XXV: Rain Drops
Tidus and Wakka lifted bags onto a chocobo as a slight mist of tiny raindrops accumulated on their skin. Lulu had asked Yuna and Tidus to come along to Guadosalam. She welcomed the thought of spending time with Wakka, but she thought that too much time alone with him might be hard.
Rikku helped Yuna pack some last minute items into a bag. The fresh clean scent of rain hung on the air, and a brisk wind blew thin clouds across the gray sky. "Are you sure you don't want to come?" Yuna asked her cousin.
"No. I'm just gonna hang out here." Rikku had never set foot inside the farplane before, and didn't intend to now. She didn't care to let her memories leave her mind. "You guys be careful, okay?" She said, giving each one of them a hug.
She waved to them as they left to board the ship, and when they were gone, she returned to her room to escape the rain. The dark sky wasn't providing enough light into her tiny window; she lit a candle and began to read Zalitz's latest letter.
The soft tapping of raindrops was soothing. She spent much of the afternoon inside waiting for the rain to let up. She pulled a small stack of letters from underneath her bed and read each of them at least twice. The rain finally paused later in the evening.
Rikku left her room. Her bare toes squished through the wet muddy dirt. The sky was still dark; it would rain again later, but for now the setting sun peeked through a small hole in the clouds. She waved to her friends and neighbors. It seemed that everyone had come outside during this short break in rainfall. A small crowd began to gather. The mail carrier had arrived.
She ran over to see what he had brought for her today. The short stout man dug deep into his bag. "I'm sorry Miss Rikku, there's nothing for you today."
"Huh?" Rikku gasped. Zalitz sent her a letter every day. She turned away disappointed. His letters kept her from missing him when he was so far away.
She began to wander through town; her toes splashed through the mud puddles. Suddenly, she felt two hands grab her shoulders from behind. "Where are you running to?" A young man's voice said. She turned to see a pair of sweet blue eyes staring into her own.
"Zalitz!" She yelled as she threw her arms around his neck. She squeezed him tightly.
"Whoa. Let up a little. I can't breathe." He said with a laugh.
"When did you get here?" She asked as her bright green eyes found his face; her eyes missed the sight of his handsome face.
"A few hours ago. They told me that you guys all left." Zalitz said with a confused look in his eyes.
"I didn't go with them." She said. His arms still held her waist loosely.
"Come with me," he said as he began to lead her away, holding her hand softly. "I want you to meet my grandpa."
Rikku saw the gentle old man sitting outside their hut. He smiled as they approached. "Hello, my dear. You must be Rikku." The old man said to her.
"Yes, hello Sir." Rikku shook his hand.
"Please, call me Flitt." The gentle old man smiled. "Let's go inside. The rain will begin again soon."
They could feel the light sprinkle of raindrops on their skin. Zalitz and Rikku moved the last few boxes inside the hut. Their home was quite large. There was one main room with two small bedrooms on either side. Several candles were lit on a table; they flickered as the stormy wind blew through the windows. The rain began to fall heavily; the thudding grew louder on the roof above them. Rikku inched closer to Zalitz on the couch. She hated storms.
Zalitz left and brought dinner back to them so Rikku and Flitt wouldn't have to go out into the rain. Their hut wasn't very far from the dining hall, but Zalitz was soaked when he returned. Drops of water ran from his short brown hair down the white skin of his face. Rikku watched as he wiped them away with a towel.
They talked for a couple of hours after dinner, but then Flitt decided to retire early. "I've had a busy evening. I'm afraid I'll have to say goodnight." The old man slowly rose to his feet. "Goodnight my dear," He said to Rikku. "Zalitz, my son, make sure she gets home safely."
"Goodnight." Rikku and Zalitz said together as Flitt retired to his small bedroom.
Zalitz noticed that Rikku had become edgy as the storm progressed. The strong winds whistled past the windows and the sky quaked with thunder. "I hate storms." Rikku said, her eyes watching the sky light up outside the window. Her face was filled with fear.
Zalitz took her hand in his. For a moment, his touch soothed her. She looked into his eyes and smiled, and then her smile was broken by a sudden crash of thunder. "Maybe I should take you home before the storm gets worse." Zalitz suggested. Rikku shuddered at the thought of going outside. Zalitz stood and took her hands. "Come on, we'll be fine." His soft deep voice was gentle... enchanting. He pulled her to her feet. They entered the pouring rain and began to run. Rikku gripped his hand tightly as the sky flashed white. They ducked quickly into Rikku's small one room hut.
She lit a single candle on her bedside table. Both of them were soaked from head to toe. Rikku's wet blonde hair stuck to her face, and water drops beaded on her shoulders and arms. She pulled out a soft towel and wiped the water from Zalitz's face. They sat down together on the bed, on top of her fluffy blanket.
A bright bolt of lightning struck the ground, and the sky crackled loudly. Rikku let out a shriek and clung onto Zalitz's arm. "Will you stay until the rain stops?" Rikku begged, her face buried in his chest.
He felt her panicked breaths against his wet skin. 'She's really scared.' Zalitz realized as he felt her shudder against his arm. "Yeah, I'll stay." He said softly; his deep gentle voice calmed her fear. He pulled her tiny frightened frame closer to his body and wrapped his arms around her waist. She looked up into his entrancing blue eyes; she didn't hear the thunder crash outside the room. His finger traced her wet chin; her heartbeat quickened at his gentle touch. His fingertips found her neck as drops of water fell from her hair and landed on his arm. The flickering glow of the candle bounced off her wet skin. He leaned closer, hesitating for a moment... gazing into her deep green eyes; they were both nervous. She closed her eyes... he tilted his head slightly, her soft breath tickled his skin... his lips found hers in a soft gentle kiss.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
More coming. Please review...
Darcee :)
Tidus and Wakka lifted bags onto a chocobo as a slight mist of tiny raindrops accumulated on their skin. Lulu had asked Yuna and Tidus to come along to Guadosalam. She welcomed the thought of spending time with Wakka, but she thought that too much time alone with him might be hard.
Rikku helped Yuna pack some last minute items into a bag. The fresh clean scent of rain hung on the air, and a brisk wind blew thin clouds across the gray sky. "Are you sure you don't want to come?" Yuna asked her cousin.
"No. I'm just gonna hang out here." Rikku had never set foot inside the farplane before, and didn't intend to now. She didn't care to let her memories leave her mind. "You guys be careful, okay?" She said, giving each one of them a hug.
She waved to them as they left to board the ship, and when they were gone, she returned to her room to escape the rain. The dark sky wasn't providing enough light into her tiny window; she lit a candle and began to read Zalitz's latest letter.
The soft tapping of raindrops was soothing. She spent much of the afternoon inside waiting for the rain to let up. She pulled a small stack of letters from underneath her bed and read each of them at least twice. The rain finally paused later in the evening.
Rikku left her room. Her bare toes squished through the wet muddy dirt. The sky was still dark; it would rain again later, but for now the setting sun peeked through a small hole in the clouds. She waved to her friends and neighbors. It seemed that everyone had come outside during this short break in rainfall. A small crowd began to gather. The mail carrier had arrived.
She ran over to see what he had brought for her today. The short stout man dug deep into his bag. "I'm sorry Miss Rikku, there's nothing for you today."
"Huh?" Rikku gasped. Zalitz sent her a letter every day. She turned away disappointed. His letters kept her from missing him when he was so far away.
She began to wander through town; her toes splashed through the mud puddles. Suddenly, she felt two hands grab her shoulders from behind. "Where are you running to?" A young man's voice said. She turned to see a pair of sweet blue eyes staring into her own.
"Zalitz!" She yelled as she threw her arms around his neck. She squeezed him tightly.
"Whoa. Let up a little. I can't breathe." He said with a laugh.
"When did you get here?" She asked as her bright green eyes found his face; her eyes missed the sight of his handsome face.
"A few hours ago. They told me that you guys all left." Zalitz said with a confused look in his eyes.
"I didn't go with them." She said. His arms still held her waist loosely.
"Come with me," he said as he began to lead her away, holding her hand softly. "I want you to meet my grandpa."
Rikku saw the gentle old man sitting outside their hut. He smiled as they approached. "Hello, my dear. You must be Rikku." The old man said to her.
"Yes, hello Sir." Rikku shook his hand.
"Please, call me Flitt." The gentle old man smiled. "Let's go inside. The rain will begin again soon."
They could feel the light sprinkle of raindrops on their skin. Zalitz and Rikku moved the last few boxes inside the hut. Their home was quite large. There was one main room with two small bedrooms on either side. Several candles were lit on a table; they flickered as the stormy wind blew through the windows. The rain began to fall heavily; the thudding grew louder on the roof above them. Rikku inched closer to Zalitz on the couch. She hated storms.
Zalitz left and brought dinner back to them so Rikku and Flitt wouldn't have to go out into the rain. Their hut wasn't very far from the dining hall, but Zalitz was soaked when he returned. Drops of water ran from his short brown hair down the white skin of his face. Rikku watched as he wiped them away with a towel.
They talked for a couple of hours after dinner, but then Flitt decided to retire early. "I've had a busy evening. I'm afraid I'll have to say goodnight." The old man slowly rose to his feet. "Goodnight my dear," He said to Rikku. "Zalitz, my son, make sure she gets home safely."
"Goodnight." Rikku and Zalitz said together as Flitt retired to his small bedroom.
Zalitz noticed that Rikku had become edgy as the storm progressed. The strong winds whistled past the windows and the sky quaked with thunder. "I hate storms." Rikku said, her eyes watching the sky light up outside the window. Her face was filled with fear.
Zalitz took her hand in his. For a moment, his touch soothed her. She looked into his eyes and smiled, and then her smile was broken by a sudden crash of thunder. "Maybe I should take you home before the storm gets worse." Zalitz suggested. Rikku shuddered at the thought of going outside. Zalitz stood and took her hands. "Come on, we'll be fine." His soft deep voice was gentle... enchanting. He pulled her to her feet. They entered the pouring rain and began to run. Rikku gripped his hand tightly as the sky flashed white. They ducked quickly into Rikku's small one room hut.
She lit a single candle on her bedside table. Both of them were soaked from head to toe. Rikku's wet blonde hair stuck to her face, and water drops beaded on her shoulders and arms. She pulled out a soft towel and wiped the water from Zalitz's face. They sat down together on the bed, on top of her fluffy blanket.
A bright bolt of lightning struck the ground, and the sky crackled loudly. Rikku let out a shriek and clung onto Zalitz's arm. "Will you stay until the rain stops?" Rikku begged, her face buried in his chest.
He felt her panicked breaths against his wet skin. 'She's really scared.' Zalitz realized as he felt her shudder against his arm. "Yeah, I'll stay." He said softly; his deep gentle voice calmed her fear. He pulled her tiny frightened frame closer to his body and wrapped his arms around her waist. She looked up into his entrancing blue eyes; she didn't hear the thunder crash outside the room. His finger traced her wet chin; her heartbeat quickened at his gentle touch. His fingertips found her neck as drops of water fell from her hair and landed on his arm. The flickering glow of the candle bounced off her wet skin. He leaned closer, hesitating for a moment... gazing into her deep green eyes; they were both nervous. She closed her eyes... he tilted his head slightly, her soft breath tickled his skin... his lips found hers in a soft gentle kiss.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
More coming. Please review...
Darcee :)