Disclaimer:
I do not own nor claim to own any aspect of Final Fantasy X-2, including the story line, characters and music. I am only borrowing them for a short while. This is the only disclaimer I will post. Please refer to this chapter in the future.
Well Enough Alone
By: Jenna Mogavero
Chapter I
Memories of the Past
"Baralai!" I exclaimed, rushing towards the fallen Praetor once Shyuin's spirit had left his body. I kneeled on the ground next to him, watching for any sign of life. "Come on," I muttered, holding his limp form in my arms. "Don't quit on me now!" I lifted a hand and felt for a pulse around his neck and breathed a sigh of relief when I could feel his veins pulsing beneath my fingertips.
I cleared my throat and hesitantly brushed a few strands of his powder white hair away from his dark face. A ghost of a smile appeared on my lips, remembering my silent wonderings while we were in the Crimson Squad together about how he had ended up with such dark skin when his hair was pure white. I never did have the courage to ask him.
My gaze drifted to his closed eyes. What horrors did you endure while Shyuin was controlling you? Will you ever recover from them? I wondered as I sat on the most dangerous weapon in all of Spira, holding the last man I thought would ever be held by my arms.
I thought my feelings for the young Yevon enthusiast had disappeared. I didn't even suspect that those traitorous feelings had been sleeping inside me for all these years, waiting for their chance to see the sunshine again. My left hand absently rubbed his back where the bullet shot by Nooj had penetrated his flesh. I thought both him and Gippal had perished that day. Since Nooj shot me last I had no idea what had become of them until seeing them at the beginning of our adventure. I had distanced myself from my memories of them to the point where I didn't even have to pretend that I didn't know them. I thought it would make their passing easier for me to handle; I never once suspected that doing so would make seeing them alive that much worse.
I hated Nooj for so long after what he did to us. I didn't know what to make of it at first until I eventually convinced myself that it was an accident, that he didn't realize what he was doing. Nooj didn't mean to shoot us. I was only imagining the malice I saw in his eyes as he shot me. I was only imagining the cold words he spat at me as he pulled the trigger. It was an accident; nothing more, nothing less.
That is, until I learned that Nooj wasn't the one that shot us. It was Shyuin. Shyuin was the one that pulled the trigger. Shyuin was the one who wanted us dead. Shyuin had been controlling Baralai for an extremely short amount of time compared to the time he spent poisoning Nooj's mind with his presence. Nooj had recovered almost instantly, running after Shyuin after he had invaded Baralai's body with Gippal not far behind. Baralai wasn't Nooj though. Nooj was battle hardened, constantly seeking his death even though he was a few years older than me; still wanting to fight even though two of his limbs were metal. Baralai was younger, more vulnerable, more susceptible, but still he possessed his own iron resiliency under the facade of weakness.
I was jolted out of my revere at Shyuin's scream of rage. I quickly dragged Baralai a safe distance away from the imminent battle and was already transforming into one of my favorite dresspheres, the Berserker, before Rikku and Yuna had the chance to alert me. I let the feral rage of the Berserker take over and watched the battle take place like I was only an observer. Shyuin fell before us, defeated, and Lenne separated herself from Yuna's Songstress dress. If I hadn't witnessed it for myself I probably wouldn't have believed it. Then Lenne shared her true feelings with Shyuin for herself and they faded away together, both of them finally at rest.
Gippal applauded us then picked up the still unconscious Baralai and carried him down past Vegnagun where Nooj, Leblanc, Logos and Ormi were already waiting. We stopped to rest for a short time then made the long trek out of the Farplane and back to the Celsius.
Now, two weeks after the destruction of Vegnagun, we stood around a large bonfire in the village square of Besaid, celebrating our victory. Yuna was glowing like a moon beam the entire night. She had been reunited with her long lost love, Tidus, when we returned to Besaid and the both of them had spent every second together since. Some of Yuna's behavior had rubbed off on Rikku because her and Gippal were acting just about the same way.
I smiled as I watched them, a small part of me wishing that I could have the same thing, but knowing that something that special wasn't meant for me. I lowered my head and gazed at my gloved hands, knowing that if I ever took them off I would see my hands covered in the blood of the countless innocent lives that I had snuffed out of existence. I couldn't, wouldn't, burden anyone else with the horrors of my past. My eyes eventually wandered over to the young Praetor, who had recovered fully from his encounter with Shyuin. His deep brown eyes reflected the fire light and it seemed like they possessed their own inner flame. A ghost of a smile appeared on my lips as I gazed at his smiling face. Maybe my feelings for Baralai never went away after all.
I snorted as silently as I possibly could, scoffing at such a notion. I would never want to subjugate Baralai to the horrors of my past either. He was too...beautiful, too good for someone like me. He could go after any of the young priestesses in Bevelle Temple and find the girl that was right for him. It was selfish of me to think that he felt the same feelings I felt for him and it was foolish. I would just be setting myself up for failure, a failure that I wasn't prepared for.
Sighing, I rose from my place in front of the fire and started to walk out of the village square, needing some time to myself. I had almost made it out of the village without any interruptions when Rikku skidded to a stop beside me. "Painey, where are you going? You're gonna miss the party."
I flashed her my best half smile. "It's okay, Rikku. I'm just gonna stretch my legs. I won't be gone long."
She shrugged her slender shoulders. "Alright, don't take forever." She waved as she walked back to the bonfire.
I stood, rooted to the spot, watching the young Al Bhed return to the group and Gippal's waiting arms. Am I only taking a walk to stretch my legs or am I trying to make up an excuse to get away from everyone? A small laugh escaped my lips as I turned my back on the warm, inviting fire that I could have returned to.
The night sky was clear as I slowly walked to the beach. When I was young I always loved to sit outside on a warm summer night and just gaze at the stars until I became too exhausted to keep my eyes open or until... I stopped as I thought about my parents, namely my father. I hadn't thought about him or my mother for so long their faces had almost been erased from my mind. As I remembered them, my mind dredged up their memory from the farthest reaches of my mind and suddenly their faces appeared in front of my vision as if I had seen them only mere moments ago. Tears sprang to my eyes at the sight of their serene faces, their smiling eyes looking at me as if they could see me even though I knew that what I was seeing couldn't possibly be real. I looked around, wondering if I had somehow been transported to the Farplane without knowing it, but no. I was still on Besaid Island. When I brought my eyes back to the spot where their faces had appeared they had vanished like they weren't even there.
I roughly rubbed my eyes with the back of my gloved hand and continued to the beach, this time with a much quicker pace. Once I reached the white sand beach, I had pretty much settled down and recovered from what I had seen. I took a deep breath and pushed every thought from my mind, just wanting to concentrate on the beauty that was around me and try to relax. The ethereal light of the moon was reflecting off the surface of the water making it look like the ocean was glowing from within. I stared at the reflection of the stars on the waves and intently watched them lap up onto the shore before they were dragged back into the sea.
I could remember the first time my parents took me to the sea.
I was born in Bevelle so it wasn't like I ever saw it but the first time I got to see it up close was on my tenth birthday. My parents woke me up that morning and showered me with presents and a huge cake with ten little candles in it. They took me out to eat at my favorite restaurant and I received more cake because my parents had announced to the staff that it was my tenth birthday. All the waiters and waitresses came out of the kitchen singing and placed the cake in front of me then watched me blow out the candle that one of them had stuck into it. Everyone clapped and cheered when I blew the candle out. After lunch, they brought me down to the beach for the first time and let me see the ocean close up. They stood back and watched as I ran through the surf and splashed around in the salty water until I had exhausted myself. Even though I was getting too big to carry and sopping wet, my father hefted me up into his arms anyway and carried me back home.
That was the happiest day of my life...and also the saddest.
More tears jumped to my eyes but I pushed them away and shook the memories of my tenth birthday out of my head. I slowly walked through the damp sand over to the bluff on the far side of the beach and lifted myself up onto it. I settled down into the cool grass and took a deep breath, once again emptying my mind.
"Hello, Paine. What are you doing up there?"
I jumped at the voice and looked over, relaxing when I saw that it was Baralai. "Oh, it's just you. I'm just star gazing," I replied, returning my gaze to the night sky.
"Mind if I join you?" The young Praetor inquired.
I took a moment to consider if I wanted company or not before shrugging my shoulders, not caring either way. "Sure." I scooted over to give him enough room to sit next to me.
An uncomfortable silence settled over us as we both gazed at the sky. Millions of thoughts raced through my mind as I tried to think of a conversation starter. This was the first time in a long time that I had been alone with Baralai. The only time we had ever been alone together we had almost made a huge mistake and I was at a loss for what to say to him. I know I probably hurt his feelings by turning my back on him and completely ignoring his presence when we visited Bevelle for the first time but, like I said before, seeing him alive was like a brick to the face. I hadn't expected to ever see him again so I turned my back on him like he was some sort of phantasm. I took a deep breath as I finally found a topic to discuss.
"You know," I began, lazily running my hand through my hair. "I thought you and Gippal died the day that Nooj shot you."
Baralai turned to me, a frown darkening his features. "...really?"
I nodded, bringing my knees to my chest and wrapping my arms around them. "I remember standing there, frozen in place, with the sphere camera in my hands and waiting for you two to get up or do something to reassure me that you were still alive but you and Gippal were just...laying there motionless. That was when Nooj shot me. I woke up later and I had no idea what had happened to any of you. I seriously thought that both of you were dead."
A corner of his mouth perked up as I finished. "So is that why you turned away from me when you saw me in Bevelle for the first time since then?"
I smirked; he had caught me. "Yeah, I guess you could say that."
He leaned back and supported himself on his hands. "So why did you?"
I rocked back and forth, searching for the right words that would explain the situation. "I guess I was more...distraught over the whole situation than I thought. Seeing you and Gippal alive was such a shock that I wasn't prepared for it."
Baralai remained silent as he leaned forward, crossing his legs and resting his elbows on his knees. "Can I ask you something personal?"
The word 'personal' was like a red flag in my mind, but my curiosity had been piqued. "Shoot."
He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, more than likely gathering up the gumption needed to ask me whatever was on his mind. "Do you remember when we were first alone together back in the Squad?"
I averted my face from his to prevent him from seeing me smirk at the irony and also to prevent him from seeing the red tinge seep onto my cheeks. I cleared my throat, praising Shiva for the fact that it was a relatively dark night. "What about it?" I asked, trying my hardest to keep the traitorous waver out of my voice.
Baralai grinned bashfully, hanging his head and staring at his linked hands. A part of me was willing him to change the subject – I had never, ever talked to anyone about what we had almost done back then; to this day, not even Nooj and Gippal knew about it, which I was grateful for – but the other part of me wanted to talk about it with him. After it all had transpired both of us pretended that it had never happened and we had never spoken of the incident since so, even though I would probably regret talking so openly with the young Praetor later, I was curious about what was going through his head that day.
So I decided to be daring and try to answer all his questions as truthfully as I could and hope he would do the same.
"Do you ever think about that day?" Baralai asked, lowering his voice like someone might be eavesdropping on us.
Honestly? I had probably thought about that day dozens of times since I saw him in Bevelle...but he didn't need to know the specifics.
I scratched the back of my head with a gloved hand before answering his question. "I have," I replied, fiddling with the grass around my feet, feeling another blush rising up my neck at that one simple confession.
A rustling in the grass beside me then the sudden overpowering and simply intoxicating scent of his cologne made me jerk my head back in his direction only to be greeted by his large chocolate eyes mere inches away from my own. I reflexively pulled my head a short distance away from his, a little startled that he had moved so close to me in such a short time.
Holy Shiva, he smelled glorious.
His intoxicating smell only made me want to bury my face in his neck for the rest of the night but I valiantly fought that impulse off, inwardly applauding myself for ignoring it. But then Baralai said something a little too bold. "...do you ever wish that night could have ended differently?"
I felt a rush of anger well up inside my chest but instead of letting it burst out I bit down on my tongue, temporarily suppressing it for the time being. I cleared my throat and, remembering my daring thought, decided to ask him something first. "Before I answer that...promise me something."
He nodded his head and answered without a second thought. "Anything."
"Answer all the questions I ask you truthfully, and I'll do the same for the questions you ask me. Deal?"
"Deal. Now answer my question."
I chuckled and a bashful smile appeared on my face. I had probably thought out a hundred different scenarios for how that night could have ended and as I sat there trying to answer Baralai's question every single little fantasy popped back into my head, making me blush even more. "If I have to answer it so do you."
"Fine, I will," he replied with a smile.
I closed my eyes and rolled them under my lids. Gods, this was going to be hard! What will he think if I say yes? What will he do? I dug the heel of my boot into the grass in my frustration and bit the bottom left corner of my lip.
Baralai chuckled as he watched me sit there and squirm. Oh, how I loved his laugh. "Come on, we both made a promise. Take as long as you like but you're gonna have to answer it some time."
I rolled my eyes again, but this time without closing them. "I know," I grunted, earning another heavenly laugh from him. I took a deep breath and let my head fall back, preparing myself to answer. "Alright," I began, exhaling quickly. "I...might have thought about that night ending differently...once or twice." I braced myself and purposefully kept my face averted from his, quite incapable of moving my head to see his reaction even if I wanted to.
"...I have too."
I whipped my head around so quickly I became dizzy and my vision blurred. That had definitely not been the answer I had been expecting. "Really?" I asked, thinking he was just pulling my leg.
"I promised to tell the truth, didn't I?"
A nervous laugh escaped my lips before I had the chance to catch it. This was getting more awkward by the second but I couldn't help the next question that flew out of my mouth. "So why'd you stop yourself?"
We were camping in Macalania Forest for the night before moving onto the Calm Lands for the next day's exercises. Our instructors had gotten all the cook fires going and were in the middle of preparing our evening meal. I was sitting inside my tent cleaning my sphere camera, getting it ready for the next day's activities. I hated the blasted contraption but I actually enjoyed recording everything, if that made any sense at all. I was putting the finishing touches on my cleaning job when I heard the dinner bell ringing. I sighed with relief and placed my camera next to my pack before crawling out of my tent...and crashing into a pair of legs.
"What the hell?" I exclaimed, rubbing my forehead.
"Oh, sorry, Paine. I was just getting ready to get you for dinner."
I huffed and looked up at Baralai, my cheeks flushing slightly. "Well, you could at least help me up," I said, lifting my left hand. He chuckled and hoisted me to my feet. I brushed my knees off and ran a hand through my hair. "So what are they serving tonight?" I asked as we went to stand in one of the many lines to receive our dinner.
Baralai shrugged his shoulders. "Who knows? As long as it doesn't poison us. I'm starving."
Once we had our meals, we met up with Nooj and Gippal who had decided to eat their dinner next to a large tree. The whole time I sat there next to Baralai I could barely keep my eyes off him for more than a few seconds. It was just something about him that made it almost impossible for me to tear my eyes away from him. I guess that I was making it so obvious that Nooj noticed. I think I might have committed suicide right there if Gippal would have been the one to say anything. Nooj, after finishing his dinner, began his slow process of getting up off the ground. Once he was upright again he straightened his glasses, said good bye for the time being to Gippal and Baralai and asked me to take a walk with him.
"What is it, Nooj?" I asked the young Deathseeker after we had been walking in silence for a few minutes.
"During dinner I noticed you were staring at Baralai quite a lot," he said simply, waiting for an explanation.
I felt my face grow warm as I realized I had been caught red handed and groaned inwardly as the thought of Gippal noticing as well popped into my head. "Yeah, so what if I...like looking at him," I ended lamely.
Nooj chuckled and stopped once we had reached the tent him and Baralai were going to share. Gippal had a tent all to himself and he was quite fond of bragging about it to both of our comrades. I had my own tent but that was because I was the only woman in the Crimson Squad. The blasted thing was too small for me anyways. I couldn't stretch all the way out so I woke up every morning with leg cramps. What I wouldn't give to share a bigger tent with someone else than have to sleep another night in that cramped thing.
"Are you attracted to him? Don't worry, you can be honest with me," Nooj said, shifting his weight onto his mechanical leg.
I nodded sheepishly. "Yes, I have been since I met him." I averted my face from his and dug the toe of my boot into the ground.
"Well, you're not alone then."
I frowned and looked back up at Nooj's face. "What do you mean?" I asked, not understanding what he had said.
"What I'm saying is Baralai has mentioned to me once or twice that he is attracted to you as well," he said matter-of-factly. The surprised look that jumped onto my face made Nooj laugh. "My news is a surprise to you?"
I nodded my head curtly. "Yes," I said, biting my bottom lip. "I didn't think he liked me at all."
"On the contrary." He paused and looked over in the direction we had come from, making sure the man in question didn't walk up while we were still in the middle of a conversation about him. "Why don't we switch tents for the night?" He suggested nonchalantly.
"W-What?" I stammered, not quite sure if I had him heard correctly.
"I'll sleep in your tent and you can sleep here with Baralai. Get to know each other."
"But...but," I said, looking over my shoulder like one of our instructors was going to pop out of a bush any second. "Nooj, we can't. If someone finds out we'll both get in trouble. I'm not supposed to be in any of the guy's tents."
Nooj's mouth turned up into a devilish smile. "Then I guess we'll have to be extra careful."
I shot a cynical look at him and crossed my arms. "And how are we supposed to do that?"
"Leave it all up to me," he said, pulling the tent flap back a small amount with his human hand. "You go back to your tent and wait."
"Okay," I said, starting to walk away. After I had taken a few steps I stopped and turned around. "Nooj?"
"Yes?"
"Are you sure? Are you sure you want to do this?"
"Of course, Paine. The instructors are glaring over our shoulders all day long. It's not like you two could have your own private conversation when we have them to worry about."
"Alright," I replied, giving in. "I'll be waiting."
"Don't fall asleep."
So I went back to my tent and waited patiently. I think I cleaned my sphere camera three or four times while waiting for Nooj. The instructors walked by all the tents shouting that it was lights out and I stuck my head out of my tent searching for Nooj. The cook fires were extinguished and all the lamps in and out of the tents were put out for the night. I sighed heavily then closed and tied my tent flaps, figuring that Nooj wasn't coming. I was starting to bed down when a dark figure appeared outside my tent and began tugging on the tied flaps. I rushed over and untied them, my heart starting to race as Nooj crawled inside.
"Did you think I wasn't coming?" He asked, snickering.
I nodded and before I got the chance to answer he held his hand up and cautiously looked out of the tent. "You know where our tent is. Just stick to the shadows and you'll be fine. If I can do it, you can too. Baralai's waiting for you. Go on."
"Thanks, Nooj," I whispered before quickly scurrying out of the tent.
Almost as soon as I had left my tent I had to quickly dive behind another one to hide from a passing instructor. I knew this one but that wouldn't get me out of trouble if I was caught. Instructor Tilmitt was a mean ol' cuss and every recruit walked on egg shells around him in fear of pissing him off. He would skin me alive if he found me outside of my tent.
I breathed a sigh of relief when he walked by me without noticing a thing. I carefully scanned the lines of tents before continuing to creep forwards, following Nooj's instructions and keeping to the shadows. When I reached Baralai's tent I crouched beside it for a good two or three minutes, breathing heavily, making sure no instructors would come out of nowhere and catch me before I could get inside. That would be the height of all irony if I was caught right at my destination.
Taking a deep breath I tip-toed around to the front and slipped in between the tent flaps like a gust of wind, securely tying them behind me. The tent was circular and spacious enough for me to almost stand upright in it. Baralai looked up at me from the book he had been reading with the help of a mini flashlight and smiled, beckoning me forward.
"So I guess Nooj didn't get caught," he whispered.
I shook my head and laid down on Nooj's bedroll. I had so many questions to ask him but now that I was here with him I couldn't remember a single one. "I just hope we don't get caught in the morning," I said, resting on my elbows.
Baralai nodded and flicked off the flashlight, tucking his book safely into his pack. "You know," he began, scooting his bedroll closer to mine. "I wish you weren't our recorder." I frowned and felt a little offended by his statement. Maybe Nooj was wrong about what Baralai had said to him after all. I was getting ready to snap a snide comment at him but he spoke before I got the chance to say anything. "I wish you were fighting with us."
I blinked in confusion, totally caught off guard by his remark. "Well, that's what I originally signed up for but, since I'm a woman, they handed me that damn sphere camera."
"I would trade places with you if I could," he said, lying down next to me.
I shook my head, smiling at his offer. "Honestly, I wouldn't make my worst enemy do this. If I wasn't your sphere recorder I wouldn't be able to handle the boredom. I'm a warrior, not a picture taker."
Baralai chuckled, scooting a little closer to me. "What's your weapon of choice?"
"Sword."
"I never would have guessed. How long have you fought with a sword?"
My throat dried up and I had to swallow a couple of times so I could speak. "Since I was ten," I choked out, feeling my bottom lip start to quiver.
"Who taught you?"
"I taught myself." My heartbeat quickened as I spat that lie out. My father would be ashamed of what I had become today. He never wanted me to pick up a weapon in malice.
"Did your father or mother help you at all?" He asked, having no idea the dangerous ground upon which he was treading. I shook my head and pushed down on my eyes with my fingers, trying to push the tears back. "Oh," he said when he saw my reaction. "Sin?"
I froze and pulled my hand away from my face. "Yeah," I said, continuing to lie to both Baralai and myself. "Sin killed my parents on my tenth birthday."
Baralai's dark chocolate eyes grew soft and he laid one of his hands down on top of mine. "I'm sorry."
"It's okay," I said, thanking Yevon that it was dark inside the tent so Baralai wouldn't see the blush that was creeping up my neck. "At least I remember them. There's a lot of people that don't remember their parents because of Sin." I paused and took a deep breath. "What about you? Were you lucky enough to be able to keep both your parents?"
He nodded. "I was. I've lived in Bevelle all my life and my parents were part of the Yevon priesthood. They barely even left the temple. But my older brother, Artim, went against my parents wishes and became a Crusader. His entire squad was wiped out by Sin two months after he joined."
Now it was my turn to offer sympathy. I squeezed his hand and flashed the best smile I could muster at him. "At least you had a sibling. I was left alone when my parents got killed. I didn't have any grandparents or anything. No other living family to take me in."
"What did you do?" He asked, leaning closer to me. I felt goose bumps pop all over my left arm at his proximity and hoped he wouldn't notice.
I remained silent for a few seconds, trying to come up with the most believable lie I could. "I left Bevelle and wandered for months. Some monks from the Djose temple found me when I collapsed on the Mushroom Rock Road. They took me in and cared for me. I would still be there if it wasn't for the Crimson Squad."
"You grew up in Bevelle?" He asked, cradling my gloved hand in his own.
I nodded. "I was born there. My father was a Warrior Monk. My mother didn't work; she stayed home with me. Those days were the happiest of my life. I had two people that loved me with everything and then one day they were taken away from me. In the blink of an eye, they were gone."
"I suppose I can relate. My brother and I were always together; even after he had joined the Crusaders he came home every weekend to see me. Our parents were so involved with their work at the temple they barely had any time for us."
"If I could I would get rid of Sin myself," I mumbled, picking imaginary lint particles from my gloves. "I can't though. I was tested for the summoner's talent when I was six and I didn't have it."
Baralai was silent for many long moments, staring down at our joined hands. "Were you with your parents when they were killed by Sin?" He asked, looking up into my eyes.
I stammered and stuttered for a few seconds, trying to stick to the lie, until I figured out what to say. "No," I said, staring down at our hands. "No, I was at a friend's house when Sin attacked. I was running home and when I got there they were laying in the rubble of our house, dead."
"Be thankful that you survived," he said, wrapping my left hand in both of his. "I am."
I smiled and when my eyes met his I felt a strange fluttering in my stomach. His eyes were so beautiful. They were like deep pools of chocolate silk and every time he blinked they rippled like a stone had been thrown into the center of them. I could have easily gotten lost in eyes like that. I felt myself moving towards him before I even knew what I was doing. I felt the faintest touch of his lips against mine and had the mind to kiss him fully but I quickly pulled away from him and racked my mind for a change of subject. Anything at all to keep me from thinking about his lips and how amazing it would be to kiss him.
"Um...well - " I stuttered, trying in vain to pull something out of the air.
"Paine," he whispered, placing his hand under my chin and pulling my face back towards his.
Something about him saying my name like that just felt so right. So wonderful. "Baralai," I whispered right back.
He pulled my head toward his until our faces were so close together I could feel his warm breath crawl across my skin. "Let me kiss you." When he spoke his lips brushed against mine and I felt electricity jolt through every nerve of my body, setting every pore on fire.
"Baralai..." I managed to whisper his name one last time before he had my mouth captured in the most erotic kiss I had ever experienced in my life. His lips were so soft and yet so firm at the same time. I couldn't get enough of him and I was amazed that I could feel something like this after just kissing him once.
Baralai's hand moved from its position on my chin and grazed across my neck, coming to rest behind my head. His fingers weaved through my hair, twirling the short platinum strands like he had done so before. After that, I lost all track of time but every touch, every kiss was engraved on my memory. Sometime later both of us had managed to undress each other half way but neither of us realized it until he laid down on top of me and we both felt skin to skin contact. I heard him gasp and lift himself off of me like my skin had suddenly become searing hot. In the few extremely short seconds that I had to gaze at Baralai's bare chest I couldn't help but stare.
Underneath that heavy Yevon priest robe he had the body of a god. His chest and stomach muscles were so perfectly chiseled it looked like they had been carved out of the purest marble. When I dared to look at his face, all I saw was pure shock. His eyes looked like they were about to pop out of his skull as they roved over the uncovered portion of my body. Then, like a switch had been flipped, he shook his head vigorously like he had just come out of a trance and got off of me, keeping his face averted from mine as he handed me my top. He grabbed his white undershirt and quickly pulled it over his head, hiding his gorgeous chest from me.
"I'm sorry," he said quietly. "I'm sorry."
"Baralai?" I whispered before we fell asleep.
"Yes?" Came his weak answer. He had moved to the opposite side of the tent and was facing away from me.
"Let's just pretend like this never happened, okay? I don't want this to ruin our friendship."
"It won't," he replied.
