"Y'know you want this," The silver-haired prince goaded, flexing his bicep to bulge under the cloth of his silken shirt. "Haha, how could you not," He laughed pompously.
His arrogance sent the green-haired summoners nerves all out. She rolled her eyes and dropped her cheek to rest in the cup of her hand.
"Quite easily," She grumbled, lithely jumping down from her perch atop the crumbling stone wall.
She turned and walked away, the grass against the bare soles of her feet were cool and damp as she made her way to the waters edge, emerald cloak swishing behind her like an enchanted cloth. Her clothes danced behind her in the wind, colors, different shades of Jade to match her eyes that glistened against her pale skin like jewels.
As she came upon the water, ebbing and flowing as lightly as a traveling bard's sweet song, she stuck her toe in and made the serenity of it all disrupted, ripples leading into the next. The sun hid itself in its horizon, ducking behind the waters distant line, casting its orange shade across this eternal pool, throwing in a splash of red and a hint of navy.
The tree's around this liquid bliss were full of life and abundant with green. Not a single monster had come to attack in these parts. Sadly, though, despite the peace this place was ensured to come with, she had hoped for this welcome distraction in the form of a beast to alleviate the ninja from her side.
Looking around at the sheer beauty of the landscape, she felt a sigh escape from her lips. A warmth spread from her arms as two rough hands clasped and moved up and down along them in slow, gentle strokes. She jumped with fright at the proximity he created and the suddenness of his bold actions.
"Whoa-ho, chill out...! You were shivering," He grinned awkwardly.
He had seen her gazing out and found the sight more beautiful then what was around her or would ever be around her. He came over and attempted to be suave, only to have failed at this quest miserably.
She liked the feel his hands on her person gave her, but didn't much appreciate the fact that it was...
"Edge -"
"That's 'Edge' to you," He said, leaning forward and pointing a finger in her face for emphasis, his other hand on his hip.
She raised an elegant brow with her head slightly tilted.
"I said that," She explained, voice dead, devoid of all emotion other than slight sarcasm.
He pulled back with a confused face.
"O-oh... heh... you usually call me Prince or Edward..." Well, that's blown, too.
"Or both," She joked with a smile.
Oh, how he loved that smile.
He chuckled and motioned towards her. "Hehe, 'or both',"
They were stuck, silent, staring into each others eyes. The hard silver gaze that met her soft emerald look unnerved her but not enough to turn away. Still staring into the liquid jade's, the prince shook off his upper cloak and draped it over her seductive frame as if it were a shawl.
As soon as the body-heated cloth covered her, she finally felt the cold creep up her body. She clutched the silken fabric closer to her and nuzzled into the collar.
He smiled, teeth white and sparkling brilliantly unlike many of the people in the time these two were living. A stray strand of his tidy, up-kept hair fell into his face. He brought his armor-clad hand up to strike the hair away, but was pleasantly thwarted by a smaller, gentler hand.
The green-haired goddess before him had raised a hand to gently brush aside the hanging bang that blocked his eye, against her will, and tucked the tendril behind his ear.
"R-Rydia," He breathed, as his pale cheeks ignited with his emotions.
She regained her mind-set and tried quickly to pull back but his larger hand captured her frail appendage. He caught her hand with his and drew it to his beating chest. She felt the thump-beat thym of his heart, pounding even through the metal plating of his chest plate. She flushed under his touch and looked down to the side shyly. With a free finger, he gingerly tilted her head up so as to better see into her eyes. She tried to struggle, but the attempt was futile, and as their eyes met, she was entranced in the silvery depths.
Her mouth opened a bit, in awe. Rydia had never seen an expression so serious, so contemplative, so fierce, set on his face. He leaned in, setting the poor girls spine rigid, but only allowed himself to rest their foreheads together, despite how difficult it was not to just catch her soft lips with his.
"Why can't you see me... as I see you..." He whispered against her hair in a hushed, anguished tone.
He closed his eyes with the pain and braced himself for the onslaught of emotion that was to come from after he said what he must.
She had no idea what to tell the man. She had nothing to tell him. Did she? With his actions came questions she did not have the courage to answer.
He stepped back and away, recoiling from her and staring sadly at the person most precious to him. The next he spoke was a few moments later and what he shared set her heart with dread.
"I had hoped to win your heart and be able to tell you that I''m to be married off and then ask you what you intended to do about it,"
He sagged his head, defeated, joking demeanor all but vanished. He wasn't kidding. He was being serious. Rydia could barely process this flow of information, and there wasn't anything to really process in the first place. He would be with somebody else. That was that. Why should she care? It's not like she did. … Did she? No, it couldn't possibly be like she... cared the least bit what he did.
"But," He continued. "I can't say this and think that you would try to stop me... I see that I can't do anything to... make you mine. Nothing I could ever do for that to be a possibility."
He brought a shaky hand up and caressed his fingers along the silkiness of her cheek, reveling in the feeling of something that did not, nor ever would, belong to him.
"You are as fierce as the ocean but you hold even more beauty than anything could ever compare. I could never live up to the kind of man that you deserve... no matter how hard I tried."
It was all she could do not to gape. This New Edge... he began to have a profound effect on her.
"Rydia...this is goodbye..."
He smiled, a smile that tore at the heart of this maiden. The warmth that smiles are intended to bring did not reach his eyes. The betrothed prince dropped his hand to his side. Before he turned he stared into the gem-like eyes that were brimming with tears she hadn't realized were ready to shed, and spoke.
"I know you won't reciprocate … but... this women I am set to marry is not whom I love. Rydia... it's you, I love."
He turned and walked away silently, fearful of the rejection he was sure he would receive and hurt at the expected silence.
A static friction shocked the cool, dawn air and sent the warriors hair on end. A form apparated before him. The frame was frail, but the state of mind and spirit was far from it. He stood tall, towering above the noble prince, with a golden cloak wrapped about his boney being, a lightning rod-staff held grasped in his knobbly hands.
Ramuh, as his summoning was, stood bare before the Eblanian. Never before did the silver-haired man seen a summon as mighty.
"How dare you..." The lean young woman shook in built up rage.
Each one of his words had bitten into her and frayed at the loose lines of her patience. The brash god of thunder blocked his path menacingly, brooding expression right set on his face.
"...how dare you!" She yelled at him, more forcefully then before. She turned her face to the ground, still quaking in pent-up frustration. "How dare you think what I may or may not say, think, or feel – who are you to think that?"
"Edge" could not believe his ears. Could this be...
As he tried to turn and face her, he was bombarded with small, thinly muscular arms wrapping around his chest from behind. His breath caught, placing his hands over hers, holding them closer to him still, clasped together as they were.
"Th-then what...then...?" He barely managed to get out. Afterwards continuing with a breathily spoken, "Pray tell, my fair maiden... what have you to offer to say?"
She coyly smirked against the muscles of his back and told him of her choice.
"If you so permit – call off your supposed wedding."
He spun around, clutching at her arms in pure joy.
"You mean –?"
She smiled evilly as his face faltered.
"No, that is not what I mean," She waited long enough for his face to fall completely and then continued, staring at him evenly all the while. "I might very well consider staying, and who knows what would happen from there..."
She trailed off, but her eyes told no lies, and her body language held only sweet seduction.
He brought her closer to him and just held her, something he had wanted to do for the longest while.
"You can be...so... unpredictable, you know that? Just as the sea... yet so much more beautiful... it's the reason why I love you, am attracted to you, above all else."
She felt she should reciprocate with a compliment of her own, after all, that would only be fair.
"And you are as mighty as a dragon, as fierce as a lion, and as charming as Princely Ninja can be,"
He smiled in appreciation and joked as she pulled out of his arms, his wispy cloak dragging after her.
"Well, yea... I know," He gave his infamous sex symbol of a smile, the swoon-worthy lopsided grin. "Couldn't believe you wouldn't come after me for those reasons earlier!"
She walked from him to cross over back to the waters edge, having somehow deviating from the spot, with a feminine gait, hips swaying with the shifting of the cloak, her clothes conforming more tightly to her body.
Before she left the smitten man, she turned her head sideways and spoke, "Oh, and by the way..." She trailed off in a sultry whisper, strutting off enticingly as she did so. "I... love you, too..."
His jaw dropped all the way down to where Levaethin layed, slumbering off in his demonic dwelling.
And so there she left him, jumping for joy out of pure elation, grinning.
/End/
A/N:
So, my fellow FF Lovers... what did you think? This is my third FF IV fanfiction... and I have to say... one of the best i've written. I'm sure you've read better, but, hey, comment if i'm wrong. Comment if i'm not. I love to get responses. Seeing a notification of a review pop up in my email is what I live for Cx
Well, until next time, gang...
Jaa ne~