Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy 8 or its characters. They are ALL copyrighted by Squaresoft. ALL the chapters in this fic follow the same disclaimer!!!! I just own my created characters.

Part II – Reality and Illusion

Prologue - Reoccurrence

She watched him with translucent brown eyes. Every move he made against the enemy was perfect to the point of serenity. He flowed like water, gentle one moment, and the next he was raging with intense ferocity because of the slightest thing that disturbed him. His feet moved like a butterfly and his attacks surely looked like it stung as a bee, however, she would never know.

She watched as two shining blades came into contact suddenly with a force that could blow down the fiercest of fires. As a result of the contact made by the two blades, there created a brilliant light that could blind people within seconds. However, she kept looking on. No power in the world could ever restrict her from gazing onto him and his perfect features.

The blades struck against each other one more time. This time, a dark aura emitted from the contact, sending terrifying chills down her spine, and throughout her whole body for that matter. Nevertheless, she kept on watching the battle, as if this was going to be the last time she was to lay her eyes upon the man she wanted to protect from harm.

The two crystalline blades, each a different color that was part of the rainbow came down together in a loud clash once again. This time however, she gasped as something unexpected happened to the one she wouldn't turn her gaze away from.

One of the blades shattered into a million pieces right in front of her eyes. She wanted to break down and cry at that moment, but her body would not react. Her gaze was still kept on the warrior whose blade received the most unfortunate outcome. She tried to pry her eyes away, but found herself to be glued upon the creature in front of her.

Before long, time itself stopped. Her breaths quickened to a very high pace as she felt her heart beat and could have sworn it would rip out of her chest at any moment. However, the warrior whose blade received the unfortunate end turned his gaze towards her. For some reason, time had no effect upon him, as he was able to freely move and dart his eyes from place to place.

Part of her deeply wished he would not notice her – she did not want to be the reason for his defeat. But there was also the part that "desperately" wanted him to notice her, stare at her, smile at her, touch her and possible even embrace her. At this thought, she felt her heart flutter dramatically as she noticed she was being watched.

There he was – the fallen knight – piercing into her shattered soul like knife slicing through warm butter. She couldn't help but to stare back, stare back at something she had fallen in love with so long ago. She dared not to blink her eyes, for the fear that the fallen knight would disappear from her sight that was embedded in her mind.

She tried to open her mouth, in an attempt to maybe, possible, utter some sort of sound to tell the warrior that she cared, and she longed. Unfortunately, nothing clear had registered in her mind and therefore, not one sound came out from deep within. All she was able to do was stare.

Studying him intently, she noticed the look of forgiveness, innocence, fear, and anxiety in his eyes. This only told her body to shiver more – in fear – she did not know. However, she desperately did not want him to she her shiver – to think her weak so he would have to protect her consistently, and even in a more drastic measure, give up his life for her. That was the last thing she wanted him to gather from her.

Reluctantly, she broke away from his eyes and found herself gazing upon the shattered pieces of a once exquisite blade that was held by the fallen knight. She remembered how gracefully he was using it to defend himself and attack the second warrior only moments before. Somehow though, the second warrior had mysteriously disappeared, but that was the last thing in her mind. She could of swore she felt a tear forming in her light brown orbs as she gazed upon the shattered blade, but could not reassure if it was a tear or not – for she found her body still not responding to her brain's commands.

Quickly moving her eyes away from the symbolic legendary blade, she once again found herself locked into his alluring gaze, and finally, she uttered a sound – a surprised gasp. She mentally chastised herself for not noticing it before, but his eyes – they were HIM. Those same cloudy, ice colored, baby blue eyes she used to gaze into every day of her new life, were now in front of her, staring right back.

Instantaneously, she finally broke. The held back crystalline tears were now flowing endlessly upon her angelic countenance. And she did the only thing that actually made sense to her – she ran; she ran towards him as fast as her little feet would let her. She had no clue how long, or how far she was running. The only objective in her mind was to reach him before he disappeared once again.

Every second felt like an eternity as she tried desperately to ignore the fatigue that was inevitably bearing over her.

After what seemed like forever, she had reached her destination and had finally caught up to the fallen knight. Hesitantly, she extended her right arm, her left clutching at her necklace that held two silver rings. She was only centimeters away from her goal. Her heart started to jump for joy, but her mind told her to keep going.

Then it happened. The fallen knight quickly turned towards her with eyes that, for the first time she had ever known, holding back the same crystalline tears she had spilt just moments ago. And without any warning, any kind of sign, or any explanation whatsoever, he just vanished – leaving just three simple words that he always left. Once, long ago, she would have died to hear those words, but now, she dreaded the very existence of them.

"I love you."