PENTATEUCH

GENESIS

She had heard about him. Who on Spira had not? He was the miracle man, the one who had survived not only a direct attack from Sin but the experimental surgery of the Al Bhed. Some spoke of him as a near deity; other seemed to think him a monster. Few held no opinion. It was a strange sort of tribute that he aroused such strong and disparate emotions in so many.

Paine thus had no difficulty in recognizing the tall man talking to the two younger ones who were paying careful attention to his words, totally transfixed by his gaze. She stood unnoticed for a while, examining those who were to be her teammates.

There was one short blond who kept rocking back and forth, his fingers fidgeting in an intricate dance of their own. By his hair colour, she pegged him as an Al Bhed and was curious as to how he had managed to get a place in the Squad which was supposed to be so elite. The other youth had cotton white hair and a soft face with a grave expression. He did not look like a Warrior but perhaps he was the possessor of some special skill which would be useful to the force.

Then there was the older man, who must certainly be the one known as Nooj. Yes, there were the machina limbs, glinting in the feeble sunlight, less noticeable than she had expected them to be, the cane which he obviously needed for support and the intricately looping hair, its unlikely length shaped into braids and falls with one chin long curtain half shielding his face on the right side. He was just as the rumours had him, tall and dark with broad shoulders and a slim waist. She had forgotten about the spectacles which served to hide the expression in his eyes and make him more mysterious than he had to be. As she watched, the two younger men made what seemed to be half-way involuntary bows to the other and set off down the lower path on some errand Paine was not to know.

She took a deep, steadying breath and strode toward the man she had identified as Nooj.

"And who are you?" he asked. His voice was a pleasant low baritone, cool and precise.

"I'm Paine. I'm the recorder assigned to your group." She lifted her sphere device as her credential.

"Oh. I hadn't realized we qualified for one. I thought only the most promising teams got a recorder."

"This team isn't promising? I'd think any crew with you leading it would be at the top."

He frowned at the flattery, then raised a brow and looked down at her with a certain mockery. "You overestimate us. We have a failed priest, a one-eyed Al Bhed, an untried woman and a cripple - that's not exactly alpha material. You're probably the pick of the lot as far as fighting goes. And you're a recorder." His laugh was harsh and bitter.

"You don't have much respect for women Warriors, do you?" She lifted her lip in a snarl.

"On the contrary," he responded testily. "I've fought alongside some remarkable women. But I don't know you and your skills. Anyway, you're not here as a Warrior; you're a recorder, a reporter, something of a spy, I think. Are you also a fighter?" His tone was neutral, even somewhat uninterested.

"I've done my share with a sword and earned my place in battle." She was surprised by the sudden flash of pain in his eyes behind the wire-framed spectacles.

"I was a swordsman before..." He gestured at the left side of his body and the machina prosthetics which replaced his arm and leg. "I wish I could give you a try-out in that discipline." He seemed to hear his own words and drew himself up, the moment of humanity fugitive and his cool professionalism reasserting itself.

She caught the mood immediately. "Yes, sir. Have you any orders?"

"Not right now. We'll be camping here until we're ordered to march out. Have you been issued all your supplies?"

-X-

She had quickly become aware the Baralai and Gippal found one another's company more agreeable that that of any other. It was not that they were unfriendly, on the contrary they were excellent comrades. It was that she knew during leisure times they were longing to be alone together; the fleeting glances they shared were ample proof of that. So, as they found private places to share, Paine was more and more left to engage Nooj in conversation when the team was at rest.

"Tell me about your experiences as a Warrior." He seemed truly interested.

"I always wanted to be a Warrior, so my Da gave me a little dull blade when I was five. He and my uncle sparred with me and taught me 'til I was old enough for formal training."

"Did you go to one of the academies? I'm sure I would have remembered you if you were at school with me."

"No, I had private coaches and passed my boards. Then I went various places as a merc. Did all right; I never lacked for offers." She looked up at him with a challenge in her eyes.

"Have you ever fought Sin?" His voice was neutral, just asking.

She shook her head. "Not yet. I was on the edge of it sometimes but never got more than a passing look."

"Count yourself lucky. Let me see your hands." He held out his left palm, hidden by the black leather glove. It seemed to be a test.

Without hesitation, Paine placed both her smallish hands in his large one, immediately feeling the inhuman cold of the machina even through its covering. He bent closely over her hands, peering through his spectacles. After a moment he ran his right forefinger over the calluses evident on her pale skin.

"You use a two-handed sword." It was not a question; he knew. "That was my weapon as well - back in the day." His voice drifted off as though he was dreaming ... or remembering;

She remained silent. One thing experience had taught her well - it was better to be still than to blurt our thoughtless words. She sensed that his loss of the ability to wield a sword was a continuing pain to him and did not know what to say that would not make it worse.

Nooj folded her hands together between his own. "Maybe we can do some purely defensive sparring soon. I'd like to see how you handle your blade. Different ways of fighting always interest me."

"I'm at your service, sir," she responded, then blushed as the double entendre hit her.

His mouth twitched into a brief quirky smile. "Are you indeed?" He did not release her.

Paine let her fingers relax in his grip. Strange feelings were running through her body. Without consciously willing it, she leaned forward toward him. They were frozen in the pose for a timeless period. Then it was as if a shock ran through them both. Nooj opened his hands and let her fingers free. Paine jerked back and stood in the same movement.

"Well, I'll be checking our equipment. The others should be back soon."

He began struggling to his feet. "Yes, do that. I need to sign in at headquarters and see if any orders are in the offing."

-X-

In the following days, a palpable tension became evident between them. It seemed as if an invisible cable was drawing them together. The air was thick with promise which buzzed against their skin with a humming sensation. Baralai and Gippal appeared to be oblivious to any change in the atmosphere which was a great relief to Paine.

She found herself watching Nooj whenever he was busying himself around the camp. The awkwardness of his gait seemed oddly graceful and moving to her and when his gaze rested on her form, she felt a tightening in her breasts and a pulse-like throbbing in her groin. She had known desire before but never this intense longing for one given man to the exclusion of all other thought.

Of course they still met to converse while Gippal and Baralai were away. During these times, they kept to safe topics and touched only rarely. Still there were strange, silver times when her eyes dazzled. She moved across a glittering stage which was both familiar and alien. At no time did she think Nooj was exempt from the same sensations. She could see in his eyes and hear in his voice that he was being affected too. He cleared his throat more often than was usual and his words were less fluent than when he was speaking to the team as a whole. He either avoided her gaze altogether or she was pierced by the twin needles of his eyes which seemed ready to drain her spirit and being like vampires seeking her blood.

If their fingers met lightly, she expected to hear the sharp snap of an electrical spark, so charged was the moment. At night, in bed, she dreamed of his presence and thought sometimes she could feel his body beside hers and his cold metal hand on her breast. During the day, when her attendance was not required, she started a regimen of vigorous physical exercise, running and other methods of tiring herself and distracting her mind. It did not greatly help.

Around the evening campfire, when the team gathered to share what news they had collected during the day, she formed the habit of sitting a little aside, just out of the revealing light of the blaze. There she could look at Nooj without his being aware of her obsession...she thought. She could watch the reflection of the flames off his spectacles and see how the flickering illumination painted the planes of his face and the made the metal of the machina copper instead of steel. At times, when the light on the lenses over his eyes masked them, she wondered if he was looking at her. Most of all, she wondered what would happen next - and when. The days in the camp had taken on the aura of a time outside of time, an endless period of suspension.

-X-

"Paine, this cannot continue. Neither of us is getting our proper work done or concentrating on our duties. How long has it been since you cleaned and checked your camera? Or since I made detailed plans about shaping this team into a viable force?" He paused and looked over her head into the far distance. "I know very well that I am no longer the man I was but I think you do not find me completely repellent." Again a pause, but this time he was obviously waiting for a response.

They were alone in a small canyon just off the Mushroom Rock Road. He had suggested they do a bit of exploring instead of chafing at the enforced idleness of the days.

Paine looked up at the tall man and with careful deliberation, placed her hand on his left arm, feeling the coldness of the machina against her palm. "Repellent? No. Not ever. Not even a little. You are Nooj, the Warrior and the hero. I am honoured to be a part of your team."

"Only that?" His mouth twisted into a wryly humourless smile. "I had thought I sensed something more."

Paine had to speak past a sudden thickness in her throat. "You're not wrong. I wasn't sure..." There was a roaring in her ears.

Their eyes met for an eternal moment. He seemed disbelieving and hesitant. The woman made her decision, reaching up to link her fingers behind his neck and draw him down to her. Or did she pull herself up to him? Seemingly without conscious awareness, their lips met and parted so that their tongues twisted together in that intricate dance of connection and desire. She tasted the richness of his maleness and felt his hands caressing her body.

"Don't stop." She gasped, trying not to disengage her lips from his.

He continued to stroke her, cupping his right hand on her breast and rolling the nipple between two fingers. In response, she arched her pelvis against his, rubbing against the tumescence in his groin. The heat of his living flesh ignited her own body and she felt a warm wetness between her legs.

"Would you rather we find a dark place so you don't have to look at my body?"

She leaned back, leaving their lower parts tightly pressed together. Her words came in broken breathy chunks. "You idiot! I've been looking at your body for weeks. I love your body. And I don't want to wait for you to find the absolutely perfect place for us to ..." She blushed and hid her flaming face against his chest, breathing the fragrance of his skin.

"Then come to that grassy spot we found earlier." There was a burble of humour in his voice. He led her a short way back and that which had always been meant to happen, happened.

Saturday, December 22, 2007

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