The Blue Eyes
By J.B.

Part Delta - Her

And this part of the story will, for once, not have any action! If you don't like drama or in short supply of tissue, you may stop reading for your own safety. ^_^


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Upon entering the bar, I was greeted by the usual sounds of laughter and glasses clinking together. Leon was the first to spot Ramza and Delita seated together, both sharing a fresh glass of water (as they were still too young to be allowed ale), while the female cadets were happily chattering away. I paid the latter no mind, however. I took a seat across from Ramza, and Leon chose a spot next to me.

"You two look beat," the blonde leader commented. "I take it you two were training?"

We both nodded. "Lost again," Leon said, chuckling. "Seems you're gonna get a rival soon, Great Leader."

Delita took a sip from his glass, and looked at me intently. "He'll have to wait in line," he smirked, "right behind me."

"Oh, is that a challenge?" My smile seemed to envelop the room; it seemed that my spirit was at its highest when it was in a good fight. "Well, maybe I'll take you up on it when you have the time."

He laughed softly, as did Ramza, before he put on a serious face. "But that'll be later. We've got a new mission," the brown-haired cadet said.

"Oh?" My expression sobered up as I looked at Delita seriously. "And what would that be?"

Before 'great leader' opened his mouth, a shy dulcet voice suddenly caught my attention. I whirled from my seat to find a short auburn-haired girl staring toward my direction. My mind suddenly went blank, and silence seemed to descend upon the rest of the group as well; they had an idea what my reaction to her appearance would be.

"Hello Tyrane," she meekly spoke.

I did not blink, but partially hid my face, as I replied with only one name,

"Teta."

Delita's gaze shifted between her sister and I, then decided better than to cut in the melodrama between the two of us. He coughed, nudging Ramza, "I think I need some air… c'mon, Ramza." The blonde blinked as if not knowing what was going on, even as his old friend was dragging him across the bar and away from us, but reluctantly helped Leon draw away the rest of the female cadets, who had started to watch the drama between us, as well.

My stare at the approaching girl did not waver. Neither did hers.

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"It's, um… it's been a long time."

That was all I could say after five minutes.

We were both sitting at the table that our 'commanders' had vacated, both trying to avoid each other's gazes. I felt mixed emotions of anger, frustration, and whatever else that caused me to suddenly forget about her, all of which was aimed directly at me. I knew that she felt the same way. Her solemn expression was not one I was used to looking at in our last times together… for a moment I reminisced of all the cherishing memories that Teta and I shared together.

But once I slowly kept my gaze forward and unwavering toward her eyes, I saw that some of that innocence was far from present.

"Why didn't you write to me, Tyr?" she asked bluntly.

I looked down at myself, my will to look at her right in eyes broken for a moment, then looked back at her with as much honesty as I could. Her tawny brown eyes did not waver from my own blue pupils.

"I… I was busy, trying to keep in step with the others in school," I started to say, slowly reaching out to grasp Teta's hand. For a moment, she seemed to believe me, but there was something off in her touch, as if she was holding back something.

Before I could wrap my hands within hers, she drew back and released all of her pent-up anger. "Why didn't you write?" Teta said, her voice starting to raise, "You think you weren't the only one suffering, you think you weren't the only one who had to stand up from the dumps and slums in Igros? While you were out living your little daydream of being a knight, I'm still stuck here trying to run home just so I stop being pushed around by those Noble prissies they call 'ladies'!"

Some of the bar patrons shifted away from us, not wanting any involvement in this, and the barkeep's frown seemed to read and relay that message.

"I come home, which isn't really our home, every day, tired, hungry, and who do I have to come home to? No one! My brother isn't enough, and Alma knows nothing of how I really feel, she isn't enough." Teta stood up from her wooden chair, her face a mixture of tears, sorrow, and fury which had no intended target at all… except herself. "I check the telegrams for message every single day… but not one! Not one accursed piece of paper… not for days, and not for weeks, but over three months! Three months!"

I opened my mouth to say something, but the cold slap of Teta's hand stopped me from doing otherwise. Eventually, her sobs started to drown out her anger, and I instinctively rushed to her side despite the stinging pain on my face. Finally submitting to the tears, she gave up and buried her face in my shirt, having had enough of her inner turmoil. "Why," she muttered through her crying, "when I need you here, why didn't you…why…"

I knew not of what else to do or to say. It was bound to happen sometime, the rational yet insensible part of my mind argued. I was bound to screw up somewhere down the line. Why now, of all times?

Wrapping a protective arm around Teta, I slowly led the two of us out of the bar, ignoring the mix of sympathetic and uncaring stares of the bar customers.

One of them threw aside a mug of ale, not feeling up to drinking today. The bartender looked at the mess of once-pristine glass where the mug was thrown, and simply shook his head.

"Damn kids," he said to no one. "Always with the drama when it comes to love." He sighed and fetched a broom to clean up. "Almost reminds me of me."

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In the living room of Ramza's family mansion, sitting on a rare Romandan carved velvet couch, I felt like the worst person in the world.

I stared into the Beoulve fireplace lifelessly, my mind swimming with the thoughts that had raged on ever since I took Teta home. The expressionless look on my face, the wistful and lost glint in my blue eyes, and the quiet breaths were all hints to what I always thought in my moments:

'This is all my fault…'

A feminine voice from behind spoke quietly into my ear, as if responding to that thought. "It couldn't be helped, Tyr."

I looked behind me slowly and relaxed slightly upon seeing the golden-haired visage of 'great leader's' sister Alma. "But," I tried to say, attempting to hide the depressive tone in my voice, "you know her story better than I do… I didn't write to her… she was right, you know…"

She hushed me by putting a finger to my mouth. I stopped talking and looked up helplessly at her.

"It's not your fault," she said with genuine concern in her face. "It's just been rather hard on her lately… the school still hasn't really accepted Teta as one of the students. Most of our classmates have been picking on her because she's… well, you know…" Ramza's little sister brushed one of her bangs away from her eyes, diverting her gaze from me. "I've tried to comfort her the best I can, too. I know it's not enough for her, though." Then she looked back at me. "I also know how hard it can be in Gariland too… the headmaster placed a ban on all outgoing mail because of the recent Death Corps attacks, is that right?"

I nodded numbly.

"She knows that too," Alma continued, taking periodic glances at the door that led to where her close friend slept, "But she still misses you a lot, Tyr. No one else has made that girl smile besides her brother. Not even me, at times." The bittersweet-haired female kissed me on the cheek, and gave me a small hug. "Just be there for her the best that you can," she said as her last advice. "You're the real reason that she even tries, you know."

I watched her leave to her own room, then wondered briefly of what I should do. 'I need some air,' I thought to myself. 'I have too much to think about tonight…' Just as I stood up to head for the front door, however, I heard a creak sound out from one of the other nearby doors. I made a sideways glance, then turned fully to look at who was walking in.

"Teta…"

It looked as if she was about to cry again, sensing my unwillingness to stay a moment longer. "You're leaving already," she said quietly.

I looked back at her with genuine sorrow in my eyes, my frustration slowly disappearing. "No," I shook my head, slowly sitting back down on the couch. "Just wondering where I should sleep tonight," I tried to say, but she took my hand and the last part of my sentence died out.

"Please," she whispered, sitting next to me, "just stay here for the night with me." I knew that saying no would be a total lie to myself, so I allowed her to rest her head on my shoulder as I nodded slowly. I wrapped one arm around her, drawing her closer as we both stared into the fire together.

Only silence permeated the room, save for our quiet breathing and the soft roar of the flames. It still remained as our eyes began to droop in slumber, comfort, and warmth.


From outside a nearby window, a small tear escaped from the watching shadow's teal eyes.

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"Tyr" is short for Tyrane, which is what his friends usually call him. I know this is pretty sappy, but all stories have got to have at least one sappy part in the tale... wouldn't be a complete without one, at least to me ^^;;