Miss: Alright. Here it is. The first chapter of the new and improved Make Up Your Mind.
Mais: Wow, you're actually going to do something?
Miss: You know, you weren't even around when I wrote this last time. So if you want to stay this time, disclaimer please. :)
Mais: … Miss doesn't own ToS.
This story may get OoC. Just warning you. So no flaming for that!
Make Up Your Mind ver. 2.0
Chapter 1: Thunder and Lightning
The sky was alight as brilliant flashes of lightning streaked the sky, painting the dark clouds an eerie purple. The thunder crashed merely seconds later, a shattering sound that shook the trees below.
Voices were drowned out in the deafening rumble, two silhouettes flying through the dangerous storm.
"Come on Raine," Genis called out loudly as he moved closer to his sister, keeping his hands firmly on the handles of his rheiard as the fierce wind threatened to blow him away.
The siblings had a strong relationship. After being abandoned by their parents at the Otherworldly Gate, Raine had taken the role of parent at the tender age of 12. It was hard, but they emerged out of their situation probably stronger then most would. Raine was a strong person and never gave up, no matter how rough things got for the pair. She raised Genis as best as she could, and she felt she had done a quite fine job at it.
"We're almost there s-" Genis paused, his eyes widening suddenly as a bolt of lightning lit up the sky and allowed him to see his older sister ahead of him.
Raine had her eyes shut tightly as a gust of wind pushed into her face, her wet hair whipping around her frantically. Another strong gust came and pushed her rheiard to the side. She began to slide to one side, gripping the handles tightly, trying desperately to pull herself back up.
But she couldn't. Her hands began to slip on the handles, the rheiard beginning to tip towards the side she was sliding off of. She had her eyes shut tightly, hearing only the engine of her flying machine begin to cut out, when another gust of wind forced her off the machine.
She began to plummet to the trees below, the Iselia Forest, at a quickening speed. The wind whipped across her soaked body, her screaming drowned out by the cracking thunder.
It all happened so quickly, yet he seemed to be stuck in slow motion, unable to get his rheiard to move faster. That was it. There was no way he could catch up with her falling body unless he jumped too, which almost seemed like a good idea at the time.
There was the only family he had ever known, plummeting to her untimely death at only 25 years. What was he supposed to do?
Tears flew across his face, mixing into the cold rain as he flew towards his sibling.
"Raine! No!" With his tears now making it even harder to see, he pulled back up and flew forward. "Damn it." He whispered as he navigated through the storm towards their original destination. Raine wouldn't want him to die tonight too, not after everything she had done for him. He was going to live, for her.
xoxox
Dark, chocolate eyes scanned the horizon. He could have sworn he had heard a scream over the thunder. The blue glow radiating form his wings acted as a light, although it only helped slightly.
Even with his enhanced senses he had a hard time seeing very far in the dark torrent of wind and rain. His eyes strained slightly, using the frequent flashes of thunder as a chance to search for whatever he had heard.
His wings were getting heavy, the rain saturating the feathers, making it hard to stay airborne. His wet, auburn bangs were plastered to his forward, occasionally whipping his face with a gust of wind.
'Lloyd is probably wondering where I am…' He thought to himself after a few minutes worth of searching. With a sigh he took one last look around himself. He was sure he had heard someone or something scre-
His eyes widened slightly before they became small slits as he thrust himself into the rain. He could see someone falling not too far away, falling quickly towards the dark forest below.
He neared the tumbling body, out-stretching his arms to catch them.
A grunt escaped the seraph as the limp body fell into his muscular arms, the force causing him to fall forward slightly. Using his wings to pull himself upright against the violent gale.
Lightning streaked the sky as he flew towards his son's home, the seemingly unconscious body held tightly in his arms. When he caught a glimpse of the person in his arms his heart seemed to stop for a moment before beginning to beat faster in worry.
This wasn't just some random person falling from the stormy sky; it was Raine Sage.
xoxox
The sound of a door being shut made its way to her ears, although it seemed distant. A groan escaped the maiden's lips as she shifted slightly, her eyelids lifting slowly to reveal her tired aqua eyes.
"I'm sorry," a strong voice came from nearby, sounding much closer then the door that had been shut. "I did not mean to wake you."
With difficulty, Raine pushed herself into a sitting position, leaning back against the headboard of the bed she lay in. Her entire body ached, even her fingers hurt. And she was cold. And wet. Actually, it was not her who was wet she realized as she placed her hand onto the blanket that covered her lower half.
She raised her turquoise eyes to see who was in the room with her, although she had recognized the voice immediately. It just seemed impossible for him to be there, in that room. Wasn't he up on that damned floating chunk of mana? Sending all the exspheres into space? Was it not nearly impossibly for him to come back to Symphonia?
Despite her disbelief, there he stood. Or, walked. He was exactly as she remembered. His russet hair, covering his deep, wise eyes. He was even wearing the same purple outfit.
"Do you only have two sets of clothing?" She spoke her inquisition, voice quiet and weak as she studied his clothing.
"Hmph. If I had known you would simply criticize me, I would have allowed you to continue falling."
Her eyes flashed back to his face, she could feel a blush crawling up her neck into her cheeks. "S-sorry…"
"It's fine." His strong voice remained impassive, as did his face, as he held forward his hands. "Here."
His eyes rested on her face. So much had changed over a short two years; two years that felt like an eternity on an uninhabited planet.
He studied her face as she slowly pulled the heavy, wet blanket off herself and pulled her legs off the bed. She looked the same, yet different. She had allowed her hair to grow out almost 3 or 4 inches; instead of resting just above her shoulder it flowed freely past them.
Seeing her struggle, he placed the clothing he held onto a nearby dresser and went to her side. He helped her to stand, feeling her small, fragile hands shaking within his own.
"Are you alright to stand?" He questioned, eyeing her carefully. There was something… Something not quite right but he couldn't seem to pinpoint it.
"Yes… I believe so." She pulled her hands away slowly from his, attempting to comb her fingers through her knotted, windswept hair.
That was when he saw it; only for a brief second when her hair was being tugged back and her bare neck was revealed. His eyes narrowed, only for a moment before he regained his composure.
There was a long, thin scar that ran along the right side of her neck. Thin like the edge of a blade. A sword pressured against her fragile skin enough to break the surface.
This wasn't right. But he didn't say anything about it, feeling it wasn't his place to ask.
Watching her cautiously, he picked up the clothing again and handed them to her. "Perhaps these can answer your previous question."
She took the clothing form his hands, having stopped shaking slightly. She cocked her head to the side, watching him questioningly as he turned away. What was he talking about?
She lowered her eyes to the fabric she held as the wooden door to her room was closed once again. Carefully she began to unfold, and it dawned on her. She could feel the heat creeping up again as she stared at the clothing held before her.
They were pajamas. His pajamas.
xoxox
Slowly, body still sore, Raine walked down the hallway from the room she had been in towards a visible staircase. The house was big. Much bigger then the last time she had been here, assuming she was in Lloyd's home.
Lloyd and his adoptive father, Dirk, had worked on the house. A lot. Instead of the small little hut, it had two proper floors. From what Raine could see there were three bedrooms upstairs. And the room she had been in, the guest room she assumed, had its own balcony. She had hung the wet blanket and clothing over the rails.
Her face burned slightly again at the thought of her wet clothing. Or more so her replacements. She looked down at the dark grey t-shirt and dark purple and black striped pajama pants she was wearing. She had had to tie drawstring on the pants to keep them from falling, and the t-shirt hung off of her worse then her own baggy shirts. Of course, this was to be expected. After all, he was bigger then her.
'Not that he's fat though,' she thought afterwards, more heat rushing to her cheeks. 'He's well built. It's all muscle… There's probably not an ounce of fat on his body.' The thought of his body only made things worse. She could feel her heart's pace begin to quicken.
'Oh, get a hold of yourself Raine.' She slowed her pace as she reached the stairs, stopping completely at the top. 'You sound like a silly teenage girl with a stupid crush.' She shook her head, trying to compose her thoughts and rid her face of the redness that surely occupied it. 'Besides, these feelings are irrelevant. And most importantly: completely unacceptable.'
She could feel her face begin to cool down and her heart slow slightly. With a sigh she looked down the stairs and slowly, holding tightly onto the beautiful wooden railing, began her descent.
xoxox
Miss: There. And it's twice as long as the original. :O Go me? Haha. Well; I hope this is better. And the next chapter should be up shortly.
Mais: And just so you all know, shortly could be anywhere from a few hours to a few months with her. n.n
Miss: No. :( It won't take that long. Let's say, a few hours to a few days. No longer then a week. I mean, it's summer. And I seriously have nothing better to do with my time. Sooo…
Anyways. Please review. ;D Tell me what you think.