Chapter 12: Feelin' uneasy
Home in Kilika, same evening
Rikku sat up in bed with a magazine leaning on her legs. She was hardly reading the article in front of her though since she was more concerned of Baralai's whereabouts. Sure she was used to the late hours he kept, not to mention she knew he had just gotten back to work and was probably swamped; but that would never stop her from wondering if perhaps he had hover trouble or if a fiend had gotten him. Folding the reading material and placing it on the bedside table to her left, Rikku sighed and gazed up at the ceiling. Letting out a chuckle she realized how silly the last thought was. He couldn't have had trouble with fiends; he trained very long and hard over the years and his skills were unmatched for someone of his height and build.
As she closed that thought, a crash occurred outside the bedroom door startling her. Instinctively throwing the blankets over her head, she sat in the darkness for a moment.
"Yikes! What was that?" she whispered to herself, her voice a little shaky. Taking a huge gulp, she gathered her courage and uncovered her head. She slipped out of the bed quietly; her thief intuition kicking in and she crept across the room, leaning an ear to the door's surface. Rikku heard what seemed to be a foot kicking glass across the floor in frustration. It then sounded as if something slammed into the couch. Grabbing a lamp that sat on a table by the room's entryway, she opened the door silently and slipped out stealthily with her body pressed to the wall.
As her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she could make out a figure that was now sitting on the couch. Rikku ducked, snuck behind the furniture and raised the lamp above her head.
"Nitey nites!" She exclaimed as she swung the lamp with all of her strength. In an instant, a hand grabbed at the object, stopping it in mid air. Then she heard a voice that was all too familiar.
"What in Yevon's name!" The voice screamed, turning on the light next to them. When the room lit up, Rikku stood there with her hands still raised and on her tip toes. The looks of shock left her face and were replaced with an awkward smile when she realized it was only Baralai, his hand wrapped around the neck of the lamp he caught before it hit him. "Um⦠Rikku? You want to explain why you were going to impale me with my favorite Macalanian lamp?" Rikku's face turned red and she bit down on her lower lip; her eyes resembling those of a guilty puppy that had piddled on the floor.
"Heh heh." She began nervously, slowly taking her hands off of the lamp and quickly putting them behind her. "I thought you were a burglar? Why didn't you turn the light on when you came in? You scared the pyre flies out of me!"
Baralai shook his head smiling and set the lamp down on the table. Pulling her towards him he kissed her head and sighed. "Sorry. I guess I wasn't paying attention. I'd forgotten how late it was." He looked up at the clock; it had just hit eleven thirty. Lifting her head from his chest, Rikku glanced up at Baralai noticing his vacant gaze. Knowing it was unusual for him to be that way; she kissed his cheek and snapped him out of it.
"Something buggin' ya? You don't seem like you're all here." She asked, tightening her grip around his waist. Rikku could see the sweat beading down from his forehead and his demeanor was practically screaming that he was stressed. "Hey! You listening to me? What's wrong?"
Taking a deep breath and releasing her from his arms, Baralai reached into his pocket for a handkerchief and wiped his brow. Sure, something was bothering him- try that kiss that Isaaru had planted on him just an hour previous, but that didn't mean he was about to give up that information; not just yet anyway. He inhaled deeply one more time and reached his hand out to Rikku, taking hers in his. He smiled and winked assuredly.
"It's nothing." He lied, walking her into the bedroom. "I just had a long day and I am a little overwhelmed is all. Let's just go to bed, ok? I need to sleep." Closing the bedroom door behind them, he quick kissed her lips and headed into the bathroom. Rikku stood there a little perplexed as she heard the knobs on the shower turn and water begin to pour out of the head. Sticking her head into the doorway, she saw his silhouette behind the curtain.
"You want some company?" she asked seductively, tracing her fingers along the doorway.
"Not tonight." Was the response she got, but not the one she was hoping for. "Sorry."
"Oh, it's ok, really." Rikku said, trying not to sound too disappointed. "I'll see you in bed. Don't be long." She slinked over to the bed and climbed in, pulling the covers up to her chest. She grew more concerned as the time went by. It was out of character for Baralai to act so distant, even if he was as he said; 'overwhelmed'. Rikku had never known him to lose his wits in any situation, at least not while she knew him anyway.
Meanwhile in the shower, Baralai just stood there as the hot water poured on his head and down his body and into the drain. The scene of Isaaru grabbing his face and pressing his lips to his replayed repeatedly in his mind. Immediately after that moment, worry took over and thoughts of Isaaru doing something irrational broke his concentration. What had he planned? Was it anything at all? Baralai tried to convince himself that maybe he was just overreacting but a nagging feeling in the back of his head kept telling him otherwise.
"I must keep it together!" He said to himself, turning off the water and stepping out of the shower. "I have to get more facts before I jump to any conclusions. Furthermoreā¦" Baralai declared, wiping the fog off the bathroom mirror and staring himself in the face, "I must stop behaving like this in front of Rikku before I make her worry about something that is probably non existent." He put on a pair of boxers and turned off the light, strolling over to his side of the bed in the dark. As he settled in, he leant over to kiss Rikku one more time, but realized she had already fallen asleep. Looking over at the clock on his bedside table, he'd noticed an hour had passed. He didn't realize he'd been in there that long. Something was definitely not right and it began to scare him. There would be no sleep for him tonight, and that was the only thing he was certain of. Still, Baralai pulled the covers over him and rested his head reluctantly on the pillow.
Maybe tomorrow would make things more clearer. It had, after all, been a very long day. In about an hour it turned out Baralai was wrong: He would be able to sleep after all.
Title of chapter taken from a song by Etta James
