Notes: Thanks to all of you that have reviewed my story! I'm glad that you guys like my story and characters! If you want, start telling me how you think the secrets will end up being. I want to know what you think!
Replies to Reviews:
Areku26: I like the idea of writing a story based on Tida. I've always wanted to. I'm glad that my characters are likeable! Yhagris is my brother's favorite too.
Dragoon-sith: Dahn Mi's love life is a bit of a secret! I'm trying to keep things a little confusing. I like to try to keep hidden secrets to make some suspense in the story!
Chapter 9: The Springs
Nayruu danced and skipped around. She and the rest of the girls were heading to the springs first. After they were done, the guys would go after them.
"I've never been to springs before." Celeste said.
"I haven't either." "Me too." Sienna and Shara Ne replied.
"Am I the only one that has? You girls have really been missing out on a lot!" Nayruu yelled.
When they got to the springs, the girls looked around. There was a pond-type spring with two large myrr stones beside it. A little ways away from there, there was a dried up myrr tree.
Sienna put the Myrr "Lantern" down and looked into the water. "Are you sure about this?"
"It's fine. It's nice and warm." Nayruu laughed.
Nayruu took her ribbon off of her neck and slipped off her shoes. She carefully took off her gloves, revealing small, dirty hands. She threw off her dress, and whatever was underneath it, and jumped into the spring.
"It's sooooo warm! I'm in heaven." Nayruu squealed.
"So we're supposed to jump in wearing nothing!" Celeste yelled.
"Only if you want to." Nayruu giggled. "I just don't like soaking my clothes."
"Okay, no problem!" Shara Ne stripped to her birthday suit, and then slipped into the hot spring. "I'm not nervous about it. And you're right about the clothes thing, Nayruu."
After a couple minutes had passed, all the girls were in the spring. Sienna and Celeste were still wearing their underclothes.
"Relaxing, isn't it?" Nayruu smiled. "Aaaaahhh….so warm!"
"You were right about this!" Shara Ne said.
"What are we supposed to do here? Sit and do nothing?" Celeste asked.
"No…WE TALK ABOUT BOYS!" Nayruu yelled.
Sienna blushed and started fidgeting with her fingers.
"What kinds of things happen in your caravan?" Nayruu looked at Sienna specifically.
Sienna looked at Nayruu. "Huhh-wha?"
"Who do you like Nayruu?" Shara Ne asked. She wanted to get Sienna off the spotlight. She could see that Sienna was getting nervous.
"Uh, me? Well, I thought Dahn Mi was cute, but he's a bit of a jerk. Naza Dat is pretty cute…" She looked at Sienna. "…but taken. I've never really have got to know bothj Elliot or Yhagris that well. There you go. That's my answer."
"Cool." Shara Ne said. "I guess I like…no, you'll laugh."
"Aww! I wanna know!" Nayruu whined.
"I like…I'm not saying!" Shara Ne laughed. "Find out on your own."
"Who do you like Celeste?" Nayruu asked.
"I like Elliot and I-" Celeste covered her mouth before she could say anything else.
'I shouldn't have said "and"!' She screamed in her head.
"And who?" Nayruu laughed and looked directly at Celeste's face.
----
Nayruu, Celeste, Sienna, and Shara Ne were sitting around the fire. Sienna and Celeste were shivering. All of them were blushing, except for Nayruu.
"You girls suck! You wouldn't tell me a thing!" Nayruu said.
"You expect to know our secrets!" Shara Ne yelled.
"I'd tell you my secrets, but I have none. I scream everything out loud." She nodded and laughed.
"We're going to the springs now." Naza Dat told the girls and started walking off in the direction of the hot springs with the rest of the guys.
The girls sat in silence for a minute until Nayruu blurted out: "What if one of them is gay?"
They started bursting out laughing.
"I wasn't joking!" Nayruu laughed. "What if?"
"I don't know…Naza Dat and Dahn Mi can't be gay."
"Elliot isn't gay, at least I think he isn't." Sienna quietly said.
"Yhagris is gay!" Celeste yelled.
"I bet he is!" Nayruu squealed.
"I don't think he is." Shara Ne said. "I wonder what is going on at the springs." She started pondering about what could possibly be happening there.
----
Naza Dat, Dahn Mi, and Elliot sat in the springs as Yhagris stood nearby.
"Jump in! C'mon!" Dahn Mi yelled, laughing at Yhagris being such a wuss.
"I can't. My armour will get rusted and my fur will be soaked." Yhagris said.
"So take the armour off." Elliot suggested.
"I can't. I was told to never try to, so I won't." Yhagris explained.
Dahn Mi laughed and muttered "Mama's boy".
"Stop it! I'm not a "Mama's boy"; I just listen to my elders."
"So that'd make you a Mama's boy." Dahn Mi smirked.
"Shut up, Dahn Mi." Naza Dat said, trying to put the argument to an end.
"You suck." Dahn Mi said.
"Whatever. Sure I do." Naza Dat mumbled.
"Hey! What's that on your neck? Is it one of those girly necklaces?" Dahn Mi laughed.
"No. My grandfather gave this to me. It is crystallized myrr, one-of-a-kind. It can protect me from most miasmas, without a chalice."
"Awesome! I want one!"
"It's like I said, one-of-a-kind."
Dahn Mi looked over at Elliot, who had his gaze focused at him.
"Is something wrong? Why are you staring at me?" Dahn Mi asked Elliot.
"Oh! Huh? Um…nothing!" Elliot mumbled.
"You're weird, man." Dahn Mi said with a raised eyebrow.
----
Mostly everyone was asleep as nightfall hit. The fire had brightly lit the area surrounding it. Most of the group had slept around the fire, to help dry off. Each of them had their strange sleeping positions.
"Hey Sienna. Sienna!" Naza Dat whispered.
"Huh?" She answered sleepily.
"Come with me." He said.
"Nnnn…where?" Sienna tried to get up, still half-asleep.
"Where else? The hot springs."
"Huh? Why?"
"Shhh…be a bit quieter. Don't you want some time alone?"
Sienna blushed. "Well, yeah…okay."
Sienna got up and went to the caravan. She almost tripped over Shara Ne on the way. She grabbed the (candle) lantern and the "Myrr" Lantern.
"Okay. We can go." Sienna smiled, still half-asleep.
They started walking through Veo Lu Sluice, killing the occasional monster on the way there. As Sienna held the lanterns, Naza Dat attacked whatever came along their way. Soon enough, they were at the springs. Both of them got in without any clothes on. The darkness of the night surrounded them, with only a little bit of light coming from the lantern.
Sienna noticed something hanging around Naza Dat's neck. "What is that?" she asked.
"It's crystallized myrr." Naza Dat sort of smiled. "It protects me from most miasmas without the need of a chalice."
"Really? Wow."
"Yeah."
Naza Dat pulled Sienna closer and held her. Sienna's face went red. She grasped his shoulder. They sat for a moment in sweet silence, only hearing the nature sounds nearby.
The wind picked up and blew out the lantern. Sienna screamed loudly.
"Sshhh. It's okay." Naza Dat said.
"I guess it's pretty funny that I'm afraid of the dark." Sienna mumbled.
"I'm not laughing."
Sienna smiled, but was still scared. She clenched Naza Dat tightly. Every noise she heard would bring her closer to him or make her clench him tighter.
"Do you want to start heading back?" Naza Dat asked.
"Uhhuh." Sienna smiled. "How are we getting back with no light?"
"We just have to follow that light." He pointed to the distance. "That's the campfire."
"O-Okay." She said as she grabbed his hand in fear.
----
Shara Ne was up before everyone else, as usual. She was going to start the fire again. The wind probably blew it out. She looked around. Everyone was sleeping comfortably. She glanced over and saw Sienna cuddled with Naza Dat.
"Well, something went on!" Shara Ne laughed in surprise.
Shara Ne walked over to the caravan and hopped in. She grabbed a bag from inside.
"So…let's see what things they picked up in Veo Lu Sluice…" She dug through the bag. "Oooo…a couple of Shella Marks…a moogle pocket…bronze gloves recipe…nothing!"
Shara Ne hopped out of the caravan pouting. "I need a new belt!"
Nayruu sat up, rubbing her eyes. "You're very loud."
"You're one to talk." Shara Ne laughed. "So what do you want me to make for breakfast?"
"I need rainbow grapes."
"What can I make with those?"
"Some type of salad." Nayruu jumped up. "I can help!"
"How?"
"I'm good at telling which wild grasses are poisonous or not, and which ones are yummy!"
"Okay, look for plants. Go nuts."
"You're not fun!" Nayruu yelled.
"They're sleeping, remember?"
"Oh yeah!" Nayruu smiled. "Wanna help me?"
"Okay, sure." Sienna walked over to Nayruu, who was in a big patch of different plants.
"So….what's going on with Naza Dat and Sienna?"
"Is that why you called me over?" Shara Ne asked. "So you notice them too?"
"Yeah, I did. Are they the only ones in the caravan that have something between them, like that?"
"Uh-huh. I think so anyways."
"So who do you like?"
"Stop asking me that, Nayruu."
"Why? I'll stop asking when I get an answer!"
Shara Ne sighed. "If you must know, I kind of like…Yhagris."
"You like him!"
"Shh! Yeah, I do. He's nice, sweet, and caring."
"But he's an ugly Yuke!"
"Shut up!" Shara Ne yelled. She got up and walked back to the fire. She had to think things over.
'I thought I liked Elliot, but he doesn't like me. Yhagris is perfect, yet…I could never kiss him because of his helmet. Oh, I'm so confused!' she thought.
Nayruu walked up to Shara Ne. "I'm sorry!" She put an innocent face on.
"No problem. A lot of people don't like Yukes because of how they look. I like people for who they are, not what they look like." Shara Ne smiled.
"You're so nice!" Nayruu giggled.
