Good evening everyone! Long time no post. Sadly, things have been rather busy on this end, but I'm not dead yet. To prove it, I present to you a little scene that I wrote in a mad frenzy just to see if I could still do it. Enjoy!
Her Eyes
By Shade the Raven
The first time I ever saw those eyes, they were dead. None of life's energy was behind them, as if the vampiric forces of fame and glamour had eaten their fill and left not but hollow shells in their wake. Everything about her seemed lifeless and barren, much to the dismay of my comrades. There was a sort of unmotivated truth whenever she spoke, as if to let us know that she'd heard and said these things a hundred times before, so what was one more? Even as we relayed the warning of impending struggle and danger in a chess match we didn't understand, I wasn't sure if she really understood or not just how serious we were. Could it be that she had heard such rumor and menace before that this one didn't even faze her? I couldn't tell at first, but then something I didn't expect happened. She smiled at us. And that was the first time I saw a sign of potential of something resembling human.
The first time I saw those eyes shine under the lights of stardom, I was taken back in elements of fear. Under the overloading violet and neon of the scandalous dungeon, the eyes of her doppelganger looked back at us glowing in emerald and sinister mischief. And that was but the tip of the iceberg as we were forced to watch a full banquet of this idol's imposter tease us with twisted intentions. I wasn't sure which fear was stronger; the concern over the safety and defense of my comrades as we braved this strobe-lit hell, or the growing dread in my core as we pieced together just what this Shadow was trying to tell us. That somewhere inbetween the tearing grasp of fame and the demands of celebrity life, she had lost the very definition of herself. To a few of us, it was a story told over and over again; for we had seen other friends sink into the fog separating truth from feeling. Others were finally witnessing just how powerful and cruel a tool a wounded heart could be. Still, we emerged victorious from that battle and saved another life. And that was the first time I heard her speak with a voice that wasn't an idol's or a zombie's. It was hers.
The first time I saw those eyes sparkle with real energy was on a summer's day under the shade of a shrine whose 'divine providence' was coming back to the town, thanks in part to an unusual kit. We had all gathered to both welcome and question our newest success story, just as we had the rest of our team. Hope and try as we might, no new clues surfaced about our opponent, but there was a better half to the equation. Finally, we all saw her not only as a recharging starlet with only fortune and recognition in her future, but as a young woman pulled into something she didn't understand. But with that confusion came a gift that was all her own, an energy and polarity that could boost us all in battle. Not only could she read the Shadow's we fought like open books and tell us where to hit, but she could still light up a room in only a smile's time. And that was the first time I could feel the genuine gratitude and happiness in her voice.
The first time I saw those eyes burn with curiosity, it began with a question about acid. With one more week of grueling exams behind us, the team had gathered to refresh both our minds and bodies with delicious sodas and pleasant conversation. It was a moment we had seen far too little of lately, and it was certainly welcome. I had almost forgotten what peace tasted like as a few last test questions were tossed about, and then I was hit with a twist. Just with the power of a look alone did time stop for us two. It was in that moment that I could see the two sides of the coin, both the idol of the past who could woo crowds with a smile and the student who had come to terms with what was inside herself and sought to make both of those truths into her own true self. And that was the first time I could feel the paths of destiny that we two walked begin to lean toward each other.
The first time I saw those eyes burn with anger, she was being hunted. Not just by one man, though one man led the hunt. No, in fact she was stalked by the draws and wants of the life she had left behind. All the exposure and attention any idol could want, but at what cost? What did it matter to anyone else if every smile and song from here on out was just as fake as those before them which had led her here in the first place. To her, it was as much an internal war as it was external, shedding the chains of the past to find just which parts of herself were real and which were fabricated to please. To that end came a minor bit of deception as we two found ourselves staring down the leader of the hunt; her former manager and handler. In an act of desperation and perhaps even a little wishful thinking, she proclaimed our future together as husband and wife. Needless to say, I was stunned. Part of me wanted to ask just where this mad concoction had come from, but the moment I looked down into those eyes and saw the gamble she had staked, I knew that the truth took a side seat to reprieve. So I gave her my support without question. Both she and her manager looked wide-eyed as I too told him that she was to be my wife soon and that was final. And that was the first time I feel the weight she bore on her shoulders as I reached out to let her feel my support.
The first time I saw those eyes fill with a simple need for comfort and closeness, the world itself had delivered a punch to the gut. In a way, I suppose it was inevitable after all, since she herself had sworn that she would never be used like such a lifeless model ever again. But I suppose that had somehow downplayed the pain that was coming. That is, until it sought her out to tell her that the future that could have been hers had been swept away and reshaped for someone else. As another idol was offered to appease the masses, she was left to fade into memory, with only us in this small town left to remember her. My jaw wanted to hit the ground after that, for how much can one person withstand in one barrage? At first, the tears were slow in coming, and then they became a torrent. The sadness and longing that those orbs contained was all the sign I needed to take that one step forward and just wrap her in my arms, keeping her close. Her tears may have soaked my shirt, but that was irrelevant. Right now, that little voice inside me told me she needed this. As she looked up at me with those bloodshot eyes and smiled through her tears, I knew what had just begun. And that was the first time I could feel the true passion and love her heart commanded shift its target to me.
And the first time I ever saw Rise Kujikawa's eyes shine as windows to her true soul, they were but inches from mine as he held each other tightly in the autumn's breeze. She had come on a mission to my room, both curious and determined. After a few probing questions about some of my more guarded secrets, she looked at me not as just a friend and confidant, but as a lover and treasure. Just as I had come to hold her closely in my own heart. As she had shown me the sides of herself the rest of the masses would never know, I had shown her just how much she had meant to the rest of the world beyond a ditzy image of teen lust. And I was not alone in that pursuit, for one other devoted fan continued to reach out to her, wanting to see her as the rest of us saw her; both a starlet and a young woman. For that I thanked that person on the other end of the pen as I looked down into the fire of her eyes and smiled. On her part, she was almost speechless, having said it before, but never in truth. But it didn't matter, since there was no room for deception between us in that moment. The warmth rising from her cheeks and the rapid gallop of her heart against my chest said everything her lips could not. Her fingers were practically tugging into my shoulders to pull me closer while mine cradled her neck and back like fragile gemstones, a position I rather hoped to get used to. And that was the first time I said "I love you, Rise."
Honestly, as a Persona 4 paring goes, Rise is my 2nd favorite for the MC. Yukiko takes top prize (shes just so damn CUTE!)... Anyways, I do hope you enjoyed this little piece and I'm glad to be back in action!
Reviews are welcome!