Last Dance
By Tarlia
Based on an instrumental piece by Sarah Mclachlan
called 'Last Dance'. All characters
from Final Fantasy VIII are © Square.
The old
wooden stairs creaked as heavy boots were planted on them, even if each step
was made as lightly as possible, and Laguna grimaced. He paused, momentarily, looking over his shoulder and
listening. Had she heard? No, there was no sound from the
bedroom. She was still sleeping, thank
God.
As he
finally had successfully arrived on the first floor, his wife stepped out from
behind the bar of the little Winhill cafeteria. It was their home now, no longer just hers, and Kiros had
taken over the old house where Laguna used to stay. Raine tilted her head lightly in that curious fashion of hers,
blue eyes sparkling even in the dull light of the single lamp hanging from the
ceiling. "Is she asleep?"
Laguna
raised a hand to rub the back of his head with his palm, and to push away a
bang of black hair that had fallen into his vision, before nodding in reply,
"Yeah, after three bedtime stories and four songs, she eventually fell
asleep. Man, if she had stayed awake
any longer, I would have passed out before her."
The young
woman giggled, and was only more amused when she saw the frown on her husband's
face that clearly said 'it's not funny!'. Of course, Raine didn't mean anything by it. She was grateful for his help in taking care of little Ellone,
even if she felt he was spoiling the girl from time to time. "Elle can be quite stubborn."
"Tell me
about it," the former soldier huffed, dropping down onto a chair. "I'm exhausted. There was really a lot of monsters around today too, dunno where
they're all coming from." His green
eyes flashed up to meet hers, and with another sigh he asked, "Wanna go to bed?"
There was
nothing romantic about the question at all. So much for her hopes of spending some time alone with him tonight. Raine watched him for a second, then put her
hands on her hips and shook her head, "Laguna, you're hopeless."
When she
turned and walked back to the bar without another word, Laguna perked up,
"What? What did I do now?"
"Nothing…,"
Raine avoided looking at him, busying herself with wiping off the bar and
putting away a few stray glasses that she hadn't had the time to clean earlier
in the evening. As Laguna made his
approach, she decided to turn on the radio that stood next to the sink before
he could say anything, but kept the volume down in order to not disturb Ellone.
Laguna
didn't know what he had done wrong this time, and found himself just staring at
his lover helplessly. Raine could be
the sweetest, gentlest thing when she was happy, but she was a well-tempered
woman and when she was in a bad mood, she would either lash out angrily, or she
would be a silent riddle, refusing to tell him why she was upset. Though this time, her anger didn't stay for
long. Laguna eyed her in curiosity as
she paused in her actions, listening to the music that flowed out of the tiny
speakers of the radio, and her body stiffened. It was a slow piano tune, calming and soft.
"Listen,"
Raine whispered, whirling around to face Laguna who now had moved to her side
of the bar and was standing right behind her. She took his hands in hers, and another puzzled expression crossed
Laguna's face. "It's one of my
favourites. Oh, it's been forever since
I heard this one."
"Uh,"
Laguna said, and that was all he got the chance to say before his wife abruptly
pulled him with her out on the floor, kicking away a table and a couple of
chairs on her way. She even reached
over with a hand to turn off the switch to the lamp, leaving the room dark
except for the white moonlight that entered through the windows. Once they were there, she looked up at him
again, a beautiful smile resting on her rosy lips, "Dance with me, Laguna. Like you did in our wedding."
"Oh, no,"
the protest came immediately, "No, no, no. I made a complete fool out of myself then. You promised I wouldn't have to again."
"I already
know you're a complete fool, Laguna, so it doesn't matter. There's no one else here, even. Just you and I."
Laguna
shook his head quickly, "But I can't dance."
"Not even
for me?" Raine's eyes were pleading. She knew he couldn't resist that look, that innocent beauty in her
wonderful eyes. Her skin was milky
white in the faint shine of the moon, and her silky, dark brown hair fell down
her back perfectly. What he would once
have seen as a simple country girl compared to Julia Heartilly in her fancy red
dress, was now the most beautiful creature he could imagine. How could he say 'no' to someone like her?
Her smile
reappeared as he made no further complaints, and Raine slipped her arms around
his neck, but then frowned as he just stood there dumbly. Didn't he know anything? Again, her hands moved to take a hold of his
and firmly plant them around her waist, before moving her own arms back into
position. Slowly, she began moving in
rhythm to the music, and Laguna awkwardly tried to follow.
Dancing
just was not his area. More than once
he accidentally stepped on her toes, and after the fourth time Raine was close
to giving up on him, but decided to try another time before the song was
over. She slowed down a little, quietly
explaining to him how to do each move, and eventually Laguna began to get a hang
of it. It was easier than the waltz
they had unsuccessfully tried to dance in their wedding; all he had to do was
move his feet in pattern with hers as they circled each other again and again,
and Raine drew closer to him all the time, until she finally rested her head
against his chest, feeling his heartbeat and almost able to hear it through the
low music. Laguna bent his head to
place a light kiss on top of her head, hugging her as the song neared its end
and the two of them stopped moving.
Then she
looked up at him, and smiled. Laguna
smiled in return. She had once told
herself she could never fall in love with someone like him. She, like all other girls, had hoped for the
knight in shining armour to come and take her away on his silver horse, and she
had never expected that her knight would be carried into her little home
town, battered and sobbing. But over
those months turned into a year that he had stayed there with them in Winhill -
stayed there with her - she had developed a strong liking for Laguna's shy,
clumsy personality, his somewhat inexperienced determination in battle, his
handsome face and expressive green eyes, but first and foremost, she was in
love with his gentle kindness. The way
he made her smile with his silly jokes, the way he could make Ellone giggle
with glee as he played with her, his loyalty to his friend Kiros. She needed no knight, for Laguna was hers,
and only hers. There was a time when
she had feared he would leave her for his dream of becoming a famous writer, but
those doubts had died the night he asked her to marry him. He was there to stay with her forever, to
raise a family with her, to love her and Ellone. Proven by their matching wedding rings, they were bound together.
He kissed
her.
And then
Kiros came bursting in the door.
Raine
nearly screamed in surprise and Laguna let go of her, turning to face his
friend with an angry glare, "Kiros! What the hell do you think you're do-"
But Kiros,
still struggling to catch his breath, cut him off mid-sentence, "Sorry for
interrupting, man, but it's an emergency. Esthar soldiers. At the border
of the town. They're coming here."
"What??"
Laguna snapped, "How many?"
"Many."
Narrowing
his eyes in worry, Laguna hesitated for a second before going over to the corner
and grabbing his machinegun, then he turned back to Raine, "Stay here," he told
her before running outside along with Kiros.
Raine was
greatly concerned as well, for she feared they had come for Ellone. Before walking up the stairs to check on
her, however, she paused to look after Laguna. And she sighed longingly at the lost moment.
Their last
moment.