Only You

Chapter 7. A Couple or just Friends?

Eiko stood patiently in the lift with Gary as it carried them down to the Middle Level gently. Eiko could see Gary glancing at her figure once in a while, as if to see if it moved. She clenched her teeth together angrily. How could he be so annoying all of a sudden? The lift stopped and opened and Eiko and Gary walked out into the Upper Level of the castle. They wordlessly climbed the stairs to the throne room until Gary suddenly got a hold of her purple silk gloved hand, stopping right in front of the door. She stopped and looked back at him, forcing a soft smile.

"Eiko, I feel as if you are angry at me…" He stated sadly, holding her hands with his as he stared into her eyes. She stiffened slightly but relaxed, putting on defence.

"No, of course not." She replied cheerily but could see him coming closer. The only reason she could keep the fake cheerful smile on was after so many disappointments in the world of courting which led to politely pushing them away.

"Okay Eiko." He simply said with a small smile. "And, about that kiss…" He bent closer and placed his lips against hers gently for two seconds before removing them and having a dashing smile on his face instead.

"I enjoyed it."

He turned towards the grand golden doors of the Throne Room and pushed them open. There, already in the room were many other young handsome men and beautiful woman, waiting for the two very important people to arrive. There looking on grandly at the back of the ballroom was the fair Hilda in an exquisite white ball dress and the regal Regent Cid Fabool smiling widely at his daughter. Eiko secretly clenched her teeth for a moment before prettily walking into the large room with Gary's gloved hand in hers. All the young men in the room suddenly pulled their attention from their woman partners to stare mouths watering at Eiko.

She was dressed in a lavish purple dress made in silk and lined with soft white lace. Her silky long purple hair had been pulled up into a tight and beautiful halo and decorated with sweet-scented flowers and leaves. She looked like a real princess but without the tiara. All the young ladies envied her ferociously but deep inside felt pity; for they knew her sorrows. Eiko advanced in the ballroom and proudly walked towards her parents. Cid smiled joyfully. His adopted daughter had turned out exactly what he wanted her to be. Beautiful, smart, stubborn and headstrong. He walked towards her with open arms to embrace her. Eiko accepted stiffly; knowing that Gary and everyone else was watching. After embracing her mother, she accepted Gary's hand and started the first dance.

Gary was definitely dense but not so dense that he was stupid. He could feel her fingers stiffening every time he tried to get closer. Her movements were slightly limited from her silk dress but she was barely moving. It was all a political and polite show. He knew that. He knew she was just acting because he was too. And he had to do something.

"Eiko," He started with a soft smile in her direction." I'm very sorry about yesterday. I understand I must have done something wrong, because now you are very cold to me. I don't wish to hurt you at all but please, don't be mad at me. I still don't understand why you were angered." He gave her a polite twirl and started the dance again. Eiko was furious. How could he lie? He knew perfectly well what he had done. He had ignored her right after he kissed her as if she suddenly wasn't important to him. As if he just did it to please her, or to satisfy himself. She had never been so humiliated in her life. Clenching her teeth angrily she forced a sharp and stern smile.

"Sir Celesi, I'm positive you know what I speak of." She retorted harshly but still in a very polite way. He was taken back slightly but got back into the dancing rhythm quickly.

"Dear Eiko, you are quite mistaken. I have no idea what you are speaking of yesterday, truthfully." He apologized, speaking politely back to her. It had turned into a game of words. Both opponents were witty and polite with patience. Eiko smiled naturally for the first time that night. Maybe telling him would be funnier than she thought.

"Maybe a cooling drink will refresh your memory Sir Celesi, so maybe you can recall your act of shame to me." She retorted wittily, smiling sweetly as Gary hesitated. Calming down again, he put on another charming smiled and continued the dance.

"As I have just told you Miss Fabool, I have absolutely no idea of how I have offended you. Please, tell me if I am making you uncomfortable and I will quickly ask another lady to dance." Gary offered kindly, pleading inside that she didn't really request him to leave. Things were already getting so fun. Eiko took the hint and smiled charmingly back, her forced smile hiding her furiously gritted teeth.

"Well then Sir Gary Celesi, it has really been a pleasure to dance with you, but since you have no manners and have not openly admitted that you've done wrong to me after me politely asking you to do so many times, I shall now take my leave of you." Politely and grandly, Eiko curtsied to a shocked and bewildered Gary before strolling out of the grand ballroom in a hurry.

Gary power walked after her, a stiff smile on his face as he followed her to the stairs again. Catching her hand as it swept the staircase rail; He pulled her towards him and sweetened her lips with his with a passionate and loving kiss. Eiko forcefully pushing him away. Anger burning in her eyes, she reached under her dress and pulled out her priestess's staff. Holding it in an attacking position, Gary backed away as far as he could until he hit the wall on the other side of the room.

"Eiko, be careful. You could hurt yourself with that weapon. Here, hand it to m—"He was silenced with a sharp slap across the check and with a quick breezing movement fly over his head. Gary fell to the ground in shock and he surprisingly stared up at Eiko holding her staff angrily against her chest. He put a hand on his stinging cheek where is partner had just slapped him furiously.

"Idiot! Don't you tell me what to do with this staff! I know how to fight better than you'll ever be!" She yelled, clenching the weapon dangerously. Gary edged as far away from her as possible. After a while she lowered it and stuck it back in a strap at her thigh. Sighing, she walked to a mirror to check if she lost anything while she jumped. Finding nothing, she looked over to her court partner softly, all her previous fury disappearing.

"Get up. We've got to go back in. Say nothing of this incident." Eiko told him politely. Dusting herself off, she began to turn the doorknob when Gary suddenly grunted, "Wait!"

Eiko stared at him confused. Gary sighed before continuing softly." Just tell me one thing; what did I do that was so wrong?" There was silence. Gary knew that Eiko had heard him and that she wouldn't be able to escape it. Eiko knew, but she couldn't help feeling that he already knew. Finally accepting defeat, she looked away from him, concealing all her hurt and pain.

"When you kissed my lips yesterday……right afterwards, you had no reaction but to ignore me…as if I wasn't there...as if, I wasn't important and the action was only to please you." She informed him proudly, keeping her head up to show no emotion. In the distance she heard Gary gasp and object but he was too late. Eiko advanced into the ballroom again with a full posture and a regal smile.

And it was about time, since the regent was starting to get a bit worried as to why his daughter had stiffly walked out of the room in a hurry with Gary Celesi trailing behind her and had not yet returned. Hilda tapped on her husband's wrist to signal that Eiko was back in the ballroom, safe and sound. Cid sighed gratefully and resumed to his talk with the Dali Mayor pleasantly. Soon after Gary Celesi walked grandly into the ballroom and caught up to his lady to ask her to a dance. Eiko couldn't refuse but didn't feel like dancing anymore. Luckily the dinner bell sounded and the regent urged everyone to the dinner table piled up with gorgeous, delicious mouth watering food. Eiko was seated next to one of Hilda's cousins and Gary Celesi, since Cid wanted them to be closer. After an opening toast, Cid sat down to let everyone happily start eating. Eiko and Gary politely ate, ignoring each other for the whole feasting, until the cook served the fresh zuberry tarts and ice-cream for desert.

Eiko smiled cheerfully; she loved the desert the best. Gary smiled too, but he was glancing at his courting partner instead. Eiko turned to Gary to be put face to face with him; his face and breath only a few inches away. She stiffened but stopped herself from sharply turning away. Feeling her face turn crimson; she stared onto Gary's face. She realised that he actually did look like a handsome nineteen year old. They spent a deep 2 minutes just staring into each other's eyes.

Gary looked desperately into Eiko's eyes." Please…I'm so sorry…I didn't know I hurt your feelings…" He pleaded, caressing her hands softly in his. Eiko bit her lip, thinking the apology over. She was a forgiving girl inside but couldn't help feeling that she was admitting defeat.

"I never meant to hurt you……I…like you too……you know that…" He politely brought up her hand in his to kiss it gently.

Why is all this happening! Begging is not a good way to impress me...not that I want it anyway. I hate the dating game……sometimes I think arranged marriages were always the better opinion.

We…like each other…at least I think I do…I told him this……and he told me too…

I don't see how this matter will be clear!

Can I trust myself?

I like him…I tingle with excitement when he kisses……and he likes me too!

But...on the other hand…his kisses and hugs are only soft and caring… not loving…

I've always trusted my kissing reports…but now I doubt it……

What am I going to do?

My mind is spinning……I've never felt such pressure before…well, in these few years that is…

Things have changed since I found Zidane and everyone else at Madain Sari, now I can truly call myself a 'lady'.

But it seems that wars are still going on in the castle…

Eiko stared into Gary's longing eyes with hesitation, feeling the awkwardness in the position they were in. She searched deep inside his eyes for any clues but was found to be shut out. Cutting off the eye contact, she racked her brain for answers to her dilemma.

Maybe I should just give it a go…I mean, what there to lose anyway?

There's no harm in that…

Eiko smiled pleasantly at the young man before her and gave him an innocent peck of affection on the cheek. They smiled politely at each, a tingling sensation riding up their arms.

The rest of the night pasted by uneventfully. Eiko was introduced to three new suitors, enraged that she was already being courted. She had normal family talks and also congratulations from her parents for finding a sensible and possible future husband in their friend Gary Celesi. She smiled and went through it calmly, nodding and commenting softly. But after all the excitement and flirtation between the obvious couple, Eiko just wanted to be with her friends and have fun. She needed to talk to Lani for boy-advice and needed to catch up with Dirk, who at their last encounter had been very angry at her for an unknown reason. Well, unknown to her.