It has been brought to my attention that this story is actually somewhere between T and M because of a couple scenes close to the end, so, uh, I guess… reader discretion is advised…? You'll probably be able to tell when things really get going, but just in case you can't, it's mostly in the ninth and tenth sections.
Raine smiled apprehensively as she walked down the aisle, shifting her bouquet of red roses half-nervously as she went. Of course she wasn't one to fear commitment, nor was she about to leave Regal at the altar, but the way the denizens of Altamira stared at her, like she didn't belong in their church… it was enough to make her think again about having a public wedding.
Stepping deliberately down the red carpet, train flowing behind her, Raine forced her thoughts back to the proposal to find her inner calm. It had been perfect, of course. He was too much of an ideal gentleman to settle for anything less. It had been in the rain, under the cover of one of the shop awnings during one of their frequent walks. Raine closed her eyes momentarily, pacing along the carpet: he had sunk to one knee so gracefully that she had thought it was a dream, clasped her hands, and fairly begged her to be his companion for all his years to come—even in the knowledge that time would separate them all too soon.
And Raine had cried. She half-gasped, half-sobbed that of course she would, and he had grinned—Regal Bryant was actually smiling honestly and genuinely and widely; imagine that—before he slipped a ring, thousands of years old, onto her finger. He'd purchased it from a museum, he said, since it reminded him so much of Raine. Its stone was a blue gemstone in the shape of a tear-drop, after all, and set in something like silver.
She smiled as radiantly as possible as she ascended the steps to the altar with dignity, having walked the length of the aisle without a father to lean on, and stood by Regal. Glancing around at the front rows, she was relieved to find that not a face was missing from the group with whom she had traveled to save the world.
Lloyd and Colette, happily married these three years, sat with their two-year-old son and infant daughter in the front row, each wearing wide grins. Genis sat beaming at Raine, and Presea—sitting next to him—gave her, or perhaps Regal, an encouraging nod. Zelos wore his traditional, infuriating smirk, with his arm loosely hanging around Sheena's shoulders; they'd been married for less than a year, but certainly bickered like they had been together much longer. Finally, Emil and Marta—joined in holy matrimony around two years ago, despite their youth—grinned at the two of them, and Marta waved.
Raine glanced up at Regal with newfound strength as the music (just background noise, as far as she was concerned) shuddered to a halt and the priest stepped forward, clearing his throat and opening his book. Raine would have liked it to be someone they knew personally, like Colette, but she'd already presided over Zelos and Sheena's marriage, and she had baby Anna to take care of (and her help was needed keeping little Kratos under control, too; his father tended to spoil him rotten).
Besides, it was good publicity to have a more official priest marry the two of them, and Raine was well aware that her impression to the public as a half-elf marrying an influential human was of paramount importance to her cause. She was willing to shelve any amount of pride in her race to show these idiotic humans that her kind was civilized, including abandoning the traditional elven wedding vows she might ordinarily have insisted on. (Though she had no love of elves either, come to that.)
"We are gathered here today in the sight of Cruxis to witness the unification of this man and this woman in holy matrimony," intoned the priest; Raine couldn't suppress a shudder at the original text; Regal grimaced slightly as well—"which must be entered into not unadvisedly or lightly, but reverently, discreetly, and soberly." Zelos rolled his eyes, and a smile tugged at Raine's mouth despite herself. "Into this holy estate these two persons present come now to be joined. Is this not so?"
"It is." Regal's voice, hushed and sweet, sent shivers up Raine's spine.
"It is," echoed Raine, and her voice was too bold compared to his. She made a mental note to quiet herself down a little and seem like the respectable young woman that was to be Duke Bryant's bride, but Regal himself seemed pleased enough with her response and flashed a quick smile at her.
"If anyone can show just cause why they may not lawfully be joined together, let them speak now or forever hold their peace." Raine braced herself, and she knew Regal was tense as well, waiting for the accusations of her race to fly towards the altar on malevolent wings—but, despite the muttering scattered throughout the pews, no one raised an audible complaint… though that might have been because Zelos kept casting murderous glances back towards those who objected, though, and no one dared offend the Chosen.
The priest flipped a page silently, and Raine shifted on her feet, readjusting her grip on her roses. "Duke Regal Bryant, will you have this woman to be your lawful wedded wife, to live together in the holy estate of matrimony? Will you love her, comfort her, honor and keep her in sickness and in health; and, forsaking all others, keep you only unto her for as long as you both shall live?"
Zelos mouthed a very obvious and hopefully joking 'Don't do it, Regal!', but Sheena belted him suddenly in the throat and he halted immediately, coughing as quietly as possible. Lloyd glanced sharply over at them and struggled not to laugh.
"I will," responded Regal, and his voice was proud and strong. Raine's heart swelled instantly with adoration and a desire to please him as well as he had sworn to please her. She was more than ready to hear her half of the bargain.
"Raine Sage," continued the priest, with a barely noticeable doubtful tone in his words that made her frown at him behind her veil. As he asked her the same question, enunciating perhaps a little more clearly as though she were incapable of understanding—Raine decided to give him the benefit of the doubt and assume the shift was unconscious or otherwise automatic, if only to avoid kicking the priest who married her—she forced herself to think of how much good enduring this would do her cause as well as her heart.
Oh, she loved Regal—more so even than Kratos, who never fully released her when he betrayed them and then departed with Derris-Kharlan. He'd taken a piece of her heart with him, however unwillingly he took it. But Regal had taken the rest of it, and taken it utterly. Raine was certainly more than ready to marry him, so long as he was the one asking… but, if she was being honest with herself, part of the reason she was so prepared to do so was because it would elevate the status of half-elves around the world. Teaching by example was one of her most favorite principles, after all.
"I will," responded Raine meekly, after an appropriate pause, and was careful to sound like the blushing bride she was supposed to be, hidden behind a veil of purity. She wished she could tear the damn thing off; it wasn't as though she was an innocent maiden anymore. Kratos, and the lover before him, had each seen to that. But the public would be more likely to accept her if they thought their favorite noble was marrying a virtuous maid, so she had to play along for the sake of her race.
"You may exchange rings," announced the priest, and Regal drew out of his pocket the same ring he had used to propose to her; there was no need for anyone to know she had refused a second one, since the first was so beautiful she felt he could not possibly top it.
Raine shifted her bouquet to her right hand, and Regal's gloved hands were soft and gentle as they supported her fingers (her heart skipped a beat). "I, Regal Bryant, take thee, Raine Sage, to be my wedded wife," he said softly, slipping the ring onto her finger, and her ears filled with her own heartbeat as he spoke the tender words that she so desired to hear.
She almost swooned when his vow was finished, but remembered that it was her turn and cleared her throat. "I, Raine Sage, take thee, Regal Bryant," she murmured, trying to simultaneously project and hush her voice, and removed his ring from her roses—"to have and to hold from this day forward," she continued, fitting the ring onto his finger delicately—"for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and cherish forever, and thereto I give thee my pledge."
Struggling to hide the proud smile she longed to give to Regal in favor of a more diffident appearance, Raine waited for the priest to close the ceremony and slipped her adorned hand into Regal's. She'd swept her thoughts away from her wedding night for as long as possible, but now, they were starting to creep back into her consciousness, and she almost shivered in anticipation. By no means was she shallow in her adoration for her soon-to-be-husband, but that didn't stop her from thinking of how much she wanted him.
"Those whom Cruxis hath joined together, let no one put asunder," said the priest, and again, both winced as unnoticeably as possible. "Forasmuch as Regal Bryant and Raine Sage have consented together in holy wedlock, and have witnessed the same before Cruxis and this company of witnesses"—couldn't they have amended the ceremony, like each of their friends had done for theirs?—"and thereto have given their pledge, each to the other, and have declared the same by joining hands; by the power vested in me by the heavens, I now pronounce you husband and wife."
Raine grinned at Regal, knowing what came next, and almost before the words "You may kiss" had left the priest's lips, he had swept her veil aside and kissed her tenderly on the mouth. Their kiss was short and chaste (so unlike Zelos and Sheena's first kiss as newlyweds), so much so that Raine almost wanted to bring his head down again when he broke away—but, though she knew his excuse would be that they wouldn't want to cause a scandal, she suspected there was something more there.
As they walked back down the aisle to their waiting carriage, the loudest cheers came from the front—Lloyd and Colette beamed at them; Zelos tossed them a knowing wink (Raine blushed); Emil and Marta waved enthusiastically; and Genis raised his eyebrows at the two of them, unable to suppress his grin, while Presea gave them both a small smile and a wave.
Raine, meanwhile, turned her attention back to her lips. Even when no one else was around, Regal never allowed their kisses to be more than sweet; passion was a foreign ingredient, and she had a feeling Alicia was behind it. However much she tried not to be jealous, and however much she tried to understand Regal's reluctance to move away from the past in which he had lived for so long, Raine found it a little bit irritating to have her own happiness partially determined by the ghost of a girl long gone and the sway she had over her husband.
Yet Regal had married her, and that had to count for something, right?
He carried Raine across the doorstep when they arrived at their mansion (she was going to have to get used to calling it her house too, now), and she giggled uncharacteristically, twining her arms around her husband's neck and ready to see if the wedding night was actually all it was cracked up to be. He set her down gently with overwhelming affection in his eyes, and she leaned up and kissed him on an impulse.
Lo and behold, his earlier inhibitions didn't prevent him from letting her have a proper kiss! Raine could have laughed for relief, and maybe she did; Regal laughed a little, too, and the couple half-stumbled, half-danced up the stairs and through the hallway, stealing little kisses now and then.
Raine was about ready to get out of her wedding dress when the two of them staggered into the wall next to his bedroom door—theirs, she reminded herself—but suddenly, Regal froze and gently extricated himself from his wife's embrace. Alicia again, moaned Raine internally, and a frown spasmed across his face.
She did her best to be patient as they stood there, breathing hard, and she begged him mentally just to get over it and take her, since he had gone so far as to marry her—but Regal just bid her a semi-reluctant good night, shame weighing his words down, and opened his bedroom door.
He turned around once more—Raine thought, heart leaping, that he would change his mind and do his duty as her husband—but he only permitted her one last, lingering kiss before stepping back suddenly and closing the door gently in her face.
Starting a marriage out on a sour note was hardly the idea Raine had held when she had entered the arrangement, and comforting herself on her wedding night wasn't exactly her idea of a good time. She was sure his reluctance was a fixable problem, even if it took more time than she wanted—but she certainly hadn't agreed to being locked out of her own bedroom on the very first night.
Sitting up and yawning, she noticed a note pinned to the door.
"Raine, my love," she muttered, and allowed a sarcastic half-laugh to escape. "Oh, that's convincing. I apologize for what happened last night, but I was overrun with memories of my time with—oh please," growled Raine. "I had originally planned to propose to Alicia, but I never got the opportunity. Please don't tell me this is just a note about Alicia," she added despairingly.
"I asked you to marry me partially in an attempt to escape from those memories, because I know you will make me much happier than dwelling on my past ever will. I truly adore you. Huh." Raine flipped the note over skeptically."I know it hurts you to wait for me to recover, but I implore you to be patient and allow my heart just a little more time to mend. That's all very well, but I haven't got time!" snapped Raine quietly to herself, and flung the note to the side. "I'm your wife, Regal, and damn it, I deserve better."
She was well aware of how selfish that sounded, and the words died, ashamed of themselves, as they left her mouth. Regal was very plainly torn between a very real love for a girl who was killed long before she should have been, and a likewise tangible love for her. To be caught in the middle like that couldn't be easy, Raine reminded herself—but she couldn't help but feel a little bitter that he would take away their wedding night in favor of turning over emotions that should have been buried long ago.
Regal was gone all day, off on some business with Presea, so Raine had more than enough time to think of a plan of action. She busied herself tidying the house and learning all its corners, dodging the admittedly minimal staff as much as possible (who looked at her sideways out the corners of their eyes in astonishment; no lady of her newly acquired status would ordinarily be caught dead cleaning)—and found that even that could not drag her mind away from her stolen night.
He didn't return until late in the evening; Raine greeted him at the door, having been pacing at the front windows for an hour, and smiled as warmly as she could. Though Regal returned her smile and even caressed her cheek with his lips for a fraction of a second (she swayed in place), she knew something still divided them.
"I'm sorry," he apologized once more, before Raine could even say anything.
"It's all right," she interrupted, knowing he knew she knew it wasn't. "You can always make it up to me tonight, right?" she added, more shyly than perhaps she was used to (Go on, she remembered saying to Kratos, a bold challenge in her soft voice; take your advance payment)—but Regal's eyes were distant, and he brushed past her gently to go to his bedroom alone.
She'd need a special touch to awaken him. She thought she knew where to start.
Raine heaved a deep sigh and put on her coat, ensured she had her keys, and headed outside. As she strode onward, making her way to Altamira's most expensive inn, the stars glimmered tauntingly above her, and she remembered how romantic starlight was meant to be (though that aspect of the night sky had been tarnished forever when Kratos had abandoned her).
"Genis," panted Raine, once she finally got to his room and he opened the door; his hair was even messier than usual as he yawned and blinked and rubbed his eyes, dressed in rumpled pajama pants. She supposed it wasn't exactly normal for an eighteen-year-old to go to bed this early, but Genis didn't conform to a lot of assumptions, after all. "I need your help."
The first expression on Raine's face the next morning was a grin, even if she had been sleeping in a guest bedroom for two nights in a row. Today was going to be one of the busiest days in her life—not counting the days she had spent alongside various groups of other unlikely heroes, saving the world. Today would be taken up with making herself and her surroundings as enticing as possible… and, with luck, it would all pay off tonight.
Time to get to work.
After her traditional morning ritual, Raine jumped up to answer a knock at the door, and opened it to find not the brother she had been expecting—but instead Zelos and Sheena. Blinking and looking them up and down, Raine frowned. "What are you doing here?" she asked, wincing at her own rudeness a moment later; it was too early in the morning to remember formalities.
Zelos grinned as obnoxiously as usual, but at least he wasn't offended. "Genis told us you needed a little bit of help," he said smugly, and Raine made a mental note never to go to her brother for assistance in this respect again—even if all she'd done had been awkwardly ask him to make them dinner the next day, apparently he guessed much more. "So, who better than me? Us," he amended under his wife's half-furious glare.
Raine reluctantly admitted her brother had some sense after all, since he and Presea were barely together, let alone in that respect—and went out with her unexpected allies. Even though she didn't care much for Zelos's façade of perversion (or, for that matter, whichever parts of that were genuine), she had no choice but to admit that of all the people who would be able to help her out, he would be the best choice.
And his wife. Perhaps especially his wife.
"Why are you still in the city, anyway?" asked Raine curiously, as they wandered up and down Altamira's many avenues, investigating a multitude of shops. Altamira, as a prime vacation destination and a city many considered 'romantic', had no shortage of stores where you could buy any number of things used only after dark.
"Oh, we decided to take a vacation," shrugged Zelos, waving one hand (and holding Sheena's with the other). "Since we were going to be here for your wedding anyway, we figured we may as well stay awhile. What's the brat still doing here?"
"Genis? I don't know," confessed Raine uncomfortably. It was impossible that he should have been able to predict her problem, especially given that he still took little interest in this sort of thing. She settled for deciding that he probably just wanted to stay here for as long as possible, since Presea did work with Regal during the weekdays.
Raine followed Sheena as she ducked into a nearby shop with a vague and excited exclamation, but had no time to check what kind it was. She was informed immediately that it was a store seemingly oriented around fragrance as scents of all kinds threatened to envelop her completely.
She almost crashed into Sheena as she walked through one of the narrower aisles, candles crowding the shelves. "Definitely these ones," assured Sheena, turning around and smiling. "Rose, you know? It's supposed to be an aphrodisia—" She was abruptly cut off by a quick and teasing kiss from her husband (as though to prove her point), whom she rewarded with a light punch to the shoulder.
They bought several rose candles, as lightly scented as the store would offer, and continued walking—but they hadn't gone more than a few steps before Sheena made a derisive noise and glanced up at the sign of the most luxurious spa in Altamira. Raine could tell she was recommending it to her, but didn't want to go with her.
"I'll do it if you do it," decided Raine bravely after a long pause, facing the beauty parlor with squared shoulders. She'd always had a curiosity towards this sort of thing, but she'd never had the time nor funds to ever make it happen—and she'd always seemed to acquire quite enough admirers without it in the past. Well, there's a first time for everything, she comforted herself, and Sheena will be there with me.
"Please," added Zelos immediately, turning to Sheena and falling to his knees overdramatically, playing with one of her hands; his wife blushed crimson. "If you go into the spa and get the works, then I won't let you sleep tonight," he continued earnestly, and Raine remarked internally that his offer wouldn't ordinarily be considered a good one—but she understood the appeal, and smiled slightly.
"Fine," muttered the summoner, still flushed, and marched inside, closely followed by an amused (and grudgingly envious) Raine. With luck, this treatment would have the same effect on her own husband.
By the time she got out of the series of baths and exfoliations and little shops on the side (she bought some massage oil and natural makeup—but Sheena wouldn't let her see whatever it was she got for Zelos), Raine was about ready to head back home again. Who knew relaxing would be so exhausting?
But Sheena only smiled as they walked back out the front door, late afternoon sun hanging lazily in the sky, and said there was one more thing she needed. Ignoring Zelos, who jogged after the two of them like a lost puppy as they strode past him, she turned a corner with Raine and pointed to a clothing store, scantily clad mannequins posing in the front window.
"You need some of that," she said, with a quiet smile.
Zelos smiled dreamily, and Sheena smacked him on the shoulder abruptly; none of those expressions escaped her, if her eyes were turned the right way. "I was thinking of you!" he protested, scowling, and Raine smiled at their obvious adoration for one another and walked forward slowly as the couple behind her passionately continued their pointless argument.
Sheena was right, of course. Raine sighed as she walked through the door; though she always liked to have a set of lingerie on hand, she hadn't seen fit to take them on the Journey of World Regeneration (though she was later disappointed in that decision)—her only set had burned in the fire of Iselia, and she hadn't really been able to afford them since.
Raine trailed her hands along the racks of clothing thoughtfully. She'd want something that flattered her—something dark, to emphasize her pale complexion and hair. It didn't take long for her to find perhaps the simplest set of underwear in the shop, over in the clearance section (which was still extremely expensive)—a matching set of plain, black, satin-and-lace underwear.
Checking herself out in the changing room, Raine couldn't suppress another smile. She may not have been narcissistic, but she knew when she looked good. Maybe it was just the spa treatment, but… did it really matter if that was the case? Regal would think she looked good, too, she was sure. If she managed to get that far.
"Is that all?" asked Sheena as Raine carried her future purchases out of the changing room, appearing before her as suddenly as if she had been summoned herself. She was rubbing a newly acquired red mark on her collarbone—barely visible under her traditional lavender top—and Sheena colored slightly and adjusted her clothing as Raine smiled knowingly. "You'll want something to cover that up," she added, as though referring to herself.
"Like what?" asked Raine, raising her eyebrows and shifting her weight to one hip.
"Like, a robe, or something," suggested Sheena vaguely, plainly thinking carefully. "Hold on, I'll find you one." Before Raine could tell her she didn't think that was necessary, she had returned with a loose, white, semi-sheer, silky robe, in appearance more characteristic of the people of Mizuho than the rest of the world.
"Won't it disappear on my skin?" joked Raine half-seriously, holding it up to the light. No, she corrected herself mentally; she was sure it wouldn't, as long as she wore all her new clothes at once. This had plenty of room for fun, and Sheena was right once more; she was used to having her clothes practically torn off by Kratos (and his predecessor), but she kept forgetting that wasn't the way most couples did things. A little bit of prolonging could probably go a long way.
"He won't be able to resist," decided Sheena, smiling sideways, when Raine shyly called her to the changing rooms for a second opinion. The silk shimmered in the dim light, and revealed a single strap; the contrast in colors meant that the shapes of the lingerie beneath the robe were just barely visible.
"I hope you're right," responded Raine, blushing as she laughed.
"Well, good luck, anyway," shrugged Sheena, wavering somewhat awkwardly. "I think I'm going to take Zelos and go, now. But it's been fun," she added, backing out of the changing room with a final encouraging smile and shutting the doors.
Raine smiled distantly and smoothed the robe down her mild curves, hoping very much that Alicia hadn't made the same fashion decisions years before. The last thing she wanted was for this to remind him of her, too…
It was impossible for her to relax when she got home, as much as she wished she could. She still had to make sure there was the proper mood in his bedroom, after all.
Refusing the help of all the scandalized servants, she changed his sheets, set up and lit the candles (taking a moment to admire the soft golden light they spread across the room, along with the fragrance of roses), and ensured that her massage oil was readily accessible. He was a naturally busy person, after all; with luck, she'd be able to convince him that a nice backrub was the right way to go.
There was a sudden knock at the front door, faint in Raine's ears, and she started. "Genis," she realized, and flew down the stairs and opened the door, thankfully having put off changing into her new clothes until the last minute. "Thanks for showing up," she added, but her brother had already breezed past her with a knowing smile and made his way carefully to the kitchen.
Raine, meanwhile, focused on perfecting her appearance. Assuming her grand plan worked, she didn't want to wake up looking like a Rheiard crash, so everything had to be absolutely perfect.
A note! She'd almost forgotten. Raine hastily scribbled a note—Dearest Regal, she smiled to herself, dinner awaits you in the dining room, as do I. Yours, she finished, and signed her name before dashing downstairs again and tacking it to the wall in the entrance hall. All she could do was hope he would find it when the time came.
The time came, she found, all too soon; Genis left a couple hours after sunset, winking obviously at Raine as he went (she tripped him as he stepped out the door). From there, she only had a few minutes to wait before the door opened and brought in her husband…
…who proceeded to go upstairs and take a bath, judging from the sound of running water. Raine cast a short spell on the food—which she found she would have cooked vastly differently than Genis had, but she supposed it was all for the best—to keep it warm and fresh for him as she waited.
Raine jumped as she heard his footsteps approaching, and smiled at him gently as he came through the door. She was pleased to see his reaction to her new clothes; his eyes widened and he could not suppress a smile of his own, though Raine was careful to keep her implications a mere suggestion, an option rather than a necessity.
His eyes tugged themselves away from her momentarily to glance over the table: a light meal (but a delicious one) was spread before them—salmon, sprinkled with at least six different kinds of flavorful herbs, with tender asparagus alongside. A bowl of fruit sat in the center of the table—apricots, cherries, peaches, and pears. A small glass of amaretto sat shining beside each plate, next to larger cups of water.
Genis had done his job better than she ever could have anticipated.
"I'm not the cook," she assured, as patiently as possible, at Regal's vaguely suspicious look; a barely discernible expression of relief flashed across his face as he lowered himself into his seat.
The meal was quiet, but somehow not awkward. Raine glanced over at him constantly, observing the way his long blue hair was still unkempt even after it had clearly been brushed, and the damp way those two strands rested on his shoulders on either side of his face. He may have been almost forty years old, but he hardly looked his age; he was the picture of vitality… and virility.
It was all for the best, really. After all, Raine's aging had already begun to slow.
Regal may have been graceful in eating, as in all things, but Raine noticed that he moved very stiffly despite his habit of waking up at ungodly hours to exercise. Struggling not to feel triumphant at the way things were working out, since she hardly wanted his muscles to ache, Raine smiled at him as she took a small and tentative bite out of a cherry.
That was apparently too much for him, and Raine thought he might have turned as red as the fruit she swallowed. Somehow, the thought of Regal Bryant blushing for her sake prompted Raine's cheeks to flush as well.
"Wait," she said softly as her husband rose from his seat, looking vaguely uncomfortable; though she could tell his guard was still up, perhaps she would be able to persuade him to accept her in stages. Raine got to her feet silently as well, and as Regal turned to face her, his eyes met hers.
Hidden in their depths was something very like fear—the memories he was still trying, and failing, to run from. Maybe, if she was very careful, Raine could help speed things up just a little. He'd said he would be happier without being so much within his memories' power, after all.
"I was just noticing that you look a little sore," she said lightly, almost shyly. "I was thinking… maybe I could give you a massage to help you relax a little." She added, upon seeing a frown tug ever so slightly at her husband's brow, "Just to show you that I don't have any problem waiting."
Regal gave her an almost critical glance, and she was sharply aware of the fact that every situation he had seen so far contradicted that statement, but he nodded nonetheless—and was even smiling gently at her in a way that almost made Raine melt. Infuriating though his adherence to his past may have been, she honestly did love him—and, if her massage technique failed, she wasn't going to push him, no matter how frustrating that would be.
Raine knelt next to Regal, somewhat apprehensive: now that the moment to shine was here, she wasn't sure she would be able to do an adequate job. Her husband lay face-down on his bed, only a somewhat thin cloth covering him; though she had asked him to take off whatever he was comfortable with removing in the interest of making it easier for her to massage him, she had hardly expected that to mean everything. (She'd had to force herself to turn around until he informed her that he was ready, in the interest of propriety.)
Taking a few deep breaths in anticipation, heart jogging far ahead of her mind, Raine dipped her hands in oil and rested them on his back. He was so alive, she realized, and the simple recognition made her smile as she closed her eyes, focusing on the energy flowing between them. As a healer, she'd always been taught to think of living things as comprised of positive and negative energy, but she'd never truly realized what that meant—even in her Kratos days.
Allowing all the love she held for Regal to flow through her hands as though she were casting a healing spell, Raine worked the muscles in his neck and shoulders gently and gradually rubbed down along his tired arms. Time meant nothing to her as she breathed rhythmically, focusing on spreading her love through the oil and pressure; it could have been a few minutes or several before she moved down to his feet.
Her serenity was momentarily interrupted while her sexuality took a moment to remind her how very sensual this was, and how very little separated them into two beings. As if that ornery thought drew her hands up, Raine moved her massage midway up his calves, recognizing that his muscles were much more relaxed than before, and—skipping over the cloth—pressed experimentally on his lower back.
Regal made an uncharacteristic, indistinct, satisfied sound, which immediately made him tense up again; Raine smirked to herself, eyes still closed, as she comforted his embarrassed mid-back muscles. Hesitating for a moment, she moved her massage to his upper legs, but didn't have the confidence nor his permission to move as high as she wanted; instead, she decided to leave the decision in his hands.
After ever so gradually reducing the pressure she applied, Raine finally opened her eyes again and smoothed the skin all around the back of his body with as light a touch as she could. Finally, after one more moment's pause, she leaned her head down and brushed her lips against the center of his back.
"Good night," she breathed, loath to break the comfortable silence, and sat up. But as she was about to rise and walk back to her room disappointed for the third night in a row (though having made at least some progress), Regal slid his hand lightly and lazily across the bed and grasped her wrist.
His touch, gentle but so strong, sent shivers all throughout her body, and she glanced back slowly, worried that any sudden movements would break the non-magical spell she had woven over them both. His hand rested atop hers, thumb curled around her wrist, and the simple warmth of it was enough to—
"It will be," he murmured huskily, blue eyes gleaming with newfound ardor, and Raine chanced a mischievous smile, slipping her hands into the knot of her robe and letting it slide to the ground next to her. Almost as soon as she was free of her first layer, Regal's grip tightened comfortably on her hand (making her pulse race), and she was pulled back towards him gently as he turned onto his back—though she couldn't suppress a startled yelp before she righted herself and knelt next to him once more.
Regal chuckled lightly, smiling up at her in contentment that barely masked smoldering desire—though, with a shudder of anticipation, she noted that even he could not keep his gaze on her eyes forever. She was more than happy to let him look as she guided his hand to her hip (his thumb automatically curled its gentle way between her garment and her leg)—and then, without further ado, she pressed him against the headboard and kissed him.
Raine's first inkling of consciousness was accompanied by a tender ache in her muscles, so long unused in that way, and the satisfying knowledge that she lay atop Regal himself, her head pressed against his strong heartbeat; their blankets, askew, only extended up to the middle of her back—her shoulders were cold.
I love you, he had gasped, throwing his head back slowly and letting his hair fall fully behind his shoulders as she sat atop him, and she had smiled at his pleased grimace and moved a little faster for his sake.
I love you, she had moaned, biting her lip as he peeled himself momentarily away from her to trail a string of hot kisses up and down her body, lingering more on the down than the up. Don't stop!
Regal stirred beneath her, a hand resting on her slender waist, and Raine opened her eyes sleepily to find him glancing down at her with undisguised, unrestrained affection in his level blue gaze. "Good morning," he murmured, not the least bit sheepish, when she met his eyes. He lightly pinched a few inches down from where his hand rested, making Raine jump and—once she realized exactly what had happened—laugh.
"It was," agreed Raine with an impish smile, since they had certainly stayed up late enough (making up for two nights' deficit plus the one), and she snuggled back into his chest without further ado.
Raine! he had cried, and nuzzled his face into her neck. Not Alicia. His wife, the woman who loved him so intensely despite the knowledge that their time together would not last forever. Raine…
Oh, Regal, she had sighed no more than a moment later, and dug her fingernails into his sweaty back. Not Kratos. Her husband, the man who endlessly atoned for all his sins… including postponing his wedding night.
"Raine," said Regal gently, running his hand up and down the length of her smooth back and smiling at her girlish giggle. "I have to get up and go to work. Presea will be expecti—"
"No, she won't," interrupted Raine, a smile on her face as she rested a finger on his lips. If she knew anything about Genis, it was that he would waste no time telling his girlfriend all about whatever he had guessed involving his sister and her husband. "I believe my brother may have bought us some time."
Regal chuckled. "Well then," he sighed, and readjusted himself in bed. "I suppose I can afford to stay here an extra half hour. For you." He kissed his hand and pressed it against Raine's cheek, his other keeping her in place.
I see now why you could not approach the unicorn, Regal had panted, when all was said and done and they were catching their breath, gazing affectionately into one another's eyes. Of all the things you can ride, you chose a far better option than a horse with a horn.
Oh? Raine had purred, breathing hard, and rested an exhausted hand on his forearm with a half-proud, half-playful smile. You're not so bad yourself. All that endurance training you do really pays off.
Raine sighed happily, reaching a hand up and brushing it through his messy hair, and relishing his tentative grin. Oh, it had all been worth it. Every single night when she'd been all by herself, every time Regal had pulled away from a perfectly good kiss—it had all been worth it.
And, looking back on it as she closed her eyes again, she wouldn't change a thing.
Okay, so this was kind of ridiculously descriptive, but I really couldn't help myself. I'm also sorry for the rambliness and if Raine was OOC and/or inconsistent at times. And, I'm sorry if Zelos sometimes stole the show. He does that.
Anyway, now that the apologies are out of the way, this was just a scene I happened to have in my head. Even if Regal really wanted to get over Alicia, I get the feeling that he might still neglect his own feelings (and Raine's) because he feels it would be disloyal to her to admit he's moved on, even if he truly already has. Which is why Raine came up with a Plan to get him to stop that.