the saltwater room
pairing: Ienzo/Kairi
rating: K+
I love Zexion/Namine. I figured I'd try my hand at a random crack pairing. Ienzo/Kairi, wth? Yeah, enjoy. Possible continuation.
For Connie, who introduced me to this song. It was originally for the Hers soundtrack, but it deserves its own oneshot.
--
So tell me darling, do you wish we'd fall in love?
All the time, all the time
-The Saltwater Room, Owl City
--
The boardwalk would be stuffed with people coming to see Isa's band. Ienzo had tagged along with Lea and Rudlo, even though he hated them both with a fiery passion. He was not the kind to refuse the requests of friends, though, and he didn't want to come alone. They mentioned meeting up with Sora and Riku, one of which had a new girlfriend. Knowing Lea and Rudlo, the details of who was dating her and what her name was eluded them; they would probably just lose themselves in the crowd finding people they know and people they didn't. Ienzo knew he'd probably end up on his own and leave because the crowd would be over-whelming.
Ienzo put his forehead against the cold glass of the car window and sighed. Rudlo mentioned purchasing Christmas gifts for Relena and Lumaria; Lea laughed and said to buy them a bread-maker so no presents would have to be given at their wedding. "You going to the ceremony, Zozo?" called Lea from the front seat.
Ienzo glanced up at Lea. He wondered why Lea never wore jackets in the winter and replied, "No." He turned back to the window and continued to gaze out dreamily.
"Why not?" asked Lea. The car stopped at a red light. Lea drummed his hands against the steering wheel. Rudlo waved to the cherry-red sports car beside them; the driver waved back.
"I hate Lumaria." Lea might have asked other questions, but Ienzo didn't really care. Lea never wore jackets in the winter. Then again, it wasn't so cold, only around forty-five degrees, but compared to the scorching weather known to Destiny Islands, this was freezing. The cold never bothered Even. Even liked the cold, as he would often say, and then light a fire in the room and gaze into it for hours at a time.
Even's hatred for heat and fascination with fire never matched up to anyone but Ienzo. It was the power of the orange flower that made Even so intrigued by combustion. Heat, conversely, had no power, but it was a by-product of fire, nothing fascinating. Ienzo didn't see it the way Even did; it was a being in its own right. Nothing compared to the warmth of a crackling fire.
"Come on, Ienzo." Rudlo was half-way out the door. "We're walking the rest of the way--traffic is the pits." Ienzo nodded and left the car, the crisp night air swallowing him whole.
--
Ienzo was soon by himself, though he exected it to happen. He'd never find Lea and Rudlo in this crowd; he'd probably have to walk fifteen miles back home or get to the bus stop before the last bus left. Or perhaps he could get a ride from someone else. But that was the least of his worries.
Crowds were a funny thing. With Even or Isa, crowds lacked the edge of terror they normally had. Alone, however, the story changed and Ienzo found himself huddling near the side of the stage, staring off the boardwalk into the waters below. Waves shifted with the moon. Isa loved the moon. A hand on Ienzo's shoulder broke his thoughts.
"Ienzo, right?" He turned to face the woman who had spoken. She was a tall, skinny woman with jet-colored hair and eyes like topaz; Ienzo had seen her in Polaroids around Isa's house, but never met her.
"You're Limstella," said Ienzo. The woman nodded. Ienzo said, "Isa told me about you."
"Likewise," she replied.
Ienzo instantly liked Limstella. She didn't ask him questions. She didn't pester him for reasons or conversation. She was Isa's kind of girl, which was probably why Isa kept her around. She was content to simply be, and Ienzo was glad for the nonobjective company.
But she eventually had to leave--"Work, I go in at 6."--and Ienzo was alone again. He listened to the band. He liked Isa's guitar against the backdrop of the roaring ocean. He didn't like how everyone in town had decided to attend. He didn't like how the lights poked into his spine. He hated Christmas, and it was probably because he never celebrated it with anyone anymore. Everyone had their own familes, and Ienzo refused to impose. So he was forever at a loss for as to whom the blame belonged, but he knew that Christmas would be the same as always--lonely.
--
He met Kairi when he was asking around for a ride. He had never seen her before, but she was apparantly friends with Riku and Sora. She was chattering away about something college-related when Ienzo walked up and asked Sora if he was leaving.
"No," said Sora, his eyes wincing. "I'm sorry. If you really have to leave, though, I could--"
"It's not necessary," interrupted Ienzo, beginning to turn as if to leave. "I should have left with Limstella. I'll find someone else, or Lea."
Riku shook his head and grabbed Ienzo's shoulder. "Lea left twenty minutes ago," said Riku. "We'll give you a ride soon."
"No, it's fine."
Ienzo glanced up at Kairi through his shaggy silver-blue hair. He was used to objecting, but she had done it for him. "I have to leave," said Kairi, talking to Riku more than Ienzo. "I'll take him."
"You sure?" Riku's brow raised and he glanced from Ienzo to Kairi suspiciously.
"It's fine, really," laughed Kairi. She took Ienzo by the arm. "Tell me where you live."
Ienzo's face colored and he tried to pull away his arm. "I wouldn't want to--"
"It's not a problem, really." Kairi smiled at him. "I have to leave anyway." She moved her hand down to his wrist and led him through the crowd. "My car's this way."
--
The drive home began in near-silence, with only Kairi asking for directions and Ienzo giving them willingly. Ienzo gazed out the window at the downtown lights. Christmas carols played from Kairi's car radio; she hummed along during random parts of the song. Everything was going smoothly until Kairi slammed on her brakes. Ienzo flew against his seat-belt and flailed for some sort of support.
"What?!" It was more rhetoric than anything, but Kairi answered anyway.
"There's a cat in the road." She pointed out the front window and surely enough, a grey tabby was crossing the road. Kairi unbuckled her belt and opened her car door. She left, ignoring Ienzo's gawking. Finally, Ienzo followed suit. Lonliness was stifling.
Kairi had the cat in her arms and was feeding it little cat treats she had produced from her coat pocket. "Where did those come from?" asked Ienzo.
"I carry them around for the stray cats I rescue," she replied, cooing as the cat pawed at one of the strands of her cherry-colored hair. "No animal deserves to be hungry."
She looked up at him and smiled. It was then that Ienzo noticed that her eyes were blue, and they glowed when she smiled.
--
They talked in the car on the way back. Kairi never took highways. Too many animals and people died on them, she said. She didn't want to ride some state-run deathtrack. Besides, she didn't want to drive around idiots anyway.
Ienzo said several things on the way back that made her laugh. He instantly forgot them in his own embarrassment, but Kairi reassured him that she was not laughing at him, he just said something that made her happy. Laughter was sacred and not to be used in a ridiculing way (Someone's never met Relena, thought Ienzo), so said Kairi.
Their drive had yet to be finished and already forty-five minutes had slipped away. Kairi never went over the speed limit, and the back roads took longer. They did, however, get to see the gaudiest Christmas lights, which Ienzo instantly pointed out and found himself laughing along with her. She talked about conserving wrapping paper, that if everyone used two less rolls of wrapping paper, they'd have enough paper to wrap the whole of Destiny Islands twice over. Ienzo replied that he didn't need to bother, he never bought gifts anyway.
"Why not?" she turned to him at a stop sign and leaned over her steering wheel. No one was around for miles.
Ienzo flushed. "I've never found the need to." He looked away, not wanting to look her in the eyes. Her seats were leather and he pretended to be absorbed in the texture. But he found that impossible, as soon a soft pair of lips grazed his cheek.
Color rushed to his face. He found that his back would not move and his arms seemed to be bound by some force to his sides. He tried to find something to say and found that his tongue had no words to say. She pulled away, chuckling. He tried to relax, but nothing he normally used to calm his mind would work.
Even hated heat and loved fire. Limstella's face was cold, perfectly matched for Isa's. Riku and Sora were roommates and friends, close as brothers and rarely apart. Lea was probably asleep. None of these thoughts would stop this intense feeling coming not from his head, but his heart (and, if I must also tell a vulgar truth, his pants).
Kairi began to drive again, not saying much. The air was silent and Ienzo could finally move again. He stared out the window, trying to think thoughts, but the only word that came to mind was Kairi.
--
"My apartment was back there."
Kairi blinked and laughed. "Oh, " she said. "Sorry." She pulled into a driveway and turned her car around. She returned to the small apartment building where Ienzo claimed to reside and parked in front of it.
There were a few painful moments of silence. Finally, Ienzo thanked her and made a motion to leave. But he found that he didn't want to leave, not right now. He gazed over at her. She wasn't like most girls. She wasn't like him, either. Ienzo couldn't compute the possibility; Isa was like Limstella, Lumaria was like Relena, but Kairi was not like Ienzo. Were they incompatible, or was his equation wrong?
"Aren't you..?" Kairi motioned at the door. She seemed undisturbed by the tensions in the air.
Ienzo opened his mouth and shut it at least three times before Kairi laughed and he visibly deflated. Finally, she reached out a hand and began to stroke his hair. He found himself tensing again; system overload was the term for when a computer couldn't handle any more information. And then he was leaning into her hand, enjoying her touch. Her perfume was subtle, but he could smell it on her wrist.
He leaned in a kissed her good night.
--
Once inside, Ienzo compiled a list, as he often did when he was confused.
Kairi:
-She wears perfume, and it smells good.
-She laughs, but she doesn't try to be mean.
-Her eyes glow; am I insane or do her eyes really glow when she smiles?
-Her touch makes me react in uncharacteristic ways; must investigate further
-She loves animals and people alike; possible vegetarian.
-I think I might fall in love with her if I ever see her again.
The cynical side of Ienzo, the dominant half, made him mutter, "I hope I don't." But he did. Deep down, he really did.
--
Not sure if I should continue this. Iunno; depends on the reviews I get.