Eyes on me
By: Helxine
(* I do no own Final Fantasy 8 or any of its characters. They all belong to Square Enix)
When he appeared in his ravishingly handsome SeeD uniform, time stood still and she only had eyes for him. She devoured all of him- his brooding jade irises, slashing high cheekbones, waves of chocolate brown hair and nicely toned body. As soon as he appeared though, he decided to be unobtrusive. He simply leaned sullenly against the wall, hoping perhaps to disappear into it.
Rinoa Heartlily, the leader of the owls, mused that the only flaw that marred the mercenary's perfection was the long, jagged scar that ran cruelly from one eyebrow to the bridge of his nose. She wondered how he obtained that scar and what thoughts stirred beneath his carefully concealed mask. He was a mystery for her to unravel, an empty soul waiting perhaps for that right person to fill his silent husk and remake him. Was she that person? She signaled him out among all the other mercenaries in the room. A strange certainty then filled her. Whoever the strange, nameless mercenary was, their destinies would soon be entwined.
The mood of the celebratory party was infectious, couples danced on the floor, captivated by both the cheery music and each other. Even for a moment, the problems of the outside world ceased to exist. Rinoa glanced at him again. He still looked bored and unmoving as a smile began to form on her lips. She would find Headmaster Cid later, she thought as she made her way towards him.
Squall Leonheart looked on indifferently at the party from his tiny corner. Like always, he was content to watch the world as it unraveled in front of him like an invisible shadow. Sometimes it was good entertainment and sometimes it bored the hell out of him. At that moment it was the latter. It was too early for drunken fights to break out or for couples to start squabbling. He was debating on quietly slipping out when a flash of blue caught his eye. An indescribable feeling of dread began to fill him as the girl in the blue dress made her way to his direction.
Perhaps he made a mistake and she was looking at someone else. A girl like that surely had someone with her. Still, he couldn't prevent himself from staring rudely at her as he unconsciously began to memorize every detail of her. He took in the silky strands of hair the color of ebony that framed her exquisite heart-shaped face and her skin which was as smooth as ivory. Vaguely, he wondered how her skin felt when he ran his hands over them. She wore a confident and sly smile as she approached him. Although she beckoned at him with her hand, his eyes were glued to her petal soft lips that he strangely wanted to crush against his. Despite his misgivings, Squall reluctantly accepted her invitation and allowed her to lead him to the dance floor.
Squall quickly became conscious- of the harsh music playing in the background and the couples dancing around them. He felt he did not belong here. He was a shadow afterall, and did not belong to the light. He was afraid that he would destroy the perfect moment even before it began, and be met with humiliation. Both his feet seemed stuck together like glue in the beginning as she, the mysterious brazen, raven beauty led him in the dance. He ignored the faces that seem to swim and stare at him as the harsh music faded to a soulful, soft melody. Everything then fell away. Every person in the room ceased to exist as they danced. They danced so fluidly that it seemed like they melted against each other in perfect harmony. Mere infatuation had given way to a sudden rush of passion that filled both of them as they danced.
They stared at each other, like star-crossed lovers in a dreamy haze. Her touch, her caress felt warm against his skin. Squall became suddenly aware of her, of her small hand across his, of the press of her and the material of her dress that he wanted to savagely tear off her slender frame. He leaned closer simply to inhale the scent of her, and commit it to memory in case this moment was all that he would ever have with her.
She, on the other hand, loved his callused hands, the unavoidable marks of his profession, as they guided her surely and confidently where he had been so awkward and shy before. She began to wonder how those hands would like on her body and how those lips would feel like as they brushed hers. Rinoa was half-hoping that he would do something else. That he would lean down and finally seal the moment with a kiss.
It would be agony to break this spell, he thought as he gazed into her eyes and became lost in them. Just as the spell was cast, the soft, silvery music faded in the background, brining them back firmly to reality. They gazed at each other, wordlessly and astounded. She smiled for a fleeting moment and then she was suddenly gone, leaving him once again alone in the background. Agony flared in his mind as he watched her retreating back. Hopelessness began to replace that dazzling feeling of elation he had felt only moments ago. But then, he realized that whoever was that strange girl was, maybe they would cross paths once again. Maybe by then, he would be able to express his true feelings towards her.
She turned back to him one last time with a reassuring smile on her lips as a screaming vortex of helplessness begins to fill him.