It seems that I can only write drabbles these days. xD; I actually wanted this to be a RydiaxKain, but I couldn't find a way to work that into this particular piece, which felt complete at the last line. I still plan on writing a RydiaxKain, though, so I guess this is a bit of a preview? Anyway, enough of my rambling...
Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy IV or any of the characters or locations. It all belongs to Square-Enix.
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He wasn't trying to upset her, Rydia knew. Subtlety just wasn't a word found in the Eblan prince's vocabulary. His arm was lazily draped over her shoulders and she'd given up shrugging it off long ago. It always somehow found its way back. Rydia wasn't sure if Edge hadn't noticed her quiet attempts to put some distance between the two of them, or if he was just choosing to ignore them.
He's just distraught over the death of his parents and he needs someone to cling to for now, she'd convinced herself. He'll get over it eventually.
It had been months since then. Edge's affections showed no signs of relenting. Initially, Rydia had been flattered by the attention and she'd felt almost obligated to put up with it. She hadn't wanted to hurt him, not at a time like that. Now, it was beginning to feel like a thorn in her spine. Unfortunately for her, Edge wasn't able to take a hint and Rydia didn't dare say anything. They were traveling together and the last thing Rydia wanted to do was cause a rift in the group over such a petty thing. He was just teasing, after all. Edge had done a fair bit of flirting with Rosa until Cecil had fixed him with a stare that seemed reminiscent of his Dark Knight days.
Rydia didn't mind his winks and coy words at first, but then he started to get more physical, more suggestive. And the physicality bothered her.
Sometimes, I wonder. Does he even care about me, or am I just the easiest catch?
Sometimes, it seemed to her that the ninja really was just looking for an easy lay. Rydia hadn't given him that yet, but she was afraid. At times like this, when Edge wasn't talking (he seemed to be having trouble keeping his eyes open.), she could look back at their past interactions and see right through him. However, when his eyes met hers under a warm red sunset and he began to speak in silky, 'you're-the-only-one-for-me' tones, reason left her and she caught herself believing that he really did love her.
At times like that, she didn't know who she hated more; Edge for all his games or herself for playing along.