How You Shyly Placed Your Eyes on Me

"That was a fun show, Momma!" a small, high-pitched voice cooed from the ground. "And Teddy enjoyed it, too!"

Julia looked down at her young, raven-haired daughter with a warm smile and squeezed her tiny hand. "It was a fun show, wasn't it? We have so many talented mommies and daddies in Galbadia who put on such a nice performance, just for you kiddos!"

"It was nice of them to invite you to sing 'Eyes on Me' during it, too," agreed Fury Caraway, "and even nicer that you agreed. It attracted a big crowd... though you know that's 'our' song," he said with a wink.

Julia looked up at her husband and smiled with just a faint hint of sadness that the General didn't seem to notice. "...yes," she agreed softly, before quickly turning to look down again at the small head at her hip that bounced along, hugging her teddy.

By the time people had stopped surrounding Julia asking for her autograph or a photo and the threesome was able to leave, most of the crowd in front of the small theater had dissipated. The four-year-old Rinoa had hoped to see some more kids outside talking about how much they loved her momma's song, but there was only one small boy with a bright yellow shirt on in the distance. She hummed her mother's hit happily as they slowly made their way down the block in the direction toward home, her little red shoes clicking to the beat of the humming as she walked. 

Then, she began to vocalize the one part she'd gotten all the words to. "Da-ling so shaaaaare, wif meeeee," she sang loudly, "your love if you haaaaaave enooooough..." Her eyes locked on blue of the small boy's as they were now paces away from them. "Your tears if yo'w hooooooooolding baaaaack," her voice was a little softer as she seemed to be mesmerized by him. They passed, and Julia continued to pull her along. Her head turned to follow the boy as he seemed to be looking back at her, too. "Or pain if that's whaat... it is..." she trailed off, finally turning away from the boy to resume a very soft hum and hug her bear closer to her in her free arm. Her humming then died to silence as she watched the grooves of the sidewalk pass underneath her feet.

She felt another squeeze of her hand and the young Rinoa shook her head, as if freeing it from the thoughts of that boy's gaze and snapping her back to reality. She looked up at her mother and resumed her bouncy walk. "I wanna be a singer when I grow up just like you, Momma!" she exclaimed, that carefree smile now back on her face.

Her mother chuckled. "You can be whatever you want to be, sweet girl," she said happily, "But I think you'll accomplish so much more in your life than that." She leaned down and kissed the girl on the crown of her head.

Rinoa looked up at her mother with all the love and adoration in the world, but Julia knew she didn't really comprehend what the woman had told her. She was four after all; how could she? Instead, the small girl decided to declare her affection for her parents. 

"I love you, Momma. And I love you too, Daddy!"