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Squall Leonheart had fallen into an old habit of late: analyzing the goings-on around him and burying them into his memory. In particular, he watched his friend and housemate Phoenix Lore as she danced at the Hollow Bastion Festival, which was set up to allow for a day of rest and play for the world's residents.
He watched her at night when she graded her students' papers, cursing them for not paying attention to her lectured. During these times, Squall would sit beside her on the couch, pretending to watch TV but really studying her red hair, which was held off her neck so she look like an actual teacher. The locks smelled of spearmint and eucalyptus, a gorgeous scent which he associated with her. He had also noticed that there were many hues of red in her hair. Rust, blood red, red-orange, orange-gold, scarlet, dark red, red-brown, and several streaks of the purest silver to grace human eyes.
Her light blue eyes, often a source of her true disposition, were not a single color either. Greenish-blue, navy, and cerulean danced there as well. This he could see from her profile, her reading glasses providing a frame for the unique optics. Squall was presented with the opportunity to study them daily as she graded her papers.
There were times that Phoenix would lie her head back on her friend's shoulder and fall asleep, handing him a chance to study her face. Her skin, particularly her forehead, was freckled with acne scars, but he adored her all the same. It had shocked him at first that he had stopped caring for Rinoa. Of course, in light of being thrown from his own world with Phoenix and having only her in the new place, he couldn't blame himself. Not a bit.
One Saturday, Phoenix had fallen asleep on his shoulder again, and Squall couldn't bring himself to wake her. Instead, he removed the pen from her hand and the glasses from her eyes and set both items aside. Then, he reached out with one hand to cover her with a blanket. Only then did he realize that the thin veil of sleep that covered her was drenched with tears.
"Phoenix? Phoenix," he called softly to her. He actually feared waking her too suddenly for fear that she would deny that she had been crying. If he woke her slowly, she would know that he had seen the tears.
The red-head stirred slightly and opened those eyes that always captivated him. "S-Squall?" she inquired in a voice that reminded him of a disoriented child.
"What's the matter?" he asked. "You were crying."
"I miss Irvine and Zell," she replied, whimpering.
That surprised him. She normally would have denied the sorrow.
Squall pulled her close to him. "We'll see them again. I promise you that."
She nodded and, after a moment, sang softly for him. "Then from on high, somewhere in the distance, there's a voice that calls 'Remember who you are'. If you lose yourself, your courage soon will follow, so be strong tonight. Remember who you are."
He smiled. "Phoenix, can't you sing something happier? You're beginning to make me depressed."
Phoenix looked up at him as her head lay cushioned on his chest but obliged him. "All I want is for you to shine, shine down on me. Shine on this life that's burnin' out. Shine, shine down on me. Shine on this life that's burnin' out."
"That's better." Then he did something he hadn't before; he leaned down and kissed her softly.
 Karureyu · Wed Oct 25, 2006 @ 09:52am · 0 Comments |
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