Chapter 1: I Will
Altered slightly 7/22/06
It was a beautiful day at Besaid Beach. The sun was beaming bright and the water a crystal blue. Families occupied most of the landscape as kids and parents played games in the sand. Rikku and Baralai were enjoying a nice vacation away from their daily routines, relaxing on blue and green lounge chairs as they watched the mothers and fathers play with their children contently. She was sipping an Absolut and Orange Juice, he a Molsen Bevellian in a long brown bottle. Rikku looked over at Baralai with a smile spread across her face; her feet were dug nicely into the cool sand and a tan covered her body. Her hair was down and spread out behind the chair, blowing with the breeze.
"I'm so happy here, Baralai." Rikku sighed contentedly, pursing her lips to the straws on her drink and sipping it voraciously. Baralai stared at the sea before them but turned toward Rikku, smirking at her, kind of freaking her out.
"I'm not here, Rikku." He stated, confusing the young lady. She curled her lip and nodded her head in confusion. Sitting up, she leaned to her right and placed her head on her hand, looking at the man quizzically.
"What are you talking about? Of course you're here. Is this some kind of joke?" The look he got suggested she thought he was nuts but he remained firm in his declaration.
"I'm telling you, I'm not here." He insisted and he glared at her for disbelieving him. Rikku grew agitated at that point and went over to his lounge chair to give him a nudge, but when her hand went to touch him horror filled her face as she passed right through him. Rikku screamed and jumped backward, collapsing back into her chair.
In that instant, she shot straight up and was no longer at the beach, but in Baralai's and her bedroom in Kilika. Rikku clenched the maroon sheets fearfully. The room was dark and quiet; so quiet you can hear the dust settling on the furniture. She gazed wearily from the left to the right trying to adjust from the sudden change of location. Putting a hand to the pillow on the right of her she realized that Baralai wasn't on his side of the bed. Rikku's eyes wandered to the left of her where the alarm clock resided and checked the time. It was midnight and with a somewhat frustrated hand to her forehead she let out a sigh. He was in the study again, most likely passed out from another hard day at the temple.
"I better go get him." She yawned as she twisted over to the left side of the bed. Stretching her arms to her sides, her feet met with the slippery surface and she glided across the wooden floor to the exit. The living room and kitchen were dark; the moon shone through the heavy curtains creating shadows on her lanky legs. Rikku wore a spaghetti strap nightgown that was green like her eyes; Yuna bought it as a gift for her birthday and she loved it, insisting on wearing it all the time. She especially loved the silky feeling against her skin. It was like wearing nothing at all.
Two feet away from the bedroom was the entrance to the study. "He's going to run himself into the ground if he keeps this up" Rikku said as she turned the knob opening the door slowly. Her eyes widened in shock and her mouth hung open like a sea bass at the sight before her. The study was softly lit by numerous candles, all twinkling brightly on the coffee table and desk. There were also a few along the brick fireplace, although the fire that crackled over shadowed them. There was an array of blankets thrown about on the marble floor and a bucket filled with ice containing a bottle of red wine. Baralai stood there in his black cotton pants. He was shirtless; his tan and toned body glistened from the burning embers before him. He grinned at Rikku, his eyebrow raised provocatively.
"Thought you'd never get here." His velvet voice crooned as he fast approached her. Just the sound of that man's voice alone was enough to send Rikku into a rapturous spiral of euphoria. This time was no exception and she felt her legs begin to buckle beneath her threatening to collapse under the pressure. Baralai slid his right arm around her waist; the silk fabric of her nightgown shifted upward where his hand finally settled raising it a bit. Not that it needed to be any higher; it was already short to begin with. Rikku swung her head up and gazed into Baralai's eyes; they were such a rich brown and she lost herself in them. Her hands were pressed to his chest, and the softness of his skin sent tingles through her fingers. Leaning his head forward he commingled his lips with hers; her fingertips slightly touched him as she lead them up and down his broad frame subconsciously. Baralai ran both hands up her back before entangling his fingers in the long strands of her blonde hair gently.
"Mmmm…" Rikku drawled as they parted; her lips were wet from the exchange and she licked them in an attempt to entice him further. Looking into his eyes, her own only half open and glazed over she complained seductively "Why didn't you tell me about this sooner?" Baralai inclined again to her face, this time his lips brushed against hers scantily and closing her eyes she moved forward hungrily. Just before she was to make contact he pulled backward causing her to miss. Rikku settled her eyes to his again, her look resembling a pathetic puppy as her lips curled into a frown. He smiled at her before he stole her lips again silencing her wines. When they separated Baralai bent down and swept her off her feet; she let out a surprised shriek and wrapped her arms around his neck to keep from falling.
Kissing her continuously he made his way to the blankets and knelt down on them, introducing Rikku to the soft coverlets beneath her. Baralai's hands traced the contours of her thighs and she groaned contentedly with each caress as they traveled down to her feet and back up to her hips. Her arms were enveloped around his back and she delighted at the gasps he made when she pressed her fingers into his flesh from the pleasure of his kisses. They retracted and he leaned on his right arm and stretched out next to her. Rikku was on her back looking up at him with her knees bent up and hands folded to her chest. The candles flickered shadows along the walls and surfaces of the study as they stared at each other endlessly.
"So, you gonna tell me what this is all about?" she exhaled, her smile broadening with every syllable. Placing his free arm behind him he returned it with a tiny black box and placed it on her chest. Her breath caught in her throat as she perused the tiny casket with surprise. Moving behind her, Rikku sat up and with her back to him she rested on Baralai's chest; he encased her in his arms as she picked up the box and opened it. He couldn't see her face but the silence that ensued from that point on was enough to convince him she was satisfied with its contents: a shiny white gold solitaire heart shaped diamond ring.
"Will you marry me Rikku?" he breathed in her ear as he rested his chin on her shoulder. Rikku was made mute; she froze in place with her hands still cupping the opened box. Baralai could feel her tremble in his arms and he squeezed her tighter in an effort to relax her. Breaking free from his grasp she turned around and hugged him tightly, the box in her right hand behind him. He pressed his hands to her hair and rubbed her back tenderly.
"You better believe I will." She whispered softly into his neck. Rikku sat up and he took the ring out of the box and slid it onto her finger. She took a minute to view the bauble before meeting his gaze again. Rikku's eyes were welled with happy tears and they danced down her face. Baralai thumbed them away and beamed at her lovingly.
"Good. I wasn't going to take no for an answer." He replied, moving her down onto the blankets again and kissing her repeatedly along her neck and jaw line.
Rikku was always baffled by the way they got together six months ago. The fact that they almost didn't because of a silly misunderstanding was something that bothered her from time to time. Still, she knew they would get together sooner or later because after getting to know Baralai better she realized he would have never given up in his pursuit of her. She was glad things worked out the way they did; she couldn't imagine living her life without him.
Now if only everyone else felt the way she did about him…then everything would be perfect.