Chapter VII – Eyes On Me

When his eyes found her…

Emotions were no longer distinct…

All because of one song.

Seifer Almasy lazily walked into Squall's office and gave the Commander a sloppy mock salute. "What is it now?"

Squall said, "Have a seat."

"Don't mind if I do." Seifer made himself comfortable in a leather armchair and smirked. "Nice little place you got here, Leonhart. The happy spoils of war."

"Whatever, Seifer. That's not why I called you here."

"Then what do you want? Hurry up, I haven't got all day."

Hyne, here we go, the Commander told himself. "How have things been since you came back to Garden?"

The ex-knight shrugged. "Same old, same old. Barely anything's changed. People still look at me funny, but that's their problem, not mine."

"Whatever… You've changed, Seifer. The old you would've insulted me by now."

"So you noticed. Took a while, but you got there. Good work, Puberty Boy. You aren't that slow after all."

On second thought— Squall shook his head slowly. No doubt, Seifer had changed, but he was still the Seifer he used to fight with when they were children. "You're on probation, Seifer. I'd watch what I say if I were you."

"If you were me, you'd do exactly what I just did."

"…" Darn him and his smart-ass comments. Squall inwardly groaned. Why was Rinoa putting him through this?

.

..

...

"But Squall, pleeeeeease! You HAVE to. He's one of us," Rinoa said.

"Why? And since when? Do you remember half the things he did when he was still Ultimecia's Knight? Do you remember what he did to YOU?"

"Sure, I was mad at him for throwing me at Adel, but that's in the past now. We've all made mistakes. If I can forgive him, then you can, too."

Squall sighed. "I'm not as forgiving as you are, Rinoa. Sorry, but I can't do it."

"Please, Squall, you really should. If not for me, then for him. He really needs it. He needs to feel wanted."

"How do you know what he needs?"

"Just think, Squall. What would you want if you were him? How would you feel?"

...

..

.

Rinoa's words, of course, brought him back to Seifer's comment about being someone else. Now nothing made sense. He wouldn't do it for Seifer though, so he'd do it for Rinoa. "Seifer, what are your plans for today?"

"What is this? Are you trying to make sure I'm not doing anything 'bad'? What's next, hidden cameras in my bathroom? You're sick."

"No, Seifer, that's not what I mea—"

"Then what?" Seifer interrupted.

"…"

"I'm losing my patience, Leonhart."

"…Wait. It's hard for me to say…"

Seifer scoffed. "You know, I'm not the only one who's changed. You've never admitted something was hard for you before. Looks like Rinoa gave you more than just a life."

"Be quiet for a second, will you? I need to think!" Squall shouted, teeth clenched and face contorted with frustration.

Seifer crossed his armed expectantly. A moment passed before he heard Squall mumbled something. "What's that? I can't hear you, Commander."

"I said are you doing anything tonight!" Squall's head hung low.

At this, Seifer shifted in the chair then leaned forward. "Well, well, well…this isn't what I think it means, right? Don't you go getting my hopes up now." Seifer winked at Squall.

Squall's face flushed crimson with disgust. "No! You moron! I'm not…not…" He apparently had trouble saying it.

"Then why are you asking?" Seifer was amused that his response had such an effect on Squall. What a homophobe.

"Because Rinoa asked me to!"

"She asked you to what?"

"She—" Squall was interrupted with a ring. "Hold on." Seifer sat back in his chair. "Hello. Hi, Xu. No, no, everything's fine. It's nothing, just a heated debate. Yeah, I'm sure. All right. Bye." Squall put the receiver back and sighed.

"You were saying?"

"I'm sure you've heard that Rinoa and I are…getting married."

"Yeah, so? It's not like I don't already know that sissy people do sissy things."

Squall ignored the comment. "I know this is short notice but she— we would like, uh, love it if you could come to the wedding tonight."

"Why? I thought you all hated me."

"People learn to forgive, Seifer, and everyone is willing to give you a chance. So come dressed properly and act accordingly. Failure to do so is not an option."

"Leonhart, I admire your ability to make everything sound like a mission," Seifer said with a roll of his eyes. "Fine, I won't let you down, Commander."

"You'd better not. I have the power to expel you, so think twice before you do something stupid."

"So, you're pretty much blackmailing me into going to a wedding." Seifer laughed at the ridiculousness of it all, while Squall glared at him silently. Seifer rolled his eyes again and acquiesced. "Fine, is that all?"

"Be in the Quad at seventeen-hundred sharp. That's in two hours. You can stay for the banquet and dance if you want."

"That suits me fine." Seifer strolled to the door and left.

Hyne, I better not regret this. Squall took a deep breath. With the way he handled it, Rinoa had to be proud of him, right?

The peaceful music in the background wasn't making Squall feel any more relaxed. Knowing that the crowd was watching him intently did not help either. His chin trembled every time he inhaled and the fluttering feeling in his stomach refused to leave. It's just a wedding. No big deal. You fought monsters on a regular basis. Squall was so distracted by his own condolences; he didn't notice the procession had advanced. He found himself looking at Zell, Irvine, Selphie, and Quistis, all dressed for the occasion. Irvine winked at him, while Zell was grinning a grin markedly his own. Selphie looked like she was about to burst with excitement, and Quistis was Quistis.

Squall looked out at the crowd and saw Headmaster Cid and Matron sitting in the first row, holding hands and smiling like there was no tomorrow. He looked around for more people he knew: Xu, Nida, his father, Kiros, and Ward. Last but not least, Seifer Almasy, who sat as far back as possible, had even donned a black suit, and he was watching Squall from a distance with his arms folded across his chest. He briefly wondered where Seifer had gotten the change of clothes.

The bride was dressed in a pallid gown that looked like it was composed of the whitest clouds in heaven. A crown of snowy feathers rested softly upon her head, enhancing their contrast with her raven locks. The gown swept the floor as she walked and her lean gloved arms were shaking. A thin mesh veil hid the tears of joy welling up in her eyes. When Rinoa was within reach, Squall held out his hand and she slipped hers into his. The priest opened a book Squall did not recognize.

"Dearly beloved," the priest began reading from the Book of Hyne. "We are gather here today in the sight of Hyne and in the presence of these witnesses to join Squall Leonhart and Rinoa Heartilly in holy matrimony. Marriage is one of the oldest and most sacred institutions of Hyne, being the…"

The priest carried on as the couple exchanged rings and vows. "As a final blessing, I wish you happiness in your marriage. I now pronounce you man and wife. You'd better kiss the bride," the priest said, drawing a round of polite laughter.

Squall kept telling himself he must have imagined the familiar snicker he heard when the priest said 'man'.

"You should've seen yourself before Rinoa came out, Squall! You were shaking like Instructor Aki after his third cup of coffee!" Zell exclaimed between mouthfuls of delicious food and drink, mainly hot dogs and hot dogs.

Selphie hushed him, "Keep it down, Zell, he might hear you!" Zell looked around frantically for the man while taking another bite of his hot dog. "I can't believe you're eating hot dogs on an important day like this! Look at all the other stuff you could be eating!"

"Hey, this is probably the only time I'll ever get hot dogs without trying! Unless…" He thought for a moment. "Hurry, Irvine! Marry Selphie!"

The cowboy burst out laughing. "All in good time, my friend. All in good time." Selphie blushed and smacked his arm playfully.

After the meal was over, the center of the ballroom was cleared. Selphie advanced to the large stage. "Hello, everyone! I hope you're all having a super time! Congratulations to Balamb Garden's very own Commander! Rinoa, we're counting on you to make Squall learn how to communicate more! I don't wanna make this too long, so here's Zell!" Selphie skipped off the stage and was replaced by Zell.

"Hey, uh…hi, everyone. My name's Zell. They told me I'm supposed to make a speech. I don't really know what I'm gonna say, soooooo…I guess I'll just talk for a while." He adjusted his collar and continued. "I'm really happy to see Squall and Rinoa get married and stuff. You two look really happy, man. I'm really glad. And those free hot dogs…that's probably the best thing you've ever done for me.

"So, yeah. Now you two can do all those lovey-dovey things like make some babies and stuff, right? I mean, I don't really know much about this. Anyway, Squall, it's been really nice knowing you, and fighting with you. I mean, fighting by your side, not actually, you know, fighting with you like we're always arguing with each other or something." He laughed nervously. "And Rinoa, even though I only met you not too long ago, I think you're a really nice girl, so please take care of Squall for us. Yeah, I know, this speech sucks. Can I stop now, Selphie? How do you turn this thing off?" Zell passed the microphone around from one hand to the other, and the expression on his face was priceless when he almost dropped it. He received a tiny scolding from Selphie as she stepped back onto the stage.

"Now that we've said what we wanted," Selphie said excitedly, "let's get down to business! I'm sure you all know it's customary for the married couple to share the first dance of the night, and boy, do I have a surprise for you all!"

Leaning against a pillar was a tall blond man trying to drown out Selphie's loud and squeaky voice with his thoughts. First the Chicken-wuss, then the loud one AGAIN. Seifer grabbed the nearest glass of champagne and inhaled it, hoping the noise would stop, but still she just would not stop talking.

"…and boy, do I have a surprise for you all!"

Go ahead, Messenger Girl. Surprise us. Seifer never cared much for surprises, even as a child. On his birthdays, Matron and Quistis (who liked to be in charge of everything) would throw surprise parties, but none of them had much of an effect on him. He would only act surprised so he wouldn't hurt Matron's feelings. At this point in his life, he was very much desensitized to most things.

Except for the fact that Quistis Trepe had just stepped onto the stage. Now he was curious. He watched her closely as she tapped the microphone twice to test it. "Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. It is with great honor that I am here to take part in the wedding of two of my dearest friends, one I've known since childhood, and the other, someone I've met under the most peculiar circumstances."

Come on, Instructor. What is this, a lecture? Make it interesting already.

"And so, as a wedding gift, I would like to give them something lasting and memorable. Squall, Rinoa…this is for you both, but especially you, Rinoa." Seifer dared to glance at the bride and saw that she was close to tears again. Again with the crying. No wonder I got so sick of her. Why is the Instructor dedicating something to Rinoa? I thought she would do something for Puberty Boy first. "For your first dance as one, a song written by someone long ago, a special person loved by many."

Trepe? A song? This I've got to see.

Quistis replaced the microphone to its stand and marched towards the grand piano Balamb Garden had restored after the War. She sat down with a gracefulness she alone possessed. She brushed her slim fingers across the piano. Seifer watched as she took a deep breath and pressed down on the keys.

Everyone who was anyone knew the work of Julia Heartilly. Rinoa was nearly bawling by the time Squall guided her to the dance floor and both began to sway to the song.

With the champagne glass still touching his lips, Seifer listened to the tune closely. He felt the emotion being poured into every note she played, as if she was trying to convey and conceal her feelings all at once. Seifer watched her body, her hands, and her arms moving with the music in faultless harmony. Her reading glasses were off and her eyes were closed.

Never in his life had Seifer seen his Instructor so…free.

He glanced around and saw everyone else in the ballroom either off in their own world, watching the married couple dance, or gazing at the pianist. As Seifer stared at Quistis's slender form swaying on the piano bench, something stirred in his chest – something he let linger for a second longer than he should have. He dismissed the feeling.

The soft chorus played on and a crescendo eased into the climax of the piece. Seifer leaned back against the pillar again and closed his eyes slowly. He allowed himself to be moved by the passion of the music and the telltale emotions of the pianist. Just when he was beginning to really relax, the song ended with the last note echoing in the grand ballroom.

There was a lengthy moment of silence as everyone stood, still dumbfounded by the charming song that had not been heard anywhere for years. Seifer put down his glass on a nearby table and dared himself to be the first to clap for her, prompting everyone around him to do the same.

Quistis stood up and straightened her gown before walking off the stage. Selphie, who had been crying from the looks of her wet cheeks, immediately began gushing. "That was so pretty, Quisty! I almost forgot you could play so well!"

"Thank you, Selphie. I owe it all to your FH concert during the War," Quistis said.

Selphie hugged Quistis firmly, then raced back to the stage to take hold of the microphone again. "That was fantastic, wasn't it, everyone?" The audience cheered. "Without further ado, it's time for the rest of us to dance! We'll be playing a bunch of music all night long, so get ready to PAR-TAY!" The lively teen pumped an arm into the air and jumped right off the stage, cueing an orchestra to begin playing the famous Dance with the Balamb Fish.

"Quistis!" The Instructor turned to see Rinoa dragging her new husband behind her. The enthusiastic bride gave Quistis a strong hug as she whispered, "Thank you, Quistis! Thank you so much. It was like having my mother here with us." Rinoa sniffled and pulled Quistis closer. "Oh, thank you…"

"I'm pleased that you're happy, Rinoa," Quistis answered mechanically. After a few more comments of gratitude, a rare "thank you" from Squall and a "thank goodness my father didn't come" from Rinoa, Quistis excused herself. It wasn't long before she stumbled upon Squall's father and his two trusted friends.

"Good evening, President Loire, Mr. Seagul and Mr. Zaback," Quistis greeted.

Laguna's face crinkled into a smile. "Hello, Quistis! It's a pleasure to see you again! Great job on the piano. It reminded me of the days when we used to listen to Julia at the Galbadia Hotel." The older man sighed nostalgically. "Oh, and call me Laguna. I think we all know each other well enough! Are you having a good time? Selphie was really eager to manage and plan everything, so I didn't get to do much myself."

He still talks so much... "Oh, it's wonderful, Mr.—" She received a small look from the President. "Laguna. The decorations and cuisine are quite fine."

"That's great!" He flashed a charming grin. "It's a shame Dr. Odine couldn't come. I invited him and all, but he said he had research to do. But he would've loved to see how our resident Sorceress is doing."

"How is Dr. Odine's research? I heard he's been devoting his time to the environmental effects of the War as of late," Quistis inquired.

"Well, not too many leads yet," the president said, scratching his head. "He wants to do a few experiments; nothing ground-breaking so far. Even if it needs a lot of funding, I'm sure it'll all worthwhile. He has discovered a few things…"

Bored. There was no other word that described how Seifer felt. Everyone around him was talking, laughing or dancing; Seifer loathed all of those things. Picking up yet another glass of expensive champagne, he caught sight of his Instructor.

He took a step toward her but saw that she was talking to someone else: an older man to whom she seemed to be paying a lot of attention. Seifer scowled and turned back to his beverage, taking in another mouthful.

It wasn't until later in the evening that Seifer saw Quistis on the balcony. He hesitated now. Weren't you going to talk to her? What's wrong with you? Frankly, he didn't know what was wrong. As soon as he got within five feet of her, he stopped to take in the view.

There she was, her elbows on the ledge, leaning forward with her head tilted to the stars. Her hair was clipped up in its usual manner and the twilight breeze toyed with the two strands of hair that framed her face. The lavender gown she wore made her seem taller and more sophisticated than she often looked, and the sleeveless bodice emphasized her figure. Hmph. Only Trepe could ever make a simple dress look this good. He steeled himself with a smirk and advanced.

"Instructor," he addressed her with his rich baritone. She turned to face him, but not before looking him up and down in acknowledgment.

"Seifer."