Enthralling
A Yuan/Raine one-shot, set after the events of the game.
Disclaimer: I do not own any part of the game, Tales of Symphonia.
The resounding clack of the keyboard echoed soundly throughout the room. Each depression and rise of the metallic keys bore an ostentatious resemblance to a congregation of tap dancers. Raine's pale hands were firm, her fingers moving as instinctively as a snake. Her light, sapphire-blue eyes glittered in the glow of the white light, radiating proudly from the glossy computer screen.
There was an air of resolution surrounding her, tinged with nuances of apprehension. In the deadly silence, Raine's movements could be assessed as someone in a rush, as if afraid to be caught. Yet, her body stood frigidly, and her face bore a determined expression, seeming completely absorbed into her job. However, her concentration was suddenly interrupted by a sharp, cutting voice that filled the room, "What are you doing here?"
Abruptly halting, surprise flickered through Raine's eyes as she quickly turned, nearly jumping at the sight of Yuan. His form seemed almost completely enveloped by the shadows, making him appear like a dark creature, humanized only by the glow of his stoic, jade-green eyes.
"Surprised, are we?" he remarked dryly, sarcasm dripping from his voice. "I suppose one would not expect an ex-Renegade leader to return to his base arbitrarily."
Straightening, her jaw set stiffly, Raine gave him an indignant gaze, retorting, "I apologize for my intrusion, but I truly did not believe you had much use for this area any longer. After all, you probably had more important necessities to carry out than to clean up this empty place."
"Well, as it turns out, I needn't bother cleaning up when there's already a maid here to do it for me," he promptly remarked, both disdain and amusement tainting his tone.
Taken aback by his quick response, she hesitated for a short moment before saying, "I'm so very flattered to see that your first reaction to a lady would be to assume that she was a maid. I never knew what a gentleman you were."
Yuan's eyebrow quirked upward, as a small smile tugged at his lips. Chuckling bemusedly, he said, "Well then, Ms. Sage, please enlighten me as to why you decided to barge – excuse me, I mean enter – my ever-so-lovely base."
Although his voice had assumed a more light-hearted tone, his over-polite words made it blatant that their battle of wits was still ensuing, and Raine was never one to turn down a test of intelligence.
"Well, if you must know," she began, evenly, "I had been researching the previous records stored within your computer's database. Forgive me if you find this to be an invasion of privacy, but I had assumed you had no other dark secrets to hide."
"Of course not, delve as deeply as you please," he said, pleasantly. "Then again, you probably didn't even need me to voice permission. Regardless, you would've continued on persistently, which is so very admirable, although unexpected, in such a beautiful woman as yourself."
Raine felt herself pause, mentally scolding herself for each second she squandered. Yuan's words always flowed so smoothly from his lips, while hers seemed too carefully composed, often having to be worded longer to measure up to his statement. Unless she was able to catch him off guard, he was going to have the upper hand – and he knew this too, she was sure.
"Why, thank you," she remarked, giving a small, gracious bow of her head. "I'm surprised to see that you appreciate my thirst for knowledge. If I didn't know any better, I would've thought you were interested in me." At this, she sultrily lowered her eyelids, hoping her flirtatious action would be the right card to play.
Fortunately for Raine, it was.
Blinking, Yuan's eyes had widened for a moment, before he quickly seized control of his composure again. "Well, I must admit, you've definitely enthralled me now," he said, beginning to walk towards her, his stride slow and purposeful. "I mean, the first time I saw you, your beauty was completely overwhelming. And now, after viewing this entire display of intelligence…I find it to be an irresistible combo."
Reaching her, he raised his right hand, bringing it to the left side of her face. Gently, he began to caress her cheek, his soft touch making Raine's breathing grow shallow and her heart beat faster.
Stubbornly refusing to show any sign of her weakness from a simple, shocking turn of events, she kept her lips tightly pursed and her tone of voice firm. "Now, now, the great, regal Yuan can't be attracted to me now," she remarked, sounding coyly incredulous. "I mean, you probably have many other lovely ladies lining up at your doorstep."
"But you are the only one I will have," he purred seductively as he leaned forward, his face now only a few centimeters away from hers.
Almost instantly, a frisson of heat ran across Raine's body as her lips parted slightly – an invitation for what he was subtly offering. She could feel Yuan's breath curl around her face and the gentle tickle of his cobalt-colored hair strands arched against her forehead, tempting her to capitulate to her own concupiscence.
Where was this desire coming from all of a sudden? She was in control, she had to be in control. She couldn't lose – her pride wouldn't allow her.
But now that it was time for her to respond…her mind came up blank, with only one solution available.
Shutting her eyes closed, she lowered her mouth onto his, their lips coming into contact with a startling electric-like sensation. Instinctively, Raine's body began to arch towards Yuan, whose spine had stiffened with surprise. However, only a second could pass before they were interrupted by the sound of someone clearing his voice, a moment before the lights suddenly clicked on. Golden luminosity quickly flooded the dark room, dispelling the shadows and bringing everything into full clarity. Hastily, Yuan and Raine jumped apart from each other, as if abashed. Turning, they found Kratos, standing by the doorway, his arms crossed. Casting a covert glance at each other, the two shared the same thought – whether the red-haired man had seen what they had been doing.
"K…Kratos," Yuan greeted, trying to keep his usual, cool tone of voice. "How surprising of you to drop by…I thought you had decided to stay on Derris-Kharlan?"
Detecting a trace of nervousness within his voice, Kratos gave a small tilt of his head, answering, "I had wanted to visit you one last time before I departed, but apparently you're…preoccupied…so I shall return at a more convenient time."
As he began to turn, Yuan quickly rushed over to him, grabbing his left arm. "No, no, I…we were just…talking," he said, choosing his words carefully, "about nothing too important…" Glancing at Raine, he added, "So, if you don't mind, Ms. Sage, how about you return some other time? I'd like to finish whatever business Kratos has with me, so he doesn't have to waste any more time before embarking to Derris-Kharlan."
Catching a hint of mischievousness in his words, Raine held back the urge to smile and sternly nodded, beginning to walk out of the room.
"Of course, Yuan," she said, matter-of-factly. "But don't expect me to wait at your doorstep." Giving him an alluring smile, she slowly sauntered out, making sure his eyes were glued to her until she was out of sight.
Raising an eyebrow as he watched the pair, Kratos couldn't help but ask, "What on earth was that all about?"
"Hmm?" Yuan said, absent-mindedly. "Oh…well, Ms. Sage had just decided to…surprise me with a visit. Being a gentleman of course, I decided to indulge her in a little game of mine, which turned out to be quite enthralling indeed."
Raine and Yuan was never a favorite of my Tales of Symphonia couples, but I had found the two to be an interesting pair, so I just had to try my hand at writing a story about them...not sure why I decided to pick these two as a couple for my very first Tales of Symphonia fanfic though. Haha, well, since this is my first, I had tried my best, so I hope you enjoyed reading this!
Anyway, reviews are appreciated, although not necessary. I'm just glad you took the time to read my story!