoke through his teeth and watch it float up into the sky like a gauzy ribbon. He thought back to how when he lived at his last foster home—before Ellone rescued him—and how he would sneak out of his bedroom window, climb up onto the roof, and all but stare at the stars. It was the only thing that kept him sane in that house. His foster parents lived in a small house at the bottom of a canyon, away from the city and its stars-concealing lights. He had wanted to count them all, wished for a shooting star to grant his wish and take him away.

Turning away at the memory, he crushed the cigarette into the ashtray and receded back into the living room, firmly closing the slider behind him. His eyes traveled over to a small Mason jar that was adorning the end table tucked into the far corner of the living room. He picked it up with one hand and stared at it.

The first few weeks with Ellone had been rough. Ellone lived in the middle of the city because it was closer to her college, and he was unable to see his beloved stars. He was eleven then, days away from turning twelve. As Squall thought back to it he grimaced, clearly his time at his foster home had made his mind regress to a young child. For weeks he would hardly sleep, hardly eat, and constantly suffered night terrors.

Ellone, calm as ever, did what she could to ease his mind. One day, while he was out with their social worker and his therapist, she had decorated his ceiling with plastic glow and the dark stars she had purchased at the toy store. For his twelfth birthday she took him out for a drive into the desert, far from the city lights, and gave him the jar he held now in his hands. She had filled the glass jar with thick aluminum and strategically poked holes into it to create constellations.

"This one here is Leo," she had told him, dropping in a small LED candle into the jar and tightly closing the cap so that the light glowed through the little holes. "The Lion." She pulled out a pair of binoculars and compass, hurriedly leafed through a library book before turning Squall around and pointing to the sky. "That's him there," she said, making him take hold of the binoculars.

"It doesn't look like a lion," Squall had muttered, earning a soft flick to the earlobe from Ellone.

"It's called imagination. Leo is always in the sky, but because we are on the West, we only get to see him for a very short, brief moment before dawn. It's easier to find him on the Northern hemisphere." She had placed a gentle hand atop his head, which back then had been much lower to her body than it was now. "Leo is always watching," Ellone said with a smile. "He will always protect you."

Even back then Squall had thought it campy, especially since Ellone herself knew next to nothing about constellations. It took him years to figure out and realize how much Ellone did for him. She knew seeing the stars would calm him down, so she checked out any books she could on the subject. It was she who taught him about constellations even though she had learned about them minutes before telling him about them.

He had never heard about the constellation Leo before, but Ellone remembered that when he was a child his favorite animal was a lion, so she did her best to combine his two favorite things—lions and stargazing.

"Did you know that the constellations are linked to the zodiac?" Ellone had asked him. "On the day that you are born, the sun passes through a specific constellation of the zodiac, which gives you a zodiac sign." He remembered Ellone shuffling through some more papers and books before she continued. "Now, you're special because your birthday falls on the cusp, meaning that the sun was in between two constellations." She had looked over to Squall with large and wide eyes. "Not only are you Leo, but you are also Virgo—the Angel." She squinted up at the sky and pointed. "There she is!" Ellone had excitedly clapped her hands as she watched Squall peer through the binoculars with growing interest. "The Lion and the Angel…both are yours, Squall."

With a scowl he placed the Mason jar back onto the end table and twisted it so that Leo was facing the living room, just like he always did. Squall never really did ever thank her for all that she did.

He took out his phone and opened up a new message with her, knowing that she would be awake but not entirely sure if she would have access to her phone at the moment.

S.L: I just wanted to say thanks for being such a great mom/sister.

He made his way to the bathroom and quickly brushed his teeth. As he walked towards his bed he peeled off the rest of his clothes so that he stood in only his dark red boxers and the same undershirt he had worn earlier.

He crawled into bed and as his head hit the pillow his phone beeped for his attention.

E.L: You're going on tour—not going into a war again. Don't get sappy on me.

Squall smirked at her response. He knew she was probably narrowing her eyes at her phone's screen, trying to decipher what he was really trying to say.

S.L: Whatever. Just saying thanks for everything you did for me.

E.L: That's what sisters do. Now go the fuck to sleep. xoxo

He placed the phone on the nightstand and rubbed his eyes. He paused. The scent of Rinoa still lingered on him. Crudely, he slid his fingers down the length of his face so that they rested upon his upper lip, inhaling the scent that still remained. His insides clenched as he thought about how she moved against him, how she moaned into his mouth, how he fit so snug inside of her. And then, she felt so right, so at home in his lap with his arms around her waist as they stared up into the beautiful night sky.

Screwing his eyes tight, he turned over onto his side. He had taken her to the one place that was his sanctuary for so long. When he was in high school and then Garden, the desert was further than he was able to drive, so he had to find somewhere closer to home to stargaze. He never shared that place with anyone—not even Kendra…Kendra, whom he had introduced to Ellone.

He thought back to their conversation about figuring things out when he got back from tour. His mind raced as they repeatedly said that he would only be gone "a few months," as if it would make it easier.

His palm smacked the empty pillow beside him. "I should have stayed at her place."


The next morning Squall opened the door and narrowed his eyes at the multiple nearly purple mouth-shaped markings all around Irvine's neck. The cowboy showed some sense of dignity by having his hair down in an attempt to conceal the numerous hickies.

"Busy night?" Squall asked.

Irvine made a short chuckle within his throat but his lips twisted into a wince. "My dick hurts," he complained with a mutter.

Squall's lips rose in a repulsed scowl and he exited the apartment, locking the door behind him after he looped the beat up black backpack over his shoulder.

"My woman is insatiable," Irvine was saying. "As much as I enjoy it…it can get pretty painful after a while." As he turned to walk down the hall he adjusted his crotch almost as an afterthought. "Did you grab everything?"

"The essentials," Squall responded. "Most of my clothes are already packed into the van with all of yours and everyone else's."

Irvine walked with his hands in his back pockets as he met in stride with Squall. "How'd last night with Rinoa go?" Before Squall could reply, he added, "Did she tear you a new one for being such an asshole?" Irvine smirked at Squall's annoyed expression. "Seriously dude, dick move on your part."

"Actually, yeah," Squall admitted. "She did give me an earful." He glowered at the memory of the hurt in Rinoa's eyes. "I really wasn't trying to hurt her," he told Irvine.

"I know you weren't," Irvine said with an arm outstretched to pat Squall's shoulder. "You're just a fucking idiot is all."

"So I've heard."

Irvine was continuing despite Squall's groan of annoyance. "It just goes to show that you can bed a large number of women and yet know next to nothing about how to treat them," Irvine said with a mockingly exasperated sigh.

Squall frowned. Irvine was acting as if his own list wasn't as colorful, if not more. At least Squall could remember the names of all the women he'd gotten into bed with. Before Selphie came alone, Irvine reveled in the lead singer rock star lifestyle. "So, in following your logic," Squall said. "You wouldn't even know which hole to stick it in." As Irvine stopped in his tracks and glared, Squall added, "Poor Selphie."


For breakfast they arrived at the diner where they had first met up at together. Rinoa and Selphie entered last due to Selphie having a mini-emotional breakdown in Rinoa's bathroom. By the time they had arrived breakfast and coffee had already been ordered.

"I ordered you Belgian waffles," Irvine told Selphie when she glided into the empty space beside him. "With a shit ton of strawberries and whipped cream."

"Oh!" Selphie draped her arms around his neck and covered his cheek with wet kisses.

Rinoa made a sympathetic face at the couple and sat down in the only empty chair, which was beside Zell.

"We just ordered you strawberry banana pancakes," Quistis said to Rinoa. "Since Squall said it was what you ordered the last time we were all here."

Rinoa paused. He remembered? Hell—she didn't even remember what she ordered for breakfast two days ago let alone two weeks! Her insides fluttered with those damn butterflies that refused to leave her ever since she woke up that morning. It was the little things like that that truly mattered and made her almost blush at the sweet sincerity of the gesture.

Zell was reaching for his coffee when suddenly he jerked, upright his lips twisting into a smothered pained grunt. He glanced up at Quistis for a breath before instantly standing to his feet. "Squall switch places with me!" he demanded suddenly, his fists balled at his sides. "Quistis has something on her phone that she needs to show me." Awkwardly he nodded, as if he had an inner dialogue with himself that no one else was aware of and all but pushed Squall out of the chair beside Quistis.

Squall only blinked as he watched Zell lower himself into the chair, his cheeks red and lips tight. Everyone at the table was staring. Cid and Edea, at the end of the table, only sighed and then returned their attention to the map in front of them.

Squall sat beside Rinoa and gave her a look.

"Not obvious at all," she said lowly, trying not to laugh through her embarrassment.

"Not in the least," he agreed, glaring daggers at the spiky blonde across from him who was leaning forward a bit to massage his shin.

Rinoa discreetly moved her foot beneath the table, nudging it softly at the back of Squall's calf. "How'd you sleep?"

"Got a few hours in," he replied with a shrug. "You?"

"Same."

"So," said Cid from the end of the table. "Who's taking the first shift?"

Irvine raised his hand. "I'll be driving first, then Squall, then Quistis, and the Zell. We plan on taking it straight on through to Great Salt Lake since that's a little over sixteen hours away. With each of us driving four hours each we should be able to just take it straight."

"We should get to Great Salt Lake around four or five tomorrow morning," Quistis added. "We'll get some sleep, and then start over again until we reach Dollet."

"When's your first show?" Rinoa asked, stabbing her fork into the plate of pancakes the waitress brought her.

"Saturday," Zell said. "Our first tour venue is at Occult."


It was just after ten-thirty when they were brushing the crumbs from their mouths and drinking the last remnants of their coffees. Cid and Edea ushered the kids away from the table, insisting that they took care of the bill. "Make sure you go to the bathroom," Edea urged, running her long red nails through her black hair. "Who knows how clean the next bathroom on your path will be."

"Yes, Matron," Zell said, dutifully saluting her and heading towards the restrooms.

Quistis laughed and quickly grabbed hold of Rinoa, holding out her phone and demanding a picture. While the blonde displayed her signature half-smirk, Rinoa widely smiled as she tilted her head to rest against Quistis's cheek. "Ohmygod," Quistis groaned. "We are so damn cute."

"Well, one of you is," Squall said quickly as he calmly strode to the bathroom.

Quistis's jaw dropped and she scrunched his nose at Rinoa. "Apparently he's in a sour mood about something," she rumbled, detaching from the raven-haired girl to also head towards the bathroom.

Minutes later they were all outside in front of the diner's entrance. Cid and Edea gave each of them hugs and soon were waved off.

"Alright," Zell said with a sigh. "I guess it's about that time then." He looked over to Rinoa and extended a hand to her. "Thanks for everything Rinoa, can't wait to see the shots from last week."

"Of course!" Rinoa ignored his hand and instead threw her arms around his neck and squeezed. "You take care," she said to him. As he detached himself from her so he could head towards the van, Rinoa turned and slid her arms around Quistis's narrow waist. "Um…I think I'll miss you most of all," Rinoa purred.

Quistis let out a loud laugh and stuck her tongue out at Squall. "Well obviously," she said haughtily. "I mean, who else would you possibly miss from this group of assholes?" She gave Rinoa a tight squeeze and pulled away, but not before taking Rinoa's hand and spinning her around so that she was suddenly in Squall's arms.

Squall took hold of her fingers and gently gave them a squeeze. While Rinoa bowed her head and shyly tucked her hair behind her ear, he heard a small noise behind him. He turned his head to see Selphie pointing at them and hurriedly whispering to Irvine, who was reaching for his phone.

Squall dropped Rinoa's hand and roughly cleared his throat.

Irvine lifted his head and sent him that infamously charming grin while Selphie squeaked and ducked behind a corner. "My bad," Irvine said. "Carry on." He waved his hand in a grand gesture and quickly turned on his heels.

At the sight, Rinoa let out a soft exhale of a laugh. Her smile grew larger when she saw that Squall's ears were burning a bright red. She reached up and lightly stroked the brown strands that were tucked behind them. When Squall turned his attention back to her she ran her finger over the glossy black plug in his earlobe.

"Have a great tour," she murmured.

He nodded and scooped up her hand again. "I haven't seen the list of the rest of the cities yet," he said. "But when I do and if there is a venue not too far from here…"

"Let me know, I'll be there," Rinoa promised.

Squall lifted up her hand and laid a kiss to her knuckles. "I'll see you, Rinoa."

Her teeth bit down and rolled over her bottom lip at the feel of his kiss. She smiled. "I'll see you."

They broke apart from each other and rounded the corner to where everyone was waiting beside the van. Irvine was locked in a deep embrace with Selphie while Zell was reading over the directions to Quistis, who was quickly sucking on her cigarette.

"I'll call you when we stop," Irvine was saying.

Selphie pulled away, her lips tightly pressed together as she tried not to let the tears spill. "Drive safe," she commanded shakily.

"Always." He turned and gave Rinoa a smile. "Rinoa, it's been real. Keep my Selphie company, will you?"

"Of course," Rinoa said, looping her arm through Selphie's. "I'll have some of the pictures from the show posted within a few days. But first…" She stuck her hand into her bag and pulled out her camera. "Alright bitches! Get in front of that van!"

Everyone lined up in front of it. Irvine placed upon his head the cowboy hat that Selphie had been wearing and leaned against the side of the van, his leg bent so that his foot rested along the side door. Quistis posted herself to his left, hands on her tilted hips as she pursed her lips into a tantalizing kiss. Zell stood to Irvine's right and held his arms up in the air with his fists posed in excitement while his mouth was open in a screaming howl. Squall leaned against the van beside Quistis, his arms crossed over his chest.

Rinoa grinned at how these simple poses spoke volumes of each character and snapped away, laughing while doing so. After a few shots she lowered her camera, shaking her hips as Absolute Lore fell upon themselves with high-fives and congratulatory hand-shakes.

It was happening. Soon everyone across the country would be spoilt with their heart breaking sounds and shattering words. If only they knew what they were getting themselves into, she thought, hoping that the fans would be ready for them.

Then, after a few more rounds of hugs with each of the members, they piled into the van. Squall rolled down the passenger window and pointed a finger to Rinoa. He didn't say a word and instead shot her a look that sent a fiery blaze across her skin.

Until next time, she thought to him.


A/N: Hello! Again, many thanks for the reviews, much appreciated! It makes me feel so giddy to see that people are enjoying this story =D