A/N: Okay! I promised my friend andriy that I would write him a RosettaxRaguna fic, a really long time ago. I haven't upheld that promise, and I felt really bad, so I decided to write something nice for him. He's a big RosaxRagu fan, so I hope you like it, buddy!
As for my on-going fic, it's on hiatus until I get my writing skills polished up again.
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
COMPETITION
My dad always told me I was too competitive.
I didn't see how my father, the laziest, most useless sloth in the world, could say that. He was slow-paced and easy-going, something which was unacceptable in the dynamic business world. One had to be competitive to survive and emerge as the victors. So every time he would say that, I would huff and stomp off moodily.
I loved to win, I loved to be at the top. Victory was for the strong, the inborn winners. I was someone like that. Ever since I was a tiny kid, I had always liked to win the games we used to play. If there was no clear-cut winner or loser, I would do better than others, just to prove a point. Lara, Camus, Felicity, Melody and Zavier used to be pushovers. But the one person who was my greatest competitor was my childhood friend, Mist.
Mist and I would try to win everything in which we were pitted against. It was a fierce, intense competition between the two of us. Of course, it never got too personal, but nonetheless, it was a long, strategic, all-out war. Be it a festival game, or a helpful errand, even love... I had to be first.
Who cares about what my stupid father says.
A very good-looking farmer had moved into Kardia. His name was Raguna. He had short brown hair, blue eyes and a strong, muscular body. He had moved into the farm just south of my house, and had named it 'Rune Farm'. He had lost his memory, so he decided to live in Kardia until he regained it, else, until he made new ones. He was kind and caring. He had a warm gaze that made my legs wobble from the moment I met him. He had a soft, slow, refined voice. It soothed me when he spoke.
However.
Mist was the one to invite him and give him a home. She was the one helping him and showing him around. The very thought made me want to scream.
Mist liked him, and I did too.
The competition to win his heart had begun.
Mist and I would fight over his affections and attentions, but I got the feeling he liked Mist more than he liked me. This just made me fight even harder for him. I, Rosetta, loses to nobody. I visited his farm regularly in the pretext of collecting his shipping produce just to see him and talk to him. He settled down well and fought his way through caves, defeating many fierce monsters. But he was still a kindhearted man who helped the villagers as though they were his own family. Then came the impending doom of the Zzyxx Empire and their plans to summon Terrable and take over the Norad Kingdom. Raguna had bravely charged into Greed Cave to put a stop to their plans.
Raguna had emerged victorious and peace had been restored to Kardia. Everything was back to normal.
Until Mist just disappeared without any warning. She left us in a frantic frenzy. We searched the caves and dungeons, everything, but she had vanished. She left me in a state of shock. The village was just recovering when Raguna announced that he was leaving as well, to go search for her.
I felt grieved that two people I cared about were leaving me. I loved Mist and Raguna both, but in different contexts. My best friend was missing and my crush was chasing after her. Grieved and jealous, I decided that this time, I wasn't going to win.
To succeed in a business, one has to open out the field of play. Hence, I had told my father that I was going to pick up the shipping from towns nearby as well. The lazy man hadn't moved, opting to grunt an affirmative instead. I had sighed exasperated.
The nearest town was one called Trampoli. I decided to go there first. Carrying my large, empty backpack, I made my way to the nearest farm. It was deserted, but I saw the farm to be neatly tended to. I found the proper rows to be very familiar. Pushing the thought to the back of my head, I made my way to the shipping box. There was a few turnips placed in there carefully as well as a whole load of trash. I controlled my anger and began loading the things into my bag.
'Uh-" came a voice from behind me.
"Yeah, one sec, I'm almost done with your shipping," I said, tossing the last weed into my backpack and placing the appropriate change in the small tin next to the shipping bin. I was about to face the farmer, ready to give him a proper piece of my mind. Which nut shipped every single weed in his farm? I turned and opened my mouth, only to find Raguna standing before me, smiling.
"R-Raguna?" I spluttered. He nodded and enlightened me on his situation. I held my tongue and smiled, mentioned briefly about how everybody was worried for him and that I'd tell them that he and Mist were alright. Still holding that plastic smile, I left his farm and quickly checked the other farms, muttering to myself.
"...moved into here...no letter...could have died...I'll kill..."
"Well, hello, miss," said a young man with brown hair. "My name is Eric. What brings such a fine woman here, to Trampoli?"
"D'you wanna die?" I said fiercely. He stepped aside and let me take his shipping. I consulted the mother of this town, Sister Stella, and made arrangements for a new shop to be set up in Trampoli. She set the price and the venue, commenting quietly that there was another shop in town.
"I'm competitive," I said shortly. She chuckled and nodded.
Charging back into my room in Kardia, I began packing. Sister Stella had told me that their carpenter was so good that he would finish the job in a few days. Keeping away a few things for the next few days, I packed my suitcase. I spoke to my father about it.
"I'm going to set up my own shop in a town nearby, dad."
"Oh? But-"
"I'm a big girl, dad. I can take care of myself. I've already made plans for the shop and board, as well as other little matters."
"Rosa-"
"I'm taking Materia to Trampoli, okay, dad? Do you think you can manage here?"
"Oh? Yes, I can manage," he said mildly. "Is there a reason for this sudden move?"
"Yes. Trampoli has excellent profits," I barked shortly.
"I see..."
A few days later, I had moved into Trampoli as a permanent resident of the small town. My house was just above my shop. As soon as I reached, I unpacked my things and began setting up the shop. I kept close attention to the three D's- detail, decoration and discounts. As I was arranging things around the shop, I heard the bell chime as someone entered.
"Welcome to Materia!" I said, turning and flashing my best shopkeeper's smile. I saw Raguna standing there, gaping at the shop. "Hey, Raguna!"
"Wow, Rosetta," he said. "I'm very impressed." I smirked.
He hadn't seen anything yet. I was opening up the field of play. Bring it on.
"Welcome to Materia," said Danny awkwardly. I nodded to myself.
Almost as soon as I had moved into Trampoli, I had defeated Danny's business. It was quite simple. He lacked variety and focus. He was disrespectful to customers, over-priced things or else under-priced them. He did not understand the mind of the customer, a very important part of business. All these caused him to be a failure.
That, and the fact that I'm just awesome.
Hiding my smug smirk behind my sales-book, I snickered. I began going over the profits and losses for the week and contemplating how to incur profits from the commodities doing badly before I removed them from the itinerary. Just as I was contemplating throwing out the stock of rotting pomegranate, I heard the door tinkle as it opened. I heard Danny chime, "Welcome to Materia!"
"Hello," said a familiar voice. I looked up to see Mist drifting in. I frowned and raised an eyebrow. She looked strangely happy. She walked over to where I sat.
"Why so happy?" I asked her bluntly. She smiled.
"Raguna took me to the Green Ruins," she said, her voice almost smug. I felt the familiar acid-like mix of competition and jealousy burn up in my stomach. "He showed me his patch of strawberries, but it turns out her has a huge field of turnips there as well! I was so pleased. He told me that-"
I bit down the bile rising to my throat and forced myself to look happy. Once she finished, she drifted back out. Danny seemed to understand that something was wrong, so he timidly approached me.
"Eh...you okay?" he asked ineptly. I composed myself and glared at him.
"Firstly, no 'ehs' or 'ahs' or 'ers' or 'ems' in my shop," I snapped. "Secondly, you call me 'Boss'. Thirdly," I released a hot breath. "I am fine."
"Okay, Boss," he said, slightly frightened. I nodded to myself. It was almost time to go pick up Raguna's shipping. I stood and excused myself, snapping out some orders and walked out of the door.
It was late Spring here. I let the humid evening chill seep through me, willing it to soothe my anger. I walked with a beat and breathed along with it, trying to relax, like my father had told me.
It didn't work.
I marched over to Raguna's house and saw the farmer in the middle of the field, among rows and rows of crops. He was waving around a watering can. He saw me and waved enthusiastically. I nodded stiffly and turned to the shipping bin. I opened it and found lots of crops, especially strawberries. Pleased, I began storing them into my backpack safely.
"Hey, Rosetta," said Raguna, standing close by.
"Hello," I said, remembering to be angry. I then said a little coldly, "I heard you took Mist into the Green Ruins."
"Uh, yeah, I did," said Raguna, sounding confused. I quietly continued to pack in things. "Would you like to see the Green Ruins too?"
"Hmph, too late," I huffed, secretly pleased. He took it seriously, though.
"R-Rosetta, I'm really sorry!" he said. I turned to face him, a big smile on my face, but I saw him poking through his bag. He pulled out a hair-band.
"Here," he said. "I know it's not much, I'm not good at making accessories, but please accept it." Raguna really looked affected by it, so I took the red hair-band with a laugh, trying to put him at ease.
"Thanks, Raguna, and relax! I was just kidding," I said, punching his shoulder playfully. He grinned. I put the hair-band into my pocket and nodded at him, taking his shipping away. He waved to me as I left. I smiled happily.
I skipped into the shop and Danny looked at me with a raised eyebrow.
"Why so happy?"
I immediately stopped being happy.
"Nothing," I said, sounding waspish. "Why are you still here?"
"A-Are you kidding me?! Yesterday you took my case for leaving at six, so I stayed!"
"Oh, yes. Here, document how much Raguna has shipped and store the items away carefully," I said, thrusting the bag at him.
"O-Okay."
"And from tomorrow, you will go pick up Erik's shipping at this time."
"Why can't you do it?!" he demanded.
"Stop complaining. Have more focus in life, Danny. Focus."
"That and this have no connection whatsoever!"
"Focus," I said, yawning.
God dammit.
It was the first of Summer, and I was having trouble choosing out a swimsuit. Of course Raguna was going to be there, and of course I had to outshine Mist. I just had to decide which one to wear. Not something too cute, but cuteness was necessary yet nothing too sexy, but sex appeal was a highly contributing factor.
I felt my cheeks redden at the thought.
After many minutes of mortal agony, I decided on wearing a simple blue swimsuit with a few orange stripes and thin straps. It was cute, but it emphasized my assets very discreetly. I felt my cheeks redden further. I packed my swimsuit into a bag quickly and walked over to the beach. I saw the other girls ready and I saw Raguna walking out of the changing room. I smiled and waved at him. Raguna walked over to me and I grinned wider.
He looked quite good, I must say. I felt my cheeks redden.
"Hey," he said. "Ready?"
"I'll change and get there in a bit, okay?" I said. He nodded. I ran to the changing room and put on the swimsuit. Ensuring I looked good, I walked out and saw Raguna standing with Mist, Lara, Selphy and Melody. Selphy and Lara were fighting and Melody was watching them with a knowing smile. I suppose Selphy liked Lara, and the nun liked her back, but that wasn't the thing which angered me. Mist was giggling and chatting with Raguna. My nose twitched in anger.
I quickly went over and ruining the very loving conversation.
"Okay, who wants to play?" I asked. They all agreed. I gave Raguna the hammer and placed the watermelon on a mat on the sand.
"The liar...The liar is Mist!" I said evily. Mist pouted, dejected. I tied a bandanna around Raguna's eyes, spun him around and let him go. He took a few moments to regain his balance.
"Okay, left!" said Selphy, excited. He followed her obediently.
"Go straight," said Lara calmly. "Please be mindful of the shells!"
"No, take a right!" said Mist. Confused, Raguna followed Mist's instruction. I scowled.
For the rest of the game, he followed Mists voice impulsively. Raguna seemed to trust Mists voice implicitly. Obviously, he failed to break the watermelon.
"Oh, sorry," he said apologetically. I said nothing.
"That's too bad," whined Melody.
We broke the watermelon without covering our eyes. I cut huge slices and gave them to everyone. I saw Mist offer to give Raguna some salt and turned away, jealous. I walked over to the pier and sat on the edge. I bit into my watermelon angrily. Raguna joined me a few minutes later. To my satisfaction, he had no salt on his watermelon.
"Sorry about the game," he said. "But hey, it is just a game, right?"
"Nothing is ever a game," I mumbled.
"You're competitive," said Raguna, grinning. I didn't smile. There was an awkward silence for a while.
"Well, I lost by a pretty small margin," he said, clearing his throat. I saw his cheeks redden slightly. "If you were the liar, I think I would have missed the watermelon by miles. I just trust you too much for me to believe you would lie."
It was difficult to distinguish between our watermelons and our faces.
Summer had settled in. The heat began to rise, sometimes to unbearable levels, and all the residents would stay indoors, preferring the mild shade. Taking this into consideration, I had mechanical fans installed in my shop. People would come in to relax and the aptly placed and attractive merchandise would lure them in. Profit, profit, profit.
Raguna was probably the only one who ran about the place with never-ending amounts of work to do. We grew closer than we were in Kardia. He visited often, sometimes buying something, sometimes not, but he was always smiling, joking, making me smile and giving me little presents. He often gave me the largest strawberries from his farm, else some curio he acquired in the ruins or sometimes showing me a monster. His personality was warm and welcoming. I was falling for him.
The bell chimed and Raguna walked in, smiling. I waved to him and he walked over, still beaming.
"What is so funny?" I asked him, trying not to blush and talk normally.
"I've managed to open a new ruin," he said happily. "It's on the mountain path."
"Seriously?" I said, smiling. "What is it like?"
"I'm not sure. I'm going to go inside for the first time today," he said, grinning with excitement. I smiled fondly. "Do you want to come?"
"Who, me?" I said. "Why would I want to go into a cave full of monsters?"
"Because the last time I took someone into a ruin, you got really upset that I didn't take you. So I figured you should be the first to come."
I felt my cheeks ignite.
"W-Well, I don't want to come now," I spluttered. "I just want you to ask me first."
"Are you really that competitive?" Raguna asked me, his blue eyes twinkling. I huffed.
"Yes, I am," I said. "Without competition, you can't survive. You need to have a competitive fire within you to be able to attract customers and reap profits and-"
"Okay, okay, okay," said Raguna. "I get it, you're competitive. I'm leaving now," he said, turning and waving. I waved back as he left.
The rest of the day passed in a wave of heat. I fanned myself with a hard piece of cardboard. Danny sat in front of a fan for the whole day. At about five, I rose tiredly, taking a bag to collect Raguna's things. I gave Danny a few instructions and dragged myself over to Raguna's farm. The farmer had planted neat rows of crops and the farm was very clean now. Most of the tree stumps and rocks had been cleared. I opened the lid of the shipping bin and gave a squeal of delight. There were many tomatoes, spinach and corn. I happily loaded them into my bag. As I was shutting the bin and depositing the required amount into a small tin, Raguna came bursting from his house.
"Hey, Rosetta."
"Hey! How was the dungeon?"
"It was great. The monsters were a little tough but I managed. Hang on a sec," he said, digging in his pocket. He pulled out a thin silver chain with a tiny red crystal on it. "Here," he said, giving it to me. "I made it for you."
"Wow," I said, taking the necklace. The tiny gem was warm to touch.
"It's a fire crystal," explained Raguna. "I thought of your personality when I found it, you know, warm and fiery."
I felt my cheeks ignite for the second time today.
"Mist, are you crazy?" I asked her.
The sky was filled with the festive air. Pumpkins were placed all over town, carved into various shapes and decorated beautifully. People cooked various dishes based on pumpkins. Mist and I were standing close to her house. Marco and Candy were playing by the water with some duck-monster, and I was keeping an eye on them. Mist was wearing a huge, luminescent turnip hat on her head, during the pumpkin festival.
"No, I don't think so," she said mildly, scratching the leaves of the turnip head.
"Alright then."
It was then when it dawned on me that she might be doing it to draw attention to herself. Huffing, I went back to my shop and quickly made a new hat, this time of a yam. I fastened it onto my head and stomped over to Mist.
"Ta-da," I said proudly. She looked at me blankly. I sighed.
Mist eventually went over to play with Marco and Candy. I leaned on the fence, looking at them play.
"Rosetta?" came a surprised voice. I turned to see Raguna standing there, removing his pumpkin hat and looking at me incredulously. "Why are you wearing that?"
"Because-"
"Raguna!" came Mist's voice. "Come on, join us!"
"One second!" said Raguna, not looking at her. "Because?"
"Because I…I want to. N-Not because I want to stand out!" I spluttered.
He chuckled softly and took the hat off my head.
"You don't need anything to stand out, Rosetta," he said softly.
…and that he needs you to be here immediately. He is quite sick, and not holding up very well. If the fever goes up anymore, there is a chance he might die. Rosetta, I know you might not want to return due to your shop, but I beg of you, you must. Your father might not have enough time left.
Regards, Doctor Edward.
I felt my legs wobble and lose its strength. I collapsed onto the chair with a thump. I clutched the paper, trying to hold back my tears. I had to go see him. He may be my stupid, worthless father, but he still was my father, the man who used to carry me on his shoulders and take care of me everyday. I rubbed my forehead, trying to soothe myself and began packing.
Once done, I hefted the large bag onto my shoulders and walked out of the shop. To my surprise, Raguna stood there, chatting with Danny. Both were probably coming in to see me. I tried not to cry.
"Rosetta?" asked Raguna, eyeing the huge bag. "Are you going somewhere?"
"My f-father isn't well," I said, breathing deeply. "I have to go see him."
"How bad is it?" he asked me gently. Sucked in by his warm blue eyes, I felt tears forming in my eyes.
"He might die," I choked out softly. Raguna embraced me immediately and I clung onto him, sobbing into his shoulder. He patted my back and Danny ruffled my hair, saying nothing but comforting me immensely. I recovered soon and stepped back, wiping my eyes.
"Don't worry Rosetta," said Danny softly. "I'll take care of the shop properly. You've taught me well enough! I'll keep everything in mind- the three D's, smile and service, innovation and novelty, everything! So don't worry, and take care of your dad, okay, Boss?"
"Okay," I said, subdued.
"I'll tell Sister Stella. You just take care, okay?" said Raguna softly. I looked into his comforting blue eyes and nodded, smiling weakly.
"Bye," I told him softly. He nodded.
"I'll write to you, okay? And if you need me, just send me a letter and I'm there."
"Thank you, Raguna."
I left town after that and caught the next carriage to Kardia. Upon reaching, I was received by Camus.
"Rosetta!" said the buff farmer and my childhood friend. He hugged me tightly and roughly, his way of affection. "Don't worry. We're here for you."
He took me to my house and I saw my father lying down, covered with blankets. I sat next to him and he opened his eyes painfully. He gave me a weak grin.
"Hello, darling. Here to see your old man?"
"Yes, papa," I said, trying not to cry. He chuckled weakly. "You rest, papa," I whispered.
"Okay, darling," he said, closing his eyes. A few minutes later, he fell asleep. I stood up and left the room, tears pouring down my cheeks. Lady Ann, Tori, Felicity, Camus and Doctor Edward were waiting for me. Lady Ann immediately hugged me. She was like my mother in many ways, and she comforted me.
"Shh, now, sweetie," she said. "You need to be strong for your father. He needs you."
"B-But he might die," I sobbed.
"Rosetta, I'm asking everybody I know for a cure, even people in the Capital. As soon as we get it, your father will be fine, okay?" said Doctor Edward, touching my arm. I nodded.
"Okay, now Felicity, Tori, Camus and Xav-where is that son of mine? Take her to the park. Relax a little; the trip must have been exhausting. We will take care of your father, okay?"said Lady Ann. I nodded again. Felicity slipped her arm into mine.
"Rosetta, remember how you kept on telling me how the park looked terrible?" she said, taking me to the park. "My father and I worked on it, and now you should see it."
"Yeah," said Camus. "It's not too bad for a dead person," he said teasingly. I smiled as Felicity hit him weakly.
"You're lucky Lara left," I said. Lara never liked Camus' jokes on Felicity's health. Camus grinned.
"If she was here now, she would probably rip my head off. Is she still like that there?"
"Knowing her, she would still go crazy on a simple cold," grinned Felicity. I laughed softly.
"Is that my love's laugh?" came a familiar voice. I froze.
"Rosetta!" cried Lukas, dancing over. I turned to see him running down the street towards me and Xavier following him from behind.
"My sweet, did you miss me?" he asked, taking my hands. "Do not worry, for I am here! You're knight, your-"
"I tried to stop him," gasped Xavier, catching up. "He runs like a hare."
"No, it is okay, Xavier," I said stiffly, trying to control my anger. "I would have to deal with this anyway." I took a deep breath, flared out my nostrils and unleashed my rage.
"Here," said Raguna softly. "I made this. It should help your dad."
I was at the public square, tired and exhausted from my long trip. I always came back to Trampoli on holidays. I missed the place terribly. Danny took good care of the shop and everybody here was fine, but the thing that worried me the most was Raguna. I missed him terribly and the acute fear that he would probably forget about me haunted me. But when I saw his gentle, kind face as he handed me an energy drink, all those worried dissipated from my mind.
I took the blue bottle from him and smiled gratefully.
"Thanks, Raguna."
"No problem," he said, smiling sweetly. "Now go; give it to your father as soon as possible."
"I will," I said, nodding, feeling tears form in my eyes again. I hugged him suddenly and to my surprise he hugged me back. "Thank you so much."
"I'm waiting for you, so hurry up and come back," he said, letting me go. I blushed and smiled. I turned and left town quickly. I reached Kardia in about two hours. I quickly went over to the Doctor's house and told him of the medicine. He told me that all my father had to do was drink it. I quickly ran home.
My father was lying on the bed, exhausted. I walked softly to him and shook his arm gently.
"Papa, wake up."
He arose slowly, painfully. I helped him sit up.
"Papa, this is a medicine which will help you feel better. Please, drink it," I said, uncorking the bottle. He nodded and I kept the rim of the bottle at his mouth. I tilted his head upwards and poured the liquid down his throat. Once the whole thing was drunk, I kept the bottle away and helped him sleep.
The results were visibly from the next day; he could breathe easier, talk easier and smile more. He improved day by day, until, two weeks later, he was fit to take care of his shop. Our relationship had improved greatly as well. He knew a lot about me and I learnt more about him than ever. He told me he could handle the shop, and urged me to return. He told me he was proud of me to be able to run a shop. With his blessing, I left back for Trampoli soon enough, threatening him with the promise of return, and caught the last carriage to my favorite town.
By the time I reached, it was about twelve in the night. I made my way to my shop. I saw a figure standing before the shop. Upon arriving close, I saw Raguna standing there with a bouquet of flowers in his hand. He smiled when he saw me.
"Welcome back," he said, giving me the bouquet and taking the bag off my shoulders. I smiled. "I missed you, Rosetta," he said frankly. I felt myself blush.
"Me too," I said truthfully.
"So, back to work? Back to super-competitive Rosetta?" he said, his eyes twinkling. Feeling my heart melt, I nodded. "You told me you are very competitive, especially with Mist."
"I am," I said softly.
"Why?"
I gulped and looked away. I had to tell him. It was now or never.
"Because we both love you, and I want you to be mine, and mine only."
Ashamed, I looked down at my shoes. The night sky was settling on us. Everything was in shadows and the stars twinkled down light onto us.
Raguna softy kissed my forehead. I looked up, shocked. I saw a soft smile on his lips.
"You don't need to compete with anybody, ever," he said softly, brushing away a strand of my hair. "You won over me a long time ago."
A/N: Oh, crappy, corny, cheesy ending alert. This thing is almost 5000 words long. Crap, sorry. Anyway, andriy, I hoped you enjoyed it andI hope this fits your expectations.
I hope I've improved from earlier as well. Anyway, you guys are the judge, so please review! Anything wrong, anything off, please say so. Thank you!
~LL.